Dark Troopers
Troop : | Dark Trooper Phase I
Troop Type : | Short Ranged Combat Battle Droid (Note: type is speculated)
Affiliation : | Galactic Empire
Manufacturer : | Imperial Department of Military Research, manufacturing done aboard the Arc Hammer
Armour : | Hardened Phrik Skeletal Frame
Armour Features : | None
Armour Capabilities : | Capable of resisting multiple hits from weapons
Main Weapon(s) : | (Razor-Edged) Cutting Sword [Cast from Phrik (attached on right arm)]
Other Weapons : | None
Equipment : | Blast Shield (capable of deflecting weapon fire from energy weapons) [Blast Shield cast from Phrik and is attached to the left arm]
Special Equipment : | None
Standard Height : | 2.5 Metres (Speculated from EGD***Pg 135 - compared height to the 3P0 Droid used in diagram)
Move : | Unknown
Ranks : | Unknown
Skills : | Unknown
Training : | Unknown
Specialized Training : | Unknown
Training Location(s) : | Most likely onboard the Arc Hammer
Character Points : | Most likely none
The Dark Trooper Phase I was the smallest of the Dark Troopers and it was little more than a skeletal frame. Its programming was primitive but its motivation to attack was relentless. This Dark Trooper featured no ranged weapons and could only walk.
Troop : | Dark Trooper Phase II
Troop Type : | Standard Battle Droid (Note: type is speculated)
Affiliation : | Galactic Empire
Manufacturer : | Imperial Department of Military Research, manufacturing done aboard the Arc Hammer
Armour : | Reinforced Phrik Body Shell
Armour Features : | Repulsorlift Engine (on rear) and 6 Manoeuvring Jets (on rear, mounted in rows of 3 on 2 white pods which are on either side of body)
Armour Capabilities : | Armour is stronger than Phase I
Main Weapon(s) : | Assault Cannon (400 Plasma Shells and 20 Missiles <Missiles are dumb fire>. Holds weapon in right hand). [Note Dark Trooper originally used a Dark Trooper version of the Imperial Repeater Rifle]
Other Weapons : | None
Equipment : | None
Special Equipment : | None
Standard Height : | 2.9 Metres (Speculated from EGD***Pg 135 - compared height to the 3P0 Droid used in diagram)
Move : | Unknown
Ranks : | Unknown
Skills : | Unknown
Training : | Unknown
Specialized Training : | Unknown
Training Location(s) : | Most likely onboard the Arc Hammer
Character Points : | Most likely none
Special Ability : | Capable of being loaded into hyperspace pods (similar to Probe Droids) for a quick means to get Dark Troopers from launching platform to the targeted planet.
The Dark Trooper Phase II was the standard combat unit. This Dark Trooper was both capable of walking or flying, thanks to its repulsorlift engine. Its flight jets gave this Dark Trooper superior manoeuvrability in the air as well. Its gunmetal gray armour shares a striking resemblance to standard Stormtrooper armour.
Troop : | Dark Trooper Phase III (Prototype)
Troop Type : | Battle Droid / Exosuit (Note: type is speculated)
Affiliation : | Galactic Empire
Manufacturer : | Imperial Department of Military Research, manufacturing done aboard the Arc Hammer
Armour : | (Even more) Reinforced Phrik Body Shell [Note: armour is speculated]
Armour Features : | Repulsorlift Engine (in rear) and Manoeuvring Jets
Armour Capabilities : | Armour is stronger than Phase II
Main Weapon(s) : | Assault Cannon (Fires Plasma shots, but no Missiles. Holds weapon in right hand) and 2 Shoulder Seeker Missile Launchers (3 Firing Tubes each <Hidden under shoulder plates when not in use. While in use shoulder plates lift up revealing launchers>) [Can fire 6 at seeker missiles at once (Seeker Missiles are slower moving than missiles used by the Phase II and are capable of homing in on a target's heat signature. Feature detonite warheads capable of obliterating the strongest personal shielding). Large number of seeker missiles stored in frame]
Other Weapons : | None
Equipment : | None
Special Equipment : | None
Standard Height : | 2.9 Metres (Speculated from EGD***Pg 135 - compared height to the 3P0 Droid used in diagram)
Move : | Unknown
Ranks : | Unknown
Skills : | Unknown
Training : | (For Operator) Exosuit Operation [Note: training is speculated]
Specialized Training : | Unknown
Training Location(s) : | Most likely onboard the Arc Hammer
Character Points : | Unknown for operator
Special Ability : | Can operate independently or can be used as an Exosuit
The Dark Trooper Phase III, the most most powerful in the Dark Trooper series was only in the prototype stage for a planned, but uncompleted line. Only one Dark Trooper Phase III was ever constructed. Like the Dark Trooper Phase II, this design was capable of both walking and flying. Unlike the previous Dark Trooper phases, the Phase III could either operate independently or be employed as an exosuit (power armour). To enter the Phase III for use as an exosuit, the operator had to use a rear access hatch. It was General Mohc who employed this Dark Trooper in an attempt to defeat Kyle Katarn onboard the Arc Hammer, but unfortunately, he was defeated.
