The Ge'em

The Ge'em, circa a long time ago.

There are only 17 adult Ge'em (gh-ee-m) in existence, ever.  Legend has it that the number has great significance, though in what way has never been established. Their origins are a complete mystery.

For most of recorded history, the adult Ge'em was thought to be the human-sized, four-armed, floating figure.  The three-armed orb that accompanied every Ge'em was rumored to be a weapon, a piece of jewelry, or even a pet.  Though seen all about the known universe, the Ge'em never spoke or congregated with other sentient beings, but would simply appear unannounced, hover about, and then as unexpectedly, vanish.

It was not until a Ge'em was found with it's constant orb companion dead, presumably mortally wounded when a structure collapsed upon the duo that some of the mysteries of the race were illuminated.  It was discovered that the four-armed being was actually an adolescent Ge'em, and that the floating orb was the adult.  Over the next decade, as the rescued youth matured, it was learned that adult Ge'em produced young and used them as servants, security, and as food.  The energy tether that joins the child and its parent is used to enslave the child.  The adults can take refuge within the skulls of their children, whose skin is nearly indestructible.  Further, the mature Ge'em feeds off its offspring, sucking its life away slowly.  When the young Ge'em is about to enter adulthood, the parent consumes the rest of the young Ge'em's lifeforce, killing it.  The adult then births another child, and the process begins again.  The average life of an immature Ge'em is thought to be one hundred years.  When the rescued youth matured into an adult, morphing into the orbed form, all communication ceased.  The new adult Ge'em birthed it's first child, and the cycle began.

There has only been one recorded incident of more than one Ge'em being seen in the same location.  A heavily-armed battalion of the Terrec'Qek Empire attempted to "recruit" a lone Ge'em into servitude for the Forever War.  As soon as the lone alien apparently felt threatened, the remaining sixteen suddenly materialized and the entirety of the Ge'em effortlessly destroyed the entire battalion.  Just how seventeen unassuming creatures took the life of over two hundred powerful soldiers is unclear.  Though the event was recorded, it remains unclear how the Ge'em took the life of so many without any apparent weapon.

As an interesting side note, the Ge'em were the only race to remain neutral during the full length of Forever War.

The Ge'em, today.