ARVEES

[Darkhstarr]

One of my favorite new weapons I designed is the ARVEES or robotic vermin. 2cm spherical bot armed with a rotary tool & enough microsized sensors & cybernetics to home on the energy signature of a target, usually power lines to drives, commo, sensors, or weapon systems. They're loaded into a hardened warhead on a standard missile & launched at a target craft; usually at a cargo hold or stateroom.. Once the hull is breached after a successful roll to hit, the nosecone opens up & the ARVEES roll & grind on to their target. Missiles hold up to 20 of these little pests. These are one of my more recent ideas that came from watching an early import episode of the anime 'Tenchi Muyo GXP' where the pirates launched missile loaded with similar bots called 'ladau'. It was too neat an idea to pass up. And a nice change of pace from the EMP missiles I usually employ.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Mm, you realize that a space-to-space missile moves at km/sec relative to the target? That gives every kilo of robot the KE of several kilos of plastique. To just put a hole in the wall, without vaporizing the robot, is only trivially different from a soft docking. Makes it an easy target for any defensive fire while on final aproach.

As a terror weapon against disabled/defenseless ships it makes some sense. "Surrender now or the robots will destroy your life support."

 

[Darkhstarr]

Well, they are designed to be built tough enought to deliver a payload. And the average merchantman isn't armoured, probably not more than today's spacecraft. And they can designed to possess breaking thrusters that can be programmed to fire is necessary. Roll 1D6 after a successful hit. If a 1, 2, or 3 results, roll another 1D6 to see how many ARVEES get destroyed. 1=5 ARVEES destroyed, 2=10, etc.
And if they do managed to knock these babies, we just go back to an old standby of mine: EMP missiles.
Besides a lotta of ordinance can bust through even hard objects & remain intact if they don't explode.