 Name: Tantiss Base
Destroyed: c. 18 BBY (partially, decommissioned)
Type: Headquarters, Science and cloning facility
Location: Mount Tantiss, Weyland
Point(s) of interest: Hemlock's office, Central lab, Omega's Room, Tantiss vault, Tantiss Base command center, Tantiss Base communication center, Tantiss Base medical bay, Sublevel containment chamber, Tantiss Base training room
Affiliation: Galactic Empire, Advanced Science Division
Description: Tantiss Base, also identified as the Weyland facility, was a clandestine scientific complex under the Galactic Empire, built within Mount Tantiss on the planet Weyland in the galaxy's Mid Rim. Details of the facility operations were classified and its extant coordinates remained hidden.
After an incident on Setron during the early Imperial Era, Doctor Royce Hemlock and the Advanced Science Division relocated to Tantiss Base, and began development on Project Necromancer, a secret biological research project that involved M-count transfer. The Weyland facility also maintained other top secret research and programs.
In the aftermath of a raid by Clone Force 99 which resulted in Hemlock's death, a Zillo Beast containment breach, and the subsequent uprising of the facility's clone prisoners, Tantiss Base sustained heavy damage with all research inside being destroyed. Governor Wilhuff Tarkin later ordered Captain Bragg to have the facility be closed indefinitely and redistributed its funds to Project Stardust.
Overview
Layout
Tantiss Base was a classified scientific installation utilized by the Galactic Empire, located on two facilities: one on Mount Tantiss, codenamed Tantiss Base, and the other on a neighboring mountain, both in the planet Weyland. The Tantiss base consisted of two concentric rings comprised of multiple hangars dug into the mountain, with ample space for landing ships in front of them as well as windows providing natural light to the interior of the base, and was surrounded by jungle, which was home to dangerous creatures such as the dryax while a river lay a short distance away. The base was the headquarters of the Advanced Science Division and the final destination of scientists, experts and technology related to it and gathered from around the galaxy. Chief among them were lead Doctor Royce Hemlock who was in command of the facility's research division, his assistant Emerie Karr and former Republic clone commando Scorch, the commander of the Imperial royal guards stationed there. Kaminoan former chief cloning officer Nala Se was also imprisoned in the facility and provided her expertise in exchange for the genetically defective clone Omega's safety.
Access
Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine personally considered the facility and the experiments within to be one of the Empire's most important assets, and stipulated that its location remain a closely guarded secret even among the Imperials themselves. Coordinates for the planet were officially scrubbed from all transports heading there while no mention of the system was held in archives off-site instead only referring to it by the sector's name.
In order for a starship to even locate the base, it had to dock on Imperial Station 003 on the Empire's capital planet Coruscant, where it had its crew-including droids and organics-inspected and the coordinates to Weyland transmitted to the navigation computer via direct link, ensuring that the crew and even the officers in command never learned of the planet's location themselves.
Exterior fortifications
The Weyland facility was heavily guarded by the Imperial Military, who enforced its exterior which included A number of turbolaser turrets were scattered around these rings to protect against airborne threats, and several V-wing starfighters from the Imperial Navy were on standby to intercept unauthorized craft entering the atmosphere. Should any infiltrators get past the aerial defenses, Low Altitude Assault Transports were also stationed in the base to deploy search parties of TK stormtroopers in the jungle to look for them. In addition to these measures, to protect the base and its inhabitants against the planet's wildlife a perimeter was carefully maintained around the mountain by using trained lurca hounds to prevent any lifeforms from getting too close; any personnel wandering outside of it were considered to be lost.
Interior facilities
Inside the base was a network of tunnels and rooms including a detention level where Nala Se and former Prime Minister Lama Su were held under guard from clone commandos, a communication center, and a command center from where the area around the prison and its essential functions could be monitored. The facility also included spartan cells for the former clone troopers used as test subjects by the program, including Crosshair. This clone prison was arranged in a cross-shape and being guarded by two TK stormtroopers who monitored the prisoners from a central command console.
