Mobile/Walker Form:
Stationary/Planted on Land:
Underside:
Designer’s Notes:
So this has been siting around for quite a while waiting to be finished. Originally, this was going to be a functioning Technic/Constraction umbrella. The legs were Technic beams and the skeleton of the umbrella before being converted into CCBS bones for this creature. This was…I think around the time of the Kited-Tail Squirrel MOC, in which the idea of how to use capes for the fabric of the umbrella was used in that Rahi’s kite.
Since it used a lot of those dome pieces (isn’t even all the blue ones I own!), originally this was going to be another G2 related thing. Linking back to Venivvy, Khronstor, and the Sparnturtors. A slight retcon where some of the Sparnturtors ended up surviving and planted themselves in the Region of Water. Becoming these odd plant monsters, slowly rebuilding their numbers and waiting for another queen.
And it certainly still works as that, I have been reworking all of my Bionicle related creations (MOCs, RPC, other works, etc.) to fit in a single Bionicle alternate reality instead of several. If you’re interested, the story info for this creature and the previously mentioned relatives are now what’s below.
Species Info:
Name: Sainka
Class: Sentient Flora (some), Intelligent Flora (some) Species
Appearance: The Sainka’s appearance depends on which class/sub-species is being dealt with, but all share some commonalities. The bush/plant-class is most similar to that of Morbuzakh and Karzahni, typically being this spherical base with a bundle of vines and roots spreading out from it. The plant-class is primarily black in color, though can have some lime green vines, various types of silver metallic pieces jutting out of it, as well as translucent blue crystals.
The seed, spore, and sapling classes, while differing in many ways, are far more similar. Starting with the spore-class, these look like a spherical triangle standing up, with an extra cylinder protrusion coming out the back. They have a singular blue eye in the front, their outer shell is made of the translucent blue crystals, protecting the loose green seed and mechanics inside. Three lime green roots/vines sprout out from each corner, with an additional three coming out the back. On the front are three little blasters devices fused in the crystal shell.
The seed-class is much like the spore-class, though does not have the cylinder protrusion in the back and is instead composed of two the spherical triangles, the corners of one triangle rest in the opposite of the other. Its shell is black, with additional blue crystal coverings, and have four black roots/vines, two coming out of each side. It also has three blasters fused into the front of its shell, but has additional ones in its roots/vines.
The sapling-class is closer to the spore-class, but differs in many ways. While its shell is translucent blue crystal, its shaping is more of a spherical plus sign laying down, with cylinder protrusion in the middle, both top and bottom. Harder, blackened roots forming a base on the bottom cylinder stretch out from it, with either lime green or orange roots/vines attached to the ends. Unlike the other two, it has no visible eyes and no blasters in its casing.
Physiology: Sainka is a biomechanical plant, meaning that like other Matoran Universe beings, it is a mix between organic and mechanical nature. The exterior of Sainka is covered in Protodermic armor, with gaps and breaks in this armor revealing the cellulose underneath. It possesses all the typical plant makeup and structure internally, though made of Protodermis like all MU plants, but also has an additional internal mechanic skeleton and parts for structural support and functions. Design to obtain nutrients from any environment, Sainka can live anywhere from inside volcanoes to frozen wastes, but tends to prefer places with lots of existing plant life. To best explain the Sainka plant, it must be further split into several sub-classes.
Plant-Class: The Sainka plant-class, sometimes also known as the bush-class, is the primary species. It is a large factory plant that places itself in an area and begins to swiftly take over, draining away all nutrients and materials to itself. Materials gathered are refined and either used to help expand and grow the Sainka or to manufacture war machines. The primary purpose of the Sainka is the creation of these war machines and soldiers, continue to spread, gain resources, increase military size and strength, and expand conquest.
Members of this class are all sentient and highly intelligent, more so than that of Toa. Their bodies produce a chemical that allows them to feel vibrations in the air to sense movement. Similar vibration senses in the ground as well to detect objects and creatures. If need be, crystalline eyes can be grown anywhere on its body to further check the area. If needed for self-defense, the eyes can grow into heads with sharp teeth and spew out poison or acid. Often at least one head can be found rising out of the primary base of the plant, but the consciousness does not reside there. It is merely a distraction to have attackers focus on the wrong area. Consciousness primarily resides in the main base and master root. For some reason, Sainka are weak to the Element of Air and a blast of that elemental power to the master root will kill the entire creature.
