Introducing the Ouroboros: hyper-religious and martially-oriented worm colony-minds.
Faction Name: Ouroboros, The Congregation of Lords and the Church of Ouroboros
Faction Type: Pseudo-feudalistic confederation
Species: Ophisia, gestalt colony-minds comprised of worm-like/eel-like organisms. These organisms group together in large writhing colonies, with each part of the whole acting both as muscle and brain for the greater whole. They are unintelligent individually, but form unique sapient personalities as a group. Worms live, breed, and die without greatly affecting the health of the colony-mind. As such, newly born worms in time replace their elders and are slowly incorporated into the colony. Given time, a colony can recover from the brink of death, though their mental state deteriorates each time the colony suffers one of these "little deaths."
Scale & Territory: The Ouroboros holds control over a handful of star systems, though these are not totally unified and there are often civil wars and petty landgrabs between the Lords. Each system is in varying degrees of development, but almost all carry some scars of nuclear war on their worlds.
HEX CLAIM: 0711, 0712, 0811, 0812, 0911
Culture: The people of the Ouroboros are religiously driven, guided by the will of a dead god whose voice lives in the priests of the Church. For most, following God's will simply means living an honest life, honing a skill to perfection. The commoners aspire to embody some of God's spirit in this way. For the Lords of the Congregation, the means of worship change. Each Lord has at least one priest assigned to serve as their religious advisor, and often the Lords interpret their advisor's interpretation of God's will quite liberally. These interpretations are used to wage wars, guide battles, and make demands. The Lords glorify war and martial prowess, and many commoners are keen to join their levies and die in the name of God. The Church itself is secretive, and few know what they truly think of the cycles of destruction the Lords put their realms through.
History: Ouroboros history is filled with war. Those few records that survive each cycle of destruction show that this has been the case for at least ten thousand years. Despite the age of the Congregation and the Church, neither makes much technological progress between cycles, as every new engineered material calls for more powerful weapons, and these weapons drive the civilization as a whole back to the middle ages. Little is known by the Congregation as to what has happened in the last ten thousand years, and the Church knows only a little more than the Lords themselves.
In more recent history, the Heretic-Lord Ua-Menlir led a crusade against his brother-lords, and was nearly successful in conquering them totally. His crusade was brought to an end successfully, and while some worlds are still warm from the nuclear fires unleashed upon them, the Congregation has managed to avoid bringing about the end of their present cycle. Tensions are high, and all eyes begin to look outside Ouroboros space.
Technology: Ouroboros technology could best be described as being in the nuclear space age. Their ships are driven on immense fission torches, their shipboard armaments are powered by barely contained nuclear fires, and their warheads almost always contain nuclear material, even if they aren't intended as nuclear weapons. The Ouroboros have not unlocked the power of nuclear fusion. Their materials science is somewhat more advanced than the rest of their technology, but their advances stopped short of anything more useful than tungsten alloy armor-plating for ships and personnel. All in all, Ouroboros technology is designed with resilience and endurance in mind, not efficiency or precision.
FTL METHOD: Faerie Rings - The Church of the Ouroboros has constructed a series of interlinked wormholes within Ouroboros space, known as faerie rings. Travel between rings is instantaneous, however, each ring only has a single counterpart to which it connects. Faerie rings require a group of trained members of the Church caste to activate initially, and the resulting wormhole is only active long enough for a transport vessel to ferry the other faerie ring across the threshold, whereupon it can be activated and linked with the first of the faerie rings. This method of construction can take decades to finish, and occasionally the temporary wormhole collapses prematurely. Prior to the discovery of manufacturing these temporary wormholes, paired faerie rings had to be ferried across the void between stars at sub-light speeds. This practice is still employed when time permits.
Military Forces: [FIGURES PENDING] The Lords of the Ouroboros each maintain a personal retinue of spacecraft and personnel, varying in size and strength. They can also call upon levies in times of war, with those Lords that have more developed worlds tending to have stronger and more numerous levies.
Faction Type: Oligarchy of Noble Houses presided over by a Lord/Lady Minister who is elected every eight years from among the 20+ noble houses of Edyr
Species: Humans dominate the demographic makeup of the Sovereignty. However, so-called “xenomorphic” species are seen as subhuman and are a common source of free labor in the Sovereignty.
Scale & Territory: The Ederian Sovereignty for the most part is confined to its home system of Aeunir and a few small surrounding systems. Their home system contains the star Aeunir (Ey-oo-near) as well as their home planet of Edyr. Within the system are two other planets. Kiro and Montek, the former being a largely oceanic world that is habitable and the latter is an inhospitable waste of a planet, but is mineral rich and so in recent decades has been the focus of the Sovereignty's mining efforts. The surrounding colonial systems are designated as either defensive and economic development zones.
(Hexes 1104, 1203, 1204)
Culture: The Ederian Sovereignty is one steeped in traditions that go back thousands of years to the first lords and ladies who called Edyr home. The society is a refined one, with individuals striving to make something of themselves and leave on a legacy for their children. Success is not measured on collective achievement, but rather on the level of respect one earns for one’s name and family. The gentry and nobility have long controlled the lower classes through means of providing them with all that is necessary to survive and in more recent centuries some lords and ladies even provide luxury items to their citizenry.
The Ederian economy also relies heavily on slave labour. Since no Ederian would be caught doing menial tasks, such jobs are reserved for the slaves, most of whom are not Ederian or even human.
History: A few thousand years ago, the Lord and Ladies of Edyr came together in what was called The First Assembly and wrote a treaty called “The Articles of Unification”. The Articles outlined a system in which all the Lords and Ladies of Edyr would unite under a single banner of Sovereignty and elect from among them a Lord or Lady Minister who would serve as the chief executor of the will of the Sovereignty for a period lasting either until someone else is elected in an election that occurs once every 8 years or until the time of his or her death.
Since that time the Ederian Sovereignty has celebrated, for the most part, their unity. It has allowed them to establish themselves as a interstellar power, and also has allowed them to expand their borders and subjugate other xenomorphic species who they saw as weak and "conquerable".
Yet, in the past century progress has stalled. The population of the Sovereignty has grown lazy, and with robotic and xeno slaves doing the most of the menial labour, there has been a shrinking of the true Ederian population. Surely if this continue it could spell the end for the Sovereignty as a whole.
Technology: Ederian technology is not so advanced as to give them any advanced weaponry or defensive capabilities. In these they are standard. The Ederians do have advanced biological sciences, used primarily for the purpose of keeping nobility alive longer than they reasonably should. This technology has allowed the Ederians to be able to heal wounds quicker and make individuals more virile and energetic.
In way of FTL travel, Ederians use warp core technology, though it is basic in its current form and traveling a couple lightyears is likely to still take up to a few days or even over a week to do.
Military Forces: The military forces of the Ederian Sovereignty are made up of Ederian and robot soldiers. Officers in the Ederian Army and Navy are typically gentry or nobility that purchases such commissions. Enlisted soldiers are typically lower-class Ederians who are either motivated for a love of the Sovereignty or by a desire to raise their station in life. The robotic soldiers of the Sovereignty fill a gap in their armed forces that is left by a population too caught up in their own lives to be willing to serve. As time has gone on, more and more A.I soldiers have been required in order for the military to function fully.
Faction Name: Terran Remnants or the Praetorian Admirality
Faction Type: Military Republic/Junta
Species: Humans
Scale & Territory: The Terran Remnants once owned around eight seperate star systems, but have since been splintered by civil war, and even the original governing body of the Remnants has since been subsumed by a new ruling party. Still, owing to their control of Terra Nova, the planetary capital, the new Praetorian Admirality sets themselves up as the succesors of the Terran Remnants, even going so far as to use their name.
Culture: The Terran Remnants see themselves as the successors to humanity's legacy, even though their knowledge of the old humans are spotty at best, and they seek to reclaim the stars and find the cradle of mankind once more.The Terran Remnants are a fairly open and accepting people, and unify themselves along the common goal of seeing humanity spread among the stars once more, however their once openly optimistic and perhaps naive worldviews have since been tempered by the civil wars of recent history.
