Gathering Coil

It's a Gathering Coil. No, dozens of Gathering Coils. These tentacle-y things, they're creatures which gather information. They've been lashed together and augmented into one super-creature.
— The Doctor

Doctor: So this super-powered Gathering Coil right here, you're not meant to have it, are you? T'zim-Sha: The creature is irrelevant. Doctor: Oh, I don't think it is! I think you smuggled it ahead of you. I think it located the randomly designated human for you. I think you broke the rules. Some leader you're gonna make. Tim Shaw is a big blue cheat!

A gathering coil is a snake-like biomechanical construction originally designed to spy on the enemy's movements and gather intelligence about their strategies. They are often sent in ahead of more conventional units or even Infantry Drones. The most infamous use of gathering coils to date is the amalgam of many units strapped together and sent to Earth for one purpose and one purpose only: Locate Karl Wright.

Utility

Gathering coils are espionage machines, snaking their way into enemy camps in order to determine things like their strength, their plans, and any weaknesses. All this data is stored in a small data chip hidden deep within the creature and uploaded into the Stenza's databases. A Second or First Officer must sign off on any and all uses outside of this, including scientific research on, or using, gathering coils. The most famous misuse of the technology is T'zim-Sha's manufacture of several dozen individual gathering coils all strapped together into a single computer, which he transported along with him to Earth to locate his target for the Leadership Challenge, a poor sod named Karl Wright. This particular model had the ability to inject DNA Bombs into witnesses, although the detonator remained in T'zim-Sha's control. The mess of gathering coils was evidence in his trial and led to his exile and stripping of citizenship.

Access & Availability

Gathering coils are strictly for military use due to their espionage capabilities, and all use beyond that narrow sphere must be approved of beforehand.

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