The Nimbusaur. A member of the space genus magnapinnidae. An eight tentacled gaseous creature that
lives in and near the upper atmosphere of Gas Giant planets. It feeds on the gases found in the
upper layers and it has an affinity for Casion and Hydrogen. Due to this, the Nimbusaur frequently
targets and attacks orbiting mining platforms, ships and stations hoarding these gases.
What it looks like:
The Nimbusaur looks and acts similar to the ancient Earth deep ocean Bigfin squid, know to attack
and sink ocean vessels twice its size. It has a complex set of 8 tentacles, two grasping arms and highly
developed sense organs. It has a razor-sharp beak for a mouth that can cut open any hull it encounters and a proboscis-like tongue for siphoning gases it locates.
What it Does:
The Nimbusaur floats gracefully along the upper layers of a gas giant's atmosphere siphoning gas as it goes similar to what an aquatic being does as it travels through water. At the tip of each tentacle is a sensory organ that, similar to echo-location, can detect both the shape of particular gas molecules as well as the humming vibration of orbiting mining equipment. Once detected, using chameleon-like camouflage matching the cloud patterns of the planet, it stealthily approaches its prey and with its grasping arms grabs and draws its target into reach of the tentacles. Once there, it uses its mouth to cut through any armor and into the hull of the target. Once penetrated, it uses its tongue to seek out and siphon any gases. Before long there is violent decompression and the vessel is destroyed.
Special attributes:
The Nimbusaur has the ability to change color and pattern to suit its surroundings, making it practically invisible and very stealthy.
If the Nimbusaur has attacked a vessel with a particularly high amount of armor, it has the ability to discharge a highly corrosive acid that will begin to dissolve the vessel's armor.
The Nimbusaur, due to the ability to withstand enormous atmospheric pressures, is impervious to ion and beam weapons. Only torpedoes and missiles can destroy it.
Back Story:
During the Shakturi war era, it was discovered that the Giant Kaltor creatures were created as a bio-weapon in the fight against them. But what wasn't discovered, was that one of the science ships created to carry and distribute the original genetic material (the Odyessy) was on a delivery mission to a secret lab in the Alpha Kassieda system near the Briar Patch nebula. According to certain covert Gizurean agents, it is speculated that one of the onboard Kaltor eggs prematurely hatched, escaped containment and disposed of the crew. The Odyessy drifted into the gravity well of a nearby Gas Giant and exploded, thus spreading the genetic material into the over 850 mph upper winds of the planet.
It is believed that the genetic material, the DNA of the Kaltor and the chemical composition of the atmosphere all contributed to the genetic creation of the Nimbusaur. Able to live and survive from a range of the middle atmospheric planet layer to the outer range of the planets gravity well, it feeds on the planet's natural gases....and any ship or vessels in orbit it finds.