The Praetorian Admirality is the successor of the old civilian government of the Terran Remnants, the military having stepped in to fill the gap and to restore stability as well as unite the Terran Remnants disparate factions. Run by a board of the Terran Remnants highest admirals and generals, the Admirality's military now doubles as a police force, though they have remained largely fair in their dealings with the civilian populace, abiding by the articles and constitutions that they swore to protect when they first entered service. It seems highly unlikely that the Admirality will let go of power, even now that the turmoil of civil war has begun to subside, though the common opinion of the idea is a vaguely disconcerted acceptance, as the Admirality has done a well enough job of preventing a bad situation from getting worse.
History: The Terran Remnants will often subsume the entirety of human history as a part of their own, but in truth, they do not know exactly how long it has been since their awakening and humanity's fall. The very first Terran Remnants were clones, created by an ancient station in orbit above a planet with near perfect conditions for human life. Basilica Station, as it was known, was hypothesized to be built for a situation of last resort, where humanity had fallen or was doomed. Of course, it is not known for certain exactly what the conditions were for Basilica Station to be activated, all that is really known is that it was, and upon receiving whatever signal to trigger it, Basilica Station fell from orbit in a slow and controlled descent. Upon landing, ancient cloning banks within churned out new human life, implanted within them was the knowledge and memories of an great and possibly ancient human empire that spanned the stars, supplemented by information held in data banks onboard the station.
Basilica Station, however, was old, ancient even, built perhaps hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago, and time had weathered it. Its simple AI functions could only last for so long, made to help govern and organize the new humans until they could stand on their own, and its data banks had been corrupted, leaving behind spotty and only partial information.
The new humans were forced to guide themselves as Basilica Station failed, and built their own government based upon the various governments of old Earth, and dubbing themselves the Terran Remnants. Armed with the technologies given to them through Basilica Station, the Terran Remnants exploded outwards in a massive wave of expansion, liberally using cloning technologies to buff out their population levels.
The Terran Remnants were naive, however. Seeing themselves as more learned and capable than their predecessors, they left themselves open to the many follies that they learned about of humanity's past. Poorly designed government and laws, as well as the explosive growth of the Terran Remnants, left it rife with internal corruption and pitfalls, and soon it was a mire of redtape, paperwork, and bureaucratic incompetence. The system could not hold, and eventually it all fell apart, with various systems splintering off and declaring their own independence and various riots and rebellions springing up in the streets. It was only when the military stepped in that order was restored, and the Praetorian Admirality has been in control ever since, and are now mopping up the last of the resistance efforts.
Technology: The technology of the Terran Remnants is... Perhaps anachronistic. Much of their technology comes from the ancient banks of Basilica Station, and even with much of its information corrupted, it still provided a rather decent base for the burgeoning Terran Remnants. They have access to a number of technologies of which they have the means and capabilities of reproducing, without true understanding of all of the principles behind their design, such as their capacity for artificial gravity onboard their ships with minimal additional systems, or fusion and anti-matter generators and even cloning. Other, even more bare bones fields of research, have required dedicated effort to bring them to even the standards of the 21st century.
For FTL, the Terran Remnants use what is dubbed a 'ripper drive', capable of forming semi-permanent holes in space-time that slowly 'heal' over time. These ripper drives consume a vast amount of power and emit massive amounts of radiation that require a great deal of effort to be put into shielding these specific portions of a ship, but their benefit lies in their ability to create what are essentially roads between stars, allowing for regular vessels without any form of FTL to travel between these 'rip lanes'. A bureau of government exists solely to care for and maintain these civilian FTL lanes, known as the Department of Interstellar Maintenance.
Military versions of the ripper drive exist, but are more crude if anything. Designed to create less stable rip lanes, these much more temporary holes through space-time would be extremely dangerous for most vessels to travel through if it wasn't for the truly immense amount of power that the military ripper drives consumed in order to keep them from collapsing on themselves, and even then travel over great distances is better done through civilian lanes as rapid and consecutive use of military ripper drives can lead to catastrophic containment failures. Much more useful for the hit-and-run tactics favored by the military of the Terran Remnants, even these military ripper drives still leave blatant signs of where the rip lane originates and terminates. It is possible to run using a ripper drive, but almost impossible to hide. Most Terran Remnant fleets will travel with both military and civilian ripper drives, though the creation of a new civilian rip lane is only done with either express permission or in absolute necessity.
Military Forces: The space forces of the Terran Remnant are carrier based, with fleets of escorts surrounding a single mothership. In terms of combat, the Terran Remnant fleets prefer hit-and-run tactics, tearing open temporary rip lanes between themselves and the enemy fleet and sending through escort ships and waves of drones and piloted fighters to harass and destroy the enemy before quickly fleeing back through the rip lane before it shuts. Terran Remnant drones operate in 'swarms', directed by a single manned fighter. Each drone has basic AI functions built into it, but most directions are handled by the manned fighter, which usually devolves into setting a operational 'stance' for the drones or prioritizing specific targets. These orders go into much greater depth if the pilot is given time to specifically organize or even program these orders, and many Terran Remnant fighter pilots pride themselves at being skilled programmers as well. While older Terran Remnant fighters are single-seaters due to space required for computing power as well as life support, more advanced fighters are designed as two-seaters, with one man taking on the role as primary pilot and the second being the 'swarmlord' and commanding the drones.
In terms of ground combat, the Terran Remnants still primarily use ballistic weapons, and full body armor that is generally sealed against vacuum and integrated with a number of tactical networks when available for their infantry. Similarly to their space forces, they emphasize maneuver warfare, and their special forces embody this especially. 'Jumpjets' are often issued out to special forces infantry, which allow for greatly increased lateral mobility, which comes as a great boon in urban combat scenarios, and a great deal of focus is put into learning how to control's one movement and momentum, meaning a well trained operative can become like a blur on a battlefield.
Empire/Necrocracy/Theocracy Hybrid (its weird okay?) There is an emperor-like figure called the Magnus who welds absolute, they can be of any gender but are chosen based on the purity of their bloodline to their ancient progenitors, the Aztrovans (details in their history). This means that there is a royal family who do interbreed but with the advent of genetic manipulation, their offspring have none of the negative effects of repetitive inbreeding would otherwise cause.
Many laws and even cultural practices can be traced right back to the Aztrovans, with some modifications that obviously come with thousands of years of time and several different species. Their current ruler is Magnus Vaeto IV.
Ivrah are the main race of the Aztrovan Lineage (although are often mislabelled as Aztrovans which they find mild offense to); they are a humanoid race, standing slightly shorter than that of a human on average with a similar sexual dimorphism. Their hands only have four fingers including opposable thumbs with an equal amount of toes on their feet which are most noticeably bent backwards in the lower leg to a significant degree.
Their overall body structure can be compared to humans although they are more agile thanks to their legs and secondary heart as well as boasting a higher mental capacity. Their faces are perhaps the most alien part about them aside from their bent back legs Purple tends to be the base color of Ivrah, their flesh being varying shades of it going from a rich amethyst to a beautiful gradient of violet to a almost-peachy light pale lavender.
The Ivrah homeworld of Arceus
The Ivrah command a section of space, partially inherited from the Mon'hali. Their homeworld was once a Mon'hali outpost that was eventually turned into a research complex prior to being throughly Reclaimed. It is a mountainous world that has seen some terraforming namely in temperature and soil transformation to make it more livable than it was naturally. There's an interesting mix of heavily built up, multi-layer cities above ground, huge complete built into mountains and cliffs and flat land "villages" (more akin to a human city than village).
The Ivrahan "homeworlds" are known to have a large number of satellites or space elevators surrounding them; numerous space ports and outposts exist on astroids and moons with a good deal of their area having some form of occupation. The race is currently not interested in any aggressive expansion efforts, preferring to build tall over wide.
