Psychovore

PSYCHOVORE
A species which is found on Bromeliad, but probably not native to there. Their normal appearance is a semi-amorphous quadruped with blue-black skin about the size of a medium to small dog. They have no apparent eyes, but do have some photosensitivity in their skin, allowing them to "see", as well as sense Near IR (body heat) and their own Psi senses. The Psychovore name comes from their unusual "diet", which is to make physical contact with the brain or CNS and parasitize the neuroelectric and neurochemical energy there, killing the host. To assist in this, they are effectively boneless, with variable tension in their outer skin and internal fibers, making them fairly strong and fast moving. They can grip to surfaces and their "limbs" can sub-divide up to the nanoscale level like fractal digits - a capability beyond Transhuman biology. Their limbs can even stretch and flex, giving them some surprising reach. Other internal structures are flexible and adaptable. They self-repair quickly with healing organelles which are as efficient as medichines, and their internal composition is very variable - with "storage" organelles halfway between power plants and neurons. They are also resistant to vacuum and do not need to "breathe" for their metabolism. Combined with the fact that they reproduce asexually by fission after large meals, the complex internal structure, this all around hardiness means it is highly likely Psychovores are artificial creations - some kind of alien bioweapon. Initial studies indicate they may have been on Bromeliad for upwards of 100,000 years.
Behaviorally, Psychovores are solo or small pack hunters. Their skin is chameleonic, and they can climb fast and well, so they tend to hide out of line of sight and ambush, utilizing their Psi abilities to sense even through solid material. They can also fit through or in small spaces as needed. They have a pronounced range of senses. They tend to immediately go for wherever the brain is located with a pounce or drop, but if they don't have easy access, they can grapple or even use Psi Sleights to try and stun the target, both on contact and remotely. If threatened, they will try and provoke a fear response or "disappear from perception" of observers. Psychovores are hostile to drones and synthmorphs, destructively attacking them when spotted - possibly due to their inability to sense or attack them with Psi.
Initial examinations of their structure is that they're basically all "brain" equivalent, and digesting brains of others allows them to grow new neural tissue - which is also all their other tissues, and divide or grow in strength. While they are not actively sapient, they do have animal cunning and appear to be able to "learn" by consuming animals to know their behaviors. Given their chamelonic and adaptive abilities, this gives great concern if they should ever be able to consume a large number of Transhuman brains. What might they learn about hunting us?
Threat Level: Orange
Numbers: 1-4
COG 5 COO 20 INT 15 REF 20 SAV 5 SOM 15
WIL 20 INIT 7 SPD 2 DUR 25 WT 5 DR 38
Tendril: 1d10+1 DV, AP 0, Reach, Subdual
Fractal Stab: 1d10+4 DV, AP -8
Psychic Vampire: After making a successful Subdual attack, the Psychovore can spend a Complex Action to perform a Psychic Vampire attack, which is an opposed WILx3 test. If the Psychovore succeeds, it deals 1d10/2 DV which ignores normal armor (but not Psi Armor). It will latch on until the target is dead and they are removed and deal 1d10/2 DV this way each round. The target must have a biological brain.
Fray/Armor: 50, 2/3
Perception: 40
Move: 4/20 Walker
Skills: Climbing 40, Control 40, Infiltration 40, Sense 40, Psi Assault 40, Unarmed Combat 50
Ware: Chameleon Skin, Infrared Vision, Grip Pads, Fractal Digits, Medichines, Squishbot, Vacuum Sealing
Traits: Limber (2), Small Size, Psi (2)
Psi Sleights: Agony, Confusion, Drive Emotion, Ego Sense, Extend Range
Absorption: When the Psychovore successfully makes a Psychic Vampire attack, it heals a number of DV equal to half the DV it deals with each attack. If it kills a sentient creature it gains a +10 to COG, INT and WIL for 1d10 Hours or can divide to form 1d6/2 Psychovores.
Stress Test: 1d10/2 +3

