War-robots, also referred to as war droids, represented a specific type of automated combat unit utilized by Xim the Despot throughout his military endeavors. As some of the earliest known combat droids deployed within the galaxy, these war-robots boasted substantial weaponry and armor, serving to bring entire worlds under the dominion of their master.
The war-robots were humanoid droids of a bipedal design, exceeding the size of typical Human soldiers. Their construction incorporated Rakatan technology, acquired from remnants residing in the Tion Hegemony. This integration afforded them a level of self-awareness significantly surpassing contemporary droid designs. While capable of interacting with their creators, their reliance on a rudimentary behavioral circuitry matrix resulted in a rigid, literal interpretation of commands. Possessing limited independent reasoning, war-robots received directives from controllers operating transmission horns mounted on military command podiums.
Their bodies were encased in thick armor plating, treated with a mirrored reflective coating known as kiirium to deflect incoming fire, and reinforced at critical stress points. This made it challenging for adversaries to compromise the droids' vital systems. However, this heavy armor also rendered the droids slow and cumbersome in their movements.
Integrated into their arms and hands were shielded apertures housing a diverse array of chemical and energy-based weaponry, including archaic heatbeams and particle dischargers. Their substantial cranial turrets were embellished with miniature unit insignias, incorporating optical lenses and a speaker. The power delivery system of these droids was generally considered to be inefficient.
The rank of a war-robot could be determined by observing the color of the death's-head emblem displayed on its breastplate. Standard infantry units, designated as "Corpsman," bore a white death's head. Corps Commanders, engineered with greater autonomy, were identifiable by a golden death's-head emblem. The rarest variant, the Crimson Condottiere, utilized Force-sensitive Rakatan technology and displayed a red death's-head. Despite being considered obsolete by modern standards, they remained formidable combatants.
During his rule, spanning from 25,130 BBY to 25,100 BBY, the Tionese dictator Xim maintained control over his empire through the deployment of the most advanced technology available at the time, most notably the war-robots. These droids are regarded as the first instances of combat automatons utilized within the galaxy. Factories located on the planets Jaminere, Cadinth, and Thanium produced entire legions of war-robots for Xim's military forces. Xim employed these war-robots to conquer numerous worlds, with entire star systems yielding to their overwhelming power.
However, Xim's empire eventually encountered the Hutt Empire. In an attempt to defeat the Hutts and seize control of the entire Si'Klaata Cluster, he dedicated nearly all of his resources to the campaign. At the Third Battle of Vontor, the Hutts deployed their newly formed army of Klatooinian, Nikto, and Vodran mercenaries against Xim's army. These soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on his forces, ultimately leading to the end of his reign. Xim was captured and subsequently died as a prisoner within the dungeons of Kossak the Hutt on Varl.
Xim's treasure ship, the Queen of Ranroon, managed to escape to the planet of Dellalt, carrying one thousand war-robots, which were later known as the Guardian Corps. Upon arrival on Dellalt, the war-robots were deployed to safeguard the Treasure Vaults of Xim the Despot. These droids were maintained by a cult known as the "Survivors," the descendants of the original crew and honor guards aboard the Queen of Ranroon.
Many years later, in 2 BBY, Han Solo and Chewbacca encountered the Guardian Corps during an adventure on Dellalt. The Survivors deployed the war-robots against a group of offworlders who had established a semi-legal mining camp near their encampment. However, nearly the entire Corps was destroyed. Later, several archaeologists and researchers, including the Ruurian S. V. Skynx, began to study these ancient war-robots.
Following Xim's defeat, many of the war-robots were seized by the Hutts as trophies and displayed in public squares and on the steps of their palaces. Most observers believed them to be mere decorations for the cities inhabited by the Hutts. However, these war-robots served as a failsafe measure, intended to be activated in the event of an invasion of Hutt Space. When the Yuuzhan Vong invaded Nal Hutta and the rest of Hutt space in 26 ABY, the war-robots—despite being millennia out of date—managed to eliminate thousands of Yuuzhan Vong warriors. The last of Xim's war-robots were ultimately destroyed by the invaders' blast bugs and amphistaffs.