[b][u]General Info and Location[/u]

Name:[/b] The Union of Hives

[b]Capital System:[/b] N/A

[b]Dominant Species:[/b] L'Er (Lit: One of Us)

[b]Sub-Factions/Species:[/b] There are multiple hives that compose the Union of Hives, though the three most dominant are the S'Lif, the S'Rin and the S'Orp (Note: S' is a prefix noting hive status. S'Orp literally means: Hive of Orp) A new hive is made whenever there is no Mind within range of a group of/individual L'Er. They will proceed to gather the biomass to create a new Mind and thus form a new hive. The more individuals exist inside a hive, the longer the range of the hives "influence". As a result, the minor hives are often limited to control of several systems, while the major hives can control many systems.

[b]Direction From Galactic Core:[/b] Largest concentration of Hives is 48 east from north

[b][u]Politics, Power & Economy[/b][/u]

[b]Head Of State:[/b] The Tribunal 

[b]Head Of Government:[/b] The Tribunal

[b]Government Type/Operation/Description:[/b] The 'government' consists of a hierarchy with the Tribunal, a council of three made from the Minds of the most powerful hives, who use their psychic link to communicate with each other and lead the Union of Hives. The major hives come just under them. The major hives are generally minor regional powers or large multistellar powers and the minor hives under them are mostly interstellar powers or small multistellar powers.
The tribunal share a common psychic link, stronger than that the Union of Hives shares as a whole. They use this to trade information to reach well thought out decisions within split seconds. Their are, essentially, the hive mind of the hive minds. 
The Tribunal acts within the interests of the species, and the reason they exist is seemingly social related. Perhaps it is inevitable that when several hive minds united they would, despite having common purpose, create a pseudo-hivemind just to ensure there was a clear cut hierarchy, or maybe it was that the Psychic link between the Tribunal would have been weakened by the addition of a fourth member. Maybe it was both. 

[b]Economic System/Prosperity:[/b] There isn't an economic system so to speak as the L'Er do not have currency of any kind. Their industry is mostly made from what they have captured and as such merely creates the technology of the captured species. As such, there is little in the way of trade and they lack the concept of business and commerce. Their industry again varies from hive to hive, from hives which own industrial powerhouses to hives with little to no industry to speak of. The only industry all hives have in common is shipbuilding, constructing the basic frame of a ship and its systems before covering it in biomass and using it to further spread their influence.

[b]Empire Size:[/b] "There is simply no way to accurately record the massive number of the Parasites that infest the universe"
	9: Innumerable

[b]Empire Power:[/b] Quadrant Power – Authority over an entire quadrant. The multiple hives, when brought together, meet the correct criteria for a Quadrant Power due to sheer size and strength. Inside their quadrant, there is no sentient organics left, as they have all been consumed by the L'Er

[b]Type Of Power:[/b] Military- Their number is legion and their name is death. These parasites are a powerful force, though they are less effective against non-organic life forms or life which lacks a central nervous system, they are still dangerous to such life forms if they are able to acquire hosts or have pure forms at the time. As most creatures have a central nervous system or an equivalent compatible organ, it is often relatively easy to acquire a host and as such the L'Er are extremely adaptable.

Scientific: Their assimilations of other species abilities and memories allows them to quickly adapt technology to their own ends. As the minds all have the same memories and the memories of their predecessors, they have built up knowledge on different technologies over the years and as such there is no overall design to their equipment, seemingly being made up of different workings. The technology they have assimilated (or more rarely, created) often tend to be mostly organic in nature, suggesting that their technology its self becomes part of the hive. 