[SIDEBAR: Psychovores Of Unusual Size]
Theoretical simulations based on examinations of their physical structure and preliminary survey reports indicate there may be larger Psychovores out there - some kind of mature stage when they fail to divide - or perhaps upon many divisions. These forms are more flexible, some may even be able to walk upright or have even more multipurpose limbs. When upgrading the Size Trait of a Psychovore increase all it's Attributes by 5 (and make sure to also increase derived stats and skills appropriately). If it is Medium Size, it has a DUR of 35, if it is Large size it has a DUR of 50. Psychovores of this larger size also begin displaying more complex behaviors as they absorb knowledge and skills from victims. They can add any skill (including Knowledge skills) they like when they kill a victim, and can also copy any of their Psi Sleights. They can mimic the form and shape of other things, akin to Skinflex/Shape Adjusting wares but do not normally gain the Disguise or Impersonate skills, so their ability to pretend to be something complex (like a Transhuman) is limited. Their physical forms can also mimic any Bio or Nanoware they consume, particularly sensory and mental augmentations. The more they consume, the smarter and more adaptable they get. At a GM's discrecion they may even being displaying Psi Epsilon abilities.

Psyche

Harker
Type: Rocky Moon
Satellite Of: Bromeliad
Gravity: .15 g
Diameter: 3275 km
Atmospheric Pressure: N/A
Atmospheric Composition: N/A
Surface Temperature (Mean): -60 C
Day Length: N/A
Orbital Period: 36 Days
Gate Access: Martian Gate (vis Psyche Station)

Bromeliad

Type: Terrestrial (Tundral)

Primary Star: M5V (Red Dwarf)

Gravity: .8 g

Diameter: 11313 km

Atmospheric Pressure: 1 atm

Atmospheric Composition: 65% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 6% CO2, 4% Hydrogen Sulfide, trace other gasses

Surface Temperature (Mean): -5 C (26 C in Volcanic Regions)

Day Length: 28.5 Hours

Orbital Period: 

Satellites: Harker

Gate Access: Martian Gate (vis Psyche Station)

The Harker/Bromeliad system is the classic example of "dirty little secret" exoplanets. It should be of intense interest to the public, and scientific data from it of utmost interest to all researchers - but it is incredibly unknown. The gate, now named "Psyche" for the station built around it, stood in the LaGrange point between Harker and Bromeliad. Harker is named after the Gatecrasher who explore the system first - and is a mostly unremarkable terrestrial moon, a rough analog for Luna. It has a decent amount of metallic and silicate elements which are drawn on for mining projects, and some water ice in frozen pockets which has been also utilized for settlers. It is not of major interest.

Bromeliad on the other hand, is quite interesting. A tundral terrestrial, slightly smaller than Earth with a slightly toxic atmosphere due to lots of volcanic activity - this geothermal heating is the only thing which keeps it remotely habitable on the far edges of its dim star's habitable zone. Most of it's surface is bare rock, or layers of water ice and other volatiles. But, large volcanic activity has cut through glacial zones in certain regions, in valleys, dormant or extinct craters, geothermal vents and hot springs and sinkholes. These regions, which give the exoplanet it's name, have a bearable (and hot even) temperature, enough humidity they have rain or mist and standing liquid water. And it is here that life has evolved on this planet.

Microbes flourish of course, both chemo and photosynthesising living in otherwise acidic or toxic pools, leeching elements from standing water or geysers, etc. While their biochemistry is slightly different, they do not lend any serious research opportunities to Transhumanity. Complex organisms do, and Bromeliad has them. Exoflora is decently diversified. Their structure and chemistry is sufficiently different from terrestrial plants most of them are indigestible to humans, but otherwise they're roughly analogous to Earth plants. Their chlorophyll analog is called "erythrophylla" because it is a majority reddish in color to our eyes, with slight tinges of orange. Many of them also process sulfur and other volcanic gas elements and secrete them to avoid toxicity, so they smell unpleasant and would be poisonous for even some of the local animals to eat. 

