Invid (Robotech)

The Invid are an alien race that features in Robotech.

History

The Invid were an extraterrestrial alien race that inhabited the cosmos that were intrinsically tied to the Flowers of Life. Long ago, they encountered the threat of the Children of the Shadow who were threatened by the use of Protoculture leading to them devastating the Invid's homeworld. Years ago, their kind encountered the scientist Zor who learnt the secrets of Protoculture. From it, he managed to create Robotechnology that was used by his people to forge themselves as the Robotech Masters. However, the Invid grew angered at the Robotech Masters stealing the Flower of Life that they used to create Protoculture and waged war against them in order to reclaim it. This led to a series of wars between the Invid and the Robotech Masters for control over Protoculture.

To find the Protoculture Matrix, the Invid created a Sensor Nebula that scoured the universe for signs of Protoculture. It eventually approached the Sol system during the Second Robotech War that was being fought between the Robotech Masters and the United Earth Government. At the height of the war, Zor Prime attempted to bury the Protoculture Matrix to prevent the Invid from detecting it on Earth. However, he inadvertently spread the spores of the Flower of Life that took root around the world. Thus, the Robotech Masters were defeated with the Army of the Southern Cross (ASC) achieving a pyrrhic victory over the alien invaders. After sensing the Flower of Life, the Regess took her Invid to Earth where they easily conquered the planet. Numerous Hives were created to enforce the Invid rule with a cluster of such structures forming Reflex Point that was the home of the Regess. Other cities on Earth were devastated and largely depopulated, with the entire population of Earth subdued and most people put to the task of harvesting the Flowers that now cover their planet's surface.

During her time on Earth, the Regis continues to pursue her work of finding the ideal form for her children, manipulating their genetic makeup through so-called "Genesis Pits." Doing so requires protoculture, and in an ironic twist, the Invid prove as dependent on the energy generated by what was once their simple nourishment as the Robotech Masters they so depised. In the intervening years, several assaults are made against Earth by various human forces, including a lunar expedition coordinated with organized resistance groups and a larger assault made by the REF Mars division. All such attacks fail; the Mars Division fleet is defeated even before it can penetrate Earth's atmosphere. All along, the Regis toils, developing several new types of Invid mecha as she closes in on the solution to her puzzle. Finally, surprisingly, she is forced to accept what she might least have wanted: that the humanoid form native to Earth, the very shape of the Robotech Masters themselves, is the form most suited to life on Earth.

Transmuting several of her children to this new form, the Regis decides that all Invid shall be transmuted in this manner. Shortly before her preparations are complete, however, Reflex Point is attacked by the vanguard of the returning Expeditionary Force, the hive cluster coming under direct attack by fighters and troops as several attack groups de-fold in the vicinity of the moon and proceed to engage the Invid in space. Hundreds of ships and thousands of mecha participate in this maximal effort; nonetheless, it becomes rapidly clear under mounting losses that the REF will indeed be defeated by the surprising strength of the Invid in as little as a few hours' time. While the battle on Earth rages, a reluctant commander carries out instructions to obliterate the planet to prevent the domination of the Invid, launching at Earth the Neutron-S missiles intended for that purpose.

This led to the Battle of Reflex Point that was the culmination of the Third Robotech War when the Robotech Expeditionary Force returned in order to stage an assault to liberate the planet from the Invid. As the fleet struck, ground resistance forces moved to launch a ground based offensive on the planetary surface as part of a two-pronged attack. Though inflicting large casualties on the Invid, the alien invaders managed to similarly bring about heavy losses on the humans. Under the orders of Admiral Hunter, the Expeditionary Forces launched the Neutron-S Missiles intending to destroy Reflex Point despite the damage it could cause. But the Regis recognizes as representing the dark tides of shadow that have engulfed them before, and sees that the Earth itself and the form of humanity are inseparable from the malignant spirit of the Robotech Masters, that her intended path can lead only to a conflict raging from generation to generation. Endless death is not what the Invid seek, and so she abandons her plans, recalling all of her Invid from across the surface and from orbit, where they merge into her power and are transmuted to energy, abandoning the Earth on a distant voyage into the unknown. The Invid ruler the Regess was convinced by her daughter Ariel to end hostilities. This was partly because the Regess recognised the Neutron-S Missiles as being weapons of the Children of the Shadow. As such, she decided to take all her children and depart elsewhere in order to continue their evolutionary development away from others. In the process, she destroyed the Neutron-S Missiles and consumed all remaining Protoculture on the planet. Only a few Invid chose to remain behind that included Sera and Ariel. In the aftermath, Earth suffered from a dwindling Protoculture shortage making it necessary to seek out the Protoculture Matrix on-board the SDF-3. During this time, Ariel assisted the humans during the conflict with the Haydonites that had masqueraded as allies of mankind but in reality sought the elimination of all races that utilized Protoculture.