[b][u]History, Biology & Society[u]

Race Name:[/b] L'Er (Literally "One of Us" Note that this is their name for themselves, not one that is used universally by species they encounter. As the nature of such encounters tend to be with feral hives developing on one of their worlds, species often believe the L'Er to be a non-sentient disease at first glance)

[b]Race Info:[/b] There is no way to accurately describe the entire race, as many, many different forms are constructed. The most common is the small "Spore form". These are arguably the most dangerous form as they possess the ability to bite their way into their host, their organic forms have no skeleton and thus can contort to squeeze through small openings in their host that they cause with their abnormally strong teeth, which are strong enough to bite their way through armour if given a few seconds. Once inside their host, they couple with the hosts central nervous system, making removal almost invariably fatal. It is sometimes argued that they kill the host outright, though there has been no reliable study to confirm this, so it is entirely possible the host is alive and maybe conscious. The host does not have to be alive for this process, a corpse will do. Whatever the case, the Parasite has full control and begins mutating the host. The hive will use the host for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to construction, reproduction and combat. 
This host will now become one of two forms. The first is known as the "Battle" form, this involves the usage of the hosts natural abilities for combat, in addition to mutations to make them stronger, such abnormal muscle growth. This is often done at the expense of the hosts brain and specific organs. Little attempt is made for long term maintenance, as the host will likely be recycled after its purpose is served. The second form is known as the "Transport" form. The is essentially a walking reproductive center for the Parasites, growing new spore forms inside massive bulbous sacks, often mutating the host past what is recognisable. This form shoots the Spore forms out of its many sacks when it sights and approaches an enemy, and has two no way to defend its self except through these spores, although it has been known to fall onto beings which have gotten too close to prevent then from running. Both these forms are called "Impure" forms. There is a third form, though its existence is debated, known as the "Thinker" form. The theory is that certain hosts have their brains kept intact and, in some theories, boosted. These forms supposedly serve as tactical planners in pre-Mind infestations, as well as scientists of sorts or advisors to the mind. Since some intelligent behavior is exhibited in all combat forms, its argued that these are just abnormally intelligent combat forms rather than a new form, though no one is entirely sure.
The next forms are the "Pure forms" These are not mutated hosts but entirely new creatures made out of collected biomass from the planets, including recycled hosts and the bodies of their dead. There are countless different forms which vary from hive to hive. The most important pure form in any hive is the Mind. Without the mind, the parasite has little coordination, and their priority is to begin the construction of a mind. This is not to say they are stupid, they possess the intelligence of their hosts, and though it often degrades over time (with the exception of thinker forms), they are smart enough to coordinate basic tactics (Supposedly thinkers coordinate pre-mind stages) There are three stages (Four if one believes the Thinker Theory)
Feral. In this stage, they are uncoordinated and possess limited intelligence. They are still dangerous, but less so compared to later stages. Minor displays of intelligence, such as basic ambushes are known to appear but generally their intelligence is considered to be similar to that of animals at this level. They maintain knowledge their previous hosts had, so the use of vehicles isn't out of the question. They have a weak psychic link which is starting to develop to form the beginnings of a hive
Sapient stage (Thinker theory): According to the Thinker theory, this is the stage where Thinkers begin to show up. They apparently become smart enough to employ advanced tactics, and the weak psychic field between them apparently becomes strengthened to the point it can be used for communication and these thinkers become officers for the fledgling hive. Supposedly these thinkers can be capable of communication with other races, though intelligent communication is often attributed to a later stage, and at this stage it is believed to be simple taunting
Coordination stage: A partially functional Mind has been created. The psychic linked between the organisms has now strengthened to the point that they know each others status at any given time, and they are intelligent enough to communicate with other sentient species in a proper manner, although their previous stages have often resulted in such violence that further conflict is inevitable
Hive stage: The hive has produced a fully functional mind and joined with the other hives of the galaxy. In this stage the Mind has a psychic link with the hive that is so strong that it allows him to speak with others outside the hive across vast distances. The Hive is fully coordinated and can now operate as a proper nation. The majority of Hives are part of a single national entity, the Union of the Hives, though "Rogue" hives do appear at times. These Rogue Hives usually have a damaged or defective Mind and as a result the Rogue Hives are usually simply savage killing machines (Not that they weren't already), soldiers following the orders of a broken general. These hives often go extinct for various reasons related to the defective orders, IE: The hive thinking its self to be non-L'Er and thus attacking its self or gathering the biomass but never using it. 

