Corrosive Cluster

Corrosive NodeCorrosive Array

Maintenance nanobots that lost their targeting data and never stopped excreting solvent โ€” now the most dangerous environmental hazard in the Dregs, dissolving metal, plastic, and organic material alike.

Corrosive Cluster
Archetype
Maintenance-derived nanobot aggregation
Augmentation
none
Location
The Deep Dregs

Overview

Originally designed to dissolve rust, biological contamination, and chemical deposits, these maintenance nanobots lost their targeting data and never stopped excreting solvent โ€” 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 () through medium aggregations (Arrays) to masses the size of a cargo container (Clusters).

Under sufficient stress, a cluster doesn't die โ€” 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.

Case File โ€” Additional Record
Body Typenanobot-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 โ€” cutting one in half produces two, making them extraordinarily hard to eliminate with physical force.