In order to carry out the purposes of the Imperial cloning program, Tantiss Base included many research rooms and laboratories. A massive underground containment zone held multiple cloned Zillo Beasts created by the cloning program and transported by science vessels such as transport 904, which were held in stasis for maximum protection. One such Zillo Beast was experimented on using weaponry similar to that of the RX-200 Falchion-class assault tank. Nala Se also maintained a lab in the facility, which she used to experiment with the viability of clone blood to support an m-count. There were also stables for native lurca hounds, which were captured by the Imperials and tended to by Omega and the labor droid K-9X1 to protect personnel stranded on the perimeter zone against the native wildlife, or be unleashed against intruders wandering there. By far the most important and well-protected room in the mountain, however, was the Vault; a secure zone holding a number of reinforced tubes where the subjects the m-counts were sourced from were being kept. The entrance to the Vault was guarded by eight Imperial royal guards and shielded by laser barriers to prevent unauthorized entrance. The vault also included living quarters for Force-sensitive children collected from around the galaxy by Class One bounty hunters and delivered to the Division for a price; they were tended to by Imperial nanny droids and had their blood collected for testing on the daily by Tantiss medical droids.
History
Hidden experiments
Soon after a incident in a laboratory on Setron, the Advanced Science Division relocated its headquarters to Tantiss Base on the planet Weyland. Following the Empire's attack on Kamino which destroyed the Kaminoan facilities, essential personnel were sent to Tantiss Base such as Nala Se.
Blood tests were performed on former clone troopers held in the base to continue the search for midi-chlorian-rich blood donors. Hemlock began capturing Force-sensitive subjects from around the galaxy were delivered to Tantiss base and kept in stasis inside the Vault to be preserved for his experiments. Other research performed at this time included development of the Zillo Beast clones, the development of exotic fuels and brainwashing clones for the clone assassin program.
Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine made a surprise visit to the secret facility to review the progress Doctor Hemlock and Se had made on Project Necromancer. Hemlock gave him a tour of the site, including the tightly guarded chamber. Hemlock stated that with more time and resources, he was confident that they would be able to successfully replicate M-counts. Considering their work of paramount importance to the Empire, the Emperor assured Hemlock that he would have whatever he required for the project.
Decommissioned
Sometime later as Imperial reinforcements reclaimed the base, they found various wings of the base had sustained heavy damage, along with Doctor Hemlock and several troopers being dead and all of his research being non-salvageable due to the databanks being destroyed. Governor Tarkin then ordered Captain Bragg to close the facility indefinitely and redistribute all funding and assets to Project Stardust.
Places of Interest
Hemlock's office
Hemlock's office was the private office for Royce Hemlock, Chief Scientist of the Advanced Science Division in Tantiss Base on the planet Weyland. The room was spartan with few decorations other than two pillars in the corners, a desk and three chairs. In 18 BBY, Hemlock was contacted by Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin in this office via hologram to inquire about his Division's funding.
Central lab
The central lab was a highly secure laboratory in the Tantiss Base utilized by Kaminoan cloning expert Nala Se to research the integration of m-count into clone trooper blood. It was staffed by multiple medical droids, RA-7 protocol droids as well as Nala Se's assistant, genetically defective clone Omega. The room was isolated from the rest of the facility by an antechamber which only allowed one person to pass at a time after being scanned. The entrance to the antechamber was further guarded by two Imperial clone commandos.
Inside the laboratory was a board which could be used for experiments by the droids and several computers on the walls. However, most of the testing was done in a large centrifuge machine, which would scan the samples collected from the clones imprisoned in the facility to create a genetic profile, then enriched them with m-count-rich blood and rotated them in a clock-like segment to merge. The machine would then scan the enriched blood and display the results of the integration in a screen. During her time in the facility, Nala Se routinely destroyed of Omega's blood samples in a unit underneath the machine; however, during Galactic Emperor Palpatine's tour of the facilities, assistant Emerie Karr was tasked with monitoring the room, and used the machine to discover that the defective clone's blood yielded positive results for the experiment. The room, and the data of Project Necromancer held within was ultimately destroyed by Nala Se using a thermal detonator during the skirmish on Weyland to prevent the Empire from continuing to use her work to hunt down Omega. Despite Edmon Rampart killing her after interrogating her on Project Necromancer's details, the detonator had already been activated and exploded, killing him as well. No data could be salvaged from the wreck, and Project Necromancer was suspended on Governor Wilhuff Tarkin's orders.
