The Estrejachi (demonym: Estreja) are a diminutive, apiform-humanoid species native to a dense, stable asteroid belt within the Great Star Sphere. They possess six membranous wings, antennae, and a distended abdomen; their external morphology is superficially apid, with human-like hair and a slight snout that resolves into a humanoid mouth.

The Estrejachi body plan combines apid and hominid elements: a pronounced abdomen, two antennae, six membranous wings arranged in three dorsal pairs, and a slight rostral protrusion terminating in a humanoid oral cavity with small, largely vestigial snaggle-tooth fangs. No external pinnae are present; auditory reception appears to be mediated through external antennae-like structures.

Most specimens measure between 0.6–0.9 meters in standing height; members of the royal line commonly reach 1.05–1.22 meters. Locomotion is primarily volant; the species can walk but exhibits reduced pedal endurance owing to evolutionary atrophy of the feet.

Estrejachi breathe and metabolize gases adapted to nitrogen-rich nebular environments; they survive unassisted in the void of nitrogenous nebulae, and they tolerate human-composition atmospheres. Carbon dioxide acts as an acute intoxicant: prolonged close-range vocal exchange with a human causes measurable cognitive-motor impairment in the Estreja, while ingestion of carbonated beverages induces full intoxication. These inhalational and ingestive sensitivities materially affect interspecific contact protocols.

Reproductive activation in Estrejachi requires ingestion of a species-specific royal secretion (hereafter “royal jelly”) produced exclusively by the royal line; without this substance, gametogenesis and oviposition do not proceed. The royal line can ovulate and deposit clutches numbering in the hundreds; field figures indicate royal clutches may reach ~600 eggs per oviposition event, whereas non-royal individuals typically lay 5–10 eggs per clutch. The probability of a royal offspring attaining princess status is approximately 1 in 6,000, indicating strict, low-frequency hereditary differentiation within the royal lineage.

Eggs are perfectly spherical with a diameter of exactly 1.0 centimeter. Eggs hatch into small larvae that undergo a protracted larval growth phase of roughly one ACI standard year, after which they construct a cocoon; imaginal eclosion follows, producing the bee-like adult morphology. The entire ontogenetic sequence is obligately oviparous and holometabolous.

The royal caste is distinguished by voluminous, mane-like pelage that emerges at the upper lateral thorax originating just above the axillae and extends dorsally along the collarbone to form a ruff behind the cranial region, continuing as a dense dorsal mantle to the sacral base. This fur is unusually fluffy and functionally-signalling within Estrejachi court ritual. Royal individuals are taller than typical caste members and produce the reproductive royal jelly that gates species-wide fecundity.

Estrejachi society exhibits pronounced hierarchical deference centered on the queen and royal line. Behavioral studies describe general species-wide pride and intransigence; collective compliance occurs primarily through direct royal command.

The species originates from a dense, stable asteroid belt embedded in a nitrogen-rich nebula. The local substrate hosts several endolithic, nebula-borne fungi that colonize rock fissures; Estrejachi forage these fungi and convert them into honey-like substances. The biochemistry of the fungi-derived honey exhibits unique pharmacological properties not matched in any extant pharmaceutical registries. The fungi–honey ecological complex is a critical component of Estrejachi nutrition and of royal-jelly synthesis, and individuals will produce honey from any suitable materials they can find as a matter of instinct.

Estrejachi behavior is dominantly volant and visually-oriented; courtship, foraging, and dispute resolution are often performed in three-dimensional space. Close-proximity human conversation and carbon-dioxide exposure impose physiological liability for Estreja interlocutors and therefore complicate common-contact diplomacy.

Trade in Estrejachi honey and royal products has attracted corporate and medical interest; procurement raises ethical and jurisdictional issues, often referred to the Abrixine Catalog Index (ACI) and the Pan-Galactic Ethics Committee (PGEC) for arbitration. See also Abrixine Catalog Index and PGEC.

The Estrejachi are classified as critically endangered by the Abrixine Catalog Index (ACI), with fewer than 90,000 individuals currently documented. No living queen has been verified; all known royal individuals perished in a catastrophic event approximately 12 ACI standard years prior to the present day. Despite this, royal jelly and derivative products have occasionally surfaced on the black market, though their provenance remains uncertain.

The decline stems from a singular ecological catastrophe. An elder Rinn Drake, during its traversal of the nebula housing the Estrejachi, consumed significant portions of their habitat. Due to the species’ limited technological awareness and incapacity for rapid relocation, they were unable to evacuate or mitigate the threat. The entity’s momentum made intervention impossible without causing the death of the inadvertent predator.

An emergency was declared jointly by the Wahrk Aviform Hegemony — custodians of the Perivaga territory where the species was located — and the ACI. Multiple factions, both humanitarian and self-interested, attempted evacuation of the remaining population. However, no group possessed knowledge of the royal-jelly requirement for reproduction. All eight queens and twelve princesses were confirmed deceased on-camera; two additional princesses remained unaccounted for, with one subsequently recovered near the disaster site already deceased. The remaining princess has yet to be found.

Since this event, the species has remained in continuous decline. Attempts to replicate royal jelly, induce reproduction artificially, or clone existing specimens have all failed. Conservation efforts continue, though the absence of the royal line imposes severe limitations on population recovery. Ethical and legal considerations surrounding black-market acquisition of residual royal products are monitored by both the ACI and the Pan-Galactic Ethics Committee (PGEC).