Robosheep-42

The first decades after the Purge of Metalburg were agony. The survivors drifted away in their Asteroid and resources dwindled with time, especially the most important one: Meaning. There was no home to return to, no role to fulfill, and too many lost loved ones to mourn. Surviving became an undesired burden, but still, they tried. For some time, they were forced to return to their pirate roots, using the few ships they had left to raid merchant vessels and small outposts... and because of that, they made sworn enemies across the Galaxy. They used the stolen resources to try something to ease their emptiness: a robotic sheep herd with an AI programmed to search for Meaning. Those were sent everywhere and walked the planets and moons, scanning for anything their calculations could deem worth living for. But, they all failed. Most threw themselves off cliffs or fell over and stayed there forever. But some sent a signal back to the Asteroid, asking to be picked back up. Their AI couldn't deal with the mission but still missed their shepherds' company. The Metalburguese then understood: the task wasn't fit for machines. Meaning is a human need, and they may never find it... but the search itself is sometimes all that you need. And so, they searched themselves. - Brought to you by The Metalburg Bureau™.