Ketar Repair Bot

The Ketar Repair Bot recovers damage to a ship in flight.

In-Game Description
''This repair robot automatically makes in-flight repairs to your ship's armor and hull. Very useful for those who often find themselves in a firefight.''

Behavior
As the description states, the Ketar Repair Bot is able to repair any damage the hull and armor has absorbed. It will repair the hull first, then any equipped armor, if it has been compromised. The moment armor or hull damage has been received, repairs will begin automatically. This functionality is identical to how shields are able to recharge slowly. The rate of repair is not listed, however, but it can be assumed that it is slower than most shields.

The Ketar Repair Bot will not boost the recharging rate of a shield. If a shield has any charge and the ship takes damage, the shield will absorb the damage as normal while the armor and hull is repaired independently. Also, a ship can only have one repair bot installed at a time.

Usage
Taking advantage of the Ketar Repair Bot's ability is as easy as installing it to the player's ship in the hangar menu. As stated previously, repairs are automatic so the player can focus on the battle and not so much on the vitality of the ship.

Automatic in-flight repairs put to rest a fear established after the tutorials at Var Hastra: All damage absorbed during flight is permanent until the player docks at a Space Station. Even after discovering shield generators, their rates of recharging cannot keep up with focused enemy fire, inevitably chewing into the hull's protection. Installing a repair bot practically turns the ship's hull into another shield generator.

By incorporating some escape tactics, perhaps with a booster and/or cloak, the effectiveness of the Ketar Repair Bot can be maximized. It is strongly advised to have a repair bot always installed on the ship so it can last longer in battle.

The Valkyrie add-on introduced an improved version of this repair bot, simply known as the Ketar Repair Bot II.

Trivia

 * In Terran space stations, these repair bots can sometimes be seen carrying—and even dropping—cargo boxes in the hangar (GOF2 SD only).
 * Repair bots cannot actually be seen repairing the player's ship.
 * Ketar holds a monopoly on repair bots.