Help saving my Ocidium Sharry Baby - Things in the roots!

[jenmonkey]

Okay, I'm back needing more help with strange things in my orchids.

I repotted my Oncidium Sharry Baby today because the p-bulbs have started to become brown and mushy, which I assume is a soft rot problem. I lost a few leaves to yellowing and browning, but there are three spikes that are just pumping out buds and a few flowers, and one of the spikes is coming out of one of the brown mushy bulbs.

So, I decided to just repot and work on the roots, since I have little confidence in the soggy bark mix I put it in right before it started having problems, and deal with the bulbs after it finished blooming or if it started spreading rapidly.

BUT. I'm cleaning out the very compacted root ball of the charcoal/bark it was shipped and grown in, and I start pulling out these small (around 1-2mm) smooth pebbles. In fact, there are tons of them in pockets in the roots.

At one point I squeezed one of them - I don't know why. And it exploded gooey stuff all over me. I gagged a little, then looked closer at them - they sank in water, had no orifices, and the outer pebble-looking surface was actually like a rubbery substance. I tried to cut into one with a razor blade, and the surface wouldn't cut, but grey goo oozed out.

I'm seriously sketched out by this, so please help me figure out what they are!! Are they eggs of some kind of pest? Gah. I don't do well with creepy-crawlies, so I'm just shuddering to think what's been going on down there...

I've attached some pics of the plant, the bulbs, and the creepy pebble things. Help!

Thanks as always for your help!