Micronaut Laboratory

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# Description

The Micronaut Laboratory is a type of Civilization that is found at the end of the Micro Depths. Tardigrades populate the Micronaut Laboratory and, rarely, players will be able to recruit an Micronaut.

The Micronaut Laboratory was a giant undersea laboratory, similar to the Barnacle Hive in the Infected Depths. Furthermore, a group of scientists worked here on unknown experiments, the accidents of which led to the current look of the Micro Depths. Corrupted beings of those who once worked here can still be found, however they bear little resemblance of who they once were. Due to their fatal mistakes leaving them unable to maintain their dwelling, the Micronaut Laboratory has now become the home of the Tardigrades.

# Tardigrades

 **Health(int.)** | 320

The Tardigrades are the citizens of the Micronaut Laboratory.

## Description

The Tardigrades are enlarged, normally microscopic beings. They are a bright pink color, and have no differences between any of them. The Tardigrades speak in a way that indicates that they are very unfamiliar with seeing humans, perhaps indicating that they are not the original dwellers of the Micronaut Laboratory.

## Behavior

The Tardigrades are found on the upper two floors of the Micronaut Laboratory. None will spawn on the ground floor. When they first see a player, they will make next to no movement, only turning to face the direction of the player. They will stand in their positions and if a player interacts with them, they will talk with the player using their native language, which, unlike most other Civilization languages, does not require a Translation Book, as it is plain English. If they are attacked or robbed, they will chase the players and attack with their limbs, and may invade the submarine if players try to escape. They are capable of destroying doors, meaning even the players' own ship will not be safe if they decide to attack them. Additionally, they are capable of swimming, which makes it even harder to escape them. However, they have a relatively low attack speed and range in their attacks, mitigating their threat somewhat.

## Tactics

Because of how the Tardigrades have a relatively low attack speed and range, it is possible to avoid their attacks quite consistently with dodge rolling. Due to this, high-damaging melee Weapons can potentially work proficiently against them. Furthermore, since the player can nearly outpace the Tardigrades there can potentially be ample time for the player to stand back, making ranged Weapons such as the Six-Shooter and the Tesla Gun especially useful in that situation.

## Dialogue

**Note: Some dialogue is missing from this table.**

* Wall evacuation
* I may vomit
* It's the viruses
* What are you?
* What have you done?
* Poor thing
* Size change
* Egg laying
* Who are you calling slow?
* Like what you see?
* Battle shouts

* Excuse me!
* I witnessed you... Well how do I put this?
* You evacuated your very own wall!
* How have you done this?
* You appear very injured...
* Yet here you are having a chat.

- Dearest Ib, you have found the--

- OH!

- OH DEAR LORD.

- Sir - I mean - ma'am - I mean...

- You are not well.

- I need to see at least two more arms.

- Oh my, I think I may vomit...

- Ah. You appear traumatized.

- It's the viruses, isn't it?

- It has to be.

- My goodness, what kind of fungus are you?

- No - a protozoan?

- Oh dear. Not that either.

- Well, did you don't look like a virus.\*

- You'd tell me if you were, yes?

\* (This line is exactly how it appears in game. The word "did" is likely an unintentional word and should not be there. It has been put here for the sake of reflecting the actual dialogue accurately.)

* You there!
* What have you done?
* Is it reversible?
* Tell me everything!
* Silence I say!
* It may be time for cryptobiosis.
* Your barrage of questions upsets me!
* You daft germ.
* Call it hibernation if you will.

- Oh my!

- Something has gone awry with your hatchling!

- Where's your mother?

- Where are the rest of your arms?

- Your mouth, how can you eat?

- Poor, poor thing.

- Ah yes, life is a wonderful thing.

- One minute you take a nap...

- The next you wake up and everything...

- Now tell me, is it all big or is it all small?

- Greetings, new being.

- And what sort of creature are you?

- Mhmm, very well.

- And, how many eggs do you lay at a time?

- Hm. Pathetic.

- Hey! You!

- Who are you calling slow?

- ...Yeah. That's what I thought.

- Yoo-hoo!

