Vardan

Vardans are an unnamed aquatic mermaid-like species from Varda, who went extinct after their planet's oceans dried up. Their last member was a female scientist named Mooki.

Biology
Vardans have humanoid upper halves that are externally indiscernible from Humans. However, their lower halves are large ichthyoid tails, giving them the appearance of mermaids. Vardans, while aquatic, can survive being out of the water for a certain period of time, but will eventually die if unable to reenter a body of water. Additionally, they are able to speak telepathically, even to robots.

Culture and society
Almost nothing is known about the society of this species. They were known to build underwater cities held up on columns some distance above the sea floor, and for moving on land, they utilized wheelchairs.

Technology
Vardans developed the start of spacecraft technology sometime before their species' extinction, which enabled Mooki to create a functioning spacecraft after the extinction of the rest of her species. However, the available technology could only support a single occupant. Additionally, the technology used in the spacecraft of this species are capable of being reconstructed into advanced robotics.

History
Vardans arose on Varda, a planet covered in oceans. Thus, they required water to survive. Sometime before the 1960s, a female Vardan named Mooki was born, and became a scientist. By 1962, Varda's oceans had dried up, killing the aquatic life within, including the Vardans. However, Mooki managed to survive, building a spaceship as her health faded, seeking another planet with water. She was only able to reach a small planet, which also held no water that could sustain her, but found a damaged Kryptonian android built in the image of Kal-El, one of the last surviving Kryptonians who went by the name of Superman and acted as a superpowered vigilante on Earth. The android, designated Superman Robot X-3, was damaged during a mission rescuing stranded astronauts, and crashed on the planet, left in a non-functional state. Seeing that her death was imminent, Mooki decided to use the last of her strength to repair X-3. While she was unable to restore X-3's full capabilities due to lacking the parts, Mooki was able to get the android able to function. Somehow able to communicate telepathically with X-3, she apologized that she was unable to fully repair him, and soon died in his arms. Deeply saddened, X-3 buried her, and used parts from her ship to create another android in her image, and built an android in the image of a male Vardan child, allowing the three robots to "live" as a family on the planet. Mooki's story was eventually recounted to the real Superman and his Human romantic partner Lois Lane when they investigated the planet.

Appearances

 * Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane vol 1 #30 (1962)