Terminids

"The ravenous are guided solely by an instinctive urge to reproduce, spread, and destroy any foreign life. They are a fast-evolving plague that threatens to demolish humanity on every single planet. As school children know, Terminids were allowed to live in specialized locations on human worlds known as "farms". Despite this generosity the Terminids showed their fascist nature by slaughtering the innocent civilians on the world. (Remember to report any disloyalty!)"

Recent breakthroughs by Super Earth scientists have produced a chemical called "termicide" which is lethal to Terminids but harmless to all other life forms. Thanks to the bravery of engineers and Helldivers, the worlds in the Umlaut Sector were secured via the distribution of termicide and the culling of larger Terminid populations.

On March 21st, 2024, an evolution among the ranks of Terminids was confirmed by the Ministry of Intelligence. These Terminids are capable of flying, and were named Shriekers.

Terminid Biology and Morphology
Since most of the information on the Terminids is heavily censored and redacted by the Ministry of Truth, this will mostly be speculation based on the information available to the public.

Terminids are a species of extraterrestrial insectoids, sharing many similarities with arthropods native to Earth, such as multiple limbs, insect-like mandibles, and an exoskeleton. However, they appear to possess adaptions and traits more commonly associated with not only mammals and other vertebrates, such as an endoskeleton (internal skeleton) and respiratory system, but also fungi, such as reproducing via spores. This suggests that Terminids are either two separate species, one animal and one fungal working in a symbiotic relationship, or a single animal-like species capable of producing fungal-like spores, capable of becoming either animal or fungal Terminids. The existence of very fungal structures made to produce either spores or eggs further complicates their relationship.

Terminids are highly adaptable, able to switch between warm-blooded and cold-blooded metabolisms based on the environments they inhabit. This suggests that the Terminid home world of Kepler Prime either has an extremely elliptical orbit, resulting in extremely hot summer and cold winter seasons or that there are extreme temperature differences between day and night on the planet. Terminids are capable of reproducing both sexually, by laying eggs in batches of around 30-60, or asexually by releasing extremely resistant fungal-like spores that are said able to survive in the vacuum space for extended periods of time.

However, Terminids we are familiar with today are different from the Bugs that Super Earth fought during the First Galactic War, either due to large-scale genetic alteration by Super Earth or heavy mutation from confined populations has radically altered the Terminid genome, with one of the biggest changes being the reduction of legs, as the pre-First Galactic War have eight limbs while the post-First Galactic War have six limbs. Other changes include overall spikier carapaces and seemingly higher susceptibility to mutation.

Terminids were, or possibly still are, sapient beings, with their own language and culture. They were said to be the first alien race to make contact with humanity (This is heavily disputed by historians); however, either before or during the First Galactic War, Super Earth discovered that dead Terminid bodies decayed into an oil-like substance which they named Element 710 (Oil), the pursuit of which all but ensured that peace would never be an option. There are also reports that the Terminids may have been utilized by the Illuminate in a similar way that Super Earth does, given that after the first galactic war, humanity claimed the Illuminate's FTL technology. The exact relation between the two species is unknown, but they may have utilized them as well in order to fuel their ships.

After the First Galactic War, the Terminids were enslaved and harvested by Super Earth and put onto specific planets to farm them for Element 710. Super Earth then proceeded to perform genetic experiments on the Terminids to lower their intelligence and increase their Element 710 production. However, this experimentation resulted in the body chemistry of some Terminids becoming highly unstable, producing massive amounts of a highly acidic substance that Super Earth Scientists have dubbed "Bile". Theories on the exact nature of the substance range from a biological byproduct or waste product when Terminid bodies produce E-710 to E-710 in its raw, unrefined form. Regardless of the specifics, the end result was the same: the creation of the "Bile Caste", Terminids that are able to spew the corrosive acid at their targets. Other mutations resulting from this experimentation include gigantism and near invisibility.

Terminid Castes
There are four major Terminid Castes: the Warrior Caste, the Hunter Caste, the Hardshell Caste, and the Bile Caste. Due to Super Earth genetic tempering, there is now some overlap between castes.
 * Warrior Caste: This caste is the most numerous of all the castes, consisting of soldiers, workers, farmers, and even leaders. They are believed to be the muscle of Terminid colonies, likely responsible for providing food, expanding and creating hives, as well as directing being the primary fighters of Terminids.
 * Hunter Caste: Known for their speed and agility, members of this caste appear to be built for pursuit and ambush hunting, able to preform rapid attacks with their claws and tongues. They are often seen patrolling and surrounding points of interest.
 * Hardshell Caste: Believed to be the primary burrowers of the Terminids, members of this caste can be easily recognized by their size and heavy exoskeleton plate armor.
 * Bile Caste: The first (and so far only) caste to be introduced as a direct result of tampering with Terminid DNA. Members of this caste produce bile, which is used to dissolve hard rocks while digging tunnels, as well as to deter or kill their prey or intruders.

Trivia

 * The Terminids are often derogatorily referred to as Nids, Future Element-710 and Bug Brains.
 * The symbol that Super Earth uses to identify Terminids' presences resembles the one it used in the First Galactic War for Bugs.
 * Molted shells of Terminid Hive Lords can be occasionally seen throughout Terminid planets, suggesting that a century of rapid evolution has allowed them to attain even more advanced forms, but living individuals of whatever made these has yet to be seen.
 * Terminid corpses can be found on planets being invaded or occupied by the Automatons, implying the bots do not see the value of E-710.
 * Recently Terminids have developed immunity to the termicide, that has been previously spread by TCS Towers in the Umlaut Sector, and have now attacked all 4 of barrier planes, infecting Meridia to the point of no return in the process.