This classified report, heavily encrypted, was compiled by hundreds of Intel Officers within the SJC and sent to relevant officials.
SUBJECT: NUETRALIZER DROIDS AND NUETRALIZER COMMANDER/ALLIES
OVERVIEW: NUETRALIZERS ARE AN EXTREMELY DEADLY MODEL OF DROID, AND CONSIDERED TO HAVE ALMOST NO SAFEGUARDS ON THEIR INTELLIGENCE, GIVEN OBSERVED CAPABILITIES FROM SURVIVORS.
MUCH ABOUT THE NUETRALIZERS COMMAND STRUCTURE IS STILL UNKNOWN. WHAT IS KNOWN IS THAT THEIR SOLE, UNQUESTIONED COMMANDER IS LAERTIA IO, AKA DARTH XIPHOS.
XIPHOS IS WANTED FOR MULTIPLE WAR CRIMES AND IS TO BE CONSIDERED A MASS MURDERER. SHE AND THE NUETRALIZERS COMMITTED NUMEROUS ATROCITIES THROUGHOUT THE THIRD IMPERIAL CIVIL WAR AND IS A WANTED CRIMINAL BY MULTIPLE FACTIONS.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS BASED ON ACCOUNTS BY SURVIVING SOLDIERS THAT ENCOUNTERED NUETRALIZERS AS WELL AS OBSERVATIONS OF THOSE THAT FOUGHT AT KEREST, WHICH Errik Nimdok WAS CHIEF COMMANDER OF IN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE OR KILL DARTH XIPHOS
CHARACTERISTICS.
NUETRALIZERS ARE EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE COMBATANTS. WITNESSES PAINT THEM AS BEING RELENTLESS IN THEIR DRIVE TO ELIMINATE ANY DESIGNATED ENEMY IN FRONT OF THEM, AND OFTEN IN EXTRAORDINARILY CRUEL WAYS, SUCH AS RIPPING VICTIMS APART. EYEWITNESSES TESTIFIED TO OBSERVING THEM TORTURING AND KILLING BRYN'ADUL AND MAW SOLDIERS. (NOTE: THIS BEHAVIOR HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED ON COMBATANTS NOT IN THESE CATEGORIES; IT SEEMS TO BE RESERVED SOLELY FOR THE FIRST TWO. OTHER COMBATANTS ARE OFTEN KILLED IN PAINFUL IF RELATIVELY QUICK MANNERS.)
ALL NUETRALIZERS ARE SUPERB MARKSMAN AND HAND TO HAND COMBATANTS. NO MATTER THE MODEL, THEY HAVE PROVEN DIFFICULT TO DESTROY WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS. THEIR PRIMARY INSPIRATION APPEARS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE YVH DROID SERIES, ANOTHER MODEL DESIGNED TO KILL A THREAT THAT RELIED ON BIOTECH.
THE NUETRALIZERS WERE NOT ENCOUNTERED BEFORE GENERIS IN GREAT NUMBERS: THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE ACCOUNT BEFORE THIS OF DROIDS MATCHING THEIR DESCRIPTION OCCURED AT PZOB: IF TRUE ITS POSSIBLE XIPHOS MAY HAVE BEEN TESTING VERY EARLY PROTOTYPES, OR WERE TAKING SMALL NUMBERS OF PRODUCTION MODELS OUT FOR FINAL TRIAL RUNS.
NUETRALIZERS CONTINUED TO BE A PERSISTENT HAZARD THROUGHOUT THE THIRD IMPERIAL CIVIL CONFLICT, OFTEN SHOWING UP IN KEY BATTLES THAT PROLONGED THE WAR BETWEEN THE SITH AND THE FORCES ARRAYED AGAINST THEM. EACH INDIVIDUAL NUETRALIZER IS CAPABLE OF KILLING DOZENS OF PERSONNEL AT A TIME: ONLY QUICK THINKING OR SHOOTING FIRST ALLOWED SOLDIERS TO SURVIVE ENCOUNTERS
NUETRALIZERS LEARN FROM EVERY CONFLICT: AT GENERIS, THEY FOUGHT AS BERZERKERS, BY THE TIME THE THIRD INVASION OF ZIOST OCCURED, THEY WERE ABLE TO WAGE A SOPHISTICATED INFANTRY WAR AGAINST INVADERS, OPERATING IN REGIMENTS, TANK UNITS, AS WELL AS NAVAL UNITS, SPRINGING SOPHISTICATED AMBUSHES AND ASSAULTS THAT PROVED HIGHLY DIFFICULT TO COUNTER, LET ALONE SURVIVE. EVERY SINGLE NUETRALIZER IS TO BE CONSIDERED AN IMMENSE THREAT, EVEN WHILE HEAVILY DAMAGED.
THEIR MOST INFAMOUS AND WELL KNOWN TRAIT IS TO SING DURING BATTLE. AGAINST ENEMIES ENCOUNTERED REPEATEDLY, THE DROIDS ARE KNOWN TO SING LOVE SONGS. IT IS SPECULATED THAT THE SONGS SUNG COULD ALSO BE WAYS OF CONVEYING TROOP MOVEMENTS AND INFORMATION, BUT NO PATTERN ON THIS THEORY HAS BEEN OBSERVED OR CONFIRMED. THIS SINGING TRAIT IS BELIEVED TO BE PART OF AN EXTRAORDINARILY SOPHISTICATED PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE SUBROUTINE
"MODEL 1" (CALLSIGN: SILVER TONGUE)
LONG RANGE RECON PHOTO:
VERY FIRST NUETRALIZER MODEL ENCOUNTERED. PROVED TO BE EXCEPTIONAL THREAT TO BOTH VETERAN SOLDIERS AND JEDI IN PERSONAL COMBAT, AND CAPABLE OF KILLING BOTH. COMES ARMED WITH ADVANCED, MINIATURIZED WEAPONRY AND AN EXCEPTIONAL COMBAT DATABASE. BELIEVED TO CONTAIN A HIGHLY ADVANCED NANITE REPAIR SYSTEM: UNITS THAT WERE SEEMINGLY DESTROYED ARE KNOWN TO "RISE FROM DEATH" TO CONTINUE FIGHTING.
