Native life

Chiron has an incredible variety of native life, ranging from the strange and sinister xenofungus to a variety of wildlife - some of which can be quite dangerous to colonists.

## Flora

### Plantlife

The bulk of the biomass of Planet consists of basically earthlike
green vegetation — algae, fungi and small plants, the most complex of which
can be compared to a terrestrial palm tree. Over most of Planet, this vegetation
takes the form of a savanna-like
carpet of grass
and moss,
with the occasional
“vine” or small
“bush”
relieving
the monotony.
The sole exception
to
this
rule is
the Monsoon
Jungle, where
anomalous
green
vegetation
can reach
a
height of several
dozen meters.
Whatever
its size, however,
the green
biomass
provides
many useful
proteins
that can be efficiently processed
for use
by
humans
as nutrients.

### Xenofungus

Xenofungus is a hard, crimson mass of tubular shoots ranging in size from about
a foot across to microscopic. It grows in huge, heaped tangles capable of covering
thousands
of square
kilometers
of land, with a depth ranging
anywhere
from
2 to over
25 meters.
Anything trying to move
through
a fungal area
must
either
have
(a) the raw
tonnage required
to break
through
the mass,
(b) the ability
to move
over
its top without shredding
itself or becoming bogged down in
the
mass’s
many cavities,
or (c) the firepower
simply to blast its way through.
Xenofungus also grows in the oceans. Sea fungus is a bit more diffuse than
the land stuff (tending to grow much taller, but not nearly as dense), but is
otherwise basically identical.

Most xenofungus blooms are thousands of years old, and geographically stable. On the rare occasions when they do appear, however, they literally appear
almost overnight, growing at a rate of up to a meter an hour, sprouting spontaneously
over
an area
that can encompass hundreds
of square
kilometers.

Chemical analysis of the fungus indicates that it’s a rich source of trace elements
and rare minerals with a high potential value in energy, nutrient and mineral production.
The only barrier to the full exploitation of the fungus
as a natural
resource
is
the evolution
of technologies to extract
its benefits economically.

The fungus seems to exist in a semi-symbiotic relationship with the mind
worms. Boils are often reported to originate from
fungus blooms, particularly when the blooms are somehow damaged. The
worms seems to provide the fungus with a natural defense.
One of the more mysterious and controversial aspects of the fungus is its
“song.” Certain individuals in the immediate proximity of fungal blooms (anywhere
from
5 to 200 kilometers,
depending on the individual and the size of
the
bloom) claim to hear a sort of hum or ululation from
the fungus.
This
“music” is not audible to most, and it cannot be recorded. If it exists at all, it may be a resonance created from the same “psychoactive” field that the mind
worms employ. Some (particularly among the Gaian faction, which believes
implicitly in the “Song of Planet” and has accorded it a mystical significance)
claim the song is ethereally beautiful. Others have alleged that prolonged
exposure can drive the human brain to distraction, or even madness

## Fauna

### Mind worms

Mind Worms can appear suddenly, and are closely associated with fungus.
Mind Worms and other alien creatures can engage in Psi Combat, in which weapon and armor strengths are ignored, and the attacker is given a 3 to 2 advantage on land. Morale level is quite important in defending against Mind Worms and other alien units.

The dominant land species on Chiron is the mind worm. From a distance, an
individual worm specimen, with an average length of 10cm, hardly seems a
threat. Get closer, however, and a human may experience the power of this
species. Visions of horrible tortures and frightful deaths assail the mind,
straight out of the victim’s worst nightmares. This effect multiplies with the
number of worms present, each individual adding its own voice to the attack.
With sufficient numbers, the victim goes numb with terror, causing spasms,
paralysis, and even death as the autonomous nervous system shuts down. This
attack is only a precursor to the worm’s main goal: to implant freshly hatched
larvae inside the host’s brain. One gravid worm, if sufficiently agitated, can
burrow through a human skull in thirty seconds — less, if the worm finds easy
entry through an eye socket or nasal passage. Once inside the brain casing, the
worm implants its ravenous larvae, which thrive and grow as they devour the
nutrient-rich tissue around them.