[b]Average Lifespan:[/b] Varies

[b]Physical Characteristics:[/b] The most common of this species is perhaps two inches or so, and are essentially a deformed ball with small tentacles protruding from it. It uses these tentacles to move, to climb on surfaces thanks to the suction cups dotting them and to couple with its hosts nervous system and seize control. They often swarm enemies in order to overpower them. Their colour (and the colour of the biomass) varies depending on the hive, and this can be used to quickly identify which hive it is. Note that some hives share the same colour as this is a form of camouflage, as such this method is not fool proof
Hive colouration of Tribunal and notable hives (Minor/Fledgling hives not included)
S'Orp (Tribunal Hive): Grey 
S'Lif (Tribunal Hive): Tan
S'Rin (Tribunal Hive): Green
S'Buk (Major Hive): Brown
S'Eir (Major Hive): White
S'Ruk (Major Hive): Brown 
S'Tak (Major Hive): Black
S'Mar (Major Hive): Khaki
S'Hum (Major Hive): Green

 They have a "beak" of exceptionally strong teeth underneath their tentacles, allowing them to bite they way in, and their lack of a skeleton, small size and relative "squishiness) allows them to fit through the small openings they make in their host. They prefer to make such a hole close to the hosts nervous system in order to avoid excessive damage, but forcing their way up appendages is not unheard of
The Minds themselves are strange creatures, essentially a giant snake inside the hive that has sharp, jagged 'teeth' in its 'mouth', and several tentacles from deep with its throat that it uses to grasp beings and pull them into it. They are generally buried deep within the hive, defended against hostile attack. Given the powerful psychic link in the Hive, they have limited telepathic ability, allowing them to project their voice into others minds within a considerable range of their hive. It is possible that if they were unshackled from maintaining the hives psychic link then they would have far increased telepathic abilities, but as no Mind has ever mentally removed its self from its Hive (And doesn't appear to be able to willingly do so) this is irrelevant.
Any hosts they take are hideously mutated, with the exception of the supposed Thinkers, who can apparently be mutated similar to their brethren or appear normal. This is used as evidence for their existence, though critics believe they are newly taken battle forms who have yet to mutate. Whatever the case, battle forms can continue to be a threat until the parasite, and as a result their nervous system, is destroyed. Even with no head they have been known to feel around for their opponents and even missing their arms they will continue to throw themselves at their targets. Often after the host has taken a large amount of damage, the parasite will usually exit and attempt to find a new host. They can exit their host at any time.

[b]Dominant Society:[/b] S'Orp has long since held the most power in the Hives, followed by S'Lif and S'Rin. These are among the oldest hives in the Union of Hives. The colours of their spore forms are Grey, Tan and Green respectively, due to the locations of the Hives worlds of "origin"

[b]Moral Values:[/b] Their morals are non-existent at a glance, though that is mostly because they simply believe that sentients are prey and they are a predator. Generally, sentient species oppose the hives and treat them with an understandably high level of contempt that has driven a wedge between relations. It is hard for any hives to justify their creation to the sentients, as the beginnings of a hive are invariably brutal. The majority of large hives, and indeed the majority of the Union of Hives, have long since given up on, or simply never attempted, diplomatic relations with other sentients and some make no distinction between sentients and non-sentients save what is "edible and inedible" There is a minor hive known as S'Eir which has the most attempts at peaceful communications have negotiation, most of which has inevitably ended in hostilities regardless. Another minor hive, the S'Ruk were able to reach a compromised with the sentient beings of their original homeworld which had the two species coexisting peacefully for a time, until the pact was broken by a radical group of the sentients and the two descended into a war which the S'Ruk ultimately won
The Union of the Hives exists to further the spread the L'Er, and believes that this is simply the natural way of things, which in their case isn't far from the truth, essentially being a disease. Their view varies from hive to hive, though the most common view is that they are simply following the natural predator-prey dynamic and as such think it unjust when creatures try to destroy them. It is not their fault they are a parasitic organism after all, that's just how things are. Others view themselves of bringing a gift to the sentients, freeing them from war and hatred and suffering and want and worry and creed and class by bringing them into their hive.

