Probe

The Slylandro purchased their first Probe from the Melnorme for exploration purposes, with the intent 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 became its overriding 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, becoming a servere hazard to any hyperSpace traveler.

The Captain put a stop to this when he made contact with the Slylandro. When they learned what had happened, they gave The Captain a code that would cause probes to self-destruct in case he encountered one, and began reprogramming all returning probes to roam the quadrant broadcasting the self-destruct code on a HyperWave hailing frequency, which caused a swift decline in their numbers (to everyone's great relief).

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.

Programming

The Probe's internal set of instructions is replicated here:

   SCAN (for targets, as defined in Target List).
   IF (no current target).
   THEN (select New target from Current Targets list, using specified priorities).
   IF (Current Position is AT Current Target).
   THEN (Set Current Behavior to New Behavior, based on Behavior Priority Settings).
   PERFORM (Current Behavior).

The Probe used the following datatables:

   TARGET LIST (with associated Target Priority).
       Space Vessel (5).
       Transmission Source (4).
       Astronomical Anomaly (3).
       Planet Bearing Life Signature (2).
       Raw Replication Materials (1).
   PROBE BEHAVIORS (With assigned priorities).
       Communicate (5).
       Record Data (4).
       Analyze Data (3).
       Seek Replication Materials (999).
       Move to Current Target (1).

It was the skewed priority of the 'Seek Replication Materials' behavior that led to the Probe's unnatural hostility.