- This article describes the Gatlantean battle fortress depicted in Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love. For its counterpart in Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato 2, see Gatlantis (OS).
- "The Comet City Empire with the Ark of Destruction at its center. It's the embodiment of true love, which can burn away all pain!"
- —Great Emperor Zworder[2]
The Ark of Destruction, nicknamed the White Comet, and sometimes referred to as Gatlantis Empire or Gatlantis by the Earth Federation, was an Archelian ark which served as the mobile headquarters of the Gatlantis Empire and the home of Great Emperor Zworder's court. The ensemble of Gatlantean structures that formed the empire's capital were collectively referred to as the Comet City Empire, built around the Ark of Destruction proper.
Armaments and Technical Specifications[]
The Ark's geseous cover destroys asteroids in its way
The Ark of Destruction often resembled a massive comet of Jovian scale. This appearance was created by a layered swirling cloud of white energetic gas that enshrouded the ark's inner mechanisms and created a trail behind it as it moved through space.[1] The cloud acted as a shield; it was capable of pulverizing asteroids,[3] and it could be used to directly attack targets through the comet's supergravity.[5] The Ark could also project an additional protective field made out of a varying number of concentric circles of light at the top, two at the bottom, and one along the its equator, that could withstand damage from hundreds of Wave-motion Guns.[1]
The Ark's castle tower, shrouded in its gaseous cover
The Ark was made up of a massive castle tower[4]that was much taller than the diameter of the Earth. It had 20[4] glowing red eyes located in the upper section of the tower on its front and back. Underneath the tower was a large disk-shaped urban area[4] that sat on top of the Planet Catcher,[4] a cage-like structure made up of 18 claws that formed the majority of the Ark's structure. The Planet Catcher was used to hold multiple celestial bodies inside the Ark, and by the time of the Gatlantis War, four planets were stationed inside, including planet Zemuria. These worlds were held in place by the Ark's reactor, which also served as its gravity well, directly under the castle tower.[1]
The fleet held within the White Comet
The Ark could only be controlled by a human, and for the duration of the Gatlantis Empire's history, its pilot was Prime Minister Shifual Saberah.[5][2] The Ark was capable of warp navigation[2] and had more than 10 million ships[4] within its perimeter, which it could deploy into combat.[1]
However, this was only the shape the Ark of Destruction assumed during its time as Gatlantis' Comet City Empire. Its true nature as an Archelian ark meant that it could reshape itself to fit its user's needs when fully awakened. After Great Emperor Zworder merged with the Ark at the end of the Golem Assault Battle, the Ark restructured itself into a cross shape, with the reactor at its core. In this form, the fortress became a mobile superweapon capable of firing extremely powerful planet-shattering beams.[8][6]
Locations[]
Zworder's throneroom
In the Ark of Destruction's castle tower, Zworder's throne room served as the central hub for the operations of the Great Emperor and his officials. The room was extremely tall and had a cavernous look decorated with Archelian geometric patterns. Golem, a device capable of killing Gatlanteans instantly, floated at the center of the room.[2] Zworder's throne was situated atop it, connected to a rocky balcony by a footbridge.[8] Each staff member had a dedicated station on the balcony to report from. The room boasted a large viewscreen in front of the throne, and other holographic screens could be projected from various points.[9] Beneath Golem layed the control mechanism for the Ark of Destruction, only operable by Saberah. A bridge linked the entrance to the platform where the control device was placed.[3]
The lower section of the Genesis Sphere's nursing room
The corridor leading to the throne room was lined with bulkheads and culminated in a shaft that connected to the Genesis Sphere,[10] where the Gatlanteans were created and the Gaizengan Weapons were grown.[8][1] The four Gates of Lehrte were situated in the corridor, and at the end of it, there was a large gate made of crystals which only opened during the Golem Assault Battle. Inside the Genesis Sphere, the Nurture Room was divided into two sections.[8] The lower section housed a sea-like red generation interface from which Gatlanteans were created. The upper section was devoted to growing Gaizengan Weapons inside orange crystals. Cloners operated from various platforms in the lower section, and red crystalline formations sprouted from the generating interface.
