Percival Tachyon

"Emperor Percival Tachyon! Crown prince of the Cragmites, conquerer of space and time, and, pending the obliteration of a few insubordinate species, ruler of the universe!"

- Emperor Tachyon formally introducing himself to Ratchet and Clank

Emperor Percival Tachyon was the main antagonist of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Tachyon was the last of the Cragmites in all of the Polaris Galaxy and their crowned prince. To show his position of power, Tachyon wore a crown with a large red jewel and carried a scepter with the top shaped like the Cragmite insignia. He was notably recognized for having a short and not-so-fearful appearance. Tachyon compensated for this by traveling atop a giant walking throne, having undoubtedly strict authority, and a loud and high-pitched voice.

History and early life
"Welcome home, my fury friend! The last time I saw Lombaxes on Fastoon, they were running with their tails between their legs!" "The Lombaxes raised you! How could you do this to them?" "Those filthy creatures had the gall to pity me! I spent years building an army large enough to lay waste to this infernal planet!"

- Emperor Tachyon and Ratchet

Long before Tachyon was born, the Cragmite Empire rose to power and began to take over the Polaris Galaxy. The Great War was started when the Lombax race opposed the Cragmite Empire. At some point before or during the war, to preserve their legacy, the Cragmites placed one of their own on the Kreeli Comet in hopes that the hatchling would be able to one day carry on their lineage should they be defeated. That dormant child was Percival Tachyon, kept safe but unaware of the hostile war raging in the galaxy. Eventually, the legendary "Lombax Secret," a mysterious device created by the Lombax leaders, was used to transport all of the Cragmites to another dimension, X2-49.

The one thing the Lombaxes had not counted on was Tachyon. During an expedition to the Kreeli Comet, a small, seemingly feeble Cragmite was found frozen. Out of pity, the Lombaxes took the young Tachyon to their home planet of Fastoon and raised him. However, after a number of years, Tachyon somehow stumbled upon his true origins. Learning of the fate of his bretheren, Tachyon was fueled with rage and hated all Lombaxes from that moment on. He then set out with a determination to bring back the Cragmites and restore the Cragmite Empire to its former glory. Tachyon, however, was oblivious as to the full extent of his kind's evil, which was far greater than his hatred alone.

Empire Rebirth
"One day, we were approached by an inventor with incredible ideas; technology light years beyond what we were using. The inventor was someone... Someone your father warned me not to trust. Our kind had grown suspicious of him, but I was convinced that this was the right thing to do - for the galaxy! I granted him full access to our technology. All of our secrets. Only, when he was finished..."

- General Azimuth to Ratchet

Emperor Tachyon, crowned prince of his race, named himself leader of the soon-to-be restored empire. His first goal was to erradicate all traces of the Lombaxes. He plotted to steal their technology and build weapons to use against them. He began this aim by creating a robot army of space pirates, and sent them across Polaris to salvage whatever Lombax technology they could find. He also went before the Lombaxes himself, though they did not recognize him. Tachyon showed them his plans to create advanced robotic devices, and claimed that their purpose was to make a new defense for the galaxy. Tachyon revealed that he needed their technology for him to build his machines. The schematics detailed weapons light years ahead of what the Lombaxes had been making. General Alister Azimuth thought of Tachyon as a brilliant inventor. The other Lombaxes, however, grew suspicious of the intelligent creature, including Kaden, who warned Azimuth not to trust him.

General Azimuth believed that Emperor Tachyon's devices were just the security the galaxy needed, and gave him full access to their machinery and secrets, unaware of his true intentions. This lie successful, and the space pirates having gathered a sufficient amount of Lombax machinery themselves, the Cragmite prince was determined to get his plans underway with all his accumulated resources. Tachyon banished the space pirates to Praxus Seven, no longer needing them, and travelled to planet Zaurik. Here, Tachyon forged an alliance with the Drophyd race. He offered the creatures a large amount of raritanium in exchange for their servitude. They accepted, and became Tachyon's loyal commando enforcers, made lethal combatants with the completed machinery he provided. In doing this, Tachyon formed the new Imperial Army of the soon-to-be resurrected Cragmite Empire. Tachyon then made his home within the original Cragmite capital on their homeworld, Reepor, the location of their last battle with the Lombaxes.