Omega's Room
Omega's Room on Mount Tantiss was where the young clone Omega lived at the Tantiss Base on the planet Weyland during her Imperial captivity.
Description
Omega's Room was located within the Galactic Empire's Tantiss Base at Mount Tantiss on the planet Weyland. Following her capture on the planet Ord Mantell, the young clone Omega was imprisoned at Mount Tantiss, with the room serving as her personal quarters. The small room had a single entrance, with a interior doorway having an elevated step. The room had a bed positioned on the far wall near the door, a sink that consistently dripped water, and a small, barred window above the side of the bed that overlooked the jungle and mountains that lay beyond the base. It was bare of possessions save for a gray lunch pail, which Omega kept under her bed, and a straw tooka she made with material taken from the lurca hound kennels, which she kept hidden, as personal effects were not allowed.
History
Omega lived in the room for around 125 days, making a mark for each day on the side of the window sill. Her straw tooka doll would be confiscated when Doctor Emerie Karr and a pair of clone commandos entered the room for an inspection. A short time later, Doctor Royce Hemlock confined Omega to her room following her releasing the lurca hound LH-201, who she had named Batcher, and threatened to hurt Omega's squad-mate Crosshair, who was also imprisoned in the base, as a means to keep Omega in line. That night, as Omega sulked in her room, Karr left the straw tooka in the room for Omega to show her sympathy. Omega would later escape the base with Crosshair, leaving her room behind. She and the rest of Clone Force 99 later returned to free the other prisoners at Tantiss Base, destroying the facility.
Tantiss vault
The Tantiss vault, Necromancer Vault, or simply the vault, was a highly secure location within the Imperial cloning program's Tantiss Base on Mount Tantiss. The vault was vital to the Galactic Empire's efforts to introduce a viable M-count into a specimen. The vault was home to specimen capsules related to Project Necromancer as well as a prison for live subjects, specifically Force-sensitive children that had been kidnapped and brought to the base.
Security
Built inside the Tantiss Base at Mount Tantiss, the Tantiss vault was a secret and highly secure area critical to the Imperial cloning program. The sector was preceded by an antechamber observed by security cameras and guarded by ten Imperial royal guards who stood guard around the corridor leading to the vault's gate, while additional troopers watched over the antechamber from an observation room on top of the entrance. Behind the gate, which could be opened via an access card, was an additional corridor with at least six laser barriers which opened one at a time to allow a single person to pass through. The only individuals allowed access to the sector behind the corridor was the Chief Scientist of the Imperial Advanced Science Division, Tantiss Base's head of security Clone Commander Scorch and the Galactic Emperor himself.
Necromancer vault
One of the rooms inside the Tantiss vault was called the Necromancer Vault; this area housed a chamber with several reinforced capsules that served as specimen tanks related to Project Necromancer. The room itself was decorated with intricate red patterns on the floor similar to Sith temple designs and was on a lowed level than the rest of the vault, requiring access through a narrow staircase.
The specimens were kept in tanks of three different sizes, including human-sized ones, and were preserved for the event that successful M-count replication was achieved. The contents of this particular vault were regarded by Palpatine to be of the greatest importance to the Empire.
Prisoner living quarters
Another area of the Tantiss Vault was used as living quarters where Force-sensitive children were held. This section consisted of a large circular room with three circular tables in the center for the prisoners to interact with various hologames or other toys, which were designed to keep their minds stimulated. The prisoners were held in four windowless cells that were arranged around the room and included a tube where the prisoner's blood samples were sent through. Above the space where the prisoners were kept there was an observation deck for various Imperial scientists and personnel to observe them. The area could be sealed in a moment's notice in the event of an escape attempt and all access cards were disabled. However, an alternative exit route existed behind the removable tiles in the children's cells, as the blood sample collection tunnels were large enough to accommodate a child-sized humanoid.
Other locations
Other locations inside the vault included a solitary confinement cell which was used as punishment for the children in the living quarters. The vault was also connected to the sublevel containment chamber where Zillo Beast clones were held.