NOTE: IT IS UNKNOWN WHERE XIPHOS ACQUIRED THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES TO CONSTRUCT SUCH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE WEALTHY BENEFACTORS WHO LEAVE NO PAPER TRAILS HAS MADE INVESTIGATION STALL.
EVIDENCE OF SAPIENCE AND INDIVIDUALISM WERE OBSERVED FIRST IN MODEL 1 UNITS: THE MORE INFAMOUS TRAITS (SINGING, CRACKING CRUEL, OUT OF PLACE JOKES BEFORE KILLING WOUNDED OPPONENTS, DANCING) ALL CAME FROM FIRST HAND OBSERVATIONS. THEY ARE THE ONES MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH THE TERM NUETRALIZER.
MODEL 1 UNITS WERE NEVER ENCOUNTERED IN LARGE NUMBERS AGAIN AFTER THE BATTLE OF SARKA: THOUGH THEY SLEW MULTIPLE BRYN'ADUL UNITS WITH GREAT SKILL AND FINESSE PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD OF IN ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FORMER (AND, INCIDENTALLY, HELPED TO CHIP AWAY AT THE MYTH OF BRYN'ADUL INVINCIBILITY), THEY WERE EVENTUALLY OVERWHELMED: MODEL 1 UNITS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN MUCH SMALLER NUMBERS LEADING NEXT GENERATION NUETRALIZER UNITS, SUGGESTING THEY WERE REPURPOSED AS ELITE COMMANDO TEAMS OR OFFICER EQUIVALENTS.
MODEL 1'S ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, BELIEVED TO BE AT ORGANIC LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION. THEY HAVE THE MOST "QUIRKS" OF ANY NUETRALIZER ENCOUNTERED, DUE TO HAVING BEEN ACTIVE THE LONGEST: MODEL 1'S HAVE BEEN SPOTTED WEARING WAR MASKS, PAINT, COLORED RIBBONS. THEIR WEAPONS ARE OFTEN SIMILAR IN DECORATION
ARMAMENTS APART FROM BUILT IN ONES ARE OFTEN HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE. TYPICAL MODEL 1 SERVICE WEAPONS WERE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY SOME FORM OF DISRUPTOR IN EARLY BATTLES (MOST OFTEN THE T-7 ION DISRUPTOR, WHICH WAS USED AGAINST THE BRYN'ADUL TO DEVASTATING EFFECT). SECONDARY PREFERENCE INDICATES THE STOUKER CONCUSSION RIFLE. LATER COMMANDO UNITS WERE ENCOUNTERED WITH THE DC-17M AND DC RECHARGING COMMANDO PISTOL. DC RIFLES SEEMED TO HAVE PICKED UP IN POPULARITY WITH MODEL 1 UNITS AS THEY HAVE BEEN SPOTTED WITH THEM MORE AND MORE. DISRUPTOR WEAPONS ARE ONLY EMPLOYED NOW IN OPEN BATTLEFIELDS, THE DC BEING PREFERRED FOR MERCENARY WORK. MODEL 1'S HAVE BEEN RENTING OUT THEIR SERVICES AS OF LATE.
OF ALL ENCOUNTERED NUETRALIZER UNITS, MODEL 1'S HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF KILLING JEDI OR SITH IN THE FIELD, BARRING RUMORED HYPER ADVANCED PROTOTYPE UNITS SUPPOSEDLY ENCOUNTERED BY THE NIO, MODEL 1 UNITS ARE THE CLOSEST TO THE YVH TEMPLATE FROM WHICH ALL OTHER NUETRALIZERS ARS DERIVED. THIS WOULD IMPLY THE MODEL 1'S ARE XIPHOS'S EQUIVALENT OF JEDI KNIGHTS. GENERALLY, THE MORE SCUFFED AND WEATHERED A MODEL 1 IS, ALONG WITH CERTAIN PAINT PATTERNS OR OTHER DECORATIONS ON THE CHASSIS, THE MORE DEADLY, AS THESE ARE SURVIVORS OF MULTIPLE CONFLICTS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO EMULATE MANDALORIAN TRADITION OF LEAVING DENTS AND SCARS IN THEIR ARMOR. THIS BEHAVIOR HAS SEEMINGLY PASSED DOWN TO OTHER LINES OF NUETRALIZERS.
VETERAN MODEL 1 UNITS CAN BE DISTINGUISHED BY DIAGONAL STRIPES OF DARK GREEN OR DARK BLUE PAINT ON THEIR FACE OR CHEST. THEY DISPLAY STRANGE MANNERISMS NOT OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH DROIDS, BUT MORE WITH WARRIORS. THEY ARE UNAFRAID TO CHALLENGE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FOES ONE ON ONE BUT DISPLAY A CURIOUS SENSE OF WHAT COULD BE REFERRED TO AS HONOR. CASE IN POINT:
(TESTIMONY OF MASTER AZRAEL FREE)
MASTER FREE: *"Whatever they are, they're good. Skeleton was on me almost before I could react, The Force was with me, and warned me to dive at the last second before it could take me out with a shotgun blast. It was armed with my Padawan's Lightsaber and immediately initiated a follow up attack. I was locked in a duel with it for the next thirty seconds and it kept up with everything I threw at it...it even learned to anticipate my attempts to pull or push it with The Force, immediately doubling it's aggression whenever I tried it. A single strategy rarely works more than twice."
