Terabyte

These are descendents of termites that now build huge bizarre cities, over hundreds of years. The structures above ground are air conditioned greenhouses, where the terabytes cultivate algae to feed on. Without the terabytes' care the algae could not survive the desert's extreme conditions.

Behavior
Terabytes all have the same body design, but different legless castes –builder, warrior, water carrier, rock borer, nurses – are carried by the transporter caste. The queen is the leader of the whole colony.

They live in terabyte mounds rising up out of the desert. Inside is a bustling, sophisticated feat of engineering providing a network of tunnels and chambers in which the terabytes breed, dig for water and harvest food.

Feeding
Terabytes farm algae. Behind organic windows, watered by these Terabytes, the algae thrive in the sunshine.

From time to time, the Terabyte algal gardens need renewal. Warrior terabytes go out on raiding parties, searching for Garden Worms. The Garden Worm lives in symbiosis with the algae in its body, the algae providing it with food, and in return being offered exposure to the sun for efficient photosynthesis. The terabytes tear pieces from the Garden Worm, taking them back together with their enclosed algae, to restock their fields.

Breeding
The queen lays millions of eggs in a special chamber. When the eggs hatch they are fed by nurse terabytes.