Daktaklakpak
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| Daktaklakpak | |
|---|---|
 A Daktaklakpak; a hovering, multi-appendaged robot.
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| Ship | Vivisector |
| Homeworld | None |
| Contacts | Ploxis, K'tang, Xchagger |
| Quotes | "Proclamation: Salutations, minimally sentient organism classified as Human from Earth. Reply: Self-Appelation designed for utilisation by lesser beings equals Daktaklakpak." |
The Daktaklakpak are a fictional race of sentient robots from the sci-fi computer game Star Control 3.
A semi-sentient machine, Daktaklakpak form the technological wing of the Hegemonic Crux. They are known to be created by the Precursors, and this makes them profoundly arrogant. However, they do not realise they were created by the Precursors to be nothing more than maintenance drones, only partly sentient. The Precursors prevented the Daktaklakpak from developing sufficient sentience which, combined with their own amateurish self modification, caused the Daktaklakpak to have an initially indecipherable language ("Daktaklakpak! 5576 squared! 888, warning!", etc.). 'Daktaklakpak' is itself the beginning of an alphanumeric string that encodes their creation by the Precursor factories, and as such contains all information about them. They believe the same applies to the Eternal Ones.
When the Daktaklakpak met the Ploxis (who were engaged in a civil war), they traded a Precursor vessel for several valuable artifacts. With this vessel the Ploxis Plutocrats and their K'tang allies won the war. In the Crux, the Daktaklakpak dissect new races and technologies provided by their allies, the Ploxis. This was the origin of the name of their ship: The Daktaklakpak Vivisector. They have several such craft stationed at every artifact site in the quadrant, presumably guarding them till excavation crew arrive.
Their adoration of the Precursors causes them to zealously seek artifacts of the Precursors. Though they may be allied to the Crux, they would eagerly defect for the pursuit of greater knowledge. In particular, they quest to find the full name of Eternal Ones, which they believe that, like their own name, will reveal the exact nature of the species. They will trade virtually anything for this information, including information on their allies, advanced weaponry or their own services in battle.
Of course, considering that, due to Precursor fail-safes, the entry of the Eternal Ones name into a Daktaklakpak causes their cybernetic brains to self destruct, the value of the latter option is questionable. As well as having themselves commit electronic suicide like this, it is also possible to reassert their original programming with the aid of a Precursor artifact, turning them from spiteful, arrogant, greedy megalomaniacs back into servile scrub-bots whose only desire is to make things slightly shinier than they were before.
[edit] Daktaklakpak Vivisector
The Vivisector's name is appropriate given it's primary method of attacking other ships - a number of arms at the front of the Vivisector can grab onto any vessel they come into contact with, and a drill is then employed to bore holes into the hull of the victim's ship. It is also armed with mines that will launch missiles at ships getting too close. The Vivisector moves at an average speed and has a small crew complement, but a quickly regenerating battery.
