Kharaa Data :: Species :: Evolutions :: Defensive: Redemption
Summary: when near death, alien disappears, reappearing at a hive.
Observation: "There's this one ballsy Skulk, makes a run on the base. We all stop what we're doing and lay down suppressing fire. It's in mid-air, comin' right at me (I notice it's missing half of a tooth, that's how close it gets) – when it just disappears. Gone. We all look at each other like 'Okaaaay …' and get back to work. A minute later, a Skulk makes a run on the base from another direction, starts chewin' on our resource tower. We just cover the area with a blanket of bullets and it disappears. So sure. Whatever. The third time I recognize the sucker. It zips up the wall and drops right on top of me. I get to look right up its throat. It's the same Skulk. I'd swear to God." Thesis: This, paired with the "blink" ability, may be the most scientifically troubling of alien evolutions. The two must be related, but it is unclear how – and any "experiment" that might "test" these abilities is, at this juncture, impractical. The best idea so far is that a new body is created back at the hive, and the alien's unique information (memories, etc.) is somehow transferred to it. This information is probably stored in some transmission-ready bacterial form, that is released when the creature sustains too much damage – much like a mushroom shooting off its spores when it is stepped on. The redemption ability does not appear to be one hundred percent certain. As an alien drops below a certain health limit, there seems to be an increasing chance that it will be redeemed. With each increased level of this evolution, the chance of redemption improves.