“The Kliaaks are more than just machines...they are truly alive.”
The Kliaaks are a race of dinosaur-like robotic beings originating from the extragalactic planet of Ressivis.
History[]
The modern robotic Kliaak design is believed to be dated several tens of thousands of years ago, drafted by the original biological Kliaaks (known as "the Primogenitors" or "the Creators" by modern mechanical Kliaaks). Examination of Kliaak folklore, programming, and Citadel data centers reveals the history of the robotic Kliaak in the form of a recorded history of the droids written by the Primogenitors themselves.
Prehistory[]
The original Kliaaks inahbited the planet extragalactic of Ressivis many hundreds of thousands of years before the creation of the robotic Kliaak, and were distantly related to the Capricyránae. The Creators were a highly-developed race, though they never truly achived interstellar travel due to the location of the Ressivis's system and delays in space exploration later in Promogenitor history. At around 35,200 on the Primogenitor's timeline, a large asteroid was observed on a collision course for Ressivis. Wary of the object, the Primogenitors attempted many different tactics to avert the impending asteroid such as nuclear weapons, but nothing seemed to alter the course of the celestial object. Several years later, the Primogenitors decided that they only had two options; desert Ressivis or face total obliteration.
In order to leave the planet, the Primogentors devised an ambitious plan to construct massive, self-sufficient starships capable of traveling enormous distances and landing on habitable planets to populate. To assist the travelers and colonists in space and on new planets, leagues of robotic aides were stationed in the citadels to manage and troubleshoot the Citadels during interstellar transit. In the course of several decades, five huge starships (given the name Citadels by the Creators) were mostly completed. However, in the passed decades, the asteroid had been closer than originally observed and was now close to the star system. Becoming worried and anxious, the Kliaak ruling body had begun to place unrealistic deadlines for the Citadel's construction crews, which only increased uneasiness in Promogenitor society. The habitation modules and systems had yet been incorperated into the structures, leaving the Citadels unable to carry living passengers. Delays in construction, supply shortages, and the increasing paranoia within the Primogenitor people prevented the Citadels from being 100% complete, all while the asteroid continued to plough towards Ressivis, making a beeline for the hapless planet.
The Depart[]
In the final years of Ressivis's existance, the paranoia had evolved into panic, and the citadels were still yet to be habitable for organic life. Hysteria among workers and politicians alike had left the construction teams either broken or composed of few work droids and unnerved technicans. The political leaders of the Primogenitors had realized that the citadels were not going to be completed before the extinction, and made one last desperate attempt to preserve Kliaak culture. The Creator's leaders ordered the Citadels to be activated and launched with the legions of protocol and military droids idle on board, and commanded that the Citadel's production facilities be repurposed in the creation of more robots. As the whole of the Primogenitors recognized the new purpose of the citadels, Verazzavul* seeped into the minds of the Kliaak as the planet oberved the launching of the starships. While the Citadels sailed quietly away from the star, a massive shockwave rippled through the system, marking the end of the once-great Kliaaks.
Two young Primogenitors watch the depart of the Citadel fleet
The exact time that the Citadels spent in transit is a mystery, with some saying hundreds of years, others saying thousands. All that is known for certain is that three of the five citadels were in proximity to the Cyrannus Galaxy when a suitible planet was found, and the ships altered their courses for the new safe haven.
*Verazzavul is an ancient Kliaak word meaning "The feeling of calm and reminiscence upon the realization that one is completely helpless in the face of death."
Modern History[]
The date in which the three remaining citadels put down on the newfound planet of Achem is known as "the Rebirth." When the Citadels had embedded and deployed themselves in the planet's surface, the countless production facilities in the structures were activated. As newly-constructed robots (know referred to as their creator's name) began the building of cities, planetary defences, and factories, the Kliaaks began to explore the planet and soon enough, the surrounding space.
Several generations of Kliaaks later, and modern Kliaak society had been developed and communication with surrounding empires had taken place. As the mechanical begins took on a new life, they continued to live the society they had been programmed to; one from a long-dead and nearly forgotten species. The Kliaaks formed the Second Kliaak Fellowship as a way to strengthen trade and security between colonies and trade partners.