MASTER FREE: "There came a point in the duel where we were fighting on a suspension bridge and I accidentally tripped and fell, losing my Lightsaber. I was hanging onto the bridge for dear life but was losing my grip. It watched me."
MASTER FREE: "Just as I lost my grip, it caught me by the wrist and hoisted me up, tossing me my own Padawan's blade, and drew a Vibrosword. I asked why. It answered 'I will not have it said I allowed Gravity to steal the glory of killing you.'
MASTER FREE: "Our duel resumed. I won. Barely. But I only lived because the damned thing had something approaching a sense of chivalry."
"MODEL 2." (CALL SIGN: IRON TOOTH)
THIS MODEL OF NUETRALIZER IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED DIRECTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF SARKA. FAR TALLER AND BULKIER AND SLOWER THAN A MODEL 1, IT ALSO LACKS THE MODEL 1'S ADVANCED NANITE REPAIR SYSTEM, COMPENSATING WITH INSTALLED MINIATURE REPAIR DRONES. BUT IT POSSESSES FAR MORE DEVASTATING ONBOARD WEAPONRY AND ITS ARMORED CHASSIS IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO DAMAGE WITH CONVENTIONAL OR EVEN UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONRY. THEY POSSESS ENOUGH STRENGTH TO OVERWHELM AND FIGHT LARGER BRYN'ADUL ON THEIR OWN TERMS. SEEMINGLY NOT BUILT TO KILL JEDI (THEIR ARMOR WAS NOTED TO DISPLAY NO RESISTANCE TO LIGHTSABERS AT KEREST.), THEY CAN NONETHELESS ACCOMPLISH THE FEAT BY USING SQUAD TACTICS, OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER, AND USE OF TERRAIN.
THESE DROIDS WERE FIRST DEPLOYED IN MASS ASSAULTS AGAINST THE BRYN'ADUL AT SEV TOK: THEY INFLICTED ENORMOUS CASUALTIES. THOUGH CONSIDERED SAPIENT, ITS BELIEVED THEIR SOFTWARE IS SLOWER THAN THAT OF THE MODEL 1'S: THEY ARE LESS "CHATTY" (THOUGH THEY STILL SING IN BATTLE) AND TEND TO FAVOR STRAIGHTFORWARD, BRUTE FORCE APPROACHES, WHERE A MODEL 1 MIGHT ATTEMPT A MORE INDIRECT METHOD TOWARDS VICTORY. THAT DOES NOT GO ON TO SAY THEY ARE STUPID, AS MODEL 2'S GAVE THE MILITIA AT SEV TOK CRITICAL ADVICE TO BLUNT THE BRYN'ADUL ADVANCE, MARCHING IN COLUMNS AHEAD OF THE MILITIA TO SOAK UP FIRE. MODEL 2 UNITS INFLICTED AMONG THE HIGHEST CASUALTIES OF BRYN UNITS PER INDIVIDUAL AT SEV TOK. THEY ARE BELIEVED TO SERVE AS XIPHOS'S SHOCK TROOPS. MODEL 2'S FAVOR MUCH HEAVIER WEAPONRY, AND THEIR PRIMARY SERVICE RIFLE APPEARS TO EXCLUSIVELY BE THE STOUKER RIFLE, OR VARIOUS FORMS OF EXPLOSIVES OR HEAVY REPEATERS/MACHINE GUNS. THEY ALMOST SEEM TO CONSIDER SHOTGUNS THE WAY ONE MIGHT CONSIDER A PISTOL.
HEADSHOTS ARE THE ONLY RELIABLE WAY TO PUT DOWN A MODEL 2 BEYOND A LIGHTSABER, OR MAGNETICS. THEY CAN TAKE A ROCKET AND STILL REMAIN COMBAT CAPABLE. BUT EVEN THE SKULL ARMOR IS THICK
MODEL 2'S DISPLAY UNIQUE SIGNS OF SAPIENCE IN COMPARISON TO THEIR PREDECESSOR UNITS. THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO INSTALL EVER MORE DESTRUCTIVE WEAPONS IN THEIR CHASSIS, AND LESS LIKELY TO DISPLAY THE OCCASIONAL CHIVALRY OF A MODEL 1. THEY OFTEN DECORATE THEIR CHASSIS WITH QUOTES FROM FAMOUS MILITARY COMMANDERS
SINCE SEV TOK, THEY PARTICIPATED AT BOTH THE BATTLE OF VJUN AND THE BATTLE OF KEREST, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN SIGHTED AS MUCH AS MODEL 1'S HAVE
"MODEL 3" (CALL SIGN: STEEL JAW)
MODEL 3 UNITS WERE FIRST ENCOUNTERED AT KEREST, INITIATING A DEVASTATING SURPRISE ATTACK AFTER THE ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE/KILL XIPHOS FAILED. THEIR FULL CAPABILITIES ARE UNKNOWN, IT IS HOWEVER BELIEVE THEY POSSESS LESS DURABILITY TO BLASTERS AND SLUGS THAN MODEL 2'S OR EVEN MODEL 1'S, BUT HAVE MORE RESISTANCE TO UNCONVENTIONAL FORMS OF ASSAULT. THEY ARE ALSO BELIEVED TO LEARN MUCH FASTER THAN A MODEL 1 AS WELL AS BEING MUCH SMARTER: EYEWITNESSES CLAIM THAT STRATEGIES THAT WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEM A FEW MINUTES WITH PRIOR UNITS EITHER FAILED COMPLETELY WITH A THREE, OR ONLY WORKED ONCE AND NEVER AGAIN. THE 3'S WERE OBSERVED FAVORING SHOTGUNS, GRENADE LAUNCHERS OR THE DC-15LE RIFLE, WHICH ARE OFTEN DECORATED. THE ONLY OTHER CONFIRMED SIGHTING WAS AT THE BATTLE OF DANUTA, WHERE THEY ARE REPORTED TO HAVE SLAUGHTERED MOST OF THE INHABITANTS IN THE SUPER-CONSTRUCT PLACED THERE.
