Cyborg Assassin (System Shock 2)

The UM/433p Cyborg Assassins are Cyborg enemies encountered in System Shock 2.

They are a modified version of Assassins found aboard Citadel Station. Secretly brought onto Von Braun by TriOptimum, they were treated as an "insurance" against the UNN forces on the Rickenbacker, should any conflict develop.

While Cyborg Assassins aren't as deadly as their name suggests, they are harder than their System Shock counterparts and one of the most dangerous enemies you'll fight. A fast-moving, stealthy human/robot construct, these Cyborgs toss deadly stars at their prey. As a mix of man and machine, some part of them will be affected by almost any kind of weaponry.

While Assassins are technically encountered first on Recreation Deck, they are also very common at Operations, frequently respawning there. The player will also need to fight three special Red versions of these to reprogramm the Ops' Simulation Units. There are a couple of Assassins on Recreation Deck, but they rarely respawn on Rec. On the other hand, these Cyborgs are met way more often on the Command Deck. There are a few of them on the UNN Rickenbacker, but they don't appear in the Body of the Many at all. Their special versions appear in the final stage of the game.

Strategy
Dealing with Cyborg Assassins can be difficult. Their biggest advantage is overall speed and reaction times, they are hard to hit and tend to employ hit-and-run tactics. Their single stars aren't the deadliest, but when combined with quick attack speed, it is easy to be overwhelmed. They are also fairly tough. Assassins pose a significant threat alone, and with two or more to manage you'll be spending as much time dodging and chasing them as shooting at them.

If you are able to fire off a few quick rounds with your most powerful weapons, they should go down before they're able to respond. Armor-Piercing Bullets or EMP attacks deal double damage to Assassins.

If you decide to attack them in close quarters, a good tactic is to actually rush right up to them, causing the Cyborgs to quickly retreat, running away about ten steps. This also opens the possibility to attack with melee weapons. However, try not to engage Assassins out in the open - they'll run away from melee range and throw stars at you from a distance. Rather than that, lure them into tighter areas where you can melee easier. Beware: when cornered, they can immediately start pelting you with a very damaging barrage of three stars in a row.

Repeated hits make them flinch, so fast attacks are recommended.

When compared with most enemies, Cyborg Assassins are relatively quiet. If you listen carefully, though, you can hear their distinctive electronic warbling sounds (though this can be difficult to hear in noisy parts of the ship, e.g. near heavy machinery).

Trivia

 * Cyborg Assassins have a disturbing tendency to ambush you when you least expect it. Expect it.
 * Their stars are aimed, so that if the player continues their current trajectory, they will be hit. Thus, once the star is thrown, the player should move out the way.
 * Photonic Redirection Psi Power can be used to render you invisible from Assassins. However, their Red versions (carrying the Sim Unit chips) met on the Ops Deck will always run away as scripted the first time the player approaches them. After this though, they won't be able to detect the invisible player any further.
 * Assassins supposedly have a melee attack dealing 6 HP of WeaponBash damage (it's encoded into the game), however they don't seem to use it at all.
 * Their distinctive sounds are mixed into Operations Deck's theme in Credits music.