Third

The Third (Ngkanukgr: Shuktlen) are aggressive robotic life forms of an unclear origin, the first alien race to war with humanity. Their name "Third" comes from the belief that they were the third race to achieve sentience, or "awaken," and that their two predecessors await them in the stars.

History
The Third are infamously hostile and unwilling to share their origins. It is clear that they are not organic, at least in any way that could have evolved on its own. The most popular theory is that the first Third evolved from self-replicating micro-bots released by the Ngkanukgr to probe foreign worlds. These bots were designed to reproduce independently of outside control, and their collective processing power allowed to learning and adaptive responses, which could have allowed to evolution of forms over time.

The Third were the first alien race to engage in interplanetary war with humanity, igniting the Seven Year Third War during which the UNEV "James Birmingham" ship was lost in time. The war was eventually settled by a truce and the Third forbid any trespass into their worlds.

When the Hawiki travel through space near the end of the universe, they discover the Third are still alive on a radioactive world, however they have devolved to primitive beasts and there is no evidence of any sophisticated civilization. The Hawiki deduce they must have evolved from advanced ancestors, and abandon the Third, deeming them to be too hostile to bring aboard.

Reproduction
The Third stand about four or five feet tall, with four limbs protruding from the middle globe of three, arranged vertically. The upper and lower globe are ringed with sensory organs, which allow the Third to see by sonar use, and they communicate via light flashes in a spectrum that human eyes cannot see. Over time, they adapted to using radio transmissions to communicate as well.

The robotic mites which compose the Third are joined by a mucus-like secretion which conducts electrical signals between the mite's synapses. The mites aggregate to form internal organs within the central globe as well as some in the lower. Over the course of their life cycles, Third are obligated to gather specific resources such as silicon and iron to deposit in certain zones. At the end of a Third's life, they travel to these places en masse. This is regarded as disturbing by all races, and even avoided by other Third. Here the protective gel that held the mites together dissolves, and the mites flow out and aggregate around the assembled materials to reproduce themselves. These results in the production of "larval" Third, who need to grow and develop internal organs.

Racism
The Third have long been controversial, as many refuse to accept their status as living creatures due to the fact that they are composed of mostly robotic components. The Third are greatly offended by this notion. Conversely, the Third have been known to say that they are in fact superior to biological life, boasting their advanced technology and prolonged lifespans. Indeed, at the end of time, they are the only ones left, albeit savage and cannibalistic.