Alaa'ri

The Alaa'ri are an alien race whose physical forms are made up entirely of dark matter. As far as can be ascertained, their dark matter bodies largely do not interact with the baryonic matter that makes up the visible, to humans, universe known to us. As a result, very little is known about them, even by the low standards of human xenology in Acheron Rho. The only reason they are known to humanity at all is because they are somehow able to feed of certain baryonic energy sources such as self-sustaining spike drive reactors. Though it is extremely rare, at times ship reactors or power plants have found themselves 'infested' by an Alaa'ri.

Throughout imperial history there have been no more than a handful of properly documented cases of Alaa'ri infestation, and even many xenologists still doubt the veracity of those cases. To many, the tales of the Alaa'ri are little more than the ghost stories of bored ship crews, and the 'scientific' articles on them nothing but the mad ramblings of quacks and frauds.

Physiology
Because they only interact with the visible, baryonic, universe in very limited ways, literally nothing is known about the Alaa'ri physiology. Even the ways in which they interact with baryonic matter remains largely a mystery. According to accounts, Alaa'ri are able to exert gravitic control over baryonic matter in ways comparable to, and some say surpassing, TL5 gravitics. In addition, they are, through unknown processes, able to excite baryonic particles so that they release photons. From a distance, this might look similar to if the object in question was super-heated, but if touched one finds the object cool safe for the radiant heat of the light it emits.

Alaa'ri seem to have a weakness to psychic powers, and sustained psychic attack has so far seemed to have been the only truly reliable way to clear an Alaa'ri infestation. Of the four documented cases where this was attempted, casualty rates amongst involved psychics averaged 80%.

Communication
In some rare instances, desperate crew members of stranded ships have believed themselves capable of communicating with these engine ghosts, and even appease them enough to enlist their aid. Supposedly, this was achieved through some arcane manipulation of gravictics and energy levels in their reactors. What price they paid to appease the aliens, none will ever say, but the look in their eyes reveals it came at a terrible cost.

Reports of those who have maintained communication with Alaa'ri for extended periods of times suggest that such contact is detrimental to human mental health. Over time, reports indicate subjects growing increasingly paranoid, starting to see patterns where there are supposedly none, believing the Alaa'ri talks to them even when they are not at their controls. Whether this is some kind of mental effect caused by the Alaa'ri, or simply what happens when humans foolish attempt to communicate with soulless aliens, none can tell.

Psychology and Lenses
For as much as anything can be ascertained about these aliens, they seem to be driven by gluttony and domination.

After infesting a reactor, they have never been found to be interested in anything more than continuing to feed on this energy source. Interestingly, whatever they feed on, it does not seem to be baryonic energy, as infested reactors will continue to operate at normal capacity. In fact, some have reported that if anything, the Alaa'ri presence increases reactor performance, possibly because the more baryonic energy it produces, the more it also produces of whatever dark matter energy the Alaa'ri feed on.

In those cases where communication has been established, the Alaa'ri have demanded absolute loyalty from the human crews unlucky enough to find themselves at the aliens mercy. Though, their demands are almost invariably focused on increasing the power output of the reactor they are feeding on.

Reproduction
The Alaa'ri reproduce involuntarily at regular intervals. These offspring, as far as can be ascertained, seem to be created simply by the Alaa'ri breaking of pieces of itself. Or rather, pieces of the Alaa'ri breaking free and escaping.

For the Alaa'ri seem to hate reproduction, and the loss of self and power it results in. Reports indicate that immediately after reproduction, adult Alaa'ri attempt to consume and re-absorb their off-spring so as to maintain their size and power.

The only way for Alaa'ri young to escape their parents gluttony is by finding a host, some small source of baryonic warmth or energy, to nest themselves in. These can be batteries, animals, or even humans. If allowed to remain and grow, the Alaa'ri young will eventually destroy or kill its host before seeking to find a larger, more permanent, power source.

On ships where the crew has come under the Alaa'ri sway, the most common command demanded of them by the alien is the sacrificing of whatever host has been infected by one of the alien's young to the alien's hunger.

Society
Naturally, no information exists to deny or verify the existence of Alaa'ri society. Even the most elaborate communications between humans and Alaa'ri have progressed little past the Alaa'ri making known its hunger, and what it wishes to feed on.

Some theorize that the Alaa'ri are lonesome parasites, existing in nothing but vast darkness safe for whatever sustenance they can extract from baryonic matter. Others, however, theorize that the Alaa’ri are not purely parasites onto our baryonic universe, but in fact interact with a host of particles that do not interact with baryonic matter at all. According to such theories, they exist in a strange shadow universe of dark and non-baryonic matter, building great societies that feed off energy bleeding into their side of the cosmos fomr not only reactors, but also stars and other sources of baryonic energy. Whether that is true, or even possible, is highly debatable, even within the more open-minded xenological circles.