Shadow Planet Killer
From The Great Machine
A Death Cloud (or Shadow Planet Killer) is a Shadow vessel the size of a planet which uses thousands of 1000-megaton thermonuclear missiles to penetrate deep into the planetary core, where they explode destroying the planet from the inside out, extinguishing all life forms in 10-12 hours. The vessel's superstructure is made up of thousands of jointed segments, all invisible using conventional scanners - the Victory-class destroyers were the first ships capable of detecting it (Into the Fire, A Call to Arms).
A Death Cloud attack produces a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere in proportions dangerous for human life forms. A high degree of carbon ash and particulate matter is thrown up into the upper atmosphere by surface eruptions. The planet's tectonic plates are massively disrupted while the core temperature is reduced far below normal levels. The surface is almost completely erased by blast craters.
The Shadows used Death Clouds several times towards the end of final Shadow War in 2261. One was used to destroy a planet containing a colony supporting the Vorlons near Sector 900 (The Long Night), and to target warships in space (Into the Fire). One of the planets destroyed at this time was called Zander Prime (A Call to Arms).
After the Shadows had departed, the Drakh used their last Death Cloud in 2267. This ship was used to destroy Daltron 7 and then to attack Earth. The Death Cloud itself was destroyed when Captain Leonard Anderson used the ISA Victory to suicidally ram its control centre (A Call to Arms).
[edit] Quotations
During the last days of the war the Shadows revealed their biggest weapon: A death cloud capable of engulfing whole worlds. Thermonuclear missiles from the death cloud penetrated deep into the planetary core, where they exploded destroying the planet from the inside out.
Anderson: Look, I wasn't in the Shadow Wars you were, so I didn't see these death clouds, but are you sure this is caused by a Shadow planet killer?
Sheridan: I'm positive. Nothing leaves a pattern of craters like we saw from above. I've never seen anything like it before or since... You haven't seen what a death cloud can do. I have. It'll wipe out all life on Earth unless we stop it.
The death cloud was the only one the Drakh had left. But it wasn't the last weapon in their arsenal.
[edit] Notes
- The name "Death Cloud" and "Planet Killer" are used interchangeably on screen.
