Flakax

The Flakax were an insectoid species whose society was based on the hive. Unlike the Bilars and the Fefze, they were not a true group mind &mdash; each Flakax was sentient. Most Flakax, however, were sexless drones without personalities or emotions as other species understood them. A few were males, whose only purpose was to mate with, and then be eaten by, the females. Each hive had only one female, who ruled it as queen. Only the hive queens had emotions. Drones and males were completely dependent on their queen for all direction. Lone Flakax (usually males who escaped being eaten, or drones left hiveless due to a queen's sudden death) were dangerous. Devoid of a queen's guidance, they would often become unstable and psychopathic.

Flakax were black, insectoid bipeds, 1.8 to 2.3 meters tall. Their thoraxes had two arms with three pincers on each hand, and their heads featured large compound eyes and four mandibles. Their abdomen had the ability to glow or flash light signals.

Flakax were native to the mountainous desert world of Flax in the Ptera system. Their hives once lived a low-technology existence, though they later worked as miners when the Galactic Empire arrived to exploit Flax's mineral resources. Though they were essentially slaves of the Empire, the Flakax had no complaints about the arrangement. Though Flakax had little technology of their own, they were capable of designing and building sophisticated structures. Flakax hives were thus found working in construction on several of the less developed planets in the galaxy.