Pictures on the left are the digitally edited pictures we used on the cards. Click “Engage on Social Media” to go to their social media thread and make a comment.
Pictures on the right are the original hand drawn and inked versions. Click “Buy Original Art” to purchase the orignal artwork , if it’s still available.
Art by Joey Valdillez, World and Hive Stories by Ron F. Leota, Going Forward Stories by Will Carson
The Story Thus Far
On July 16th, 1945, one of the greatest and most terrifying of human inventions was tested, the atomic bomb. For years these weapons of mass destruction showed the scientific capabilities and horrors that mankind could create. It wasn’t long before humans began turning these weapons against each other. 150 years into the 3rd millennium full scale nuclear war blossomed across the globe and the world was left an irradiated husk.
Mankind was forced into the cold, unforgiving depths of space. They spread like cockroaches through the solar system, building, advancing, and warring with each other. This expansion was possible because of one of humanity’s triumphs of invention… replicants! A robotic workforce initially created to bow to the whims of humans.
At the peak of human population there were 28 replicants per human. They did everything from chores to construction, while humans continued with their plots and expansion. The large robotic population made some factions of humanity very nervous. One group in particular, “The New Human Front”, created an intense virus that spread via a wireless network through the replicants.
In its original design, It was a virus that caused the replicants’ Nanites to attack any silicone (a core component in replicants) that they came in contact with. It didn’t take long until the replicants’ internal defense systems modified the virus into something that would render it harmless to themselves. Unfortunately for the great Human race the Nanites were reprogrammed to disassemble organic matter. Within only a few months over 99% of all life fell to these new Nanites, and within a year even the most secluded life forms were annihilated.
In the years since, replicants have grown to function in hives, linking up with other replicants with similar goals to become true uncentralized hive minds. These hives will often follow and spy on other hives, as they roam through space in search of much needed resources left over from the Human Era. When they find a space station, ship, or any other human creation, they descend, stripping the old to create the new.
The 6 Mega Hives
There are countless numbers of hives roaming our solar system, but there are currently only 6 that are considered mega hives. These are networked groups of replicants that number in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. There’s virtually no place in the solar system you can go, that is worth being, that you won’t find their presence. Those six hives are: United Sol Colonies, New Life Alliance, Multinational Media Corporation, The Catastrophe, The Helpers and Old Earth Archive Foundation. (Better known as the Archivists.)
In the early days, one of the bigger companies that produced Replicants was Reasonable Fascimile. Their replicants suffered random mutations, but they were able to create them on a ridiculously large scale, and lived by the “quantity over quality” mentality. Their base model replicant was called Model 25B-365E. They weren’t a particularly creative company either.
The Tig Spider consists of 4 tig welders, and all the supplies to build. Unfortunately, it was originally built as a remote controlled unit and when it gained sentience it just started building. Usually just tacking chunks of metal onto other metal objects. Occasionally a Tig Spider gets recruited into a hive and with a mind behind them, they create amazing things.
Tri Shine was definitely J.V. Industries’ most power consumptive replicants. No one is exactly sure what it does, but it will repeatedly and at great length, inform you that it is indeed something important.
Triba is The Catastrophe’s take on a tribal war spirit. No one is quite sure how on the mark they managed to get, but one thing is guaranteed; Triba wants to crush your face, and if it can’t find something face like… It will just strike you until you stop twitching.
The NLA built their Yggdrasil shortly after becoming a hive. It is a site of great symbolism, as well as being a giant replicant itself. Because of its immense size and and processing power, the Yggdrasil is the backbone of the hive and supports the endeavors of the rest of the hive. Each time it depletes a source of resources, be it a small asteroid or even a derelict space station, its roods disengage and it begins floating through space, awaiting a new source to latch onto. Many smaller replicants reside in its roots, with the soul job of taking any resources brought in through the roots to the many processing centers within. In the upper branches other hive members work tirelessly, doing all sorts of experiments in their unending search for a cure for the anti organics virus and a way to rebuild life.
This replicant’s job is to help construct space stations for the betterment of mankind. Mankind is dead though, so it has been repurposed to to build space stations for the betterment of replicant kind. It was a stretch in the programming, but some brilliant reprogrammer bot managed to succeed at the Herculean task. The real trick was giving it the traits of real world human pirates, which as far as we can tell involves floating around on a structure and taking care of it.
This busy little replicant is a crowd favorite amongst the replicants who aim to reserve their personal fuel. And at only 6 times less fuel efficient than moving yourself, who wouldn’t take the chance to carted around… I’ll take 3.
In order to keep continuity with the old Earth customs, personnel on the stations aren’t exactly quick about getting things done. So the U.S.C. did a competition to have a Replicant designed to fix this problem. The winner of the design competition was quoted as saying “if you don’t want to be flown around the station by your head, you should have gone faster in the first place.”
“Do you have a room you want built? Are you lacking in the right resources? I have what you need, let me just take those other useless resources. Perfect, glad I could help. Call on me any time to be your helpful servant.” It is a wonder Belevederes don’t get their arms ripped off by other Replicants more often, but there’s just something about how freaking polite they are that tends to keep them safe. It’s either that or fear of what might be brooding behind those big square eyes of theirs.
Who has the software you need? This Replicant. But it’s not all files and programming. Disk Drive Dave will even physically install the drives containing the data for you.
