All About the Aliens

In order of their appearance in the Earthforce Saga

Introduction

One of the great things about Science Fiction is that it gives the imagination an absolute free reign to manifest anything. This has been part of what I found so compelling in writing the Earthforce Saga, the places the story took me, and all I’ve learned in researching these places. And along the way, my imagination has been on overdrive. I would wake up in the morning with the last vestige of a dream in mind that ended up becoming a scene in the story, or one of the many aliens I have brought into the saga as antagonists. This post will be about those entities, all the other alien species encountered by our heroes as Humanity reaches for the Stars. Here they are, in order of appearance in the Saga, (with images), and believe me, they have given Karpov and Fedorov hours in the Ready Room trying to determine how to deal with them.

The Kroth

Initially called the Skeletals, or the Ice Men, the Kroth first appeared in Volume #61 of the Kirov Series, Queen’s Gambit. They then had cameos in some of the later books, but in the Earthforce segment, they stepped up as Earth’s first great challenger, a hostile alien species that was at the same level of tech as Humans were, which surprised Fedorov, as the Kroth were much older then Humanity. They come from a system of planets orbiting Tau Ceti, about eleven light Years from Earth.

Imagine a being that embodies the essence of the ethereal, but with a dark heart and evil disposition, a creature that seemingly transcends the boundaries of the material world. This translucent alien, had a clearly humanoid form, bipedal and with two arms, and clawed hands betraying its ferocity. The Kroth had both a savage disposition and a vindictive spirit. Its entire body is akin to the clearest, most pristine glass, allowing light to pass through unimpeded and casting delicate, shimmering reflections on the surfaces around it. The skeletal structure, visible within this transparent form, was composed of slender, luminous bones that seemed almost too fragile to support its body weight. Each bone has a faint, iridescent glow that hints at a life force beyond our understanding—a gelatinous “life Gel” filled out their form, that could stiffen and grow firm like a tautly flexed muscle, or soften to become more fluid, permitting slithering movement through confined spaces.

On the ground, the ancient Kroth once fought with sword and shield, but now these were searing hot advanced plasma weapons. They also carried beam weapons of an unknown nature, and had the ability to generate a body shield of energy around themselves in combat. Even if struck by bullets fired from Assault rifles, the round might just drift in the Life Gel within them, yet cause no harm, for there were no vital organs there to be injured, except that pernicious brain within its skull.

The brain, nestled within its crystal-clear cranium, pulsed with an enigmatic light, its complex network of neural pathways faintly visible through the translucent outer skull. It is the only visible organ besides the skeleton, suggesting a being that survives on Sunlight alone for its energy. Recharging its life-gel by simply basking in the sun, the Kroth were unburdened by the physical necessities of flesh and blood. They did not eat or breathe, nor could they speak any audible language, but communicated with their own kind through Telepathy, which they also used as a Psychic lash to instill fear in those they faced and fought.

Here's what the Kroth look like, not something you would ever want to run into the next time you are out skiing:

2. The Colony Virus, a Dark Spawn known as the Shadows

   Then there came the mysterious race that Fedorov had called the Shadows, this time an organic life form, but one with very mysterious origins. A far more sinister and enigmatic presence now loomed with the coming of this species—a viral colony complex that Fedorov had ominously termed the Shadows. Unlike any life form known to conventional science, this Dark Spawn originated from the realm of Dark Matter, a mysterious and largely unexplored dimension of the universe. Comprising a vast, interconnected network of viral entities, this colony possessed an unprecedented level of sentient consciousness.

   The Shadows' collective mind functioned with a chilling, malevolent intelligence, capable of intricate planning and strategic execution. It thrived in the shadows, in microbial form as its true nature, invisible to the naked eye. Yet its influence was palpable and insidious. This viral colony was driven by a singular, relentless objective: to propagate and dominate by invading other life forms and causing mutations.