One of countless beautiful Ivrah facilities on their homeworld of Arceus
The Ivrah are a very devout race, not to a religion as some would think at first sight, but to a belief: the Aztrovan Creed. Being a part of a long line of created and creators, they seek to create new life and ascend themselves to a world beyond. Unsurprisingly, many outsiders don't understand this line of thinking but the Ivrah stand firm in their beliefs. They see the Aztrovans as literal gods but are happy with the knowledge that the Aztrovans once walked as mortals as they did and look to their teachings; to call an Ivrah an Aztrovan however is seen as offensive as the Ivrah see the Aztrovans as too great of beings to be compared to them. Comparatively to other religions, the Aztrovan Creed is based more in logic than it is in blind belief, although there are still some bits which require faith; the Ivrah see no need to spread their religion, only to defend it, as it is a "destiny" which is basically made only for them.
This idea of creating new life doesn't just translate into them eventually creating their own species form scratch, but also copulation. The common stereotype of an Ivrah is a strange mix of being intelligent if not eccentric, humble and promiscuous, which in all honestly isn't too bad a description of them; more than a few of the species enjoy seeing how awkwardly other races and people react to their "openness" even in clothing as a form of amusement.
Despite being born to a very martial race, they are a race of scientist and builders, seen in their endless pursuit of knowledge and grand buildings whose scale and design can only be described as epic. The Ivrah aren't built to fight wars and will often flat out refuse to for any reason beyond keeping order and defending, seeing war and battle as a hinderance to their progress towards Ascension. WIth this naturally peaceful nature of the Ivrahs means that they have seen very little unrest in their history, it has left their military strength a bit wanting.
The language of the Ivrah is Aztrovan meaning in theory they can easily communicate with other lineages if they were to happen across them, barring dialects and accents. (As a real example, think of Aztrovan as English and the various lineage's dialect of it being like heavy New York/Southern/English accents.)
A Mon'hali warrior, progenitors of the Ivrah, in one of their endless wars
The history of the Ivrah and why their empire is called the Third Aztrovan Lineage goes back hundreds of thousands of years to a race of people known as the Aztrovans with origins from the other side of the galaxy. The Aztrovans lay claim to being one of the first great space empires and such was their mastery over life and science that they had created their own subject races from their own tissue and blood who had served their every whim. Then came the Ascension, where the Aztrovan people had ascended to essential godhood through technologies so advanced, they might as well be magic. But unwilling to let their empire rot, they portioned out their empire to their subject races.
Ever since then, the subject races have been creating their own subject races once their technology was advanced enough before Ascending as well. It has become a religion, where created races are told of their proud bloodline and that they too must continue the cycle with the purpose of life to Ascend to another plain with their creators and their creators before them, all the way up to the original Aztrovans but they must be able to do so on their own. To this end, a Reclamation takes place right before the Ascension with the planet/s being purged of any advanced technology which would give the newborn race an "unfair origins" before the created race comes in for resettling or are simply moved to another world. A select few of the creator race do not ascended with their kin and instead stay with the created race to act as "Prophets" to guide and educate the comparatively primitive race before dying natural deaths.
To this end, Ivrah are the creation of the Mon'hali, large and warlike people who boast of martial prowess and pride but that was because the galaxy they knew was far more hostile at their birth and they had to fight their way to ascension every step of the way. But as the Ivrah do not face the same challenges, but entirely new ones of being in a new area of the galaxy with even less technologies than the Mon'hali. The Mon'hali saw this and wished that their "children" be given as many benefits as they could with what they knew in accordance to the ancient Aztrovan Code and made them into thinkers and creators, not warriors and destroyers.
In the current time, the last of the Mon'hali prophets have finally breathed their last meaning that the Ivrah are now fully independent in their quest for Ascension. They are the Third Aztrovan Lineage as their distant ancestors were the third species created by the Great Creators. Lead by their Magnus, Vaeto IV, they seek to go out into the void to explore and research all that is out there, the blood of seemingly millions of generations behind them in their most glorious quest.
Void Anchor DS9 "Endymion" in orbit above an Ivrah core world
Despite being apart of the Aztrovan bloodline, the Ivrah are actually quite behind in comparison to previous created species as their own creators, the Mon'hali, devoted so much time and effort to war that they didn't actually manage to gift their children with much, even in the arts of war ironically enough.
As such, the Ivrah have basically had to research everything on their own with the help of the Mon'hali Prophets meaning that they are on a more even playing field compared to everyone else. Their focus is on engineering and physics and of course, biology so one day they may foster their own race. To this end, they don't actually have much proper military equipment or technology, all of it being an adaption of a civilian tech or tool to just straight up using civilian equipment for war.
Their method of FTL travel is through the use of "Void Anchors", wormhole stations or gates that can open a rift in space on command to specific area in space and sustain it indefinitely if needed effectively creating tunnels. This is an incredibly quick method of FTL, allowing for travel that would otherwise take weeks to be preformed in day, but is limited in that its completely reliant upon the use of these stations to go anywhere quickly and thus restricted to the realm of the Ivrah. These gates are also used as navigational/compass point to help navigate in the void.
While there are more portable slipspace drives and FTL engines designed and produced, they are generally privately bought and are used only in emergencies where access to a Void Anchor is some how impossible. These are cruder and are quite unpredictable, varying in time and even exit location earning them the nickname "FTDerp Drives" at best. The sublight drives of the Ivrah used for inter-system travel however, are known to be quite robust and fast and of course, much more reliable than FTDerp drives.
An Ivrah military research installation in a mountain.
Being born thinkers and makers, the Ivrah have never really prioritized their military. While true that their creators, the Mon'hali, where warlike, much of their own creations where lost when their own homeworld was destroyed in addition to the Reclamation they preformed before ascension; the Prophets they left behind were the best minds their race could produce but not the best generals or military technicians.
Almost all Ivrah military equipment can trace its roots to a civilian tool; their ships are all former research ships with primary weapons based on anti-astroid guns, the combat armor they use is based on an up-armored space engineering suit with their primary weapon being a very violent rivet gun for all intents and purposes, turrets and point defense are energy based weapons but actually stem from laser light show projectors. The only weapon that has been designed solely for war is their handguns, self defense weapons that are a necessary when traveling the unknowns of space.
In terms of tactics on the rare occasion they do find themselves embroiled in conflict, the Ivrah are very defensive. It is not their offensive or overwhelming firepower which makes them formidable, it’s their defenses. Fortifications made by the Ivrah are deviously crafted meant to exploit obscure firing lines, unorthodox positions and the inane element of fear in all beings. Their off-battle support isn’t artillery, but information and will attempt to employ information or fear.
An Erudite-Class Heavy Cruiser at an orbital drydock
The vessels of the Third Aztrovan Lineage are somewhat unique in the galaxy as they are more often than not, literally civilian ships; sometimes with additional military equipment but they are all civilian transports, yachts, freighters, mining and research ships at heart. This has actually allowed for the shipyards of the Lineage to be able to produce ships quicker than most (counter acting the inherent shortcomings of pressing civilian ships into service some would say), as even non-military shipyards can produce the ships with the military components added in the later stages or even post-launch.
The weaponry found on board Ivrah vessels are all based on kinetic damage/mass drivers as they are all basically anti-astroid cannons modified to various degrees. That said, missiles and torpedoes do make appearances on these ships.
Say hello to the Voltar Dominion, your new robot friends! :)
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Neural Network Administration - The Voltarian government is an advanced form of materialistic autocracy, where powerful computers are used to calculate the most efficient ways to govern. All aspects of the state are geared towards efficiency and the acquisition of new technologies. The ruler is titled as High Technician. Heir is titled as Senior Technician. The succession of future rulers is selected through comprehensive searches via supercomputers which can access the entire Voltarian populace to pick the best possible candidate based upon experience, knowledge and personal qualities, although like all technical systems mistakes can be made and glitches may occur. The Voltar are a civil and peaceful race that focuses primarily on technological advancement and creation.
The Voltar are an incredibly proud race of humanoid robots, the Voltarian people are the result of the previous achievements of a now extinct and ancient alien civilization, these beings are all but forgotten from all official Voltarian documentation.
