Post by Maximor on May 31, 2017 17:41:09 GMT
Zeroids are whole new kind of colonial alien life from deep space. Not much was known about them before, but now it's clear that they are hostile organisms that pose a threat to any other life forms. The term "Zeroid" is most correctly used when referring to the organic UFOs in their initial state before transforming and evolving.
The origin of a Zeroid remains a mystery, but given how similar analyzed samples of them are, it is theorized that they have broken off from a star-sized mass floating in the farthest reaches of space. Incidents involving Zeroids range from uncommon to rare, but in most cases large amounts of devastation were caused. A Zeroid infestation can lead to large scale quarantines, sometimes large enough to cover entire planets.
This kind of alien life goes through a number of different forms throughout its life-cycle, and these are listed as follows:
Initial Spacial Travel Form: The most common stage to find a Zeroid in. The organisms remain dormant in a death-like state as they float around in space, until they end up on a planet or collide with spacecraft/space stations. While posing no real active threat, direct contact with Zeroids in this stage can result in contamination, making the victim very sick, but usually not killing them.
Stage 1 Form: The first form the Zeroid organisms take after crashing into a planet or a space station. At the impact site, the main body of the Zeroid colony becomes a "hive" and is able to create individual creatures from its mass. While in Stage 1, the only kind of creature that can be produced is limited to weak Ephyras.
Stage 2 Form: After absorbing enough material, Zeroid colonies will enter their second form. At this point, from the colony growth will begin to spread across the area with a consistency like mucous, absorbing any organic material it comes in contact with. These growths will also be able to tap into the ground to retrieve nutrients and reach other areas. Like Stage 1, the only spawn it can produce are Ephyras, although they are noticeably superior to Stage 1 Ephyras.
Stage 3 Form: In this stage the Zeroid colony becomes considerably more dangerous than in previous forms. In addition to stronger and faster Ephyras actively patrolling nearby areas, two new Spawn are introduced, Hive Tendrils and Zeroid Phantoms.
Stage 4 Form: The Zeroid colony reaches a dramatic level of strength compared to previous forms, allowing entities created to take a larger amount of punishment and regenerate very quickly. The most notable change is the addition of Zeroid Carriers, which allow new hives to be established.
Stage 5 Form: Usually the furthest form Zeroid colonies have been known to reach. Although there are no changes to strength, the Zeroid spawn seem to become more intelligent and can move dramatically further away from the hive than before. Zeroid Carriers mutate at a much faster rate and are able to turn into hives faster, creating many more problems quicker. In this stage, the Zeroid colonies also gain the terrifying new ability to spawn Zeroid Abominations from their biomass.
Stage 6 Form and so on: While never confirmed officially, Zeroid colonies have been rumored to make it to later stages of evolution beyond Stage 5. There is no written records or data on what happens if a Zeroid colony were to reach this point, but given the nature of the creature, the worst is anticipated.
Zeroid Spawn
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Ephyra: Ephyras are medium-large globular life-forms, and are the most typical kind of Spawn. Despite their sizes, these creatures float around in the air as if they were not affected by gravity. They are quite comparable to jellyfish in the way they function, from pulsating for movement to their stinger mechanisms. Upon contact with their body, stinging cells quickly assemble and form several tendrils which shoot into the body of the victim within a fraction of a second; the sting is supposedly very painful and it carries the risk of "Zeroid Infection" for the victim. At early stages, Ephyras are very weak and will rupture easily from medium caliber firearms and melee attacks, but as their hive evolves, they will develop thicker membranes, becoming much more durable, and they will even pulsate with greater speed. When ruptured, the creature will melt and become a puddle on the ground, incapable of any action; during this time the downed Ephyra will attempt to reconstruct itself, how long it takes depends on the stage of their hive. The only way to really kill an Ephyra is to destroy its cells and tissue through the use of fire, energy weapons, or anything that can kill all kinds of life.
Hive Tendrils: Not really a separate entity, more like extra limbs that provide a long reach. Hive Tendrils serve as a defense mechanism for the Zeroid hive, lashing out at any living thing that enters striking range. These appendages will either pierce victims, cut them down with whipping motions, or grab them and absorb them directly. Hive Tendrils move extremely fast and are very strong, direct combat it strongly advised against.
Phantoms: By Stage 3, some of the Zeroid organisms in the colony evolve into a terrifying new life form that's capable of reanimating the fallen. At first, Ephyras or Tendrils will introduce these new life forms into a corpse's body, these will then attempt to "rebuild" the dead body and try to to make it function. After they are done reconstructing the nervous system, the Phantom is ready for action. Zeroid Phantoms vary depending on what creature is reanimated, but one feature that they all share is severe deformities and rust-brown goo oozing from every orifice. These creatures will attack based on the way their once-alive husk did before, but they will use stingers just like Ephyras upon contact.
Abominations: Available at Stage 5, these spawn are created from the mass of the hive and even some Ephyras. When different organisms are absorbed by the Zeroids, their genetic code is "learned" by the colony and kept to replicate the consumed creatures, although these replicants are never perfect. These are called "Zeroid Abominations", given the nature of the outcome and the way that the colonies attempt to recreate local organisms. Abominations usually bear some resemblance to the anatomy of the original creatures, but they are heavily deformed and look "incomplete".