Dark Troopers were intended to become a new type of stormtrooper whose purpose was to eradicate the Rebellion. These excellent creations were the brainchild of General Rom Mohc. Shortly the debacle at the Battle of Yavin, General Mohc who opposed the construction of the Death Star was given authorization to conduct the top secret Dark Trooper Project by the Emperor. As a result, several dozen of General Mohc's mechanical men quickly went from prototype to finished version aboard the Arc Hammer. The first combat test of the Dark Trooper was conducted against the Rebel Tak Base on the planet Talay, after the Emperor gave approval for General Mohc's test demonstration. Phase II Dark Troopers from the Arc Hammer were deployed against the base in eight hyperspace pods. Within minutes, Tak Base's shields were breached and all the Rebels along with the base were eliminated, but not before a distress call was made. No images of the Dark Troopers who attacked Tak Base were transmitted, only their ominous whines were recorded. With this brutally successful test, an impressed Lord Vader ordered General Mohc to continue his work. Rebel Intelligence believed that the attack was an act of retaliation for the loss of the Death Star, although there has been no Imperial confirmation of that suspicion. Five days after the Dark Trooper's first deployment against the Rebels, Mon Mothma secretly contracted Commander Kyle Katarn to investigate the Dark Trooper threat and eliminated it. It was revealed by Mon Mothma during the meeting onboard a Rebel Nebulon-B Frigate that an Imperial traitor, Colonel Crix Madine had supplied the Rebellion with information concerning the Dark Trooper Project as he wished to defect to the Rebels. It would later be revealed that the traitor Colonel Madine had persons inside the Empire assisting him on obtaining data on the Dark Trooper and its related endeavours. From that meeting Katarn went to Tak Base to investigate the Imperial attack, after he obtained Jan Ors to be his mission officer. While there he discovered a discarded prototype weapon used by a Dark Trooper; it was a prototype for the Imperial Repeater Rifle. On the captured weapon Jan Ors found the symbol "M.R." on its barrel. "M.R." referred to Moff Rebus, an Imperial weapons engineer who was later captured by Katarn in the sewage system of Anoat City. Although the Rebels learned very little from Rebus during his interrogation, he unfortunately mentioned an Imperial weapons research facility on the planet of Fest. The Rebels further learned from the traitor Madine that the facility was conducting research on new metal allows. Thus the Rebels surmised that by knowing which kind of metals were being used in the project, it would lead to further clues concerning the Dark Trooper. With that in mind Katarn was able to infiltrated the Fest facility and stole a sample of Phrik (which was gray in colour). After discovering that there was an Imperial mining operation on the The Blood Moon in the Gromas System which was extracting the rare metal, Katarn managed to infiltrate the small moon and destroy the facility. It was at this facility that Katarn had his first encounter with a Dark Trooper, a Dark Trooper Phase I. Unfortunately, due to the loss of the Gromas mining facility the Dark Trooper Project suffered a slow down in its progress. Eventually, the treachery of Colonel Crix Madine was revealed and the traitor was imprisoned at an Imperial Detention Centre on the planet of Orinackra. Due to his treacherous efforts for aiding the Rebellion, Katarn was sent to rescue Madine before he would be executed for his crimes against the Empire. During his debriefing, Madine revealed the three phases of the Dark Trooper Project. Phase one which was the Gromas Mines. Phase two was the transportation of the resulting alloy resource Phrik to the Robotics Facility, where it was treated and refined. While Phase three involved the refined alloy being transported to the Arc Hammer where final composition and assembly of Dark Troopers took place. To ensure the supply of raw goods to different Imperial facilities that were working on the Dark Trooper, General Mohc exploited a criminal kingpin who provided smugglers to ship those supplies. Learning from the traitor Madine that one of the smuggling routes began from Ramsees Hed spaceport on the planet of Cal-Seti, Katarn and Jan Ors made their way to