Overview

In appearance, the Invid were a protoplasmic alien race who consumed the Flower of Life that was their primary source of food. They were capable of evolving through the power of their queen-mother allowing them to develop into more sophisticated forms such as humanoids allowing them to appear human. Such a process was typically done when the Invid settled on an inhabited world and sought the perfect form to emulate in order to increase their chances of survival.

After their time on Earth, they experienced a period of controlled evolution to better adapt themselves to the planet by adopting its dominant species form. Through transmutation, a number of Invid were transformed to hold human form and even have human emotions. Certain members of these evolved Invid that were of royalty gained abilities far above their kin and closer to that of their mother the Regess. Such Invid were able to perform instant molecular transportation allowing them to teleport over distances.

Technology

On worlds settled by them, the Invid created hives that served as regional bases where they exerted control over a set area. This reflected the hive-like hierarchy and central command structure of their society which centred around their queen. Large networks of hives were gathered in central locations that were used to maintain their domination on a planetary scale.

As a sophisticated civilization, the Invid had developed advanced interstellar science derived from Robotechnology allowing them to rival that of the Robotech Masters. As such, they had advanced energy weapons, shields, interstellar flight and were able to produce mecha. Among standard mecha designs, the pilots tended to reside in a bath of nutrient fluid similar to that of Invid blood. Thus, a direct shot at the compartment cockpit caused both the fluid and the pilots blood to spilt out.

They had a range of mecha in their arsenal that included the:

• Invid Soldier : the smallest of the combat mechas used by the Invid with these towering over most humans and were used as an infantry unit. The living Invid was encased within an armour allowing them to fill in both combat and non-combat roles for the hive. Typically, these footsoldiers were used in policing, control and urban enforcement duties. Soldiers were armed with two forearm lasers cannons that they could use against enemy troops or vehicles.
• Invid Trooper : a manned ground mecha that was standard in their forces that were unarmed except for its claws and typically used in pacification missions in Invid territory.
• Invid Shocktrooper : an armed version of the standard trooper mecha with these possessing two plasma cannons.
• Invid Scout :
• Invid Fighter Scout :
• Invid Commander : a humanoid-shaped battloid that was manned by a single transmutated humanoid Invid who operated in a command role due to their ability to operate independently from central control of the hive. The Commander mecha was surprisingly nimble and had two powerful engines mounted on pods in the back. In terms of armaments, it had a large dual-mode cannon on the right arm able to switch between energy beams to plasma discs and had a smaller cannon located on the head. In addition, the Invid Commander was armed with a dual missile battery by the engine pods. The mecha was also equipped with Protoculture sensors alongside its optical and electro-magnetic sensors. To protect itself, the armored battloid used a shield to absorb the impact of medium missile salvos or beam cannons. A weakness in the machine was that the pilot sat behind a transparent hull late that was less well armored than the rest of the mecha.
• Invid Overlord :

An specialist area they had developed was the capacity to sense Protoculture with all their Mecha able to see its emanations. As such, it afforded them a key advantage in tracking their enemies that utilised Protoculture as a power source.

A typical vessel seen in their fleets was the Invid Carrier that were clam-shaped troop carriers that had engines and anti-gravity units. These ships were designed to carry 450 booster-fitted Scout mecha and launch them directly at the enemy with the Invid deploying them in large numbers to swarm their foes.

One of their creations were sensor nebulas that were roaming clouds that moved through space that scanned the universe for Protoculture. These served as one of the methods that heralded the arrival of the Invid.

Members

• Regess :
• Ariel :
• Corg :
• Sera :

Notes

• The Invid were adapted from the Inbit in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA.
• In Robotech II: The Sentinels, the unproduced series would have bridged the gap between the Masters Saga and the New Generation Saga. It would have seen Admiral Rick Hunter's Robotech Expeditionary Forces battle the Invid forces of the Regent who had conquered the domain of the Robotech Masters.

In other media

Video games

• In Robotech: Invasion, the Invid served as the primary antagonists in the game set during the Third Robotech War. The playable protagonist was initially a human named Locke that was involved in an attack on Reflex Point. Locke was killed with an Invid evolved into a human form that resembled him. The human Invid 'Locke' suffered a loss of memories and believed himself to be human where he joined the resistance forces against the alien invaders.

Appearances

• Robotech: The Next Generation:

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