stretch goal box
One of the oldest and largest living things on the face of the Earth is a fungus – a colony of Armillaria Gallica so vast its hyphae span over 90 acres of a Michigan forest. Its estimated age is 2500 years. Its total mass is around 400 000 kilograms.
Yet, when we think of alien life, we conjure images of predators and life forms similar to us: independent agents with limbs, senses, and their own free will.
The species we know as Chytrids thoroughly tests these assumptions. More related to Armillaria than us, it is nevertheless an extreme threat, born on some distant world where fungoids were the apex predators.
In our several known encounters, it proved intelligent enough to anticipate and pre-empt our moves. Like every good parasite, it can grow through our structures and ships without destroying them – at least not until it means to. Once it begins to grow, it is almost impossible to stop. A single shred of surviving mycelium is enough for the infection to reoccur in mere days. What’s worse, various deadly spores and special, purpose-built drones the Chytrid organism releases proved capable of defeating even the most battle-hardened crews.
All analyzed encounters confirm that, the only things that seemed to tip the scale in human favor were heavy-duty environmental suits and industrial flamethrowers. And while the thought of developing a chemical agent to combat Chytrids is tempting, I would advise caution. Attempting to study them in a laboratory setting might have consequences far more devastating than losing a single ship every now and then…"
Chytrids are a completely new and unique Intruder race you will have to face during the game. These voracious fungi cover the walls and rooms of the Facility, dripping slime and reaching with their tendrils further than you might have thought possible.
