The Scavengii: A Complete Guide to the Terrifying Aliens of the Dodecahedral Series
Discover the Scavengii, the formidable alien pirates who threaten humanity in the Dodecahedral series of science fiction novels by S A Melia (Sally Ann Melia).
The Scavengii are among the most feared aliens in the Dodecahedral series. Towering, heavily armed and notoriously brutal, these extraterrestrial pirates raid human settlements, attack spacecraft and take prisoners. Their arrival can turn a routine journey into a desperate fight for survival.
But who are the Scavengii?
Where do they live?
What do they want?
And why are they such dangerous enemies of the Dome Militant, humanity's elite military fighting force?
This guide explores their appearance, behaviour, technology, military tactics and role in the novels of Sally Ann Melia. It also includes two extracts from the books, showing the Scavengii through the eyes of the young soldiers who must confront them.
Spoiler note: This guide discusses Scavengii encounters in Orphan of Empire and Soldier of Empire, including some events beyond the opening chapters.
What are the Scavengii?
The Scavengii are intelligent aliens, notorious throughout the Known Universe for piracy, violent raids and taking human prisoners.
But don't mistake them for mindless monsters. They possess sophisticated spacecraft, advanced weapons and organised raiding fleets. Their chieftains command powerful warships, negotiate with other civilisations and demand tribute from anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.
They are dangerous in battle, but can be just as threatening across a negotiating table. They know how to intimidate, bargain and exploit weakness. And when diplomacy fails, they have the firepower and ferocity to back up their demands.
For humanity, the Scavengii are a constant danger, particularly along the interstellar trade routes and around the Stargates.
What do the Scavengii look like?
Imagine a giant black bear with the snout of a wolf, enormous claws and a terrifying row of horns running down its spine and along its tail. Now imagine that creature standing three metres tall, armed to the teeth and ready to attack.
Meet the Scavengii!
These fearsome aliens have thick fur, powerful limbs, sharp teeth and claws capable of tearing through human flesh. Their long, horned tails are deadly weapons too.
And they are fast. Despite their enormous size, Scavengii can move with frightening speed.
But they don't always look like savage warriors. In Soldier of Empire, Guy Erma encounters a Scavengii chieftain dressed in an orange robe, with green horns protruding through the fabric. Standing nearly three metres tall, the alien is attending a diplomatic meeting, not preparing for battle.
Yes, the Scavengii wear clothes, command spacecraft and negotiate with kings. Beneath that terrifying appearance is an intelligent alien species, perfectly capable of making plans, issuing threats and striking deals.
Are the Scavengii stronger than humans?
Are the Scavengii stronger than humans?
Yes! Much stronger.
A fully grown Scavengii has an enormous physical advantage over a human. A single creature can threaten several soldiers, particularly in the confined corridors of a spacecraft where there may be nowhere to run. Their armour can deflect a blade, and even a badly wounded Scavengii may continue fighting.
So how do humans defeat such formidable creatures?
The Dome Militant, Earth's elite military force, have developed specialist techniques using speed, agility and teamwork rather than brute strength.
Their soldiers train with swords, spears and fighting blades, attacking in coordinated groups to distract the alien while another fighter strikes a vulnerable point.
Even then, bringing down a Scavengii is no easy task.
Against a Scavengii, one mistake can be fatal.
The Scavengii and the Stargates
The Dodecahedral universe is connected to other inhabited worlds through a network of Stargates.
These gateways allow spacecraft to travel between distant regions of the Known Universe, opening opportunities for exploration, trade and diplomacy.
Unfortunately, the Scavengii use them too.
Pirate ships can emerge through a Stargate and threaten worlds many light-years from their own bases.
In Orphan of Empire, Scavengii raiders penetrate Earth's defences, bringing war to humanity's home planet.
The Stargates may have opened the universe to humanity, but they have also brought some terrifying visitors.
The Scavengii attack on Earth in Orphan of Empire
Earth is under attack!
Scavengii pirate ships have swept through the Stargate, bringing destruction to humanity's home planet. Cities are burning, civilians are fleeing, and the Dome Militant have been called into action.
For sixteen-year-old Guy Erma, this is the moment he has been waiting for. He has spent years training with the Dome Militant, dreaming of defending Earth against alien enemies.
But Guy is still a junior, not a fully trained soldier. Instead of joining the assault teams, he is assigned to a boarding operation as a stretcher bearer, responsible for rescuing wounded fighters.
