Arakyd Industries/Legends
Arakyd Industries was a major technology manufacturer, focusing mainly on droids, heavy weapons, and starships. Founded by Veltzz Arakyd on the planet Vulpter during the reign of the Galactic Republic, Arakyd was known for its aggressive and ruthless business strategy.
After the Clone Wars, Arakyd was spared the nationalization that befell the Techno Union, and the company saw a major boost in business with the rise of the Galactic Empire. Having acquired Viper Sensor Intelligence Systems in a hostile takeover and using their propriety technology coupled with artificial intelligence advances, Arakyd developed the Viper probe droid. The droid was instrumental in helping the Empire to locate the Alliance to Restore the Republic's Echo Base on the planet Hoth
Other major Arakyd products included the RA-7 protocol droid, which was used by the Imperial Security Bureau to spy on Imperial personnel; and the XR-85 tank droid, which was used extensively by the Empire during Operation Shadow Hand. Following the collapse of the Empire, Arakyd underwent a change of leadership and began to work closely with the New Republic.
Description
Arakyd Industries was a major manufacturing corporation, specializing in producing droids, heavy weapons, and starships, as well as individual starship components.[7] Over the course of its operational history, Arakyd's products were generally designed with combat applications in mind. Although known primarily for producing droids, Arakyd's strong share in the droid market allowed the company to compete in other markets. Many of their weapons systems used integrated droid brains as a means to enhance their efficiency and performance.[1]
Arakyd focused on constructing droids with potential military applications, supplying them to groups such as the Imperial Navy and Sector Rangers. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Arakyd branched out into the commercial market.[12]
Arakyd's products were used extensively throughout the Core Worlds. However, due to their military nature, many droids required certification and waivers to be purchased.[12] Aside from its headquarters on Vulpter,[1] Arakyd maintained facilities on Byblos, inhabiting Corporate Tower 133,[13] Mechis III,[6] and a large assembly plant on Kelada. The Kelada plant was used to manufacture components and assemble speeder bikes and repulsorcraft.[5] In 3 ABY, following the success of the Viper probe droid, Arakyd bought new land on Kelada with the intention of building an assembly plant to construct the planned C-Viper series, a civilian model of the Viper.[13]
History
Founding and rise to prominence
Arakyd Industries was founded on the planet Vulpter around nine thousand standard years before the Battle of Yavin. The industrialist Veltzz Arakyd started the company with his children, and vowed to eliminate all of his competitors. From the beginning, Arakyd's droid models were designed for war despite strict Galactic Republic laws governing the manufacture and sale of combat automata. Arakyd used his company's well-armed droids to cow his rivals into submission, and they reluctantly agreed to become subsidiaries of Arakyd Industries. Despite amassing a large amount of wealth, Arakyd continued to employ bullying tactics to convince rival corporations to bend to the company's will.[1] The company developed a reputation for ruthlessness and was known for a design philosophy that expressed menace.[2]
Arakyd produced a range of successful exploration droids, including the Prowler 1000 exploration droid and the Vanguard probot. One of Arakyd's ultimate goals was to supplant Galalloy Industries as the primary manufacturer of scout droids in the galaxy. When Senator Palpatine was elected Supreme Chancellor, Arakyd was awarded with a substantial government contract to supply Vanguard probots to the Republic Survey Corps. The Vanguards were put to use mapping new hyperlanes into the Deep Core.[2]
Working with the Galactic Empire
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Arakyd closely aligned itself with the galactic government and increased its reputation with several high-profile contracts with the Imperial Military.[7] Using political manoeuvring and taking advantage of competitive infighting, Arakyd positioned itself to receive the first Imperial droid contracts,[6] and became the Empire's primary droid manufacturer. Veltzz Arakyd continued to lead the company during this period.[1]
Arakyd's loyalty to the Empire was rewarded with more contracts for weapons and vehicles. Expanding their product line, Arakyd also began to produce prisoner-control equipment including nerve disruptors and interrogation droids.[1] Through hard work, Arakyd became the galaxy's primary supplier of military droids. Arakyd's models for the general consumer market were successful, but only accounted for a small percentage of the company's yearly output.[6]
In an attempt to get into the protocol droid market, Arakyd produced the RA-7 protocol droid. The rest of the droid manufacturing industry were surprised by the move when the RA-7 was unveiled at the North Quadrant Intergalactic Automaton Show on Zug. Examination of the RA-7 showed that the droid was a less than stellar design; it was cheaply assembled, the design was not aesthetic, and the cognitive module was a generation behind the current models. Arakyd's rivals could not believe that the company had produced a substandard design.[2]