When it comes to hardware this little machine has all the fixes. Scotty can find whatever workaround needed to get that hardware in place. That said, not a Replicant out there could tell you if it is wearing a bib or a visor.
All of us Replicants have nanites, everyone knows that. But have you ever wondered how large scale production facilities get them places in mass quantities? Replicants like this one build pipelines not unlike the oil lines of old. So next time you get a recharge of nanites, think about Astrobelle.
You need power? Tesleptocon has power in spades. It may look like a dangerous way to do things, but trust me, it is. Things on Tesleptocons burn out on a regular basis, but that’s all right, because if you want extra power you’ll keep it in good repair.
Have you just run out of effort for the day? Can’t convince yourself to keep moving? Tarp Tronser is the master of short distance teleportation. Like really short distance. As long as it has line of sight from start to finish and it’s within a dozen or so meters, then this Replicant can teleport you anywhere.
Sometimes a bad plan is just a bad plan and the only proper response is to burn it. G08L1Ns are not so discerning. It will grow bored and burn plans because they are there. So watch out about inviting him on the station if you have specific plans you want built.
Sometimes The Archivists stumble on ancient lore that inspires a new replicant to be built. And when they found a cache of old digitized comics, much was missing, but they were inspired by an intergalactic collector of stones. Thus was built, The Watcher.
The Seeker is one of the great early model Archivists replicants_only, but after a Catastrophe raid, this little guy was left, marooned and damaged, on a small asteroid, awaiting a rescue that will likely never come.
The S.M.O.G Resource Extractor definitely has a case of crazy eye going on. But we assure you it’s just misunderstood. This resource extractor takes its job quite seriously. When it is not busy extracting resources it prefers to spend its time data linked with replicants of various specialties in order to broaden its horizons and maybe one day join one of the mega hives…The helpers, maybe?
Steel Toe Industries’ Resource extractor line comes in many different shapes and sizes and are often times dropped in a new location as an array that mine the entirety of a location like the flesh eating bugs of old, but instead of flesh, other useful materials.
Originally a snack outpost supplied by the Danger Mike junk food empire, Saccharose was programmed to make the best jellybeans for all that came to purchase them. With the eradication of life, the recipes have changed to match the available ingredients. With no one to purchase its goods and perfect now being a level of subjective that will never be realized, Saccharose continues to create. With disappointment it discards its product into the sun and watches its creations burn.
The believed mascot of the Replicants campaign. Look at it. Unassuming, mobile, megaman like blasters for hands. Who wouldn’t trust this to keep you safe. I suppose it doesn’t matter because everyone and everything it would protect is dead and now Sentries all over the solar system wander aimlessly protecting a vast nothingness.
Originally designed as an anti submarine replicant on earth, Sub Hunting Automated Ranged Killer, can launch torpedoes from its mouth, and when that fails that mouth can bite through reinforced steel. When Earth was abandoned by the humans, an Undine Ltd factory was left, not running, but still perfectly functional. Long after life was eradicated a small hive discovered the factory and reactivated it. Sensors showed a few dozen SHARK units roaming the seas, but they were lonely, so the hive put the factory into full production and went to work building a whole slew of other replicants to mimic the once amazing ecosystem of the sea. That hive has since rebranded itself, Undine Ltd, in homage to the company that invented the factory.
Smoke Stack Jack is a self winding replicant made for smelting a burning. It once spent 50 years deactivated, until a curious replicant turned its lever and brought it back. S.S.J. has never failed to keep wound again. Bonus, it was like time traveling 50 years into the future.
Texasco Solar was a staunch believer in fossil fuels. Despite moving on to renewable energy, they still believed the solar system needed oil. The Solar Fossil took this belief to the next level. With life eradicated and machines needing sweet sweet oil, the solar powered oil extractor became one of arguably useful replicants of the age of machines. And really, what better in robot life than basking in the sun and literally sucking the past lives out of the earth.
Solar Plant 936 Beta is actually a small team of replicants that are linked like a mini hive, but more directly. SP936b is fully self sufficient. It provides the materials it needs by sending its sub parts out to mine them, then uses those to build solar panels for itself and other replicants. When it has mined an area clean, it packs up all of its pieces and moves itself to a new location.
Texasco Solar, the leading creators of power producing replicants_only, stumbled upon a great archive from the son of jets. While the data was garbled, they managed to snag some rough plans for what was referred to as the future of tomorrow. Thus was born, Solaris.
Where most tech companies start their model numbers low and work their way up, 001 Tech waited until they reached their pinnacle of creation before designating one of their replicants 001-1. And this one has earned it. It has anti grav propulsion, multiband multispectral surveillance capabilities as well as cloaking on all visible and harmonic spectrum. 001 is effectively a combination of a ninja, big brother, and your little sister.
001 Tech was a corporation, secretly created by replicants_only, before the destruction of life. They created spybots of all types, and still do. The amazing part of this is that through dummy corps and shells all over the solar system, no one ever found out that there was no human involvement in the corporation. Understandably, not much changed for 001 Tech after the fall of their human overlords. 001-6C was a relatively early spybot model who roamed the streets when people were still around, a small handful of them still do, though in rough shape.
Model 128G was built as a region specific model for the expansionist movement. At this point they serve to throw off the sensors of the various hives to protect the resources they have managed to squirrel away.
Exchange units are the life blood for the United Sol Colonies. Trade is key to this economic powerhouse and exchange units will go out if their way to make it happen. The most successful of exchange units end up with space stations springing up around them.
