Control Bug

Nail these bugs as soon as you see them or you might find yourself under fire from your own troopers.

Control Bug bio report

IQ: 30
Weight: 25 kg
Weapons: Mind control probe

First employed against Skinnie colonies, the control bugs represent a new direction for the Arachnids in the destruction of other races. Similar to Earth’s spiders, the control bug is much larger with a hardened carapace and great agility. A control bug can traverse vertical surfaces and ceilings. Their role is to grapple sentient enemies, driving their proboscis directly into the target’s brain stem. From this position, they can control all the basic motor functions of the victim, effectively exerting the will of the Arachnids and forcing it to obey all instructions mindlessly, even engaging simple speech centres to communicate with other members of the victim’s race.

Given enough control bugs, the Arachnids can take over an entire colony in a short space of time, especially if it has no trained troops. However, they are usually employed against selected targets to create weak points in an enemy stronghold. Common targets for control bugs are squads on patrol. Once an entire squad has been infected, it will be forced to return to its base and sabotage its defences – sometimes even doing something as simple as leaving gates wide open as the Arachnids mass for a direct assault.

Control bugs, unless otherwise directed by a brain, will seek to attach themselves to the nearest sentient creature. Once a victim has been taken over it will serve as an Arachnid, either directly attacking enemies in a firefight or otherwise sabotaging efforts to resist a bug attack.

 If a control bug successfully grapples an enemy it will automatically penetrate the victim’s brain stem and nervous system. From this point on, the control bug can manipulate the victim as if it were the victim with access to the victim’s thoughts, memories, and person. The victim will now work for the interests of the Arachnids. This mental slavery ends only when the control bug is forced to separate for any reason.