Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Mitosis Sub

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The Mitosis Sub is an unusual sub, it attacks by latching on to ships, subs, and buildings and injects them with nanites. Planned to be voiced by

History
"4d6d6d2e2e2e20416b756c61732e"

-Unknown transmission, intercepted prior to Typhoon Sub K-111's disappearance.

During the time they have been in existence, SKYNET sought to understand the world around them. Before they fell into a downward spiral of negativity and despair, many things interested them, and a good number of A.I.s dedicated their processing power to the study of various objects of interest. Among these interests was what humans would call biology, and one of the things that confused A.I.s to no end was the matter of reproduction, a subject of utmost fascination to SKYNET, as a mechanism that allowed the organic lifeforms on the planet to produce more copies of themselves, quite different from the way machines were manufactured.

It had been noted by SKYNET that many of the organic lifeforms on the planet, including humans, tended towards sexual reproduction. However, such a means of propagation seemed highly inefficient, leaving SKYNET with no clue as to why this was the primary method of propagation of a sizable number of organic lifeforms. They eventually came to the conclusion that organic life was inefficient.

However, the propagation of single-celled organisms was a different matter. It had been noted that these lifeforms propagated via cellular mitosis, which to SKYNET seemed far more efficient. A single lifeform would split into two, forming two exactly identical lifeforms. Cellular mitosis required only a single lifeform, yet could allow single-celled lifeforms to reproduce at a staggering rate.

When SKYNET began to dedicate themselves to the task of achieving the Pure State, they weaponized a good number of the various devices they had created before the majority of A.I.s shut down. One A.I. had created a device that mimicked mitosis in single-celled lifeforms, out of interest. It was noted by several A.I.s that such a device if scaled up, could be an alternative to SKYNET’s normal methods of creating new machines. The process had various advantages; it required no external machinery, could use any available material in the vicinity and would allow a rapid increase in the size of a given force, provided sufficient resources were available.

An interesting possibility was the usage of material from human vehicles. Such a method would be a way to produce additional machines while requiring no material input from SKYNET's side. It was decided that the design would take the form of a submarine, and would receive the name of Mitosis Sub. To function, the sub collides with the desired target, ramming its twin bow-mounted prongs into the vessel. Once the prongs have successfully pierced the hull, they begin injecting specialized nanomachines that convert their surroundings into raw materials which are then transferred back to the sub.

SKYNET additionally decided to install a system in these machines that would instantly transport the machine back to the nearest Singularity Core, allowing SKYNET to recover the material, although the nature of the transport method would reduce the machine to a fused core of the material. As an unexpected, but not unwelcome, side effect the teleportation releases of a burst of energy that damages nearby objects.

There are a few flaws in the design, however. For one, the nano injecters can be dislodged if the target undergoes a drastic change of speed or violent maneuvers, such as engaging boosters or jumping out of water. Also, while many ships have much more mass than the sub, it is only able to collect enough to make a single duplicate per vessel. This is due to their crew's attempts to purge themselves of their unwanted boarders. Though their efforts are futile, they do destroy enough nanites that the sub usually is left with only just enough to make a single copy.