The Sida are a caste of my Nithrak species. They were originally created as negotiators, which is why they are more humanoid shaped then other Nithrak, they were meant to interact with humans. The Proteus had earlier observed that humans rarely regard non-humanoid life forms as intelligent in spite of the vast majority of aliens being non-humanoid. This is also why the Sida have bright colors, bio luminescence and large eyes, they were specifically designed to play on humanity's sympathies and trick us into letting our guard down. Even though the Sida are cuter then most Nithraks they are also the most untrustworthy, deceitful and conniving of all Nithrak. The Sida's behavior is similar to the cruel heartless behavior of the fae folk, which they coincidentally resemble.

The name Sida comes from a mispronunciation of the Gaelic word Sidhe (which means fairy and is pronounced shee). However the Earth Force officer who first encountered the Sida didn't know how to pronounce that word and was reading it off a computer screen.

Even though the Sida were created as negotiators they quickly found other uses in the hive. Some of the common jobs the Sida preform are food gatherers, tool builders, scouts / observers and an aid to other Nithrak castes who don't have hands. Sidas are not fighting types and while they can kill an enemy very quickly if they have the element of surprise the Sidas have nearly no defensive abilities and their large delicate wings are an obvious weak spot.