Mechanics[]
External[]
The external appearance of the mechanical Kliaak was meant to resemble the organic Kliaak is both shape and movement. The exterior plating of the Kliaak covers most of the unit's body, and is highly resistant to bladed weapons and blasterfire, making the Kliaaks nearly invulnerable to infantry-based swords, knives, and blasters alike provided that the weapons impact the plating. The plates are also resilient against high temperatures and are coated with a non-conductive layer, making them capable of withstanding high temperatures and electrical shock. Underneath the armour is a grey, flexible "skin" that is waterproof and is non-conductive in order to protect the sensitive power cables and conduits underneath it. Incorperated into the exterior plating and the waterproof "skin" are millions of tiny stress receptors, which could both feel contact and damage to the chassis, allowing the units to feel both touch and an unpleasant pain-like feeling if damaged. The dorsal plates serve as a passive heat-sink for when the unit's heat-pump is not enough to cool the unit. Unlike the unit's other limbs, the Kliaak's tail is not moved by servomotors or hydraulics and is instead flexed by artificial musculature, allowing it a wide range of motion compared to the arms, legs, and neck. Artificial musculature is also found in places where the precise control of movement is needed over the hydraulic's gross motor control such as in the hands, neck, and legs. In order to increase mobility, a jetpack-like device is incorperated onto the chassis' back for aiding in jumping. The repulsor-pack is also powerful enough to hover the body a few feet off the ground, and can vector it's thrust in any direction to allow the Kliaak to "sprint" while hovering. The pack is also useful for slowing the unit's speed in a fall, reducing damage from short-distance falls.
The Kliaak's plating is usually painted in some way to add "personalization" to the chassis, though it is not uncommon for Kliaaks to be left unpainted. For combat and law enforcement models, the chassis can be painted with camoflauge for concealment or with insignias to show status or rank. The unit's photoreceptors glow a golden-yellow during normal operations, the eyes will turn red if the unit is threatened, angry, or in pain. The exact shade of yellow in which the eyes glow is determined by mood and the battery's level of stored power. When the unit is in "sleep mode", the eyes will either dim or turn off depending on how much of the Kliaak's system is in standby mode.
Individual Kliaaks are told apart from each other in similar ways to animals. Different colors and patters of paint of the exterior plating, the sound of the voice produced by the unit's speech synthesizer, the way the unit acts, and different features of the chassis. The production process of the Kliaaks is not assembly-line based, making each unit unique with it's own exact size, body shape, and any production errors (referred to birthmarks or deformities, depending on the severity.)
Internal[]
The "brain" of the Kliaak is a powerful gelcircuitry positronic brain with a processing speed of 1 quadrillion floating point operations per second. The CPU has a vast storage capacity, with 1 terabyte of fast cache buffer RAM and 1.2 petabyte of non-volatile memory. The unit's Advanced Logic Driver (ALD) alows it to make decisions based on previous experiences, sensory input, and the analysis of the probable outcomes of the decision. The ALD is capable of self-mapping variable outcomes of a decision, allowing the unit to "think ahead" to consequences the decision may have. The advanced situation-processing capability of the CPU allows the unit to have much greater hand-eye coordination than the average organic being, making the Kliaak dexterous enough to catch swinging weapons and react almost immediately to oncoming threats. When not needed, the unit can enter "sleep" mode, in which the Kliaak is set to a very-low power state to save power, recharge it's battery banks, and to sort and store recent information. Denial of sleep can cause a unit's processer to become overworked, making the unit seem groggy and since a majority of a Kliaak's memory is volatile, information can be lost is power is suddenly cut to the CPU. The information lost can range from memories to operating procederes and parameters required for the unit to function. Likewise, direct damage to the CPU can lead to a permanent shutdown (death) or an altered personality, depending on the severity of the damage. Alterations in the Kliaak's programming, whether from damage or production faults, are frequently compared to mental disorders, as they can cause changed behavior or an unresponsive "frozen" unit. In order to prevent the unit from taking unnecesary risks to itself, the Kliaak's programming contains self-preservation coding, which also can impact the emotions of the Kliaak in the form of fear or uncertainty. Most of the emotion of a Kliaak is simulated, but certain powerful feelings can arise from enviromental conditions like danger. Despite the advanced technology allowing the Kliaaks to make seemingly conscious decisions, the ability for the unit to comprehend abstract thoughts and advanced symbolism (such as jokes and complex humor) is limited, though it may not be noticeable to an untrained observer.
The "heart" of the Kliaak is a miniature fusion reactor that supplies the unit with power, and is linked to large battery banks located along the unit's back that are constantly recharged by the reactor. If the unit drains the bank's power faster than it can be replenished, the unit must "rest" for a bit in order to recharge it's batteries. Even when sleeping, the reactor is constantly functional (albiet with reduced output) to power the unit's standby systems, recharge it's batteries, and power the stress senors on the unit's skin. Due to the heat generated by the reactor, the chassis can become warm when the unit is active, especially around the torso and midsection. Excess heat generated by the reactor is vented via a heat pump in the unit's throat, giving the impression of breathing as excess heat is expelled from the mouth. Similarly, the high-voltage lines located throughout the unit's chassis are usually quite warm due to the flow of electricity, giving the impression of endothermy. Located below the reactor is a rotary-vane electrically-powered hydraulic pump, which constantly circulated the unit's white circulatory fluid (used as hydraulic fluid, a lubricant for moving parts, and coolant.). Heat accumulated in the "blood" is exchanged into the same heat pump that is used by the unit's reactor. With it's metal skeleton, artificial musculature, sinew-like power conduits and artery-like fluid tubing, a Kliaak's internals do appear strangely organic to an organic observer.