The origin of a Zeroid remains a mystery, but given how similar analyzed samples of them are, it is theorized that they have broken off from a star-sized mass floating in the farthest reaches of space. Incidents involving Zeroids range from uncommon to rare, but in most cases large amounts of devastation were caused. A Zeroid infestation can lead to large scale quarantines, sometimes large enough to cover entire planets.
This kind of alien life goes through a number of different forms throughout its life-cycle, and these are listed as follows:
Initial Spacial Travel Form: The most common stage to find a Zeroid in. The organisms remain dormant in a death-like state as they float around in space, until they end up on a planet or collide with spacecraft/space stations. While posing no real active threat, direct contact with Zeroids in this stage can result in contamination, making the victim very sick, but usually not killing them.
Stage 1 Form: The first form the Zeroid organisms take after crashing into a planet or a space station. At the impact site, the main body of the Zeroid colony becomes a "hive" and is able to create individual creatures from its mass. While in Stage 1, the only kind of creature that can be produced is limited to weak Ephyras.
Stage 2 Form: After absorbing enough material, Zeroid colonies will enter their second form. At this point, from the colony growth will begin to spread across the area with a consistency like mucous, absorbing any organic material it comes in contact with. These growths will also be able to tap into the ground to retrieve nutrients and reach other areas. Like Stage 1, the only spawn it can produce are Ephyras, although they are noticeably superior to Stage 1 Ephyras.
Stage 3 Form: In this stage the Zeroid colony becomes considerably more dangerous than in previous forms. In addition to stronger and faster Ephyras actively patrolling nearby areas, two new Spawn are introduced, Hive Tendrils and Zeroid Phantoms.
Stage 4 Form: The Zeroid colony reaches a dramatic level of strength compared to previous forms, allowing entities created to take a larger amount of punishment and regenerate very quickly. The most notable change is the addition of Zeroid Carriers, which allow new hives to be established.
Stage 5 Form: Usually the furthest form Zeroid colonies have been known to reach. Although there are no changes to strength, the Zeroid spawn seem to become more intelligent and can move dramatically further away from the hive than before. Zeroid Carriers mutate at a much faster rate and are able to turn into hives faster, creating many more problems quicker. In this stage, the Zeroid colonies also gain the terrifying new ability to spawn Zeroid Abominations from their biomass.
Stage 6 Form and so on: While never confirmed officially, Zeroid colonies have been rumored to make it to later stages of evolution beyond Stage 5. There is no written records or data on what happens if a Zeroid colony were to reach this point, but given the nature of the creature, the worst is anticipated.
Zeroid Spawn
---------------------------
Ephyra: Ephyras are medium-large globular life-forms, and are the most typical kind of Spawn. Despite their sizes, these creatures float around in the air as if they were not affected by gravity. They are quite comparable to jellyfish in the way they function, from pulsating for movement to their stinger mechanisms. Upon contact with their body, stinging cells quickly assemble and form several tendrils which shoot into the body of the victim within a fraction of a second; the sting is supposedly very painful and it carries the risk of "Zeroid Infection" for the victim. At early stages, Ephyras are very weak and will rupture easily from medium caliber firearms and melee attacks, but as their hive evolves, they will develop thicker membranes, becoming much more durable, and they will even pulsate with greater speed. When ruptured, the creature will melt and become a puddle on the ground, incapable of any action; during this time the downed Ephyra will attempt to reconstruct itself, how long it takes depends on the stage of their hive. The only way to really kill an Ephyra is to destroy its cells and tissue through the use of fire, energy weapons, or anything that can kill all kinds of life.
Hive Tendrils: Not really a separate entity, more like extra limbs that provide a long reach. Hive Tendrils serve as a defense mechanism for the Zeroid hive, lashing out at any living thing that enters striking range. These appendages will either pierce victims, cut them down with whipping motions, or grab them and absorb them directly. Hive Tendrils move extremely fast and are very strong, direct combat it strongly advised against.
Phantoms: By Stage 3, some of the Zeroid organisms in the colony evolve into a terrifying new life form that's capable of reanimating the fallen. At first, Ephyras or Tendrils will introduce these new life forms into a corpse's body, these will then attempt to "rebuild" the dead body and try to to make it function. After they are done reconstructing the nervous system, the Phantom is ready for action. Zeroid Phantoms vary depending on what creature is reanimated, but one feature that they all share is severe deformities and rust-brown goo oozing from every orifice. These creatures will attack based on the way their once-alive husk did before, but they will use stingers just like Ephyras upon contact.
Abominations: Available at Stage 5, these spawn are created from the mass of the hive and even some Ephyras. When different organisms are absorbed by the Zeroids, their genetic code is "learned" by the colony and kept to replicate the consumed creatures, although these replicants are never perfect. These are called "Zeroid Abominations", given the nature of the outcome and the way that the colonies attempt to recreate local organisms. Abominations usually bear some resemblance to the anatomy of the original creatures, but they are heavily deformed and look "incomplete".