   Upon identifying a suitable host, the Dark Spawn would initiate its attack, infiltrating the organism at a molecular level. Once inside, the virus would begin a process of rapid mutation, altering the host's genetic structure to better serve its nefarious purposes. Some served as bestial macro Hosts so the colony could better survive in the macro world. Others were “designed” to serve as mercenary soldiers to fight Earthforce on the ground, some even based on the DNA of a fallen Human soldier. These mutations were carefully engineered to enhance the host's capabilities, often endowing them with new and terrifying abilities, like Telepathy, all while maintaining control over their actions to serve the interests of the virus.

   The true horror of the Colony Virus lay in its unceasing quest for new hosts, a pursuit that spanned the breadth of the cosmos. It moved with silent, deadly efficiency, its viral tendrils reaching out across the void to seek and infect any organism it deemed fit for its purposes. To the Dark Spawn, every living being was a potential vessel, a means to further its dark, shadowy agenda, and a way to migrate rapidly through the stars to new worlds. Once first infected on the planet Borani-1, the virus rapidly migrated through all the other six Colonies first established by Earth’s initial Outreach Expedition.

   The greatest mystery surrounding the Shadows was not its insatiable hunger for hosts, nor its dreadful capacity for mutation, but rather its very existence. It was not a thing from the world known by Humans. Originating in the enigmatic realm of Dark Matter, it defied the known laws of biology and physics governing the much smaller realm of Baryonic normal matter, a paradoxical entity that seemed to straddle the boundaries between two worlds. Scientists and scholars alike were baffled by its origins, speculating endlessly on the nature of its connection to Dark Matter and the implications for Human understanding of life and the universe. Could there be Living Darkness? Fedorov would learn this to be true.

   In the presence of the Colony Virus, even the formidable Fendi and the ethereal Kroth seemed pale threats in comparison. It was a force of pure malevolence, a shadowy specter that haunted the edges of reality, ever lurking, ever scheming, and ever poised to unleash its virulent wrath upon an unsuspecting biosphere. Of all the aliens encountered, The Shadows represented the greatest threat in Fedorov’s mind. But there was more yet to come.

3. The Fendi

   While Earthforce was able to hold its own against the Kroth, they struggled against their superior numbers in Space. Then the Kroth were attacked by another most unexpected foe. In stark contrast to the ethereal Kroth, they encountered a formidable race of robotic alien automatons known as the Fendi. Created and controlled by an advanced Artificial Intelligence, the Fendi were the epitome of precision engineering. They would use massive Scavenger ships to sweep up debris fields from battles in space to recover exotic metals and alloys and Technology from their opponents, which they would then reverse engineer with remarkable skill and speed.

   Each automaton was crafted from a sleek composite of alloys and polymers, designed to withstand the harshest environments of the cosmos, so they could function in a vacuum, and on worlds with no atmosphere, where they would establish mining operations to recover more metals and minerals they used to build more robots, facilities, and their massive scavenger ships, having three million tons of mass. Just one of these ships had the same mass and “weight” of an Earthforce Battlestation orbiting important colonies. The Fendi technology was entirely derived from that of other races they encountered as they migrated through the cosmos, like the Kroth, whom they eventually destroyed before reverse engineering all their captured technology and weaponry. In effect, they were a scavenger race of A.I. driven robots with ships so large they were space-faring factories that could even build new A.I. designed warships. The fact that this race could never die, and had an almost exponential potential for growth, made the Fendi a very dangerous foe.

   On the ground, The robotic soldiers were polished to a mirror-like finish, to reflect their surroundings with a cold, metallic sheen. This created a kind of visual camouflage as well as acting to reflect laser based weaponry. Thankfully, they were not invulnerable, and Earthforce weapons using kinetic impact could cause severe damage or incapacitate these robots. But ground combat against the Fendi was always an arduous engagement. Their joints and limbs move with a fluidity that belies their mechanical nature, powered by an array of micro-actuators and servomotors. Embedded within their chassis are clusters of sensors and diagnostic tools, constantly feeding data to their central processing units, and numerous external sensors gave them excellent situational awareness in combat, along with their ability to remain linked to the Collective mind governed by their AI.