Deep inside a Scavengii spacecraft, Guy comes face to face with the terrifying aliens for the first time.
The fighting is savage. Soldiers are wounded, lives are lost, and even the most experienced fighters are vulnerable.
For Guy Erma, the war against the Scavengii has suddenly become very real.
Read an extract from Orphan of Empire
In Orphan of Empire, Guy discovers something unexpected during his first encounter.
The Scavengii bleed. They suffer. And they die.
These monstrous aliens are not invincible. The Dome Militant's blades can bring them down, although victory comes at a terrible price.
Guy has now witnessed the injuries Scavengii can inflict on human soldiers, and the deadly consequences of fighting them at close quarters.
Are the Scavengii pirates?
Absolutely!
The Scavengii raid spacecraft, steal valuable cargo and capture human prisoners. But they don't always attack first. Sometimes they demand payment, threatening violence if their demands are refused.
In Soldier of Empire, a Scavengii chieftain confronts King Teodor's refugee fleet and demands a toll for travelling through his territory.
His price? Twenty per cent of the charitable donations intended to feed and shelter desperate human refugees.
The chieftain insists that his own people have wives, children and elders who need feeding.
King Teodor refuses. The money belongs to the refugees, not to him, and he will not hand it over to pirates.
For the Scavengii, however, demanding tribute under threat of attack is simply another way of getting what they want.
Where do the Scavengii live?
Deep inside the shattered moon of Sas Darona lies one of the Scavengii's most notorious pirate strongholds.
Featured in Soldier of Empire, this extraordinary moon has been split into two enormous sections, creating a distinctive landmark recognised across the galaxy. Hidden within its fractured interior is a vast Scavengii settlement, potentially sheltering thousands of these aliens . Its dark caverns and defended passages provide protection for the pirates, their families and their prisoners.
From here, Scavengii raiders can launch attacks and retreat into the moon's natural defences. Is Sas Darona the Scavengii homeworld? Not necessarily. Although it is an established settlement and pirate base, the location of the species' original homeworld remains unknown.
Scavengii spacecraft and technology
Don't be fooled by their savage appearance. The Scavengii are a technologically advanced alien species with powerful warships, sophisticated weapons and a formidable fleet of pirate vessels.
Their spacecraft range from large, disc-shaped ships to heavily armed carrier-class cruisers capable of transporting entire raiding parties. In Orphan of Empire, one Scavengii cruiser-attack ship carries almost 180 pirates, a terrifying prospect for any human vessel unfortunate enough to encounter it. These alien ships are built for combat. Equipped with powerful weapons and advanced technology, they can attack human spacecraft, transport boarding parties and fight their way through hostile territory.
And the Scavengii are cunning!
In Soldier of Empire, Scavengii ships conceal their true fighting capabilities, disguising their deadly attack craft until the moment they strike. Their unsuspecting victims have little warning before the pirates launch their assault. But the danger doesn't end when the ships dock. Scavengii boarding parties carry powerful firearms and protective equipment, making them deadly opponents in the narrow corridors of a spacecraft.
In Orphan of Empire, the Dome Militant launch their own boarding operation against a Scavengii vessel, fighting their way towards its command deck in an attempt to seize control. Whether fighting ship-to-ship in space or claw-to-blade in the corridors of a cruiser, the Scavengii are dangerous enemies. And their advanced technology makes them even more formidable.
What weapons do the Scavengii use?
Claws, teeth, horned tails and powerful alien firearms. The Scavengii are armed and dangerous, even before they pick up a weapon!
Their natural weapons make them deadly in close combat, but Scavengii warriors also carry sophisticated guns capable of killing humans almost instantly. Some wear protective armour or shields that can turn aside an enemy's blade. Their spacecraft carry powerful weapons too, allowing them to attack other vessels before sending in boarding parties.
For anyone facing a Scavengii, the danger can come from almost any direction.
Why do the Scavengii take human prisoners?
For ransom, for profit and, most horrifying of all, for food!
The Scavengii capture humans during their pirate raids. Prisoners can be valuable bargaining assets, used to demand payment or force their enemies to surrender.
But there is a far more terrifying reason why some Scavengii take humans alive.
They eat them.
In Orphan of Empire, King Teodor recalls a previous raid in which women and girls were abducted. Some of those unfortunate prisoners were subsequently killed and eaten.
