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The
Qu
(pronounced: Koo) were an ancient, nomadic, highly advanced alien species that split
Humanity
as it was known into various new species with varying levels of sapience and physical ability.
The Qu were four-winged insectoid creatures, bearing a slight resemblance to Brine shrimp in terms of body shape, with a single tail-like tentacle for grabbing and manipulating objects. Their heads bore two eye stalks, one protruding from each side, and two long mandibles. While their main torso appears to be similar in size to a Human torso, their prehensile tentacle makes their full body length five or more times that of a Human’s. Their life cycle is known to have involved an aquatic larval stage, in the manner of some earth insects, although their overall lifespan is unknown. Other elements of their native environment and physiology, such as what gases they could and could not breathe, their native gravity, and their preferred diet, are also unknown. It is likely that their known form is not the true appearance of the Qu, but rather the result of centuries of careful genetic alteration of their species, akin to the alterations that turned baseline Humans and
Martians
into the
Star People
.
Culture and society
[
]
The mysterious pyramids erected by the Qu
The Qu follow the agenda of an enigmatic higher force that opposes the existence of all sapient life, with the majority of their population believing it to be a a plague that would inevitably eradicate the natural order of the universe.
[1]
To serve their purposes, they acted as intergalactic nomads; stopping in galactic spiral arms for millions of years at a time before moving on. They remorselessly alter sapient beings within their proximity in proportion to their “crimes” against the Qu's mission, starting with the mere act of sapience, and increasing in severity for crimes such as having caused the extinctions of other species or fervently resisting the Qu. These other sapient species are seen as mere objects to be rebuilt into "practical" or entertaining forms. Greater criminals against the Qu are made into a form that gives them a tortured existence, as seen with the
Colonials
. Like the
Gravital
, the Qu are not truly evil nor full of hate toward all other lifeforms; instead, they are far too indoctrinated by their own religion and extremist beliefs, so much so that they simply do not believe they are doing anything amoral.
Qu architecture, as seen in monuments that are left on worlds they alter and colonize, consists of massive, featureless pyramids, which served an unknown function, and are not torn down or otherwise removed once the Qu leave for another system or galaxy, leading some to believe that the structures possess preternatural characteristics which prevent them from being fully demolished.
Technology
[
]
The Qu possessed incredibly advanced technologies, giving them the ability to cross galaxies and alter organic life at a whim. While their exact weapon capabilities are unknown, they were able to overpower almost every Star Person colony with a single, swift attack, meaning their weapons surpassed those of even the advanced and enlightened Star People, who had weaponry that could cause stars to prematurely collapse and shatter planet. Their most notable and advanced technology is their capabilities for genetic manipulation, which they demonstrate often by altering existing lifeforms into an array of different forms, even removing sapience if it suits their purposes. The exact method of doing this is unknown, but it is possible that it is done utilizing nanotechnological drones.
Qu ships are apparently like larger versions of themselves, with kilometer spanning "wings".
[2]
History
[
]
At the time of the first contact between Qu and Star People, the Qu were almost a billion years old, constantly travelling the galaxy from one spiral arm to the next, in giant, epoch-spanning mass-migrations. As masters of genetic and nanotech manipulations, they constantly improved themselves and remade the worlds they visited. They were most likely the ones who created
Panderavis
from Earth Therizinosaurs.
Their religion demanded them to remake the universe as they saw fit and they saw themselves as
gods
. This dogma was rooted in what had been a benevolent attempt to protect the race from its own power, but was eventually blindly followed by them without any question.
Humanity was only a small obstacle to them. The Qu were offended that there was another species that remade the worlds they visited, and they remade the Star People into many different creatures.
One day, the Qu left the spiral arm that was once populated by the Star People, leaving behind hundreds of worlds inhabited by the remade descendants of humanity.
Many millions of years later, the human descendants in the form of the
Asteromorphs
, the
Terrestrials
, the
New Machines
, and the
Subjects
formed a vast empire spanning the Milky Way, united with other galaxies such as the
Amphicephali's
, and finally avenged their ancestors by subduing the Qu in a conflict of incomprehensible scale, possibly rendering the Qu extinct, subjugated, enslaved, or brought to some stranger fate.
Appearances
[
]
All Tomorrows
, by C. M. Koseman (2006)
Notes
[
]
In the illustration of the Qu, the Qu is holding a gun-like device in its tentacle. It is unknown if this is an example of Qu technology, or a gun taken from the fallen Humans. With the fact that the gun appears to be built for a humanoid due to the design of its handle, the latter seems more likely.
The Qu have a strong resemblance to Brine shrimp (artemia salina) along with the wings of dragon-flies
