the Qu

The Qu are a godlike species of galactic nomads, almost a billion years old, who mastered genetic and nanotechnological manipulation. They view themselves as gods and harbingers of the future. They defeated the advanced Star People in war, genetically altered them into numerous sub-species across the stars, and ruled for 40 million years before leaving. Eventually, they were subdued by the united galaxies, including descendants of their creations.

General Information

• Millennia older than humanity and capable of interplanetary travel when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. (source)
• Almost a billion years old; galactic nomads who traveled across the galaxy, genetically altered themselves for constant improvements, mastered genetic and nanotechnological manipulation; see themselves as gods and harbingers of the future; in a benevolent attempt to protect humanity from its own power, completely destroyed, depopulated, or genetically altered every human-inhabited world in less than a thousand years. (source)
• This version of humanity was advanced enough to terraform and colonize Mars. (source)
• Waged a war between Mars and Earth through autonomous machines that left Phobos shattered. (source)
• Before altering themselves into more intelligent Star People. (source)
• Star People colonized an entire arm of the Milky Way galaxy. (source)
• At the time of the war, Star People had weapons capable of making stars go supernova and wrecking entire solar systems, but these were ineffectual against the Qu. (source)
• After defeating the Star People, genetically altered them into many different forms; could erect kilometer-high monuments and change the surfaces of entire planets on a whim; ruled for 40 million years before leaving to continue nomadic life. (source)
• Altered one world to have more intense sunlight, possibly by affecting the sun or the planet’s atmosphere. (source)
• Managed to locate bunkers of Star People built deep beneath the surface to avoid invasion. (source)
• One human world turned back two successive waves of Qu invaders, though taken on the third. (source)
• Another human world turned back a Qu invasion but was eventually taken over. (source)
• Some humans avoided the Qu by building generation ships, blasting into space, and living in hollowed-out asteroids. (source)
• Eventually subdued in a battle against the united galaxies, including descendants of modified species and other aliens, though exact details not given. (source)
• Life cycle includes an aquatic larval stage; possibly ate genetically modified humans if the food stock was for them. (source)
• Artwork of one of the Qu’s mile-high pyramid monuments, their hallmark built on every world they pass through. (source)
• Illustration depicts a Qu with some kind of weapon; creature to the right is a nanotechnological drone; only visual of their drones, and they are masters of nanotechnology. (source)

Genetic Manipulation

• Masters of genetic manipulation, experimented with other lifeforms in strange and grotesque ways with no limit to twisted forms; modified Star People (already modified humans) into various species, which further evolved over time; listing only direct creations.
• Worms: Humans twisted into worm-like creatures barely longer than an average human arm; organs simplified; did little but dig all day. (source)
• Titans: Humans stretched into forty-meter-long, quadrupedal beasts similar to elephants; eventually evolved prehensile lip-trunks, language, and culture, but Qu not involved in that. (source)
• Predators and Prey: Group of modified humans turned into degraded predators with large teeth, talon-like feet, or razor-sharp claws, and animal-like subhumans as prey. (source)
• Mantelopes: Giraffe-like modified humans bred as singers and memory-retainers; human intelligence dulled only a little, very aware compared to other creations. (source)
• Swimmers and Attendants: Group of aquatic modified humans including whale and eel-like kinds, decorative fountain people, brainless food stock; attendants bred to care for them; Qu partially aquatic. (source)
• Lizard Herders: Humans with sentience erased and brain development stunted; changes to brains halted heuristic learning; eventually farmed lizards on their planet. (source)
• Temptors: Decorative species with extreme sexual dimorphism; females stationary and rooted in soil like plants, males tiny contorted monkeys; both had beaks; males subservient to females via vocal and pheromonal signals. (source)
• Pets: Pint-sized pets with colorful beaks derived from teeth; some evolved into other species like Bone Crushers. (source)
• Colonials: For resistant humans, turned into living mats of flesh with intelligence and consciousness intact, used to filter Qu waste. (source)
• Human-derived flying species: Group modified to fly with different kinds of wings or swollen gas glands. (source)
• Blind Folk: Modified to live in pitch-black underground; completely blind without eyes, navigate with long fingers, enormous whiskers, and mobile ears. (source)
• Lopsiders: Modified for planet with 36 times Earth gravity; resemble flounders, three limbs into paddle-like extensions for crawling except one extended arm. (source)
• Striders: Modified for moon of Jupiter with one-fifth Earth gravity; incredibly thin and tall, very fragile, could change color like chameleon. (source)
• Degraded Humans and Parasites: Degraded humans similar to pre-humans; parasites that leeched off them, including tortoise-sized vampires, fist-sized latchers, and tiny womb-infectors. (source)
• Hedonists: Designed for pleasure as pampered pets; had to mate many times to produce young; spent lives eating, sleeping, and having sex. (source)
• Ruin Haunters: Reduced to ape level; Qu didn’t limit intelligence as well, so bounced back relatively quickly. (source)
• Panderavis pandora: Heavily implied creation; herbivorous dinosaur from Earth altered to survive on alien world. (source)
• Genetically modified tracing creature: Winged flying creature modified to trace things. (source)