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Factions > Dragonmares
Written by Neil, April 2003
The dragonmare is the first biogenetic weapon of the Empire. They are 25.0 Ln. in length, 5.0 Ln. in height, and weigh 20.0 Ln. The name 'dragonmare' means, "distorted dragon," because of their gruesome and deformed physical appearance. The dragonmares are a dragon-type creature, therefore they are not true dragons, but they closely resemble them. They were engineered at the Imperial Academy by the scientists that worked there, and were developed in the Bioreactor.
All complete dragonmares are identical (with the exception of Abadd's mare) in appearance. They are mostly red, but have traces of orange and even a little purple. A funny thing about their appearance is that right above the control core, there is a morbid-looking face engraved into the dragon's flesh. The tail of the dragonmare resembles a whip, and at the very tip of the tail is a point that is somewhat similar to a fishhook. Dragonmares do not have eyes, but are not necessary for the dragonmares to manoeuvre (hence the control cores).
  Their abilities in battle surpass every other weapon that the Empire possesses. They share all the strengths of bio-engineered creatures, plus an arsenal of their own nature. The dragonmares may still be of flesh and bone, but have stalwart, armor-like plating that covers their body and a regenerating exoskeleton. This is one of the reasons why dragonmares have such high vitality. The dragonmares also have the capability to fire high-temperature gelatinous mucus balls from the mouth. These shots are fired very rapidly and accurately, not to mention the number of targets it can 'lock on' to. On top of the destructive potential contained in the mucus, the mucus balls have also been found proficient of denaturing the proteins of other biogenetic beasts. The dragonmares can also use their claws and whip-like tail as weapons, powerful enough to not only sever flesh but stone and steel as well.
Not much is known about the riders of these beasts, however they showed much aggression towards those who opposed them. Without hesitation, they scratched the land, slaughtering the residents of the Seeker villages who work against the Empire. In addition, the riders showed much control over the beasts of which they rode. This is because the dragonmares have control cores fixed into their backs. The method in which these control cores are used is not yet understood, but it is apparent that they do more than just enable the dragonmares to be manipulated. For example, when Dragonmare Squadron leader, Captain Evren's dragonmare neared the point of defeat, she enabled some sort of self-destruct mechanism in order to take down the dragon of destruction (which despite a great attempt, failed.) Captain Evren herself was a complex character in personality. She believed that drones only brought chaos into this world. She also always followed order, even if it meant her death. And it most certainly did. She was a very violent individual and it is no wonder how she made it so high in rank in the Imperial Army.
When the dragonmares are not fully developed and ready to enter combat, they are called 'Mare-embryos.' In this particular stage, the dragonmares are only about half-finished, and have yet to receive the control core installation in their backs. To the Empire, Mare-embryos are useless since they are not capable of fighting. When six initial prototypes were completed and standing by, the Empire ordered the Armament Production Facility to produce mass amounts of dragonmares. Unfortunately, the main operator, the drone Abadd, vanished after completing his research. At this time, the sixth prototype disappeared and its location is currently unknown. Rumors within the Empire suggest that Abadd stole the dragonmare for his own personal use. To the Empire's great loss, the dozens of dragonmares that were already being produced were only in embryo stage, and therefore a futile effort.
 
Although the dragonmares are lethal, cunning monsters of war when in battle, they lay perfectly still, silent, and calm when they are inactive battle-wise. Because of this, many Imperials believe that perhaps dragonmares are not really living creatures, but act more like puppets to their masters.
In Panzer Dragoon Orta, Lagi and Orta encountered these monstrosities several times. The first encounter was while Orta was still imprisoned. The dragonmares neared her, and just before they reduced her to oblivion, Lagi eliminated them with a homing laser. Another encounter was while they fought against the Imperial fleet, where the Dragonmare Squadron was deployed to destroy her. Still, Lagi remained in the battle the whole time, and even withstood the force of Capt. Evren's suicidal finisher. When the duo reached the Cradle, they fought many dragonmares head-on, and still persevered, managing to kill of most of the dragonmares. The ones that were left after the battle were all destroyed when the altered mare ridden by Abadd entered the scene, using the Cradle to finish off the lower-class dragonmares in one blast. Which brings me to my next point.
Abadd's mare was quite different and unique in many ways. Although it began as a simple dragonmare, just like the ones it destroyed, Abadd was able to modify it in more than one way. Although not much is known about it, I can simply say that it is stunning in both appearance and performance. The dragonmare (in it's normal form, anyway) is massive, much larger than the other dragonmares. It is a silver-grey color, and has multiple reddish wings that resemble tentacles in some ways. It has several methods of attack, one of which is a powerful homing laser that closely resemble (in my opinion anyway) the Heavy Wing's. It can fire concentrated lasers in a somewhat ambush style, as it vanishes and reappears from the walls of the battle area. It can also take on multiple forms using the mysterious power of the Cradle. One of these was a protective shell, and once it had cracked Lagi fought it in its normal form once again. As the mare weakened, Lagi fought it in its final form, a white mare with a narrow, bony tail. The dragonmare disappeared at the battles end. No one knows what happened to it exactly.
The fact that the Empire decided to undergo research to construct these beings baffles many. For many years the Empire and its citizens have loathed dragons, and it has almost been demolished multiple times because of them. The answer could be found within the words of the head of research at the Imperial Academy. These words were: "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
The above information came from Panzer Dragoon Orta only.
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Related Articles:
Factions > The New Empire
World > Empire
World > Dragonmare
World > Cavalry
World > Bio-Reactor
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