Models[]
There are several different models of Kliaak, all of which are built for specific tasks such as soldiers, law enforcement, or construction. By default, all Kliaaks are the same model, with modifications being made when needed via special machines. The process of installing modifications is complex, which makes it unsuited for "on-the-spot" modifications. When the unit is no longer needed for it's modified task, the modifications are capable of being removed (but not easily) via specialized machines.
K-Model: The default (and most common) model of Kliaak. The K-model is unarmed, and contains no additional or upgraded systems compared to the C or L Model, and is most commonly seen as civilians and other roles not normally subjected to extreme stress. For tasks like construction and demolition, the units can be modified with construction equipment such as drills, arc-welders and miniature jackhammers. The unofficial designation for construction and demolition models is the "I-Model".
C-Model: The militarized variant of the Kliaak K-Model. Most of the C-Model's modifications are combat-oriented such as reinforced exterior plating, combat and military strategy programming, improved photoreceptors with multiple different vision modes and a Heads-up display, and weapons. The weapons normally carried on the C-model include a shoulder-mounted plasma-grenade laucher for both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle engagments, a KDC-made B-14 blaster carbine with multiple different firemodes, and a hidden, retractable vibroblade in the left wrist for melee attacks. Larger weapons such as missile-launchers and sniper rifles are hand-held, and can be interfaced with the unit's inbuilt HUD for more accurate shooting. The chassis' exterior plating/armor is capable of being painted with camoflage for specific enviroments like woodland, desert, or arctic.
Due to the size of the combat training package, the C-models normally need to have certain parts of it's personality inactivated to make room for military programming. The resulting Kliaak is one that is very skilled at both ranged and hand-to-hand combat, but also desensitized and less social.
L-Model: The L-Model is essentially a "dulled-down" version of the C-Model. While the reinforced outer plating improved jump-pack and vision modes are retained, the unit's armament is significantly reduced and the combat programming is usually less-intensive. The unit is armed with a dual-barreled, variable-power blaster in the chassis' right forearm that can be retracted and covered in the arm when not in use, and a concealed vibroblade in the left wrist. The L-Model is most actively seen as police officers and military specialists not directly on the battlefield (pilots,"medic" technicians, high-ranking units, etc). Visually, the L-Model is indistinguishable from the K-Model when it's weapons are retracted.
Society[]
Behavior[]
Due to the fact that the mechanical Kliaaks were designed for close social interaction with living organisms, they were designed to provide the most life-like interaction capabilities able to be simulated. Since the were originally meant to interact with biological Kliaaks, their customs, architechture, and society are similar, if not identical to the Primogenitor's. Combined with the Kliaak's complex simulated consciousness, the machines are capable of forming extremely complex and intertwined social groups that can range from a simple group of co-workers to entire cities. These interactions are capable of being so tight and together that family-like bonds can form amongst Kliaaks who have known each other for long periods of time. Individually, the Kliaaks are pacifists, and are generally kind and loyal beings. The bots are known for disliking combat and instead focus on secure political connections and agreements to prevent bloodshed. Although they normally consider organic beings outsiders when visiting Kliaak-owned territory, they usually have no trouble interacting with "wets." The Kliaaks are curious machines, making them avid scientists and biologists when given the opportunity to study. Their skill with robotic technology is obviously, very high.
The Kliaak exhibit what is known as "Program Inheritance." This is done when a male-programmed and female-programmed Kliaak interact by copying and combining parts of their own programming into their own "child." (a simplified, program-less chassis). This system was initially meant to simulate Darwinism by ensuring that Kliaaks with favorable design and programming pass some of their own personality programming into future generations. The result of this process is a child with a different consciousness, but similar personality traits to it's parents. As a Kliaak matures, their programming is uploaded into a larger, more complex chassis as the unit gains finer motor control and more life experience. The "growth" of a Kliaak normally happens 4-5 times in it's lifetime, with the unit remaining in it's last chassis for the rest of it's life. When a unit "dies" (permenantly deactivates due to aging systems), it's empty chassis is customarily cremated, with the resulting molten metal is re-used in future chassis for new units, creating a cycle known by the Kliaaks as "the Eternal Foundry". Although it is possible to upload a dying Kliaak's consciousness onto another chassis, this practice is frowned apon and is only done in situations when the unit is dying quickly with little hope of being saved. Self-maintenance is common amongst units, but difficult jobs such as tuning of internal systems and the replacing of important parts that had been lost are done by a specialized "doctor" technician.
