Name: Simply referred to as the "camouflage proxy" or "camouflage vessel" by the Visitant. Description: The Camouflague Proxy/Vessel is exactly what it sounds like. A small body used by the Visitant for stealth purposes. Appearing to be a small, deformed black octopus/starfish when not changing its shape, colour or texture, these little proxies don't get much larger than a basketball in size. It's pretty easy to guess what these visitant forms do. Camouflage proxies are designed specifically for stealth operations. Much like the octopus, an earth creature it vaguely resembles, the proxy is capable of changing its shape, texture and colour to match its surroundings, only much more effective than its cephalopod counterpart. In some situations, the proxy can be considered more of a "goo" than a solid creature, as it entirely lacks a shell or skeleton and its skin is thin and fragile. Abilities: -Capable of seamlessly blending in with its surroundings, and staying still for hours at a time. Unlike most "invisibility" technologies, this creature makes no attempt to seem transparent. Rather, it tries to "add" to what it's hiding in. If placed on a tree, it will make itself look like a lump of wood on the side of the trunk, or if it has enough time- Appear to be an entirely new branch. This applies to every situation. If placed in sand, it'll try to look like a lump of sand, etc. -Has a small internal battery/fuel reserve that allows it to last for two days of motionlessness, holding the exact same position. After this time, the Visitant will have to seek out a source of light and change their skin to a dark colour once more- or it'll die. Some proxies are also equipped with the ability to feed off of organic or electrical sources, but this may be more noticeable if food goes missing or the electric bill is higher than it's supposed to be. -If it's a particularly dark colour and getting plenty of sunlight then it can last longer than two days. -Camouflage skin can actually be applied to any Visitant-matter construct (including ships and buildings), but the octopus-like proxy is the most effective wielder of the coating. Conditional Abilities (Optional): Works best in organic, irregular, asymmetric environments. Naturally formed cave walls, the outdoors, piles of sand, and other "natural" areas are where this proxy hides best. A small lump of bark on a tree isn't suspicious. A random lump on the wall of a metal hallway is. Limitations: -Doesn't work well in largely inorganic areas. Laboratories and military bases with flat, smooth walls and few irregular markings are much more difficult to infiltrate with this proxy. -If it doesn't see sunlight for two days, it dies and turns into a puddle of black goo. Conditional Limitations (Optional): N/A How does it work: The skin of the camouflage proxy is best comparable to octopus skin. It changes texture, colour and shape quickly and efficiently, combining the shapeshifting abilities of normal Visitant matter and an introduced ability to modify, specifically what wavelengths of light the skin takes in. The flesh of camouflage proxy Visitants is often almost entirely liquid, to allow quick shapeshifting- at the cost of almost no defenses to damage. Flavor text: The camouflage proxy and its predecessors have existed for a long time, its first prototypes dating back to the invention of genetic modification. It's seen use in a wide variety of situations, from decoration of buildings and proxies to infiltration of non-Visitant structures. It was perfected prior to FTL discovery, during a cold war with a now extinct sentient species occupying the same world as the Visitant's home planet. Referenced Technologies (Optional): None Attainability: Semi-Closed Tags: [Civillian] [Racial] Category: Other/Components
Hello @Pinkbat5 I will be giving this tech application a pending. This camouflage coating is able to be used on other forms than the squid form, as stated in the application, though from what I understand it is not nearly as effective. Do these ships/proxies with the coating share the weakness of a weak/nonexistent shell?
Only if they wish to change texture as well as colour. They don't need a soft shell to change colour, but if they want to quickly change the shape of their surface then the shell has to be weak and soft.
I'm sorry for the delay, I wasn't notified of the message. It's a really interesting concept and from everything that I can tell, it is fair and balanced. I'll give this application its first pass, now awaiting seconding.