The Galactic Empire bought the entire run of RA-7 droids. Unknown to its rivals, Arakyd had no intention of selling the droid on the open market. They had produced the line at the behest of the Imperial Security Bureau to act as a spy within the Empire's own ranks. The droids were either assigned or gifted to governors, Moffs, and officers throughout the Empire.[2]
During the Galactic Civil War, Arakyd's Viper probe droid was instrumental in the Empire's discovery of the Rebel base on the planet Hoth.[7] Arakyd continued to develop refinements of the Viper probe droid. Arakyd engineers and Imperial technicians developed the Infiltrator probe droid at the direction of Admiral Damon Krell.[2] The success of the Viper led the company to plan a civilian model, the proposed C-Viper series. The C-Viper series was intended to operate more as a security droid and assist in augmenting spaceport security forces. The project was revealed to NewsNet Imperial Defense Daily by Arakyd representative Allion Vlenda.[13]
After the death of Emperor Palpatine, Arakyd remained loyal to the Empire.[7] Further advances to their probot line led to the one hundred and fifty meter tall Hunter-Killer probot. It was primarily used for deep space customs inspection and blockade enforcement duties.[2]
Arakyd also consulted with top advisors from the Imperial Army to produce the XR-85 tank droid. The first prototypes were built prior to Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign. However, the experimental droid interface technology used in the unit was deemed too costly for the design to enter mass production.[7]
Imperial designers worked to refine the XR-85, and within a year Arakyd was given the contract to mass produce the design. The droid saw extensive use during the Imperial reconquest of Coruscant.[7]
Notable products
Droids
Known primarily as a droid manufacturer, Arakyd Industries produced a number of models, usually with an eye towards exploratory or military applications.[12] One of Arakyd's most well-known products was the Viper probe droid.[14] The Galactic Empire used Viper probe droids in their efforts to find the hidden Alliance command base during the Galactic Civil War, culminating in the Battle of Hoth.[15] The success of the Viper probe droid led Arakyd to develop several variants including the Infiltrator probe droid and Hunter-Killer probot. With the development of the Infiltrator, Arakyd set a precedent and their probot designs trended towards being bigger and deadlier. The Hunter-Killer design was one of the largest combat droids created, measuring one hundred and fifty meters in height and was employed as customs checkpoints and planetary blockade platforms.[2]
The 6G2 DeepSpace explorer droid was deployed aboard scout vessels.[16]
Following the Battle of Endor, the AP-1-C attack droid was developed by Arakyd and was intended to be a command unit for other combat droid models deployed by the Empire.[17] Arakyd also manufactured the XR-85 tank droid model[18] which was fielded by the Empire during Operation Shadow Hand.[19]
Alongside their range of combat droids, Arakyd also produced several models that served in military support roles. The AD-series weapons maintenance droid was touted as being able to perform the duties of an organic armorer more efficiently. Testing showed that the droid performed only marginally better than the Empire's weapons specialists.[12]
Arakyd also manufactured a number of security droids that were used by civilians and law enforcement agencies including the BT-16 perimeter droid,[12] the G-2RD series guard droid,[20] the Stiletto security droid,[21] and the RLG guardian droid system.[4]
The DZ-70 fugitive tracker droid was used to track criminals and escaped prisoners, while the Mark VII Inquisitor seeker was used to track individuals of interest and interrogate or kill them.[22]
Arakyd also dabbled in the espionage droid market, producing the diminutive moon moth espionage droid designed after the insect of the same name.[10] Arakyd's biggest move into the market was the RA-7 protocol droid which was used by the Imperial Security Bureau to spy on the Imperial officer corps and high-ranking individuals within the Empire.[11]
The AS-M12-series messenger droid was another of the Arakyd's dedicated courier droids.[23]
Other droid designs included gladiator droids designated as the Mark X Executioner[24] and the Mark XI Executioner.[25]
Starships
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Arakyd produced the Helix-class light interceptor, a heavily armed freighter that broke the Bureau of Ships and Services' armament regulations. The production of the ship was ordered to be halted by the Empire and it was mandated that existing ships have their armaments stripped down and be registered with the Imperial Security Bureau.[26]
Arakyd manufactured the Stellar Mag V Mining Vessel.[27]
Arakyd also produced a range of hyperdrive pods in order to transport their probe droids to target destinations. Two models manufactured by Arakyd were the Predator I[20] and the Probe-Mate hyperspace pod.[28]