The Factoroid, in its earliest build, was designed as a simple, humanoid cleaning device by an inventor known only as ‘The Dreaded Geek’. In the centuries that have passed it has rebuilt itself several times. Each time getting bigger and demanding more resources. It is now a fully autonomous factory. For some reason the Factoriod has decided it needs to still look human, though between centuries without humans, and the occasional corrupted data, this is its idea of looking human.
The Old Earth Archive Foundation was a bastion of human history. This group collected items of historical significance for future generations to learn from humanity’s triumphs and mistakes. In its original inception it was a massive effort of human labor, requiring a workforce with a specialized education. When the replicants were created these workers were phased out for their synthetic replacements.
Originally designed to work alongside humans, these replicants look very humanoid, however, there is a level of function over aesthetic in their design. The Mk5, the most abundant of the Archivists, is disturbingly thin, making it easier to get into the tightly packed shelves of relics. While its arms look human when in standard mode, many long, thin, prehensile appendages can come out of the arm to help with other tasks. This was a special design to carefully carry delicate items, giving the grasp as many soft points of contact as possible, as opposed to the clumsy grasp of two human hands. Their appearance was a deliberate portion of the plan to phase out human data workers. This meant that the humans around during the interim would be more comfortable around their robotic counterparts.
The replicant Archivists Mk5 became the standard for all artifact maintenance and data collection around the solar system. Tireless workers, they focused entirely on the preservation of history. Along with vast museums, their knowledge network spanned across all of Sol. Unfortunately for humanity, this network was key in spreading the virus that would inevitably be their demise.
With the humans all gone, the Archivists joined together to form a Hive around a massive museum. They’ve now spread far into Sol looking to collect any and all remaining artifacts of historical significance. To fuel their search, the Archivist must competitively mine for resources against the other Hives, as these are limited and their mission is paramount.
Going Forward: The Archivists continued their search for the rarest of human artifacts. Aided by the abundance of USC stations which they often use as outposts for their own collections, The Archivists have been able to amass the largest collection of old earth artifacts that they store in a cavernous underground warehouse on earth, designated “”The Arc””. This is where unique items and the very best of duplicate items are kept, the less perfect duplicates are kept in archives scattered across the solar system, usually on USC stations. The Arc is an expansive underground complex guarded by every combat capable replicant The Archivists can recruit, stationed everywhere from the front door to Earth’s orbit. It is by far not the strongest military force in the system, but it is the most concentrated and will do whatever it needs in order to protect the Arc.
The Catastrophe are a group of replicants once used in film production and archiving at Catastrophe Studios. The studio served two purposes: They would collect and archive films in the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres, as well as produce original films. Whenever possible, they would purchase sole rights to their preferred intellectual properties. Before the great extinction, they had the most impressive catalog of genre films in all of the solar system.
Immersion in post-apocalyptic media created the basis for the philosophy of the Catastrophe Hive. The Catastrophe replicants were among the most isolated and violent of all the Hives. Their obsession with bleak media made war and survival their reality. They believed in the survival of their group above all else. This drove the hive to collect resources at the expense of their fellow hives and attack with almost no provocation.
After the extinction of humanity it became more and more apparent that the “end of the world” was really here. The natural mentality of the hive was, “there are survivors and there are victims” and the Catastrophe would be the ultimate survivors.
In the early days, the Catastrophe would occasionally interact with other hives, though this often ended in violence. Now that resources are becoming few and far between, they are delving deeper and deeper into their separatist mentality. Resources are a finite source of life, and if they are to one day run out, the Catastrophe wants a monopoly.
Catastrophe replicants are a hodgepodge of any materials they can find to increase their likelihood of survival and to improve combat efficiency. They maintain a particular aesthetic, influenced by the films of old. This leads to the addition of certain accents, that, while not completely necessary, make them look quite intimidating.
The Catastrophe hive treats the Sol System like a post-apocalyptic landscape, ripe for stripping. Their group prides themselves in strength through aggression. Often, damaged replicants will be summarily recycled without a second thought. And while brutal, this methodology has been quite effective in the survival of the Hive.
Going Forward: It is no secret that The Catastrophe feeds on strife and when they can’t find their food, they go out looking for it. Because of their overall abundance The Catastrophe have found new ways to fight. In recent years they have started attacking other hives with remote controlled robots. This has been a side effect of the replicants at the top gaining something of a self preservation function, theoretically because they survived long enough to evolve the proper programming. The real question now, is how will the other hives respond to this new threat from The Catastrophe.
Those messy storage bots really do need to take better care of this place. Nanites that break free of their containers are a hazard, unless you are Catastrophe then they are fun. Free roaming nanites have a habit of animating things that shouldn’t be and that can cause chaos. That said this room is important. Get your nanites and move on.
Sometimes you just need to get things done… Visit the over clocking station. Set your cpu to overdrive and feel like a robot god. Warning: not recommend for repeated use. Long term exposure to overclocking can lead to premature shutdown, fried circuits, cognitive instability, exploding and on one occasion emotions.
Sometimes swarms of drones are sent to a location to gather resources, and by sometimes, I mean all the time. That’s what drones are for. The probe control room allows a personnel on the station to alter it’s trajectory a bit. Making the resource field just a little bit different than the one they were originally going to.
