Creature:Rk2-Mutagen Parasite

All creatures with this on their page and all those referenced within their page created by Honiahaka are part of the Harks 'story' that will become a number of arcs in the Galactic Adventures expansion

Mutatia harkati or the Rk2-Mutagen Parasite is the organism engineered from the Zombie parasite by the Harks military to turn a Harks citizen (usually from the Dragoon Guard) into a Harkati super-soldier. The parasite joins with the Harks in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship, the parasite gets a food source and the Harks becomes an incredibly powerful killing machine whilst still retaining their sentience and enhancing their capability for abstract thought. It was as a direct result of the 'Zombie Parasite' outbreak on Ktaris VI that the Rk2 strain was developed, the original purpose of the bio-weapons facility there being to create an organism that, when joined with a Harks, would cause a mutation that led to biological super-soldiers (i.e. the Harkati) being created. The parasite is unusual when compared to its cousin because it will only affect individuals from the Harks species and even then, only those who have undergone treatment with a Mutagenic Compound that promotes the growth of the parasite. This is a permanent procedure, once it attaches itself to the Harks there is no turning back, the individual will be a Harkati for the rest of his or her life.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Procedure and what it entails
Becoming a Harkati is, for a Harks, a great honour but one that should not be taken lightly. As mentioned previously, the metamorphosis is permanent. Once the individual has taken enough of the Mutagenic Compound into their body, they are exposed to one of the parasites and shortly after, fall into a deep coma that lasts around six and a half months. Whilst in this coma, the parasite weaves a protective cocoon around the body of its host and proceeds to break down and re-organise the creatures body. When the Harkati awakes, it (the Harkati are genderless) splits open its cocoon and, like a newborn foal or calf, must learn to walk and function once more which can take a couple of weeks. During the coma, their mouthparts were also change radically going from the salamander-like mouth of the Harks to the insect-like mandibles of the Harkati which means that unfortunately, the Harkati must re-learn to speak the Harks tongue which can take about a year and a half (because they already know it, they simply need to train their mouthparts to form the correct sounds). Amongst themselves however, many Harkati speak a Harks creole which is far easier for them to speak as it involves a lot of clicking and whistling.

Advantages


 * Increased Strength
 * Increased Mental Aptitude
 * Increased Speed
 * Increased Pain Threshold
 * Increased Perception
 * Increased Physical Resilience
 * Respect and promise of promotion within Military and Political institutions within Harks society

Disadvantages


 * Loses graspers during procedure
 * Has to spend just over two years on average out of military service
 * Very expensive to perform
 * Dangerous procedure; 4 in 30 Harks overdose on the Mutagenic Compound causing a long drawn-out death with large scale tissue deterioration and a further 2 in 15 Harks dying during the re-organisation of their bodies within their protective cocoon