Corrosive Cluster

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.