The Colma Hive

The Colma Hive, is a race of violent insectoids in the Depths of Space universe.

History
2500 years before the events of Depths of Space, the Colma homeworld was populated by an advanced race known as the Kinok. The Kinok were well known for their medical, and scientific discoveries, and it was said that no Kinok died of sickness. however, despite their impressive medical prowess, the Kinok were no match for the forces of the cosmos, as a large meteor composed of a radioactive material that was unknown to them at the time, was on a collision course for the planet.

The Kinok began a massive evacuation, but only 5,000 managed to escape the planet before it met its fiery demise. the planet was made uninhabitable for 1000 years, and almost all life was obliterated. However, a group of insects with a stubborn will to survive, managed to keep themselves alive and well throughout the radioactive world. over the course of another 1000 years, the insects mutated, and gained intelligence. these were the first Colma.

250 years after the Colma gained intelligence, they had already constructed a thriving metropolis, and the Colma had made several interesting archaeological discoveries, including a massive subterranean Kinok facility. Inside it was technology that the Colma could only dream of: Medicine, Self-sustaining reactors, even ships. using this technology, the Colma began to construct their own space force, and within 50 years, they had a fleet of vessels.

Encounter with the Soft-Skins
By the end of that year, the Colma had covered a large area of their space, creating colonies and setting up mining stations on the moons of the sector. 149 years before the events of Depths of Space, the Colma found a primitive alien race on one of their planets. they observed that the race was violent, and technologically inferior to them. further more, they observed that instead of a hard exoskeleton, this race had a soft outer exterior, so they called them "Slaketh von" or as it was translated, "Soft-skin". they deemed them not worth keeping alive on their planet, and thought that they were biologically inferior to the Colma, so they exterminated them.

over time, more and more "Soft-skins" were cropping up all over Colma space, and each time they did, they would be swiftly exterminated.

The Vrali War
130 Years before the events in Depths of Space, the Colma entered a system controlled by a Soft-skinned race called the Vrali Hierarchy. the Colma immediately went into action, sending clouds of fighters down onto the planet, intending to wipe every living thing out. however, the Vrali fought back, and successfully drove the Colma back. enraged and humiliated by this loss, the Colma sent a massive task force into Vrali space, only to be met by an equally massive force. this battle was the first in a war that would last 100 years, and would cause damage to the Colma that is still being felt to this day.

Eventually 30 years before the events of Depths of Space, the Colma were able to win a decisive victory against the Vrali, which forced them to fall back into their rapidly shrinking space. with the Vrali homeworld surrounded, the Colma moved in and crushed the Vrali once and for all, conquering their space, and stealing what technology they could.

Present day
The Colma are now moving outward into unexplored territory after 30 years of rebuilding (though the military is still much smaller than it was) and have only one desire; to conquer. they entered into the territory of The Epsilon-Lumier Planetary Commonwealth, and sought to form an alliance, after they discovered that the member of the Commonwealth they were talking to was an insectoid. they also discovered that the Commonwealth was also comprised of soft-skinned races, which infuriated them. this devolved into a conflict, that is still going on.

The Floran Alliance
=== while this was occurring in Commonwealth space, back in Colma territory, a Floran ship entered their space. they were immediately surrounded, and asked to identify themselves. they did so, and when asked if they were Soft-skins, they replied that they were not, and that they hated all mammalian life. this greatly pleased the Colma, and they quickly formed an alliance with the Florans. ===

Attack on the UTT
=== the alliance made its debut by attacking the Sol system, home of the UTT. the attack was devastating, as the UTT was caught completely off guard by the Colma's aggressive battle tactic of swarming over anything in their way. the battle ended with the capture of the Silver Scythe (A UTT vessel) and a severe blow to the UTT's military. ===

Description
The Colma as a species are divided up into 7 different varieties, each having a different physical description.

Progenitor-The Progenitor is a unique variation, as only 1 exists at a time. Progenitors are all female, and lay eggs that can be of any of the other 6 variations of Colma. Progenitors are massive, each being at least 50 feet tall, the bulk of which belongs to the massive egg sack that is connected to her body by an organic tube branching off of her back. their body's are rather small and light for their size seeing as it is only being held up by the tube. Progenitors contain the DNA of all the varieties of Colma, so they can create as many of a type as needed.

Regama-The Regama are a tall, slender Colma, with a deep purple exoskeleton. they possess large, regal wings like butterflies, and these wings can be anywhere from a dull red, to brilliant rainbow colors. Regama, can be Male or Female, and the Female Regama are considered to be physically attractive to the Colma.

Suchen-The Suchen are huge Colma, with a Bulky Black and grey exoskeleton, and large horns similar to Stag beetles on their head. Suchen tend to be brutaly effective in combat, and they make excellent military commanders because of this. Most Suchen are Male, but in rare cases, Female Suchen can hatch.

Crathama-The Crathama are average sized Colma, With a Dusty brown and tan exoskeleton, and huge mandibles like bull dog ants. Crathama make up the bulk of the Colma army, seeing as they are physically stronger than most Soft-skinned species the Colma have encountered. All Crathama are male.

Flitelith-The Flitelith are average sized Colma, with the same appearance as Crathama, except they have smaller mandibles, and 4 large dragonfly-like wings. Flitelith make up a large portion of the Colma army, and they are used against structures that have walls, or barriers that other Colma cannot get above. all Flitelith are male.