Initial surveys by probes launched from Harker or directly through the Gate did not indicate much interesting in the way of Exofauna. Almost all larger life on Bromeliad is semi- or fully amphibious. They exist in various pools and flows of water, or stalk overland from pool to pool, filtering microbes, eating the less toxic plants or even engaging in predatory behavior. They have a sophisticated DNA/RNA analog which makes them very resistant to diseases, parasites and carcinogens, and they have a slightly acidic biochemistry compared to Terrestrial life. Most of them are limbless or quadrupedal, or just have gripping forearms. While not considered aesthetically pleasing, they are similar enough looking to Earth animals for familiar names. Eelsnakes, Bromeliad Salamanders, Frog-monkeys, Craterskippers and Fanged Toads are examples of these identified species. Smaller life includes amphibious insect analogs, who pollinate or try and parasitize plant and animal life to survive. These can have between 4-8 limbs, and are exoskeletal, while the other macrofauna is endoskeletal - though they seem to be more like sharks with a cartilage-like substance providing most of their internal structure. 

This should make Bromeliad a prime place for colonization. With minimal mods or equipment, transhumans could visit to study the lifeforms, even see them like some kind of nature preserve or zoo. And the volcanic activity means there are valuable heavy metals in the crust to exploit, along with large volumes of water ice. And yet the Gate is mostly locked down, and there are no permanent settlements on the surface of Bromeliad. 

This is because of the other residents of Bromeliad. First discovered when a manned mission was sent to try and find a good place to set up an initial outpost by Pathfinder. Mission logs were heavily classified afterward, but if you know where to look, they can be found. The mission was wiped out to a man by an exofauna form now called "Psychovore". Pathfinder was ready to black out the address for a hostile alien life form, or possible TITAN activity, but this is where the Trinity Foundation stepped in. Officially, Trinity is a group dedicated fostering cooperation between Hypercorps in similar industries to promote the growth of the Planetary Consortium and it's Four-Point Plan. Their name is derived from their motto "Mind. Body. Soul.". But in reality, they are a shell company. Their majority stakeholders are all tied into Cognite, with the rest of their executive slots filled by people tied to corps like Ecologene, Skinaesthesia and NanoSys. 

Trinity vastly overpaid to buy exclusive rights to the Gate destination over Bromeliad, and used it to establish a largely unknown research base, Psyche Station.

Psyche

Station Type: Cluster

Allegiance: Trinity Foundation (Hypercorps) 

Primary Languages: English, Cantonese, Russian

Population: 1,200

Psyche is the variable configuration cluster habitat built by Trinity around the Gate, thus located in the LaGrange point between Harker and Bromeliad. The station's primary purpose is research and development, though it has some business elements and quarters for visitors to scope out Bromeliad, though they are rarely used. Officially, Trinity Foundation uses it as space for it's "cooperating hypercorps" to launch joint research projects based on unique conditions of the Harker/Bromeliad system. Again, the reality is that it is a black box lab, connected to major hypercorps, who can perform exotic research away from prying eyes, under conditions of total control. While the labs and their projects are frequently modified and rotated, ultimately a lot of their research is based on the data of the Psychovore species.

What Trinity has been able to determine about the Psychovore is that they are a complex, amorphous or semi-amorphous species, with usually dark coloration. Their internal structure is more advanced and complex than most other species on Bromeliad, and due to their external appearance many think it is similar to the Factors. However, their internal components and behaviors are different enough to posit they are not directly related. Additionally, Psychovores do not appear highly intelligent or sapient. They are called "Psychovores" because of their unique form of gathering metabolic energy. The flowery way to put it is they "feed on consciousness", but the most accurate way is to say that Psychovores gather metabolic energy by lethally parasitizing the nervous system. They invade and "feast" on brains and CNS systems (or analogous) and absorb neuroelectric and neurochemical energy. More complex organisms with larger brains like Transhumans have more of this energy stored and thus are more nourishing, and a more desirable prey. While feeding on less-complex organisms is enough to sustain them for extended periods, eating large entities means that they can initiate rapid cellular analog division - this allows them either to grow in size and complexity or to reproduce via fission, adding anywhere from 1-4 new forms. This reproduction is aesexual completely, and akin to the growth of a virus or bacterium - mutation and adaptation seems to occur naturally in response to environmental pressures. The worst part of the Psychovore is that appears naturally Asynchronous - that is it possesses what we call "Psi" abilities, in addition to flexible and adaptive biochemistry. Small Psychovores can create a psychosomatic "shock" in the target at a touch, and generate some kind of psychic field which provokes fear responses in large sophonts. Larger forms show more exotic abilities, able to lure targets toward them, or cause them to ignore the Psychovore from their perception. This element seems to be what peaked Cognite's interest. 

