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Still, you are not willing to give up on this quite yet. This drone doesn't just have a bespoke look to it, it is so narrowly specialized that you have to wonder if it was purpose built for these larger hallways by a crew member of the <span class="mu-i">Highest Heaven</span> - an engineer, or a mechanist. If it was ... and this section of the ship was intended to be completely sealed off, then the drone's master and creator might not have bothered coding voice commands to the unit. But you might not be completely out of luck. If this was drone was made on this ship, then it is possible that it was coded in Primitive.
Primitive, also called Illegal, is a simplified and rather flexible programing language, commonly used with repurposed hardware, because the language makes it very easy to use - or rather, to misuse - proprietorially protected components, so long as a reflasher has been installed with them. And while there is an alpha-numeric variant, it was originally made as a <span class="mu-i">verbal</span> programming language, intended for illiterate technicians to code with, where feedback is either repeated back out loud or pictographically displayed on an interpreter tablet. Now, if the drone was programed in Primitive, and it was intended to be placed in a sealed place away from everyone else, then the maker of the drone might not have bothered with putting up re-write protections. It is possible - though admittedly unlikely - that with the little bit of Primitive that you know, you might actually be able to hack this drone simply by talking to it.
"Start of Line. Range of address, four cubits. Target of address, drone. Purpose of address, locomotion full stop and power down. Time of address, effective immediately and effective immediately. End of Line."
When the drone abruptly stops shuddering, you are so surprised that you accidentally let go of the wrecking torch, and when you grab it again, you do so in a way that pumps quite a bit of cutting flux out into space, just wasting it. Normally, you would be beating yourself up over something like that - but right now, you couldn't possibly care less. The drone has stopped that shuddering! But the light - the light is not going out. And as you are wondering if this means that the drone does have re-write protections enabled, and it is just in standby waiting for you to recite a password or broadcast a hash, you get your answer as the drone beings to start shuddering again.
Well, still ... that was at least a solid six seconds where the drone was not moving. And while it remains to be seen if the drone will stay in standby while you are attacking it with your spear, you are most definitely pleased with yourself. Though you aren't pleased by how long it actually takes you to get the strut cut off - with it busted and holes through it already too. You will just have to chalk that up to nerves or something.