And in Soldier of Empire, the horrifying reality of Scavengii captivity is revealed when the Dome Militant discover human prisoners chained inside the broken moon of Sas Darona, surrounded by evidence of the pirates' gruesome feeding habits.
For anyone captured by these aliens, the danger is not simply imprisonment.
They could end up as the next meal.
The Scavengii stronghold in Soldier of Empire
Deep inside the broken moon of Sas Darona, the Scavengii are holding human prisoners. And the Dome Militant are coming to rescue them!
For Guy Erma, the mission is personal. His friend, the young King Teodor, has been captured by the pirates, and Guy is determined to bring him home alive. But reaching Teodor means fighting through a heavily defended alien stronghold.
Guy and his fellow Dome Militant enter the dark caverns, confronting Scavengii warriors in brutal close-quarters combat. What they discover inside is horrifying: human prisoners chained in the caverns and evidence of the pirates' gruesome feasting grounds.
There is no time to lose. They must defeat the Scavengii, free the prisoners and find Teodor before it is too late.
Read an extract from Soldier of Empire
Who are the Scavengii to the Dome Militant?
The Scavengii are among the deadliest enemies of the Dome Militant, Earth's elite fighting force.
Based in London, the Dome Militant train to defend humanity against alien invaders. They are expert close-combat fighters, skilled at boarding hostile spacecraft and fighting enemies much larger than themselves.
Against the Scavengii, their specialist training is essential.
In Soldier of Empire, Guy Erma uses an extraordinary fighting technique during the assault on Sas Darona. While other soldiers distract the creature, he climbs the horns along its spine to reach its neck and deliver a killing blow.
It is a dangerous manoeuvre requiring exceptional agility, courage and precision.
And even the finest Dome Militant fighter knows that a wounded Scavengii may still be capable of killing them.
Who are the Scavengii to the Valvanchi
Even the mighty Valvanchi struggle to keep the Scavengii pirates under control!
The Valvanchi are one of the most powerful alien civilisations in the Known Universe. As influential members of the Zaracan Democratic Union, they are explorers, diplomats and protectors of developing worlds, including Earth.
Their advanced warships help protect vulnerable civilisations and enforce the laws of Zaracan space.
But the Scavengii are not easily intimidated.
During the confrontation with King Teodor's refugee fleet in Soldier of Empire, Teodor invokes Zaracan law and reminds the Scavengii chieftain that Valvanchi protector ships are nearby.
The pirates continue their threats.
For the Valvanchi, protecting interstellar shipping and the Stargates from Scavengii raiders remains a formidable challenge.
Do the Scavengii have families and a society?
Yes! The Scavengii are a sentient alien species with families, communities and recognised leaders. They have males, females and young, and live in settlements as well as aboard their spacecraft. Their chieftains command ships, lead raiding parties and negotiate with other civilisations.
In Soldier of Empire, a Scavengii leader claims that his people have wives, children and elders to support. And Sas Darona is not simply a military base. Scavengii civilians live there too. However, much remains unknown about their wider civilisation, including their original homeworld, government, customs and traditions.
Are all Scavengii evil?
The Scavengii pirates are notorious for violence, hostage-taking and the killing of human captives.
But are all Scavengii pirates?
No. The Scavengii are an entire alien species, not simply an army of raiders.
In Captain of Empire, it is revealed that Scavengii civilians, including females and infants, died during the Dome Militant assault on the broken moon.
And these aliens are capable of affection and grief.
In Soldier of Empire, Guy witnesses a Scavengii fighter comforting a dying companion, a brief but revealing glimpse of behaviour rarely seen during their attacks.
The Scavengii remain dangerous enemies of humanity, but their lives beyond piracy are still largely unknown.
Which books in the Dodecahedral series feature the Scavengii?
Orphan of Empire: Scavengii pirates attack Earth, and Guy Erma encounters the aliens for the first time during a Dome Militant boarding operation.
Soldier of Empire: Scavengii pirates attack King Teodor's refugee fleet, take human prisoners and retreat to their stronghold on the broken moon of Sas Darona.
Captain of Empire: Scavengii raiders attack the Dome Militant and YunGard tribes. The novel also reveals further consequences of the earlier assault on the broken moon.
Discover the Scavengii aliens in the Dodecahedral series by S A Melia (Sally Ann Melia), and enter a universe where humanity must confront some of the most formidable alien species in the Known Universe.
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