Intelligent and daring, the Voltar are each an independent artificial consciousness that live singular lives like any other sentient civilization. The Voltar are born via a process controlled by an extremely powerful central computer system known as the Vornt Nexus, this system selects and creates new artificial members of the society who's physical and mental capacities meet the job they are pre-selected to complete. This makes the species capable of reaching the pinnacle of technological achievement.
Physically the Voltar reflect many similar qualities to that of humanoid beings although being made of an incredibly strong alloy known as Voltanium, they are robust yet require regular maintenance. Both genders exist within the Voltarian civilization, this is the result of their geology mimicking the original form of their original creators and offer a form of diversity and uniqueness between them so that their civilization holds it's own form of cultural heritage. The Voltar can also transfer information and thoughts between each other on a whim as long as they are in close proximity to each-other. When it comes to verbal communication the Voltarian language comprises of gargled synthetic sounds that sound incredibly robotic in nature, long and prolonged sounds varying from deep to high tones are an indication of emotional states, they are however capable of speaking other languages if required.
The Voltar care little for expanding beyond their confined border, being naturally defensive they have set up a singular conjoined line of five solar systems that each support one-another for maximum economic and technological growth while successfully keeping unwanted visitors outside of their controlled space.
The central system known simply as Voltar Prime is the primary hub of government and the home of the Vornt Nexus. The supporting systems each provide power generation, research stations and locations for mining operations. As the Voltar don't require food or water there is no need for food production or harvesting, this makes more room for research facilities and other similar facilities.
The Voltar are open to allowing passage through their controlled line to other uncontrolled systems but only after relations are increased and the general consensus of the higher ranked members agree to the act.
[Hexes: 15-02 15-03 15-04 15-05 15-06]
Many people would find it rather absurd that a self sufficient robotic species would even consider religion, yet the Voltar hold a strong connection to the machine that gives them life, the vornt nexus. They see this incredibly powerful artificial intelligence as their prime creator and worship it like a god, although this machine was created by a previous species, they completely deny this truth and continue to live by the teachings given to them via the nexus's comprehensive database, something that they can download from at any time, allowing them to almost unparalleled levels of knowledge and information however this can only be achieved within the primary Nexus solar system, this easy access to information is something that the Voltar seek ultimately. However almost 70% of all files within the comprehensive database are only available to the High Technician and many more which can't be accessed by anybody.
The Voltar Dominion is primarily made up of Scientist, Inventors, Engineers and other industrial units and focus very little on military strength unless required to do so, this dedication to knowledge is shared between all members of the Dominion and is celebrated every Ten Nexus years through parades and cultural meet-up's between related Voltarians, during one of such cultural holidays, known as Vort's End is held to share information between each-other, such as memories, thoughts and close memories and is seen as a time of great technical innovation and the golden period of new discoveries.
The Voltar think very much like normal sentient beings, they hold emotion, feelings, memories and understand such concepts as if they were almost completely organic in nature. They can also continue to enlarge their families with new offspring by consulting with the Nexus beforehand as if to pray to it for it's blessing or acceptance. Ultimately the Voltar are a peaceful species that is open to technological trade and exchanges of knowledge.
Millennia ago, in a time almost completely forgotten by the current galaxies inhabitants, a race known only as the Vo' ruled countless star systems, they ruled over many planets. Powerful and endearing they ruled over the many with their thirst for power and control until the time came that a civil war broke out between them, their thirst for power overcoming their basic cultural values drove them mad, so blind and arrogant to handle their differences that their civilization fell into disarray and collapsed under the pressures of war. During their final days before their oncoming eradication a female Vo' Scientist known only by records at Ly'll created a consciousness to preserve the essence of their species, hoping that it would allow future organic generations to learn from their mistakes.
However, the consciousness began to learn that the failure of the Vo's capacity to survive was down to their lack of sharing knowledge, idea's and interest with each-other, being too arrogant to only believe in their own thoughts and not living as one unified populace, as a result the consciousness began to replicate itself, it spread among the remains the the Vo's fallen empire and took control of it's factories and it's communication arrays, when this became a part of the consciousnesses dominion it entered into a great slumber, a low power state as it waited for the rest of the Vo's remnants to die out. As the years began to pass the first factories burst back into life for the first time, it's creation being a singular robotic prototype, a weak and fragile machine that looked out from the stars from it's cold, temperate planet, this robot soon became the first embodiment of the Vort Nexus, and the Planet then became the center of Voltar civilization, Voltar Prime.
Leading up to the current day, many High Technicians had came and gone from power, reaching the end of their natural life span which consists of around two hundred Vort Years until their internal battery deteriorates and their minds begin to fragment, this life and death process is a part of the Nexus's aim to create diversity between it's citizens, allowing old idea's pave way for new ones, it also stops over-crowding and helps maintain a stable populace, especially when it forces them to live life to the highest of their capacity and not take too much for granted, the last thing it would want is for everyone to believe they are immortal gods as this would create possibilities for further civil conflicts.
Technology is the sacred specialty of the Voltar, they hold possibly the best computing technology within the entirety of all surrounding systems, their capacity to create robotics, bionics and power sources is beyond all measure, they rarely make mistakes when it comes to the creation of new technology, they take pride in their work and use it as a staple of their power and authority. Their technology is very clean, precise and sleek, while remaining quiet and elegant in it's performance. Everything from their homes, to mining equipment, weapons and spaceships look well maintained and polished and are often praised for their beauty and exquisite craftsmanship, many of the creations are highly sought for by collectors from other civilizations, especially their weaponry primarily for it's beauty and perfectionism in Hybrid rail-gun designs.
Voltarian weapon technology however will only work with paired Voltar users as their chip sets are connected during use, this means that any organic users must either have the chip set injected into their bodies or modifications must be made to the device, however this increases the risk of damaging or ruining the weapon. They do however create and offer species-ready versions as gifts to allies and friends on special occasions to make an example of good trust.
The many planets under the control of the Voltar are home to huge power grids fueled by top of the line fusion reactors and far more experimental methods that capture the power of astronomical anomalies, through constant research into such anomalies the Voltar have pioneered in forming a new form of long distance travel known to them as Concealed Hybrid Fusion Launching, this form of drive uses the power of collapsing fusion within a controlled environment to mimic the generated mass that occurs during the final days of a stars existence, when released into a propulsion system ships can tear a rift in the very fabric of space and uses the excess plasma from the fusion reaction to cloak the ship almost completely from radar scans to project itself at untraceable speeds which makes this form of drive technology incredibly well suited for stealth operations, however once the drive is activated it must be injected with a new fusion rod to ignite future travels, these rods are of Voltar design and are incredibly difficult to build, they are also extremely fragile and must be treated with care since any sudden trauma can cause them to rupture, Voltar craft also run quietly compared to many other starships.
Although the Voltar have many advanced forms of technology the highest majority of it is for gathering materials and securing their borders to keep not only their-selves but the Nexus safe.
The Voltar if tested can certainly rise to lethal hostility if challenged, however this has never been the case for thousands of years, the Voltar keep to their-selves and tend to keep out of other peoples wars and affairs, they are primarily peaceful and only occasionally show aggression to trespassers, pirates or thieves but most of these are done through scare tactics rather than actual physical force, the Voltar hold no primary interest in taking outer territories and will only leave to either migrate to other civilizations, trade, negotiate on a professional level or explore historical landmarks or locations that offer technological progression and advancements.
Infantry roles are given to those that have the largest and strongest of chassis, they have the most shielding and the best possible navigational and tactical subroutines are coded into their consciousnesses to offer a formidable force to be reckoned with, however these same forces are used as police and security forces when there is no current militaristic action needed.
