The MARK 13 was originally created as an autonomous combat unit. It was not created along the same line as the AMS units, having been developed and designed by a different company entirely.  The MARK 13 is intelligent, and has special abilities which allow it to repair damage and even rebuild itself as long as the CPU housing the AI was not destroyed.

The machine has a humanoid appearance, with two legs and two arms. The head is almost skeletal, with a pair of bright blue-red eyes. Typically the chassis is a dark grey or dull black in coloration, but this can be changed depending on the terrain it has been deployed in. The skull has no teeth, but the mouth can still open and close. From this, it can shoot out a stinger up to 10 feet. There is also a powerful buzz-saw attached to the back of the construct, which will allow it to strike at anything attempting to flank it. It can also use this weapon on anything which is within 5 feet, whether the construct is facing it or not.

Capable of small unit tactics, the constructs will work together in order to accomplish any task set out before them. They are also capable of independent thought, and were programmed with a Lexicon, which allowed them to understand and speak any language they encountered.

Due to their programming, the units are typically deployed solitary or in small groups up to a platoon size. They are usually too chaotic to work with organic or other constructs. They have no regard to the safety of non-MARK 13 units, and if ever placed in charge of non-MARK 13 soldiers, will always use them as sacrifices, letting these units take the punishment as the MARK 13 constructs jockey for position in order to take advantage of the distraction provided by others.

Despite all this, the constructs are utterly loyal to their commanding officers and will obey their orders without question or hesitation. Even if they are destroyed and manage to rebuild their chassis, they will attempt to reconnect to their commanding officers. If it turns out that their CO’s are dead, they will then attempt to locate the nearest ‘creator’, the company which originally built them.

If it turns out that these parameters cannot be met, then the unit will continue on its last mission. Once the mission has been completed, then the unit will either shut down, or if the mission was vague, it can often go rogue.

Although the can be spoken to, the constructs will not typically interact with other creatures, unless it benefits them in some manner. The constructs are also well versed in computers and engineering, and can use both to hack into secure systems, take over computers, turn off security or even cause sabotage to weapons, equipment and vehicles owned by their targets.

If the construct is destroyed in combat, as long as the CPU remains intact, it can eventually rebuild its body. There are nanites stored in the CPU which are programmed to spread out, reproduce in sufficient quantities, and eventually rebuild the body of the construct. This can take a lot of time, and there have been units lost which took months or even years to rebuild themselves due to the lack of usable materials.

Starfinder Creature Index

Chris Van Deelen is the creator and contributor to over half of the Wisdom from the Wastelands series, contributor to the Swords of Kos: Hekaton anthology. He also wrote Creatures of the Tropical Wastelands, and 100 Oddities found in a Car. As prolific as he is, Chris Van Deelen continues to write and produce material which will be in publication soon. Not only is he a prolific content creator, he also has a wide selection of fiction and stories! If you like his work, please follow his personal author page on Facebook and on Twitter to keep up with his latest news and game content.