Spec-Evo: Cutters (the colonists)

An alien loosely based on my terrestrial cephalopods from a while back, with bio-mechanical elements, and a society built along lines similar to termite colonies, hence the name the colonists.

In the farthest reaches of the galaxy, there exists an earth-sized moon orbiting a gas giant. This moon has since become a hub for various races across the heavens in their goal to exploit a planetary quirk. The moon is tidally locked, one side facing its parent planet eternally. While one side is lush with life, the other is plagued by volcanoes, earthquakes and other geological forces that make it all but uninhabitable. Yet such a place is actively sought after, as it gives one a chance to mine for resources normally too far beneath the surface to allow for safe mining. 

The colonists are one such species who've arrived to exploit this moons natural resources. Their society is a bit like termite colonies, in the sense that there are many different members of a genetic cast system, each of which is drastically different from each other in terms of function. This happens, because at conception these creatures scan the infant's DNA to dictate what traits it will possess as an adult. After this has been examined, a cast position is bestowed onto the child, in this case a cutter. They then introduce nano-machines which will build, maintain and adapt the biomechanical elements, and incorporate them into the living tissue of the creature. This not only enhances the being's natural abilities and gives them tools with which to carry out their jobs, but also allows for the formation of things like service panels, which doctors can use to easily access the inner workings to make repairs, or to treat wounds.

Cutters are equipped with copious amounts of tough shielding on the front portion of their bodies. This is because their heads are mounted with a giant, retractable welding gun that allows them to cut through rocks, weld metals, and more. The gun is fueled by two large tanks mounted on its neck/ shoulder region, filled with hydrogen gas naturally generated by the body. The creature has four eyes, but only three visors on either side of the head-block. These visors are shields of thick transparent metals, similar to compound eyes on arthropods but lined by microbots equipt with optical sensors, functioning much like the rods and cones in our eyes. This allows these beings to see in high definition, even when performing jobs like welding and cutting rocks. When the gun is in use, a pair of tentacles close to the mouth, which are covered in segments of shielding, coil tightly. The segments come together as a result of this action, forming a shield to protect them from the heat. 

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