   At the core of each Fendi warship lies a quantum processor, a marvel of synthetic cognition capable of executing trillions of calculations per second. Yet compared with the Quantum computers developed by Earthforce, it was much slower and less complex. This processor was what powered the overarching AI, allowing for seamless communication and coordination between units. The AI's vast networking ability enables the Fendi to operate with great efficiency on the ground, executing complex strategies with mathematical precision, but often those strategies arose from little real experience in warfare strategy and tactics. The Fendi would often suffer an initial defeat against more experiences military forces, but its machine learning enabled it to adapt and evolve, and the Fendi tended to become more skilled in combat as any war proceeded.

   While the Kroth evoke wonder and mystery, the Fendi inspire awe and cold unfeeling intimidation, like the size of their massive scavenger ships. All that said, the Centaurids had superior technology and computing power, and they were able to invade the AI minds of the Fendi and bend them to their will to eventually make them an ally of Earthforce instead of an enemy. But how long would it take this insidious AI to evade that control and return to its old ways?

Here’s what the Fendi Look like: (AI Generated image)

4. The Sontee

Then there emerged the Sontee, an elder alien race of unparalleled enigma. The Sontee appeared within glistening oval-shaped objects resembling transparent glass, encasing a strange being that could have been a sea creature within. The entity had a broad upper section, resembling a mushroom cap, but its surface was adorned with hundreds of small mercurial bubbles being continuously emitted by the cap. Among these, one large egg-shaped bubble sat on the lower rim of the cap, resembling a great transparent all seeing eye. To look upon it without shaded glasses shielding the eyes could drive a Human being to Madness, for the Sontee possessed very strong Psychic and telepathic powers, easily twice as strong as those used by the Kroth.

From the unseen lower center of the mushroom cap extended numerous writhing red tendrils of varying lengths. In its natural habitat, these tendrils might impart a numbing sting to incapacitate its prey, and allow those tendrils to bind it close to be consumed or impregnated as a carrier of Sontee Eggs. These tendrils began as coils of deep red, nestled within and beneath the upper mushroom, then extended from the base of the gelatinous upper cap all the way to the bottom of the glassy enclosure surrounding the Sontee. The entire glassy enclosure was meant only to enclose their fluidic natural environment, and it was not a part of their bodies, but something engineered. This enclosure hovered inches above the deck or ground when the Sontee moved, as if it were immune to gravity itself. While little was known of their technology, the Sontee did not possess fighting warships or armies on the ground. Their way was to conquer the minds of their enemies with strong Psychic and Telepathic powers they used to break and bend the will of lesser species, which they then enslaved to serve them, or for reproductive purposes. Sometimes called the Mind Raper and Soul Eaters, those scarlet red tendrils could also ravage the bodies of those coming within their grasp. Yet the Sontee would rarely, if ever reveal themselves to any of their enslaved species. They remained in the shadows, a pernicious, invasive and corrupting darkness cast over those they target for slavery or destruction.

Rarely ever seen, this is what they would look like:

5. The Kiring Kind - A Voracious Insect intelligence

As the story progresses in this edge-of-your-seat adventure, humanity's survival is at stake as they now confront an unprecedented threat from a relentless and highly intelligent, but savage insectoid species, the Kiring. These formidable adversaries, with their hive-mind intelligence and advanced technology, pose a dire challenge that pushes human ingenuity and perseverance to their limits. As starships clash and interstellar fleets engage in epic battles, the fate of humanity teeters on the brink. The enemy use their inherent ferocity and sheer numbers against the highly skilled fighting ability of the Earthforce battle fleets. But the Kiring are not alone. The fabric of Spacetime itself its ripped asunder in the Void of Mordor, and they have learned how to summon hideous things of Dark Matter into the world Humanity resides in. Nightmares emerge from the Abyss, a region deeper than the depths of Subspace, where massive entities are coming through the thinner density of Spacetime in the Void of Mordor. Now Karpov and Fedorov must lead the defense of the Colonies and Homeworld against these dangerous entities rising from the domain of Dark Matter, while also facing the growing legions of the Kiring Kind, who are being driven on by the Sinister will of the Sontee, used as a lash to strike at Humanity after they were forced to release the Centaurids. The Sontee vowed revenge, and now they use the Kiring Kind as they most dangerous weapon of war.

