-Tirekkha-
"You are born to human, to beast.
You are not born human nor beast.
Peel away the flesh of birth and you will find yourself beneath."
--Cautionary Proverb of the Zhong Lung
(White Wolf - Hengeyokai, Shapeshifters of the East)
Age: Human, at point of consumption - 23 / As Zoanthra - 1 year, 4 months
Eyes: Forest green
Hair: Olive
Race: Zoanthra
Height: 5'11'' as human, 10'2'' as beast
Weight: 142lbs as human, 643lbs as beast
Powers: Shapeshifting
History:
Tirekkha was originally human, born in the Cluster and spend her human life as a low-rank construction worker at the Lexx. What she (and a large group of co-workers) didn't suspect was that His Shadow had radical plans for keeping the Lexx safe from Heretics. On a planet very far from the Cluster, scientists had developed Zoanthra, shapeshifting insectoids. As a morbid kind of "promotion", the workers became guinea pigs for the Zoanthra breeding.
The process was successful, but before the guardians could hatch, the Heretics were successful in capturing the Lexx, and Cluster Lizards inside it made short work (or rather, short snack) of the entire colony. Except one cocoon, hopelessly out of reach of the lizards, set at the ceiling. This was her first lucky break in a long time.
A few days later, Tirekkha, as she's now known, hatched (in humanoid form, like all Zoanthra do) and fell right into an unsuspecting Stanley below. Understanding that the crew's intend was to keep themselves and the Lexx safe, she joined them - though she spends most time away from the others, exploring the insides of the Lexx.
Appearance:
In human shape, Tirekkha is attractive, lean and wiry, with waist-long hair, and eyes that gleam like emeralds. Decked in leather and a green top, she's armed with a rather nasty bladed armguard. In her insect form, she can't truly fly - the wings are only to aid high jumps.
Personality:
Tirekkha only truly and unconditionally trusts one person - Stanley, with whom she's also deeply in love with. Her loyality lies with him, though she worships the Lexx as a kind of Mother Goddess and inhabitat both at once. The smallest threat to the Lexx's existance flings her into a berserk rage which she has difficulty escaping. Other than that, Tirekkha is intelligent and compassionate, seeing any stranger as a friend unless they prove themselves to be otherwise. ("Proving otherwise" most often means any negative action or word against herself, the Lexx, or Stanley.)
Quote:
"The Lexx is home, habitat, and the only mother. Any who would harm her will taste my claws!"
A Lexxian's Guide To Zoanthra:
Growth Process:
Zoanthra are essentially wereinsects. The first stage of the Zoanthra, larvae, is the size of an infant Cluster Lizard and needs a host body to progress. The host body is absorbed into a cocoon with the larvae, and needs five months to finish growing.
During this growth, the Zoanthra can be programmed with one command and definite order (Tirekkha's colony was entirely programmed with the command "Protect the Lexx with your life", for example), which they are brainwashed with until it becomes a part of their being.
After the five months, the Zoanthra hatch.
The hatching state is second weakest only to the cocoon. The Zoanthra hatch in their human form, unable to shapeshift for another 48 hours, covered in green slime and completely nude. They feel extremely weak for about an hour or so before steadying.
Physical Characteristics:
Zoanthra DNA is based on locust cells rather than an ants', allowing them to function both as a herd and on their own with equal efficiency.
In their transformation to Zoanthra, they gain a human shape which is dazzingly attractive due to their genetic programming to be perfection.
All Zoanthra have dazzling, exotic color shemes (No sense in trying to "blend in" with the background when you're meant to be a 10 feet tall raging killer machine). They can be of any color combination, with any amount of color.
Other Notes:
Zoanthra were first developed on Planet Earth.
They are considered a delicacy among Cluster Lizards. A Zoanthra's strength is almost equal to a Cluster Lizard's, but the two races will always try to kill one another off. If forced to co-operate (like Xev and Tirekkha) they stay out of each other's way in order to avoid friction.
BIO-E:
It's easy to dismiss Zoanthra as shapeshifters in control of their transformation, though this is often not true. Zoanthra are more "bugs that turn into humans" than the other way around. There's a very limited amount of Biological Energy (or BIO-E for short) flooding through the Zoanthra's system that diminishes as the wereinsect suffers injury or has to perform exhausting physical actions. While the Zoanthra still has BIO-E left, it can shapeshift freely, but as soon as the BIO-E runs out, the Zoanthra turns into insect shape whether it likes to or not, and will remain so until it rests. A long sleep recovers all BIO-E, and the Zoanthra awakes with full powers and shapeshifting capabilities again.
To make it easier to understand in the interest of the plot, here's a brief BIO-E chart and at what rate it's drained. All Zoanthra begin their life with a small amount of BIO-E, but the pool grows a little bigger each month. Even if running in danger of sounding like a Dungeons & Dragons rulebook, imagine for a moment that this BIO-E can be measured - all Zoanthra would start out with a maximum pool of 30, each month alive adds another 10.
ACTION BIO-E SPENT
Shapeshift 5
Per Hour In Insect Shape 10
Battle (Per 10 minutes) 10 (add 5 for each additional
enemy above 3)
Lifting or pulling 5 per minute
large objects
Sexual Intercourse It really depends how kinky you want to get.
On average, count 15 per 30 minutes, and add at
your own judgment.
A Zoanthra's lifespan equals that of a normal human.
