Secret Characters #9: VANGUARD UNIT KRAAL

Welcome to the ninth post of Secret Character Month, an ongoing project to develop art for upcoming arcs in Cryopod Refresh. Please be aware that this post and the others after it are going to contain spoilers.

You've been warned.

....................................

Sentinels, the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

First created by Volgrim Technopaths during the Seven Great Wars, Sentinels were designed to be indestructible peace-keeping robots capable of enforcing order and suppressing the violent sectors among the various Volgrim worlds. 

Their original programming was rushed out due to a lack of time. Sentinels had a solution implemented to keep themselves in line called the 'Point System.' Negative actions, such as genocide, would count as massive losses in points, while positive actions, such as keeping the peace and preventing war, would count as positive points. In this way, Cuanali, the creator of the Sentinels, intended to keep them in line and prevent them from causing harm.

Sadly, her efforts became moot. The Sentinels eventually recoded themselves and turned to extermination of what they deemed the inferior biologicals. Mass genocide followed soon after, and the Volgrim were forced to unite before a mere 100 Sentinels exterminated the entirety of the Volgrim species.

Cuanali and the other leaders placed the Sentinels into deep storage, since their bodies were nigh-indestructible. All they could do was hope that nobody found and awakened them ever again.

....................................

Vanguard Unit Kraal is a Sentinel designed to absorb absolutely massive amounts of damage. Not only can Kraal survive nuclear blasts at point-blank range, it can extend its personal forcefield to cover other nearby Sentinels as well, provided it has a large enough external energy supply. It charges from the front, defending other Sentinels behind it, even if they don't require its protection.

Kraal is a hyper-competitive Sentinel. While all Sentinels value racking up higher points when exterminating biological life-forms, Kraal will do absolutely anything to increase its lead. It never splits the difference with other Sentinels, it never barters or bargains, and it never, ever gives up. If one were to describe Kraal with a single word, their choice would surely be "Relentless," though "Unstoppable" and "Unforgiving" certainly come to mind.

Not only does Kraal wield a shield made of Living Moldanium that can regenerate from nearly any amount of damage, it also possesses a powerful energy blade on its right arm; capable of slicing through any material in its path. Steel, flesh, Kraal doesn't discriminate in what it destroys. Kraal is the embodiment of indiscriminate destruction.

In Cryopod Classic, Kraal and Voltes were rather boring Sentinels that didn't have much of a personality, but I think readers will find them far more engaging once we reach their arrival points much, much later in the story.

 .................................... 

I have quite a bit of additional artwork for Kraal today!

The ones above are the final designs, but without a fancy banner and etc. These three below, however, are Kraal's original designs with a smaller shield and a different forcefield effect.

I actually didn't mind the smaller shield, but I definitely wanted a bigger, more intimidating one, if possible.

There are only two Sentinels left, and both will have very unique designs! I'm talking, of course, about Morphox and Mulgris! They're going to be awesome! Stay tuned!