Chapter 3: RACES & REALMS Krikis Krikis remain the most mysterious, inscrutable intelligent species on Khitus, despite controlling vast territories among at least three empires (and possibly more) distinct in their dominant chitin colorations Along the frontiers surrounding the Hivelands, only warriors expand their territories or protect what they control against dangers, maintaining a wide swath of unoccupied territory as a permanent, desolate buffer between the outside world and their precious hives Few humans, Pachyaur, Penmai, or others have seen the Hivelands or non-warrior Krikis and lived to tell the tale Even Krikis warriors, tasked exclusively with defense and expansion, would be foreigners in their hives, strangers without position or purpose Appearance & Physiology A Krikis’s adult physical size and specialties come from various factors: its egg, the size of its brood cell, and the nutrition the larvae receive after hatching All new Krikis spend about a week as rapidly growing larvae When they are ready for their next phase of development, they spin a cocoon around themselves and nurses seal their cells with air-permeable wax caps for protection while they pupate Pupation time varies by caste, after which adults emerge from cells fully formed (See “Ranks & Types” below for more on Krikis castes and roles and any physical distinctions separate from commonalities noted immediately below.) Krikis Chitin Krikis exoskeletons appear to be completely smooth chitin, but closer examination reveals it is in fact fuzzy with multitudinous hairs These branching hairs help attract pollen as the Krikis moves through a flower-rich environment Chitin coloration is darker and lighter shades of the color of the head antennae; these colors grant each subspecies its designation as Red Krikis, Yellow Krikis, and Black Krikis The Head & Sensory Organs Krikish eyes possess better low-light vision than humans’, helping them navigate the near-darkness of the hive They not “see” hundreds of different images through their compound eyes Instead, they see a mosaic image of what they face with a very fine grid superimposed This grid makes their compound eyes better than human eyes at detecting motion and certain patterns Krikis possess a pair of thin antennae with tremendous chemical sensitivity, which can detect and identify airborne signals in concentrations The slender antennae possess an “elbow” (with a similar arrangement of musculature) and a wide range of motion, so Krikis can and explore their environment via their antennae They also greet and identify one another via their antennae Depending on caste, Krikis mandibles perform a variety of tasks Workers use them to help shape wax into comb, to chew through wax in the hive in order to reach food stores, and also to reshape comb that needs repair Mandibles (which grow slightly larger on warriors) can also bite or hold on to debris or enemies The Body & Limbs The thorax, or upper body, is the only attachment point for a Krikis’s six limbs They use two as arms and two as legs, like bipeds; the two much-smaller arms between those pairs rarely emerge from beneath its chitin, and they mainly employ them to groom the mid section For hard-to-reach places, though, Krikis groom one another to help prevent injury, maintain flight-readiness, heighten chemical sensitivity, and remove harmful parasites Krikis use all six limbs for locomotion, to hold onto surfaces, and to manipulate their environment Krikis feet have four manipulative claws with adhesive pads, which are as useful and deft as human or Penmai hands All Krikis limbs are highly sensitive vibration detectors, and their language has a vibration component, whether surface- or air-transmitted One obvious distinction that separates warrior Krikis from other workers after emerging from pupation is their lack of “pollen baskets”—adaptive hair bristles that help collect and hold pollen—on their legs Krikis have extremely strong legs, though their larger hind legs are by far stronger than other limbs They use their dense, fibrous muscles to easily leap ten yards Prior to making the jump, the Krikis’s large legs act much like a catapult; they squat and bend, placing the femurs against the other half of the leg The compression builds tension and allows the Krikis to take off with a velocity of three yards per second They can make such a leap repeatedly, as often as three times per minute, but the energy required is exhausting Abdominal Specifics All workers, including warriors, possess a “honey crop,” an internal water bottle inside their abdomens that allows them to carry water or nectar home to their hive This is not directly attached to the digestive sys- 43