Heliospawn

The Heliospawn were a species that evolved within a white dwarf star.

Biology
A spindly species with tough skin that is a metallized alloy, capable of withstanding extreme heat and pressure. Biologically the Heliospawn appear to related to a similar species such as the Scorchers.

History
While on the run from the Imperium Ascendancy, Proteus Vex alongside Ko Andrum searched for hints of the truth of the Ascendancy's role in the Obdurate War. Following a trail of memories from Chancellor Baryon the two found themselves in the shattered remains of the home system of the Obdurates now under the control of a Mechanical named Count Lythas Tiorn. Among his salvage was a mysterious corpse belonging to an unrecorded creature. From Vex's fragmented memories he inherited from Baryon he recalled that the species were at one point numerous and that the Chancellor had discovered them himself during the Obdurate War and ordered them to be wiped out and records of their appearance purged.

Vex having taken a sample of the corpse found his answer as to why the species was wiped out. His journey took him to the Superstructure, the adopted home of the Scorchers where he confronted Tsellest, their leader and oldest sentient in the galaxy. There before the giant Vex asked if they knew where the sample he possessed came from. Tsellest admitted that they knew as it belonged to the Heliospawn. When Vex hinted that the Scorchers and this species shared a genetic connection, Tsellest reacted in anger calling such a thing blasphemy.

It appeared that the Scorchers knew all too well about the Heliospawn who they viewed as aberrations in spite of their genetic similarity. In truth the Scorchers scorned the other species as they threatened their uniqueness as a species that had evolved from the core of their homeworld. The Scorchers role in the Heliospawns' extinction was intricately part of how the Obdurate War was won, as the Scorchers and Alliance used a white star to destroy the Obdurate homeworlds. Said star unknown to the rest of the galaxy was home to the Heliospawn which the Scorchers used to conveniently eliminate their evolutionary cousins. The leaders of the Imperium Ascendancy were aware of this but still followed through with the demands of the Scorcher as they were desperate to win the war. To prevent the knowledge of their genocide, the Ascendancy eliminated all remaining survivors and wiped their existence from memory.

Appearances

 *  2000 AD: Issue 2266: Proteus Vex: Desire Paths - Part 5 (2022)
 *  2000 AD: Issue 2269: Proteus Vex: Desire Paths - Part 8 (2022)