| “ | May I enjoy my life and practice my art. Respected by all men and in all times. | ” |
| —Motto |
The Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Inc., often known as simply Rhodes Island or R.I. for short, is the protagonist faction of Arknights.
Description
Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a registered drug R&D company working on medical solutions for countries, organizations, and individuals infected with Oripathy. To achieve their goal, Rhodes Island recruits talent from all around the world, regardless of background, experience, or condition. Furthermore, Rhodes Island is committed to providing the best medical and living conditions for its employees, attracting movers and shakers — Infected or not — to try to change the world.[1]
Overview
Based on a landship – a much smaller version of mobile cities – of the same name, Rhodes Island dedicated themselves to developing treatments, and possible cure, to Oripathy which plagued Terra since the advent of the Catastrophes. However, they also have to deal with the problems associated with it, such as social discrimination to the Infected, which is why R.I. possessed a paramilitary branch to provide security for their personnel and patients, as well as providing combat support should the need arise.
While Arknights primarily focuses on the conflict between Rhodes Island and Reunion, many Operators' archive files indicate that R.I. does in fact provide medical services, although the game does not elaborate on this too much. The R.I.'s funding likely came from the patients themselves as donors, seen by their personnel such as Melantha, Perfumer, and Mousse who came from wealthy backgrounds, as well as their business partners like the SilverAsh family. The R.I. accepts the Infected regardless of their age, combat experience, and background with open arms; those who cannot afford R.I.'s treatment can do whatever they could to benefit R.I. under the tutelage of their personnel – including making paper flowers for parties.
Every Rhodes Island personnel are required to wear an Infection Monitor bracelet, whether they are Infected or not, in order to monitor their body signals and track their Oripathy's progress.
The paramilitary branch of Rhodes Island is seen to adopt standard Terran military equipment and possessed several land vehicles and at least two helicopters, although their elite operatives such as Blaze appears to have their own, customized weaponry. R.I. also have a training ground which includes at least one shooting range.
Since an Infected will turn into crystallized dust upon death which could cause secondary Oripathy infection, Rhodes Island possesses several incineration (or more likely, cremation) chambers to safely dispose their bodies. Many of R.I. Infected personnel who are on the verge of death will eventually be taken to these chambers.
When Rhodes Island are docked, the R.I. personnel can freely travel around the local area so long as their activities don't interfere with the R.I.'s interests.
Rhodes Island possesses a branch organization known as S.W.E.E.P., founded by Kal'tsit to identify and dispose spies and traitors within R.I. to prevent similar incidents with the death of their previous leader from happening.
Background
The landship that would be christened as Rhodes Island was used to belong to RIM Billiton and acquired by Babel at some point during the Kazdel Civil War.
Over three years before Arknights take place, a group of Sarkaz mercenaries consisting of W, Hedley, and Ines were contracted by Babel to escort a RIM Billiton convoy. During the mission, Ines discovered a massive skeleton in the convoy, which was soon attacked by Kazdel soldiers loyal to Theresis. Fortunately, Theresa and Kal'tsit managed to save W and Ines, and takes them to Rhodes Island.
During her time in Rhodes Island, W found Theresa and Closure repairing an automated door as she wanders around it. The latter asks the former to give her three days to change the security systems out of frustration that she couldn't figure the door's mechanisms. Noticing W after Closure left, Theresa explains that R.I. was not built on Kazdel and its name was taken from a word she found while reading documents located deep within the landship.
Sometime later, Theresa was killed after Theresis carried out an "execution operation", but most of the surviving Babel personnel including Kal'tsit managed to escape Kazdel with Rhodes Island. In the aftermath, the Babel survivors reorganized themselves into a medical company named after the landship they were based on with a new goal – treating the Infected and finding cure to Oripathy.
During the years between their foundation and the start of Arknights story, Rhodes Island managed to save many Infected and solve various problems related to them, all while maintaining their neutrality... at least until the Reunion Movement emerges and threatens to undo what the R.I. had accomplished.
Main Story
- TBA
Side stories
- TBA
Relationships
- BlackSteel: BlackSteel is currently under a mutual partnership with Rhodes Island to treat the PMC's Infected staff in exchange of providing security service. They also aided the R.I. during the search for Misha.
- Followers: All known Followers (Nearl, Nightingale, and Shining) are currently working for Rhodes Island.
- Glasgow: Glasgow's leader, Verna aka. Siege, and her second-in-command Indra are employed by Rhodes Island.
- Karlan Commercial: Karlan Commercial from Kjerag is currently cooperating with Rhodes Island. Three members of the Silverash family: Enciodas, Encia, and Anya, as well as K.C. employees Courier and Matterhorn, lend their aid to the R.I.
- Lungmen Guard Department: The L.G.D. cooperated with Rhodes Island as part of their contract with Lungmen up until after FrostNova's death, from which R.I. terminated their contract.
- Penguin Logistics: Penguin Logistics are currently partnered with Rhodes Island, where the idol Sora is allowed to stay in the R.I. on the condition that they provide security for her and supported her career. P.L. employees also lend their aid during the search for Misha.
- Raythean: The majority of Rhodes Island equipment are known to be manufactured by Raythean.
- Rhine Lab: Three ex-Rhine Lab members: Olivia Silence, Saria, and Ifrit, works for Rhodes Island. Later R.I. and R.L. entered a partnership which brought two of the latter's staff Mayer and Magallan to the former's service.
- Ursus Student Self-Govening Group: Following the destruction of Chernobog, three of USSG members: Zima, Istina, and Gummy, joined Rhodes Island.
Notable members
Operators
Most Operators in Arknights are affiliated with Rhodes Island, including their leader Amiya.
NPCs
- Doctor (field commander, advisor)
- Kal'tsit (head of Medical Department)
- Closure (chief engineer)
- PRTS (tactical AI)
- Rosmontis (support operator)
- Ace† (field operator)
- Scout† (field operator)
- FrostNova† (posthumously)
- † Deceased/killed in action
Gallery
Trivia
- The Rhodes Island may be named after the namesake island in Greece which was occupied by the Knights Hospitallers from 1310 to 1522.
- The Knights Hospitallers likely serves as the primary inspiration for Rhodes Island. Both started out by providing medical services but later militarized themselves.
- The Rhodes Island's motto is taken from parts of the Hippocratic Oath.
- During the beta, the motto was originally Bitter things may have wholesome effects / The last stand against the originium. It was changed to the current during the open beta.
- From the Rhodes Island landship's concept art (see Gallery), it can be surmised that it is almost twice as large as a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, itself being the largest warship ever built.[2]
References
|