Feral Drone

An autonomous vehicle (aircraft, spacecraft, ground, etc.) once used by another entity but which has since ceased to operate under remote control. This typically happens as a result of the control center going offline (e.g. through enemy action) or infection of the drone by a computer virus designed to co-opt or neutralize it. Most feral drones do not "live" long, as whatever renders them feral is usually sufficient to cause their destruction in short order, but some (particularly those with self-repair capability) can endure for years or longer. Ex-military ferals are highly dangerous since they will likely not respond to commands and may fire on anyone who approaches.

Feral drones are most common on underdeveloped or post-disaster worlds, where disruptive events can create them and there exist no concerted effort at capture and deactivation. Planets known to have large populations of feral drones include Terra and Mayhem (where the toren inhabitants frequenty hunt them for components).

During the Interstellar Dark Ages, feral replicator ships ran amok in parts of the Starweb since there were few spacefaring militaries to contain them.

Rarity

Varies by location.

Complement / Crew

Usually unmanned