They are non-sapient machinery, referring to themselves as post-intelligent. They function on unknown principles speculated in the novel to be femtotechnology or "structured" spacetime and are capable of self-replication. Their technology often manifests as black cubes of "pure force" and is immune to conventional human weaponry; the machinery is easily capable of dodging most weapons thrown at it (usually temporary holes will appear and allow the shot to pass through) or is simply unaffected by it. The machinery can only be defeated by alien weapons supplied by the Hades Matrix or the Nestbuilders. They were created by the survivors of the Dawn War and their task is to inhibit the spread of intelligent life beyond individual planets or solar systems: the purpose, stated in Redemption Ark, being to shepherd the galaxy through a crisis 3 billion years (or 13 Galactic Turns) in the future: the Andromeda-Milky Way collision. By confining sapient life to only a few planets, they make the process of moving stars and systems (for collision avoidance during the crisis) far easier and more centralized, thus preserving life. Consequently, they show little interest in non-sapient life, or civilisations that have not progressed beyond their own star system. However, when they have no choice, they will commit acts of xenocide in order to prevent life from spreading further.