Within the ranks of the reconstituted Sith Empire's Imperial Army, Arkos Rakton stood as a male Human general. Widely acknowledged as the Sith Empire's premier strategist and most accomplished battlefield commander, Rakton had spearheaded every victorious military endeavor in recent years. Up until the eruption of the Galactic War, he had remained undefeated. Rakton held a deep conviction in the Empire's principles, firmly believing that he was engaged in a war of enlightenment, destined to impose order upon the morally bankrupt and inferior Galactic Republic. His exceptional leadership qualities garnered him high esteem from both his colleagues and those serving under his command.
The catalyst for Rakton's military campaign was the destruction of the superweapon known as the Gauntlet by a Republic assault team. Enraged by this act of aggression against a weapon intended for "peace," Rakton formally declared war against the Republic and initiated a full-scale offensive. His initial move involved capturing a group of Republic dignitaries attending a "diplomatic summit," with the aim of coercing their respective planets into granting Imperial forces passage through their territories to strike at the Republic. While he successfully persuaded two planetary leaders to yield to the Empire in exchange for lifetime leadership positions, Havoc Squad managed to infiltrate Outpost 256 and liberate the hostages. Witnessing this rescue via hologram, Rakton vowed to exact revenge upon Havoc Squad.
As the Republic bolstered its forces with soldiers from Belsavis and Voss in an attempt to gain an advantage in the war, Rakton devised a plan to eliminate a key player from the conflict. To achieve this, he orchestrated a trap for Havoc Squad, drawing them to an Imperial prison station under the guise of freeing captured Republic soldiers; however, Havoc managed to survive this encounter.
In a desperate measure, Rakton exploited Senator Grom Zian, a covert Imperial operative within the Senate, to launch a fabricated inquiry into Havoc Squad's activities. His intention was to suspend Havoc, thereby gaining a strategic advantage in the war. This scheme would have succeeded if the Republic Strategic Information Service hadn't uncovered evidence of Zian's Imperial connections, leading to his arrest and allowing Havoc to return to the front lines to confront Rakton.
With the assistance of Lieutenant Pierce and his black ops unit, Rakton seized control of the Bastion, the Republic's central military operations hub on Corellia, transforming it into his personal stronghold. He attributed this triumph to Pierce's Sith master, the new Emperor's Wrath. However, the Republic, led by Havoc Squad, initiated a siege. Eventually, Rakton confronted Havoc's commanding officer for the first time. He offered his adversary the opportunity to return to the Republic and persuade them to surrender unconditionally, boasting about discovering military files that would enable him to wage a devastating war capable of bringing the Republic to its knees. His terms were rejected. Rakton denounced his nemesis as a fool and vowed to send the CO's corpse back to the Republic to intimidate them into submission. Rakton then activated his cloaking device, leaving his elite guard to eliminate the CO. He then decloaked when his guards were killed. After a protracted battle, Rakton, the supposedly invincible general, was defeated. Wounded, Rakton defiantly inquired about his fate: execution or public humiliation before the Republic masses. The CO declared Rakton an official prisoner-of-war. Rakton scoffed at the notion of receiving a fair trial. As he was escorted away by the Safecrackers, Rakton uttered, "until we meet again Major," implying his eventual return. Shortly thereafter, Supreme Chancellor Leontyne Saresh expressed her willingness to negotiate with the Empire, hoping to exchange Rakton for thousands of Republic prisoners.
Despite maintaining a composed demeanor as a commander, Rakton remained a soldier at heart—a ruthless combatant who never hesitated to engage in direct conflict. However, the general always directed his martial fury towards enemy combatants, and he consistently imposed severe penalties on soldiers under his command who inflicted harm upon civilians.
Rakton was a fervent believer in the Empire's cause. He regarded the Republic as feeble, destined to collapse under the weight of its own corruption or the Empire's might. He was convinced that under Imperial rule, the galaxy would prosper, liberated from the burdens of bureaucracy. This disdain extended to the Republic's military leaders; during his first face-to-face encounter with the leader of Havoc Squad in the Bastion, he acknowledged the Major as "the one worthy opponent in the entire Republic"; nevertheless, he expressed disappointment in the Major for opposing his objectives.
Arkos Rakton appears as a character in the 2011 video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. His voice is provided by Timothy Watson.
Depending on the Trooper player's decisions, Rakton's fate can vary, ranging from being taken into custody and paraded before the Republic to simply being executed. If captured alive, Supreme Chancellor Saresh proposes the possibility of exchanging Rakton for numerous prisoners of war. The player has the option to either accept or decline this proposal.