Starship Wapon: Grey Goo

[Xerena]

Grey Goo is a mass of "nanophages", tiny nanobots programmed to eat anything other than each other and create more of themselves. The general idea is to deliver some of this stuff to an enemy ship by whatever method is most convenient (such as missiles/torpedoes, projectiles or shells, teleportation, bomb placed on the hull by mecha, any other method one can imagine to get this stuff to an enemy ship in working order) and let it consume the ship. The nanophages have a kind of "hive mind" so they can tell friend from foe and, once finished with a ship, will attempt to launch some of themselves toward nearby enemy ships, hopefully contaminating and eventually consuming those ships, spreading like a disease among the enemy fleet.

The name refers to the feared "Star Trek scenario" in which out-of-control self-replicating nanobots are released, either by terrorists or by a lab accident, consuming everything in their path in an ever-expanding sea of "grey goo" that will eventually cover the entire surface of Earth. The weapon could, of course, be used to do precisely that to a target planet if desired.

 

[Fred]

I think this concept was already trumped by the femtomachines (smaller than nanites) in the HSCS-2 system inside ships to get rid of waste and recycle it.

Thankfully, all that it controlled by a ship's computer ans the PANTHEON system, insuring no catastrophic circumstances in normal conditions.

 

[Xerena]

Actually, the HSCS-2 femtomachines, the way I see it, if anything, are proof that the concept can work, rather than a counterargument. Assuming the HSCS-2 could stop this stuff even in concept. there are three reasons why that isn't good enough to render Grey Goo useless.

1. HSCS-2 is used exclusively by SAY ships, which means planets and non-SAY vessels are still nanophage food.

2. HSCS-2 femtomachines only affect organic material, and most of the nanophages (IE the original nanophages, and the nanophages created by the consumption of hull and structural material, etc. rather than crew or organic components) are of inorganic composition, unless the targeted vessel is a bioship. Also, the first nanobots to come into contact with the HSCS-2 fluid will usually be the ones created by the consumption of the lining of the HSCS-2 conduits, which (I hope, for SAY's sake) is not able to be dissolved by the HSCS-2 femtomachines.

3. Nanophages can always be replaced by femtophages or whatever prefix is necessary, without changing the general concept of the Grey Goo weeapon

If the general consensus is that HSCS-2 would, in fact, somehow stop this stuff dead in its tracks, then perhaps it could be that SARA invented this stuff for the same pruported reason the Koqui Armed Forces use poison gas grenades - "Were immune, so let's take advantage of those who aren't".

 

[Wes]

Well, Hoshi no Iori and Yamatai (and to a lesser extent, any planet the YSE has terraformed in the last ten years such as Anisa, Tatiana, Nataria, and Hanako's World) actually have a benelovent "goo" system in place already - The Nodal System. The Nodal System is the nano- and femto-level end of the PANTHEON heirarchy, designed to regulate and automate nature in general on these planet.

If I recall, there's actually a ship with a grey goo weapon already - It's NovaCorp's DestinyColonization Ship:

Terraforming goo: A new innovation from the warped mind of Ephesus, the terraforming goo is a horde of self replicating nano-bots that can change geography, stir up the right environment and minerals in the soil, and even alter the atmosphere. They have the capacity too even make temporary buildings out of themselves. They are based on a weapon designed by Ephesus to destroy all life on a planet, which was stopped by NovaCorp for being "Unethicalâ€

 

[Doshii Jun]

If I've got the proper shields up, what's stopping this stuff from just getting zapped? Or from the ship projecting energy screens inside of itself to wipe it out?

 

[Wes]

If I've got the proper shields up, what's stopping this stuff from just getting zapped? Or from the ship projecting energy screens inside of itself to wipe it out?

You could do that fine. Also, aerial nanomachines are easily moved by things like fire extinguishers and airlocked opening.

 

[Zakalwe]

Also look at the weapons on the almost approved Onslaught Battleship. It includes a Grey Goo carrying missile. It's been around for a while.

 

[Xerena]

Like I said (okay, maybe I didn't exactly say it, but sort of implied it), it's been around for as long as nanobots have.

As for being defeated by a fire extinguisher or opening an airlock, in the process of consuming a ship, this stuff would usually work its way from the outside in, decompressig the ship as it goes through thousands of tiny cracks and fissures, so for the most part it would be operating in a vacuum. Of course, once it reaches, say, an angimatter shell magazine or an antimatter reactor, the whole ship would go up instantly. A better way to deal with this stuff would be EMP or scalar weapons, and a lightning field would render the stuff inert.

Another point to consider is that the "goo" could be considered an environmental contaminant, as a vessel passing through a debris field from an old battle in which this stuff was used might end up getting gooed.

Edit: Perhaps a Destiny class ship could use their nanobots in this way as a last resort for self defense?

 

[Zakalwe]

They very almost did.