The Genesis of Aliens (part 2)

Insects are some of the most resilient creatures on this planet. Spiders and roaches can be found in almost any climate, and have even been able to adapt to unusual environments such as the arctic regions. Insects manage to expand their population to just about any corner of the earth, so it made sense that insects would somehow manage to do the same in space. The structured “society” of ants really inspired the idea behind the Chiraktis—a race of mantis-like insects that, in some ways, resemble an insect centaur, like the man-horse combination in Greek mythology. We figured that if insects are going to advance, they need to be able to manipulate and design tools, so we gave them hands. Another Solar Echoes alien based on survivability and adaptation is the Reln, which is somewhat modeled after a bat. Bats are found in most corners of the world and are considered one of the most successful mammals on Earth. The mysterious, humanoid Reln live on the harshest planet of all the Solar Echoes races, and they have a tendency to live underground to avoid the radiation of their resonance-locked sun. This, their appearance, and their natural echolocation ability all reflect the bat-like inspiration in their design.