abstract
| - Rachni Queens are the matriarchs of the hive-minded, insectoid rachni species. The largest of their species at about fifty feet long, queens are powerful and intelligent creatures who guide the soldiers and workers of their broods with a form of telepathic song, which also allows them to speak through "receptive" beings of other species. Queens also carry the genetic memory of their mothers, causing them to effectively be born with the collective knowledge of the previous hive. Queens resemble brood warriors but are much larger, with darker skin and glowing eyes. Though queens are usually mated to brood warriors, the reproductive processes of the rachni do not necessarily require a male counterpart. Queens carry the genetic information of their fathers inside them, allowing them to lay eggs even if no brood warriors are present. They are said to be able to lay a massive amount of eggs every few hours, resulting in an entire rachni colony within days. Rachni queens live in nests deep underground, often on planets with harsh environments. This presented a problem for the Citadel Council during the Rachni Wars, as it was impossible for Council representatives to contact the queens in their nests in order to negotiate peace. After attempts to halt the rachni advance failed, the krogan entered the fray, infiltrated the rachni nests, killed the queens on every world, and hunted the rachni to total extinction. __TOC__
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