Kriok

Kriok is a character in LAST THING STANDING.

Biography:
Kriok Searae was one of the last nerrin to be born-- at least in a traditional sense. Searae’s generation was the last to see a clear separation between biological and technological advancement. The brain and the mysteries of the mind were understood well enough to allow an indistinguishable transference to a non-biological substrate. The nerrin race began a collective ascension into a new, digital enlightenment-- eschewing the imperfections of the natural processes of biology for the symbiosis of robotics and transgenic engineering. The nerrin species could exist as more than just their state at birth, but as a variety of new entities-- digital intelligences, robotic beings, or vat-grown mixtures of life and synthetic creations.

Perpetually fascinated by the outer reaches of the nerrin domain, Searae pursued an education in engineering-- particularly the fields relevant to the outer colonial rim. She quickly established herself as a talented engineer amongst the frontier worlds, developing and maintaining a variety of technologies and keeping the machinery of the periphery running. Unfortunately, all good things eventually come to an end, and for the nerrin species and Kriok Searae, that end involved the complete annihilation of civilization.

While considered theoretically possible, the idea of a complicated computer virus being used against the now-digital minds of the nerrin was considered something impossible-- even military studies into the concept seemed far away from even producing a functional prototype. The idea of something capable of damaging the sophisticated and elegant machinery the nerrin had designed seemed to be an indulgence in pointless fantasy. Even if the technology to do so existed, it would be equally likely that a suitable defensive mechanism would arise just as quickly.

At some point, the nerrin home-world picked up a transmission from an unknown source. The transmission was an indecipherable series of garbled data, and regarded as an anomaly at best, and a simple communication error at worst. What was not known was that the transmission contained a virus-- a virus that quickly went from the computer that received it to the terminals that created the simulation space countless nerrin resided in, and soon proliferated across the nerrin domain-- hijacking communication networks and silently installing itself into the computational substrate of countless nerrin.

Searae, now working alone past even the furthest peripheral colonies, never received the transmission that doomed her species to extinction. She returned to a colony devoid of the normal buzz of communication, the flares of nuclear engines-- the colony she considered home was dead. After landing, she was treated to a scene of horror: countless bodies reduced to catatonia, computer systems malfunctioning, and any systems with connections outside of their simulations screaming for some form of mercy. A quick examination revealed that the virus had not killed the nerrin, but had transformed their simulations and sensory input to an unending hell. Searae was helpless to save them-- even a reversal of the virus would not undo the trauma of the experience. Searae did the only thing she felt was left.

Body by body, computer core by computer core, Searae shut down the nerrin trapped in the virus’ torture until the tiny population of her home no longer existed in that half-state between life and death. Unwilling to transfer herself to a new body and unwilling to end her own life, she consigned herself to being the last of her species-- she doubted anyone else would have survived.

It was some time afterwards-- time enough for the trauma she had endured to settle in and fester-- that a multiversal entity abducted her and entered her in a battle to the death.

Description:
The nerrin, prior to their ascension, appeared as lithe, bi-pedal avians coated in a resplendent arrangement of feathers. Searae still fits this baseline phenotype, but her appearance is still noticeably different. While still inhabiting a partially-biological body, her current vessel was vat-grown and stripped of many organs that were later installed as cybernetic parts. Her body’s nervous system, for instance, was installed later as a series of cybernetic implants, along with her circulatory and respiratory systems.

The most noticeable difference from the standard nerrin is the cybernetic arm, which functions as a complicated fabricator tool. Rather than ending in a hand, this arm ends in a multitude of tools necessary to create an object from the molecular level up-- it can still serve as a crude hand, but lacks finesse and dexterity. While having some outer casing, much of the arm’s machinery is exposed. Another noticeable difference is the metal casing along her spine, which can be opened to perform repairs on the surrogate technological nerves of her spinal cord. Between her shoulders rests the reactor and heat sinks that power and regulate her fabricator arm. Her final implant is a pair of cybernetic eyes that augment her normal vision.

Prior to the disaster, Searae was friendly and gregarious, as well as exceedingly inquisitive. However, now is she is much less open, and more inclined to caution than curiosity. She has developed some degree of paranoia, remaining vigilant even when no threats are present and believing others wish to deceive her. Searae also feels some guilt at having survived when, were she anywhere else, she would have died with the rest of her species, and is anxious and withdrawn as a result of this. While still exceptionally smart, she’s not inclined to be open and is skeptical of any offers of trust.

Abilities:
Searae has several abilities as a product of her unique physiology. The first is an extremely good memory, as a result of her cybernetic nervous system. She is also capable of moving her mind from body to body by transferring a flash-drive sized component from her current body to a different one. This ability requires another body to be available and have a proper receptacle for the memory device, meaning that to transfer into another body it would need to be constructed.

Her second ability is her fabricator arm. Given some form of raw atomic stock, she can construct a variety of items-- ranging from simple tools to complicated computers and advanced pieces of technology. She is limited in her construction abilities, however. She needs sufficient atomic stock to construct the item, as well as the item in question being small enough to be constructed within the relatively limited confines of her fabricator. A larger item-- such a large supercomputer, anti-armor weaponry, or a new body-- would require the construction of a fixed fabricator array, rather than the portable tool she has. Finally, she needs the molecular blueprints in order to properly construct more complicated items-- these blueprints can be modified and combined, but still need to be present. As an engineer, she had blueprints for a variety of tools and replacement parts installed, as well as a small number of more complicated blueprints, such as for miniaturized fusion reactors and a small selection of robotic bodies. The fabricator also serves as a general-purpose tool, as well as a means of modifying found articles of technology, but its primary purpose is the construction of new items.

Despite this powerful tool, however, she is still limited to a frail body with no weapons or armor, a lack of combat experience, and the effect of serious trauma on her psyche.