Tardis

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Tardis
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Tardis

A Primus unit or Primus was a rank of Cyberman that commanded a military unit in a Cyber legion called a cohort, known formerly as a Cyber squadron. (PROSE: Ghost in the Machine [+]Dave Rudden, Twelve Angels Weeping (2018).; GAME: The Eternity Clock [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) Primus units were the lowest rank of officer in the New Cyber Empire.

The Cybermen developed Primus units to deal with sudden shifts in battle, such as enemy reinforcements, unprecedented technology, or catastrophic failure in the chain of command. Primus units innovate and react instead of waiting for orders from above, replicating an "organic sense of speed." While Cybertroopers require direction, Primus units do not. Due to their importance as commanders, Primus units had priority over Troopers when in need of repair.

Primus units were advanced and used a Primus operating system, which gave them higher function, independence, and authority. They also had a privileged connection to the Cyberiad so that they could direct their cohort to benefit the legion. The Cyberiad had many directories that are inaccessible or not visible to Primus units. Primus units were installed with an understanding of morale to exploit man's reliance on morale. Unlike humans, Primus units cannot experience frustration.

A Primus unit named 9.9P commanded the Ninth Cohort (consisting of nine other Cybermen) of the Ninth Division of the Ninth Cyber Legion. It was part of an invasion force in which the Ninth Legion invaded the planet Hȳf and then cooperated with the Eleventh Legion to invade Agrippina. The Cyber-Controller granted Primus units access to the progress of every other Primus unit on Hȳf.

The Controller demoted 9.9P to the rank of Trooper because 9.9P did not operate efficiently as a Primus unit. However, 9.9P continued serving the Ninth Cohort of the Ninth Division of the Ninth Legion but lost the ability to understand certain uploads to the Cyberiad that it used to understand, such as "Cadmus Engine."

A Cyberman part of the Early CyberFaction was called a lead Cyberman. It led about twenty-four Cybertroopers to capture humans for Cyber-conversion from a seabase on an alien world. (AUDIO: Scourge of the Cybermen [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW.) Several possible Primus units from a Parallel Earth and the New Cyber Empire commanded small groups of Troopers. The Tenth Doctor surrendered to one (TV: Doomsday [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).); the Eleventh Doctor encountered one in charge of a dormant Cybership (TV: Closing Time [+]Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who series 6 (BBC One, 2011).); Kate Stewart encountered one commanding about twenty Troopers (TV: Death in Heaven [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 8 (BBC One, 2014).); and one led an execution unit after Bel. (TV: Once, Upon Time [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 13 (BBC One, 2021).)

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