The Vordachibeans are one of the Star Empire's oldest enemies. Devious hunters, the near-translucent Vordachibean body is ovoid, comprised mostly of a tooth-filled mouth and two beady, black eyes. Most Vordachibeans are quarantined on their home system within Nepleslian space, but some of their number may be found elsewhere hidden away in forgotten undercities or floating in derelict, dead ships, waiting for a chance to escape and spread.

The Vordachibeans were enemies of the Black Claw Star Empire, and the species is known to have been at war with the Star Empire's ancestors since the time when Damasica (Neo Kohana) was the capital. Vordachibean starfighters battled with the “Sting Fighters” of the Uesureyan Star Empire (UES) in massive engagements that made the pilot Xenn Trelance into a famous hero, and eventually, a famous martyr. In those time, the Vordachibeans were known for their attacks on Imperial colony worlds and space stations. Vordachibeans were known to travel beyond the boundaries of the territory of the former Black Claw Star Empire.

Stories from the 'Shattered Age' describe soldiers being ambushed and eaten alive by Vordachibeans that had infested various colonies. In one such story, an infested colony was survived only by a single soldier armed with a high-powered bolt-action shotgun. This lone soldier is represented on the flag of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia.

The Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia has maintained a quarantine of the System of Vordachibea since YE 35. This program is called the Vordachibea System Quarantine. It is notable that, as part of the training of the Nepleslian Space Marine Corps, every Nepleslian receives a one-week class on how-to-kill Vordachibeans in the case of containment breakout.

Some Vordachibeans do exist in the Kikyo Sector beyond the Vordachibea quarantine.¹⁾

In YE 40, some Vordachibeans escaped the quarantine as part of an event known as the 'Incident at Vordachibea and the Hyulughflar Massacre'.²⁾ They became a 'pest' on various Nepleslian worlds.

Vordachibeans have ugly, fat-looking translucent bodies, usually of yellow or pink coloration, with large bulging eyes and giant mouths full of pointed teeth. Their bodies are wider than they are tall, being around 14 inches tall on average, and 16 to 20 inches wide. They have scrawny arms with very sharp claws on their long, two-fingered arms. Their two nub-like feet don't allow for very fast movement, but they can jump surprisingly far using their thick torsos, and they can swing and propel their bodies with their arms, hurling themselves or their comrades through the air. Their blobby, ovoid bodies can also bounce, which also helps to enhance their movement capabilities. Vordachibeans are particularly adept at moving through Zero-G space using their momentum and their limbs.

Vordachibeans have little in the way of a skeletal structure outside of their jaws and teeth; their limbs have no bones, and are tentacular in their compositions.

Vordachibeans are carnivorous, preferring to eat living or dead meat. They particularly prefer the flesh of humanoids. Vordachibean willingness to engage in cannibalism has not yet been studied.

A Vordachibean is capable of puppeteering a humanoid body, such as that of a Human. To attempt this, a Vordachibean must put a human's head inside its body through an orifice on the Vordachibean's underside. The ensuing process is fatal to the human, and the Vordachibean 'pilot' then assumes complete control over the body's nervous and muscular system. This control is maintained until the host body and its parts break down enough to the point where it can no longer move. A Vordachibean can enact this control over a body which is already dead, as long as the body is intact enough to move.

The origins of this ability, like the origins of the Vordachibeans themselves, are hotly debated. One theory suggests that this ability was programmed by some designer wishing to make the Vordachibeans into a living bio-weapon. Another theory posits that the Vordachibeans evolved alongside, and preyed upon, a near-humanoid species in their home system. Vordachibeans, upon killing their prey, would then 'pilot' the body back to their young so that they could feed, as carrying a corpse was not feasible for their physiology.

Newly-born Vordachibeans are barely sentient, and are senselessly violent and aggressive creatures until they reach about 3-4 years of age. After that point, they become more and more intelligent. Older Vordachibeans are capable of tactics, socialization, interspecies trade, and they can operate and maintain technology. Exactly how long the Vordachibean life-span lasts remains unknown.

Vordachibeans appear to be adaptable to most varieties of hospitable planetary environments, and they can dwell on starships and space stations for as long as food is available. The primary planet of the Vordachibea System has a thick layer of environmental gases which block much of the sunlight from the system's star; this lack of light on the planet's surface may explain the translucent Vordachibean skin.

Vordachibeans reproduce rapidly and asexually, and they are very inclined to reproduce after eating a large meal. They lay clusters of self-reliant egg-pods frequently throughout their lifespan if they are well-fed. Newborn Vordachibeans are too small to walk or hop very far, and can only hunt animals the size of a Mouse. Vordachibeans who are about being parents either lay their eggs next to a large source of easy food, or they may bring food back to their young once they have hatched to ensure their survival.

The Vordachibeans are mostly thought to be an insanely vicious horde. No cultural tradition is known to exist at this time.

Vordachibeans have not been observed to wear clothing.

Whether the Vordachibeans have a native language is not known. Their vocalizations are described as 'snarling'.

The pre-Quarantine Vordachibean military was rather disorganized, composed of a hodgepodge of acquired spacecraft, millions of fighters and rarely various ground vehicles. The Vordachibean starfighters were capable of twice the speeds of the “Sting Fighters” of the UES. Vordachibean militants tended to “infest” one area and then spread to the next. The status of the Vordachibean military within the bounds of the Vordachibea System Quarantine is unknown.

Records from before the foundation of the Yamatai Star Empire suggest that pre-Quarantine Vordachibeans organized themselves into something they called a 'Collective', which was loosely run by older Vordachibeans in some sort of council. Neither the Collective, nor this council, were ever directly contacted.

Vordachibeans' tiny hands are of little use except for slashing victims. As such, their technology is mostly acquired through theft and deals made by the older Vordachibeans. They possess little industry outside of stolen robots which build rip-off and slapped-together spaceships.

The economics practices of the Vordachibeans are unknown.

• Article by Wes. Received an update that was approved on 27 April 2024.³⁾
• Art is by Weremole, aka Daniel Olsén.
• Vordachibeans are sometimes called Vords, Vordas, or Vordys, OOC and IC.