History
In around 18 BBY, Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine paid a visit to Tantiss Base and was specifically interested in the vault. Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock then gave the Emperor a tour of the facilities.
After Nala Se helped Omega to flee Mount Tantiss, she was replaced by Emerie Karr to chief scientist of Project Necromancer. Karr was consequently given access to the Tantiss vault, where she discovered the existence of the child prisoners there.
Following Omega's capture, she was returned to Tantiss and imprisoned in the vault alongside the other prisoners.
Tantiss Base command center
The Tantiss Base command center was a location within the Galactic Empire's Tantiss Base on Mount Tantiss. It was utilized by Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock and head of the Imperial royal guard clone commando Scorch to monitor the facility and surrounding territories, up to the space above it, and was staffed by Imperial weapons technicians. It featured a holotable which could display a large hologram of the planet Weyland and friendly or hostile starships around it.
Tantiss Base communication center
The Tantiss Base communication center was a communication center within Tantiss Base of Mount Tantiss, which provided incoming transports with clearance and instructions on how to approach and land on the facility.
In around 18 BBY, Shuttle 135, approaching the facility in bad weather and low visibility, contacted the air traffic control room for assistance and was instructed by the Imperial weapons technicians on duty to keep to the flight path. The shuttle was, however, struck by lightning and went down in the jungle surrounding the base. Still connected to the control room, the trooper TK-343 asked for help as the stranded crew were attacked by a dryax, but chief scientist Royce Hemlock terminated the connection and told the technicians that anything outside the base perimeter was to be considered dead.
Tantiss Base medical bay
A medical bay was located in the Tantiss Base on Mount Tantiss, where Emerie Karr, assistant to Imperial cloning program chief Royce Hemlock, collected the blood of clone troopers imprisoned in the facility to test for successful m-count integration. It was arranged in a circular shape, with two secure antechambers in each side and guarded by Imperial clone commandos. Inside the lab were four beds where clone troopers lied for their blood to be collected by medical droids, and a central computer console where the samples were analyzed.
Sublevel containment chamber
The sublevel containment chamber was an underground containment facility in Tantiss Base on the planet Weyland. It was used to hold cloned Zillo Beasts—referred to by Royce Hemlock as "the assets"—created by the Advanced Science Division. The beasts were kept in large circular Zillo tanks filled with liquid and lit up by multiple floodlights while the area was patrolled by clone commandos and TK stormtroopers. A NNJ-40 "Thunderbolt" long-range ion cannon emplacement was mounted in an elevated position above the tank and used to sedate the beasts when they became aggressive.
Tantiss Base training room
The training room was a laboratory and training facility located in the Imperial Tantiss Base on the planet Weyland. The facility included a raised circular room used to condition, torture, and store the Clone X trooper division's clone assassins and a labyrinth-like corridor on its base leading to an elevator platform that allowed access to the room above. A number of security measures were implemented to prevent infiltrators from accessing the chamber, including ventilation conduits in the exterior of the raised room which would release a toxin created by Royce Hemlock that would cause unconsciousness if breathed and a dynamic architecture system that would change the layout of the labyrinth with additional walls and platforms to confuse attackers.
In around 18 BBY Royce Hemlock accessed the room after speaking with Clone Commander Scorch regarding the capture of genetically defective clone Omega, and observed the clone assassin held within one of the pods. Later, during the skirmish on Weyland, Hemlock placed the captured members of Clone Force 99 in the torture pods of the laboratory and began a conditioning procedure designed to turn them into clone assassins themselves. However, Omega, Echo and a number of clone troopers freed from Tantiss Base's prison infiltrated the room and began attacking the Imperials, causing Hemlock to release all the assassins of the Clone X division (Sniper CloneX3, X4 and X5 who killed most of the invading clones, while Hemlock released the toxin and suppressed the remaining ones. However, Echo was able to resist the gas by wearing a TK stormtrooper helmet and climbed to the raised lab to help Omega and the captured Force 99. Ultimately, Omega was able to release Wrecker from his binders and he in turn freed the rest of the Force, forcing Hemlock to escape the facility with Scorch and Omega.
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