|
| Tankor | |
| Biographical information | |
|---|---|
| Homeworld |
Cybertron |
| Physical description | |
| Alternate Mode |
Black/red/grey Cybertronian tank |
| Gender |
Male |
| Sensor color |
Red |
| Personal information | |
| Allies | |
| Enemies |
Autobots |
| Profession |
General |
| Position |
Commander of Vehicon Tank Drones |
| Chronological and political information | |
| Affiliation | |
- "Tankor destroy!"
- —Tankor
Tankor was the first of the New Decepticon Empire’s Vehicon generals. Created from technology recovered by Kryptik during the collapse bought about by Megatron’s misrule, creation of the Vehicons represented a step forward in the Empire’s efforts to rebuild by giving them the ability to easily create armies of drone Transformers. While each was as powerful as a typical Transformer, they lacked sparks and the capacity for individual thought, which meant that they needed leaders to make them combat effective. Thus the Empire created the Vehicon Generals to command their legions.
However, the Generals also served another purpose, one that was far darker and more sinister. The creation of the Generals gave the Empire the ability to discretely deal with those who had fallen out of favour, but still possessed skills and abilities that were deemed too useful to simply throw away. The Generals were to be created form the reclaimed sparks of high-level political prisoners, removed from their original bodies and subjected to limited personality reprogramming to ensure their loyalty.
Shockwave was one such case. Having effectively lead the Decepticons for four million years in Megatron’s absence, he handed control of their burgeoning empire back to the onetime leader upon their return. In doing such, Shockwave paved the way for millions of years of progress to be undone in only a few decades, leading to the Empire’s fall and exile to the far reaches of space. In the eyes of Dezarus, the new Decepticon emperor, he was guilty of negligence, letting his misguided loyalty over-rule the logic he so espoused.
Despite this, Shockwave was still seen as being useful to the Empire, and too valuable to throw away. His Spark was initially put in storage until the Decepticons could find a better use for it. That purpose emerged with the creation of the Vehicons, with Shockwave chosen to be the first of their leaders. Unfortunately, not all went to plan. The objective of the personality reprogramming was to ensure that Shockwave’s logic would dominate all else, creating a cold and emotionless leader who would opt for the most rational of solutions. Instead, the end result was Tankor, a rage-fueled, barely articulate brute.
While seen as a setback and something of a failure by the Empire, Tankor was none the less kept in service as a proof of concept. Even though far less intelligent then hoped for, the Vehicon general still delivered results, and showed an ability to command and coordinate his drones in the field. Behind the scenes, the Empire continued to tinker with the program, hoping to regain some of Shockwave’s lost intelligence and create the commander they had originally wanted.
Capabilities[]
Regardless of his intelligence, Tankor is a powerhouse. Very strong for a mid-sized Transformer, he shows comparable abilities to powerhouses like Grimlock. Added to this, Tankor is very durable, able to shrug off most smaller weapons and being resistant to larger ones, and can take immense punishment before being off-lined. However, he is also rather slow-moving in both modes and not very agile, which limits his mobility.
This is not as much of a drawback as it would seem, as his firepower is as potent as his physical strength. Tankor’s main cannon in both modes is a long-range, high-power multi-purpose beam cannon, based on Shockwave’s original main gun. Backing this up is a smaller, short-ranged energy cannon, as well as a five-tube missile launcher with multiple warhead capabilities. Finally, for close combat, Tankor is equipped with a pair of heavy crushing claws in place of hands, as well as super-dense buzzsaws in his forearms.
In addition to all this, Tankor is always accompanied by units of Tank Drones. While not as powerful as he is, their capabilities and sheer numbers should not be discounted. Added to this, the drones have no self-preservation instinct, and are relentless in their purpose, not stopping until they or their opponent are destroyed.
Personality[]
Nothing of Shockwave remains in Tankor, much to the dismay of his creators. Gone is the cold, logical commander and strategist who ruled over Cybertron for millennia. In his place is a violent brute, one that seems to hunger for combat and is relentless in battle, not stopping until all around it is destroyed. Tankor even seems to lack the ability to construct coherent sentences, preferring short grunts and clipped phrases, such as ‘Tankor smash’ as his means of communication.
The Vehicon reprogramming did succeed in one respect, however. Tankor is unquestionably loyal to the New Decepticon Empire and its rulers, and shows no hint of personal loyalty or ambition. His only function is to serve the Empire, and destroy its enemies.