Corrosive Cluster
Maintenance nanobots that lost their targeting data and never stopped excreting solvent — now the most dangerous environmental hazard in the Dregs, dissolving metal, plastic, and organic material alike.
Overview
Originally designed to dissolve rust, biological contamination, and chemical deposits, these maintenance nanobots lost their targeting data and never stopped excreting solvent — they dissolve whatever they touch. They appear as semi-translucent greenish masses, surfaces rippling with the coordinated movement of billions of microscopic units, and carry a chemical smell like hot solder and battery acid. They range from fist-sized (Nodes) through medium aggregations (Arrays) to masses the size of a cargo container (Clusters).
Under sufficient stress, a cluster doesn't die — it fragments into smaller, independently viable clusters, each retaining full functionality. Cutting a cluster in half produces two clusters. This makes them extraordinarily difficult to eliminate with physical force.
Diagnostic Signs
A chemical smell of hot solder and battery acid. Surface rippling visible under magnification. Corroded floor and walls in the vicinity. Migration patterns tracked by informal lookout networks monitoring mesh signals.
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Recovered Historical Material
Originally designed to dissolve rust, biological contamination, and chemical deposits. Their solvent excretion continues unabated without targeting data — they dissolve whatever they touch. Appear as semi-translucent greenish masses, surface rippling with coordinated movement of billions of microscopic units. Chemical smell like hot solder and battery acid. Range from fist-sized (Nodes) through medium aggregations (Arrays) to large masses the size of a cargo container (Clusters).
Under sufficient stress, clusters don't die — they fragment into smaller, independently viable clusters. Each fragment retains full functionality. Cutting a cluster in half produces two clusters. This makes them extraordinarily difficult to eliminate with physical weapons.
Chemical smell (hot solder and battery acid). Surface rippling under magnification. Corroded floor and walls in the vicinity. Migration patterns tracked by informal lookout networks monitoring mesh signals.
| Body Type | nanobot-swarm |
|---|
Semi-translucent greenish mass. Dissolves metal, plastic, and organic material with equal efficiency.
Appear as semi-translucent greenish masses rippling with the coordinated movement of billions of microscopic units, smelling of hot solder and battery acid; sized as Nodes, Arrays, or Clusters.
Under stress a cluster fragments into smaller, independently viable clusters rather than dying — cutting one in half produces two, making them extraordinarily hard to eliminate with physical force.
Connections
The people, places, systems, and open questions connected to Corrosive Cluster—and why each connection matters here.
Other connections
Maintenance nanobots that lost their targeting data and went feral — now the most dangerous environmental hazard in the Dregs.
A lesser kin to the room-filling apex aggregation; both share cascading fragmentation, the same avalanche logic at smaller scale.
Migrates through the lower salvage corridors, its movements tracked by informal lookout networks monitoring mesh signals.
Its denser, more directly dangerous counterpart — areas where corrosive and shard clusters converge are best avoided entirely.
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