here's some suplementary material for this, as in the past I'd had ideas about doing more with it as a story or series of stories. [center][hr][/center] [img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/5b2e2a92-d035-448b-89d7-31dcdd9d0325/dcagqmr-f6819a4c-f7ec-4134-b6e9-eb9be0680509.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_768,q_75,strp/scrounger__1__by_afictionado_dcagqmr-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03NjgiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC81YjJlMmE5Mi1kMDM1LTQ0OGItODlkNy0zMWRjZGQ5ZDAzMjVcL2RjYWdxbXItZjY4MTlhNGMtZjdlYy00MTM0LWI2ZTktZWI5YmUwNjgwNTA5LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.jEUzU9lsvnGGqs6-6qpTJZ4UB0Kdz0Z-OQhfr5C2CF0[/img] I referenced Mantis, Cockroaches, Termites and Devils’ Coach-Horse Beetles for the design. One original anatomical element I added that isn’t really shown, is a pair of fully prehensile tentacles, retracted and hidden under the small plate just above the foremost legs. They use them to manipulate objects with similar skill to cephalopods on Earth. They also have some major traits in common with Water-Bears(Tardigrades, which are micro-organisms); they can basically live anywhere. The Scroungers are, within my story, here on Earth quite by accident. They like to travel, and explore, and are in the habit of observing their subjects from hidden positions. Leaves, old logs, rocks, pretty much anything they can wriggle into (which is a lot, since, like roaches, they can flatten their bodies almost completely). If need be, they can even gather materials and stick them to their bodies using a natural sort of adhesive they produce (like termites, or spiders). Well, Earth presented a unique situation for one scouting mission- the Scroungers have never encountered other intelligent life before, and they have no idea how to proceed. The current plan was standard; find a new world to explore, probe to evaluate how dangerous it might be, then send a report and wait for permission to begin full operations. Having never encountered alien intelligence’s, they now have no plan to fall back on. They manage to send this news to the home world, but something happens that, ultimately, forces them into a crash landing on Earth (thankfully having missed most of our satellites and only causing brief blinks on our means of detection), where they are now stranded. With little to salvage, and no way of leaving the planet, all they can do is wait for rescue. In the meantime, they’ll do what they’ve always done: Observe, learn, and, above all else, hide. Unfortunately, being stranded on an uncharted world isn’t their only problem. They can basically eat anything, so long as it’s organic matter, but they are decidedly vegetarian. It was not a mere health choice; those among them that consume raw animal matter quickly begin to crave it. They call it “Flesh Poisoning”, since those who continue to indulge the cravings just get increasingly aggressive over time, even getting into violent frenzies, attacking and killing anything that moves! For the most part, their society frowns upon eating meat at all, but there are some malcontents who would hold it up as a choice that should be permitted and respected, ignoring that, in their past, wide spread “Flesh Poisoning” and resulting riotous frenzies nearly brought on the collapse of their own society and the home worlds’ ecosystems! Some among them see their unmonitored status as an opportunity. It’s not long before conflict breaks out, and the group splits, but they both continue to hide. The Engineers, our protagonists, are mostly continuing with their original plan, but also defending the life on Earth if they happen upon their enemies, Wreckers, trying to prey on them. The unique resources available as a result of an intelligent presence allows them to get… Creative.. With some of their constructs and mobility.