Silicon Crawler

From Reach

Silicon crawlers are an extremely dangerous species that resides in the Equatorial Desert. Comprised of crystalline silicon compounds, they are nearly indestructible, and possessed of great strength.

Morphology

Crawlers represent an extraordinary mystery to human scientists. Their bodies are homogeneous, comprised of mostly uniform silicon crystals with no discernible organs, cellular structure, or symmetry (except for drones, which usually have four symmetrical legs). Their chemical composition is completely alien, no nucleic acids, no proteins, nor any of the other chemicals ordinarily associated with life, just silicon crystals.

Scientists have generally accepted a theory of "distributed life functions," which states that the entire crystal structure participates in all life functions at all times. Every crystal matrix is a sensor, power plant, and reproductive organ at once.

This alien nature baffles the current biological vocabulary; words like "hive" and "drone" refer to insect behavior, but Crawlers act nothing like insects. Even most scientific definitions of "life" would not include these beings, but ask anyone fortunate enough to survive an encounter with these beings, and they will tell you that the Crawlers are most certainly, dangerously alive.

Life Cycle

Crawlers come in three varieties, representing different stages of their life cycle:

• Seeds - Mostly harmless, seeds are small crystals, usually weighing only a few kilograms. Generally inert, seeds are only active in the presence of specific compounds. When exposed to high quantities of silicon, a seed will germinate, beginning complex processes to convert the surrounding silicon into a crystal form, eventually forming a hive.

• Hives - Large, active crystal structures, hives convert most of the silicon mass around them into crystal compounds, which become part of the hive's mass. Hives also demonstrate a defense mechanism of firing large seeds at high velocities when threatened. As their silicon mass is usually beneath them, hives add mass to their bottom, appearing to grow upward, creating a visually impressive column of crystals. In meager environments, hives spread outward, creating crystal fields. Seeds lodged in a silicon circuit board germinate almost immediately, but as these boards are usually small, they rarely become hives. In large, high-tech facilities, hives can spread from one electronic device to another, converting the entire structure into one large hive.

• Drones - When a hive reaches maturity, pieces of itself break off as drones. Ranging in size from 1 to 3 metric tonnes, drones are ambulatory crystals. They superficially resemble earth spiders, but have only one body segment, four legs, and no distinguishable head. The physical mechanisms used to move the legs are not fully understood, but drones demonstrate remarkable speed, agility, and strength. Drones do not grow, nor do they consume any mass; their only purpose appears to be to wander and find new grounds to plant seeds. Drones can fire high speed seeds like hives, but need not feel threatened to do so. Over time, drones shrink, dropping mass in the form of seeds, and once they fall below a certain threshold, they return to their original hive and re-incorporate their remaining mass into the hive.

Hazards

Both hives and drones launch seeds at high velocity when they encounter other organisms. These "defense seeds" are lighter, having a greater percentage of impurities, than the seeds drones plant deliberately, and are less likely to form a viable hive, even if they germinate in a rich silicon bed. Their function is to protect hives from interference by local animals. Hives tend to fire smaller seeds, weighing only a few grams, and only when directly threatened. Drones, on the other hand, fire large, javelin-like seeds at almost any organism nearby. These seeds tend to fracture easily on impact, creating numerous smaller seeds in the body. As carbon-based life is useless to Silicon Crawlers, scientists attribute this aggression to evolutionary pressure from organisms that can damage hives, such as reach mammoths, and thirsty burrowers.

While seeds are mostly harmless, they have been known to spontaneously germinate when exposed to a great number of compounds, many devoid of silicon. No one understands why these compounds trigger germination, as a germinated seed, without access to silicon, disintegrates in a matter of hours. Most of these "trigger compounds" are of interest only to scientists, but visitors to Crawler habitats should note that hemoglobin is a known trigger compound. Seeds in a human bloodstream may germinate within a few hours of exposure, causing massive damage to the surrounding tissue. Removal of any fragments should be a top priority when treating defense seed wounds.

A Crawler's perception of it's surroundings are a great mystery. They have no sensory organs, but can clearly detect organic life, even when it appears well hidden. Drones have been observed firing defense seeds into distant sand dunes. Later investigations have frequently found one of the desert's many burrowing species impaled on each of these seeds. Crawlers infesting human facilities often fire seeds at invaders through thick metal walls. Lab experiments have shown them to respond to vibration, a wide spectrum of radiation, and changing electromagnetic fields. They can also apparently distinguish chemical compositions, as drones are very picky about where they plant seeds, selecting only the most chemically rich silicon beds. Traditional measures to avoid detection are fruitless against Crawlers.

If a drone senses it's target is still alive after firing defense seeds, it will usually attempt to charge. They demonstrate remarkable agility, thrusting and swiping with their powerful limbs. Larger drones have been known to attack and destroy armored vehicles that lacked adequate firepower. They show no signs of fear or pain, and only retreat if their mass falls below a critical thresh-hold.

Silicon crystals are extremely hard, and crawlers are largely immune to most small arms fire. They are also perfectly comfortable in temperatures well in excess of the melting point of lead, making a mockery of most energy weapons, including flamethrowers and HEAT rounds. The smallest mercy is that these crystals are also very brittle, and enough kinetic energy (such as a round from a Gencap Railrifle) can shatter even the largest hives. On the desert, this is only a temporary victory, as the fragments eventually form hives of their own, restarting the life cycle.