Amalgaverse Profile: The Robotech Masters

Government: Technocratic Dictatorship

Homeworld: Tirol (currently in exile).

The Robotech Masters have been reduced to a nomadic group of interstellar pirates, confined, for the most part, to their three surviving motherships.

The giant, spade-shaped vessels contain large clone populations that can be quickly replenished, as well as processing and industrial facilities to keep the fleet supplied with food, water, air and other basic needs. They occasionally found small mining colonies and outposts for other reasons on the fringes of Human Space, but none of these are known to have been permanent.

History of the Robotech Masters

The only significant changes for the Robotech Masters comes after the war with the Southern Cross, which took place at Glory instead of Earth. After the disastrous defeat only three Robotech Master motherships were able to escape the star system, using the last of their protoculture reserves. They were forced to leave behind all of their support vessels, such as their cruisers and destroyers as well. Since that time the Robotech Masters have lived as nomadic pirates, raiding Southern Cross, Decahedron Compact and Invid resources for protoculture. Most people believe they are barely able to keep the lights on in their huge star fortresses, but that is actually not true. The Robotech Masters have been financing many of the more efficient protoculture smuggling operations through the use of clones and third parties. They provide the smugglers with advanced weapons and vehicles, as well as intelligence, and reap a healthy protoculture supply as well as other resources. It isn’t enough for them to restart their empire by any means, but it has allowed them to get their vessels back into fighting condition. One thing they have over the Decahedron Compact is the reliance on old Zentraedi systems. The Decahedron Compact’s military fleet is built on the bones of Zentraedi gear that the Robotech Masters themselves designed and built. The Masters put safeguards in virtually all of it and have been able to disable Decahedron Compact vessels with literally a press of a button. They do not advertise this ability, and no vessel disabled in such a manner is allowed to be seen again. Primarily they have used it on old Zentraedi-style transports and supply vessels. They ease up on the ship, usually one carrying protoculture or other vital equipment, deactivate the ship’s weapon and maneuvering systems, and swoop in and take the whole vessel. The crew is enslaved or killed, the ship broken down for spare parts, and there is no trace ever found. The Masters use this ability very sparingly and do not imagine it will long go undetected.

The Robotech Masters have also tracked down a few squadrons of loyal Zentraedi rogue ships, some of which they had in deep freeze in farflung caches. As a result, each Mothership has about 10 old-style Zentraedi vessels under its command, mostly destroyers, with a couple scout cruisers as well. But they are full-size, fully crewed (female-commanded), with complete compliments of battlepods, power armors and fighters. They also have an old factory satellite, but it’s smaller than most (33% smaller than standard) and hidden in an asteroid belt at the edge of known space. It was severely damaged by infighting among its Zentraedi crew after the empire fell apart.

Most of their skirmishes have been with the Invid. Both sides still carry a lot of animosity towards one another. The Robotech Masters make forays into Invid space on a regular basis (only they know where the new Invid worlds are, though they do not know which is the new Invid home world) and have destroyed two Invid Space Hives, stealing their respectable supplies of protoculture. In return, the Invid have destroyed several outposts used by the Robotech Masters and force the Masters to stay on the move. Unfortunately for the Invid, they have not discovered a way of doing significant harm to the Robotech Masters’ motherships. Whenever the Invid start getting the advantage, the Robotech Masters fold a Mothership into the engagement, lay waste to everything within weapons range, and fold out again. Humanity is wholly unaware of the scope of these engagements.

The Robotech Masters are currently considering their next steps. They have enough protoculture and supplies to make a permanent settlement somewhere but they know they would have to defend it from every power in this region of space. One option is to found a new home far away from the local systems, but even the Robotech Masters do not know what lies beyond a good 300 light-year sphere. Millions of years ago, the Robotech Masters know that SOMEONE went through this region of the galaxy destroying all intelligent humanoid life. They’ve heard rumors of the Mechanoids, but only rumors and bits of inconclusive evidence. It’s understandable that they are uneasy about taking a jaunt outside of the local galactic neighborhood. But if they can find a suitable world away from prying eyes, they would set down roots and rebuild to a point where they could crush any one and everyone under their heel. It would take generations, but the Robotech Masters have used protoculture to make themselves nearly immortal. They have time.

Notes on Ships and Mecha.

The Robotech Masters ships and mecha are unchanged from Palladium’s “Southern Cross” and “Return of the Masters” Robotech books. The Invid Fighter is more numerous, but Red, Blue and Green-type bioroids, as well as the landing ships, are still as numerous as flies. Plus, they have a large number of old Zentraedi ships, battle pods, fighters, and hundreds of the dreaded female power armors (replace ¼ of the male power armors with female power armors).

Views on other governments (they don’t “relate” to any of them).

U.N. Spacy: The Masters are grudgingly impressed with all this organization has achieved without the use of protoculture. Some of those secrets are worth knowing: Like how they are capable of powering the Macross Cannons. Other than that, there’s little interest beyond this being the homeworld of the troublesome humans, and thus on the short list of places to feel the wrath of the Robotech Masters once they have regained their lost power.

REF and Sentinels Alliance: The Masters consider this a slave revolt that should one day be put down. The ingrates have their precious alliance only because the Masters did all the hard work. Otherwise they’d still be on their own separate little planets trying to figure out how to get off the ground. The humans make it all possible. If they were eliminated from the picture, the entire thing would fall apart.

ATPDS: The Masters are very interested in the naturally adaptive DNA of the kirn and their research into metaphysics. They have acquired numerous specimens and are hard at work to see how they can use the knowledge of kirn DNA to their advantage. One idea being bandied about is a virus that can jump species, which no known virus has been able to do. The only problem is how to protect themselves.

The Southern Cross: Grrrrrr!!! They got extremely lucky, primarily due to that ungrateful clone, Zor Prime. Even the purely logical and scientific minds of the Robotech Masters are beginning to wonder if that name carries some actual curse.

Decahedron Compact: Useful fools who do not even know how vulnerable they are. The Masters would love to show them one day, but that would endanger their smuggling endeavors, which have been very profitable.

The Invid: Sore losers who carry a chip on their shoulder the size of a Zentraedi flagship. It is due to the Robotech Masters that this species found its true strength, enabling them to take to the stars. They should be grateful to the Masters for forcing them to evolve. They are far too emotional to actually rule an empire. They took the Robotech Masters by surprise, but the Masters have their measure now…and find them lacking. Once the Masters have taken the true secrets of transmutation and protoculture from the Invid the species will be little more than a footnote in the annals of galactic history…especially since the Robotech Masters intend to be the ones writing it.

Gorushan Empire: Except for an area of space the Masters occasionally use as a hiding place, they are not interested in this species.

The Manhunters: Little is known beyond what’s been gleaned from the Decahedron Compact’s computers. A potential threat in the far future, perhaps. Noteworthy because the Masters view the Manhunters as being similar to the Zentraedi, since they were created by the Aglians to fight a war. Unfortunately for the Aglians, controlling such power is vital. A lesson they learned the hard way.

Others: The Masters have no contact and little knowledge of the other powers, particularly from the Sagittarius Sector. The Marduk are crazed thieves who lucked up on some wayward Zentraedi. Not worth noting.