Fiction:The Nanohorde

This is based on the real-life concept of self-replicating spacecraft and nanotechnology 



The Nanohorde is a weapon, terraforming and industrial tool used by the Delpha Coalition of Planets. They are nanomachines, that have the ability to self-replicate and build other machines. They are microscopic.

Original Function
The purpose of these devices was intended to build other machines capable of peforming otherwise tedious tasks on a large scale quickly. In large scales, the nano-machines peformed like a hive mind, creating (or destroying) materials, cleaning up waste, building terraforming stations or even "eating" organic life, used as a weapon.

They have several programmed instincts
 * Self Replication
 * Communicate to create pathways, eventually a hive mind, much like ants
 * Consume and recycle what they have been ordered to and then build into something new
 * Never touch materials and objects they have not been programmed to use in a particular assignment



Malfunction
Eventually problems began. On the DCP colony Peelatrubis, some nanomachines were layed down to consume some the resources, to create new colonies and make the planet more habitable. Alas, just like organic cells, they can mutate and malfunction. Despite being programmed not attack everything on sight, throughout the millions that are created, just one malfuntioned. It went on to replicate itself, and soon hundreds, thousands and eventually millions of these bugged machines began to replicate. At first their impact was small, not allowing the colonists to know what was happening until too late...

Hell begins
A few days later, a starship was dispatched to the planet, only to the captain and crews horror - at least a third of the planet had been consumed. It had spread like a technological cancer, devoured all life on the surface, and then went on to eat at the planets crust, mantle and even atmosphere. The starship left, and warned their superiors. A quarantine was placed in that system. But that did not stop the Nanohorde, once they consumed the entire planet in weeks, they needed something new to replicate with. The more nanomachines there are, the more intelligent they became and as a complex hivemind, they created faster than light starships, but build entirely out of nanomachines or the now known - Nanohorde.

The plague continues
There is no known defense against the nanohorde! If you destroy them, some of them will always survive, feast and eventually replicate using the other destroyed devices. EM bursts don't work, they have adapted to these weapons. We have no way of knowing where they will hit next, and if they've arrived in your system, you may not no until it is too late. It is a shame such a brilliant tool has turned against us, I feel in some way, the DCP is responsible for its ignorance, which has now put the entire galaxy at risk. - A Dr.Kenders issued warning to all planets in the galaxy. Over next few weeks, an ecological catastrophe on the astronomical scale was taking place. These machines were invading every system like a horde of locusts, getting more intelligent and more numerous. Already, 5 planets had fallen to the horde, however, so far, these are colonies that are quite far from the DCP territories. They must not be allowed at all costs, to learn about the major DCP sectors, or other empires, otherwise they will feast. The '''Nanohorde is not evil, just like a virus or bacteria, it is doing what its orginal function was - to replicate. However, the Nanohorde are simply mutated, and are causing more harm than good.'''

 Specifications 

As said above, they are self-replicating nanomachines that consume and recycle materials, for use as terraforming, manufactoring and self-replication, and work as a hive mind, like a colony of ants. However, the new Nanohorde are malfuntioning, and instead of being useful, they are consuming planets to replicate themselves out of control. While powerful weapons do destroy them (hydrogen bombs, strong lasers, antimatter, spacetime weapons and so on), there will always be survivors, survivors who may be immune, which then replicate them selves. So far, an effective method of destroying these machines has not been found, the DCP have tried learing them into an unclaimed pocket dimension with false-signals, however they have now learn't this trick. There is also no way of knowing where they will appear next before its are too late. Each individual nanomachine has self-replicating tools, laser cutters and other devices, and can join together to create better structures.

The Galactic Plague
''Please write your empire's story in this section if you wish to join. There may also be adventures! Please request to join on the talk page first, thank you.''

Nanohorde Story
The Nanohorde was beginning to replicate at a rate of 10 million per hour and have clustered around a planet, where they are beginning to evolve a machine ecology, with competition between different Nanohorde species, although currently there is only slight differences. The wherabouts of this planet is not yet known to the DCP. The planet they have created is almost as large as Mars, and is in fact, a giant mass of the Nanohorde.

The Nanohorde are also combining to build larger structures such as planet hunting probes, that have been dispatched across the galaxy.

Finding ways of defeating them
The DCP is now trying to warn every empire, friend or foe, in the Milky Way galaxy about the insidious devices. Weapons will destroy them individualy, but some will always be left (lets say 99.9% destroyed), ready to consume and replicate into vast numbers again. Anti-matter weapons and spacetime weapons could work, but unfortunately they require alot of energy, and cannot be used as an effective method.

One proposed method of defeating them has been speculated - creating a signal that will lead them into an unclaimed pocket dimension, where they will be sealed in forever. However, the DCP must first develop this signal, and there isn't much time left for the galaxy. The DCP has created short-term space-time barriers around important colonies and homeworlds. They also have created a false-signal to lear the nanomachines into an unclaimed pocket dimension, but now the Nanohorde have adapted to the signal.

Masaari Crusade story
Radeon were one of the first to answer DCP signal. Lumivus Telfar has sent some forces, led by captains Imperios and Geroniel. They seek to capture and don't allow to reproduce some bots to study them.

Aid
The Capricorn Sector Alliance was recently contacted by the DCP. The transmission asked for aid and President Inviere was only too happy to respond by sending a huge Sector Alliance Fleet and its best scientists including Professor Solers, one of the best in the galaxy to aid them.

Distress Call
The DSB recieved the call from the DCP, and went to help. The Bloc, did not know, however, what the transmition was about. When they dicovered the Nanohorde, the Bloc thought at first that they were harmless, but they soon realized the Nanohorde's destructive power.

The Deathmarch Story
Though the Xhodocto are unaffected by the Nanohorde, their recent alliances with the DCP meant that they will help them. Their ancient technology should be a help to the galaxy, though they are slightly surprised of their power and their numbers.