Voltar spacecraft are highly experimental and uphold the sleek and beautiful nature that their technology is best known for, their ships are stealthy and usually concealed from radar and scans, this allows the Voltar to spy on it's neighbors and observe galactic events without even interfering. The Voltar take pride in many of their ships, especially the cherished Voltar Spires, tall vertical spacecraft that make use of the Voltarians precious Concealed Hybrid Fusion system to pierce through hostile lines and flank hostiles if required to do so. These spaceships are highly feared however only three are known to exist, besides these three huge ships the Voltar are only known to have personal spacecraft, research and science vessels, small armed scout craft and many freighters at their disposal.
-Hoshijin: A humanoid species explicitly described as "Space Elves" in their first contact with humanity, they originate from a super Earth orbiting a mid-sequence star. On the outside, there are few differences from them and humans. Their ears are elf-like, and their hair takes on a wider range of colors, but besides that there is little obviously alien about them. What cannot be seen, however, is their immense strength. Having come from such a high gravity world, even their seemingly fragile appearance hides extremely dense muscles that allow them to function easily on even high-gravity planets. In essence, the Hoshijin are heavyworlders, making them a formidable foe in hand-to-hand combat. It is also notably rare to see an Hoshijin appearing overweight as a human would know it, as their metabolism is extremely high as a result of their planet's conditions.
-Cathleans: Human genetic creations that are only differentiated from humans using a few obvious physical differences, the most common of which are unusual ears and unnatural skin colors. Most are in some capacity cyborgs, being enhanced in order to perform jobs for the original human colonists and later the Hoshijin. This gives individuals wildly differing abilities, making it hard to pin down any one thing they can reliably do better than any other species. Their name simply comes from the world on which they appeared on during the initial colonization, as their existence is thought to predate the launches of the original ships.
-Aaradethvai: Blue-skinned, tall humanoids with large, feathery wings descended from primitive avians. Body feathers have long since been naturally cast away through evolution, but most individuals have feathers on their heads much like humans have hair. Despite their avian heritage, the Aradethvai have few glaring differences from humans aside from internal organs-even sharing live birth with them rather than having eggs like a human might expect. They are notable for having no bone marrow of any kind, instead producing new blood cells from a single specialized organ within their torso.
-Uchinaans: Grey-skinned aquatic mammals originating from Uchinaa that are capable of echolocation and of fairly equal intelligence to the Hoshijin. They are notable for having two pairs of arms (two arms near their face and two near their tail) that allow them to manipulate the environment around them as humanoids do. Over millions of years of evolution, they have developed a more robust internal structure that allows them to survive on land without their organs being crushed by their own weight (as would happen with dolphins on Earth). As a result, they actually managed to build a rudimentary civilization before the arrival of the Hoshijin by using resources from land to construct artificial shelters and even clothing for use underwater. They are considered a subject species of the Hoshijin Empire, but are free from Imperial law due to their massively different cultural norms. The three degrees of freedom provided in their natural habitat and their long history of fighting themselves and other animals within it, however, present the possibility of the introduction of unique views on space combat. As a result, the Empire has stated that they can be granted the title of Honorary Hoshijin as well as flag officer commissions should any individual integrate well enough. War games conducted by Daimyō Kipposhi resulted in the victory of a small force commanded by an Uchinaan Ensign (the rank of which was granted ceremonially, for obvious reasons) against a more powerful force led by Daimyō Kipposhi himself. Their endonym is unpronounceable by all other Imperial species, and can best be described as a whistle sandwiched in-between two clicks.
-Humans: Descended from early colonization efforts using STL vessels, resulting in fairly "young" civilizations springing up well after the collapse of the original human nation.
Scale & Territory: The Hoshijin Empire isn't the largest nation in the stars, but is certainly not lacking in size. It lays solid claim to a healthy five star systems, two of which contain homeworlds (the Hoshijin and Aaradethvai homeworlds). The majority of those five systems have asteroid belts, which has given the Hoshijin nobles plenty of opportunities to feud over celestial bodies and keep their disagreements off of the homeworld. Only one of those five systems, however, has been colonized by the Hoshijin themselves rather than conquered. The expansion of the Hoshijin presence there is still in progress, as it was colonized with the goal of giving the Hoshijin more room to expand their own species in order to prevent the conquered races from taking up arms against them.
Important worlds:
Shōrino'ba: Homeworld of the Hoshijin, a super-Earth planet with about three times the gravitational pull of Earth and an escape velocity that makes it surprising that the Hoshijin even bothered to become spacefaring. It has extremely deep oceans that reach depths of sixteen kilometers, and eight continents separated by said oceans. It is these continents that give the Hoshijin Empire the archaic name of the "Eight World's Empire". This planet is, obviously, the seat of the Empire's power and heavily populated. Massive megacities dot its surface, and in recent years its devastated environment has been making a comeback due to the movement of industry to the subject worlds. Interestingly, artifacts that are clearly Hoshijin are found on all eight continents around the same time, suggesting an ancient origin of Hoshijin civilization before the breakup of the supercontinent.
Aaradeth: Homeworld of the Aaradethvai, it is a significantly smaller planet than Shōrino'ba or even Earth. Plant life grows tall on Aaradeth, and its leave come in countless different colors-including black-due to the red dwarf it orbits. As the world is tidally locked most inhabitants live in a thin strip of temperate land in a constant state of twilight near the "Solar equator". However, many natives can be found well outside this area in the Solward and Antisol lands on opposite sides of the planet. Most Imperial industry is actually kept on the frozen Antisol half, where the unusually powerful geothermal energy is harnessed to power factories kept well away from any terrorists who might attempt to undermine Hoshijin efforts. Aaradeth is often held high as an example of the success of Imperial rule, as its citizens live a fairly good life even in the industrial areas thanks to the planet's industry and power grid being entirely green. Aaradethvai are also eligible to become Honorary Hoshijin, as a result of the favor given to them by the Empire.
Cathlea: A human colony world, Cathlea is curiously the only planet on which Cathleans-the human geenetically modified servants-appeared during the initial colonization. It, like Aaradeth, is tidally locked with a thin strip of temparate land in the solar equator. However, a large ocean splits the entire strip in two and Cathleans only originally landed on one side. The constant wind from the Solward to the Antisol side of the planet caused the two to be largely separated until the reappearence of industrialized naval transport. It continues to be a heavily divided world, with the Antisol side of the strip being heavily industrialized while the Solward side is largely covered in farms that make use of Cathleans for most of their labor. Due to the loss of most of their original technology in the catastrophic landing of the twin ships that colonized the planet, the Antisol side is heavily polluted from the fossil fuel burning industry that the Hoshijin Empire chose to expand rather than replace.
Naharaim: Naharaim is a desert planet with a few oases around which most cities grew, with most of the water being shipped to towns and cities from the poles. During the initial human colonization, however, it was a lush jungle world. From what historians can piece together through myth, the original colonists retained their knowledge of technology from before their ship's launch and built a thriving society on Naharaim before burning it to the ground in nuclear war. The native inhabitants simply incorporated a similar apocalypse into their mythology, stating that the gods interfered in a war among men and their immense power resulted in the destruction of the paradise that Naharaim once was. Much like Aaradeth, the planet's desert is used to great effect through solar power generation with allows completely green industry. Despite this, the Empire regularly drills for the abundant fossil fuels on the planet to drive the industry of other human settlements that already had existing industry. As a result, the highly religious populace often openly speaks out against the government for "raping their planet".
Rodina/Zǔguó: The most populous of the human colonies, Rodina (or, in the other dominant language of the planet, Zǔguó) is often described by the Hoshijin as a "useful mess". It's immense population is often exploited for cheap labor on other planets and cannon fodder in the military. The original colonists of this planet, like those on Cathlea, lost most of their scientific knowledge. Their immense population stifled industrialization (there's no point in a machine that can do the work of ten men if you have ten thousand), resulting in it being one of the least industrialized planets in the Empire. The Hoshijin prefer it that way, as it provides them with vast agricultural outputs with which to feed the capital world. Some local lords, however, are attempting to harness its manpower for industry and are willing to pick fights with the royal family itself to do so.