Thus, Psyche is built to contain and study these entities.

Psyche, being a large cluster, has all the normal functions you might expect from a space habitat. Given that primary access is via the Gate, there is a large central sphere built around it, which serves as a primary customs access point, with round the clock security and support shifts to move cargo and people. This area is immediately connected to central spar which provides primary support to the station's structures. Along this spar first is the Administrative modules, which handle all command and control stations, and house primary nodes for station infrastructure to be managed. They also have central security offices. It has a permanent residence of about 1200, and this number can balloon as high as 1800 for specific project rotations. This of course means quarters and support for all these people - mostly in the form of habitat modules just beyond admin, connected directly to the gate via transport tubes, some of which are lightly spun for lunar-level gravity. However, some labs have overflow or extra habitat modules attached to them so researchers don't have to go far from their projects. As expected from a group mostly backed by Cognite, the decor is surprisingly detailed and even gaudy - a Neo-Victorian stretching to Art Nouveau style.  

Beyond this point, access is all controlled, which has made it very hard for Firewall to examine the labs closer. Most of this data is based on reports and schematics back in-system, not first hand HUMINT. Access to areas beyond the public ones are handled usually by some form of two-step authentication. Station employees carry physical token IDs or have nanotat IDs which are matched to Ego ID data recorded in the central hab servers. Tokens and Mesh IDs are rigorously tracked by internal security, and logged by various sub-networks. Access points are paired with the Ego ID authentication, which means only authorized personnel with their proper entry materials can enter a given section, which is primarily done to prevent people from accessing areas off-shift or when they have been reassigned, but they cannot be accessed by just stealing the right token access cards. Infomorphs utilize Digital ID codes instead, which are checked when logging into or transferring to certain devices. Coupled with many isolated or outright air-gapped internal networks makes Mesh access also limited. 

General purpose of sections is originally related to Psychovore phenomena, but this has branched out into several covert research operations under these strict security measures. This is similar to the function of the Aten station in the Solar Corona in-system, but there is no involvement with groups like Direct Action, and minimal interference from Oversight. Instead, internal security is handled by an in-house Security division, and primary oversight comes in the form of (well paid) Pathfinder reps. 

The central spar sections are primarily infrastructural. Hooked into and extended from main habitation modules is public services modules, with medical and resleeving facilities as well as psychological care stations. Past them is mostly a network of storage modules and inventory management. From here a lot of repair and reconfiguration ops are run. Opposite side of the spar from Admin and Habitation is the primary infrastructure sections. First is Life Support, with primary water-treatment and atmospheric and environmental control modules, though sub-modules are embedded in various strands of the cluster. Past this is the Power Plant and Resource Refinement modules. Primary power output is a DPF fusion reactor, which provides power via hardened transmission lines or wi-tricity transmitters. Backup power is provided to individual modules by large nuclear batteries or supplemental solar, though solar efficiency is weak due to the dim local star. Resource refinement combines waste management with mining and harvesting operations conducted by ALIs and teleoperation on Harker. Access to these modules is limited to technicians mostly. Both ends of the spars are capped off with shuttle and drone bays, where ops can be launched to Harker and Bromeliad directly.

Out from the spar are the lab clusters. Many of them are designed to be reconfigurable and expanded or contracted as needed. They can also be jettisoned or quarantined easily in case of some emergency. While the exact labs and projects can vary at any given time, there are a few major internal departments which almost never fully close. 

