Probe

Background

The Slylandro purchased their first Probe from the Melnorme for exploration purposes. The Slylandro intended to use them for making peaceful contact with other races. Since it had the ability to replicate itself, they modified its program code so that replication was the first priority.

The repercussions of this foolhardy action were grave. Not only were there probes that attempted to break friendly ships into component pieces for use in replication, but they multiplied at an exponential rate!

The Captain put a stop to this when he made contact with the Slylandro. When they learned what had happened, they reversed the process. The captain was given a code that would cause probes to self-destruct in case he encountered one.

Speed and control

Unlike any other ship, the probe is always in motion. Pressing the thruster reverses the direction the probe is travelling in. The control scheme is tricky to learn, but the advantages of having such a nimble ship should not be overlooked.

The ship has hit points, but no actual crew. This makes it impervious to the Syreen Penetrator's secondary attack.

Armament

Primary

When attacking, the Probe discharges several bolts of lightning directed at its target. The lightning is very short-ranged, which makes for a difficult learning curve when coupled with the Probe's unorthodox controls.

Secondary

Unlike most vessels, the probe does not generate its own fuel. Instead, it uses its secondary armament to break down asteroids and "energize" itself. One asteroid contains enough energy to completely replenish a probe's fuel reserves.