Vakory Survey Drone
The Vakory Survey Drone is the most combat-capable of the three classic Galactic Empire Droids. It surveys and hails rather than proactively hunting players, but an attack can provoke weapons fire and evasive action.
Classic GE
The stock Vakory SD-82 has Mark-1 shields and phasers, warp 4, a 25,000-distance-unit scanner, and a 50-point kill value. It notices nearby player ships and may hail them. Once attacked, it can use standard phasers at impulse or hyper-phasers while both ships are at warp. Its impulse phaser sweep points straight ahead, not necessarily at the attacker; see Classic bug: Droid phasers fire straight ahead.
The classic routine also attempts torpedo fire: it temporarily stocks torpedoes and calls the launcher directly, despite the class table saying no to torpedo capability. The direct launcher path does not check that class flag. The attempt remains subject to other requirements, including obtaining a lock and a free incoming-torpedo slot. The Drone can vary its speed and heading, accelerate to shake an attached missile, and, above 75 hull damage, try to lay a mine, activate a jammer, and run at its maximum requested speed on a random heading. Thus its retreat is both evasive and hazardous to a pursuer. Its attack/retreat branch also requires a positive lastfired channel, so a channel-zero attacker can fail to trigger it; see Classic bug: Channel-zero NPC targeting. See Classic NPC ship classes.
ge-next
The stock Vakory SD-86 retains maximum Mark-1 shields and phasers and warp 4, but now has two torpedo launchers and explicit mine and jammer capability. Unlike the centrally concentrated classic Drone, a newly created one can appear throughout the galaxy.
When attacked, it turns roughly away from its attacker. Below 67 hull damage it varies its impulse speed; at or above that threshold it tries to escape faster and may leave a mine. Against a visible nearby target it can fire an aimed phaser or torpedo, and may jam when its equipment is ready. Its torpedo use now follows the configured launcher count, stock, visibility, speed, and neutral-zone rules instead of relying on the classic direct-call quirk. It can send a distress call. Heavy jamming interferes with its normal response. See ge-next NPC ship classes.
Hails
In classic GE, the Drone occasionally announces treaty protection or its automatic defenses, and an attacked Drone may call for help or report the attack to Vakory High Command. ge-next separates routine approach beacons from warnings to players the Vakories regard as hostile and responses to a fresh attack. Its messages present the ship as an unmanned research vessel and warn that its defenses are active. The ge-next distress broadcast is a separate gameplay message, not merely one of these hails.
See also
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