Thread: SPACE PIRATES - Notable Creations

Rapidly Evolving Parasite REP - Strain Designation 'Monarch' The Monarch strain of the parasitic life-form known as REP is considered one of the least threatening strains, at least in the short term after initial contact. In the long term they are just as, if not more so, dangerous as the other REM strains, but defending a system against them does not require the rapid militarization and massive mobilization over a short time frame that is needed to defeat one of the more prolific REP strains. In fact they are the most restrained of the REP variants, and instead of a constant hunger driving them to consume all life in their path as quickly as possible they seem content to focus on a more restrained slow pace of growth. The worlds they leave behind are not the barren lifeless wastelands that other, less restrained, strains leave in their wake, and are instead paradises filled with various lush plant life. They seem to turn planets into 'farms', using various plant-like constructs to leech resources from the planet itself. This technique is much slower than other strains, but in the long term provides them with more resources and ensures that they do not need to constantly consume new worlds, or die out at a rapid rate. They still need to expand at a steady rate to survive, but that rate is much much slower than any other strain. The Monarch strain is also, unlike most other strains, very bad at re-engineering already created biological forms into efficient combat 'units', and as a result instead of infesting animalsentient life-forms it converts them into pure biomass, and then creates combat or support forms from their stores of biomass. This means that plant life is just as valuable to them as animal life forms, which also factors into their reduced aggression levels. However the Monarch strain is unable to create it's own intelligence, unlike more prolific strains, and must instead use animal life-forms as it's core intelligence. The more intelligent the original host is, the higher potential intellect the Monarch strain can reach using it. The need for intelligent hosts to infect to provide intelligent oversight and control is the main reason the Monarch strain will target systems inhabited by sentient species. While technically any mind is useful to the Monarch strain there is a very particular set of brain patterns which is very rarely found in various sentient species as harmless mutations in the makeup of the brain that it focuses on, ignoring all other potential hosts as anything other than walking and possibly resisting, depending on technology level biomass. If it identifies an individual with this particular set of mutations capturing that individual becomes of paramount importance to the Monarch as a whole. Once captured infestation begins. The process is considerably longer than usual for REM infestations, due to the fact that the strain must modify the hosts brain to enhance it, yet shift it to furthering the Monarch strain, rather than simply taking over the nervous system itself as other variants do. It has been noted that such individuals tend to suffer from hearing 'voices' when around REM-Monarch strain bio-forms, as well as flashes of images, and sensations. There seems to be little pattern or control as to what these individuals can 'pick up', and most would be driven mad by the chaotic mental messages that they are forced to receive. Once the Monarch has fully infested an individual they are turned into a life-form classified as a 'Queen' or 'King' depending on the gender of the host. Physically they are fairly similar to their host species, with vital organs located in roughly the same place. They do usually have additional armour plating that is on par with high-tech armour, and a variety of natural weapons fangs, claws and occasionally a tail or wing like appendages, an enhanced skeletal structure that is significantly tougher and more complete for example on humans the rib cage becomes a solid wall of bone around the otherwise vital chest region and their muscles gain additional density to provide a boost to strength and speed. However they are nowhere near a direct threat as a combat form, and considerably easier to kill. However despite the physical similarity mentally they are several leagues in advance of their original host. Their brain is more powerful than it was previously by several orders of magnitude, and operates at a level that blows even the most advanced computer away in terms of raw 'processing power' available. It also acquires the ability to 'compartmentalize' itself, creating small sections of brain that are devoted to maintaining a certain task without requiring a concentrated effort from the main intelligence often used for maintaining repetitive simple tasks that require intelligent oversight However the major difference between a 'Queen' and the host it originally was is that additional nodes have been added to the brain. These nodes require that the initial brain have certain traits and biological mutations The ones specifically targeted by the Monarch Strain. They give the Queen access to the 'psychic' ability that the Monarch Strain uses to co-ordinate the millions of units that it creates to further it's own spread. This ability allows a Queen to create a 'psi-space tunnel' to the control node that each Monarch unit has attached to it's nervous system. This tunnel allows thoughts to move at FTL Faster Than Light speeds from the Queen to the unit, and turns the unit into a physical extension of the Queen's mind. This makes Queens among the most powerful Command and Control assets in the galaxy, even amongst the REP strains. Monarch units have almost perfect synchronization when controlled by a Queen, and often use highly advanced and constantly evolving tactics when engaging a hostile, utilizing traps, ambushes, multi-pronged attacks across broad fronts, and other tactics designed to clog up reinforcement and communication channels to allow them to cut apart opponents piecemeal. There is a downside to this centralization however. While the 'psi-space tunnel' that the Queen forms is un-blockable and undetectable, if the Queen itself is too far from the units it is controlling lag can occur, which can significantly decrease the combat effectiveness of the various units being controlled. Each Queen can only control so many units at once based on their intelligence, and as many of the more advanced combat forms are made up of multiple units the number of units being controlled at once can very easily spiral beyond a Queen's ability if they are not careful. The largest weakness in the Monarch strain is if a Queen is killed or incapacitated ALL units under that queen's control lose their intelligence, and become unable to operate with anything beyond the most basic instinct they have. To charge at and try to kill any biological life-form that does not release the pheromones the Monarch Strain uses as IFF tags. This means that machines are often left untouched, and drones, tanks, and even space-ships are ignored by the feral Monarch units, allowing them to be easily mopped up. note This is here since i'm not sure where else to put it, and to give people some background on the species I plan to bring in. There are a few possible clues in there as to how to beat them, as well as tactics and such that they will probably use. But I'll probably be expanding this as we go along and more details emerge specific technology for instance. If this isn't the proper place for this sorry and feel free to move it to where-ever it should be. -