The Drone Roulette

Site Details

The Drone Roulette
Type	Expedition
Rating	Unrated
Found in	Null
Max ship size	Unrestricted
Faction	Rogue Drones
Best damage to deal	EM Th
Damage to resist	Ex Kin Th
Sig. strength	N/A

The Drone Roulette

Among the debris from this formidable hive, you find a blown out hangar containing a few burnt out space ships of various types, probably the possessions of some unfortunate adventurers that came here before you and didn't live to tell the story. As your scanners routinely run through this material, they come across some report with information on a few sister hives to this one. The explorer seems to have found that each of these so called 'Independence hives' are surrounded with outposts that serve both as an early warning system against intruders on the drones territory and also as a resource gathering facility. It seems that if the hive is attacked, the drones from the outposts warp instantly back to defend it. One interesting bit of information the unfortunate explorer has noted is that the drones frequently move the hive itself between these outposts, so hunting these things is like playing Russian roulette, you never know if you are fortunate enough to hit an outpost and thereby reduce the inevitable resistance at the main hive, or if you are warping straight into the lair of the drones. The report continues to list four locations, the nearest one being...

This expedition can escalate from Independence. This escalation can also re-escalate to another drone roulette. The last part of this escalation may be received randomly after any stage.

Walkthrough

First location

		WD	EWAR	L
	3 x Frigate Silverfish Alvi
	6 x Elite Frigate Strain Raider/... Alvi
	4 x Cruiser Nuker/... Alvum
	7 x Elite Cruiser Strain Devastator/Annihilator Alvum
	1 x Commander Battleship
	5 x Sentry Drone Cruise Missile Battery

Escalation Message
Furtunately, these coordinates led you only to an outpost where you managed to pull some teeth from the drone hive that is looming out there somewhere. The question is where? You have three locations left and the next one is here...

Second location

		WD	EWAR	L
	4 x Frigate Splinter Alvi
	3 x Elite Frigate Strain Raider/Sunder Alvi
	2 x Elite Cruiser Strain Bomber/Disintegrator Alvum
	3 x Battlecruiser Exterminator/Siege Alvatis
	3 x Battleship Alvus Ruler/Supreme alvus parasite
	1 x Commander Battleship Corpii Raider/Visionary
	5 x Sentry Drone Cruise Missile Battery

Escalation Message
Again you were fortunate enough to hit an outpost and now there are only two locations left unexplored. That should mean there is a fifty fifty chance you hit the hive itself, given there is one out there...

Third location

		WD	EWAR	L
	7 x Frigate Splinter/Render/Decimator Alvi
	4 x Elite Frigate Strain Hunter/Silverfish Alvi
	7 x Elite Cruiser Strain Devastator/Annihilator Alvum
	4 x Battleship Inner Circle Defenses
	1 x Commander Battleship Sentient Domination
	6 x Sentry Drone Cruise Missile Battery

Escalation Message
Another outpost. You stop for a second, weighting the possibilities of having such luck as to clear out all the outposts as you seem to have done, against the chances of there being no hive out there at all. With one location left unexplored there only one way to find out...

Fourth location

Message when warping to final location before fourth site
Rats! Lady luck is not in a good mood today, you have stumbled right into the hive! Now is do or die, the drones know their home has been infiltrated and they will probably melt away into space if you retreat.

Large number of drones. The dozen-plus elite frigates have points and webs and their destruction triggers additional spawns, recommend sniping the frigates from range. A "drone hive mother" may also spawn.