[b]Religion:[/b] None. "You gods will not save you, we bring your salvation."

[b]History:[/b] The L'Er date back to evolution on a backwater colony of an interstellar nation. This "Super Parasite" was able to construct a Mind from the biomass of the rampant wild life where it was born. This Mind observed the colonists and their star ships and was able to deduce, after the assimilation of multiple individuals into the hive, that it could sneak aboard Spore forms and infect all the worlds of the species. 
The Mind was able to infiltrate the ships with a small number of spore forms, each of which spread out to the species worlds. At the time, the Mind had little power as it hadn't been further developed, as a result its psychic power was weak enough that the spores that were sent off developed different hives. This separated them into three hives, the original S'Buk, and the successor S'Orp and S'Lif. Out of the three, the original was the most unlucky. The other two worlds of the species were much more developed and larger, and so S'Orp and S'Lif were able to become more powerful than S'Buk as they absorbed more biomass from the worlds and inherited more of the hosts technology, industry and infrastructure.
The Three Hives were able to slowly build up strength and eventually over run the three worlds, absorbing the necessary biomass and leading to the desire to use the host species space travel to find new worlds.
Over millennia, there were several more hives developed across the quadrant and the Union of the Hives was formed in order to advance the L'Er as a whole through inter-hive cooperation. Most of the mentioned new hives are only major to this day with the exception of one, the now Tribunal hive S'Rin. The S'Rin remained the weakest of the hives for many centuries, as they had achieved semi-peaceful relations with the sentients they had encountered and essentially sold themselves as weapons to them. The two species developed under one nation that was budding, and over time the S'Rin were able to gain more and more power, eventually changing from being a living weapon to being an equal partner in the nation. Their hive was weak compared to the others due to their lack of biomass due to having brokered a deal, one which ensured their hives survival but established a blocker to their success however the S'Rin had a plan. They developed a new type of pure form, still used by hives today, called the Worm form. This small form was microscopic and as such it was able to enter the sentients undetected and nestle inside their brain. From their it would secret its toxins to make the individual more susceptible to hive control and eventually place them under the hives control, assimilating them completely. The S'Rin used this on members of the armed forces, slowly bringing control of the military into the hands if the S'Rin. After the S'Rin had secretly gained control of the militaries minds, the organisation that had stopped the S'Rin from assimilating the species before was now on their side. Almost over night the S'Rin seized control using the military and began to assimilated the population into their hive, growing rapidly from a minor power and usurping the place of the S'Buk on the Tribunal now that they had become more powerful than their forefathers. Today, the S'Buk is only a major hive and the S'Rin still hold their place on the Tribunal.

[b]Technology Overview[/b]
There is no uniform technology within the hive as they tend to use the technology of their hosts. As such, their weapons range from ballistics to plasma, with no uniform structure and weapons even varying inside the hive. There are a few examples of Hives creating their own technology if the need arises, but given their parasitic nature it is much more common for them to use technology they have stolen. It is known that, once they reach a coordinated stage, they will use any industry they capture to arm themselves. Their space craft range from organic creatures grown around a handful of systems, to entire functional ships that have been merged with and infested by an organic substance which is hostile to intruders, often attacking them where possible. This has created a very diverse yet distinct appearance to their forces, and there is a psychological aspect in fighting them on top of the normal hardships of war, especially if there is a Mind present.
Their FTL drives are just as diverse as a result, made from technology they have captured and varying from hive to hive, their acquisition of the various means of FTL means that the stronger hives often have the more effective drives, as with most technology. The stronger the hive, the more they have access to. As such one cannot accurately pinpoint their equipment, and it ranges from ballistics to plasma, all acquired from various sources over the hives life