<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Godkiller:
can anyone tell me what the Zarg was?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
From Voltayre's[1]:
Zarg
Habitat: Vazzarc Jungles
EcoNiche: Predatory Carnivore
Intelligence: Associative thought
Notes: One of the deadliest predators in the galaxy is the zarg. Found in the vicinity of the Euphrates Sector, the zarg's homeworld is quarantined. Several species on Vazzarc are deemed too deadly for transport. Travel on the planet's surface is highly hazardous to all sentient species. Despite the quarantine, big game hunters sometimes land on Vazzarc in hopes of bagging the ultimate predator. Smugglers sometimes brave a landing in hopes of collecting a few Zarg eggs for sale on the black market (for a hefty fee sometimes commanding upwards of 3 million credits apiece). The crime lord thir'nakk is thought to own several zargs and is said to feed them only with those who can't pay his generous loans.
These bipedal nightmares are the epitome of the hunter. Chitinous armor covers the zarg's blue-purple to black hide. Despite their size, zargs are silent hunters are are masters of stealth in their natural environment. Bladelike claws extend from their upper digits, able to shred open prey (and also making climbing difficult if not impossible). Rows of razor sharp teeth fill the zarg's powerful mouth. New teeth grow in to replace those that are lost. A nocturnal hunter, the zarg's nightvision is excellent, even when the planet's three moons are below the horizon.
Zargs are solitary hunters and shun other members of their species. They are vicious defenders of territory even to their own species. Only in Vazzarc's early spring do zargs seek each other out to mate. Mating is a painful process, especially for the female as the male holds her down with his fangs and claws. The male leaves soon after a successful mating. While the zarg may be the top predator of Vazzarc, several scavenger species present major danger to young zargs. The female will defend the eggs until they hatch. Once hatched, the baby zargs are able to hunt for themselves. Many hatchlings have been known to turn on their brethren for nourishment. Studies suggest that since the parents play no part in raising the young, that hunting is a learned experience.
Zargs raised solely in captivity are nothing like those raised in the wild. A zarg was once found to live in Babylon 5's Gray Sector. Raised in isolation and fed only what it could hunt in the artificial environment, the zarg was underdeveloped to the point of retardation.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Godkiller:
... and why did the Soldier of Darkness from season 2 look so very different yet so like a shadow?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Because they have access to Shadowtech.
From Voltayre's[1]:
Shadow Warriors
(a.k.a. Soldier of Darkness)
PHYSIOLOGY: They have the same light distortion/phasing ability that the Shadows have. In material form, they stand at a towering 5-6 meters. Their diet consists of the internal organs of sentient beings. They appear to be able to control their metabolism and go for decades with little or no food. They are basically intelligent and patient. They are not invincible. If they can be tricked to become partially visible, they can be destroyed by multiple heavy PPG blasts at point blank.
PSI ABILITY:. When a Shadow Warrior consumes a part of a sentient, a psychic link is formed with that individual.
HISTORY: It is also known as a "Soldier of Darkness." This group of Shadow allies is known to have participated in the Shadow Uprising one-thousand years ago. The Markab and the Narn have records of these creatures.
GOVERNMENT: This being is a lower-level Shadow servant.
TECHNOLOGY: As allies of the Shadows, they have access to Ultratech-level artifacts, if their masters deem it necessary.
NOTES: The only human tale about these beings comes from an ex-gropo, Amis:
"We were an intelligence gathering unit, not set up for heavy combat. We'd heard the Minbari were setting up a command-and-control post, so we slipped onto a small moon before they finished the perimiter scans. We set up camp in old ruins of some kind. As far as we knew, it was a dead world.
It came in the night during a storm. We heard nothing, saw nothing. It came right through the walls -- like a hot wind. First man died, just meters from me. Never even screamed. We ran. We ran. For a second I thought I lost it. Then I saw it. It was standing in the middle of a ball of lightning. It looked like it had come straight from hell.
It kept me alive, as a snack. It becomes a part of you. Feeding on you. The lucky ones were the men who died on that moon. What it took from me I can never get back. When the rescue team showed up, I weighed 85 pounds... A part of me is still inside that thing. I can feel it..."
One such "monster" was brought on board Babylon 5 by an ancient scout vessel. It had reprogrammed the ship to head for Z'ha'dum
[1] How much of this is made up, and how much is true...who knows???
------------------
KoshN
-------------
Vorlon Empire
"To Live and Die in Starlight"
pilot movie for "Babylon 5 - The Legend of the Rangers"
January 19, 2002 at 9PM & 11PM EST, January 20, 2002 at 5PM on The Sci-Fi Channel (US).
http://www.scifi.com/b5rangers/
[This message has been edited by KoshN (edited December 14, 2001).]