• Exobiology is the largest and oldest - they directly study the Psychovores as well as other flora and fauna on Bromeliad. They make observations both on carefully contained "live samples" and surveys of the planet. They are also attempting to deeper understand their physical structure. Notable modules within this department include Genetics and Behavioral Analysis labs. There is also the "Paleontology" module, which is more like a Xenoarchaeology section - studying the history of Bromeliad to look for clues about the appearance of the Psychovores and the common theory that they are some kind of artificial bioweapon deployed by an earlier species. 
• Parapsychology is the next oldest and largest, but by far the darkest lab. Almost nobody knows what goes on there, other than reports back to Cognite indicate that their primary purpose is to study Psi phenomena. Originally, it seems like their purpose was to study the effects of Psi on transhumans, as well as detect and interfere with psi and asynchronous brain-waves as per the Psychovores, but has since expanded. They now appear to conduct research on Transhuman Asyncs and their capabilities, as well as run complex simulations on the limits of psi phenomena exhibited by exsurgents and xenofauna. As the only known way for transhumans to develop async abilities is to be exposed to certain strains of the Exsurgent Virus, this is deeply troubling research. 
• Neurogenetic Hardware Labs are a small, permanent and prestigious posting - which appears to be the open face of Parapsychology. Trinity promotes their work the hardest, which is mainly on development of morphs and cyberbrains to ever expand the transhuman limits. Covertly they also appear to be working on cultivating morph lines which are resistant to Psi. They have notable sub-divisions, an AI lab, a Forking lab and Psychosurgery lab. The AI lab seems to focus on standard AGI generation from neural maps or ALI generation from pruning to suit station needs and research tasks. Forking, however, is more dangerously experimenting with exotic fork-hives and merges into Transcendant forking. Psychosurgery works closely with Human Augmentation (see below) to perform skill grafting, scanning as well as developing new techniques and hardware tools. 
• Human Augmentation is the most volatile division. While almost always up and running, it's various departments are constantly swapping, closing and reconfiguring modules. It is probably one of the most active departments on Psyche. Their three primary wings are Implants, Pharmaceuticals and Software. The Implant group is self-explanatory, working on new ware, primarily bio and nano based on other researches. Primarily cognitive and sensory enhancements, but they also have built some mods from exotic xeno-life samples. Software is primarily focused on skillsofts, particularly exotic skills or knowledge bases. While high quality, many of these are esoteric, projects which couldn't survive normal working conditions at places like Cognite or Experia. They also work on software plugins and upgrades for infomorphs. Pharmaceuticals is probably the largest consistently, working on nootropics and supplements derived from xenosamples. They also are notable for the development of various Psi Drugs. 
• Remaining labs come and go as projects and funding run through them. Exotic Particle labs have opened and closed several times when they weren't cost-effective. The Planetary Science lab was opened at the same time as Exobiology, but was shuttered only months after and has never been reopened, but also never reconfigured. Resources from other labs and infrastructure are occasionally repurposed to construct Robotics or Nanotech testing labs. An "uplift division" cluster of modules tends to drift from major department to department as they focus on particular projects. The Computer Science lab was subject to some kind of accident and several modules were breached, after which it was quarantined and ejected, only to be stripped down to basic modules re-attached to other labs. And various scientists and department heads have "pet" modules which cover small personal projects, such as Astronomy, Quantum Physics, Linguistics and Memetics. 

Sparkian Biology

As noted earlier, the exoplanet Spark has an unusual biology which often harmonizes with uses of electricity due to natural elements in their environment. This is an unusual circumstance which has led to many fascinating species to be studied by transhuman explorers. However, many species on Spark are not docile or peaceful, and due to their sensitivity to electricity, many of them regard transhumans and their equipment as an annoyance or hostile intruder, and may be territorial. Below are listed several species which may prominently threaten the life or limb of an explorer on Spark.

