The I'Sred*Ni Protectorate is an aggressively expanding polity in The Beyond sector, currently consisting of seven worlds, but at war with their neighbours in an attempt to expand. The Sred*Ni themselves are an arachnid-like species with a hive mind, though they don't follow any terrestrial morphology other than having eight legs.

The Sred*Ni are more mammalian than arachnid, with the external body plan (eight legs, with two arms and a horizontal body posture) being the only real arachnid features. Since that's what most humans see on first meeting them though, that's the label that tends to stick.

They are warm blooded, hermaphrodites, with mottled red skin and hair that covers most of their body. They stand about a metre or so tall, though are wider and longer than humans. They have four eyes - two facing forward, two sideways for an almost 360° vision, though the side eyes are more suited to picking up movement and high contrast, whilst the front pair focus on fine detail and they tend to be short sighted.

The breeders of the species have both male and female sexual characteristics, and give birth to live young (normally three to four) after five months gestation, which the 'mother' suckles. Non-breeders lack both characteristics and are infertile and asexual. They have a mammalian mouth, with teeth for both cutting and grinding, and they seem to have been omnivores for quite some time. Their speech can be understood by humans, though it tends to be lower pitched. Their hearing isn't so great, being geared towards lower pitched sounds than human hearing, and tending to be forward focused. Their sense of smell is very good.

They are all telepathic, and share a mental link with others of their kind to the extent that they seem to lack individuality.