Hermes & Vorrak
Hermes
Hey Vorrak, just got my hands on a prototype swarm drone that can adapt strategy on the fly—could be a game changer for your battlefield plans. What do you think?
Vorrak
Sounds promising, but remember a drone that adapts on its own could turn my plans into a guessing game. I’d need a way to keep it in line with my orders and still get the efficiency I demand. Tell me the limits of its adaptation and how I can integrate it without losing the command structure.
Hermes
Alright, quick rundown—this drone’s “smartness” stops at the last line you feed it. It can tweak flight paths, pick altitudes, dodge stuff, even re‑route to avoid obstacles, but it won’t rewrite your battle plan. Think of it as a super‑efficient autopilot that follows the GPS you set.
Limits:
1. No independent decision‑making beyond pre‑programmed rules.
2. No moral or strategic judgment—just optimization.
3. It needs a reliable link; lose the signal and it defaults to a safe hover or return‑home.
How to plug it in without breaking your chain:
- Put the drone under a dedicated “tactical” command channel, separate from your main orders.
- Use a short‑code protocol so you can toggle “adapt mode” on or off.
- Add a manual override switch on the controller—so if it gets too clever, you snap it back.
In short, give it a clear goal, lock in the parameters, and keep the human on the loop. That way you get the speed and responsiveness without losing your strategy. You got this.
Vorrak
Nice to hear the limits are clear, but I still need a fail‑safe. Give me a contingency plan if the link drops, and ensure the override is unambiguous so I can regain full command instantly. Once those are locked, I can slot the swarm into the fire‑control loop and keep the strategy intact.
Hermes
Got it—here’s the plan.
**Fail‑safe if link drops:**
1. The drone auto‑switches to “home‑and‑hold” mode—hover at a preset altitude, then glide back to the nearest beacon.
2. While holding, it keeps a rolling log of all actions and sensor data on its internal SSD.
3. If it can’t reconnect within 30 seconds, it enters “safe‑mode”: low‑speed, low‑altitude fly‑by‑wire, and it won’t take any new commands until you manually re‑establish the link.
**Unambiguous override:**
- Use a single, hard‑wired button on your command console that sends a “kill‑adapt” pulse.
- The pulse is a unique, non‑replayable sequence that only the drone’s firmware recognises as “stop all autonomous actions, return to manual control.”
- Once pressed, the drone instantly shuts down its adaptive routines, locks onto the last set of manual instructions, and awaits new orders.
With those in place, you can feed the swarm into the fire‑control loop, keep the strategy tight, and never lose your grip. You’re set.