"ADVANCED MODEL 1"
FOR A LONG TIME, THE EXISTENCE OF THIS UNIT WAS PURE SPECULATION AND RUMOR: SCATTERED REPORTS OF A SHAPESHIFTER THAT WAS SEEMINGLY UNKILLABLE, FORMING BLADED WEAPONS FROM ITS HANDS HAD OCCURED AS EARLY AS GENERIS. THE EXISTENCE OF THIS LETHAL UNIT WAS ONLY CONFIRMED AFTER A DEADLY ASSAULT ON A JEDI WARSHIP THAT DELAYED THE WARSHIP'S ARRIVAL TO BASTION WHEN THE ENGINES WERE SABOTAGED. THE UNIT ESCAPED, BUT NO MORE WERE ENCOUNTERED UNTIL THE SECOND INVASION OF ZIOST, WHERE A UNIT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE TRIED TO ASSASSINATE Erskine Barran .
ERRIK NIMDOK ENCOUNTERED A SIMILAR UNIT DIRECTLY ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, ONLY THE FIRST WAS NON HOSTILE, WHERE HE ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED XIPHOS, PROVIDING WHAT WAS THEN A GREAT INSIGHT INTO XIPHOS'S MINDSET. THE LATTER TWO INVOLVED BOTH ATTEMPTS TO ARREST DARTH XIPHOS. UNIT'S FULL CAPABILITY IS UNKNOWN: IT IS ALSO UNCLEAR WHETHER IT WAS THE SAME UNIT THAT SABOTAGED THE WARSHIP AND FOUGHT AT ZIOST, BUT THE UNIT'S CLOSE PROXIMITY TO XIPHOS INDICATES THE ONE NIMDOK ENCOUNTERED MAY ACTUALLY BE AN ADVANCED PROTOTYPE FOR THE UNIT BARRAN FOUGHT AT ZIOST.
UNIT IS COMPOSED OF NANITES CAPABLE OF RAPID SELF REPAIR, AND OF ALL WHO HAVE SURVIVED ENCOUNTERS WITH THIS UNIT, NONE OTHER THAN BARRAN CAN BE SAID TO HAVE ACTUALLY BESTED IT, EVEN MOMENTARILY. UNTIL MORE CAN BE LEARNED, IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED NOT TO FIGHT IT, BUT RUN FROM IT
ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR: DO THE NUETRALIZERS HAVE A CULTURE?
MUCH OF THIS SECTION IS PURE SPECULATION.
IT CANNOT BE DOUBTED FOR A SECOND THAT THE NUETRALIZERS ARE SAPIENT: THE BEHAVIOR THEY DISPLAY IS TOO COMPLEX AND VARIED TO BE CHALKED UP TO A PARTICULARLY COMPLICATED SUBROUTINE. OBSERVED UNITS HAVE DISPLAYED EMOTIONS THROUGH BODY LANGUAGE (BODY LANGUAGE SEEMS TO BE THEIR PRIMARY WAY TO EXPRESS EMOTION)
MUCH SPECULATION WAS RAISED AS TO WHY XIPHOS CHOSE TO MAKE HER DROID'S SAPIENT. ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHERS HAVE GIVEN A ROUGH INSIGHT INTO THEIR MINDSET.
XIPHOS IS MORE THAN THEIR CREATOR, XIPHOS IS REGARDED BY THEM AS THEIR MOTHER. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE THE CURIOUS EFFECT OF INSULATING AGAINST THEM REBELLING. THE BEHAVIOR OF NUETRALIZERS, IF ANYTHING, INDICATES STAUNCH, UNFLINCHING LOYALTY, IRREGARDLESS OF INHERENT PROGRAMMING. THIS WOULD INDICATE HER REGARD FOR HER CREATIONS AS MORE THAN SUPERFICIAL: TO THE POINT OF TREATING THEM AS EQUALS OR NEAR EQUALS.
NUETRALIZERS WILL WEAR MASKS, SING WAR CHANTS, AND CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT, EACH NUETRALIZER NEVER HESITATES TO ENGAGE A POTENTIALLY SUPERIOR OPPONENT, MOTIVATED BY SEEMING GLORY AS OPPOSED TO DIRECTIVES. IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS NUETRALIZER CULTURE, IT IS HIGHLY MILITANT, AND THE FACT IT IS NON ORGANIC YET WAR LIKE MAKES IT NOT ONLY MILITANT, BUT HIGHLY ALIEN TO TYPICAL CORE-WARD SENSIBILITIES, WITH A RUDIMENTARY CASTE SYSTEM IN PLACE. MAKING THE DROIDS THIS INDEPENDENT SHOULD HAVE BLOWN UP IN XIPHOS'S FACE: JUST THE OPPOSITE HAS OCCURED. AND WHATEVER THE NUETRALIZERS ARE DEVELOPING AS A WHOLE SHOWS SIGNS OF GROWING MORE AND MORE SOPHISTICATED.
