The loss of the Hunter Gratzner, a freelance merchant vessel,
remains one of the most unusual shipping disasters in modern history. This however is not due to the
circumstances that lead to its crash, for the ship was traveling within the so-called “ghost
lanes” where uncharted interstellar phenomena still account for a great many incidents.
Rather, the case of the Hunter Gratzner is remarkable due to the events that occurred after
the crash. Its few survivors were left stranded on a barren world, nearly completely lifeless,
save for the presence of one of the most dangerous alien species ever encountered: the Bioraptor.
Apex predators, the Bioraptors are believed to be all the remains of a once thriving-planetary
ecosystem on the world of M6-117. Either because of a long-term shift in temperatures
and weather patterns, their own unconstrained evolutionary success, or some combination thereof,
the Bioraptor’s population grew overabundant. They hunted every other native species to extinction,
and today M6-117’s biodiversity is expressed only through vast boneyards.
Reaching upwards of 4 meters long once fully grown, Bioraptors at least superficially resemble
the birds of prey or extinct pterosaurs of Earth. Their distinctive muzzle forms the shape of an
elongated cross, with large protrusions extending on either side, and smaller ventral and dorsal
fins. Its jaw is further marked by sharp-edged, fang-like teeth. In addition to providing a
counter-balance to the rest of the body, the unique structure of the Bioraptor’s head appears
to produce a kind of electroreception combined with echolocation. This allows the creature to
sense prey at great distances, though a blind spot exists directly in front of them at close range.
Bioraptors lack any eyes, or visible nose, but do at least possess a highly refined sense of smell.
The remainder of the body consists of a pair of limbs, a pair of wings, and a comparably thin twin
forked tail. Their hands consist of 4 talons and an opposable thumb, but also a single retractable
claw or bone spur that emerges from its wrists. Its wings support limited, but highly maneuverable
flight, and can interchangeably be used with its other limbs when walking on the ground. They are
very effective climbers, and can easily cling from the sides of natural or artificial structures.
Over the course of their life, bioraptors transition between two distinct phases:
growing from infants to adults. Bioraptor young are notably smaller,
with less pronounced head structures and capable of much more nimble flight.
How long it takes for a bioraptor to mature, and how long their lifespan might extend,
is unknown, but likely to span across at least several decades.
The Bioraptors also possess a highly unusual and lethal reaction to electromagnetic radiation,
specifically, visible light. Unlike standard examples of photophobia in which the eyes
experience discomfort and extreme sensitivity to bright light, the Bioraptors, with their lack of
eyes, appear to be physically scarred by it. Even a conventional flashlight, shined closely
to the skin, is enough to cause it to burn and blister. This adverse reaction develops with age,
with younger Bioraptors capable of existing within dimmer light, comparable to Earth’s twilight.
Because of their planet’s unique position within a trinary star system that leaves it
surface in near-perpetual sunlight, Bioraptors are forced to spend most of their lives underground.
The entire species inhabits a labyrinthine cave network that seems to extend across the whole
of the planetary crust. Roughly every 22 years however, M6-117 undergoes a sustained planetwide
eclipse. In this comparatively brief window, bioraptors are free to hunt across its surface.
The behavior of the Bioraptors when underground has never been determined.
It is possible they enter a kind of hibernation and are only active during
the eclipse. It is equally possible though that they are always active,
and the eclipse merely extends their hunting grounds to include the planetary surface.
Regardless, Bioraptors are highly aggressive creatures. They display
no kind of higher-reasoning, communication or anything that might suggest a developed social
structure or hierarchy. Their young prefer traveling in enormous flocks,
though this is likely solely for added protection such swarms offer.
Adult bioraptors tend to hunt independently, though it is not uncommon for pairs or smaller
groups to coordinate their attacks on weakened prey. Such hunting packs are always temporary
however, with individuals turning on one another once a kill has been made.
Perhaps because of their theoretical extended hibernation, or the overwhelming experience of
emerging into a new environment, Bioraptors seem prone to experiencing a mass feeding
frenzy when active on the surface. Without any remaining natural prey, this expresses itself
in widespread cannibalism, with the larger and older members of the species hunting the smaller
and younger. Even when other prey is in the immediate area, cannibalism is still practiced,
suggesting their hunger has reached an extreme state by the time of the planetary eclipse.
Only one life-form has managed to survive on the planet, a slug-like creature that has
developed a bioluminescence as a natural and effective defense. Though likely unrelated to
the Bioraptors, it cannot yet be discounted that these “glow slugs” might actually be their infant,
larval stage. This would further imply that the Bioraptor’s cannibalism is their natural state,
and the bioluminescence of their young prevents the extinction of the species.
Ultimately, the Bioraptors are a species that raises a great many questions.
How could such a species evolve on a world seemingly so unsuited to them? And how could
they dominate that world so completely? Might the Bioraptors in actuality be a kind
of weapon? An invasive species unleashed upon the planet? Until the backwater systems of the
ghost-lanes are finally surveyed and properly explored, the answers must remain in the dark.