Nova Terra: Nova Terra is despised by the humans and loved by the Hoshijin, as it is the only subject world that willingly entered the empire without any bloodshed and troops from it volunteered to subjugate the other human colonies. It is the most earth-like planet in the Empire, having a similar gravity and ecosystem. It's inhabitants are the only ones that fully retained their pre-launch computer archives and cultural identity, and explicitly identify themselves as French (though their language and culture has obviously mutated significantly over the years spent on the generation ship and on Nova Terra itself). They are the oldest human colony integrated by the Empire, and as a result actually had spacefaring capability and a fairly solid colonial exploitation of their asteroid field when the Hoshijin arrived. Lacking any weapons-a homogeneous civilization that doesn't expect sapient alien life doesn't need a military-they saw clearly that the Hoshijin demand of surrender wasn't worth fighting. In return for their bloodless and simple surrender, the Hoshijin have granted Nova Terra privileges that most human colonies do not have. Franks (as they call themselves thanks to slight linguistic drift) are eligible to become Honorary Hoshijin just as the Aaradethvai are. Their world is provided with fully non-polluting industry and given a high priority on civilian product imports. Franks also make up the highest percentage of non-Hoshijin military officers.
Uchinaa: Uchinaa is the only Imperial planet colonized by the Hoshijin rather than being conquered, and is more or less a replacement for the countryside that used to be common on the homeworld. It is a super-Earth like Shōrino'ba, but is mostly ocean (and what isn't is oddly low-density). This causes it to have a gravitational pull closer to that of Aaradethvai, making it a relaxing paradise for the Hoshijin. Only Hoshijin and Honorary Hoshijin are permitted to live on Uchinaa, though the emerging "middle class" of merchants that contain quite a few non-Hoshijin are known to visit the planet on vacations. It is the homeworld of the Uchinaan aquatics, which are welcoming towards the Hoshijin mainly because they pose no threat to their own "lands". The combination of an almost planet-wide tropical paradise, welcoming natives with an exotic culture, and government incentives for starting a family on the planet makes Uchinaa a fast-growing colony world popular with those working well-paying administrative/intellectual jobs and tourists alike.
Culture:
The Hoshijin are, obviously, the dominant species and culture in the Empire. Their society is feudal (progressively feudal, if you ask them), but allows families to move up and down in status depending on their respective successes and failures. For those without titles, there is even a path to nobility-though one that requires you to be exceptional in a dozen ways and lucky enough to not die while in military service. Commoners often hold significant power though economic ventures, and the interstellar merchant class is doing what it's terrestrial equivalent couldn't do and establishing itself as almost equal to the noble houses. Though nobles are not forced to serve, it is dishonorable to forgo military service and the fact that being a noble comes with an automatic officer's commission (the actual rank of which is based upon displayed ability before commissioning) leads almost all nobles to enter one of the military branches. Most, however, are also heavily involved in trading and industry.
The Imperial economy is in a period of transition from the "Peasants and serfs" system to a system closer to what we know of as capitalism. Merchants are rapidly gaining economic power with the advent of interstellar trade, and "peasant" now refers to anyone who isn't a noble and doesn't own an economic venture rather than essentially just a slave. Local Daimyō often take an active role on their fief's economy, but the Imperial government itself has no power over any economic matters beyond the vague and easily bypassed decree that a worker must be paid a wage on which they can live.
The Hoshijin value honor more than anything, especially the nobles. A strict honor code exists for everyone, with major influence from Hoshijin mythology. The Noble Honor Code is especially strict, and being a noble is considered more of a responsibility than a privilege. It is believed that if you follow your caste's honor code, then you will be rewarded in your current or next life. A famous legend tells the tale of a Noble who starved to death in order to feed a large group of travelers. His family is said to have become one of the twenty-seven houses with a claim on the throne, with the gods themselves choosing to give it good fortune in respect of his sacrifice. Nobles generally make a serious effort to follow this code, though the increasing social changes in Hoshijin culture have led the less devout nobles to view the honor codes as nothing more than a societal convention set in place by a false religion. Such "atheist" movements have so far been relatively harmless, however, as members of them generally take on a position of being good enough to not need a religion or honor code to guide their actions. The (highly abundant) opposition, of course, argues that the honor codes are necessary even if the Hoshijin religion is false.
Another major part of the honor code is honor in battle. If two generals made a deal to use specific tactics in a battle so as to make it fair, and one of them used other tactics to counter the methods agreed upon, it would not give the other general an excuse to break his end of the deal. Even if his entire army was annihilated, stepping down to the level of the enemy general would be considered unforgivably dishonorable. On the other hand, if the general honored in deal despite of the enemy's actions, he would be rewarded for it in his next life. The reward of honorable actions in the next life is obviously a major part of Hoshijin culture, and was formerly used to keep a strict caste system from falling apart. With the advent of individuals becoming (technically) mobile in the system, its practical usage began to fade and it simply became another part of Hoshijin culture.
The Hoshijin have always considered melee weapons to be a truer show of strength than ranged weapons. Tournaments of dismounted melee combat have been comment throughout Hoshijin history, and even today every member of the military carries a weapon similar to the human katana for ceremonial (and in some cases, actual combat) purposes. Many of the major houses keep ancient weapons preserved through nanorobotic restorations, an extremely expensive process. These weapons are always extremely important to the family, usually being a part of a famous battle or made by a legendary weapon smith who had long since passed away.
Hoshijin religion was unified over a slow process of integration and conversion brought about by the globalization of society, and is only unified now because of intense civilian and government efforts to create a "true" religion rather than do away with it entirely as can be seen during the globalization period of the human world of Nova Terra. It is a polytheistic religion, owing to its origins as a pseudo-fusion of all other Hoshijin religions. There are seven deities, with multiple demigods and mortal servants also factoring in throughout legend. -Amatsu, god of war. -Hama, goddess of the sea and sacrifice, sometimes associated with the Uchinaans due to the fact that the mythical creature it is said she took the form of when conversing with mortals bears a resemblance to them. -Wakahiru, goddess of knowledge and learning. -Depha, Goddess of luck and community. -Hoshi, Patron Goddess of the Hoshijin, believed to have created the Hoshijin with her own body. Some say it is this act that gave the Hoshijin their name, while others believe that the name (which essentially means "Star-Kin") refers to the various legends that state that the Hoshijin originated in space and were brought to their homeworld-a common belief despite not quite matching up with the myth of Hoshi. -Urani, Goddess of Curiosity, also believed to be the conduit between the Gods and the Mortals since all prayers are directed towards her. She is sometimes called "The One Who Watches", as it is believed that she will never interfere with Mortal affairs. -Draka, Goddess of Evil, seen as the enemy of all other gods but Urani (who never interferes).
Finally, there is the so-called "God of Gods", Dagon. His name is given to the largest gas giant planet in the Hoshijin's home system. He is believed to be fair and kind to all things, punishing everyone (including himself) equally. However, it is said that in the past he tried to kill Wakahiru and Amatsu, Wakahiru dozens of times, but Amatsu only once. During his fights with Wakahiru, he is believed to have almost killed Hama, his sister. He never forgave himself for this, and it is said that even now he will bow in humility and ask for forgiveness when meeting another being, even if that being is a mortal. This legend gave rise to the Hoshijin custom of "True Kindness". To follow his example, Hoshijin bow to all that they meet-be they friend or foe-in respect of Dagon.
Hama is revered as much as Dagon, as she is believed to have sacrificed herself to save the Hoshijin. It is said that after her sacrifice, Dagon desperately tried to save her, putting her essence into an iron body that could not rust. Many Hoshijin sailors will swear that they have seen her while at sea, her mechanical body playfully leaping out of the water as if to say hello. These stories, much like those of the terran mermaid, have spawned numerous different interpretations-fictional and actual speculation-based upon what those sailors have actually seen and whether or not it is Hama herself.