IN PART 2 WE SHALL DISCUSS WHAT WE KNOW OF THEIR COMMANDER AND ALLIES
SUBJECT: NUETRALIZER DROIDS AND NUETRALIZER COMMANDER/ALLIES
OVERVIEW: NUETRALIZERS ARE AN EXTREMELY DEADLY MODEL OF DROID, AND CONSIDERED TO HAVE ALMOST NO SAFEGUARDS ON THEIR INTELLIGENCE, GIVEN OBSERVED CAPABILITIES FROM SURVIVORS.
MUCH ABOUT THE NUETRALIZERS COMMAND STRUCTURE IS STILL UNKNOWN. WHAT IS KNOWN IS THAT THEIR SOLE, UNQUESTIONED COMMANDER IS LAERTIA IO, AKA DARTH XIPHOS.
XIPHOS IS WANTED FOR MULTIPLE WAR CRIMES AND IS TO BE CONSIDERED A MASS MURDERER. SHE AND THE NUETRALIZERS COMMITTED NUMEROUS ATROCITIES THROUGHOUT THE THIRD IMPERIAL CIVIL WAR AND IS A WANTED CRIMINAL BY MULTIPLE FACTIONS.
WHAT FOLLOWS IS BASED ON ACCOUNTS BY SURVIVING SOLDIERS THAT ENCOUNTERED NUETRALIZERS AS WELL AS OBSERVATIONS OF THOSE THAT FOUGHT AT KEREST, WHICH Errik Nimdok WAS CHIEF COMMANDER OF IN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE OR KILL DARTH XIPHOS
CHARACTERISTICS.
NUETRALIZERS ARE EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE COMBATANTS. WITNESSES PAINT THEM AS BEING RELENTLESS IN THEIR DRIVE TO ELIMINATE ANY DESIGNATED ENEMY IN FRONT OF THEM, AND OFTEN IN EXTRAORDINARILY CRUEL WAYS, SUCH AS RIPPING VICTIMS APART. EYEWITNESSES TESTIFIED TO OBSERVING THEM TORTURING AND KILLING BRYN'ADUL AND MAW SOLDIERS. (NOTE: THIS BEHAVIOR HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED ON COMBATANTS NOT IN THESE CATEGORIES; IT SEEMS TO BE RESERVED SOLELY FOR THE FIRST TWO. OTHER COMBATANTS ARE OFTEN KILLED IN PAINFUL IF RELATIVELY QUICK MANNERS.)
ALL NUETRALIZERS ARE SUPERB MARKSMAN AND HAND TO HAND COMBATANTS. NO MATTER THE MODEL, THEY HAVE PROVEN DIFFICULT TO DESTROY WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS. THEIR PRIMARY INSPIRATION APPEARS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE YVH DROID SERIES, ANOTHER MODEL DESIGNED TO KILL A THREAT THAT RELIED ON BIOTECH.
THE NUETRALIZERS WERE NOT ENCOUNTERED BEFORE GENERIS IN GREAT NUMBERS: THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE ACCOUNT BEFORE THIS OF DROIDS MATCHING THEIR DESCRIPTION OCCURED AT PZOB: IF TRUE ITS POSSIBLE XIPHOS MAY HAVE BEEN TESTING VERY EARLY PROTOTYPES, OR WERE TAKING SMALL NUMBERS OF PRODUCTION MODELS OUT FOR FINAL TRIAL RUNS.
NUETRALIZERS CONTINUED TO BE A PERSISTENT HAZARD THROUGHOUT THE THIRD IMPERIAL CIVIL CONFLICT, OFTEN SHOWING UP IN KEY BATTLES THAT PROLONGED THE WAR BETWEEN THE SITH AND THE FORCES ARRAYED AGAINST THEM. EACH INDIVIDUAL NUETRALIZER IS CAPABLE OF KILLING DOZENS OF PERSONNEL AT A TIME: ONLY QUICK THINKING OR SHOOTING FIRST ALLOWED SOLDIERS TO SURVIVE ENCOUNTERS
NUETRALIZERS LEARN FROM EVERY CONFLICT: AT GENERIS, THEY FOUGHT AS BERZERKERS, BY THE TIME THE THIRD INVASION OF ZIOST OCCURED, THEY WERE ABLE TO WAGE A SOPHISTICATED INFANTRY WAR AGAINST INVADERS, OPERATING IN REGIMENTS, TANK UNITS, AS WELL AS NAVAL UNITS, SPRINGING SOPHISTICATED AMBUSHES AND ASSAULTS THAT PROVED HIGHLY DIFFICULT TO COUNTER, LET ALONE SURVIVE. EVERY SINGLE NUETRALIZER IS TO BE CONSIDERED AN IMMENSE THREAT, EVEN WHILE HEAVILY DAMAGED.
THEIR MOST INFAMOUS AND WELL KNOWN TRAIT IS TO SING DURING BATTLE. AGAINST ENEMIES ENCOUNTERED REPEATEDLY, THE DROIDS ARE KNOWN TO SING LOVE SONGS. IT IS SPECULATED THAT THE SONGS SUNG COULD ALSO BE WAYS OF CONVEYING TROOP MOVEMENTS AND INFORMATION, BUT NO PATTERN ON THIS THEORY HAS BEEN OBSERVED OR CONFIRMED. THIS SINGING TRAIT IS BELIEVED TO BE PART OF AN EXTRAORDINARILY SOPHISTICATED PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE SUBROUTINE
"MODEL 1" (CALLSIGN: SILVER TONGUE)
LONG RANGE RECON PHOTO:
VERY FIRST NUETRALIZER MODEL ENCOUNTERED. PROVED TO BE EXCEPTIONAL THREAT TO BOTH VETERAN SOLDIERS AND JEDI IN PERSONAL COMBAT, AND CAPABLE OF KILLING BOTH. COMES ARMED WITH ADVANCED, MINIATURIZED WEAPONRY AND AN EXCEPTIONAL COMBAT DATABASE. BELIEVED TO CONTAIN A HIGHLY ADVANCED NANITE REPAIR SYSTEM: UNITS THAT WERE SEEMINGLY DESTROYED ARE KNOWN TO "RISE FROM DEATH" TO CONTINUE FIGHTING.
