The Failsafe
From Reach
Non-Canon
This article is considered Non-Canon.
Original article
The mission to Reach was launched during a period of extreme paranoia in the Earth government. Several top government officials were concerned that the colonists, or something they uncover on Reach may eventually become a threat to Earth. Government officials secretly installed the ultimate bomb on the Colony Ship and each Colonial Lander.
Each one of these bombs is both the most destructive and ingenious weapon ever devised by mankind. Two kinds of nanomachines, known simply as "Type A" and "Type B" self assemblers, kept in a state of suspended animation comprise the destructive payload. A single Type A assembler, given access to any matter, can create a single copy of itself every 8 seconds. A single Type B can convert a Type A into a B in four seconds. Exactly one mole of each nanite type resides in each payload.
Activating the bomb requires two separate pulses of different frequencies of UV radiation. One pulse ends the suspension, activating every nanite in the mix. The second pulse permanently disables Type B nanites. As the Type A nanites begin consuming any matter in reach, they rapidly form a large cloud. At the same time, Type B's begin dismantling the cloud from within. Eventually, the more efficient Type B nanites overcome the Type A's, and the cloud collapses. Careful calibration of the energy pulses allows the operator to precisely determine the final radius of the cloud. If the second pulse is fired at maximum intensity, it will destroy all Type B nanites, leaving the Type A's free to consume the entire planet.
Each Colonial Lander's bomb can potentially destroy the entire planet, and can only be fired remotely from the main Colony Ship. A specific, coded signal from Earth specifies which bombs to detonate and at what intensity. The Colony Ship transmits this information to the Colonial Lander, then, if requested, detonates itself.
Though the Colony Ship is no longer inhabited, if someone with the proper codes were to get on board, they could potentially detonate any of these bombs. However, few people on Reach have heard of this system, and fewer still believe in it.
Because of Reach's distance to Earth, and the time it takes for signals to propagate through space. It's possible that the failsafe codes have already been sent, possibly even hundreds of years ago. The colonists would have no way of knowing.
