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The Teknos are a federation of different spacefaring nations. They are one of the two warring factions in The Unholy War, the other being the Arcane. All Teknos nations share a common ambition: technological progress at all costs.[1]

History[]

The exact history of the Teknos is uncertain, as the game itself provides only a few bits of information, and those sometimes seem to contradict each other.

Before the Unholy War on Xsarra[]

At some point in time before invading Xsarra, several technologically advanced species founded an alliance bent on eternal progress.[1] Those species originate from all over the galaxy, such as the humans from Earth or the Mantis from the galactic core.[2] However, over time the Teknos made a powerful enemy: the Hunters, a mysterious race whose state of technology surpassed the one of the Teknos. The reason for the Hunters' hostility towards the Teknos is not known. It could be born from fear of what might become of the Teknos, or disdain towards the Teknos ruthless and irresponsible search for progress, or any other reason. Regardless, it is certain that the Hunters seek total annihilation of the Teknos.[1]

When a fleet of Teknos encountered the Hunters' armada, a battle ensued from which the Hunters emerged victorious. Only one ship managed to escape the battle, but it was damaged beyond repair. That ship escaped to Xsarra, although it is not known whether the Teknos had known the planet before or were just discovering it during their escape. One way or another, the Teknos' ship crashed onto Xsarra. The Teknos hoped that the planet's unusual radiation field would mask their presence from the Hunters' scanners.[3] Considering that they stayed on Xsarra for centuries, they were proven right.

During the Unholy War on Xsarra[]

After the Teknos crashed onto Xsarra, a war broke out between them and the native Arcane people. The exact reason is never stated, but it is most likely that it was due to the abundance of AUR on Xsarra, which is sacred to the Arcane people but a valuable resource for the Teknos, as well as the Teknos' general disdain for primitive species.[4] Whatever the reason, the war between those two factions raged for decades, though none of them could triumph over the other. After both armies grew tired of fighting, they agreed on a truce that would maintain an uneasy peace for centuries, with the common law that no child of both nations shall be born.[5] It is not certain why this truce came to an end, but it possible because of a near breach of that one fundamental law, when a Dark Angel and a Quicksilver fell in love and fled to the Deadlands.[6] Nevertheless, the battles began again and both factions continued their attempts to annihilate one another completely.

The exact timeline of these events is not certain. It is stated that first humans appeared on Xsarra 3000 years ago. They are the direct descendants of the exiled Technists from Earth.[7] But it is unclear whether these humans were already part of the Teknos alliance, as the game itself states that the war between the Teknos and the Arcane lasted for just 500 years.[8] However, those 500 years could refer to the final phase of the war, after the truce has ended after lasting for centuries. But that would mean the reason the truce ended cannot be because of the fundamental law's near breach, as that occurred only 20 years ago.[6]

Ideology[]

Each Teknos nation has its own laws and customs, but they all strive for technological progress.[9] And they do so ruthlessly and with a sadistic enjoyment, not hesitating to eliminate anything that might be an obstacle in their way to progress, like destroying an extremely old architectural structure or laying waste to large parts of land with excessive use of nuclear weapons.[10][11] Teknos are also indifferent to any collateral damage their actions cause or to anything else that has no direct influence on their primary objective, and are extremely arrogant and disdainful towards their enemies.

As evident by their dedication to progress, Teknos rely heavily on machines, computers and cybernetic enhancements. Their briefings in strategy mode are mostly written efficiently and get straight to the point, like they are simply listing facts. Their sentences are short and have very few figures of speech.

Although they work towards the same goal, some of the Teknos members have their own secrets from one another, hinting at least some level of distrust.[2]

Warriors[]

  • Quicksilver: A female humanoid shape shifter covered in liquid metal. Can slice enemies, fire metal projectiles, and protect herself with a reflecting shield.
  • Tesla Lord: A humanoid harnessing the power of electricity. Can fire an electric beam, teleport himself, and erect crystals that fire electric orbs.
  • Killcyclea: A humanoid that is attached to a flying jetbike. Can fire plasma blasts, drop bombs, and kill sacrifice to take the enemy with him.
  • Jaeger: Heavily armed robots on tank treads. Can deliver a heavy punch, fire a laser, and launch homing missiles.
  • Mantis: Cybernetically enhanced insectoids. Can bite with their retractable jaws, launch parasitic drones, and create a suction vortex.
  • Razorfanea: A robot with an implanted brain. Can throw buzz saws, rotate its upper body to slice enemies, and create a wall of buzz saws.
  • Wasp: A female human cyborg with a pair of hover wings. Is equipped with a blaster, a freeze ray, and a device to steal the enemy's health.
  • BetaRazorb: An advanced version of the Razorfane with the ability to fly. Can throw energy discs, rotate its upper body to slice enemies, and crash into the ground to create a shockwave.

a Denotes a character that was playable in the game's demo.
b Denotes an unlockable secret character.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Teknos are a band of machine Nations, dedicated to Eternal Progress - Progress at all costs. They arrived here on Xsarra after fleeing from the Hunters, a mysterious super-technological race seemingly bent on their absolute annihilation."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Teknos scenario 1

  2. 2.0 2.1 "When exiled from Earth's solar system, the human Technists traveled to the galactic core. Of the many races they encountered, the Mantis were the most mysterious. The Mantis have never fully explained who the Hunters are, nor why the Hunters have chased the Mantis for a thousand years."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Teknos scenario 2

  3. "The Teknos who came to Xsarra were the last remnants of a fleet that was attacked by the relentless Hunter armada. Damaged beyond repair, the las Teknos starship crash-landed on Xsarra, hoping that the planet's unusual radiation field would mask their ships's presence from the Hunters' scanners."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Teknos scenario 4

  4. "AUR is our blood, AUR is our breath. We do not know AUR's genesis, save that it flows from the heart of our world Xsarra to the surface through a maze of cracks and crevices inhabited only by the Prana Devils. [...]
    The Teknos would rape our world, stealing the AUR and burning it in their infernal devices.
    "
    —Strategy mode, Arcane scenario 8

  5. "When the Teknos invaded Xsarra, the war raged for decades in a gruesome deadlock. There was no victor -- instead the exhausted armies called a truce that would keep the Teknos and Arcane Nations in uneasy peace for centuries. The only common law was that no child of both Nations should ever be born."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Arcane scenario 5

  6. 6.0 6.1 "Twenty years ago, the most fundamental law of Xsarra was broken when a rogue Quicksilver named Katrina and a rebellious Angel called Andrus fled to hide in the Deadlands. Eventually they were captured and separated. Had they borne a child, the Unholy War would surely have destroyed all Xsarra."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Arcane scenario 11

  7. "Humans first appeared on Xsarra nearly three thousand years ago. They arrived in crude starships, fueled by drained AUR fragments. They had abandoned Earth, taking with them what little AUR was left."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Arcane scenario 1

  8. "I am the Observer.
    I watch over the planet Xsarra, and am witness to the holocaust that has ravaged its peoples of 500 years...
    "
    —The Observer, strategy mode, intro

  9. "Each Teknos culture is a separate Nation with its own unique laws and customs."
    —The Observer, strategy mode, Teknos scenario 6

  10. "We have surrounded an important Arcane fortification. Radiometric analysis suggests that the Arcane Base at this mountain's peak is an extremely old structure, estimated at more than 450 years. Therefore, it should be relatively easy to blast into rubble.
    Proceed.
    "
    —Strategy mode, Teknos scenario 9

  11. "The craters from our recent Nuke barrage have created zones of lingering radiation which our Wasps find most pleasant."
    —Strategy mode, Teknos scenario 4

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