Phoenix Logs/Banished Units/Skitterer


 * Fast scout walker and escort.


 * Skitterer units are mechanized scouts piloted by Lekgolo. They are cheap,
 * expendable vehicles, and their twin-linked beam cannons are surprisingly lethal
 * for a vehicle of this size. Their most notable feature is that they can use a
 * defend ability to set up a protective overwatch on other friendly units and act
 * as a weapon turret and defense shield, increasing the health of the attached
 * unit as well as providing additional firepower. Most units can have at least one
 * Skitterer attached, including infantry and aircraft. The defensive link cannot be
 * undone during a mission.


 * The harsh restrictions on AI research in the Covenant limited the development of
 * autonomous weapon systems, though clever San’Shyuum technicians did
 * find that carefully selected and pruned Lekgolo colonies could substitute for
 * artificial minds in some applications. Though never widely used, combat
 * machines such as the Skitterer proved this approach had merit, though the risk
 * of aberrant gestalts in small colonies meant it never saw widespread use.
 * Colony has adapted and perfected this technique, which allows for the
 * integration of Lekgolo with the Banished Locust and mass production of
 * Skitterers without the behavioral issues that plagued earlier work.