Drone (caste)

## Drone

The **Drone** is the adolescent form of the Xenomorph XX121 species and is designated as a Stage 3 Xenomorph life form. These are the lowliest form of mature castes and are adapted for ambush attacks and hive duties. Despite their lowly status, they are still a formidable and highly dangerous creature.

## Characteristics

The average human-spawned Drone stands around 7 feet and 10 and a half inches tall, though they are known to reach greater heights. Their mesoskeletons are typically black or grey but are also known to come in brown and blue hues.

Their most distinctive feature is their smooth domed carapaces which are sometimes translucent, revealing the skull underneath which tends to be similar to the host's own skull but merged with the elongated structure typical of Xenomorphs.

While low in the hive's hierarchy, the Drone is still a highly adept killer and is extremely strong when compared with their host. Their tails are tipped with a barbed stinger that is capable of paralyzing potential hosts for transportation to the hive and can otherwise be used as a deadly impaling weapon. The Drones also possess a limited capability to spit acid at their foes.

Drones tend to act in a solitary nature and employ ambush tactics against their victims. They use their intelligence and stealth to act as efficient host suppliers for the hive. As well as hive maintenance and building, the Drones also facilitate the construction of Hive Nodes.

Non-human spawned Drones will tend to look vastly different due to the DNA reflex absorbing some genetic traits of the host during gestation. Non-human spawned Drones may even have completely different roles in the hive.

## Variants

The Drone possesses a very limited range of known variation, owing to its nature as an immature Xenomorph. Listed below are the known variants of the Drone. More distinct molts of the Drone are included in the evolution section.

### Cystic Acid spitter

Some Drones develop their acid-spitting ability into the ability to produce a cyst-filled acidic froth that it spits on potential hosts. The cysts invade the body through the resultant acid-induced wounds, whereupon they cause tumors that use the host's body to generate nutrients beneficial to transbreed Chestburster development.

### Cystic Acid enhanced

Drones born from hosts infused Cystic Acid are enhanced in their strength and resilience. These variants of the Drone are denoted by a crimson stripe down their carapace. The Cystic Acid spitter variation of the Drone is also capable of being Cystic enhanced itself.

### "Maru's Demons"

A variety of Drones only known as "Maru's Demons" were born from an unknown non-human host. These Drones possessed an elongated chin and a brown-colored mesoskeleton. They also tended to flail their tails around wildly.

## Evolution

As a transitional stage of the Xenomorph, much like the Chestburster, the Drone's main purpose is to molt into a Stage 4 caste. They usually do this following a pheromone command from the Queen of a hive. Below are the known evolutions of the human-spawned Drone.

* Arachnoid — A high-jumping ambush hunter.
* Defender — A robust assault variant of the Drone.
* Lurker — A command caste that is visually similar to the Drone.
* Warrior — The typical combat caste and standard mature form of the Drone.
* Worker — A smaller hive-building caste.