Xennobes are complex organisms composed of aggregations of vendeks that function as the novo-vacuum's analogue of multicellular life. They vary dramatically in appearance and ability, ranging from small and simple organisms to fully sapient beings capable of forming civilizations.
Etymology[]
"Xennobe" is an abbreviation of "xennobiology," derived from "microbiology" and an intentional pun on "xenobiology." "Xenno-" is an informal SI prefix (e.g. "xennometer").
Description[]
The "xennobe" term encompasses a huge variety of species, many of which are likely unrelated to each other. Their only common trait is that they are "multicellular" creatures made of vendeks.
Anatomy & Physiology[]
Xennobes are extremely small creatures, consisting not of matter but of quantum graph arrangements. While millions of times larger than vendecs, even the largest of them are many orders of magnitude smaller than subatomic particles. They are multicellular and incorporate vast numbers of vendeks, but beyond that their physical structures vary dramatically.
Diet[]
In the novo-vacuum, no matter or energy exists, but xennobes must incorporate vendeks into themselves in order to maintain a dynamic structure. Some consume vendeks directly, while others acquire them by "eating" other xennobes in whole or in part.
Reproduction & Life Cycle[]
Xennobes usually reproduce via vendek exchange, roughly analogous to genome exchange. Since they exist on the Planck scale, xennobes live on extremely short timescales. Most live lives billions or trillions of times shorter than humans, and species and civilizations live out their entire histories in the matter of a few years.
Known types[]
Airflowers[]
Airflowers are the smallest and simplest xennobe species known. They are roughly flower-shaped entities with about the same relative complexity as a plant. They consume vendeks by incorporating them from the surrounding novo-vacuum.
Rabbits[]
These xennobes are named "rabbits" not for any resemblance to actual rabbits but for their presumed ecological role of feeding on plant-like xennobes like airflowers. They are 10-15 times bigger than airflowers and resemble many-branched tube-like structures.
Signalers[]
The Signalers were the most advanced known xennobe civilization. They created a signaling layer inside the novo-vacuum about a hundred kilometers "below" the novo-vacuum's surface, which alerted humanity to the possible presence of civilization within. They vanished some time before humans actually managed to enter the novo-vacuum and contact its residents, presumably having gone extinct.
Colonists[]
The Colonists are the first xennobe civilization to come into contact with humanity's representatives. They are roughly X-shaped creatures hundreds of times the size of rabbits. Their civilization came into existence only about a year before first contact, yet they have developed advanced technology allowing them to manipulate the novo-vacuum and even preserve nucleons.