NOTE: IT IS UNKNOWN WHERE XIPHOS ACQUIRED THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES TO CONSTRUCT SUCH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE WEALTHY BENEFACTORS WHO LEAVE NO PAPER TRAILS HAS MADE INVESTIGATION STALL.
EVIDENCE OF SAPIENCE AND INDIVIDUALISM WERE OBSERVED FIRST IN MODEL 1 UNITS: THE MORE INFAMOUS TRAITS (SINGING, CRACKING CRUEL, OUT OF PLACE JOKES BEFORE KILLING WOUNDED OPPONENTS, DANCING) ALL CAME FROM FIRST HAND OBSERVATIONS. THEY ARE THE ONES MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH THE TERM NUETRALIZER.
MODEL 1 UNITS WERE NEVER ENCOUNTERED IN LARGE NUMBERS AGAIN AFTER THE BATTLE OF SARKA: THOUGH THEY SLEW MULTIPLE BRYN'ADUL UNITS WITH GREAT SKILL AND FINESSE PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD OF IN ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FORMER (AND, INCIDENTALLY, HELPED TO CHIP AWAY AT THE MYTH OF BRYN'ADUL INVINCIBILITY), THEY WERE EVENTUALLY OVERWHELMED: MODEL 1 UNITS WERE ENCOUNTERED IN MUCH SMALLER NUMBERS LEADING NEXT GENERATION NUETRALIZER UNITS, SUGGESTING THEY WERE REPURPOSED AS ELITE COMMANDO TEAMS OR OFFICER EQUIVALENTS.
MODEL 1'S ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT, BELIEVED TO BE AT ORGANIC LEVELS OF COMPREHENSION. THEY HAVE THE MOST "QUIRKS" OF ANY NUETRALIZER ENCOUNTERED, DUE TO HAVING BEEN ACTIVE THE LONGEST: MODEL 1'S HAVE BEEN SPOTTED WEARING WAR MASKS, PAINT, COLORED RIBBONS. THEIR WEAPONS ARE OFTEN SIMILAR IN DECORATION
ARMAMENTS APART FROM BUILT IN ONES ARE OFTEN HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE. TYPICAL MODEL 1 SERVICE WEAPONS WERE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY SOME FORM OF DISRUPTOR IN EARLY BATTLES (MOST OFTEN THE T-7 ION DISRUPTOR, WHICH WAS USED AGAINST THE BRYN'ADUL TO DEVASTATING EFFECT). SECONDARY PREFERENCE INDICATES THE STOUKER CONCUSSION RIFLE. LATER COMMANDO UNITS WERE ENCOUNTERED WITH THE DC-17M AND DC RECHARGING COMMANDO PISTOL. DC RIFLES SEEMED TO HAVE PICKED UP IN POPULARITY WITH MODEL 1 UNITS AS THEY HAVE BEEN SPOTTED WITH THEM MORE AND MORE. DISRUPTOR WEAPONS ARE ONLY EMPLOYED NOW IN OPEN BATTLEFIELDS, THE DC BEING PREFERRED FOR MERCENARY WORK. MODEL 1'S HAVE BEEN RENTING OUT THEIR SERVICES AS OF LATE.
OF ALL ENCOUNTERED NUETRALIZER UNITS, MODEL 1'S HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF KILLING JEDI OR SITH IN THE FIELD, BARRING RUMORED HYPER ADVANCED PROTOTYPE UNITS SUPPOSEDLY ENCOUNTERED BY THE NIO, MODEL 1 UNITS ARE THE CLOSEST TO THE YVH TEMPLATE FROM WHICH ALL OTHER NUETRALIZERS ARS DERIVED. THIS WOULD IMPLY THE MODEL 1'S ARE XIPHOS'S EQUIVALENT OF JEDI KNIGHTS. GENERALLY, THE MORE SCUFFED AND WEATHERED A MODEL 1 IS, ALONG WITH CERTAIN PAINT PATTERNS OR OTHER DECORATIONS ON THE CHASSIS, THE MORE DEADLY, AS THESE ARE SURVIVORS OF MULTIPLE CONFLICTS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO EMULATE MANDALORIAN TRADITION OF LEAVING DENTS AND SCARS IN THEIR ARMOR. THIS BEHAVIOR HAS SEEMINGLY PASSED DOWN TO OTHER LINES OF NUETRALIZERS.
VETERAN MODEL 1 UNITS CAN BE DISTINGUISHED BY DIAGONAL STRIPES OF DARK GREEN OR DARK BLUE PAINT ON THEIR FACE OR CHEST. THEY DISPLAY STRANGE MANNERISMS NOT OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH DROIDS, BUT MORE WITH WARRIORS. THEY ARE UNAFRAID TO CHALLENGE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FOES ONE ON ONE BUT DISPLAY A CURIOUS SENSE OF WHAT COULD BE REFERRED TO AS HONOR. CASE IN POINT:
(TESTIMONY OF MASTER AZRAEL FREE)
MASTER FREE: *"Whatever they are, they're good. Skeleton was on me almost before I could react, The Force was with me, and warned me to dive at the last second before it could take me out with a shotgun blast. It was armed with my Padawan's Lightsaber and immediately initiated a follow up attack. I was locked in a duel with it for the next thirty seconds and it kept up with everything I threw at it...it even learned to anticipate my attempts to pull or push it with The Force, immediately doubling it's aggression whenever I tried it. A single strategy rarely works more than twice."
