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The Imperial Army[1] is an organization in Tools of Destruction. It was the military force of Percival Tachyon's empire during his reign. The army primarily comprised drophyds known as Tachyon troopers,[1] but later included cragmites as well. A division of the army, the Imperial Defense Force,[2][3], was responsible for defending planets under Tachyon's empire, while the army searched for the Dimensionator across the Polaris Galaxy.

The Imperial Army once drove the lombaxes out of the universe years prior to Tools of Destruction and took over much of Polaris. During Tools of Destruction, Ratchet and Clank fought the Imperial Army several times while searching for the Dimensionator, before ultimately defeating Tachyon.

History[]

Before Tools of Destruction[]

As a child, Percival Tachyon bought the loyalty of the drophyds with raritanium,[4] and built the space pirates to scavenge materials for the drophyds' nanotech armor.[5] Although the lombaxes had grown weary of Tachyon, Alister Azimuth, elder councilman of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research,[6] entrusted Tachyon with all their secrets. Tachyon used this to build his army and then ravaged Fastoon,[7] leading the lombaxes to flee the dimension.[8]

The army then began to conquer much of Polaris, and all planets not under his rule consolidated under Free Polaris, with their capital in Meridian City, Igliak. The Imperial Army fought for years to take it over but could not defeat the forces of free planets in the Verdigris Sector.[9] In addition to planets under Tachyon's rule, many were in the territory of the space pirates or the kerchu, while Dr. Nefarious took control of much of the Breegus System.

The Imperial Army was able to control the gelatonium capital, Cobalia, and most planets with gelatonium, making the rest of the galaxy dependent on Tachyon's rationing of gelatonium[10][11]. The army also conquered Stratus City on planet Kortog, to seal off the Hall of Knowledge, declaring knowledge contraband[12], preventing people from learning about the Great War.[13] Tachyon took over Zordoom Prison on Viceron, giving life sentences to those who opposed his empire.[14] Emperor Tachyon also organized entertainment for the army in the form of the Imperial Fight Festival on Mukow.[a]

Although the reach and power of the Imperial Army were vast, it was only a shadow of the power the Great Cragmite Empire had.[16]

At some point, the Imperial Army tracked down and fought Angela Cross, but she was rescued by Max Apogee.[17]

Tools of Destruction[]

The Imperial Army traveled to the Solana Galaxy and invaded Metropolis, Kerwan, in search of Ratchet. The army planned to destroy the city in search of him, sending Enforcers to prevent Ratchet from reaching the Planetary Defense Center,[18] but Tachyon offered him a deal to surrender and die to spare the city. Ratchet escaped instead,[19] and the army searched the city for the Dimensionator before leaving.[5] Captain Qwark surrendered to them.[20]

The Imperial Defense Force then shut down the Cobalia spaceport and its gelatonium plants after detecting Ratchet there.[2] They also fought Ratchet in Stratus City to prevent him from reaching the Hall of Knowledge.[3] Meanwhile, the army searched for the Dimensionator across the galaxy. Filming a recruitment video featuring Captain Qwark, Tachyon's army highlighted Apogee Space Station as a possible location,[1] and later scoured Rykan V in search of it.

Captain Qwark eventually gave up the Dimensionator in the cragmite ruins of Reepor. Thereafter, the cragmites bolstered the ranks of the Imperial Army as they attacked Igliak and later fought Ratchet, Clank, Cronk, Zephyr, and Talwyn Apogee on Fastoon. After Ratchet defeated Tachyon, the cragmites were banished[21], and the Imperial Army presumably disbanded.

Characteristics[]

The Imperial Army primarily recruited drophyds as Tachyon troopers, but they also extended their recruitment efforts to other species. The recruitment video did not limit the species,[1] and Qwark became Private Qwark after completing training. Qwark was required to eat a certain amount of mucus-filled grothslugs necessary for induction,[22] which might have been a requirement for others as well. Tachyon troopers received a tidy salary and a competitive benefits package.[1]

The army was typically commanded by an individual known only as the Soldier,[23] who issued various tactical orders to troopers via radio. He was fiercely loyal to Emperor Tachyon and shared his disdain for lombaxes. He is presumed to have been a drophyd but was never seen in person.

