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[~Neri]

"Is it possible to completely cut all local ventilation from the rest of the station? Blobs in the vents."

Nerin and Valrak track the spiderblob via available sensory suites and the Milliwave. Valrak does his best to point out where it is to the guards.

"I told you we should have brought drone units."

"This is Valrak. Majority of Biomatrix contained. Small portion escaped purge and entered ventalation shaft. WARDEN, if possible make your way to the research lab ventilation shafts to coordinate deletion of biohazard."

[WillowLuman]

"Well... my research wasn't proceeding so well, and I needed some fuel money. I might almost ask you the same question, but not right now. Tell me... do you know anything about a bio-assimilating mass amongst SpaceInc's dirty little secrets?"

Over the comms, he asks "Valrak, can you please describe to me the one you've been dealing with? There are several situations going on up here."

[~Neri]

"Class Three blobform. Rapid assimilation. Adapting to Class Four."

[Toaster]

Deuce cuts in on the comms.  'I hate to interrupt, but I could use the opinion of one of you science-folk.  I see a ring-shaped being covered in some sort of orange gel rolling around a coffee shop absorbing everything it touches; is that part of your blob?  Anyway, beyond that, there's a lab I can see with several contained specimens.  Uhh... a plant with white flowers kept in cold, a dead chimpanzee, something really bright in a liquid bath, and some sort of thorny vine that's completely covered the test chamber, and is really sealed up.  Any of that good for you?"

[WillowLuman]

"I see the toroidal being as well. I am unfamiliar with your classification system, a physical description would be better. What colors does it use? Is it opaque or translucent?"

[Toaster]

'I just see orange, and it's kinda translucent.  It ate a phone as well as organic stuff.'

[_DivideByZero_]

"A bio-assimilating mass. Hmm, I told you about it earlier, although I wasn't fully aware of its capabilities. Is it that donut over there?"

Deuce and Atlos both take note of the being, which is for the moment stationary, taking its time. Atlos notices a faded rectangle suspended inside a part of the creature, while Deuce notes it hasn't moved since it ate the phone.


"My memory indicates that it bears the power of shapeshifting, and can change its color to match that of its surroundings, or whatever it happens to be imitating. Sounds like fairly nasty stuff indeed, nastier than a jelly donut rolling around on tables. But if you wish to contain this one, I suggest we keep it in a box, preferably one made of plastic or something that won't allow it to leak through."

Deuce cuts in on the comms.  'I hate to interrupt, but I could use the opinion of one of you science-folk.  I see a ring-shaped being covered in some sort of orange gel rolling around a coffee shop absorbing everything it touches; is that part of your blob?  Anyway, beyond that, there's a lab I can see with several contained specimens.  Uhh... a plant with white flowers kept in cold, a dead chimpanzee, something really bright in a liquid bath, and some sort of thorny vine that's completely covered the test chamber, and is really sealed up.  Any of that good for you?"

"Right, I recall there being research on vine-like plants that grow remarkably fast in high-light conditions. They should prove useful in terraforming worlds subjected to heavy irradiance from their host stars. I'd be quite pleased if we could secure a sample before we leave."

[~Neri]

"Blob is not a technoform currently. Attempted adaptation has occurred, however none has come of it. It's sapient, making it Class Three, capable of reason. Communicates to other sections of itself via directed radio transmissions. Vector is skin contact. It would not be sitting on a table in plain sight. Color varies based on what it is attempting to do."

"Humans are only just now developing rapidly growing plants? The KX9 finished that project years ago. GenTek had a number of unfinished projects when we Purged it, a few KX9 groups have systematically been finishing ones that they deem beneficial. Not sure how far along they are currently. Haven't checked recently."

Valrak attempts to tap into poorly secured or unsecured cameras and sensors in the general area for better scanning ranges via Nerin's interface implants. Nerin reaches out to see if there are any controllable drones onstation. He also scans the local Datanet for general information as to the situation onstation.

[_DivideByZero_]

"Rapid-growing plants are easy. It's removing them from the ecosystem afterward that's the difficult part. As it stands, having fast growth and being easy to remove afterward are mutually exclusive."

