Of alien parasites and the history of fear. \n\n\"Siren System natives. Hostile, creepy, sort of parasitical body snatchers. But as far as I know, they avoid human hosts.\"\n(Sovereign Fleet Captain Annika Finch)\n\n\n\"Autopsy of sentient alien lifeforms is strictly forbidden by the UNSS law. But \'nullo actore, nullus iudex\' or \'Where there is no plaintiff, there is no judge\'... And the Siren System is truly a land of no judges. So when the Research Division finished the first batch of autopsies, two things became clear: the Tumori are parasites that can possess hosts from the regnum Plantae et Animalia without difficulties. And athough they are undoubtedly able to enter, live in, and control even Hesperidian, human, or Fossorian hosts, they have done so only in a few documented cases, which makes these \'aliens\' quite special. Gergielarh, lower your hands. I already know what you want to ask. \'Professor Brown 9B, what about the first wave of UNSS settlers and the lost colonies?\' Truly wonderful and stupid is the mind of humans. Especially university students! As a doctor and a Hesperidian scientist, I advise you imbeciles, do not believe in myths unless you witness them with your own eyes!\"\n(Doctor Thomas Brown 9B)\n\n\n\"Gross buggers! I\'m adding them to my \"to burn\" list.\"\n(Hierarch of the Spitfire Cult of the Children of the Source)\n\n\n\nSo let\'s begin with a boring, but necessary biology lesson. If we compare the Tumori to humans, we can imagine the swarm as a brain, the swarm individuals as brain cells and neural tissue, and the host as the rest of the body. A swarm consists of many small flying individuals. Though the individuals alone are expendable, the swarm must keep their number as high as possible because the more individuals the swarm has, the more intelligent it is, and the bigger host it can control. Simple, right? And now to the interesting part. If you go to war, I expect you will train your body to raise your fitness. Most certainly, you will cover your body with armor, and undoubtedly, you will reach for equipment and weapons to boost your combat effectiveness. A Tumori swarm will just change its host to a monster, bulging with huge muscles, covered by thick scales, and with a mouth full of dagger-sharp fangs. And when the war is over? No problem! The swarm will slip to a host more suitable for peaceful life. Sometimes it is not so bad to be an alien parasite. \n\nBut sometimes, it truly sucks. Why? Because everyone fears that you will steal their body. No one understands your language, because your communication is based on chemical exchange. And there is a whole order of fanatical robots that want to exterminate your entire species. But to explain the last part, we must take a trip to the foggy depths of ancient history. \n\n\n\n The Tumori Tribes never held any written records of any sort; therefore, the history and the origin of tribesmen are engulfed in a mist of myths and uncertainty. Our only source of ancient knowledge comes from the libraries of Children of the Source, and the robotic warriors are not renowned for their willingness to share. \n\nAll we know with a fair level of certainty is that the Tumori Tribes emerged shortly after the end of the Holy War, the conflict responsible for the fall of the Primals\' civilization by the blades and fires of the Children of The Source. The tribesmen recognize the Primals as an ancestral civilization, just as European kingdoms of the Dark Ages built their culture on the legacy of the Roman Empire. Although Tumori inherited many technological marvels collected from the ashes of Primals\' cities, the beginnings of their new civilization were complicated. The Holy War that destroyed the Primals also nearly annihilated the Children of the Source, but the remnants of the order considered the Tumori as direct successors of the Primals; therefore, they were considered ideal candidates for the same fate the order had orchestrated for the Primals. Nevertheless, the military might of the Children was so weakened that the conflict continued throughout the centuries and to this very day. After the recent defeat of the last crusade, the Children of the Source found themselves only a few steps away from total annihilation. The Siren System was about to fall into the hands of Tumori. But then the Outworlders showed up and shuffled the cards again.\n\n\n\nThe Tumori fought valiantly, but the humans and Fossorians pushed the tribesmen back to deep forests and to border territories. Many acts of senseless violence were committed by both sides, but the conflict has become frozen as the Outworlders factions fall deep into internal conflicts, and the idea of understanding or even cooperation has never seemed more ludicrous. Then the Rogue Traffickers of the Sovereigns put their fears and prejudice aside and took their chance, and to their own amazement discovered two things: First, the Tumori are far from bloodthirsty savages described by the UNSS propaganda machinery, and second, trade is not only possible, but also very profitable. Though motivated by the mirage of wealth, the Rogue Traffickers absentmindedly lay down the groundwork for the bridge that could one day connect the most foreign civilizations and bring the centuries of war to their end. \n\n\n\nLook how quickly we reached the present days! The brevity of this introduction truly underlines how little we know, yet still, we have just entered a unique point in history, a time when we can follow the example of the Rogue Traffickers, put aside the prejudice, and learn more about our alien neighbors. Therefore, I would like to wrap up this introduction with a quote from the father of modern xenobiology:\n\n\"Even if our hearts are prone to draw quick conclusions, our intellect should hold our hands away from any big red buttons or any radical and irreversible solutions wired up to those buttons. When Tumori decided to reject human hosts, they made the first step; now it\'s up to us to make the second.\"\n\n(Professor Robert Zane, former dean of the Faculty of Xenobiology at the University of Europa, better known as That Nutter who lives in the Forrest. )\n\n\n