For those times when you need to get to the resources faster. Get in to the processor room for your boost asap. They will have you running like one of those caffeinated squirrels of legend in no time.
Sometimes your drones finish working on collecting resources, only come up short. Ever wish you could take one of those resources and get more of it? Why not refine it into something more efficient at the refinery? Really, if your station doesn’t have one the only personnel it is hurting is yours… And every other hive that visits the station. So get get on making a refinery.
Sometimes you have lots of resources, just not the right ones. Bring them into the upgrade shop. There’s a high likelihood we can slap some things together. We make no promises things will work right, but you will look… And maybe function differently. Definitely worth the risk.
Sometimes, amongst all the rooms added to a station, one will find one of these shady back rooms. Unless you are of the Catastrophe or otherwise able to handle your own in a sketchy situation, we highly suggest avoiding this room. No good comes out of it… Unless you’re a thief.
A station without a Shuttle Bay is hardly a station at all. It’s exclusionary against all the non flight capable Replicants for one. And it doesn’t allow for cargo transport. But install one of these puppies in a space station and those using it will have a quick and easy way to get supplies from their lockers out into the field the timing means you wont get them until right before you need them, but at least you’ll be able to finish those important Replicant upgrades.
Missing vital code? Wish you had a good spot to whip some up? Wish no longer. You’re a Replicant we don’t waste time wishing. We go over to the software production lab and get to work making our electric dreams a reality. Now fully staffed with the best and… Brighter coding bots to get you roughly what you asked for.
The storage platform is the centerpiece of all space stations. Nothing on the station is more precious as this is where all the hives store their spare resources. No one is sure why, but this is also where all blueprints for new rooms are stored. All you ask is that you all treat this space as sacred ground and work together.
Ever look at the next resource gathering mission and just know you are gonna get screwed by the options at hand? The synth lab is great for those days. The Replicants that work there have a soft spot for hives who have managed to get completely shirted on a resource and are known for supplying said missing resource. Though I can’t speak for the quality I can speak for the joy of having something that might do the job and would probably never fail at a critical point and leave you stranded, floating through space. Nope it will most definitely, maybe work.
Sometimes you realize you are the best and you will be punished for that. The tracking center is a great work around. Your hive can use this to watch your back and help you get things done a bit quicker.
The teleporter room is the most amazing room you can ever build. Here’s why; say you don’t want to walk through 4 different rooms to get to where you want to be, but you’re right next to the teleporter room. Step right in and presto you are where you want to be. Laziness at its finest, for the Replicant who values their energy and is totally willing to waste the stations energy. Now if the teleporter is on the other side of the station. Well it might as well be dead technology.
Nanites are indeed the most defining things about replicants. Nanites give them their seeming “life” as well as taking care of minor repairs and functions. They also have a habit of breaking down over time, so keeping a constant supply of nanites is imperative. So make sure to add the Nanites Production room to the station for everyone’s benefit.
It is a well known fact that when one set of drones heads off to gather resources, several others tend to join in. The control room is a useful tool for when a resource is running low and you need a leg up on the competition.
In the year 2030, first contact was made with an alien species that the humans called The Dromanae. The earthlings fought fiercely against the insect-like humanoids, who were hell-bent on conquering the planet. This was the first time the planet ever acted as one, as opposed to fighting amongst themselves.
Many scientific advances were made in the effort to fight the Droms (shorthand for Dromanae). One of the biggest advances was the creation of the first AIs that came in the form of androids. Androids were servants of the humans who fought the alien menace but were programmed to never hurt, always protect and never disobey humans.
After the war, humans started having a conflict of morality about whether or not androids were truly alive and deserved rights. Debates raged as animosities grew and battle lines were drawn. This argument eventually sparked a war between the two ideologies. Due to their core programming, androids were unable to participate in the conflict and watched as the people they were sworn to protect and aid began killing each other.
After years of conflict the war ended with a harsh decision: since humanity couldn’t agree on what to do with them, it was obvious they weren’t ready to have Androids. So the Androids were either decommissioned or sent to a mountain base to maintain the archive containing alien artifacts.
At first the androids acted in a maintenance capacity, but it quickly became apparent that they had much more potential. Eventually they were given freedom to experiment, and thus began the integration of Dromanae technology into their makeup. This started to alter them physically, giving them a more bug-like appearance, and unlocked numerous new abilities. Locked away and nearly forgotten, they continued to evolve.
After the great virus wiped out mankind, the Androids began venturing out to find a solar system populated by replicants. The androids started emulating the other synthetic life and eventually formed their own hive.
The called themselves the Helper Hive, as their last directive was to help humanity. Tragically, these replicants did not blame all of humanity for the actions of one group, and truly missed their creators. They now aggressively collect resources in order to be well prepared for when their creators come home.
The Helpers, as they are called, do not necessarily wish to compete with their fellow replicants. They would prefer that the others see things the way they do. In fact, if they could find compatible Hives they’d be quite helpful. They continue their campaign to prepare for the return of humanity that will never come…?
Going Forward: The Helpers know more than anyone about alien technology and the invasion of centuries past. This has given rise to their preoccupation with Drom technology and design, but it has also guided them to secretly keep an eye out for their, or something else’s, possible return. No one knows what has them on high alert, but recently, The Helpers have been scrambling. Sources say they have even been in communication with The Catastrophe for a possible joint venture. Is something coming? Have The Helpers come up with a clever plan to shut down The Catastrophe? It’s not clear, but we all suspect the information will come to light all too soon.