Adult mind worms live for less than a month (explaining their urgent need to
reproduce as quickly as possible), although they can enter a dormant state that
lasts for years when they are in contact with the xenofungus. They reproduce
sexually, but are hermaphroditic — each mind worm is capable of both impregnating
another and of producing
larvae
itself. In particularly harsh
environmental circumstances, a mind worm is even capable of impregnating itself.
Genetically, one mind worm is virtually indistinguishable from any other anywhere
else
on Planet, right down to the chromosomal
level.
Giant swarms, or “boils,” of these mottled 10cm nightmares occasionally wriggle
out of the fungal beds,
attacking settlements and their outlying farms
and
other enhancements.

Victims are paralyzed with terror, and then experience an
unimaginably excruciating death as the worms burrow into the brain to implant
their ravenous larvae. Only the most disciplined security squads can overcome
their fear long enough to trigger the flame guns that can keep the worms at bay.
There is one advantage to destroying a mind worm boil (other than the
increased feeling of security). When mind worms combine into boils, their
metabolisms change. A few begin building concentrated deposits of rare elements,
and when a mind worm boil’s
“life” is
cut short
(for example,
when one
is
flamed), these deposits can be recovered
and converted
directly
into energy
stores.
The value
of these deposits,
and their mode of recovery,
lead to their
informal
name — planetpearls.
Mind worms
that naturally
dissipate
do not
leave
the “husks”
in which planetpearls
are
found — they are
only recoverable
if
the boil is
“killed.

### Fungal tower

These occur randomly wherever native life might be
found. They are immobile and fight using PSI combat, as all native life
forms. They may add a fungus square to an empty space around them. If
all squares around them become fungus, they may start generating mindworms
or spore launchers.

### Spore launcher

Spore Launchers can appear singly or in the company of Mind Worms,
and are closely associated with fungus. Spore Launchers tend to lurk
on the outskirts of a settlement, expelling bursts of corrosive spores that can
destroy manmade or Progenitor improvements from a range of two squares away. These
spores are also effective against units.

### Isle of the Deep

An aquatic vector of the Mind Worms, the Isle of the Deep is closely associated with Mind Worms and Sea Fungus. The floating shell of an Isle of the Deep, formed by the secretions of the colony's individual members, is often used as a nesting place by Mind Worms, and can even float large land units. The biochemical processes of the boil
itself produce sufficient gas to make the mass buoyant, causing it to rise to
the surface. At that point it takes on a life of its own, including apparent independent
movement,
and even
the ability to perceive
and pursue
particularly
attractive
food sources
(like human vessels
and sea colonies). Isles
of the deep
in
shallow
coastal waters
have
been known to spawn
land-based boils
that
break
off from
the mother mass and proceed
on their own cross-country
hunts.

### Sealurk

Sealurks haunt the fungal patches and ocean depths of Planet's seas. As opposed to the
less aggressive Isle of the Deep, the Sealurks seek out and attack
ocean and coastal bases. They may also lie in wait for
easy prey, catching unwary ships that travel too close to fungus. When immobile,
these creatures are extremely hard to detect until they begin their attack.

### Locusts of Chiron

Planet's fiercest avatars, the Locusts of Chiron are a ravenous winged variation the land-bound Mind Worms. The appearance of Locusts signifies considerable distress on the part of the originating neural net fungus. Periodically,
a pre-boil mass of mind worms in a xenofungal bloom spontaneously, and for
unknown reason, metamorphoses so that they all grow wings, whereupon the
worms take off as a boil-swarm. Locusts of Chiron are rare, and “wild” locusts
are rarely seen outside of periods of unusual mind worm activity.

## Symbiosis

Despite the most obvious life-forms (xenofungus and mind worms), life on
Planet, in general, is neither hostile to humankind nor particularly noteworthy.
However, the intricate and sophisticated symbiosis in which nearly every
species participates is noteworthy. (In fact, no observed species, whether flora,
fauna or otherwise, does not participate in this symbiotic dance.) It is common
on Earth for two, or sometimes even three or four species, to engage in a symbiotic
relationship.
On Planet, the symbiotic network essentially embraces
every
native
species.
This
network works
together with extreme
efficiency and
produces very little organic residue — everything is used, then reused.
Therefore, contrary to planetologists’ expectations, fossil fuels and the like are
unknown on Planet.