T'au Drone - Applications: When Auto-Response Probes were launched to explore the gulf of empty space past the T'au Empire's borders during the First Sphere Expansion, the event marked the T'au's first uses of a new technology: artificial intelligence (AI). Since then, the use and applications of Drone intelligences has only increased, and they now are utilised in a great number of tasks in the T'au Empire. In civilian life, a Drone will usually be assigned a high ranking T'au official as its master, where it will act as the T'au's personal domestic servant, messenger, etc. However, due to Drones being most suitable for tedious and/or dangerous applications, they are a cornerstone of the T'au armed forces. The T'au Empire has no compunction about the use of machine intelligences in its armed forces; indeed, they embrace them as an effective way to reduce the number of T'au lives lost on the battlefield. The Fire Caste regularly arms its Drones with a variety of weapons, Shield Generators, and other military equipment and deploys squadrons of them alongside their Fire Warriors in battle. The T'au do not treat Drones as expendable forces, but as another useful weapon in their armoury. While Drone Squadrons might be used in high-risk missions or purposefully moved to block enemy advances on a group of embattled Fire Warriors, a Drone’s artificial intelligence will analyse every possibility in order to ensure its own survival.Most T'au units are accompanied by several Drones to assist them in battle. The Drones provide this assistance in multiple ways, including providing protection, fire support, greater communications capability, etc. T'au Drones can also provide a tactical advantage to all T'au on the battlefield. For instance, remote Drone networks that consist of scores of Drones are often deployed to feed targeting information to T'au forces in the combat zone. Such a network allows the Fire Warriors to focus their firepower more decisively on various enemy targets. As their jet-thrusters allow them to slow their descent, it is possible to deploy a Drone Squadron by Manta or Orca superheavy dropships -- literally dropping the Drones above the battlefield. The use of Drones in battle also helps save T'au lives, and to minimise the use of Fire Caste personnel in more mundane battlefield roles. The Fire Caste doctrine, as laid down in the Code of Fire, instructs all warriors to fight closely together, with each member of a team doing his utmost to protect not just his comrades, but also nearby teams in his Hunter Cadre. Using overlapping fields of fire, even Drone squadrons are able provide mutual support on the battlefield in the case of enemy assaults.However, mobile Drones are not the only type to see action in battle. Drone intelligences are often built into T'au weapons systems, allowing them to be fully automated. One of the most widely found examples of a T'au formation composed entirely of Drone systems is found in the role of perimeter defence. These detachments are networked together to increase their efficiency and utilise a variety of systems, from the more common mobile Gun Drones to static emplacements of Drone Sentry Turrets and Remote Sensor Towers. These perimeter defence detachments can carry out multiple tasks during their deployment, ranging from the protection of strategic assets to providing defence-in-depth to a T'au front line. Drone units attached to defensive formations are customarily programmed to hold the line at all costs.For Fire Warrior teams, Gun Drones are usually carried within their Devilfish transport, and these automatons detach themselves in combat to act as additional fire support, serve as forward scouts for the team, or guard a flank. T'au Commanders often possess personal Drones to carry extra shields, sensors or communications equipment. Drones attached to T'au masters are programmed to always protect their controllers, including, if necessary, getting in the way of incoming enemy fire or a melee assault. Indeed, the Shield Drone is designed to carry out exactly such a purpose.Drones attached to a T'au Stealthsuit Team are always upgraded with a stealth field generator, which allows them to operate without compromising the Stealthsuit Team's own ability to remain undetected.