Picobots

Nanoscale machines that can eat through anything. Highly restricted. Incredibly dangerous. Disturbingly useful.

Overview

Picobots are self-replicating nanoscale machines capable of disassembling virtually any known material. Described as “techno termites,” they can chew through ship hulls, security barriers, and organic tissue with equal efficiency.

Possession and use outside authorized jurisdictions is strictly prohibited. The Confederation treats picobot trafficking as seriously as weapons of mass destruction—because that’s essentially what they are.

How It Works

Disassembly

Picobots break down matter at the molecular level, converting target material into raw components. Given time, they can eat through duranium plating like “piranhas through flesh.”

Control

Picobots require a neural uplink for precise direction. Without active control, they operate on basic programming—which may not distinguish friend from target.

Formation

Beyond destruction, picobots can form protective structures, create temporary platforms, and interface with biological nervous systems for non-lethal incapacitation.

Requirements

Standard picobots require hard vacuum to operate—atmospheric pressure interferes with their function. Specialized variants exist but are even more restricted.

Applications

Infiltration

No door, vault, or barrier can stop picobots given sufficient time. Invaluable for accessing secured facilities.

Combat

Disabling enemies without killing. Destroying equipment. Creating diversions. The applications are limited only by imagination and ethics.

Sabotage

Industrial-scale destruction made portable. A vial of picobots can cripple a starship or demolish a building.

Limitations

Vacuum Requirement

Standard operation requires hard vacuum. Atmospheric variants are rare and even more controlled.

Control Dependency

Without active direction, picobots follow basic programming. This can be… unpredictable.

Detection

Picobot activity leaves traces. Forensic analysis can identify their use.

Legal Status

Possession is a serious crime. Being caught with picobots means long imprisonment—or worse.

Connections

• Robert Fannec - Known to possess and use picobots
• The Confederation - Strictly prohibits civilian possession
• Black market - Source for illegal acquisition
• Friengels - Researches medical applications

Picobots features throughout the Fannec Records series.