Zerkers

Foundation: Unknown

Leader: None

Power: Strong

Wealth: Well off

Zerkers are the deadly AI remnants of the Ancients. First discovered by Templar Corporation, the Zerkers are now a "pirate" faction that plagues human and Machine space.

Zerkers are considered a pirate faction because they engage in raiding of merchant ships and fleets. However, they are hostile to any other being, Machine or human, and unlike pirates, they are not concerned with the extent of their wealth. Instead, they spread like a disease as their main goal.

History
The Zerkers are estimated to be between 1500 and 1800 years old. They were first created by the Ancients (for unknown reasons). Following the destruction of the Ancients' empire (event in which the Zerkers are suspected to have participated in some way), the Zerkers remained dormant for centuries as the once great civilization turned into ash.

Recently, excavations on Messo, the Ancients' homeworld, uncovered eletronic components that were still operational, closed in a collapsed bunker structure beneath the surface. When loaded onto the ships, the Zerker software was reactivated and took control of the Machine percentage of the Crew, attacking the human expedition members. The Zerker software then infected the ships themselves and took control of the fleet, escaping from Messo and retreating to the Wildlands.

Ever since, the Zerkers have continued to grow by preying on merchant fleets and isolated mining operations. Efforts of the USC and Templar Corporation, along with Iron Corporation to some extent, are determined to fight this plague.

Economy
The Zerkers are capable of recreating human technology at times. While uncapable of building complex infrastructure like orbital shipyards or production facilities, the Zerkers can build low hull and low shield versions of military outposts. In addition, they can reproduce capital ships. Both vessels and stations are in a state of disrepair and much easier to destroy than other stations. To create this stations and vessels, Zerkers attack merchant fleets carrying raw materials, destroy ships for scrap metal, raid mining operations or mine asteroids themselves.

Combat
The Zerkers have very little coordenation and their deep space operations and strategies are often overpowered by most human and Machine battle plans. However, the Zerkers are capable of massing large fleets of cheap figthers and scouts with a few capital vessels as flagships. In addition, the Zerkers seem to have FTL communications similar to that of humans and Machines. The Zerkers are a Hive Mind (or collection of Hive Minds) and the flow of information is quick and efficient among all the splinter Zerker fleets and stations.

Trivia
The Zerkers are a reference to both "Star Nomad 2" and the Xeno, from "Star Traders RPG"