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Where exactly living stars came from us a mystery that no-one has ever quite been capable of solving - some say they’re the result of some kind of parasite worming it’s way into celestial bodies, some say that they’re the product of some wild deity’s magic, and some even theorise that they’re the leftovers of some ancient war.
Whatever exactly is the truth, it is at least certain that these creatures pose a significant danger to those on interstellar journeys, the most prolific of which is Alphard, who moved into the neighbourhood a few hundred years ago, attracted by all the little cans of meat shooting off into space. Indeed, significant scientific research has been put into repelling the beast (including creating another monster to fend it off, although that didn't go so well), but for the most part it's up to individual pilots to avoid becoming a snack.
- Likes small things, cute things, and small cute things.
- Likes those things too much, will sometimes eat them because they're too cute/small/small-cute
- Really curious as to what the small cute things do on their planets, but can't go down to look because he gives off too much heat.
- Likes to travel and see new things, but so much of space looks the same (and the small cute things get angry when he peers through their atmospheres)
- Mostly has the biology of a regular predator animal, except a heart and lungs - the functions of these are replaced by a burning core that functions in practically the same way an ordinary star does, even down to its life-cycle and "reproduction".
- Alphard's core is beginning to collapse on itself, and so unlike the more youthful examples of his species, he doesn't glow. It'll be a few billion years before he goes yet, but he will certainly go. It's rather beautiful, though - when his core goes supernova, it'll form several new creatures from the pieces or it'll turn into a black hole and everyone'll be fucked.
- Unhelpfully Alphard received a rather nasty wound across his belly that simply refuses to heal, and his goopy flesh is slowly oozing out. If he ends up completely empty, he'll almost certainly explode far earlier than he naturally would. Luckily, there is a solution - all he has to do is consume matter to produce more flesh! Unluckily, that's a surefire way to end up with too much mass and turn into a black hole, which would be extremely not good for the solar system he hangs around.
