Van agrees to help return Rudolph to the Guylos Empire capital, Guygalos, and to teach the boy how to pilot a Zoid properly. Although Rudolph's identity is initially kept hidden from Van and his friends, Doctor D. soon reveals the truth about the Crown Prince. Rudolph is an eager, friendly person, who wishes to be able to emulate Van in piloting skill. Rudolph is quite naive and prefers reasoning over fighting, even with Raven and Prozen. He also deeply cares for the Guylos Empire and hates seeing others around him hurt. Karlton "Karl" Lichen Schubaltz - Karl is one of the Guylos Empire's greatest Zoid pilots. Karl is an honorable fighter, and wishes to see peace between the Republic and Empire as opposed to total destruction of both sides. He has a younger brother, Thomas, who doesn't appear until Guardian Force. He both loathes and distrusts Prozen, though he respects the command chain, and so he reluctantly follows orders. Initially a major, he is later promoted to the rank of colonel. Karl Schubaltz pilots the Dark Horn and the Iron Kong, as well as a custom Zaber Fang. Thomas Richard Schubaltz - Thomas is the younger brother of Karl Schubaltz, and pilot of the Dibison. He excels at technical tasks, and is the creator of the BEEK AI unit, which can be installed into a Zoid, and communicates through a series of beeps. When he first meets Fiona, he develops a huge crush on her. This serves as somewhat of a gag, as Thomas is shown to compete with Van for Fiona's feelings (though neither Fiona nor Van pay heed to this). Robert "Rob" Herman - Robert is the commander-in-chief of the Red River Unit at the Red River base bordering Imperial territory. He is also the son of both the Republic's former and current Presidents, but he is a confident soldier who does not appear to rely on the influence of his family in order to benefit himself. Instead, he prefers to perform his duties and to earn his rank in the army on his own. In fact, in one of the episodes, it is hinted that he is so detached from his familial ties that he has not called his mother, the current President of the Republic, "Mom" in several years, instead addressing her by her proper title as any other soldier would. The Zoids he has been