THUNDER-LIZARD
Thunder-lizards are a common pack hunter on Spark, most dominant in the areas of thin, low forests and plains near the terminus region - and thus one of the most commonly encountered by explorers. Their biology appears to be somewhere between a reptile and a mammal, with live birth and warm blood but their physical structure internally and externally also has similarity to large lizards - and no mammary gland analog. They are hexapeds, with sharp multi-purpose claws, a very fast overland speed and dappled grayish scales, and are the size of large dogs. While they appear to have decent spectrum of vision and smell, their most interesting feature is a pair of conical horns on top of their heads which integrate with their bioelectric senses. They can use this to hunt, to sense the location of nearby packmates and even oscillate their bioelectric fields to perform rudimentary communication - like how other animals would use audio or scent cues. Unfortunately for explorers, Thunder-Lizards are territorial, and the use of electronic equipment by some transhuman gear and morphs strongly alerts them to it's presence, which can cause them to be violent and aggressive in response.
Threat Level: Yellow
Numbers: 2-6
COG 5 COO 15 INT 15 REF 15 SAV 5 SOM 15
WIL 10 INIT 6 SPD 1 DUR 25 WT 5 DR 38
Claws & Teeth: 50, 1d10+3 DV AP -2
Fray/Armor: 30, 3/4
Perception: 40
Move: 4/20 Walker
Skills: Freerunning 40, Infiltration 30, Intimidation 30, Scrounging 40, Unarmed Combat 50
Ware: Bioelectric Sense, Shock Tolerance
Native EMF: An individual Thunder-Lizard can alter its own electromagnetic field to perform simple communication with packmates at 5 meters in close conditions, 50 meters in open. This can be used to relay an emotional state, or basic commands or details like "come here" or "run away".
Stress Test: 1d10/2 SV

SALT VAMPIRE
The "salt vampire" is an aggressive parasite common to forested or otherwise covered regions in the terminus and dayside regions of Spark. While most of the local fauna has 6+ limbs, the Salt Vampire only has four, but makes up for it with a short, prehensile tail and a long, flexible neck which ends in a mouth ringed in hollow, hypodermic-like teeth. In general, it resembles a giant leech with legs, a gray-green creature about the size of a small dog. It has no visible sensory apparatus, and appears to sense purely by bioelectricity. While they somewhat resemble amphibians, they do not perfectly analog any terrestrial classification. They appear to be opportunity "hunters", striking prey fast to siphon blood or other fluids (and hopefully associate metals and salts) before the prey can properly dislodge them. If the target is too large to kill in one sitting, they will often detach and scuttle away, using their incredibly flexibility. Salt Vampires have ambushed several transhuman explorers, including some synthmorphs - much to the perceived disappointment of the vampire. If threatened, they will use teeth and claws to scrabble at an enemy before leaping away.
Threat Level: Yellow
Numbers: 1-2
COG 5 COO 20 INT 15 REF 15 SAV 5 SOM 10
WIL 10 INIT 7 SPD 1 DUR 20 WT 4 DR 30
Latch On: 40, Subdual. If successful, next Action Turn the Salt Vampire will bite with it's mouth inflicting 1d10/2 DV (round down)  AP -1 (no defense). After that, the Salt Vampire will suck blood and other fluids from the target for 1d10/2 Turns unless dislodged, dealing an automatic 3 DV each turn which ignores armor and cannot be defended against.
Claws: 40, 1d10+3 DV, AP -2
Fray/Armor: 30, 0/0
Perception: 30
Move: 4/16 Walker
Skills: Climbing 50, Freerunning 50, Infiltration 60, Scrounging 30, Unarmed Combat 40
Ware: Bioelectric Sense, Grip Pads, Prehensile Tail
Traits: Small Size, No Eyes, Limber (1)
Stress Test: 1d10/2 SV