Spoiler: Alaris disaster (click to show/hide)

In the year 2534, a multi-decade project to rapidly terraform the barren world of Alaris was undertaken. Alaris lacked both water and a meaningful atmosphere, so both had to be imported. Its poor surface composition made it unsuitable for most existing multicellular organisms, so while the first few decades of comet rain succeeded in providing a rich atmosphere and functional hydrological cycle, it lacked significant oxygen levels. Its home system lacked lacked exportable sources of oxygen, having no other worlds in the habitable zone, so it had to be produced on-site.

A now-defunct genetic engineering firm sold a colony of multicellular sponge-like organisms to the terraformers. This species would infiltrate the soil and transport water to the lower levels of the planet's crust, creating a haven for bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as bringing up vital nutrients such as phosphorous that were once trapped inside rocks. Specifically designed to survive in the rocky, dead climate, it flourished during lab tests.

...

In practice, the organism also succeeded, oxygenating the atmosphere at an extremely fast pace. The creature was, however, designed for rapid terraforming, and so it spread across the surface like wildfire, implanting itself in every possible crevice and spreading deep underground. After the desired oxygen level was reached, additional biolife was introduced with hopes of out-competing the fast-growing organism. However, the introduced biolife entered an unforseen symbiotic relationship with the terraforming lifeform which made the pair nearly impossible to eradicate. There were attempts at burning large amounts of ground, but these were largely abandoned as the lifeform was both fire-resistant and would always grow back either way.

Ultimately, the planet was abandoned as a source of habitation and now serves as a genetic "testbed" for bioweapons, many of which have been introduced into the ecosystem. The planet is basically a habitable death world. It stands as a reminder of why large-scale genetic engineering is frowned upon. While there are success stories of engineered organisms being used to terraform previously uninhabitable worlds, there are equally many horror stories in which life either evolves past its programmed limits or goes too far and renders the world uninhabitable and even more difficult to terraform.

[_DivideByZero_]

Valrak attempts to tap into poorly secured or unsecured cameras and sensors in the general area for better scanning ranges via Nerin's interface implants. Nerin reaches out to see if there are any controllable drones onstation. He also scans the local Datanet for general information as to the situation onstation.

Valrak: [6/2-1] The cameras seem to be locked to a specific network that you have no access to. Despite this, you get really, really lucky with the encryption protocol, finding a reasonable result within the first five thousand iterations. You now have access to the direct broadcasts from any camera within line-of-sight or close proximity, although you've kind of locked out the routers as a result of those first five thousand iterations. It took a surprisingly long time for you to be shut out, at exactly 4733 tries and 21 ms.

Nerin: "Controllable drones" would most likely be linked via the aforementioned network. AKA the network that Valrak just locked you two out of. And perhaps everyone, for a time at least.

News headlines include the following:
-Rebellion in Full Force: Mall Cops Overtaken
-Mayor Wilhelm: Department Underfunded, Seeks Negotiation
-Demagogue Rises to Power: A Story of the Person Behind the Dream
-Fast Food Icon Rumored to be Involved in Rebellion

[~Neri]

"There appears to be a mass rebellion going on. We need to find that piece of blob Fast. Would not end well if it got into the crowds."

[WillowLuman]

"So, how best to go about warning people of the water problem? I can't see just running around shouting and telling everyone being very effective. You'd think the emergency services would already be on it. But maybe they don't want to cause a panic?"

[_DivideByZero_]

"So, how best to go about warning people of the water problem? I can't see just running around shouting and telling everyone being very effective. You'd think the emergency services would already be on it. But maybe they don't want to cause a panic?"

"That would be my first guess. We don't want people crowding around the entrances. Now how about we catch that donut..."

Akatin lets go of the fishtank and starts scuttling in the direction of the coffee shop.

"Hm, maybe a large pot from the pantry could keep it... Maybe if I get the drop on it..."

[WillowLuman]

"Well... I do have a laser. Self defense grade. That might draw its attention at least, or cause it to recoil. Either way we might direct it into a trap."

[~Neri]

Nerin switches the protocols used for connection to the cameras and attempts to connect to additional portions of the network, checking to see if it's a total lockout for everyone or just a protocol specific lockout. If it's only protocol specific. Continue taking control, switching protocols as they get locked out.