Cryptobots

The Cryptobots are a faction of robots that disguise themselves as other pieces of technology, (usually mimicking even the functions of that technology), as a form of stealth.

History

After the Takarran Great War, the purple takarran empire sought an ultimate weapon to destroy their rivals, the red takarrans once and for all. Both sides pursued artificial intelligence and robotics as weapons of war, and in the ensuing arms race, the purple takarrans developed the Cryptobots, shape-shifting robots that could assume the form and function of another piece of technology.

Over a long span of years, the purple takarrans infiltrated more and more Cryptobots into red takarran territory, all awaiting the order to strike. When that order came, the resulting massacre was known as the Takarran Apocalypse. The red takarrans were nearly all exterminated in the first wave of attacks by the Cryptobots. Red takarran robots, known as Defendrons operating in purple takarran territory delivered a fairly crushing blow as well, but not near the devastation caused by the Cryptobots.

Having seized all the red takarran cities, but cut off from all support or reinforcement from home due to the Defendron counterattack, the Cryptobots settled into a defensive holding pattern, patrolling the former homes of the red takarrans for years, until the day when the first scout arrived from the Planetary League. (see: Exodus)

While the scout was exploring the surface of HD-142-E (later known as Takara Prime), the Cryptobots seized and reverse-engineered technologies from the scout’s ship. This gave the Cryptobots an immediate and overwhelming advantage, as heretofore, the technologies of aviation and space-faring were unknown on Takara Prime.

Immediately the Cryptobots broadened the scope of their ambition, expanding their territory, hunting down surviving red takarrans, and taking over their home-world. In the midst of this process, the forces of the Planetary League returned to aid and evacuate the remaining red takarrans and Defendrons who emerged from hiding to join the effort.

Due to the carelessness of some treasure hunters from Pegasus Cybernetics, the Cryptobots were able to connect to Galaxy Net and subsequently, to form an alliance with the infamous General Zarlok. Zarlok convinced the Cryptobots to turn on their creators, the purple takarrans. As this was happening, the Planetary League and many of the Defendrons undertook a mission to rescue purple takarran civilians. Before long, the Cryptobots were essentially in complete control of Takara Prime, and declared war on the Planetary League, officially beginning the Second Robot War. General Zarlok and the Engine of Negation joined the battle, and were on the verge of driving the Planetary League from the system when Sunset, a half-red, half-purple takarran working with the Planetary League revealed vital information about the Cryptobots, turning the tables. During the course of the Second Robot War, the Cryptobots transformed HD-142-E into the sentient machinescape known as Takara Prime.

While Zarlok and the Cryptobots ultimately lost the Second Robot War, they did secure and control Takara Prime as a stronghold.

The Emperor’s Guard

The Emperor’s guard were an elite group of Cryptobots that protected the Lu’Tak emperor.

Emblem

The Cryptobot emblem is a representation of the blade of a ceremonial assassination dagger used in the continual power struggle that is the ruling class of the Lu’Tak empire. The addition of eyes suggests sentience and intelligence, that now the dagger itself has become the aggressor.

Defendrons

Overview

The Defendrons are a faction of robots that disguise themselves as other pieces of technology (usually also mimicking the functions of that technology) as a form of stealth.

History

In the aftermath of the Takarran Great War, the red takarrans undertook a project to create superior robotics and artificial intelligence in order to defend their people in the face of the continued threat of the purple takarrans. Many types of battle and infiltration robots were prototyped, but the shape-shifting ability of the early Defendrons led to their deployment by the red takarran government.

The primary mission of the Defendrons was to be smuggled into purple takarran territory to operate behind enemy lines, and to slow or stop the enemy war machine in the event of another war. When the Takarran Apocalypse happened, however, the Defendrons could do little to defend their own people, as the purple takarrans had pursued the same strategy, deploying an overwhelming force of similarly camouflaged robots known as Cryptobots in red takarran territory. The red takarrans were decimated. The Defendron counter-attack was swift and devastating, but while the purple takarrans were crippled and brought low, they were not nearly as bad off as the reds.

For many years after the Takarran Apocalypse the Defendrons stayed in hiding in purple takarran territory, fighting the occasional skirmish, desperately trying to avoid detection as they were stuck in enemy territory without hope of reinforcement. A number of Defendrons escaped into the wilderness, meeting up with and protecting surviving bands of red takarrans.

Things changed with the first encounter between the Planetary League and the Takarrans (see: Exodus). The Cryptobots in formerly red takarran territory captured and reverse engineered a Planetary League scout ship, by which they learned for the first time in takarran history, how to create air- and space-craft. Because of this, the Cryptobots now had an immeasurable advantage. The remaining Defendrons were thus forced to flee and join forces with the Planetary League, when they showed up in force to aid and evacuate red takarran populations.

After the rescue mission for the red takarrans, many of the remaining Defendrons relocated with the bulk of the surviving red takarrans to the planet Paradise, where they acted as a security force. Another large contingent of Defendrons joined various agencies of the Planetary League as a form of gratitude. Many Defendrons joined the PLAS, the PLIN the PLAAA, and the DAJ. A few even joined the Tardigrades. A contingent of these went along, (accompanied by a bitter sense of irony), with the Planetary League forces later, on a rescue mission for purple takarran civilians after the Cryptobots turned on their creators.

Many Defendrons also fought on the side of the Planetary League during the Second Robot War, which resulted from General Zarlok allying with the Cryptobots.

The Accelerons

The Accelerons are a faction of Defendrons dedicated to speed. They take the forms of the fastest vehicles, and many spend considerable effort and resources trying to get the most powerful engines and most aerodynamic forms possible. They are the first to respond in the event of an emergency, and are often employed as messengers and couriers when time is of the essence.

The Gaurdian’s Cadre

The Guardian’s Cadre is an elite unit of Defendrons who defend the Guardian, the leader of the Ki’Tak armed forces, and by extention, the Defendrons. At the time of first contact with the Planetary League, the only remaining Defendrons were seven members of the Guardian’s Cadre.

The Sacred Anvil

The sacred anvil are a subset of Defendrons dedicated to science and engineering.

The primary emblem of the Defendrons is a simple six-sided shield. It is the symbol they are marked with on construction. Various subgroups ornament this design in a number of ways. Those who don’t specialize and alter their initial markings tend to be the toughest, most stalwart, and most heavily armored of the Defendrons.