The upper section of the Genesis Sphere
The upper section was filled with floating prysm-like control stations. The Saberah Reproduction Device was situated in the upper section, an octagonal upside-down pyramid inside which copies of Saberah were made. Six pillars stood on either side of the platform, which lit up during the creation process.[1] A large irregular device was located over the Saberah Reproduction Device, from which various mechanical arms descended to create the copy inside of a triangular-shaped bed at the center of the platform. This large device was also used during the Ark's first activation.[2] A floating pyramidal platform provided movement between the two sections of the Nurture Room and the rest of the Ark. Since the shaft linking the Genesis Sphere and the throne room was not opened, to pass between the two sections the platform travelled through the vacuum outside of the Ark. Thus, it was outfitted with a outfitted with spherical protective field to keep in a breathable atmosphere.[1]
Zworder looks at a screen inside of the Meditation Room
The Meditation Room, also located inside the Ark of Destruction, was a tall room filled with a blue hue and scattered with fossil-like remains. Gairen and Zworder used this room to control the flow of information. Screens similar to those in the throne room could be projected inside the Meditation Room.[11]
History[]
Origins and discovery[]
Zworder at the end of his rebellion
The Ark of Destruction was an ancient Archelias construction on a scale similar to the Ark of the Stars Shambleau. Unlike Shambleau, the Ark of Destruction's mission was to destroy all humanoid species if they ever evolved into an evil race.[12] However, the Archelians made it so only a human could act as the arbiter of humanity and activate the device. Similarly to Shambleau, the Ark of Destruction was sealed in a pocket dimension.[2]
After the disappearance of the Archelias civilization, the Ark became the subject of myth for the Zemurian people. After his disastrous campaign against the Zemurians, Zworder, the leader of the Gatlantis race, a species created by the Zemurians to serve as their slaves, took on a mission to search for the Ark of Destruction. Zworder's philosophy was that human emotions, especially love, were merely illogical impulses and the root cause of all suffering. The solution to this was to eradicate suffering by eradicating humanity itself.[2]
The Ark activates
However, Zworder could not activate the Ark himself, as the Gatlanteans did not see themselves as humans. For this purpose, Zworder recreated a copy of his deceased lover, the Zemurian Shifual Saberah, and by limiting her memories, he forced her to take command of the mobile fortress to reap havoc across the universe. The Comet City Empire, the capital of the newly formed Gatlantis Empire, was built around the Ark of Destruction, and it embarked on an omnicidal campaign at Zworder's command. Their first victim was planet Zemuria, whose natives were wiped out and which was integrated into the Planet Catcher around 1203.[2]
Terezart and the Gatlantis War[]
The White Comet deploys a fleet during the Fall of Terezart
In the year 2202, the Ark of Destruction attacked planet Terezart, home of the goddess Teresa.[3] In December,[7] Gatlantis traced a message sent by Teresa to Earth, a planet that had allied with the Great Garmillas Empire, one of Gatlantis' enemies. As a result, Zworder selected the Earth as their next target.[13]
Yamato is pulled in by the White Comet's supergravity
In early 2203, the Ark of Destruction faced off against the Terran battleship Yamato, which was heading to Terezart to free it from Gatlantis' control. Toko Katsuragi, another copy of Saberah, was on board Yamato and her presence caused the pilot of the Ark to remember her lost memories and refuse Zworder's commands. Saberah was killed by the Great Emperor, which left the mobile capital immobile.[5]
The Ark of Destruction over the Earth's capital
Despite this setback, Gatlantis proceeded with their invasion of Earth. Another Saberah was created and in May,[7] the Ark reached the frontlines in the Solar System, destroying planet Saturn and a majority of Earth's forces. The Terrans managed to burn through the fortress' gaseous cover, but it was soon recreated and they couldn't damage the Ark itself.[1][14] Through a series of anti-warp fields, the fortress was forced to warp to planet Mars, where it was attacked by a group of next-generation Terran fleets.[15] Although the series of battles weakened the Gatlantean military, the Ark of Destruction managed to survive unscathed and on June 2,[7] it reached Earth.[16]
The damaged Ark of Destruction during the Golem Assault Battle
Gatlantis declared total supremacy over the planet, but Yamato led one last attack on the mobile capital, backed by a large Garmillan fleet. Thanks to a boosted variant of the Wave-motion Gun, the Terrans heavily damaged the Ark, destroying the Planet Catcher and all worlds within it. With the help of Katsuragi, who had control over the mobile fortress due to being a copy of Saberah, Yamato managed to pass through the Nurture Room, open the shaft to Zworder's throne room, and storm the imperial seat of power.[8][16]
Yamato rams the Ark of Destruction
However, in a surprising turn of events, Zworder accepted his own humanity the moment he saw his predecessor sacrifice himself to save him. Deeply shaken by this realization, the Great Emperor activated Golem, a device capable of killing all Gatlanteans. He was spared death due to his new self-recognition as a human, and for the same reason, he could now become the new arbiter of the Ark of Destruction. He merged with the Archelias superweapon and transformed its shape to suit his needs. The Ark began pulling its mass into the reactor, converting it into energy, which Zworder used to blast the Earth's moon, tearing it apart. He then moved the Ark towards the remnants of Saturn to absorb its core and use it to shoot directly at the Earth. He intended to travel the universe alone, raining his judgment onto humanity until he had singlehandedly wiped out all life from the universe, but his plan was stopped by the combined action of Teresa and Yamato. The goddess descended from her realm and engulfed the battleship with her light. They then rammed the Ark of Destruction, annihilating it once and for all.[8][6]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works p.1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "The Shocking White Comet Empire - The Yamato Rams Through!"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Farewell, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works p.145
- ↑ "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ "Zurvival's Fierce Assault - Find Teresa"
- ↑ "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ "Yamato in Crisis - The Devil's Alternative Once More"
- ↑ "Escape from the Nightmare!"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Warriors of Love"
Japanese language information[]
- 滅びの方舟 Horobi no Hakobune (Ark of Destruction)
- 彗星都市帝国 Suisei toshi teikoku (Comet City Empire)
- 白色彗星 Hakushoku Suisei (White Comet)