WIP: This article is a work in progress and is not yet approved for usage in the RP.

Found upon the inhospitable world on Meltra II, Meltran Nanocrobes are essentially the nanotechnological version of natural microbes. Inhabiting what little water there is on the world, the Nanocrobes reproduce through a process similar to mitosis.

The following is information that is known to scientists because of preliminary examinations.

The Meltran Nanocrobe creates more Nanocrobes in a method similar to the cycle of animal cells, when not created by devices-turned-factories. The process begins when Nanocrobe starts to duplicate its core coding into small packets. During this phase, the Nanocrobe 'eats' more resources in order to build itself larger than before as well as duplicating essential components. Once it reaches a certain size, normally around 2 Microns¹⁾, the Nanocrobes outer shell is dissolved to allow the interior components to separate into two separate Nanocrobes. At this point, the copy of the core coding activates in the second one and both Nanocrobes build their protective shell back to appropriate strength.

The Nanocrobes of Meltra II all seem to be connected in a wireless network running at the 23 to 30 GHz range running on multiple channels. Their transmissions tend to interfere in Abwehran surface to orbit transmissions, making exploration of the planet difficult when trying to contact vessels in orbit. Transmissions seem to be heavily encrypted and what has been decrypted has normally be standard system updates.

Each Nanocrobe has a specific set of protocols embedded into the deepest layers of their code that enables them to subvert any non-nanocrobe technology that connects to it. The method involves a self-propagating worm and enters the connecting devices as soon as one of the many “trap files” have been opened.

This worm first neutralizes the device command protocols and keeps the device's user from either stopping the process or manually shutting it down. Even cutting power to the device doesn't work as the worm's second objective is copying itself onto the device's memory. From there, the worm begins to rewrite the device's code to mimic the coding of other nanocrobe life. While this worm changes the software, the hardware is modified as the Nanocrobe begins to rapidly reproduce and attack the device, changing its structure to better match the nanocrobes technology. At the end of the process, the original Nanocrobe has expended its lifespan, but has created a relative colony of its descendents. The newly subverted device then becomes a nanocrobe factory with the sole purpose of creating more nanocrobes.

Cybernetics may also be subverted, but with more lethal results to the cybernetics' host. During the subversion protocol, nanocrobes increase their consumption of raw material around them in order to produce more of themselves. In this instance, the cybernetics' host becomes that raw material.

Like many electronic/computational devices, Meltran Nanocrobes suffer from the weaknesses of computing systems and their accessories.

The following is information that maybe found upon closer study.

Seeded upon Meltra II approximately 2,000 years prior to the formation of the Yamatai Star Empire, the Meltran Nanocrobes were deposited upon the planet via deep space probe. Originally, the Nanocrobes were destined to be seeded upon Nepleslia Prime. However, the probe crashed onto Meltra II after its navigation systems were damaged by micrometeorites.

Once upon the planet, the Nanocrobes broke free and began to break the probe down and use its materials to build a basic network hub and power source. From there, the Nanocrobes began to expand and update its systems. This also included changing some of Meltra II's environment by breaking down materials and releasing methane into the atmosphere.

Data from the probe can still be found on the Nanocrobe network contains detailed, though corrupted, star charts. Unfortunately for explorers, the only star charts that can be read are of the known areas of space. Course projections indicate that the probe came from the northeastern regions of space, which have yet to be mapped.

The creators of the probe left very little data of themselves, seeming to believe that there was no life in space to contact. However, there are some details on the nanocrobe's creators

The Wireless Network of the Nanocrobes has several large devices found underwater that act as Access Points for the network. However, the Network Hub is located in a more mountainous region and is buried deep underground. Due to the frequency the network transmits and the high surface temperatures, the hub is difficult to detect from orbit or ground. One of the few methods of tracking the hub down involves decrypting the transmissions further in order to obtain location data, which could lead explorers to the source/destination of the transmissions.

Another method of finding the hub would be ground penetrating Radar of intense frequencies, but that would set off self defense measures in the Nanocrobes. These self-defense measures include not only the subversion of all non-Nanocrobe technology currently on Meltra II, but also the formation of Mass-Drivers that would fire Ores and Rocks into orbit against vessels.

Given the design of the Meltran Nanocrobe, explorers may find several possible purposes of the devices.

1. Terraforming: Given their ability to produce methane through Methanogenesis, one of the possible purposes of the Nanocrobe could have been for terraforming worlds to suit the purpose of their creators. However, this is difficult to verify due to the damage to the Nanocrobes systems and the fact that they were originally meant to attempt this on a more oxygenated world, which hampers methanogenesis.
2. Exploration: With their ability to break down materials, it's possible that the Nanocrobes were originally meant for exploration. Instead of landing, the probe could have be designed for seeding a world's atmosphere with Nanocrobes to breakdown and study samples of a world. Without a good look a the probe's schematics, which have been lost due to age and corruption, it is hard to tell if this theory is plausible.
3. Weaponization:Given the Nanocrobes ability to subvert and convert non-Nanocrobe technology as well as their ability to construct weapons systems, it's easy to believe that the Nanocrobes are actually a weapon used by a hostile race to slowly convert and destroy other life. However, the lack of data on their creators means that this is just another theory and that the subverting just occurs due to malfunctions in the Nanocrobe intelligence.

While acting differently from Kepler Microbial Life, Meltran Nanocrobes are of the same construction and origin. However, due to malfunctions and centuries of evolution in programming, Meltran Nanocrobes tend to be much more 'aggressive' than their Kepler counterparts.

Nanocrobes are available for any exploration / scientific plot.

This page was originally created on 2013/10/20 07:47 by Abwehran Commander.