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Description

The Nahara, the Mak, and the Sstram are one-mention wonders, examples of species conquered by the Yeerks. Since they’re never actually described that means I got to do whatever the heck I wanted designing them!
As with the Mak, the Sstram were discovered during the nearly two decade ‘drought’ between the submission of the Taxxons and the location of Earth. The Sstram were initially floated as Class Five, but the invasion was legendarily poorly led and focused very much on overwhelming force.
The majority of Sstram retreated into complex underground bunkers, which Taxxon delvers were deployed to breach. It’s often claimed that they consumed the larvae in the nurseries and adult Sstram reacted so strongly that Empire forces were unable to subdue them. While that did happen to several communities, disease and disruptions in food and water probably took a larger toll in the long run. Since then the idea of a ‘soft invasion’ has become much more popular in Empire thought-pools.
Regardless, only a few hundred adult Sstram survive in captivity, and even fewer of the larvae. Each adult has been numbered and is so essential to repopulating the species that they are very rarely taken offworld. Juveniles such as pictured above are somewhat more common but are still unusual, prestigious hosts. Adults are larger, with six arms and more developed tails.
Sstram bodies have a high metallic content and are extremely durable. Their arms are capable of great speed and precision; it’s believed that an adult Sstram is one of the few hosts easily capable of killing an Andalite one-on-one. It takes some training to operate the outtake nostrils sufficiently to speak Galard but they are capable. Approved access is through one of the intake nostrils; as the Sstram diet includes small animals, it’s recommended to gag hosts before entering or leaving.

Description

The Nahara, the Mak, and the Sstram are one-mention wonders, examples of species conquered by the Yeerks. Since they’re never actually described that means I got to do whatever the heck I wanted designing them!
As with the Mak, the Sstram were discovered during the nearly two decade ‘drought’ between the submission of the Taxxons and the location of Earth. The Sstram were initially floated as Class Five, but the invasion was legendarily poorly led and focused very much on overwhelming force.
The majority of Sstram retreated into complex underground bunkers, which Taxxon delvers were deployed to breach. It’s often claimed that they consumed the larvae in the nurseries and adult Sstram reacted so strongly that Empire forces were unable to subdue them. While that did happen to several communities, disease and disruptions in food and water probably took a larger toll in the long run. Since then the idea of a ‘soft invasion’ has become much more popular in Empire thought-pools.
Regardless, only a few hundred adult Sstram survive in captivity, and even fewer of the larvae. Each adult has been numbered and is so essential to repopulating the species that they are very rarely taken offworld. Juveniles such as pictured above are somewhat more common but are still unusual, prestigious hosts. Adults are larger, with six arms and more developed tails.
Sstram bodies have a high metallic content and are extremely durable. Their arms are capable of great speed and precision; it’s believed that an adult Sstram is one of the few hosts easily capable of killing an Andalite one-on-one. It takes some training to operate the outtake nostrils sufficiently to speak Galard but they are capable. Approved access is through one of the intake nostrils; as the Sstram diet includes small animals, it’s recommended to gag hosts before entering or leaving.