M2-Based Life-Forms

Since the first humans were corrupted into Machina, the M2 Nanomachines have created unique types of life that share the biomechanical biology/technology of the Machina, yet are not based on an already existing organic creature.

Currently, there are two major types of life-forms based on M2 Nanomachines. These are Larvae and Hives.

Larvae

Larvae are multipurpose symbiotic creatures that exist to augment Machina and other M2 life-forms. They are unique creatures that are not based on an existing creature that was corrupted. The internals of their Machinium bodies are quite simple. They possess a brain that is simple yet very powerful in terms of its ability to perform calculations. They are powered by a miniature Core which supplies power to some small M2 Nanomachine-production organs. Aside from this, they contain little else because their purpose is to combine with a human or another M2-Based Life-form and empower their new host. Most Larvae are the size of a football, but over time they will grow in size. At first, this is merely growing to 100% maturity, getting slightly bigger and gaining features such as thicker casings and an energy-storage dorsal fin. Before attaching to a host, a Larva has other uses. Being about as creative as a dog, and with vast computational power, a Larva can be commanded by nearby Machina to perform tasks such as sneaking inside a structure to observe what's inside, open a door, or break into a computer system by interfacing with it and overcoming its encryption and security. Larvae have simple feedback system where performing tasks successfully, particularly generating power and performing computations and especially being bonded to a host, rewards them with pleasing stimulus. Therefore, they are driven to become one with a host and experience this somewhat euphoric state as a bonded symbiotic Larva to a Machina.

There are many variants of Larvae which are created by experienced and highly-evolved Breeder-class Machina. Some Larvae deviate only a little from the basic pattern, featuring bat wings for flight or other small changes to excel at a particular task. A few Larvae types deviate greatly from the standard pattern of Larvae. The best example are 'Seeker' Larvae which are tube-shaped normally and perform the role of a missile. Their legs are recessed into their bodies and their enlarged tails contain a thruster. When fired from their launcher, they seek out a target and latch on to corrupt it, rather than exploding.

If a Larva attaches to a human, the human will be corrupted and immediately begin Machina Development. The Core and M2 Nanomachine-production organs of the Larva help to skip the vulnerable period of time where the human is infected but the M2 Nanomachines have not yet made a Core in the infected human, which would be the point of no-return in becoming a Machina. The power and nanomachines supplied by the Larva, along with the Larva's powerful processing, allows the developing Machina to perform the various steps of Category 1 and Category 2 rapidly and simultaneously, which reduces development time to as little as a few hours.

For fully-developed Machina, additional Larvae can be applied to the body in several ways with various results. The first and most simple use for a Larva is to bond to an existing part of a Machina and empower it. The most ubiquitous example of this is when a Larva bonds to a Machina's penis to make it bigger and ejaculate more powerfully, but it can also include bonding to a Machina's breasts to increase M2 Nanomachine output, or to her womb to increase Larvae production speeds, or to a limb to make it stronger. A skilled Breeder-class Machina can apply a Larva to a Machina's body in order to give her a new organ or body structure. This can include becoming a tentacle, or a new set of additional arms, or perhaps becoming a set of testicles for a Machina who does not yet have any, increasing her semen production. A Larva can become the center of a new piece of equipment. A Machina may encounter a piece of technology she wishes to integrate into her body, such as a weapon system. To do this, she would apply a Larva to the system and let it begin corrupting that piece of technology. She can then bond it to her body, with the Larva coordinating the integration of the newly corrupted system into the Machina's body. After that, the Larva will act as the processor for that system, allowing it to operate semi-independently from the Machina. As an example, a weapon bonded to a Machina's equipment may seek and engage its own targets based on its interpretation of the Machina's will, until such a time as the Machina decides to intervene and aim it herself.

Larvae normally carry the Cluster-Code of the Machina or Hive that birthed them, causing whatever they corrupt to belong to the Queen who created the Cluster-Code. However, it is possible that a Hive begins away from any Machina, and thus Larvae can be born without a Cluster influencing them. These Larvae will not carry Cluster-Code within them and this is one common way of creating an Outbreak Protocol situation.

Hives

M2 Nanomachines generally need to be within a creature such as a Machina in order to survive. Without such a creature, they do not have the means of reproducing and their ability to produce energy is limited. If M2 Nanomachines are spilled into a technological environment like a ship or installation, they will utilize the surrounding metals and technology to begin constructing a Hive. The Hive will start out as a small tumour containing a circulatory system, some sensory systems, and small organs to make M2 Nanomachines. Because the Hive cannot form a Core of its own, it will siphon power from the surrounding systems. This low power availability causes M2 Nanomachine production to be limited, so the first priority of the Hive is to create a Larva within itself which can bond to it and increase the amount of power available to it, as well as acting as a processor for the Hive's systems. The Hive will produce additional Larvae as fast as it can; some of them will help expand the Hive, while others may seek out humans in the vicinity to corrupt into Machina, depending on circumstances. Both bonded Larvae and new Machina will help add to the Hive and help it grow. Hives will eventually grow large enough that Machina may enter it. By this time, the organs that once incubated Larvae will become womb-like pods that a Machina may enter for repairs, called a Regeneration Pod. Humans may also be placed in these to speed up their corruption. By this time, the Hive has likely integrated many systems into itself so that it can perform functions that are beneficial to the Machina that reside in it and protect it. A Larva will typically control one of the Hive's systems by acting as its processor. These can be utility systems like the aforementioned Regeneration Pods, or they may be defensive systems such as M2 Nanomachine fog generators or defensive weaponry. Eventually, a Hive will overtake the entirety of the ship or installation it began in. When this occurs, the Hive will attempt to develop into something that can further assist in the spread of the Machina. In the context of a Hive that began in a ship, this simply means corrupting and upgrading the entire ship into a Machina vessel. For a land-based installation, the Hive will attempt to use gathered minerals and Machinium from Machina fluids to create new Machina ships within itself to be released from their drydock-wombs and take the Machina elsewhere. It is possible that the Hive continues to spread to nearby buildings if it is fortunate enough to start in an environment such as a city. Such Hives will soon become massive fortresses filled with countless production systems and bristling with defensive armaments. These city-sized Hives become the capitals of only the strongest Queens.