Mynock
Mynocks are one of the few species of space-dwelling life believed to have eolved in vacuum. They cannot survive for more than a few minutes inside any sort of atmosphere. A mynock has a wingspan of a little over a meter. If attacked, it defends itself by hitting opponents with its exceedingly tough wings.
These silicon-based based life forms originated in the rings of the planet Ord Mynock. Today, they are found throughout the galaxy. Their magnetically charged wings allow them to catch the stellar winds and literally fly through space. They live in asteroid fields and planetary rings and make their nests on small asteroids. Mynocks normally subsist on a mixture of stellar radiation and the charged particle fluxes put out by stars, but are often attracted to richer energy sources, such as the power plants of passing starships. They are regarded as dangerous pests by all star-travelers; ships that approach airless worlds are often inspected for mynock infestations, and those that have attracted any of the creatures are usually quarantined.
Mynock Encounters
Mynocks are most commonly encountered in asteroid fields, where they attempt to attach themselves to the hulls of starships with their suckerlike mouths. They absorb energy from the starship’s power plant. A sufficient number of mynocks attached to the hull can put a strain on a ship’s power generation. Also, in an effort to obtain even more nourishment, mynocks regularly chew through power cables and hull plates. Their attempts to do this can both compromise the hull’s integrity and do substantial damage to the ship.
The easiest way to dislodge them is to take the ship into a planetary atmosphere, which kills any mynocks that do not flee into space. However, ships that are far from a planet often cannot afford to risk the possibility of mynocks damaging their vessel. In such a case, the most common way to get rid of the creatures is for crew members to put on space suits, venture out onto the hull, and attempt to shoot the mynocks, forcibly pry them from the hull, or attack them with jets of compressed air. Doing this is relatively easy if only a few mynocks are on the ship, since individuals are fairly timid. However, mynocks become more aggressive in swarms. Groups of half a dozen or more mynocks often gang up and attack crew members.
Mynock (CL 1)
Threats of the Galaxy, page 119.
Small space-dwelling beast 2
Initiative: +; Senses: darkvision;Perception +8
Defenses: Ref 18 (flat-footed 13), Fort 15, Will 12
Hit Points: 21; Damage Threshold: 12
Speed: 10 squares (flying, in space only)
Melee: 2 wing buffets (slam) +0 each (1d3)
Fighting Space: 1 square; Reach: 1 square
Base Attack: +1; Grapple: +1
Attack Options: Running Attack
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 20, Con 20, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 10
Special Qualities: survive in vacuum, fly through space
Feats: Running Attack
Skills: Perception +8
Survive in Vacuum—Mynocks are silicon-based life forms that take no damage from exposure to vacuum. However, they take the same damage from being in a planetary atmosphere that ordinary life forms do from being in vacuum.
Fly Through Space—Mynocks can fly in the vacuum of space, and can maneuver without any hindrance or penalty in vacuum.