Size of the Sainka varies, depending on how long it has been growing, but the main base is typically no smaller than a city block and several stories tall. As the main base is also primary manufacturing area, it is commonly defended by blades and crystalline structures in addition to vines and heads. The roots and vines it grows can borough quite deep in the ground and easily through buildings and Protodermic defenses. Thorns can also be grown on the roots and vines, provided simply crushing or tearing apart the attacker doesn’t solve the issue. If the area has run out of nutrients and materials, the primary base can consolidate and recycle the extend parts of itself to convert into a large airship of sorts. It can then rocket up into the air and fly to a new location to replant itself.
The plant-class is the only class able to propagate, however, it can only do so once. It must choose the correctly when to do so, for its offspring will have all the knowledge and abilities gained. It can gain abilities from other plant life in the existing area, taking any desirable traits they may possess. However, these traits can only then be passed onto their offspring and are unable to add it to themselves. The only known member of this class is Venivvy.
Seed-Class: The seed-class are the singular offspring of the plant-class, design as such to keep the creature’s population under control. The internal means of growth into the plant-class are protected by a durable outer shell, which has additional physical defenses by ways of crystal armors. They tend to be larger than Toa and their beginning sprouting roots are strong enough to pulverize boulders. Highly intelligent, they can choose when where they want to plant themselves and when they should be planted. After which they can access to all the traits of the base plant-class and the addition acquired traits. Only known member of this class is Khronstor.
Spore-Class: The spore-class, often referred to as the Sparnturtors by the Sainka, are similar to the offspring seed-class in design. They tend to be the first war machines built by the plant-class, based upon the blueprints for the seed-class, and are small, easily manufactured drones. Though they are easily larger than Matoran, they are not quite Toa sized. Their outer shells is fairly thin and weaker, being made of the crystal material, which is filled with fluids and attempts to protect the little seeds inside. Unfortunately, the gaps in their design make it easy to destroy them. A simple blast of Fire or poison in the gaps will instantly kill them. Their vines/roots can crush Matoran, but they don’t have much in the way of intelligence and can be easily outmaneuvered. Their functions are simple, scout, occasionally gather materials, and attack in swarms. Though mentally connected to their plant-class creator, they act as a hive mind, knowing the plant-class’s will and needing little direct orders. They are not considered sentient like the plant and seed-classes and if the plant-class is killed, all Sparnturtors will deactivate. However, like the seed-class, they can plant themselves and become the sapling-class.
Sapling-Class: The sapling-class are the planted versions of the spore-class. They tend to be bigger, more intelligent, and more powerful. Like the plant-class, they can grow more vines/roots and their vines are now strong enough to pulverize boulders. However, unlike the spore-class, they lose all ranged weaponry. Instead, their primary focus is to act as wireless transmitters, sending nutrients and more detailed data back to the plant-class. They can also be the growth quick starter for the plant-class, allowing the roots to instantly connect and grow out to all areas the sapling knows. Though it has lost its ability to fly, the sapling-class can uproot themselves and walk to other areas. They also gain minor manufacturing capabilities, able to repair any damaged Sparnturtors. Ones that plant themselves in the water tend to have the orange vines/roots and looks more like sea kelp.
Powers: Both the plant and seed-classes have Telepathy, able to read minds of beings and creatures, as well as speak to them. Seed and spore-classes have the ability to levitate and fly, though the Sparnturtors are much faster than seed-class, they can’t go as high up. Unique to the base plant-class, it can alter parts of itself to spew out acid or poison.
Weapons: The plant-class can use thorns and vines as weapons or manufacture defensive blades to sprout from its base. The seed and spore-class are the only ones with real weapons, having small elemental blasters built into their protective shells. Spore-class only has three of these and they fire a powerful acid, similar in potency to that of the Bohrok’s Acid Shields. The seed-class has more blasters coming from its vines, but the power depends on the traits it inherits. The only seed-class known so far is able to fire an acid-lava mix.
History: When the League of Six Kingdoms demanded Rahi for their armies from the Brotherhood, the Makuta complied. Though none of them intended to give the League any real forces, Makuta Equinox went a step further. He created the Sainak, a monstrous plant that would drain all of the League’s resources and then crush them. This first one was dubbed Venivvy and gifted to the League, though soon after the League was defeated and Venivvy no longer needed. Thinking the species would just die off, Equinox left it alone. Unfortunately, and perhaps later fortunately, the Sainak survived and thrived. At some point, when Venivvy thought she was going to die, she created the seed-class Khronstor. Both she and Khronstor has since been recovered and placed back into the Brotherhood as servants. So far, only the spore and sapling-classes have been observed as war machines created by Sainak. Other machines and creatures may be possible.