Vermin are difficult, if not impossible to weed out from any location where there are people. People generate trash and waste, and these attract the vermin. On many worlds, with cities that range in the millions, this led to serious infestations. And to make matters worse, vermin often bring disease. Often the chemicals used to combat the vermin were even more harmful to the environment and populace than the diseases the vermin carried.

Someone in a major pharmaceutical corporation decided that the creation new breed of roach, which they dubbed the ‘Judas’ roach, was the answer. This creature was changed so that it actively hunted down the contaminated roaches and consumed them, quickly and effectively eliminating the threat.

The scientists went as far as engineering the species so that they were all female, and were supposed to be infertile, and also built into them a very limited life-span so that they wouldn’t be able to procreate or spread. But, as nature has proven, it always finds a way. Somehow these mutant roaches were able to cross breed (despite supposedly being sterile) with another species of un-infected roach and a whole new strain was born.

Physically, these genetically engineered insects have taken on the appearance of a tall, thin humanoid, and are often able to pass perfectly as humans. They are typically 5-7 feet in height and weigh around 150-200 pounds. If they are not using their metamorphic ability they appear as thin roaches with two arms that end in three claws, and they have two legs. About half way down the torso the mutant insects have another vestigial set of limbs that can be used to grasp small and lightweight objects but are otherwise all but useless. A simple throwback to their ancestry before the bio-engineers altered their species. They also have fully functional wings that allow them to move at great speeds in the air.

These creatures are pure carnivores; they are not the scavengers that their ancestors were. And they must consume the flesh of other insects to survive, but they will eat any flesh if given the chance. The creatures also prefer the flesh to be well ‘ripened’, to the point it’s almost falling from the bones of their victims.

Curiously enough, the vast majority (99%) of these creatures encountered are female, and they do live in a ‘kingdom’ or hive like culture, but instead of being ruled by a immobile queen, they have a mobile and active ‘King’. The ‘King’ always appears much as the rest of the race except that it has no wings and is about three times the size of the other members of the species. This ‘King’ spends most of its life secluded in the main hive of its personal kingdom, making plans, ordering scouts and others involved in harvesting and construction and reclamation, and of course, mating.

Unlike their ancestors, the females do not in fact lay eggs, but instead give birth to 2d20 live ‘nymphs’ that are tended and cared for in a massive nursery, hidden deep in the hive ‘palace’. The females have a very quick gestation, giving birth only 90 days after impregnation, although none ever show the signs of being pregnant. The nymphs appear to be nothing more than small, four-limbed maggots with no eyes or wings, and a large circular mouth for consuming food. It takes a year before the nymphs ready to enter a cocoon and continue the metamorphosis into adulthood. Once the nymphs enter the cocoon, it takes another six months before the transformation is complete and they become full adults, ready to enter the creature’s society. Note that only 1 in 1000 nymphs are in fact male, and the males are allowed to mature and are kept in the ‘palace’ until a new ‘kingdom’ is ready to be constructed, at which time the eldest male is sent to establish the new ‘kingdom’.

To make matters worse, these creatures are intelligent, not the mindless insects their distant ancestors were. They have plans and long term goals and are very expansionistic. They prefer to hunt for smaller colonies or settlements, where they can quickly overwhelm the populace, kill them and turn them into food, while keeping the structures intact for their own use. When a colony grows too large, the creatures will make use of any ships the colony might possess to leave the planet in search of another colony to take over. On large, well populated worlds, they do their best to remain hidden, often burrowing deep beneath the streets of megatropolises, where they can easily feed off the locals without much thought of getting captured. After all, who cares about the loss of the homeless and displaced?

The creatures are also capable of using technology, and sometimes can be found using various ranged weapons, but this is rare, maybe one in ten encountered will be carrying such a device. Some are also intelligent enough to be able to use ground transportation, and there are always a handful in a hive that can act as a ship’s crew, so when the hive is ready to leave and find a new home, they can pilot and man a starship. It is speculated that these creatures managed to gain the skill and knowledge required by killing and consuming the cerebral cortex of individuals who had the skills to do so.

Starfinder Creature Index

Chris Van Deelen is the creator and contributor to over half of the Wisdom from the Wastelands series, contributor to the Swords of Kos: Hekaton anthology, and the recently released 'Swords of Kos: The Rite'. He also wrote Creatures of the Tropical Wastelands, and 100 Oddities found in a Car. As prolific as he is, Chris Van Deelen continues to write and produce material which will be in publication soon. Not only is he a prolific content creator, he also has a wide selection of fiction and stories! If you like his work, please follow his personal author page on Facebook and on Twitter to keep up with his latest news and game content.