The Talonid race are an Insectoid race that uses Humanoid bodies as nourishment for their young.

Their fleet of ships spread out in the search for new worlds containing possible new food supplies. Once a world is found, the rest of the fleet swarm down on it and strip it bear of life, then moving on to the next world. Live humanoids are injected with a paralysing toxin that turns their insides into a soft mush that the Talonids can lay eggs in. The body then becomes a food source for the hatchlings. If a humanoid dies in a fight with a Talonid, then the body is useless for incubating their young, but still can be used as food for the adult. Usually eaten right after the kill.

They do not negotiate with anyone. Humanoids are simply a source of food.

Many races have tried creating artificial food supplies for the Talonid, in the hopes of being spared, but part of the feeding process seems to involve sucking the very life force out of the victim, therefore replicated food is unsuitable to the Talonid's needs. Because of the obvious lack of Humanoid planets in their system and the rapid expansion of the race, they are driven to search further in their hunt for viable live food stocks.

It is believed that their tough exoskeleton has the ability to either deflect, or absorb phased energy. Disrupter based energy weapons have a limited effect, but really only serve to annoy, rather than actually hurt the creatures. They do need an oxygen atmosphere to breath, but show high tolerances to toxic forms of attack. Currently, there are know known forms of poison that would serve as an effective weapon. They prefer cold and tend to avoid heat, but temperatures nearing that of a plasma fire are needed to deter them completely.

Their ships have a form of cloaking device, that allows them to surround a planet, without the planet's inhabitants ever realising they are there. They then attack without warning, usually by the means of biological weapons that they have developed from their own natural venom. Entire planets have been enslaved, without a single Talonid casualty.

The firepower of a single Talonid ship is so great that the toughest of Federation ships would be lucky to survive more than a couple of hits. The latest in quantum torpedoes have no affect on their shielding. Very little else is known about them, due to the fact that survivors of a Talonid attack are very rare. They are motivated by the need to breed and they ferociously track down any humanoid race they encounter.

The Talonid have been designed by Shaun Darlington.
© 1999 Shaun Darlington, for the Holoworld Fleet.