Spaceship Pests (d10)

from Mothership - The Hive-mind discord channel

d10 Result

1

Nutria
Once an invasive pest on Earth, these oversized, orange-toothed river rats were quickly adopted as a protein source for colonists. Few ships ever take off from a colony without at least a few nutria stowed away near somewhere damp and warm. Teamsters often find them cooked and blackened by electrocution after they chew through wiring for something non-critical like, you know, life support.

2

Tax Motes
A form of governmental ransomware, the bugs themselves are gene nodded roaches introduced by overzealous customs agents. They seek out perishable goods without customs stamps and destroy, eat or despoil them. On feeding on certain types of contraband (such as narcotic which turn them blue) they change color and pass this on to their offspring. The port that introduced them will sell a genetic poison for enough money, more after the fines if the bugs are colored.

3

TrustBlue Reactor Coolant
Restructured by bankruptcy on at least six worlds the TrustBlue company has a reputation for re-selling used and poorly refined coolant. Distributors get a discount price on what appears to be quality coolant and some even pass those saving on to dock customers. Everything comes to a literal screeching halt when the drive gimbals overheat and the poor penny pincher is left stranded in the black with a reactor section flooded by radiation.

4

Pod Bugs
Numerous pests and vermin have followed humanity to the stars, but few are more reviled that Pod Bugs. Pod Bugs are merely space adapted Bed Bugs, a species surprisingly well suited for space travel. While Pod Bugs cause no actual damage to crews, the stress of having them onboard a ship can drive a crew to near madness. Players must roll Fear before going to sleep, or San when waking up at Warden's discretion.

5

Cryocreepers
Stowaways from frozen hellworlds, these parasites suck on the cold outer layer of crypods, and occasionally worm their way into the pods themselves and suck on the people inside like leeches. Mostly disgusting, they trigger a panic check and can carry diseases like tics. Hyperspace travel can grow them into symbiotic creatures.

6

Hell Broth
An organic slurry of mostly fungal organisms that infects dark corners of ships and habs. The mundane (often greenish) variety almost instantly bonds to and starts dissolving organic or carbon based material - wrecking insulation, suit seals, bio comps, and maintenance workers. Other colorful varieties dissolve metals or release hallucingenic, mutatagenic or lethal spores (A real problem when they grow in air ducts). The worst sorts of broth are mobile and wild eyed spacers claim the stuff will even hunt crew.

7

Metal-feeding space coral
Micro-organisms that feed on and camouflage within spaceship inner walls, hull, footbridges... They form large but thin surfaces, looking exactly like the metallic passageways of the ship they colonize. They move abrudtly every 1d6 hours, changing the corridors geometry.

8

Rogue Goo
Also known as "foam cancer". Rogue goo is usually the result of a foam-gun misfire, it can sometimes escape into vents and cause a lot of problems. Rogue goo is "life-like" in that it has behavior and 'navigtates' spaces due to their nanite guidance catalyzers. If the software the nanites uses is disturbed sufficiently, the foam pellets can end up traversing the habitat looking for components to catalyze (usually harmless, unless it finds a foam container). Usually the rogue goo runs out of power and ends up petrifying in a random location, which means trouble if that random location is a sewer pipe or ventilation duct.

9

Parliment Rats
In the guts of large ships rodent stowaways breed and spread as they have on human ships since antiquity. Exposure to space and the reality flex of hyperspace has effected them, and as always the rat adapts. Parliamentary Rats are called such because that is their form of government. A murine hive mind, sponanteusly formed in the depths of space. Each Parliment is different, some only seek to grow and spread, others to dominate and a few to maintain a symbiotic relationship with humans. Whatever the goals of a Rat Parliment, a ship full of thousands or millions of intelligent, mind-linked rodents is an experience.

10

Terrorflies
These flies lay eggs in an unsuspecting victim, usually while they sleep, planetside. A while later, on the ship, the victim will start having vivid nightmares, and feeling very cold. When they move somewhere warm, or turn up the heating, the eggs hatch and maggots burst out, wriggling away surprisingly quickly. The maggots feed on any organic matter they can find, before turning into flies to repeat the cycle.