BUZZBEES
These are a colonial, insectoid species which appear to be an analog for eusocial insects, such as bees, colony wasps, ants or termites. Buzzbees have a variety of interesting qualities about their physical structure and behavior that interest researchers, but their defensive measures makes them hard to study. While roughly analogous to many terran arthropods, the Buzzbee and similar species are slightly longer over all, with bodies which have a "centauroid" configuration - they possess four limbs primarily for locomotion on their middle body section, and then on the fore-body behind the head they have another four multipurpose limbs which make them very dexterous. While they do seem to collect nectars and other analogs from plants (and thus help with pollination equivalency) Buzzbees are omnivorous like ants, and will collect scraps of any edible resources they find and return to their hives, though some of this they catalyze or ferment with their own enzymes into a honey-like paste (which is observed to be slightly salty) for long-term storage. They have glittering, almost metallic shells in what may be warning colors, and multiple EM-sensitive eye organs in a configuration which gives them 360 degree fields of view. Most importantly, however, is their electrical adaptations. Buzzbees possess antennae which are capable of minute radio transmissions similar to nano- or microbot swarms, which they can use to communicate positioning and basic information like a threat or resource. They also have stingers like many eusocial insects, but these come in the form of a two-pronged stinger which relies not on venom, but on a small electrochemical charge which they can utilize to arc electricity between the prongs, making a painful shock. Several concurrent stings can even cause disruption to the body similar to a taser.
Threat Level: Orange
Numbers: 1-2 Swarm Units
COG 3 COO 15 INT 15 REF 20 SAV 2 SOM 5
WIL 15 INIT 7 SPD 1 DUR 50 WT - DR 50
Swarm: Buzzbees follow all the normal rules for Swarms. Stats are given for a single swarm.
Shock Sting: 40, 1d10+Shock, Half Armor applies.
Fray/Armor: 50, 0/0
Perception: 30, 50 Vision
Move: 4/30 Winged, 1/4 Walker
Skills: Flight 60, Infiltration 30, Intimidation 20, Scrounging 40, Unarmed Combat 40
Ware: 360 Degree Vision, Enhanced Vision
Natural Radio: Buzzbees have a natural form of radio communication, and can communicate at a range of up to 500 meters in open terrain, or 50 meters in dense terrain. This also means they have an unusual response to EMP grenades. While they do not harm them, if in the area of a grenade they must make a WILx3 test. If they fail, they are stunned for 3 Action turns plus 1 action turn for each full 10 MoF. If they pass, they take a -30 to all their actions, which is reduced by -10 each turn until it passes.
Stress Test: 1d10/2 SV

SPITHIAN
The Spithian is a vicious predator which appears analogous to a scorpion or some kind of land crab. These long, low creatures range in size from a small to medium dog, and have hard carapaces made with metallic elements to absorb and conduct away electricity. They have twelve, multi-jointed legs for great climbing and land speed, multiple mouthparts/mandibles and very advanced and sensitive optics. They appear to be solitary or breeding pair hunters, who live in the dense jungles and rainforests on the edge of the dayside, and thus are rarely seen by explorers. They do not actively hunt transhumans, but view them as threats or competition, and will engage in intimidation tactics or self defense. Their primary weapons are a set of large crushing or pinching claws which can grow large enough to encircle a transhuman limb, but they also have a long, stinger like tail. However, instead of venom, the Spithian is able to create a natural build up of electricity which arcs to nearby targets with a force similar to modern electrolasers. They use this to stun prey and scare off competing predators, or for self defense.
Threat Level: Orange
Numbers: 1-2
COG 5 COO 10 INT 10 REF 20 SAV 1 SOM 15
WIL 5 INIT 6 SPD 1 DUR 20 WT 4 DR 30
Claws: 40, 1d10+2 DV, AP -1. If the Spithian scores an Excellent Success, it may choose to pinch the target and hold on, similar to a Subdual attack. The Spithian deals 1d10/2 DV per Action turn while pinching the target, half armor applies. If the Spithian is gripping a limb, if it deals a wound it may sever the target limb entirely.
Shock Tail: 50, 1d10/2+Shock DV, 0 AP. Only works on targets inside 5 meters. The Spithian takes a -20 on this attack if the target is Shock-proof or otherwise insulated against electricity.
Fray/Armor: 30, 11/11
Perception: 30, 50 Vision
Move: 4/20 Walker
Skills: Exotic Ranged Weapon: Shock Tail 50, Freerunning 30, Infiltration 50, Intimidation 40, Scrounging 50, Unarmed Combat 40
Ware: Enhanced Vision (Zoom only), Ultraviolet Vision
Traits: Small Size
Stress Test: 1d10/2 SV

