Biomech Roachform
These vermin, informally called roaches, commonly infest spacecraft, factories, military installations, and research facilities – anywhere were you can find mechanical or electronic equipment. They are native to an unnamed planet in the Oxfard system, and are named for their similarity - both in appearance and resilience – to the Earth cockroach.
Roaches were not originally bio-mechanical organisms. This state was the result of the unsanctioned experimentation of one Doctor Athens Bel. Doctor Bel believed that the roach, with its adaptability and alleged intelligence, would work as a cheaper alternative to Deicorp Robotics service drones.
Deicorp products are famous for their reliability in all situations, so it would have been perfectly acceptable for Bel's supervisor to end the project and dismiss, or at least demote, the doctor. However, he allowed Athens Bel to work on the 'cyber-roach' for several months.
Obviously, Dr. Bel failed to get results. When the project was terminated, all of the roaches were supposed to be destroyed, but clearly some escaped.
Roaches are dangerous pests – they damage mechanisms and occasionally attack people. They are also notorious for being able to infiltrate any facility, and are very hard to exterminate. Fortunately, they are not very durable – small arms of any kind can kill a roach, and the 'Photon Beam' on a standard Spear Tool-set is effective even on the lowest setting.
There are rumors that roaches have been seen repairing mechanisms and electronics, but these are fiction. Remember that only government approved robots are proper mechanics, and Deicorp Robotics produces the finest maintenance drones in known space.
–Excerpt from the official Deicorp Industries information database