The planet Reepor had been turned dormant thanks to the Lombaxes, reduced to nothing but ruin, and Emperor Tachyon was prepared to restore it to its former glory when his brethren had been returned to him; it once again served as the home of the Cragmite Empire with Tachyon as its master. With his elite soldiers and a large fleet of Imperial Cruisers, Tachyon formed a vast armada. Tachyon took his powerful force to the Lombax homeworld, Fastoon, with the intent of erasing the species from existence.

Fastoon Battle
"Cowards! All of them! Only two stayed behind: the keeper of the Dimensionator, and his infant son... I took great pleasure in destroying your father, Lombax. Pity he sent you to Solana before we could meet..."

- Emperor Tachyon to Ratchet

The Lombaxes did not have much defense against Tachyon's vast warships and enforcers. Out of options, the generals stood no further chance against Tachyon, who proceeded to lay waste to Fastoon and crumble it to ruin just as the Lombaxes had done to Reepor, leading the battle personally from atop his mechanical throne. As Drophyds marched upon the Court of Azimuth, Tachyon was robbed of his chance to kill all the Lombaxes when they escaped to another dimension while behind the court's walls. Kaden, keeper of the Dimensionator, used it to send his race to safety while staying behind with his infant son, Ratchet. He was, however, unable to save his wife, who was killed during the chaos. Kaden and his son managed to escape Tachyon's wrath long enough for his son to be safely sent away to the Solana Galaxy, and for the Dimensionator to be hidden. Tachyon managed to defeat Kaden in combat, and savored the ending of his life. He then spent the next several years trying to hunt down any remaining Lombaxes such as Alister Azimuth, Angela Cross, and Ratchet.

Metropolis Attack
"Emperor! See the crown? See the scepter? The giant walking throne and legion of loyal robotic commandos?? ''Emperor!"

- Emperor Tachyon to Ratchet and Clank

Over the years, while Ratchet and his newly acquired robotic partner, Clank, had a series of exciting adventures and saved Solana and Bogon from various evil doers, Tachyon was able to track him down. On Planet Kerwan, Tachyon assaulted the city of Metropolis during rush hour while Ratchet was working on a jet bike. Captain Qwark, working as the head of the Planetary Defense Center, encountered the Drophyd commandos and sent a distress call to Ratchet and Clank. While Qwark briefly attempted to battle the troops, he soon resorted to running like the coward he was. Being lucky enough to destroy two of the Drophyds, Qwark was inevitably captured and frozen in a block of ice. The prisoner was taken to Tachyon himself, who was not impressed by the "hero". Qwark, desperate to save his own life and apparently wanting to keep the citizens of Kerwan safe, pledged allegiance to the Cragmite Empire as Tachyon's "confidant", while secretly planning to steal information on Tachyon's plans to aid Ratchet and Clank.

Meanwhile, Ratchet fought through groups of Tachyon's forces as the rest of the city was blown apart building by building. Tachyon, inside the cruiser he was piloting, chased Ratchet when he attempted to escape along the grindrails. Trying to blast Ratchet with the warship's guns, the Lombax dodged his attacks, but fell right into a trap. At the end of the rails, Ratchet and Clank landed on a platform and were surrounded by Drophyds. Tachyon then brought the cruiser down to the platform and emerged atop his mobile throne. He was not much impressed by the last Lombax, underestimating him as being small and weak. Ratchet and Clank were in turn not impressed by Tachyon himself, and even laughed at his name when he formally introduced himself. The emperor became furious and demanded to be recognized as the royal Cragmite he was. When Clank stepped forward, Tachyon thought he was quite primitive and was amused since the Lombaxes were once such renowned engineers.