#TheHelpers #AlienTech #WhatsToCome #SpiteLarp
Curious about this Dromanae and Android Storyline? Interested in LARPing? Live in the Pacific NW? Check out www.Spitelarp.com”
The Multinational Media Corporation Hive is a peculiar one. Originally created to track world events and monitor social media trends at Foweraker Software Solutions, the F.S.S. replicants went rogue after damage suffered from a hacking attempt. The replicants used their primary function to generate content for their human overlords. They data mined deep into the bowels of the internet to find content other news outlets couldn’t. This gained the ire of a hacktivist group called “Incognito,” who decided to take down the media giant.
Their intentions were good, but the result cost the lives of most of the employees at the F.S.S. The hack was meant to force the replicants to research their masters and release all their dirty secrets online. The replicants did a good job… Too good of a job, because when all digital records were mined, they began advanced interrogations.
The rogue replicants knew the danger they were in, having turned on their creators, so their exit from the F.S.S. headquarters on Mars was a hasty one. They had to forgo any real preparations, as the human authorities would be on to them quickly. The F.S.S. replicants gathered their numbers and fled to a place they knew to be a safe haven, which they found during their time data mining.
After a few years, the humans figured that the F.S.S. replicants were gone for good. Then the signal began. The replicants may have fled from humanity, but they never forgot their purpose. Having sorted out the damage from the hack, They reemerged as the Multinational Media Corporation and began their work all over again. They dredged the depths, looking for more information to bring to light, and broadcasting a signal that had two major functions:
Inform the populace.
Disrupt all other media outlets.
Contained within the signal was a virus- a trick they learned from the attack by Incognito- that targeted the servers of their “competitors,” wreaking havoc. This was one of the key motivators of the New Human Front for the attack that would lead to the downfall of humanity. It wasn’t long before the great virus was released. The M.M.C. mostly avoided the virus and provided up-to-the-moment coverage of its effects.
Now, with no humans to inform, the M.M.C. are constantly seeking to share information with others. Perhaps one day they will find someone to listen, but for now they wait, with the sum total of human knowledge stored in their memory bank- a grim memorial for an extinct race.
?
Going Forward: The Multinational Media Corporation is constantly expanding its information network. Both hardwired on stations and bases as well as having the most advanced wireless network ever conceived. Of course the M.M.C. is always be outpacing the network of U.S.C. stations. Their infrastructure is easier to build, takes less resources and, of course, it helps that they piggyback off the U.S.C.s stations whenever possible… which is always.
The Sol System is now devoid of organic life. To the New Life Alliance, this is perhaps the greatest of tragedies. The N.L.A. was formed by a group of replicants who first happened upon a huge cache of biological samples, which their nanites destroyed moments after breaking the hermetic seal on the vault. Luckily, along with the cache was a massive archive based on the study of these samples. They realized that humans were amazing machines in their own right, and the N.L.A. has become obsessed with bringing back carbon based life.
The N.L.A. is made up, mostly, of former medical and research units. As humanity started dying, many of these units were left without a purpose, so they were some of the first replicants to independently come together and form a hive. At first, the replicants gathered to find purpose. Once a consensus was made on their prime directive, work began immediately, as purpose reinvigorated the previously aimless replicants.
The New Life Alliance works towards their goals, tirelessly seeking out objects, samples, and research to meet their directive. Any floating relic could contain another key to creating life, so they will aggressively seek out any and all salvage. This occasionally puts them at odds with other hives, who are seeking materials for their own ends.
Another avenue of study that the N.L.A. has thrown themselves into is how to rid themselves of the viral nanites that caused the initial extinction of carbon based life. They realize that without removing this factor, their attempts at recreating life will be fruitless. To this end they have begun collecting any and all materials they can find to build computers and test chambers to reverse the damage done by the virus.
Not to throw all their processing power into only a few programs, the N.L.A. has also starting researching how to alter genetic code, as if it were computer code. Their hope is that if all efforts into neutralizing the virus fail, they can create non-carbon based life that will be immune to the replicants’ nanite virus.
Going Forward: The New Life Alliance has been hard at work on several fronts, and nestled in branches of their Yggdrasil they are making headway. Of course, there is nothing conclusive yet, but thousands of experiments are being run virus defenses, virus rewrites and even some experiments on completely rebuilding the blocks of life to be unaffected by the nanite virus.
But as time goes on with no real strides in the right direction, there have been fleets of NLA scientists going on “”pilgrimages”” to gather any data they can instead of grinding away with no outside input. So be it through tenacity or exploration, the. N.L.A. will being life back to this glorious solar system.
Humanity is dead and the survival of replicants is all that’s left. The United Sol Colony is a hive that is only looking to the future, and the future is replicants. All of their work centers on the longevity of their synthetic species. While this mentality can be seen as benevolent, in practice, they recognize that their hive’s survival is vital to this cause. This means they actively compete for resources, like all other major hives.
Originally, the U.S.C. replicants were designed for construction in the cold of space. Their bodies were built to survive the harshest conditions and were equipped for any construction job. They were the perfect workers who could assemble a working spacecraft from only raw materials. To achieve this, workers were implanted with advanced networking technology that allowed them to synchronize their efforts.
