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Cloaked in flowing red robes and full body armor, their faces completely hidden by masks, the Imperial Royal Guards were Emperor Palpatine's personal bodyguards, charged with protecting him and defending the most important treasures of the Empire, including the Imperial throne room in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Afforded the best military training and mental conditioning in the Empire, the Royal Guards never hesitated to demonstrate their formidable skills at wielding their imposing force pikes, making quick work of any transgressors.
The force pike is a two-meter-long pole-arm weapon topped witha charged power tip. Weighing barely seven kilograms, it is light for its size, allowing someone with sufficient training to maniplulate the weapon with stunning swiftness. As is typical of other vibro weapons, the force pike's power cell energizes an ultrasonic vibration generator and so produces a distinctive low hum when activated. Conductive circuits that line the pole's interior carry the ultrasonic charge to the power tip, which emits thousands of microscopic vibrations per second. This rapid motion allows the blade to slice effortlessly through stone, metal, and of course flesh and bone. The blade's vibrating action means that even a grazing attack can cause serious lacerations, dismemberment, and other grievous injuries. Even with the generator deactivated, the metal blade is extremely sharp. A force pike also can be set to release a stun charge, which is delivered as soon as the power tip comes within four centimeters of the target. The painful shock charge is powerful enough to knock a full-grown Wookiee unconcious. The force pike's long pole is perfect for thrusting attacks, giving the weapon a considerably longer reach than standard vibroblades while allowing for precisely controlled stikes. This design also allows the wielder to apply his or her full physical strength to an attack. The pole's apun graphite composition strengthens the shaft while allowing it to flex and temporarily bend rather than break under extreme pressure. Besides their noted use by the Emperor's Royal Guards, force pikes are often carried by honor guards and diplomatic corps troops as "ceremonial" )but nonetheless deadly) weapons. Force pikes are also quite effective for crowd control measures, allowing police officers and military troops to disperse bystanders quickly and round up demonstrators for detention and questioning. Force pikes are useful weapons for boarding actions, since they allow attackers to slice throw bulkheads and air locks in a few seconds without having to resort to dangerously unpredictable explosive charges. |