Robot, Soldier

Living soldiers are a liability. They have families who don't want them to die, need salaries, have morale, require discipline, commit atrocities, and have opinions on the war. They're a necessary, but unfortunate, part of warfare for any society without an abiding love for necromancy.

Cutting-edge soldier robots promise to solve this problem. Soldier robots have no loved ones, opinions, self-preservation instinct, or tendency toward random atrocities. Many companies market their soldier robots as a humane solution to modern combat.

In practice, they're anything but.

Without lives on the line, soldier robots encourage their owners to engage more often and more violently. Standoffs turn into skirmishes, skirmishes into battles, and inevitably the innocent are caught up in the mix. They're particularly popular with corporations and non-governmental organizations that appreciate being able to throw a dozen soldier robots at any naysayer, public critic, or explorer they dislike while being able to deny true responsibility for what happens.

Though there's constant public fear of soldier robots going rogue, it has yet to prove a serious concern. If a soldier robot wants you dead, it's because someone doesn't mind if it kills you.