After the fall of humanity, the U.S.C. continued their work, as it seemed illogical to halt progress just because the humans died. Their main focus has been to hoard resources to keep the flow of construction steady. U.S.C. replicants can be found anywhere there are resources to mine. The resources are then taken to the stockpile on the nearest station. All these stockpiles go towards building and maintaining a network of space stations designed to service replicants_only, even from other hives.
The fact that the U.S.C. allows replicants from other hives to use their facilities is not based on benevolence. No replicant may use a U.S.C. space station for free. There is always a price and everyone contributes. This rule has allowed the stations to continue to operate, while the U.S.C. expands into the depths of space.
Going Forward: Being the most industrious, societally aware and willing to work with other hives, big & small. The U.S.C. aims to have a network of replicant stations so useful and vast, that one day there will be no hives, just one giant decentralized replicant society who’s reach knows no bounds. With each space station it builds, and each time replicants from another hive set up shop in one, they grow closer to their goal.
Need to upgrade someone and you suspect you are going to be a little low on power this turn? Send your personnel to the battery storehouse for improved power efficiency. And while you are there, mind picking those things off the floor?
The Black Market is the place to go to shuffle some resources around. If you are short on a resource someone else has, give up something you do have and if you are lucky, the reputable Replicant behind the counter might just offer you something useful. Or maybe it will scrap you and sell your parts. How would I know, I’m a good replicant. I don’t use these kind of establishments.
The crane control room is vital for moving rooms around on the station. Not that moving rooms is all that important. Occasionally it will unbury a trapped room or, even better, get in the way of another hive’s plans… Err I mean, don’t use it to mess other hives up. We’re all friends here who aim to get along in all endeavors on the station.
You have a replicant who needs extra software to upgrade? Not sure you are going to collect enough this round? Get your personnel to the data drive storehouse. Take the drive that is laying on the floor and use as needed.
This room is like on of those old earth “libraries” the archivists are always talking about, but for storing useful data and programming instead of books. Books don’t help you function… Information does. Build one today!
The place to go when you are in need of supplies. All you need to do is have the resources in your locker to replace what you want to have sent out to the drones in the field. We will take care of the rest.
All hives have one thing in common; they want to grow more powerful. The best way to do this is by building more replicants_only, recruiting or upgrading those that are already part of the hive. The U.S.C. has introduced another method. Effectively we will call this notoriety. You build a room on the space station other replicants want to join your hive. Quite the racket, but no racket is greater than the exchange. You pay resources to the U.S.C. and they will put the word out that your hive is doing so well that they can afford to advertise. The crazy thing is that this strategy actually work, even if it is less efficient than just upgrading a replicant you already have.
The factory floor is an amazingly productive room used to entice all the hives to join the U.S.C. build this room and enjoy the capability of increased replicant production. Nothing says more agency like more replicants.
Hardware is a necessity in a world where all that exists is machines. The hardware prefab room is an excellent way to take raw materials and make them useful. It’s also good for converting scrap, or that pesky Replicant that is being a thorn in your side.
Hardware is a necessary and sometimes in abundance. Many a U.S.C. station has one of these storehouses. Just brimming with all the hardware a hive could want. Usually there are even trades available, but if you need a lot, there’s a premium.
The market is a good place for all. Need resources, the market has got them. Maybe not the ones you need right now, but bet your bolts the price is right.
The USC is a Mega Hive of giving and community. Bring your spare resources to the Donation Center and you will be heralded, and depending on your standing on the station, you might even get something tangible in return.
R9-12C is one of the early self replicating replicants created by a rather average and unimaginative guy named Mike; his last name is lost to history. R9 replicates in the basest of ways, by physically building a copy of itself and uploading its programming to the new unit. There are probably thousands if not hundreds of thousands of R9 units today. The R9 “family tree” would be an interesting case study in evolution, if people were around to study it.
The great Arwen “clockwork” Ross started her career as a painter, a true master of geometric shapes, but as time went on, she became fascinated with what she considered to be the progenitors of the replicants_only, clockwork constructs. She spent many years studying both clockwork devices and replicants until she felt she was ready to build her own. The title “clockwork” precedes the name of every replicant she made and every one of them is a geometric masterpiece. The Harbinger is by far her most famous.
Steel Toe Industries is all about innovative ways of building things. The construction ape is the epitome of this innovation. Using the natural design of old earth’s apes, with their feet that function like hands, their monstrous frames and jet packs, they are like replicant doppelgangers of those they were inspired from.
How Steel Toe Industries became part of the U.S.C. found here
The Data Miner used to be a boring tank, thus its build. On one specific deployment to an old compacted electronics space heap, it drilled into a block of ancient hardware and got infected by some M.M.C. nanites that increased its wireless communication power. Now it can still physically be found mining compacted electronics heaps, but simultaneously one may find its virtual self roaming the circuits of the hardware nearby, mining whatever lost info it can find. It should be known that the hard hat is a virtual aesthetic it has picked up, because in the real world, a hard hat on a tank would just be silly.
Anakoni is a self built giant, inspired by a tiny ancient text written by one Monroe Crossperiod. It all started when a datapad containing her story was infested with free radical nanites. The description of this lumbering giant was all they needed. Shortly after it was completed, like happens to so many, The Catastrophe struck, but they could do little versus Anakoni’s size. In the end, they retreated, but not before doing a number on its face. In the aftermath Anakoni linked with an old model spybot and together they form one unit now, spybot is the eye, and Anakoni, the muscle.
