Hiver (Sword of the Stars)
The Hivers are an insectoid species that feature in Sword of the Stars.
Contents |
History
The Hivers evolved on the ancient world of Toto'pre (Hiver: "The Holy Nest) a planet characterized by a lack of large oceans and a preference for underground water sources. As a species significantly older than humanity, their early history was defined by a brutal, biologically-enforced matriarchy where diverse clans constantly warred for dominance, making regicide and factional chaos common occurrences. During these centuries of internal strife, the species developed a complex caste system—comprising workers, warriors, and princes—each ruled by a breeding Princess or a central Queen who was revered as a semi-divine figure. While they achieved sub-light (STL) travel capabilities more than a thousand years ago, they spent the vast majority of their pre-Gate space age focused on colonizing the moons and planets within their own solar system. It was only within the last five centuries that they mastered the 'menisceal principle' of Gate technology, and only in the last century did they finally unify their resources as a collective species to push beyond their home system and forge an interstellar empire. Thus, they came to be among the oldest known space travelling species. In the centuries that followed their mastery of the menisceal principle, the Hivers transitioned from a collection of warring clans into a unified interstellar power during the era known as the Reunification. This stability allowed them to implement their signature 'slow and steady' expansion strategy, utilizing massive sub-light Gate ships that spent decades crossing the voids between stars to reach new solar systems. Upon arrival at a new gravity well, these ships deployed Teleport Gates, instantly linking the new territory to the 'Holy Nest' and allowing for the immediate arrival of colonizers and military reinforcements. Their extreme biological adaptability—referred to as eco-tolerance—permitted them to settle on harsh, low-gravity, or atmospheric-dense worlds that other species found uninhabitable, effectively turning environmental hazards into strategic assets. This period of expansion eventually led to a historic and violent encounter with humanity; in 2405, a Hiver exploration fleet stumbled into the Sol system and, without a formal declaration or demand for surrender, decimated the first human colony ship and subjected Earth to a devastating forty-eight-hour orbital bombardment.
Overview
Biology
In appearance, the Hiver were an insectoid species who were much larger than Terran insects ranging from 40 to 250 kilograms in mass and 90 to 450 centimetres in height. Typically, they had six limbs but the upper four possessed opposable digits. Most Hivers had a pair of wings on the dorsal surface of their bodies but these were vestigial and useless in flight. Their bodies were partially covered with chitin but the shell was not an exo-skeleton and they had an interior skeleton with a fully array of internal organs that had a circulatory system similar to a terrestrial bird or mammal. The chitin was not used for tissue support but was adapted with it serving as armor. Some scientists have speculated that the bright colours and patterns on the Hiver's body conveyed a great deal of social information to other members of their kind.
Despite appearances, they were not insects in the truest physical sense with their form varying depending on their class. The species was divided into three physical and social classes with these being the Worker, the Warrior, and the Breeders.
Society
In general, the Hiver Queen were regarded as a semi-divine figure similar to the Pharoahs of Egypt or the Emperors of China or Japan.
In fact, they were willing to create specialized Hivers to do particular tasks.
Hiver geneticists were highly prized as they were incredibly brilliant and worked very closely with their Princesses.
Warrior bugs were often involved in duels of honor where during such contests they eschewed all 'made weapons' and used their own bodies in combat.
Wars were common among the species with the Hiver military impulse being driven by population pressures or an urge for supremacy. Each Hiver Princess can produce countless offspring per year with their population in one place spiking very quickly leading to intense competition for space and resources. A hive under such pressure then faced only two options which was either culling their own population or eliminating any competition.
A notable clan were the Motherless Sons who were a eroic clan of ronin Hivers.
Technology
Their vessels tended to be heavily armed and armored with large crew counts.
One of their most principled advantages was the use of their unique teleportation gates. Their gate technology entered development some 500 years ago which granted them a quick and reliable method to travel between stars.
Members
- Fire Lotus :
- August Moon :
- Crystal Shimmering :
- Broken Beast :
- Drifting Snow :
Notes
- Hivers were created by Kerberos Productions where they featured in the setting of the strategy video game Sword of the Stars series.
Appearances
- Sword of the Stars:
- Sword of the Stars II:
External Links
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