Commander Bioroid

## Commander Bioroid (Gister'dohl)

One of the most advanced of the Early Period Bioroids, the **Commander Bioroid** (**Gister'dohl**) was designed to lead Bioroid forces in the field.

## Background

The rapid expansion of the Robotech Masters' Bioroid legions had given them an advanced military force that was directly loyal to them. In order to ensure the most efficient use of these forces, the Masters had created the Subcommander Bioroid to serve as a leader for field operations. However, as the military grew, they found that the Subcommander lacked the level of sophistication and command capabilities needed for larger scale operations. To that end, the Scientist Triumvirates developed a more advanced command platform to lead their forces.

While based on the Subcommander, the new Commander Bioroid featured a number of improvements that made it a superior command and combat platform. However, these improvements came at a price, with the Commander being more complicated and Protoculture-intensive to construct. Furthermore, the mode advanced clones that controlled the Bioroids represented a far greater investment of time and resources in their creation and training. As a result, the Commander Bioroid never fully supplanted its predecessor; instead, Commander Bioroids were used as force leaders that directed the subordinate Subcommanders.

The Commander Bioroid proved to be a highly effective platform, both as a command unit and as a combatant. While it proliferated across the Empire's legions, it still remained relatively uncommon. However, as Protoculture depletion took hold of the Empire, Commander Bioroids became increasingly rare while at the same time being pushed more and more into field duties, leading smaller forces. With Subcommander Bioroids being often relegated to security and garrison duties, the Commander Bioroids were left carrying more command duties. In the last days of the Empire, Commander Bioroids were left in charge of skeletal Bioroid forces on numerous worlds, Including Tirol, as the last line of defence against the Invid. As the empire collapsed, those Bioroids were destroyed, often leading desperate last stands.

Only a comparatively small number of Commander Bioroids were fielded during the Second Robotech War. These Bioroids proved to be highly effective against the Southern Cross' mecha forces and came to be feared by their opponents. While impossible to confirm, it is believed that a number of these encounters were with a single Commander Bioroid piloted by Zor Prime; if such was the case, then the clone would have been the top-scoring ace of the entire conflict. While the majority were recycled for use in the construction of the Invid Fighter Bioroids, a number saw use right up until the end of the war and fought in the front lines of the Masters' final assaults. Between the catastrophic end of the war and the Invid Invasion, no examples are known to have survived.

## Capabilities

While externally very similar to the Subcommander Bioroid, the Commander Bioroid was substantially different. The Commander Bioroid featured a more powerful Protoculture reactor, which made it faster and more responsive then its predecessor, despite the increase in weight. Likewise, thanks to the development of more advanced composites, the Bioroid featured heavier armour than its predecessor.
However, the biggest advancement came in terms of the Commander Bioroid's electronics fit. While it mounted the same sensory systems as the Subcommander, the Commander featured an advanced command, control and communications suite. This fit allowed the Bioroid's pilot to coordinate their forces on the battlefield and relay orders to Subcommanders and individual units while still maintaining their own combat effectiveness. A refined version of this suite was also fitted to the Imperial Bioroid.

Typically, Commander Bioroids were piloted by advanced Clones that possessed a high degree of autonomy and individual reasoning and initiative. These Clones were able to operate independently of supervision where needed, while being able to effectively control their forces on the battlefield. Furthermore, these Clones were not only bred from prestigious bloodlines, but well trained as both combatants and commanders. The quality of these pilots contributed greatly to the Commander Bioroid's deadly reputation during the Second Robotech War.

The armor on the Commander Bioroid is a low-mass composite-material plating that was later emulated by Earth militaries for their mecha. Aside from the respectable protection provided against projectiles, missiles, and other kinetic weapons, this armor is also resistant to plasma globes (annihilation discs), lasers, and to a lesser extent, particle guns, owing to the fact that the armor can flake off and evaporate in layers under fire from such high-energy weapons, taking much of the weapon's energy and converting it into the latent heat of sublimation in the armor. The armor stops all small arms, heavy infantry weapons fire, and light mecha-mounted weaponry, and provides good resistance to medium mecha-mounted weaponry, and poor resistance to heavy mecha-mounted weaponry.

Note that the Bioroids' redundant systems and advanced design made them exceedingly capable of coping with battle damage, and the total protection afforded by the Bioroid was hence more than the armor data would suggest.

## Weapons and Equipment

* **Uhl-Megor Disc Gun Pod:** One Ion Beam/Pulse Cannon, fires ion discs. Alternatively, the weapon drum can fire this ion salvo as a particle beam. It can fire for up to 73 seconds in automatic mode, after that limited to one burst/3 seconds, unless sub-maximum rate of fire allows replenishment of the ready ion supply.

* Optionally other gun pods could be used. See the main file for more information.

* **Druj-Ioz Plasma Cannon:** Mounted on the head. A short-range, rapid fire weapon intended for use against enemy personnel and to intercept incoming missiles.

## Notes

* Design Notes
* Image Gallery
* Bioroid Main File
* Bioroid Hover Sled