MASTER FREE: "There came a point in the duel where we were fighting on a suspension bridge and I accidentally tripped and fell, losing my Lightsaber. I was hanging onto the bridge for dear life but was losing my grip. It watched me."
MASTER FREE: "Just as I lost my grip, it caught me by the wrist and hoisted me up, tossing me my own Padawan's blade, and drew a Vibrosword. I asked why. It answered 'I will not have it said I allowed Gravity to steal the glory of killing you.'
MASTER FREE: "Our duel resumed. I won. Barely. But I only lived because the damned thing had something approaching a sense of chivalry."
"MODEL 2." (CALL SIGN: IRON TOOTH)
THIS MODEL OF NUETRALIZER IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED DIRECTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF SARKA. FAR TALLER AND BULKIER AND SLOWER THAN A MODEL 1, IT ALSO LACKS THE MODEL 1'S ADVANCED NANITE REPAIR SYSTEM, COMPENSATING WITH INSTALLED MINIATURE REPAIR DRONES. BUT IT POSSESSES FAR MORE DEVASTATING ONBOARD WEAPONRY AND ITS ARMORED CHASSIS IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO DAMAGE WITH CONVENTIONAL OR EVEN UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONRY. THEY POSSESS ENOUGH STRENGTH TO OVERWHELM AND FIGHT LARGER BRYN'ADUL ON THEIR OWN TERMS. SEEMINGLY NOT BUILT TO KILL JEDI (THEIR ARMOR WAS NOTED TO DISPLAY NO RESISTANCE TO LIGHTSABERS AT KEREST.), THEY CAN NONETHELESS ACCOMPLISH THE FEAT BY USING SQUAD TACTICS, OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER, AND USE OF TERRAIN.
THESE DROIDS WERE FIRST DEPLOYED IN MASS ASSAULTS AGAINST THE BRYN'ADUL AT SEV TOK: THEY INFLICTED ENORMOUS CASUALTIES. THOUGH CONSIDERED SAPIENT, ITS BELIEVED THEIR SOFTWARE IS SLOWER THAN THAT OF THE MODEL 1'S: THEY ARE LESS "CHATTY" (THOUGH THEY STILL SING IN BATTLE) AND TEND TO FAVOR STRAIGHTFORWARD, BRUTE FORCE APPROACHES, WHERE A MODEL 1 MIGHT ATTEMPT A MORE INDIRECT METHOD TOWARDS VICTORY. THAT DOES NOT GO ON TO SAY THEY ARE STUPID, AS MODEL 2'S GAVE THE MILITIA AT SEV TOK CRITICAL ADVICE TO BLUNT THE BRYN'ADUL ADVANCE, MARCHING IN COLUMNS AHEAD OF THE MILITIA TO SOAK UP FIRE. MODEL 2 UNITS INFLICTED AMONG THE HIGHEST CASUALTIES OF BRYN UNITS PER INDIVIDUAL AT SEV TOK. THEY ARE BELIEVED TO SERVE AS XIPHOS'S SHOCK TROOPS. MODEL 2'S FAVOR MUCH HEAVIER WEAPONRY, AND THEIR PRIMARY SERVICE RIFLE APPEARS TO EXCLUSIVELY BE THE STOUKER RIFLE, OR VARIOUS FORMS OF EXPLOSIVES OR HEAVY REPEATERS/MACHINE GUNS. THEY ALMOST SEEM TO CONSIDER SHOTGUNS THE WAY ONE MIGHT CONSIDER A PISTOL.
HEADSHOTS ARE THE ONLY RELIABLE WAY TO PUT DOWN A MODEL 2 BEYOND A LIGHTSABER, OR MAGNETICS. THEY CAN TAKE A ROCKET AND STILL REMAIN COMBAT CAPABLE. BUT EVEN THE SKULL ARMOR IS THICK
MODEL 2'S DISPLAY UNIQUE SIGNS OF SAPIENCE IN COMPARISON TO THEIR PREDECESSOR UNITS. THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO INSTALL EVER MORE DESTRUCTIVE WEAPONS IN THEIR CHASSIS, AND LESS LIKELY TO DISPLAY THE OCCASIONAL CHIVALRY OF A MODEL 1. THEY OFTEN DECORATE THEIR CHASSIS WITH QUOTES FROM FAMOUS MILITARY COMMANDERS
SINCE SEV TOK, THEY PARTICIPATED AT BOTH THE BATTLE OF VJUN AND THE BATTLE OF KEREST, BUT HAVE NOT BEEN SIGHTED AS MUCH AS MODEL 1'S HAVE
"MODEL 3" (CALL SIGN: STEEL JAW)
MODEL 3 UNITS WERE FIRST ENCOUNTERED AT KEREST, INITIATING A DEVASTATING SURPRISE ATTACK AFTER THE ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE/KILL XIPHOS FAILED. THEIR FULL CAPABILITIES ARE UNKNOWN, IT IS HOWEVER BELIEVE THEY POSSESS LESS DURABILITY TO BLASTERS AND SLUGS THAN MODEL 2'S OR EVEN MODEL 1'S, BUT HAVE MORE RESISTANCE TO UNCONVENTIONAL FORMS OF ASSAULT. THEY ARE ALSO BELIEVED TO LEARN MUCH FASTER THAN A MODEL 1 AS WELL AS BEING MUCH SMARTER: EYEWITNESSES CLAIM THAT STRATEGIES THAT WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEM A FEW MINUTES WITH PRIOR UNITS EITHER FAILED COMPLETELY WITH A THREE, OR ONLY WORKED ONCE AND NEVER AGAIN. THE 3'S WERE OBSERVED FAVORING SHOTGUNS, GRENADE LAUNCHERS OR THE DC-15LE RIFLE, WHICH ARE OFTEN DECORATED. THE ONLY OTHER CONFIRMED SIGHTING WAS AT THE BATTLE OF DANUTA, WHERE THEY ARE REPORTED TO HAVE SLAUGHTERED MOST OF THE INHABITANTS IN THE SUPER-CONSTRUCT PLACED THERE.