Here are the Kiring:

6. And speaking of insects, here is a look at the Asect Marauders, with three ways to kill you with its Jaws, Pincers and barbed antenae and forelegs. These critters defend Dharma-6 in the Dharman Series Sci-Fi trilogy that merges with the Earthforce Saga in Outreach.

6. One Friend Among the Stars: The Great Lyrian Empire

Among all these threats, Humanity had found only one friend, the Lyrians, architects of the Milky Way's Greatest Empire. An ancient race, and possibly the first to ever obtain an advanced intelligence, they represented the pinnacle of galactic civilization. With the unsurpassed technology of a Type-4 species, and with their vast Imperial Navy, the Lyrians wield unchallenged power. Few, if any would dare to confront them as an enemy, and a single Lyrian cruiser had been known to decide battles and compel other alien races to withdraw by its mere presence a warning that the vast imperial power of Lyria stood behind that cruiser to bring utter ruin upon any culture that dared defy them. Yet for all their might, the Lyrians were an honorable and compassionate species. They established protectorates in regions they occupied, and not conquered star systems. They welcomed new and emerging star-faring species like Humanity, and often intervened to give these younger races protection from other marauding species like the Fendi and the Kiring. They did the work of Uplift, and employed other older races like “The Greys” to assist in that work.

Of all other races, only the Sontee had dared to challenge Lyrian Imperial authority, and for that they had already suffered two stinging defeats in interstellar wars. This time, they would learn respect, and the Sontee are forced to release the Centaurids from their psychic grip by the threat of immediate Lyrian intervention. Now they plan the demise of Humanity another way, through the seemingly endless hordes of the Kiring Kind, the most feared marauders of the galaxy.

Here are the Lyrians:

Sound interesting? Take the Journey

Don't miss the chance to embark on this extraordinary adventure. The Earthforce Saga now enters its 13th volume with its next book, The Kiring, and it will have a few surprising twists. Be among the first to dive into the next volume of this amazing science fiction saga, now in its 13th volume—The Kiring.

Haven’t read the Earthforce books yet? You’ve been missing the most exciting and imaginative evolution of the Kirov series to date. You can leap into the Earthforce Saga anywhere. How did Karpov and Fedorov end up commanding a fleet of Starships? Start with the Saga Prelude Goliath, when Director Kamenski recruits them for a special mission. Interested in Mars? Then you won’t want to miss the early volumes in the saga: Earthforce Mars, Invasion Mars, Sons of Ares, and Blood of the Ancients. You will get a grand tour of the Red planet in those books, where the primary antagonists are hidden cadres of the Kroth (The Ice Men). The story features battles in Valles Marineris, Noctis Labyrinthus (The Labyrinth of Night), Cydonia, Elysium and the Martian Polar regions, as well as action against the Kroth in space when their main fleet finally arrives for another attack on Earth. But hold on, not on Karpov’s watch! Now commanding the Battlecruiser Apollo, Karpov leads Earthforce against the gelatinous “Ice Men” now known as the Kroth, and any that get to ground will have to face Troyak and his Marines.

More into interstellar colonization? Then jump in with Book-5 in the saga, Outreach, where Earth mounts its first Outreach Expedition to nearby stars having exoplanets after the end of the Kroth War. They will inevitably begin to encounter other alien species described here in the middle segment of the saga, beginning with a sinister virus, then an AI driven robotic race known as the Fendi appears in Call of the Wolf, and a ravenous insectoid species called the Kiring Kind is the latest nemesis.

Join Karpov, Fedorov, Rodenko, Nikolin, Tasarov, Samsonov and Kandemir Troyak and his Marines! Prepare for lift-off and let the Earthforce Saga transport you to a universe where the battle for existence unfolds against the backdrop of interstellar wonders, and the uncharted mysteries of Dark Matter. This is a saga you won't want to miss, with a new volume coming out every month!

-Thanks for reading!

John Schettler