that planet. By infiltrating the spacesport and secretly placing a tracking device on one of the smuggler ships, Katarn managed to locate the underground Robotics Construction Facility which was situated on the remote and frigid planet of Anteevy. Unfortunately, Ice Station Beta (Robotics Construction Facility) was disabled by the three sequencer charges Katarn placed on the facility's three exchange couplings. However, while Katarn was carrying out his heinous deed against the Empire he encountered and defeated several Phase I and Phase II Dark Troopers. Jan Ors discovered after tracking several smuggler ships who had routes to and from Gromas and Anteevy that they all led to the planet of Nar Shaddaa. Katarn's mission was locate the Imperial Nava Card that the smugglers were employing so that they could fly their routes. After a brief run in with Jabba the Hutt's henchmen (to rescue Jan Ors and get the Nava Card) Katarn and Jan Ors planned their next moves. Since the Nava Card was an encrypted Imperial Military device that required to be plugged into a decryption key box to decode the navigation coordinates, Katarn needed to locate the key or the Nava Card would prove useless. That decryption key was located in an underground vault in the heart of the Imperial Security Operations Building which was the centre of covert operations and intelligence for the Empire. It must be noted that the ISO Building was located in the Imperial Centre. Crix Madine, through his treacherous inside contacts within the Empire managed to arrange for the necessary security code clearance that allowed Katarn's ship safe passage to Coruscant's surface. Somehow, Katarn managed to enter the ISO Building's main vault and access the decryption from which he transferred the navigational data onto data tapes, defeat a Dark Trooper, and escape. Using the captured data, Jan Ors managed to trace the next smuggler route which led to the SSD Executor, the only Imperial ship which knew the location of the Arc Hammer. To accomplish the task of locating the Arc Hammer, Katarn snuck into Imperial Refueling Station Ergo and hijacked a smuggler ship (which was refueling at the station) that was destined to rendezvous with the SSD Executor. From there Katarn rode the SSD Executor to the rendezvous with the Arc Hammer. Once it was discovered that Katarn was aboard the Executor, the cargo transfer operation between the two ships was halted. Unfortunately, Katarn managed to defeat several Phase II Dark Troopers and re-activate the transfer process, and was able to board the Arc Hammer via the cargo shuttle system. With that Katarn proceeded to place sequencer charges on the Arc Hammer's three exchange couplings which led to the ship's main power grid, all the while engaging the ship's defenders including Phase I and Phase II Dark Troopers. Before he was able to make good on his escape, General Mohc donning the Phase III Dark Trooper Armour engaged Katarn in personal combat (after Katarn had dispatched his bodyguard of Stormtroopers and Phase II Dark Troopers). Unfortunately, General Mohc was killed in action and Katarn was able to escape before the Arc Hammer exploded. For his efforts, Kyle Katarn was awarded the Star of Alderaan by Mon Mothma herself. With billions of credits lost due to the destruction of the Dark Trooper Project and the Arc Hammer, and the recent loss of the Death Star a furious Emperor Palpatine refused to release funds for the fabrication of a new construction facility. Upon General Mohc's untimely death all research into the Dark Trooper Project unfortunately ceased. Although, it must be noted that the files for the Dark Troopers still remain intact and heavily encrypted. The engineers who participated in the project were sworn to secrecy. However, Bothan slicers managed to gain critical facts about the project from classified data sources, although the full extent of what they learned is unknown.
Sources: AJ5***Pg 267 (Concerning Crix Madine's rank) / DF (Cutscene 1), (Cutscene 3), (Cutscene 4), (Cutscene 6), (Cutscene 7), (Cutscene 8), (Cutscene 9), (Cutscene 10), (Mission 2), (Mission 3), (Mission 4), (Mission 5), (Mission 6), (Mission 7), (Mission 8), (Mission 9), (Mission 10), (Mission 11), (Mission 12), (Mission 13), (Mission 14) / EC***Pg 53 / EGD***Pg 3, 134, 135 / starwars.com+Databank+Droid+Dark Troopers
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