Spark

Spark
Type: Terrestrial (Tidally-locked)
Primary Star: K5V (Orange Dwarf)
Gravity: 1.09 g
Diameter: 13445 km
Atmospheric Pressure: .97 atm
Atmospheric Composition: 73% Argon, 27% Oxygen,
Surface Temperature (Mean): 1 C (terminus)/-40 C (nightside)/33 C (dayside)
Day Length: N/A
Orbital Period: 217 Days
Satellites: None
Gate Access: Pandora Gate
Notes: Alien Life, Resources Available, Dangerous Local Phenomena (high winds)
Spark is a "Vesperian" planet, a habitable tidally-locked terrestrial, like Sunrise. It's Sun is slightly larger and brighter, but in turn this means that Spark can be a little farther away. Even so, it still has extremely harsh temperatures - the "cold pole" (to use the terminology of Sunrise) has temperatures of around -80 C, and the hot pole can be closer to 70 C. The severe temperature differential means winds are incredibly high on the planet, and anything that wants to live and grow must be tough or utilize the terrain to survive. But life on Spark has evolved in it's own way to the environment, which is of great interests to many researchers. Spark as a planet has an unusually high and diverse concentration of metallic salts in it's composition, which the local life has evolved to take advantage of and naturally grow with. This means that the local wildlife, both flora and fauna analogs often store or generate electricity to utilize in a wide variety of functions not seen in terran biology. Plants release hive volumes of current when the tension of their leaves is broken to deter animals from eating them are in turn preyed upon by species of herbivores which can safely store electricity to prevent being harmed. Pack hunting "thunder lizards" use electrical senses to track prey and can oscillate EM fields to produce a kind of communication. Local colonial insect analogs have tiny radio antennae to navigate, track and communicate, and their multi-pronged stingers act like tasers instead of relying on toxins. Omnivorous "salt vampires" leach salts from plants and animals to live, and parasitic vines act like natural high-power cables. On the night side, plants use electricity to gain heat and melt water to survive much further out than they would otherwise, and on the day side some plants convert excess heat to electricity then discharge it away - leading to a very bizarre and active biosphere. The use of naturally occurring electricity occasionally poses hurdles for researchers to study both the planet and it's life.
Like other tidally-locked terrestrials, Spark has fairly differentiated terrain. Around the terminus is forests of several breeds of low, heavy "statictrees" which passively generate current to prevent their leaves from being eaten, or cool marshes with reeds which store power generated in deep roots and bulbs so they can regrow if their tips are destroyed. Toward the dayside it rapidly becomes thick rainforests, filled with a variety of plant types which live in symbiosis with huge metallically barked trees or tall bamboo-analogs which catch native lightning as it is generated - on the floor deep below the canopy plants and animals often use current to substitute for low light, and can spark to defend or hunt and supplement nutrients. Closer, the terrain gives way to savannahs and rocky deserts, before ultimately becoming a barren, flat salt plain. The night side has some similar tundral or taiga forests, before giving way to extremely low grasses or "aerostat plants" which gather heat, light and power from tall bundles which are anchored to deep roots, before life becomes limited to pools created by geothermal activity or other exotic cases.
The Gate and the small research base of a few thousand on Spark is set up in the shadow of a short mountain range, which is formed by a river valley. The terrain is too uneven and steep for the local plants to deeply colonize, barring a few ground-covering colonies. The settlement has been unofficially named "Conductor" and very carefully settled itself as to avoid distressing or disturbing local xenobiology while still keeping researchers and potential colonists safe.

A Note On Sparkian Biology:
The xenoflora and fauna of Spark are similar to Earth animals in many ways, still carbon-based, but have many subtle chemical differences in their analogs. This means that generally they are unpleasant for humans to consume, both for incompatibility and in general because they have a very "salty" quality which skews how they taste and can have health impacts. Conversely the local wildlife is much more tolerant to salt content in many forms than earth biology. Almost all forms of life on Spark can be considered to have Eelware, and may have any number of other electricity related qualities, most frequently Shock Tolerance and (Bio)Electrical Sense, but also possibly emulating Radar, radio communication on a scale similar to Mesh Inserts, possibly even producing ranged "blasts" of current similar to a Stunner. This may interfere with several kinds of technology, or technology may interfere with local creatures causing them to behave in unexpected ways. Known species on Spark: Rubbernecks, Thunder-Lizards, Salt Vampires, Sparkbugs, Buzzbees, Spithian, Plugfish, Viola's River Shark, Conduit Vines, Statictrees, Lightningrod Tree, Aerostat Plants, Sparkgrass, Broad Shockleaf (and several "Shockleaf" subspecies), Battery Reeds, Broadcast Plant, Tesla Tree