Compendium
A collection of Imperial history and esoteric knowledge
Dahak
Little is known about the origins of the Dahak. Scourge of humanity and destroyer of the Second Terran Empire, the first Dahak incursion occurred on the fringes of imperial space in a region ruled by insignificant great houses barely worthy of the name. Predictably, the core worlds ignored the situation until the invaders had established a foothold and containment was no longer possible.
The majority of Dahak are mindless drones focused solely on consumption. Once inserted into an ecosystem, they quickly devour the local life forms and each other. Eventually, the drones devastate a planet, causing ecosystem collapse. Their insatiable appetite fuels a continuous spawning of offspring. Starting off as small nodules on the skin, these children mature at a frightening pace. Progeny not devoured by their siblings, parent, or another drone eventually detach in a violent, and frequently fatal, fashion.
In direct contradiction to their dominant nature, one in a trillion Dahak is born sentient. Their genetic code is widely believed to have been extensively modified to favor rapid reproduction and excessive mutation in order to increase the frequency of awareness. These higher forms are hyper-intelligent but have yet to exhibit any desire for empire, domination, or subjugation. Instead, all other life forms are viewed at the same level as their drones—biological fodder of no consequence.
Dahak invasions typically take one of two forms. For worlds with a sentient species already entrenched, dropships full of mature drones are released to butcher the denizens. Sparsely populated worlds are infected with a virus, often delivered by asteroid. The virus hijacks existing phenotypes, resulting in Dahak with a variety of body forms. Fortunately, a vigilant population can often exterminate this second type of infestation with minimal casualties.
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