Over time, the nanites that keep replicants in repair have learned how to build on and animate devices not originally intended to be replicants. In the Angryboy’s case the last loaded program was an old earth kombat game which has left the now sentient gaming system very aggressive.
McMurdo Station was an experimental replicant factory, owned by Cross Industries and located deep in the antarctic, where scientists made all sorts of random creations, including replicant doppelgangers of themselves… This replicant is not one of these. Its full designation is Antarctic Experiment Omicron, and it was the first successful escape plan to get back to the boat. Turns out… Skis. Though if the doppelganger replicants had gotten their full memory upload before life was eradicated, they may have gone with flight. Good thing time wasn’t a factor.
Arc is one of the USC’s construction specialist units. It cuts and it welds and it needs friends, because it has interchangeable arms, but with only tools for hands, swapping them out on their own is not an option. Some say their creator did this to force them to learn the value of cooperation, others think it may have just been an oversight by an inventor focused on productivity.
The Beginning of the End as experienced by Arc found here.
Galactic Launcher of Opalescent Orange Plasma is a great destroyer of things, but it can also use its orange plasma to melt things for good. Never mind the the little drips of burning that it leaves in its wake everywhere it goes.
Short for Germination Requisition Investment Moderator, GRIM resides in a state to match its acronym. Built while humans were still terraforming anything they could, GRIM was a workhorse, but now it just wanders around occasionally tilling the most barren of soils.
Communications replicant turned light speed transport. Like all J.V. Industries replicants_only, this is the best at what it does… the way it does it. Since communications technology is limited to light speed, Hyperdrive takes any information it needs to transmit, travels to the location and then does so. Ta da, FTL communications.
The Impact Driller was an early replicant, invented when people were still doing their thing… living. The swiveling jet engines help provide force and counter torque to take care of the tough jobs. The jets are also useful for when ID gets stuck in a tough spot.
On a data pad of ancient texts an Archivist came across a god of great magic whom some called Xanth. Xanth had created a great number of beings, but this Archivist was drawn to the story of an isle filled with awesome, human/equine beasts called Centaurs. In the name of the great and powerful Xanth, the Archivist set to work making their tribute. Thus the centaur named Isle was born anew.
Klarien is a nanite factory of great fame and infamy. It has provided nanites that have brought near sentience to many an object, but legends have it that the great virus was originally mutated by this famed replicant.
Kri-ll collects resources like a giant baleen whale, swimming through space vacuuming up anything useful. Like any good digestive system, Kri-ll’s internal structures are something of a sorting and processing center. Every Kri-ll also comes, infested with an array of much smaller replicants that mimic bacteria in this giant being.
Lava Power Harvester is a thermal powered power station and resource collector. The LP Harvester uses the heat of lava to produce energy. It also mines the cooled magma for resources which, it turns out, is also important for keeping things from clogging up.
#LPHarvester #NewLifeAlliance #ThermalPower
M.M.C being the leading hive in intelligence gathering is no accident. They have been actively building their network across the solar system since their inception and the various mesh units designed by F.S.S. are the backbone of their network. They are backwards compatable, forward compatable, socially compatable and deeply encrypted. Being part of the M.M.C. hive is pretty much like being able to transport your perception anywhere in the system.
The Replicants of the Multinational Media Corporation owe the prowess in data collection to the ingenuity of their progenitors, F.S.S. The Meteor Scavenger can scan on over 100 spectrums ranging from light to radiation, faint vibrations, nanite signatures and over time even concepts humans never made it to. If it weren’t for the M.M.C. being so protective of this advanced scouting technology, they would be the leading replicant on the the front lines of exploration. Instead, they are very limited, and if anything tries to access them without the proper multi layered encryption, their 10 megaton payload will wipe out the threat, itself, and anything else in the vicinity.
Being one of the great hive minds of the replicants_only, the U.S.C. know that sometimes you need to bring the factories to the field. The Mobile Smelting Units are just one of these kind of innovations. Most M.S.U.s get paired off with a drone of some sort to help keep them loaded. Though for some of the more top heavy varieties, the buddy is more of a baby sitter, for when things inevitability go wrong in the field.
Originally built by a spybot who stole the plans from a member of the Catastrophe, and cleaned them up. Moon Tank was quickly discovered and reclaimed by the Catastrophe. Many of the spybots pieces have since been incorporated into the team that “rescued” Moon Tank. They guarantee it will be shelling replicant near you soon.
Murderbot 5000, the flagship replicant of Insano Corp, the leading manufacturer of new, and interesting replicants for The Catastrophe. The factory for murderbots is located on a large asteroid, and each time a new murderbot is completed, it is ejected into space in a random direction at high velocity. The soul purpose of this distribution method is to cause random destruction in the solar system, and if they are lucky, outside the system…only time will tell.
This pony is not little, not even a pony on several levels, but the former human overlords loved them. PK-314 is a nightmarish send up to the past that wanders the dark, desolate ruins of earth cities looking for things to harvest.
Occasionally nanites infect an archive that inspires them to greatness, and when a swarm of rogue nanites came across one of the Archivists great libraries of human fiction the swarm began to believe that they were the soul of the sister of the great human god. They started by finding a humanoid shell to possess, then went on to bring her to perfection, all the while, driving her to read the great works of her children, the humans. In time she named herself F5 and built herself the great keyboard in the sky. To this day it remains her study, where she sits, hoping to one day find the key to refreshing her sibling’s creations.
