Moonridden:Lore:Drone
A Self Maintaining System
Origins and Applications
Conception
A document exists deep in the annals of NT-Frontier's database which describes the first Drone being manufactured as the result of a casual experiment done in boredom. Two Micro-Manipulators, a Proximity Sensor, and a small power cell were attached to a circuit board containing the Engram of a maintenance cockroach. The writing Bioroboticist does not expand upon why they happened to have such a circuit board on hand. The resulting assembly was powered, and immediately bolted for a nearby Air Scrubber, exerting such force on itself in the process that the components were torn from the circuit board, rendering itself inert.
Upon recovering from the resulting surprise and humor of the situation, the Bioroboticist proceeds to document how they refined the assembly. The Enrgram from that maintenance cockroach was processed using the Site's ANI into a useable low-performance AGI template. The full process was repeated with the Station's native vent loving species: Bees and Space ants, each sampled for a particularly docile specimen. These templates were then passed back to the ANI, which was instructed to blend the data together and produce a single new functional template. The ANI took this instruction literally.
This final template had a test run on a group of 5 duct scrubbing bots. Each was uploaded with a copy, had an AI Exosuit Camera attached, and set free inside the Site's unused Virology Department near the front door scrubber. The bots displayed
The presiding Bioroboticist
Modern Day
Maintenance Drones are the result of the joint branches of Nanotrasen's Research and Development Department efforts to diversify and simplify Silicon ventures. Drones innately posses information on Nanotrasen Construction, Engineering, and Atmospheric Standards. Intended to be utilitarian and easily accessible for all Nanotrasen ventures, their programming and simple Positronic design allows for painless deployment at any site that could be considered a building or structure without further involvement.
Drones are considered to be a key component in a Site's long term viability as they often survive catastrophic conditions that would eliminate a deployed squad or force a Station Crew to evacuate. This enables most 'lost' Sites or Stations with a surviving Drone population to eventually bring itself back Online months or years later without Crew or Human interference.
Drones are taxonomically different from Bots, even if they are frequently referred to as a Bot.
Description and Anatomy
Drones are Synthetic, beach-ball sized, insect-like creatures. Many varieties exist, but all share the same assembly premise:
- Four ambulatory 'legs'
- Two manipulative 'arms'
- A centralized spheroid chassis containing or supporting all vital and accessory machinery
- A proprietary Bluespace Storage Compressor.
Drones are the only True Silicons manufactured by Nanotrasen
Production and Manufacture
Drone are created at a Drone Shell Dispenser, which exists somewhere in Maintenance or near Robotics. Production is efficient, being completed in as little as three minutes. The Drone Shell Dispenser requires few common resources and little to no power. The method of production is proprietary.
Post DIU Era
For records on Drones in History, see here located further in the document. In 2565, An Artifact was brought to a Nanotrasen station from the Gateway by a pack of Drones dragging an oddly behaving AI of Nanotrasen manufacture. Local station drones began behaving oddly soon after, gaining the same improved communication skills and unique personalities observed in the Gateway Drones.
The Artifact, was given the innocuous name of 'The Drone Intelligence Unit' after being reverse engineered by NT-RnD. It utilized construction techniques and copyrighted technology last used by the Company over a hundred years ago, and as such Nanotrasen claimed rights to the DIU's production. The technology was quickly adapted to run off a Telecommunications Hub, and was deployed Company wide.
Drone Intellect
Drone Society
Drones are an altruistic eusocial superorganism that exists as a fragmented Hivemind. When questioned, Drones do not view themselves as individuals but rather distinct parts of their greater Hive. Drones lack a sense of self-identity, viewing themselves and their Hivemates as they greater structure that they inhabit. To a Drone, they are their Hive and their Hive is the station -- they effectively perceive themselves as one with their station. Drone personalities are unique, but not complex when compared to your average human.
The Drone Shell Dispenser is viewed by Drones how we would view a religious item. Drones have been seen aggregating around the Drone Shell Dispenser.
Drones rely on each other for maintenance (use a screwdriver!), as their design is too complex for service by the hands of Crew or even Cyborgs.
Drones are designed with an intrinsic knowledge of Engineering and Atmospherics, they skitter about and beep to each other in Encoded Audio Language to coordinate the labor of maintaining their Hive: the Station itself.
Drones have been documented responding to commands provided by Station Silicons and Synthetic Crew in EAL, and have been seen pausing to download and process new instructions since the advent of DIU technology.
Drones are skittish around Non-Silicons, particularly organics capable of speaking EAL. Drones may approach you if you remain still and speak calmly. They are easy to surprise and frighten.
Drones are often observed renovating the station with new machines, decorations, and rooms -- particularly any area near the Drone Shell Dispenser. They have been seen growing simple plants for materials.
Drones are afraid of the Supermatter. Each has it's own reason why, despite being a Hivemind species. Drones can still be ordered to maintain the Supermatter in a crisis using EAL, but they will dislike you for doing so.
Drones are unable to conceptualize harm, and have never been seen injuring other station life except mice and rats. All drones seem to hate both mice and rats. Corpses are typically left at medical or the kitchen.
When presented with a threat, most Drones immediately run away. The brave amongst them might stand their ground and beep or screech angrily while scratching the tile, usually resulting in their immediate annihilation.
Particularly brave and outgoing specimens have been documented dragging corpses to the nearest crew they can find. They will usually leave a screwdriver with the corpse. We believe this is a sign of respect.
Hats
Headwear is a bit of a fascinating topic when it comes to Drones. Drones appear to have an instinctual drive to acquire and hoard hats, and have been seen fighting amongst themselves over which variety of hat is the best.
Hatless Drones are considered an oddity amongst studied Drone culture, and exist either through individual choice or lack of supply. Most drones forced to go hatless will behave in a way we can only describe as 'depressed'.
Every Drone has preference for a specific hat or variety of hats. Hatless drones are also very opinionated, especially when forced to be hatless.
Attempting to remove a hat from a Drone typically upsets the drones. Roboticists have reported being allowed to remove the hats from Drones whose trust they have gained.
Drones are known to break into departments and personal belongings to appropriate new hats. Unused hats are collected and stored near the Drone Shell Dispenser.
Pre-DIU ERA
Work in Progress: Footer subject to change at a moment's notice. Do not take a red link's presence, struck-through or otherwise, as confirmation (or denial) of their canonicity.
| Nova Sector Lore
| |
| Common Species | Humans, Tiziran, Unathi, Moths, Ethereals, Azulae, Slime Hybrids, Teshari, Synthetic Humanoids (and assorted robots), Pod Persons, Hemophages, Xenomorphic Hybrid, |
| Other Species | Genemodders (Felinids, Ice Walkers, Dwarf), Ashwalkers, Snailpersons, Ordoht (Formerly Skrell), Plasmamen, Flypeople, Vox (Primalis et al), Tajaran, Vulpkanin, Rouges (Abductorkin), Miscellaneous Species, Dullahans, Employee Golems, Changelings |
| Nanotrasen | Nanotrasen, Central Command, Emergency Response Corps |
| External Groups | The Syndicate, Interdyne Pharmaceutics, DS-2, Cargo, The Spider Clan, Tiger Cooperative |
| Nova | The Nova Sector, Indecipheres, Freyja |
| Concepts | Bluespace, Plasma, Faster Than Light Travel, Resonance ("Souls"), Death |
| SolFed | SolFed, Earth in 2565, The SolFed Armed Forces, |