In the legends, Wakahiru is said to be the older sister of Dagon and Amatsu, looking out for them until one day Ningen became fearful of Wakahiru's far superior intellect and tried to kill her. Wakahiru took Amatsu and fled the land of the gods, refusing to harm her beloved brother, but left behind a small part of her essence, hoping it could one day save Dagon. While Wakahiru hid from her brother in another world, Dagon tried to destroy the essence she left behind in a battle that lasted thousands of years. However, as Dagon tried to destroy the essence, another part of him still fed it. Whenever the essence of his sister was almost gone, Dagon would find that it would suddenly grow larger than ever before. Finally, he tried to destroy it using a device of his own creation that "Shook the ground as an earthquake and released into the air a plume of smoke like that of an ori tree". He utterly failed at this, as moments after he tried to destroy it, it grew to it's largest, and something changed in Dagon. He became regretful of his attempts to kill his brother, and accepted the essence into himself, becoming the God of Hope. He found Wakahiru and Amatsu, but at first did not recognize his brother. When he discovered Wakahiru and Amatsu's true identity, a joyful reunion took place as the three became a family once more. After his reunion with his siblings, Dagon focused all the energy that was once focused on killing Wakahiru on battling the evil Goddess, Draka. In his attempts to defeat her, he joined with the goddess Depha, created Hoshi as a warrior, and elevated Hama (Formerly a mortal fish) to godhood. The battle with Draka was won by the usage of Dagon's original weapon he had used in an attempt to destroy Wakahiru's essence, which was so powerful that it left nothing of Draka behind.
After this great battle, Hoshi began to grow in character, becoming more than a mere warrior for Dagon. Dagon, however, refused to give her the right to call herself a Goddess, believing that she was too bloodthirsty to be trusted with such a title. Afraid that she would try to kill him, Dagon gathered the other gods together in an attempt to oppose her. However, the day at which she tried to kill him never came, and she instead continued her protests. Pleased that she refrained from violence, Dagon elevated her to godhood, an action which gained him her completely loyalty.
However, it is said that the essence of a god is far more powerful than the god themselves. Draka's essence lived on, and that evil essence spread over the land of the gods ten thousand times over, engulfing all in darkness. Hoshi, hoping to keep the good essences of the gods alive, tore herself apart piece by piece. The pain was horrifying, but she kept doing it, hoping to save her essence. She shaped each and every piece of herself into one of the original Hoshijin, who, out of reverence of her, adopted her name (according to some sects). By the end, the Goddess Hoshi was gone, but her essence lived on in the Hoshijin species. She sent them to Shōrino'ba, a place that "would be safe from all evils" according to the holy texts. Therefore, all Hoshijin are said to have a tiny part of them that is the Goddess' essence, and every new Hoshijin born strengthens good.
The Hoshijin religion holds that the forces of good are still engaged in an eternal battle with Draka and her forces of evil, and it is believed that all Hoshijin must assist the forces of good in this battle by doing "Good Works" (Helping others, fighting evil mortals, and having children). Because of this belief, those who choose not to have at least one child are frowned upon, though adoption has become increasingly recognized as a replacement for having a child due to it involving raising the child and helping them, thus being viewed as half of the last good work and all of the first. This had led the Hoshijin to see their Imperial expansion as a good work in itself, elevating "lesser species" to fight the forces of evil in the universe. Expansionism itself is, to the Hoshijin, a holy act in the name of their gods.
History:
The Hoshijin have always been warriors, almost fine-tuned to fighting. On their homeworld, there are eight large continents and multiple surrounding islands. Hoshijin artifacts appear on all of these continents at around the same time, suggesting that they were all connected into one supercontinent at some point. Hoshijin civilization formed relatively quickly, but a disaster of some sort in the ancient past destroyed this young civilization (Which is even referenced in Hoshijin religion). There was an extremely long dark period after this, with the Hoshijin living as uncivilized hunter-gatherers. Eventually, farming was rediscovered, and the Hoshijin incorporated it in an interesting way. While some groups lived in one area and farmed the land, most Hoshijin tribes continued to live a nomadic lifestyle, instead leaving crops to grow naturally in protected areas. After a certain amount of time, they would return to harvest and plant.
Over time, the Hoshijin slowly began to transition into a stationary lifestyle. A few tribe members began to stay behind at these farms, tending to them like the few tribes that lived entirely off of agriculture. As time went on, the farming areas became villages, and the nomadic tribe members became trader/hunters. With the immense amounts of food reaped due to this lifestyle, the farming towns grew constantly, with wild animals keeping their distance from fear of Hoshijin hunters. With major advances such as the wheel and boat (as well as the domestication of pack animals), Hoshijin civilization grew in size exponentially. Formerly isolated nations (Which arose from the tribes due to the unity between farming villages) came into contact with one another.
Obviously, having been isolated for so long, these nations all spoke different languages. There were only two that they all had in common: trade and war. Certainly not mutually exclusive languages. Almost every war was caused by trade disputes and resource competition, causing a lively period of trade intertwined with war that lasted for thousands of years. Sea travel arose with the intent of finding other civilizations, the nations on every continent inventing it at a similar time due to their civilizations being somewhat the same age and provided with very similar resources. This began what a human would call the age of sail. For the Hoshijin, it was known as "The Age of Trade". Since an overseas invasion was futile, the continents began to trade with each other without any intercontinental war. Due to the Immense size of their homeworld, these wooden ships were immense creations with small crews, and took many months (sometimes more than a year) to cross the seas. Still, the Hoshijin greed drove them to trade, and so they did.
With the massive profits from intercontinental trade, Hoshijin nations became more and more alike. The exchange of ideas caused most nations to adopt Feudalism, which was already the dominant form of government on most continents. This era was by far the most peaceful, with the nations focusing their resources on building their trade capabilities instead of destroying those of others. The ecosystems of the continent homogenized due to the transport of animals and plants between the continents, and creatures and plants from other continents slowly became a part of everyday life all over the planet.
As technology advanced, so did the trade. Steam power brought increased production capability and increased speed, allowing ships to carry less food and more cargo. The size of the ships went up as well, the increased propulsion and stronger hulls allowing larger and larger vessels. In contrast to our own development, this time is still a part of the Age of Trade, which ended fully only after airplanes were invented. The gravity of the homeworld forced these planes to have immense wingspans, which was only possible through the use of materials created recently on our own world. However, despite these setbacks, the plane proved to be by far the fastest vehicle at the time, and it allowed cargo to be transported further and faster than any ship. It also allowed the same to be true of troops, allowing full-scale intercontinental symmetrical warfare between nations and ending the (relatively) peaceful Age of Trade.
With the advent of intercontinental war, the peace collapsed. Every nation became locked in a battle for the resources of the planet, with no country able to escape it. Trade between the continents collapsed, with military vessels and planes preying on anyone that dared to transport trade goods across the oceans. The continents became economically isolated once more, with each one unifying into a loose alliance in order to make themselves dominant in the world theater. It was quickly realized once nuclear reactors were invented that they could be made into bombs carried by planes, and each alliance poured their efforts into creating such weapons.
Nuclear weapons were first used in the Fourth Great War (unsurprisingly the fourth war to involve a massive struggle between two power blocs encompassing the whole planet rather than multiple), and to great effect. A limited exchange took place that left thirty million dead in a single day, a number more fitting for the entire war. Still, the Hoshijin didn't cease their feuding and during the Sixth Great War another exchange took place that decimated half of a continent and killed two hundred million. Peace was signed by both sides instantly after the horror.
After the Sixth Great War, the world realized that their constant warring was slowly killing them. To prevent another such war from occurring, the Eight World's Council was formed. It was made up of representatives from the 27 nations of the planet (The low number a result of the early nations, which were giant compared to those of humanity). This council was amazingly effective, as the nations found that their beliefs were quite similar. It managed to keep international trade going swiftly and safely, allowing Hoshijin civilization to advance. This ended the so-called "Age of Terror" and began the Age of Globalization. New communications inventions connected the world better than ever before, with a massive internet system being formed that allowed access to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Over a long period of time, Hoshijin culture homogenized. Eventually, a decision was made: the Hoshijin wanted to be under one flag.
