Rupter
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| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Structure | Field |
| Origin | Fabricated |
| Class | Inborn |
| Characteristics | |
| Life cycle | Buglin, Rupter, Mangler |
| Height | 40–50 cm |
| Mass | 4–8 kg |
| Transmits | COTH |
| First recorded | 2020 |
The Rupter is an Inborn field parasite of Fabricated origin. It is one of the most common parasite organisms on Earth and the main source of COTH infections in combat. Rupters develop from Buglins, usually hunt in groups, and wound far more people than they kill; a Rupter that survives long enough transforms into a Mangler.
Rupters have been recorded since 2020, when they were among the first parasites known on Earth. They are found in every infested region.
Description
A Rupter stands 40 to 50 cm high and weighs 4 to 8 kg. The body is a compact, roughly box-shaped trunk carried on four long, thin legs, with a smaller block at the front that houses the mouth. Five or six flexible tentacles grow from the top of the trunk and are used for grasping, climbing and striking. The animal is near-black to dark grey.
Rupters have no eyes. They locate prey by scent and by vibration carried through the ground. Like other parasites, they are coated in a non-Newtonian membrane that hardens under impact, but the coating is thin, and a Rupter can be killed with ordinary small-arms fire, unlike the larger organisms.
Life cycle
A Rupter develops from a Buglin. If it survives long enough, it undergoes a rapid transformation into a Mangler, an organism several times its size. Rupters that die in the field decompose into the soil, and are one of the means by which uninfested ground first becomes infested.
Behaviour
Rupters usually hunt in groups, which in the field take direction from Bolsters. They climb walls and trees, and leap onto prey from a standing start, including vehicles in motion. Because of their height, most Rupter wounds are to the lower legs; wounds to the upper body and neck come from leaping attacks.
A Rupter's attack is usually not fatal. It leaves deep lacerations, and COTH in a wound of that severity activates quickly, so a person wounded by Rupters can be assimilated within days. Rupters eat what they kill. Those attached to a Beckon return to it and are eventually reabsorbed into its ground, along with the biomass they have taken in.
Genome variants
Rupters are found in every regional genome, with local differences. Sinic Rupters, in East Asia, are faster than other Rupters, and their wounds activate COTH more readily. Boreic Rupters, in Siberia, have a denser membrane and remain fully active through the winter. Alclidic Rupters, in Australia, are smaller and more vulnerable to cold.
Control
Rupter numbers are controlled mainly by clearing Buglins before they mature, since each Buglin killed is one Rupter fewer. Adult Rupters are killed with small arms, fire and area weapons. Standard protective equipment for troops in infested areas includes rigid lower-leg armour.
History
Rupters were first recorded in 2020. They drew little public attention at first, and most early study was done by the Hyperbiology Division of H&A. As of 2028 the Rupter is among the most common parasites.