- Yes you!

- Like what you see?

- Good. Now why can't I see through you?

- It's suspicious, that's what it is.

- YOU DID THIS TO US!

- This will be your last transgression!

- Vermin!

- We shall outlast your kind!

- You are unwelcome here!

- Our people shall descend upon you!

- A swift end to the trespassers!

- It is your turn to feel SMALL!

- NOW IS THE TIME OF THE TARDIGRADE!

# Micronaut

 **Health(int.)** | 15

The Micronaut is a recruitable NPC rarely found in the Micronaut Laboratory.

## Description

The Micronaut is a being wearing attire that somewhat resembles a white spacesuit with gold lining across certain portions. On its chest region is a symbol that resembles a model of the atom. Unlike the more common versions of its kind, its helmet is not cracked open and there is no strange eyeball sticking out. Furthermore, it also does not wield a "plasma sword", rather holding a Pipe Wrench like other recuirtable NPCs.

## Behavior

Once recruited, they will join the crew with a Pipe Wrench and will be able to do many tasks, such as repairing breaches, attacking invading enemies or enemies inside caves or using the Submarine's Turret.
Similarly to Crew Bots, they can be instructed through the use of the Command Wheel to order them to do specific tasks.

# Special Attributes

The Micronaut Laboratory has many special attributes that are unlike most other Civilizations.

## Mutant Micronaut Ambush

* Interior

Main article: Mutant Micronaut
Upon exiting the Submarine at the Micronaut Laboratory, players will immediately be ambushed by four Mutant Micronauts. These beings are some of the supposed scientists involved with the accidental creation of the Micro Depths. They move at a slow pace, however attack quickly and therefore can dish out damage rapidly. The four that spawn will be exclusive to the ground floor, meaning that they can be killed safely without angering the Tardigrades.

## Five Shop Options

Unlike the normal three shop options offered at most Civilizations, the Micronaut Laboratory offers five, all scattered about the laboratory. This can allow for players to gain more gear, such as Items, Potions, and Ship Upgrades while visiting this Civilization as opposed to others. In a similar vein, this can make raiding much more worthwhile should players be capable of doing so successfully.

## No Doctor

Unlike most other Civilizations, the Micronaut Laboratory does not have a doctor, likely due to the Tardigrades being relatively new dwellers and therefore inexperienced in most matters, including medical ones. Because of this, if players gain any Afflictions prior to entering the Micronaut Laboratory, such as the Atomic Disorder present in the Micro Depths' water, they **cannot** rely on this Civilization to cure them. They will either need to cure themselves through other means or do so at the next available Civilization. Caution is advised as a result, such as attempting to avoid drowning through swift repairs or by use of the Water Pump or to bring alternative curing means, such as the Chemistry Kit or the MedKit.

## English Language

The dwellers of the Micronaut Laboratory do not have a unique language, instead speaking plain English, albeit in a smaller text font. This means that their dialogue can be understood without the use of a Translation Book, making this device only useful for lower shop costs. The exception to their speech however is their names above their heads, which cannot be understood without said Translation Book.

# Trivia

* Tardigrades are a real-life microbe known as more commonly as "Water Bears". They are considered to be one of, if not the most, hardy beings on the planet, being able to survive in volcanos and even the vacuum of space.
* During the development of the Micro Depths, it was considered for the Tardigrades to be immortal, similar to their counterparts in real life. If not immortal, they would at least have an extremely high health value attached to them. It was ultimately decided to make them more like other Civilization dwellers and have them be able to be reasonably killed.
* The Tardigrades are the first and currently only Civilization dwellers to speak English.
	+ This is an intentional decision, as it is an unprecedented feature and therefore works to further assist in making the Micro Depths more unique when compared to other Biomes.
* If it is to be inferred that the Mutant Micronauts were originally human, then it is possible that the recruitable Micronaut found in the Micronaut Laboratory is indeed a human as well. There is no evidence to support this conclusion however.
	+ It is more likely that the recruitable Micronaut is some sort of robot that wears the same uniform of the Mutant Micronauts.