"ADVANCED MODEL 1"
FOR A LONG TIME, THE EXISTENCE OF THIS UNIT WAS PURE SPECULATION AND RUMOR: SCATTERED REPORTS OF A SHAPESHIFTER THAT WAS SEEMINGLY UNKILLABLE, FORMING BLADED WEAPONS FROM ITS HANDS HAD OCCURED AS EARLY AS GENERIS. THE EXISTENCE OF THIS LETHAL UNIT WAS ONLY CONFIRMED AFTER A DEADLY ASSAULT ON A JEDI WARSHIP THAT DELAYED THE WARSHIP'S ARRIVAL TO BASTION WHEN THE ENGINES WERE SABOTAGED. THE UNIT ESCAPED, BUT NO MORE WERE ENCOUNTERED UNTIL THE SECOND INVASION OF ZIOST, WHERE A UNIT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE TRIED TO ASSASSINATE Erskine Barran .
ERRIK NIMDOK ENCOUNTERED A SIMILAR UNIT DIRECTLY ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, ONLY THE FIRST WAS NON HOSTILE, WHERE HE ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED XIPHOS, PROVIDING WHAT WAS THEN A GREAT INSIGHT INTO XIPHOS'S MINDSET. THE LATTER TWO INVOLVED BOTH ATTEMPTS TO ARREST DARTH XIPHOS. UNIT'S FULL CAPABILITY IS UNKNOWN: IT IS ALSO UNCLEAR WHETHER IT WAS THE SAME UNIT THAT SABOTAGED THE WARSHIP AND FOUGHT AT ZIOST, BUT THE UNIT'S CLOSE PROXIMITY TO XIPHOS INDICATES THE ONE NIMDOK ENCOUNTERED MAY ACTUALLY BE AN ADVANCED PROTOTYPE FOR THE UNIT BARRAN FOUGHT AT ZIOST.
UNIT IS COMPOSED OF NANITES CAPABLE OF RAPID SELF REPAIR, AND OF ALL WHO HAVE SURVIVED ENCOUNTERS WITH THIS UNIT, NONE OTHER THAN BARRAN CAN BE SAID TO HAVE ACTUALLY BESTED IT, EVEN MOMENTARILY. UNTIL MORE CAN BE LEARNED, IT IS HIGHLY ADVISED NOT TO FIGHT IT, BUT RUN FROM IT
ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR: DO THE NUETRALIZERS HAVE A CULTURE?
MUCH OF THIS SECTION IS PURE SPECULATION.
IT CANNOT BE DOUBTED FOR A SECOND THAT THE NUETRALIZERS ARE SAPIENT: THE BEHAVIOR THEY DISPLAY IS TOO COMPLEX AND VARIED TO BE CHALKED UP TO A PARTICULARLY COMPLICATED SUBROUTINE. OBSERVED UNITS HAVE DISPLAYED EMOTIONS THROUGH BODY LANGUAGE (BODY LANGUAGE SEEMS TO BE THEIR PRIMARY WAY TO EXPRESS EMOTION)
MUCH SPECULATION WAS RAISED AS TO WHY XIPHOS CHOSE TO MAKE HER DROID'S SAPIENT. ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHERS HAVE GIVEN A ROUGH INSIGHT INTO THEIR MINDSET.
XIPHOS IS MORE THAN THEIR CREATOR, XIPHOS IS REGARDED BY THEM AS THEIR MOTHER. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE THE CURIOUS EFFECT OF INSULATING AGAINST THEM REBELLING. THE BEHAVIOR OF NUETRALIZERS, IF ANYTHING, INDICATES STAUNCH, UNFLINCHING LOYALTY, IRREGARDLESS OF INHERENT PROGRAMMING. THIS WOULD INDICATE HER REGARD FOR HER CREATIONS AS MORE THAN SUPERFICIAL: TO THE POINT OF TREATING THEM AS EQUALS OR NEAR EQUALS.
NUETRALIZERS WILL WEAR MASKS, SING WAR CHANTS, AND CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT, EACH NUETRALIZER NEVER HESITATES TO ENGAGE A POTENTIALLY SUPERIOR OPPONENT, MOTIVATED BY SEEMING GLORY AS OPPOSED TO DIRECTIVES. IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS NUETRALIZER CULTURE, IT IS HIGHLY MILITANT, AND THE FACT IT IS NON ORGANIC YET WAR LIKE MAKES IT NOT ONLY MILITANT, BUT HIGHLY ALIEN TO TYPICAL CORE-WARD SENSIBILITIES, WITH A RUDIMENTARY CASTE SYSTEM IN PLACE. MAKING THE DROIDS THIS INDEPENDENT SHOULD HAVE BLOWN UP IN XIPHOS'S FACE: JUST THE OPPOSITE HAS OCCURED. AND WHATEVER THE NUETRALIZERS ARE DEVELOPING AS A WHOLE SHOWS SIGNS OF GROWING MORE AND MORE SOPHISTICATED.
IN PART 2 WE SHALL DISCUSS WHAT WE KNOW OF THEIR COMMANDER AND ALLIES
