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"Come out, come out, sly droids. To my eyes, hidden you are not."

- Yoda

The Spelunker probe droid, later known as the chameleon droid, was a mine-laying sabotage probe droid used first by the Commerce Guild, and afterwards, the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. Originally mining exploration droids, they were outfitted with laser cannons, a mine releaser, and a holographic array for military service. The array worked by scanning the background and the angle of the viewer's sight, then projecting a hologram of the background behind the droid, camouflaging it.

Spelunker probe droids were used throughout the Clone Wars. First deployed at the Battle of Geonosis, the droids later fought in the Battle of Ilum, heavily damaging the Crystal Caves, albeit taking many casualties. The droids also saw use in the Battle of Felucia during the Outer Rim Sieges.

Pre-conversion
Used for initial exploration of mineral resources, the two-meter tall Spelunker probe droid had four articulated pincer legs for traveling and a repulsorlift to further support the weight of its cylindrical body. The legs could also generate traction fields, allowing the droid to walk vertically and even upside down. The droids, which were able to survive in a wide range of climates, were dispatched to planets via hyperspace pods, where they would use their sophisticated sensor arrays to locate potential mining spots. Once the droids found an economically viable site, they would begin preliminary blasting in preparation for larger mining teams.

After conversion
Renaming it the chameleon droid, the Techno Union converted it for military use, replacing the chest sensors with three laser cannons. The storage bay that contained its blasting charges for mining duty was left unchanged, but the less potent explosives were replaced with military-grade mines. It was also fitted with a holographic array that could be used to camouflage the droid. The array worked by scanning its surroundings and computing the location of viewers. After finishing these two tasks, it displayed a holographic screen of the backdrop behind it. This allowed the droid to sneak in on a location, lay its mines while performing reconnaissance, and then retreat without being detected. However, if the viewer's angle was changed even slightly, the droid would be seen before it could correct itself. While not a true cloaking device, it was nonetheless effective at fooling stationary visual sensor scans.

Spelunker probe droid
The Presidente of the Commerce Guild, Shu Mai, bought thousands of Spelunker probe droids for exploration. Taking advantage of their durability, the droids were used by the Guild to locate valuable resources on a number of inhospitable planets. However, towards the end of the Separatist Crisis, the Commerce Guild joined the newly formed Confederacy of Independent Systems. Shu Mai brought the design along with several others to be converted for battle, as she thought that the droids would become excellent minelayers.

Conversion
As many large corporations and droid manufacturers joined the Confederacy under the leadership of Count Dooku, they took several droid models and redesigned them so that they were fit for battle. The Arakyd Spelunker probe droid was overhauled by several Techno Union designers to become the chameleon droid, a mine-laying droid that could be utilized by the Confederacy for both reconnaissance and sabotage missions.

The sensors of the Spelunker probe droid were replaced with three laser cannons on the chest and several mines that could be released through the bottom of its cylindrical body. The droid was also given a camouflage screen that gave it the nickname "chameleon droid." These conversions were in violation of the contract between Arakyd Industries and the Commerce Guild.

The Clone Wars
"You will find the temple on Ilum. Destroy it."

- Dooku



The droids were ready by 22 BBY and were deployed during the Battle of Geonosis. During the battle, three chameleon droids used their holographic projectors.

About four months after the Confederacy defeat on Geonosis, Dooku ordered the droids to the ice planet Ilum, the location of the Crystal Caves, which was one of the only sources of Adegan crystals vital to the construction of lightsabers. The chameleon droids were ordered to destroy the cave to halt the Jedi Order's production of lightsabers. They descended to the planet in hyperspace pods and found the towering structure almost immediately. They assaulted the caves as Luminara Unduli was helping her Padawan, Barriss Offee, construct her lightsaber. After sensing the presence of the intruders, the two Jedi counter-attacked, but were unable to prevent the droids from laying enough mines to heavily damage the caves.



Nearby, aboard Padmé Amidala's H-type Nubian yacht, Jedi Grand Master Yoda sensed the two Jedis' peril at the Crystal Caves through the Force, predicting that they would die if not rescued soon. Yoda immediately demanded that Senator Amidala set course for Ilum. However, Gregar Typho, Amidala's Head of Security, disagreed, because he was concerned about Amidala's safety. He also felt the ship was unsuitable for such a search and rescue mission, and that their current mission was far more important. Yoda, however, would not be persuaded, and he claimed that it would only be a slight detour&mdash;they could still complete their mission afterwards. When Typho still refused to budge, Yoda, using a Jedi mind trick, was finally able to convince him to let the group, which included C-3PO and R2-D2, to travel to Ilum.

Typho plotted the most direct course to the Crystal Caves. After arrival, Yoda left to rescue the Jedi, while Typho, Amidala and the droids guarded the ship. During his short journey to the caves, Yoda crushed a large number of chameleon droids in a Force-assisted avalanche. Amidala became worried about Yoda when he failed to contact the group at a time which they had planned prior to the landing. When Typho temporarily left her to check on the ship's communications array, Amidala took her two droids and fled in pursuit of Yoda. She destroyed several chameleon droids with her blaster on the way, using C-3PO and R2-D2 as distractions to reveal the locations of the cloaked droids. Yoda eventually returned to the ship with Amidala, the two rescued Jedi, and the droids. R2-D2 managed to recover a recording of the droids' orders, and the group learned that it had been Dooku who had been behind the attack.

Later in the war, during the Outer Rim Sieges, the droids were used on the vegetation-covered planet of Felucia. Three of the droids traveled cloaked in front of several OG-9 homing spider droids. These units were deactivated after the execution of the Separatist Council by Darth Sidious' new apprentice, Darth Vader.

Behind the scenes
The chameleon droid was first seen in Clone Wars Chapter 14, but no backstory was given for the droids, although it was revealed they had blasters, mines, and a cloaking device. Later, The New Essential Guide to Droids expanded on the droid and gave them a history. The droid's name may have been derived from the word "spelunker," a person who explores underground areas either professionally or for sport.

Notes and references
Chamäleondroide Droide sonda investigador de cuevas Spelunker Droid