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The Grubs are a sapient species created by the living planet Safenesthome, which they regard as their "mother".
Biology[]
Grubs have wet skin, cartilaginous flesh, and an undifferentiated head, features that lead many Humans to regard them as physically repulsive.
Grubs are voracious herbivores that regularly devour large quantities of seeds and grains, which they are enormously fond of. They can secrete an adherent resin that allows them to harmlessly immobilise other creatures and stick them to walls or ceilings.
Grubs develop from spores which can pass off as grains, allowing them to infiltrate storage areas. Despite being sapient, they have been referred to as "pests" by other species.
Culture and society[]
Grubs are a friendly and non-violent race, but their voracious appetite has rendered them a threat to their ecosystem. They tend to describe things in gastronomic terms, such as using the words "appetising" or "unappetising" for things that please them or displease them, respectively.
History[]
The development of Grub civilisation led to ecological disasters on Safenesthome, as the Grubs consumed the planet's resources and polluted her. Eventually, Safenesthome retaliated by creating another sapient species, the hostile Metatraxi, to drive the Grubs away.
Like the Grubs, the Metatraxi respected Safenesthome as their "mother", but unlike the former, they developed their society in a different direction by going into space and fighting wars on other worlds, taking mineral resources back to Safenesthome to replenish her.
However, when a group of Grubs accidentally found their way back to their homeworld, Safenesthome realised that she missed them, as they were still her children. She told the Metatraxi to allow the Grubs to return, and convinced the two species to coexist in peace as brothers.
Appearances[]
- Big Finish Doctor Who audio plays: The Lost Stories, Earth Aid, by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel (2011)