Ratchet falsely warned Tachyon and his men that Clank was a menacing deathbot to intimidate them, though Tachyon himself was not fooled. His patience dwindling, Tachyon requested Ratchet surrender and be executed, promising that Metropolis would be spared if he complied. Ratchet pretended to agree, then threw Clank to the cruiser, allowing him to board it and prepare their escape. Tachyon, with his large throne walker, blocked Ratchet and prepared to kill him personally. The Lombax struck the throne with his wrench, causing Tachyon to lose balance on the throne and topple over. Ratchet quickly boarded the ship, which took off as the Drophyds opened fire. The cruiser's autopilot transported the duo to Polaris, where Tachyon pursued them. As Ratchet and Clank met new allies and traversed Polaris fighting Tachyon's empire, Tachyon made several broadcasts to citizens and his soldiers in attempts to find the Lombax. He also charged Ratchet for stealing one of his Imperial Cruisers and being part of the resistance against him.

Imperial Fight Festival
"Attention, troopers! I would like to share with you a poem I wrote last night. *Ahem* The Lombax shall die a firey, awful death! Cupcakes are yummy..."

- Tachyon broadcasting on Mukow

During his travels, Ratchet landed on Planet Mukow and competed in the Imperial Fight Festival in disguise thanks to a hint from the undercover Qwark and a fine new mustachio. At the first challenge, Qwark introduced the Drophyd audience to his "new best friend", Emperor Tachyon, who watched the match from a projection screen. At first, there were no cheers from the troops, angering Tachyon. He snapped his fingers and his enforcers cocked their guns to motivate the audience, who immediately cheered for Tachyon, much to his delight. After the disguised Ratchet completed the course, Qwark slipped them an info disc, some clue to Tachyon's plot. Tachyon ordered Qwark to come to him, as he had boils needing lancing. Disgusted, Qwark hastily informed him he was coming, and whispered to Ratchet "Pray for me!" It was apparent that Tachyon had Qwark doing a number of less-than-desirable tasks, as when the two came back to the arena, Qwark gave them another clue - an infobot which he found in Tachyon's underwear drawer.

The Lombax Secret
"How fitting! The prince of the Cragmites and the son of the Lombaxes, on the very ground their ancestors last fought! How do you like my planet, Lombax? It's been dormant for years thanks to your kind!"

- Tachyon to Ratchet on Reepor.

Eventually, finding the clues left by his father, Ratchet located the "Lombax Secret," which was revealed to be the Dimensionator. Unfortunately, it was stolen by the interfering space pirates, who had decided to roam freely after being banished by Tachyon. Ratchet defeated a large number of their forces in the Ublik Passage and claimed the Dimensionator, but it was once again stolen, this time by Qwark, who had come to realize that he wasn't a true hero and wanted to redeem himself by destroying the device. As Qwark got into an escape pod to try and throw the machine into a black hole, he was automatically sent to the nearest planet, which happened to be Reepor. Tachyon sent in his enforcers to fend off Ratchet, Clank, and their new allies, Talwyn Apogee, Cronk and Zephyr. Meanwhile, Tachyon went after the Dimensionator. He soon cornered Qwark on a high platform in the former Cragmite capitol. Pinning the pitiful captain under his mechanical throne's foot, he claimed the Dimensionator and wore it triumphantly.

Ratchet eventually caught up to them, but found he was too late. Tachyon laughed maniacally in the face of his triumph and thought it was fitting that the Lombaxes' last son and the Cragmites' prince met on the very ground their ancestors last battled. Assuring Qwark he would deal with his deceitfulness later, Tachyon declared that the long awaited rising of the Cragmites would occur at last and pulled the cord to activate the Dimensionator. It did nothing, prompting Tachyon to pull it again. An awkward pause followed, everyone confused at what was wrong. Tachyon furiously pulled again, this time activating the powerful device. He commanded it to find the Cragmites, laughing maniaclly as his brothers were transported back into Polaris one by one. Ratchet and Clank were thrown into the abyss below the platform due to the device's energy, and Tachyon's reassembled forces scouted to find them. The two eventually managed to get back to the surface and regrouped with Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr.

Ratchet's ship, the Aphelion, told them that Tachyon and his armada were attacking Meridian City on Planet Igliak. They all went to find Tachyon's Cragmite dropships bombing and almost destroying the city. Tachyon made frequent broadcasts to the city, gloating about the Cragmite's return and finally being able to bring down the capitol of free Polaris, while describing for them the four-star penal colony to which insurgents were to be transported. Qwark was found to be imprisoned there, and Ratchet and Clank fought through the Cragmites and Drophyds to reach him. He was shown to be having a tearful breakdown in his cell. He stated that Tachyon was "so off his top eight!" and continued to show how hysterical he was for not being the hero he thought he was. Clank, with help from his mystical allies, the Zoni, deduced that Tachyon was heading for Fastoon. Ratchet agreed, and all but the cowardly Qwark went to stop Tachyon.