A robotic intelligence speaking with a female voice, known simply as the Tachyon Robot,[23] managed imperial computer systems and gave various announcements and warnings to citizens across planets under imperial control on behalf of Emperor Tachyon.

Units[]

Drophyds[]

Drophyds make use of a variety of infantry units in their combat suits, as well as some larger vehicles. The infantry comes in two variants: drophyd sentries and drophyd troopers. The former use melee attacks from pincer arms, while the latter wield long-range laser attacks. Both sometimes carry shields to block weapons and cloaking devices to sneak up on opponents. Troopers occasionally use jetpacks and have an elite variant with thicker armor.

Among the vehicles, the Enforcers, one of the earliest vehicles designed by Tachyon for his army,[7] are the strongest. These are large, durable, four-legged mech suits capable of jumping long distances and clinging onto walls while firing laser blasts from their twin cannons. The floating Tachyon gunships have twin blasters that can fire laser or launch explosive grenades. Drophyd cyclocannons are tanks with large wheels that spray rapid-fire laser blasts in front of them. Tachyon transport ships are used to transport drophyd infantry to battle but can also serve as attack ships.

Cragmites[]

Three types of cragmites fought for the Imperial Army: baby cragpoles, cragmite hunters, and cragmite warriors. The cragpoles spit stomach acid and bite to defend themselves, and spawn in groups of three after an adult cragmite dies. The adult hunters and warriors both move by demolecularizing and warping short distances. The smaller hunters fire quick rounds of long-range energy blasts at foes, while the larger, more durable warriors fire three green, slower energy blasts at medium range, and swipe in close combat.

Robots[]

The tesladrones are small common robots fighting for the Imperial Army. Accompanying them on invasions, such as to Kerwan, and accompanying the Imperial Defense Force, they are mostly fodder, attacking only at melee range, and with relative low durability.

The Hug-Me-Tight Nanny Bots are gladiators in the Imperial Fight Festival, but fought on Mukow to defend the festival after all off-duty gladiators were recalled.[24]

Vehicles[]

Your Name's Percival? 1

Tachyon's personal cruiser.

The Imperial Army makes extensive use of imperial cruisers as part of their space and assault fleet. They are immense warships capable of inter-galactic travel, and are seen in direct assaults on the cities of Metropolis, Stratus City, and Meridian City, raining down heavy fire. In Metropolis they are responsible for the destruction of several skyscrapers and large parts of the local infrastructure through aerial bombardments. Emperor Tachyon also attacked Ratchet by firing lasers at him from his own cruiser in Kerwan, and also used another cruiser to taunt him directly on Fastoon.

The Imperial Army also makes extensive use of transport ships to shuttle troops directly to combat zones, but only in areas that they do not directly control. These ships can attack from the air but only rarely do so.

Behind the scenes[]

The Soldier was voiced by Dave Boat, who also voiced all of the other drophyds (credited as "Fish Drophyd"[23]). He also later voiced multiple characters in subsequent games, including Lord Vorselon and Zahn Gribnak.

The Tachyon Robot was voiced by Susan Eisenberg. Eisenberg is also known as the voice of Ashelin Praxis in the Jak and Daxter series. Similarly in Jak II and Tools of Destruction, she provides the recurring voice for computer systems heard throughout both games.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

Annotations[]

  1. It is possible that the terraklons were defeated at Zaurik by the Imperial Army, leading to their imprisonment in Zordoom and forced participation in the Imperial Fight Festival. Because the Festival was where Tachyon sent captured enemies and forced them to fight to the death for the amusement of his most elite drophyd troops,[15] it is possible that the terraklon battle at Zaurik where Lord Vorselon was defeated was a defeat at the hands of the Imperial Army, and Tachyon forced them to fight for the drophyds' entertainment.

Citations[]

References[]

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