Carrier (parasite)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Structure | Field |
| Origin | Fabricated |
| Class | Inborn |
| Characteristics | |
| Species | Light Carrier; Heavy Carrier; Flying Carrier |
| First recorded | 2021 |
Carriers are Inborn field parasites of Fabricated origin that carry other parasite organisms inside their bodies and release them. They spread the infestation beyond the reach of the root mat, and put organisms into positions they could not reach alone. Three species are known: the Light, Heavy and Flying Carriers.
Description
Carriers are produced by Beckons and filled at Dispatchers, which load them with organisms from their stores before they leave. All three species are near-black and eyeless, and find their way by scent and vibration. Their bodies are built around one large sac or a set of chambers, and the organisms inside are kept in the same slowed state as in a Dispatcher's store until they are released. A Light Carrier dies when its sac bursts. Heavy and Flying Carriers that have released their load return to their Dispatcher to be refilled.
Light Carrier
The Light Carrier is about 1.5 metres long and weighs 80 to 150 kg, most of it a thin-walled sac holding Buglins and Rupters, several dozen in a large specimen. It moves fast on four legs, ahead of the front of an infestation or into a defended area, and bursts its sac on reaching a target or when it is attacked, releasing its contents. Light Carriers are the main means by which Buglins reach ground with no established infestation. They travel by night, alone or in pairs, and can cover 40 to 60 km before bursting, along hedges, streams, ditches and railway cuttings.
Heavy Carrier
The Heavy Carrier is 3 to 4 metres long and weighs 2 to 3 tonnes, with a full membrane. It walks slowly into an area and releases organisms from a row of openings along its flanks while it lives, one every few minutes, up to about a hundred from a fully loaded specimen. It is used to deny an area to defenders, and is usually engaged at long range with RTG rounds or artillery.
Flying Carrier
The Flying Carrier has a wingspan of 5 to 6 metres and carries Buglins and Rupters in a sac beneath its body, which it releases over its target. It drops organisms behind defensive lines, onto roofs and into courtyards, gardens and other enclosed spaces, ten to twenty in a load. It flies low, mostly at dusk, and has been recorded over Europe since 2024.
Effects
Until 2023, Light Carriers brought Buglins into towns and farmland tens of kilometres from the nearest infested ground, and most of the outbreaks found by municipal pest control in those years began with one. Several member states set up rural reporting lines in 2022, and farmers, railway staff and hunters were asked to report burst sacs, which leave a ring of grey residue on the ground. Since 2024 Flying Carriers have reached held cities, and roof gardens, courtyards and school playgrounds in cities near infested ground have been covered with netting.
Countermeasures
A Carrier killed while burning does not release its payload, as the organisms inside die in the fire. Flamethrowers and incendiary rounds are used against Light Carriers, and units engaging one with conventional weapons expect to fight its contents afterwards. Heavy Carriers are engaged before they reach a position. Flying Carriers are engaged with air-defence guns, and the ground beneath a Flying Carrier shot down over a town is searched for its contents.
History
Light Carriers were first recorded in 2021, carrying Buglins into towns away from infested ground. Heavy Carriers appeared in 2022, and Flying Carriers in 2024.