The Drones and Overmind

Preface:
	The Uthonian Nexis is a vast and enigmatic hive-mind that inhabits a region of space close to the center of the Peritania galaxy. The primary species called Uthon are arthropod in nature, this is due to their many similarities with the ants of Sol III (earth).While this hive appears to be aggressive in nature, they tend to keep to themselves and avoid conflict unless necessary. This hive was first discovered in 2293 by a deep space exploratory science vessel, and made contact with our agents for a brief time. Isolationist in nature this hive has elected to close it’s space off to all “singled”. As such there is little knowledge on the details of the hives inner functions. What we can conclude is from wreckage, interactions, and wars with them.
~[Overmind]
	Unlike most of the biological organisms that exist in the galaxy, the Uthonian Nexus has a secondary consciousness to it. This is referred to as the “Overmind” by the drones. In interviews with “Representative Drones” we have come to learn that the Overmind acts in a similar manner as a hyper forum for the drones, and exerts the will of the collective on any given drone. Further interviews have found that the more a drones access the overmind the more likely they are to become “Autonomous” in that the particular drone will get a higher degree of free will than their counterparts, thus allowing for more advanced decision making without input from the Overmind. Furthermore it has been found that drones who cannot connect to the overmind revert to a more primitive and violent state, or become completely comatose. It has also been determined that temporary access to the overmind without full assimilation by the hive will result in a permanent case of dementia, schizophrenia, alzheimer's, or some other from of madness for the individual.
	It has been observed that the close presence of a psionic ability of an individual may disrupt the Overmind’s connection with an individual drone. Thus causing the drone itself to act out in an unpredictable manner. When interviewed a drone said that, “Static on our mind...static on my mind…(screaming noises)” (Menial Drone, 2254). It is unsure if the drones experience pain at the loss of a connection to the Overmind or a heightened level of anxiety.

Drones:
	While the hive may refer to its people as “drones” it is in no way meant to be an offensive term. Indeed it has been found that many drones like being called a drone or don’t care entirely. According to a mining drone interviewed, “A pickaxe would not be offended for being called what it is, a highly useful tool for the job of mining” (mining drone, 2254). There are several classes of drone, each tailored to the job that they will have that is assigned to them before birth. While the Overmind has almost total control over the drones, they still exhibit a form of personality, albeit related to their job. Interviews with several drones have revealed that they are almost incapable of talking about anything that does not relate to their job. While there are a great deal of generic drones, there are a few that are highly specialized, and have specific genetic attributes to account for this. Many drones have also have a mutually beneficial relationship with a brainslug species that allows them to perform highly complicated tasks with less interference from the overmind.
	Drones have a naturally short life cycle, reaching sexual maturity by age 4, and full adulthood by age 12. Naturally due to the rapid death of drones, the population of the hive evolves rapidly. There is a high turnover rate for life to death in the hive, and it is estimated that they have about a 75% higher birth rate than most species. Female drones can be impregnated by multiple males at a time, thus leading to a high genetic diversity in the species. It has been found that the primary job of the female drones is impregnation and birth, for those too old to give birth they help tend to the spawning pools.
~[Brain Drones]
	Thes drones are mostly just giant heads and little else. Their primary function is to run scientific calculations for the hive, as well as conceive of new technologies. Most bodily functions are handled by other menial drones so that they will never stop their current task. While there are autonomous brain drones for the various fields of science (Physics, Engineering, Biology), there are less autonomous drones serving underneath them. Additional probing has found that these drones are of the few that can actually get a sunburn if they go outside, and for whatever reason, all particularly enjoy “nutrient apple flavor 0112358”.
~[Army Drones]
	While all drones are created for their environment, we will outline here a basic Army Combat Drone. These drones have a mix of biological weaponry as well as conventional weapons. A standard Army drone has several redundant organs and repressed survival instincts. These drones have also been observed to be highly aggressive towards their targets. Examination of Army Drone corpses have revealed that they have a much thicker exoskeleton and what appear to be sword like growths on their forearms. Many reports have stated that these Army Drones will have the ability to explode in an acidic explocion to damage or blind the enemy at their own expense. This acid is highly corrosive and has been shown to be able to temporarily disrupt energy shielding and eat through fairly heavy armored plating, though the range of the explosion is limited to extremely close quarters. The kit that these drones seem to carry includes a semi-auto/ auto spike rifle, 3 highly explosive shrapnel grenades, 1 chemical grenade, 3 extra “magazines”, Some form of ballistics armor (based on the fight they are in), 1 high power sidearm (stellaris equivalent to a .500 magnum). For drones with brain slugs, there is an additional shoulder mounted turret that is controlled by the slug. Furthermore, these drones seem to have a higher density of muscle mass than a standard menial drone would.
	The Army Drones have vehicles only in a vague sense, as machines such as tanks, transports, and other military vehicles are artificially manufactured but connected and controlled directly by a small team (2-3) of drones. For all intents and purposes, vehicles are to be considered separate drones from the rest of the military, a combination of drone and machine.This goes for both ground and void vehicles. The exact specifications of the workings of these vehicles are unknown outside of the hive.
~[Birther Drones]
	One of the most important drones in the hive are the Birther Drones. With each drone being able to birth up to 10 new drones at a time, their biological frame is withered to reproductive organs and little else. It takes about 3 months from impregnation to reach full maturity. These drones are cared for by Menial Drones, and other Spawning Pool Drones. These drones once unable to birth new larva become assigned to Spawning Pool duty, where they tend to the incubation chambers, and larvae. These drones primarily live in small chambers lining the breeding pits on the Uthonian’ planets, and regularly gather new biological material to produce specific drones as they are needed.
~[Autonomous Drones]
	These drones can almost entirely think for themselves and can make highly complex decisions without the oversight of the rest of the hive. There is an extremely limited number of these drones and they are difficult to replace, due to the complex genetic makeup that it takes to create one. There is estimated to be 13 of these drones in the entirety of the hive.