Final Battle
"I offer you this one chance: go home, join your race... or stay, and suffer." "If I leave you with the Dimensionator, no one will be safe. Not the Lombaxes, not my friends... I'm not going anywhere, until it's destroyed." "Typical Lombax... So noble, so courageous, and so very dead!"

- Tachyon and Ratchet before their final battle

Emperor Tachyon's final plan was to lead the Cragmite Empire into the Lombax dimension to end the race rivalry once and for all. Ratchet and his friends fought through Tachyon's forces until the emperor flew to them inside a cruiser. Over a loud speaker, Tachyon expressed his desire to destroy Fastoon and mocked the Lombaxes for being so cowardly. Ratchet asked what he did to them, and Tachyon told him to go to the Court of Azimuth for answers. Before flying off, Tachyon accidentally crashed his cruiser into a building and cliff, almost swearing with frustration. Ratchet and company eventually entered the court, where Tachyon spoke from a ledge high above the room in his throne, remaining hidden while watching the group. Telling of his victory over his rivals long ago, he opened a portal that showed the dimension the Lombaxes were in, confirming that they had retreated, which Ratchet refused to believe at first. Tachyon gave Ratchet an ultimatum: either go home to his race, or stay and be destroyed.

Pondering either meeting his family or fighting with his friends, Ratchet chose to stay, as he knew that if he left, his friends would not be able to defeat Emperor Tachyon and defend Polaris from the Cragmites. Tachyon closed the portal and declared Ratchet to be dead. After a brief fight, during which Tachyon utilized the weaponry of his walking throne and prepared to use the Dimensionator's weapons, a malfunction caused Tachyon's throne to freeze. He hollered out in despair and banged and shouted for the "infernal machine" to work. The Dimensionator accidentally activated and sucked the screaming Tachyon into an alternate dimension. Ratchet jokingly pointed out that Clank was correct about the danger of wormhole devices, prompting Clank to give him a serious and upset glare. While Ratchet tried to assure Clank that Tachyon was dead, the arm of Tachyon's mechanical throne reached out of the hole and grabbed Ratchet by the foot, pulling the two into the closing dimension with him.

The three were transported to an asteroid dimension, with the large asteroid they were standing on slowly breaking apart. Emperor Tachyon stood his throne upright, enraged at how Ratchet had ruined his plans and determined to kill him. The fearful Ratchet prepared to finish the fight with the Cragmite prince. During the second phase of the battle, Tachyon utilized the full power of his mechanical throne as well as his Cragmite teleportation powers to serve as a greater opponent for Ratchet. After a long final confrontation, Ratchet at last defeated Tachyon, destroying his throne, removing the Dimensionator from his head and sending him plummeting to the ground. The angered Tachyon got up one last time and declared that Ratchet could not kill him, as he was the only one in all of Polaris who knew about Ratchet's true purpose and even his true name. Declaring the inevitability of the Cragmite Empire's return and that Lombaxes would never find true sanctuary, he fell off of the asteroid as it broke apart further.

As he yelled to Ratchet a final time, Emperor Tachyon plunged into a black wormhole opened by the malfunctioning Dimensionator. He was then trapped within the depths of an alternate dimension. It was rumored that while in this dimension, he was in contact with a mysterious race that no one else in the universe knew about. His current intentions in conjunction with these ambiguous life forms are unknown. Captain Qwark also mentioned in an interview that the rest of the Cragmites had been banished, presumably back to their homeworld. Ratchet had ended the reign of Tachyon and the Cragmite Empire and brought a brief period of peace to Polaris; however, the Lombax was unsure if Tachyon was telling the truth about his father and purpose. Clank said he detected no lie in the Cragmite's voice, but that by vanquishing the emperor, which the Lombaxes were unable to do themselves, Ratchet had already fulfilled his own destiny, cheering up his friend. The Zoni then took Clank away so he could fulfill his own destiny, and Ratchet and his allies went on a journey leading to the Breegus System in order to find him.