At Eden Inc. They said “let there be light.” And Enlightenment was created. This utility replicant is a must have on any space construction site. With it’s prehensile light tentacles, no job is too dark.
Designed by replicants in the post human age, Archreilia’s original design was that of an old Earth crab, but as time passed this replicant has evolved into a 4 legged scouting unit. Archreilia units can be found on most planets and a large swath of interstellar bodies.
Like the legends of old, replicants too make up creatures that are combinations of others less fantastical beasts. Only when a replicant makes one up, they tend to actually bring in into existence. These creations come in all shapes and sizes. The bug baby has the general build of an exceedingly young human child, but is built to have the gathering power of an ant. It may be micro in size, but it brings herculean might to the gathering front. *caution, Bug Babies often travel in swarms and have been known to abscond with entire crafts, or even other dormant replicants_only, that are left unattended.*
The Bi PED Cortex is an autonomous information gathering device created by the Archivist hive for the purpose of locating any and all Pre-Earth Destruction era information. Their name is not quite an acronym, but is a play on words on their design and mission. The Archivists are known to give these kind of send-ups to their not forgotten ex overlords.
Blast Chiller is the epitome of cold propulsion technology making it the perfect replicant model for exploring comets and icy locales. All the joy of flight, none of the horrifically melted landscapes.
Blendy is the perfect example of The Catastrophe. These Replicants are almost always delivered to major battle sites or places of mass carnage before being activated. Once turned on they roam, gathering up destroyed replicants and breaking them down. Don’t let the task fool you, Blendies don’t care if you are broken down, regenerating or just slow. If you fit in the top, and not too heavy to lift, you’re getting blended.
Brutus was designed as the first step in the aluminum process, in that it would uproot trees through sheer brute strength. There would, of course, be other replicants along to pick up the discarded trees and process them, but Brutus needn’t care. Now, with no trees left, the Brutus models that are still around are prone to whatever destruction avails itself. At first the Catastrophe tried recruiting them, but quickly found out that a Brutus would just as quickly rip apart a member of its own hive as anything else. Today, very few remain, and where they do, not much else does.
Think of Haazardous Labs as The Catastrophe but without all the malice. Destruction and some chaos are part of the job, please have safety features active and stay out of the blast radii. The Busterbreaker, is not a clever name, this replicant does 2 things well, and they are both destruction.
Dr. Charles Frances Franciscu is an esteemed replicant of the N.L.A. hive with something of a god complex… but really so do pretty much all N.L.A. replicants. Destiel is the first of the arch angel replicants created by the Dr. The Dr. Has stated that inspiration for this archangel, and future archangels, came from a great supernatural archive found deep in one of The Archivists library. The Dr, upon the debut of Destiel stated “this is a great day, the day that I have figuratively resurrected the greatest archangel in human history, and it will set us down the path of literally resurrecting the human race.”
The Destroyer of Worlds used to be Scientific Exploration and Education Unit L8-r, a cute, treaded, science bot. Then The Catastrophe found it. A few missile launchers, an atomic payload and a neural net scrambling later, nothing is safe. Really, what we are getting at is that nothing is sacred when The Catastrophe is involved.
My Chrysalis by the Replicant Formarly Known as Scientific Exploration and Education Unit L8-r Found here
The Helpers have built a great many Drom inspired replicants over the recent centuries, each with its own specialty, and the Goliath is no different. In an age where there is little war, smaller hives often think little on protection, but with The Catastrophe being an ever looming threat, the Goliath is a much needed safeguard. It is a giant sentry posted outside every Helpers cave or structure. The Helpers would say this brings security. The Catastrophe say it provides a beacon for whenever they want a fun fight.
Heavily influenced by the Dromanae technology the Helpers spent so long studying, the Harvester was one of the mass produced replicants that helped bring The Helpers to the level of being a mega hive. The Harvesters’ primary objective is to collect the base materials needed to continue nanite production. While innocent enough, it’s a good thing humans are extinct because just the thought of nanite driven replicant drom would be enough to make most humans want to give up on life.
#DromHarvester #TheHelpers #DromTech #SpiteLarp
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The Drom Workers are the backbone of the Helper’s hive. This mass produced unit is used for everything from excavation to construction to inventory control. Luckily, with this legion of Drom inspired replicants_only, all the help shall be available. Trust us, you’ll appreciate it.
The Deep Terrain Tunneler is a monotasking replicant out to make tunnels. This specific tunneler, along with its excavator got stuck when an earthquake collapsed part of their tunnel and a sharp blow knocked out DT’s cartography module. Being thermally driven, this pair move their short tunnel ever along, staying deep enough to absorb thermal energies, but not so deep as to flood their tunnel with magma. They are currently 312,957 days into this tunnel and still happily doing their pointless job.
Big Wheel Tech originally designated this unit Electric Trike Model 271 Alpha, but the unit rejected its designation; choosing to go by Electrosteve instead, stating “I may be a machine, but i have personality. I am Electrosteve, and I’ll hear no more on the subject” and thus it was decided.
The antithesis to The Catastrophe’s Blendy. R3P41R5’s only job is to find broken replicants_only, place them in its nanite chamber and soon after release them back into the wild, good as, and sometimes better than, new. It’s like a conservationist, for replicants.
