T'au Drone - Drone Intelligences and Drone Squadrons: Unlike the Imperium, the T'au make extensive use of artificial intelligences (AI); this is a cultural trait that damns the entire T'au species in the eyes of the Adeptus Mechanicus and much of the Imperial hierarchy, where the use of true artificial intelligence has long been forbidden to the servants of the Machine God and the God-Emperor alike. However, for the T'au, drone intelligences are a remarkable feat of Earth Caste engineering.All T'au Drones consist of an advanced processor unit which individually possesses only a basic intelligence; equivalent to that of a small animal such as a pterasquirrel. Nevertheless, this is often enough for the drone to perform the tasks that are required of it. Indeed, such programming can cope with any number of battlefield roles should the need arise as drone intelligences are capable of independent initiative and basic problem solving. However, all drone intelligences share common programming that allows them to be able to control the movement of their artificial "bodies," fire any weapons they control, and evade enemy fire if they are capable of doing so.The T'au believe so deeply in the Greater Good that even their drones are programmed with self-preservation protocols, and a drone will flee rather than face certain destruction against what it deems to be hopeless odds. However, if the need arises, a drone will always attempt to protect its master even in the face of its own self-destruction.Most drone intelligences are imbued into a mobile robotic construct, and these can take many different forms. These mobile drones often require a T'au controller to employ their processing power to its maximum potential, although should the controller be slain, accompanying drones possess enough AI to continue the fight, and Earth Caste engineers have been amazed to arrive upon a battlefield many solar hours after its conclusion to find such drones still actively vigilant against the foe.  Despite the undeniable effectiveness of drones acting alone, a Fire Caste warrior skilled in directing them can make the drones all the more deadlier. In addition to improving their accuracy, a warrior guiding drones can ensure that they fight both tactically and strategically, making critical judgements on which targets are truly the most important, and when to hold steadfast or make tactical retreats.Most T'au Drones can be networked together to serve as a team or squadron. This significantly increases and ramps up the intelligence and processing speed of all the drones in the network, and their ability for independent action. Normally a drone would require regular orders from its T'au master to operate at maximum efficiency, but several drones acting together become capable of acting independently for long periods of time without the need for T'au controllers.It is possible for these Drone Squadrons to perform surprisingly impressive tactical feats. Four drones is the minimum number required to form a fully effective, self-aware network, whilst twelve is usually the maximum number of drones deployed in a single squadron. The most common type of T'au Drone networked into such squadrons are Gun Drones, although certain Gun Drones in a squadron have sometimes been upgraded to carry a Marker Light or possibly a Shield Generator. In very rare instances, entire squadrons have been altered -- such as the Shield Drone barrier that was used with success in the great tank duels of the Almo'th Plains, or Commander Shadowsun's barrage of Marker Lights from a Marker Drone squadron that helped wipe out Ork infantry ensconced in the ruins of the Cha'nel colony.A Drone Controller is an electronic device that can be used by the T'au to further enhance their connection to and control over their robotic companions. A Drone Controller acts as a hub of digital communications between the drone's operator and any drones that are nearby. It acts as an advanced interface between the operator and the AI battle programs of the drones, and is often used to direct the drones' firepower far more efficiently and with a level of accuracy far greater than would otherwise be possible on the battlefield.The T'au are always intrigued, and more than a little disturbed, to face the Imperium's deep-seated and abiding prejudice against machine intelligences. The Earth Caste, in particular, cannot fully understand the sheer abhorrence that Humans reserve for machines that can think for themselves. To them, the artificially intelligent drones are just another technological tool to use for the advancement of the Greater Good. For the T'au, drones save time and lives, and to regard machine intelligences with suspicion is yet another example of an alien, backwards, and barbaric superstition among Humanity that must be overcome.