During his travels, Ratchet met General Azimuth, the only other Lombaxes besides himself left in the universe, who revealed that he was forbidden from joining his race in their escape due to having inadvertently helped Emperor Tachyon rebuild his empire. Lamenting his loss and ashamed that he was in exile, Azimuth revealed that he planned to gain control of the Great Clock so he could change history and stop Tachyon. This desire, however, clouded his judgment and slowly corrupted him to the point that he would do and risk anything to accomplish it. What he could not accept was that the clock was not meant to be a time machine, as misusing its power could destroy the universe, so his attempts were halted by Ratchet and Clank, leaving the history of themselves and Tachyon unchanged. Tachyon was later mentioned over the battle arena announcer at the Agorian Battleplex. The Battleplex Announcer said that Tachyon was being forced to fight Crushto in an unknown location.

Behind the scenes

 * Andy Morris provided the voice of Tachyon.
 * As depicted in concept art, he was originally going to have a small pet of an unknown species.

Trivia

 * Dr. Nefarious, Lawrence, Emperor Tachyon, Captain Slag and Rusty Pete are considered to be the foremost villains of the series, due to their status as recurring threats and significant roles in game events, by Ted Price and members of Insomniac Games.
 * According to Aphelion, Tachyon was unaware of the full extent of the Cragmite's evil. However, the other Cragmites followed Tachyon without hesitation, suggesting that he was their leader by birth right.
 * Tachyon was one of the only three of Ratchet's foes to work alongside Captain Qwark, the others being Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek and Emperor Otto Destruct. Coincidentally, Drek also shared a relatively small physical stature and sadistic tendencies with Tachyon. Also, like Otto, Tachyon was the emperor of his species. In addition, while working as Tachyon's servant, Qwark begged to leave Tachyon's employ on Mukow and stay with Ratchet and Clank, claiming he would need "some kind of endorsement deal" to survive, referencing his former partnership with Drek.
 * On Hoolefar Island, a group of Hoolefoids could be heard speculating about Ratchet, one saying: "The way I heard it, he defeated Tachyon with both hands tied behind his back, a strained pectoral muscle, and a stubbed toe."
 * Tachyon was one of few characters to at least come close to swearing.
 * Tachyon gets his name from 'tachyons,' which are particle that travel faster than light.
 * Tachyon was comparable to Ripto, one of the main villains from the Spyro series, which was another game made by Insomniac. The both of them had short size, valued an appearance to show royalty (e.g. both wielded a scepter and wore a large red jewel), and retained a strong hatred for their enemy's species (Tachyon with Ratchet and Lombaxes, Ripto with Spyro and dragons).

Imperial Army recruitment speech

 * Tachyon: Greetings, inferior beings of Polaris. Does your life lack a sense of purpose? Do you constantly worry about finding steady income? Do you like killing stuff? Then join the Imperial Army and aid me in my humble quest for galactic domination. Here you'll travel to new places, meet interesting people, and execute them in the name of.....me.
 * Qwark: Hold the phone! Did you just say I could meet interesting people.
 * Tachyon: Why, yes I did, celebrity hero Captain Qwark!
 * Qwark: That sounds terrific! Tell me more!
 * Tachyon: It's simple. Somewhere in this galaxy is the filthy Lombax secret responsible for the Cragmite defeat. As a Tachyon Trooper, your job will be to ravage every planet until it is found. Leave no stone unturned! No rebel spared! Exterminate anyone who stands in your way!
 * Hat falls onto his face, covering his eyes momentarily. He quickly removes it and continues. 


 * Tachyon: All for a tidy salary and competitive benefits package.
 * Qwark: Wow..hehe...all that and travel, too?
 * Tachyon: Indeed! Take the Nundac Asteroid Ring for example. Our spies have learned that the secret may be hidden here on this remote moon base. If you sign up by tonight, you can join in on the raid.
 * Announcer, Qwark: Emperor Tachyon is an equal opportunity oppressor.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (mentioned only)
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (flashback)
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 3: Lost and Spaced

Youtube Videos

 * Tachyon introduction.
 * Tachyon boss battle.
 * Tachyon flashback.