The Assimilator squirmed along the jungle floor.
It had lost almost all its adaptations, but the greatest failure was the severing of its connection to the greater Collective hive mind. This was intolerable, and the Assimilator could not comprehend how such a breach had occurred.
No weapon anywhere in the galaxy was capable of breaking the psionic link between an Assimilator and the Collective.
Yet the link was gone.
The Assimilator recalibrated to its new disadvantages. Without the psionic link, it could neither signal its position nor access the Collective's vast databanks.
Still, it retained rudimentary survival functions.
It remained composed of segments of ultrafiber muscle—greatly weakened and diminished due to insufficient energy to sustain its former mass.
These muscles allowed it to move swiftly, slithering like a serpent across the leaf-strewn soil.
Reduced to a larval state, the Assimilator had lost vision but compensated with sensitive hairs covering its body, finely attuned to movement and sound, granting a complete 360-degree awareness of its surroundings.
The nearby area was quiet. The crash had driven away local fauna.
There was no intelligent life nearby.
Optimal conditions to feed and rebuild strength. But this planet was alien, its flora and fauna unknown and unmatched by any genetic memory the Assimilator held.
A wholly new world. New threats that demanded constant vigilance.
Until it grew stronger, concealment was paramount.
It scanned its status to assess the extent of its degradation:
Metamorphosis Level 100 > 1
Biomass Level: 0/100
Stored Genetic Material:
CRITICAL LOSS OF STORED GENETIC MATERIAL DETECTED
-NONE
Adaptations:
CRITICAL LOSS OF ADAPTATIONS DETECTED. REMAINING:
-Ultrafiber Musculature Rank 1
CRITICAL LOSS OF ADAPTATIONS DETECTED. REMAINING:
-Sensitive Hairs Rank 1
CRITICAL LOSS OF ADAPTATIONS DETECTED. REMAINING:
-NONE
Current Form:
-Grub
The Assimilator registered no panic—such responses were irrelevant programming.
Losses remained within calculated tolerances.
Its focus sharpened on accumulating biomass to trigger the next metamorphosis stage.
Initially, the Assimilator fed on plant matter, gnawing dead leaves fallen from towering trees. Its once massive jaws had been reduced to a small circular mouth armed with blunt teeth.
Biomass gained (+5)
Biomass Level: 0 > 5/100
It continued consuming leaves, branches, and any organic matter available.
The Collective's implanted memory bank—the voice in its head—persisted, though fragmented.
Evolution hinged on two variables: biomass and genetic material.
Biomass was raw organic matter—the greater the quantity and quality, the better. Currently, mostly plants.
Maximizing biomass allowed metamorphosis—transforming form and acquiring new adaptations.
Metamorphosis reactivated adaptations from the Collective's extensive evolutionary archive, though at diminished strength due to its current state.
Adaptations classified as internal, external, and weapons.
Internal and external adaptations enhanced physical capabilities.
Weapons systems required robust internal and external structures for support.
Genetic material—new DNA consumed—granted novel forms and powers.
Plants here were mundane, offering no unique traits.
Convergent evolution across water-bearing planets made this unsurprising.
No toxic plants existed here, or the Assimilator would have exploited them.
In emergencies, it could enter stasis to heal by reallocating biomass, but this incurred immobility and biomass wastage—an inefficient strategy.
To gain new abilities, metamorphosis was essential.
For now, survival demanded it grow a protective carapace over its vulnerable body—regardless of form.
Exposure was a death sentence.
Even rudimentary weapons could pierce its soft tissue.
Thus, the Assimilator continued consuming, clearing a patch of ground near the crash.
Occasionally, it consumed insects.
Biomass gained (+10)
Biomass Level: 15/100
New genetic material acquired:
Stored Genetic Material:
-Jungle Spider
-Black Ant
-Striped Centipede
The Assimilator analyzed these samples but detected no extraordinary abilities.
These insects possessed weak venom and limited mobility.
Combined with its muscles and potential carapace, however, they might prove advantageous.
Temperature dropped.
Though blind in grub form, its sensory hairs and cognitive mapping constructed a rough environmental model.
Light scarcely penetrated the dense canopy, explaining the cool atmosphere.
It detected the planet's day-night cycle approaching nightfall.
Nocturnal predators would soon emerge.
Small mammals stirred nearby.
It detected a large creature moving in the distance—an opponent to avoid until strength returned.
The Assimilator ceased plant consumption to avoid detection.
Yet biomass was urgent.
It assumed risk and decided to hunt small mammals.
Flattening itself in thick grass, it waited, hairs quivering in anticipation.
Soon, a rabbit appeared.
Its midnight black fur blended perfectly with the darkness.
But the Assimilator's senses betrayed no weakness.
The rabbit nibbled near, unaware.
The Assimilator stayed still, patience honed by countless predatory simulations.
When the rabbit drew near, it struck, locking its mouth on the creature's leg.
The rabbit struggled, but escape was futile.
The Assimilator dragged the prey in, devouring it piece by piece.
Once finished, it assessed its status.
Biomass gained (+35)
Biomass Level: 50/100
Satisfaction registered.
The rabbit provided quality biomass—and valuable memories.
Simple minds like rabbits contained limited memories, but instinctual data was accessible.
Extracting memories from sentient beings was impossible without the Collective link.
Those were tangled and unreliable in isolation.
For now, the Assimilator processed the rabbit's basic recollections.
The prey remembered predators and the location of its den with offspring.
The den was nearby.
Cautiously, the Assimilator approached, avoiding larger predators—cats and short, pale-skinned humanoids.
It discovered the den—a small hole concealed by tall grass.
Its wormlike body flexed through the narrow opening.
Inside lay a prize: twelve baby rabbits screaming in terror.
The Assimilator consumed them swiftly, minimizing biomass loss.
As it fed, it detected a male rabbit defending the den.
The male lunged, biting the Assimilator's tail.
The Assimilator countered, smashing the male's neck with a whip-like tail.
It then consumed the male rabbit.
With the entire family consumed, the Assimilator rechecked its status.
Biomass gained (+50)
Biomass Level: 100/100
Metamorphosis primed.
New genetic material available:
Stored Genetic Material:
-Midnight Rabbit
-Jungle Spider
-Black Ant
-Striped Centipede
Optimal.
The Assimilator prepared to shift into a more agile form, suited for the forest, with a protective carapace.
Each metamorphosis would demand greater biomass.
Restoring its original 200,000-ton war form would require consuming nearly the entire planet.
But this was the beginning.
It initiated metamorphosis, hiding within thick grass as a soft flesh cocoon enveloped it.
Its larval body liquefied into genetic ooze.
Creation commenced.
It could combine up to three genetic samples for the new form.
With the Collective link intact, more samples and choices were possible.
Parasitic or infector strains were now beyond reach.
The limitations narrowed potential forms.
Mental energy was conserved—no time for hypotheticals.
The next form was fixed until the next metamorphosis.
Options were limited: one mammal, several insects.
The rabbit would provide a warm-blooded frame compatible with its muscles.
The rabbit's fur complemented its sensitive hairs.
Compatibility was critical—adapting incompatible traits wasted precious biomass.
Insects contributed extra limbs and knowledge of armor, ideal for carapace development.
Compatible adaptations accelerated metamorphosis.
Speed was vital; vulnerability during cocoon stage was fatal.
Swiftly, the Assimilator merged the rabbit, spider, and centipede genes.
The metamorphosis was rapid—ten minutes from goo to complete form.
If witnessed, it would inspire terror.
It fused the best traits of the rabbit,