Civilan-The Civilan are average sized Colma, with a dark green exoskeleton, with blue lines down their face. all Civilan are quadrupeds, and they each have 4 arms, 2 connect to the shoulder area, and 2 at the midsection. Civilan make up the Civilian population of the Colma, however they can be rushed into service if the need arises. Civilan can be either Male and Female.

Grooth-The Grooth are below average sized Colma, with black and brown exoskeletons. All Grooth are hexapeds, and they each have 2 arms, ending with praying mantis like claws. Grooth have immense upper body strength for their size, and are used mostly as servants, due to their low intellect, thought some Grooth are rather intelligent (such as the Grooth Representative Lumeth). Grooth can be either Male or Female.

Despite these different varieties, all Colma share a few things in common.

Compound eyes-The Colma eye is compound like some insects, and it is capable of seeing in the ultraviolet spectrum.

Three-fingered hands-The Colma hand mutated over time into a firm grasping hand, capable of scratching metal. All Colma except the Grooth possess this kind of hand.

Exoskeleton-The Colma exoskeletal structure is designed to protect their Body, as well as hold their internal organs in place. every 30 years, a Colma sheds his or her exoskeleton for a new one, and a Colma child sheds it every 3 weeks until they reach maturity.

Mandibles-Colma Mandibles tend to be sharp, and they all range in size and shape. the Colma possess 2 different mandibles. the Zalak-za, or Speech mandibles, are the two inner mandibles, which help form the Colma speech patterns like vocal cords. the Zalak-vok, or Death mandibles, are the two outer mandibles, and are used for combat, as well as slight vocal pronunciation.

Government and Society
The Colma government is run by a Council of 7 chosen Colma. how a Colma is placed on the council varies. It could be anywhere from political connections, or they have done great acts of heroism (such as military victories). ultimately however, who gets to stay on the council is decided by the only guaranteed member of the council; The Progenitor. The Progenitor is viewed as a goddess, a divine gift from heaven that gives life to the people. In a way this is true, as The Progenitor is the only way the Colma can reproduce.

Due to her importance, The Progenitor is always under heavy guard, and her chambers are located in a secret location that not even the highest members of the council are aware of. If one wishes to seek an audience with her, they must first send a formal request to the council, who then pass it on to The Progenitor. if she accepts, the person or persons in question, are escorted to a teleportation ring, and brought to her chambers. the Progenitor tends to live for hundreds of years, but once she is close to death, she selects an egg in her sack, and introduces her DNA to it. once it is born, that child will become the new Progenitor.

Colma society is run on a Caste system, and different variations of Colma take different positions on the system. the Caste system is as follows:

Progenitor as the highest

Regama as 2nd

Suchen at 3rd

Crathama at 4th

Flitelith at 5th

Civilan at 6th

And finally Grooth at 7th

While the cast system give higher members more opportunities, there is no blatant segregation between the Colma, as all Colma can go to the same places, eat at the same table, and even be in the same family. crime is taken very seriously by the Colma, especially murder, and all murders are treated equally (IE. a higher member killing a lower member, is the same as a higher member killing another higher member).

Families
Despite the Progenitor being the only Colma who can conceive, the Colma can still form families. Marriage is for life between two Colma, so Colma couples must be sure that their partner is the right choice. an exception can be made for a Colma, if their spouse is killed (though most Colma commit suicide should their spouse die).

if a couple wishes to have a child of their own, they must first seek an audience with the Progenitor. If she accepts, she will ask the couple several questions, to judge if they are worthy of the child. If she decides they are, she will ask for samples of both Colmas DNA, then she will introduce it to one of her eggs. once the egg is laid, it will be given to the couple. After the child hatches, the Progenitor may wish to see it, if she was impressed by the couple, and if she gives the child her blessing, then that child and their family are guaranteed a position of high power in the future.

Hatred of "Soft-skins"
The reason the Colma hate Soft-skinned creatures, is because they believe that they are biologically inferior to the Colma. It doesn't matter how technologically advanced the race may be, the Colma still believe they are the superior race.

This hatred has driven the Colma to commit countless acts of genocide, as they have exterminated countless species, all because they were "Genetically inferior and had no place in the universe." Whenever the Colma come across a race of Soft-skins, they do one of two things: They exterminate the entire species, or they demand that they surrender to them, and make them nothing more than slaves.

This attitude has led to several wars (though most of them were over within a week) including the Vrali war, which inflicted heavy damage to the Colma, and lasted 100 years. still, no matter the difficulty, the Colma will stop at nothing to slaughter every Soft-skin in the universe, and claim their territory for the Hive.

Technology
The Colma technology was reverse engineered from Kinok technology found in the underground facility. the Colma have developed effective teleportation technology, as well as sublight engines for their ships. they created plasma weaponry for their infantry, and powerful particle weapons, which are equipped to their vessels.

Colma vessels range from small fighters, to absolutely massive ships called Hives. these Hives possess hyper drive technology, and can move from sector to sector, bringing up to 50 cruiser, frigate, and destroyer class ships, and thousands of fighters. the Hive itself is heavily armed with particle weaponry, and it holds hundreds of thousands of troops.