Victims of the nanogene spore were rapidly transformed into mutated cyborgs—Metanecrons.
The Metanecrons were mutated cyborgs that were engineered via an infection from the nanogene spore, a technovirus capable of transmuting living tissue into cybernetic prostheses. By means of an obscure dark side ritual called mechu-deru vitae, victims of the nanogene spore were bound to the will of their creator—the Sith Lord known as Belia Darzu—and compelled to obey without hesitation. To help facilitate their blind obedience, the virus also lobotomized the victim's frontal lobes and incapacitated their higher brain functions, consequently limiting their ability to carry out complicated instructions or tactics. Nonetheless, the single-minded nature of the Metanecrons made them effective at swarming and overwhelming a target in large numbers.
The Metanecrons were highly adaptable, utterly fearless and incapable of feeling pain. Owing to their resilience, they were uninhibited by dismemberment or decapitation, as well as the usual hazards posed by toxins or radiation. The creatures, however, were highly vulnerable to ion and electromagnetic pulse weaponry due to their cybernetic makeup. Infested with microscopic nanogene droids, all Metanecrons were capable of infecting living beings with the technovirus, assimilating their fallen victims into additional mutants. The painful and rapid effects of the virus—combined with the fervent ferocity of the Metanecrons—often served as a demoralizing influence among the weak-minded. Long-term victims of the nanogene spore would eventually become severely impaired by the degenerative effects of the virus. As such, the ranks of the Metanecrons were frequently replenished with new victims.
Due to the experimental nature of the nanogene spore, victims of the technovirus were transformed with varying results. While this trait made the Metanecrons an often unpredictable force, it also led to inconsistent levels of quality among their ranks. Designed for destruction, the Metanecrons were bestowed a wide range of armaments at the peak of their transformation. These weapons were grafted directly into their bodies, sometimes replacing entire limbs. The vast majority of the creatures possessed bladed protrusions for use in melee combat, while others were granted various types of blaster weaponry. Larger subjects of the virus typically gained heavy armor plating, making them effective juggernauts in battle. All Metanecrons were capable of surviving the vacuum of space, allowing some of them to be outfitted as starships. These spacefaring variants were commonly used to conduct suicidal ramming attacks against enemy vessels.