Saccathian
Tentacle-faced alien species, represented at the book's close by the ruined waystation owner Zander.
Story so far
Saccathians are a tentacle-faced people who vent air through their facial tentacles the way others sigh. The epilogue's last civilian is one: Zander, owner of the Squirties refueling platform outside the Earth system's tunnel gate, who leased the spot with his life savings and is now facing indentureship because the embargo has stopped all traffic.
The species' anatomy becomes the instrument of the book's final cruelty. When Eris snaps her fingers, every tentacle on Zander's face turns rigid and begins spewing a different liquid - a grotesque parody of the Squirties logo his mother designed - and some of the liquid burns.
Appearance
Humanoid aliens whose faces are clusters of flexible tentacles, through which they breathe and sigh.
Role
A civilian species standing in for everyone crushed between the crawl's endgame and the coming war.
Relationships
Earlier in this series
Also appears in books you've already read — spoiler-safe to their endings:
- Carl's Doomsday ScenarioBook 2
Sources — 5 recorded facts, by chapter
- Squid-faced, tentacled aliens with wet dolphin-like skin serving as soldiers in the enemy trench line.
- The race of Empress D'Nadia, identified on Carl's interface as one large female saccathian.
- Tentacled, blue-blooded race with two human-like arms and many varied extra limbs; Empress D'Nadia's people.
- A handful of Saccathians turn up alive and unaffiliated inside the ball of flesh.
- Tentacle-faced alien species, represented at the book's close by the ruined waystation owner Zander.