Release the Beast!!!

Let the NPC be matched to your ally rank.
To where rank 100 is just a terrible energy drain.

Alternative idea:

Make a new Elite, Drannik.
Drops a part to make a drone, first one makes the ally, each additional part ranks the ally.
Other drops can be a new core, trap and maybe a passive defense for the base.

oh this could be fun. Maybe have it start out with a mission chain that in the end gives you a base core for a new ally that you can put on your ship with just one stat. The mission also unlocks new NPC's for you to kill. As you kill them they will drop a parts that can be added to your NPC making them gain an additional stat or a new set bonus to a stat on it. Such as one NPC drops a new blaster for your ally which you can add to it giving it X amount of attack That blaster will go up with your ally's rank. However later on as you either complete a new mission chain or max out your current ally's rank maybe you unlock a new NPC that drops things that can upgrade the current stats of your ally. Such as one drop can be a power chip. Which adds just one extra attack to your ally's attack. You can then add an unlimited amount of these on it as you find them. Those allways growing the ally that you built up from nothing more then a base mod. You should also get things that do this same thing in every other stat as well.

Also going off that I think that the ally should have X amount of free slots on it. And each of the extra mods you can add to it takes up just 1 slot. you can then pick and choose which ones you want to add. You should have one of each stat added out there. So you could add every stat to it or you could just pick one or two stat mods to add to it. To make it power heavy in that area. It would be up to you in the end.

oh this could be fun. Maybe have it start out with a mission chain that in the end gives you a base core for a new ally that you can put on your ship with just one stat. The mission also unlocks new NPC's for you to kill. As you kill them they will drop a parts that can be added to your NPC making them gain an additional stat or a new set bonus to a stat on it. Such as one NPC drops a new blaster for your ally which you can add to it giving it X amount of attack That blaster will go up with your ally's rank. However later on as you either complete a new mission chain or max out your current ally's rank maybe you unlock a new NPC that drops things that can upgrade the current stats of your ally. Such as one drop can be a power chip. Which adds just one extra attack to your ally's attack. You can then add an unlimited amount of these on it as you find them. Those allways growing the ally that you built up from nothing more then a base mod. You should also get things that do this same thing in every other stat as well.

Also going off that I think that the ally should have X amount of free slots on it. And each of the extra mods you can add to it takes up just 1 slot. you can then pick and choose which ones you want to add. You should have one of each stat added out there. So you could add every stat to it or you could just pick one or two stat mods to add to it. To make it power heavy in that area. It would be up to you in the end.

So basically... Rank Points for your lil buddy? Wouldn't it just be much easier for Dan (and achieve the same thing) to retool the rates for NPCs that drop Prisoners?

Alternative idea:

Make a new Elite, Drannik.
Drops a part to make a drone, first one makes the ally, each additional part ranks the ally.
Other drops can be a new core, trap and maybe a passive defense for the base.