Being robots, the Kliaaks are capable of being fluent in almost any language, provided the language is uploaded onto or learned by the unit. The Kliaak's native languages are both New and Old Kliaak, with Old Kliaak being the native speech of the Primogenitors, and New Kliaak being an adapted and modified version of Old Kliaak. New Kliaak is mostly a combination of Old Kliaak phonetics and words adapted to have been easier to be produced by a speech synthesizer, though the grammatical structure of the language remained the same. Also due to the fact that the Kliaaks are droids, they are instinctually capable of speaking in Binary Code.
Citadels[]
“The Kliaaks themselves may be a marvel of engineering, but their Citadels are something to behold.”
The five Kliaak Citadels, each around 35 kilometers in height and weighing in at millions of kilograms, are massive colony ships designed to orginally evacuate the Primogenitors from the doomed Ressiviss. When the impact neared, the Citadels were launched with it's leagues of protocol and service droids aboard in the hope of preserving the legacy of the orignial Kliaaks, since they were not suited for organic habitation at the time.
Capable of independent function for centuries, the Citadels were meant to soar into space and find a suitible planet for habitation. Once (or if) a planet was found, the citadel would enter orbit around the planet and assume upright "grounding position." Once in position, the craft would accelerate at maximum speed down towards the planet's surface before plowing several kilometers into the ground using it's momentum and repulsors to displace an unfathomable amount of dirt and rock. After landing, the Citadel would anchor itself vertically into the ground and begin the production of items and materials necessesary for colonization. The Citadels themselves serve as massive factories, political buildings, and impenetrable fortresses, bristling with turbolaser cannons and anti-air missiles. The huge exterior panels of the Citadels are fully mobile, allowing them to "open" to allow access to the Citadel's many hangars, gun decks, and landing pads. A majority of the Citadels' interiors are open and cavernous, with most factories, automated trains, barracks, and political centers in the interior "walls" of the citadel. To warn local defenders and civilians from military attack or an impending natural disaster, the Citadel itself is capable of emitting it's own civil defence siren from massive tone generators located on the it's exterior. These tone generators are extremely powerful, and it is likely that their acoustic effects would kill an unprotected being standing too close to one.
A Kliaak Citadel in transit. Note the retracted sections of plating, revealing the rib-like rows of drydocks.
The Citadels gain most of their power from a dark-energy reactor found at the base of each citadel. The reactor has a power output comparable to that of entire planets, which is needed to power the machinery and systems of the Citadels themselves. The reactors have lifetimes of hundreds of thousands of years with regular maintenance, and require no fuel and give off no known emissions despite being highly radioactive. The cores themselves are contained via field stabilizers in the core's chamber, with the chamber itself reinforced with radiation shielding.
Citadel Statuses
C-01: Active
Currently grounded on Achem, serving as the Kliaak's primary Citadel and political structure. The city of Vize that stands around it's base is regarded as the unofficial capital city of Achem.
C-02: Missing
Unaccounted for after an error in the ship's autonomous navigation caused it to veer away from the traveling Citadel fleet. Last recorded 193 years before the settling of Achem, moving away from the Cyrannus Galaxy under it's own power.
C-03: Active
Grounded on the planet Virr in a star system nearby to Achem's star system. Currently serves as the main military base for the Kliaak military. Most cities on the planet are based around shipyards and powerplants used to support the armed forces.
C-04: Active
In orbit around the gas giant Ludev. 04 is the main political center for the second sector of Kliaak territory. 04 also doubles as the Kliaak's primary trade center, making it the frequently visited by cargo freighters too large to land in planetary shipyards.
C-05: Destroyed
Citadel 05 was destroyed when a malfunction of the structure's sublight engines rendered the craft unable to manuever around a Class-A star in it's path, resulting in a collision. The craft was badly damaged and was left disabled and incapable of travel. The whereabouts of 05's derelict and debris field is unknown, as the coordinates were not recorded when contact was lost.
Military[]
The Kliaak military is by no means a large one, as it's primary function is defending Kliaak-settled planets from pirates, asteroids, and rogue units. Instead of utilizing a large number of soldiers and craft, the Kliaak military is centered around the creation of few, but powerful ships and starfighters and highly-trained and damage-resistant soldiers. The most common craft in the Kliaak navy is the KDC-04 Destroyer, which usually accompany cargo vesssels and KDC-06 Battleships. For land operations, the Kliaaks use a variety of repulsorcraft and airspeeders to protect cities and aid in law-enforcement operations.
Quotes (Add your own!)[]
“Bah! Humbug! I can rock mechanical glowing implants better than any of you weird robots can!”
- - X-30
Gallery[]
![A representation of a Kliaak. Credit to KaijuSamurai (Matt Frank) on DeviantArt [1]](/wiki/File:Kliaakconcept.jpg "Kliaakconcept.jpg (145 KB)")
Trivia[]
- The Kliaak's external design was modelled after the Toho kaiju named Kiryu.