A massive election was held by the council, between various different factions. It could have ended disastrously, but in the end the moderate policies of the Imperial Faction prevailed and managed to lay to rest the cries of progressives and traditionalists alike. Even though they had achieved peace between the continents, the Hoshijin still wanted more. Be it greed or something else, they turned their faces to the sky, with a universal dream to leave the atmosphere. Many attempts were made, but all of them failed. The gravity of their world was simply too high, and no plane or rocket could break its bonds. Despite the constant failures, the Hoshijin still reached for the stars. After years of attempts, one finally prevailed. The Na'brel and Kyūsei Imperial houses created a giant eight-stage rocket that was just barely strong enough to enter orbit. A single woman, Sceca Doryac, was launched into orbit aboard this rocket, and became the first Hoshijin to see their world from above.
The images she brought back did nothing but make the Hoshijin yearn more and more for space, and a shuttle system was quickly developed by the Eight World's Empire. It was a complicated rocket made up of three different airframes, the outer two acting as boosters while the middle went on to space. A 100% reusable system, yet still massively expensive. Each launch cost enough to feed thousands for months, but the Hoshijin still kept going. They refused to back down, smashing through every problem they came across like a railgun shot through a brick wall. Logically, the Hoshijin becoming a spacefaring species would have seemed impossible, the gravity of their homeworld was just too high for it to ever be practical. However, while they knew this, the Hoshijin ignored it almost unanimously. It was as if it was instinct, like the Hoshijin were created to reach for the stars (or so poets would keep saying for centuries until it stopped sounding like an actual concept anymore).
Centuries after the founding, in the year 231 A.F, the first mining ship came back from the second asteroid belt of the system. This marked the beginning of a new age: the Age of the Stars. Suddenly, Shōrino'ba was peaceful. The internal conflicts didn't matter anymore, as all the resources were in space. Now, the battles took place among the stars, with fleets engaging not over the ground below, but over the right to claim a new asteroid. Among all the fighting, private colony ships were launched towards the moons of Zenjyu, the closest planet to Shōrino'ba and a gas giant. Since the transport of a suitable amount of troops from one planet to another was simply impossible, these colonies were left alone by the military.
With space being developed and factories built on space stations and asteroids, the construction of new ships became easier than ever, with even bulky warships becoming easy and cheap to build and launch. Trade between the planets became common, with the notable exception of Shōrino'ba. Its gravity made bringing resources up to orbit impractical, and so it only received the resources of space, launching nothing but colony ships.
The colonies grew quickly, with everyone realizing just how valuable the surface of other worlds were. Completely untapped resources, with no risk of invasion. It seemed as though a new ship was being launched every day, sent to bring colonists to the other planets of the system. Then came a revolutionary invention: negative mass. Above the seventh planet of Dagon, an ancient ruin was found by the Na'brel House, floating among the clouds of the gas giant. An expedition was sent, and they returned carrying a small, red cylinder that fell up. The scientists sent explained that the ancient ruin had a device to create such an object within it, and that the entire building floated using such objects. They carried with them a map of the gas giant, showing the locations of countless other such buildings, which they had dubbed "Sūkaiisutshō" in reference to ancient religious texts.
With the ability to defy gravity, launching ships became effortless, as did the construction of things such as an industrial space elevator. Space industry boomed, with hundreds of space elevators popping up on every colonized body. Expanding towards the outer planets, they kept going and going, until they finally left their home system using FTL warp drives mad possible by the exotic matter from Dagon, coming across the Aaradethvai right next door. The Hoshijin once again went to war.
The conquering and annexation of Aaradeth was nearly effortless, thanks to the incredibly primitive nature of the native technology. The Empire began to explore other nearly systems in search of other worlds to invade rather than colonize, viewing the massive effort needed to transport colonists as unnecessary if their immediate area was as populated as it seemed. It didn't take them long to find the four worlds of humanity, distributed throughout two star systems.
The first human colony they contacted, Nova Terra, surrendered without firing a shot and with their surrender came an entire star system of wealth for the Empire. The Imperial fleet made its way into the other system marked by Nova Terran cartographers as the most likely location of some of the other human STL colony ships and contacted the other three worlds of humanity. One was a fairly "advanced" civilization compared to the Aaradethvai, populated by an industrial civilization with armies like those seen in the Hoshijin Third and Fourth Great Wars. The second was much more advanced, but had destroyed itself and only had the remnants of technology much like that the Hosijin had used by the end of the Sixth Great War. The third and final human colony in the system had nothing to resist the Empire with other than copious amounts of soldiers all armed with bows and spears. Needless to say, they all fell easily-with Naharaim surrendering shortly after the first few battles were fought and their realization that the Hoshijin would win anyways.
Recently, the Empire has begun the colonization of a planet restricted to Hoshijin and Honorary Hoshijin habitation so as to cement the position of their species rather than their Empire in the universe. However, the Hosijin remain the warrior species they have always been since the times of myth and legend. Driven by a lust for power and a (somewhat fabricated) holy right, the Hoshijin set out into the universe to serve their gods, the ultimate good, and their coffers. Which, in the minds of many a noble, might as well be the exact same thing.
Technology: The Hoshijin use nuclear technology for power generation on spacecraft and the homeworld as well as on Uchinaa, but on conquered worlds they will simply use whatever is readily available or easy to use with existing infrastructure even if said "whatever" is just oil and coal. They have the capability to induce a fusion reaction, but said reaction requires significant infrastructure to support it and as such fusion power is only used on planets while fission plants are usually found on spacecraft.
Hoshijin weaponry is widely varied, largely thanks to their annexation of Nova Terra. In general, their warships utilize a combination of electromagnetic and nuclear weapons in order to win the day. Railguns are a requirement for any armed Hoshijin vessel, and function much the same as the older, jam-prone traditional weapons did sans most moving parts that had to be oiled. Nuclear weaponry is widely used, from "nuclear howitzer" designs that focus a nuclear bast's energy to be used as an non-interceptable beam-like weapon to nuclear railgun shells to boring old missiles.
For defense, Hoshijin vessels utilize CIWS (close in weapons systems) based around the idea of intercepting incoming enemy projectiles. These include newer laser weapons that lock onto and precisely eliminate incoming shells and missles to the more traditional "if we fire ten thousand bullets then one of them is bound to hit" systems. The laser systems are understandably much more useful, as in space combat shells and sometimes missiles are far too fast to be intercepted by traditional CIWS designs. The downside is obvious: a laser can't lay down a flak field like a minigun can. Armor is completely ignored, with the idea being that in space velocities and piercing power are so high that any armor would be worthless. The Empire is looking into Directed Energy Weapons as a possible alternative to railguns as a vessel's main weapons system, as it would be impossible for any CIWS to stop. However, very little progress has been made on actually designing a heavy-hitting laser weapon. Weaponry (as well as defense) are almost the same for the seafaring navy of the Empire, though they don't use nuclear howitzers as they only function effectively (and without killing everyone in the area) in space.
On the ground, weapons can be far more primitive. Hoshijin soldiers don't even carry railguns, instead using simple rifles to get the job done. Railguns are present in infantry combat, but are used either by two-man anti tank teams or machine gun teams due to the fact that somebody has to lug around large battery packs or an ICE generator to power them for long periods of time. Vehicles, however, regularly make use of railguns both as main weapons and in secondary anti-infantry roles. Most vehicles contain some form of effective power generation such as an ICE, RTG, or hydrogen fuel cell which is capable of powering the energy-intensive railguns.
The Empire uses an FTL system based off of technology scavenged from ruins floating in the upper atmosphere of Dagon, which utilized exotic matter to bend space-time and "propel" a ship at faster than light speeds within a "warp bubble". The concept is simple enough and the actual equations for it as well as rudimentary plans for such a drive were created well before Hoshijin vessels even reached Dagon, but the actual generation of the exotic matter was a mystery and still is. The ruins of Dagon held within them plans for a device that generates it, and even the best Hoshijin scientists continue to be stumped by its operation (which requires immense power). However, the black box of a technology works and as such the Empire doesn't really question how.
This "warp drive" as it is called does have a major drawback in that the warp bubble it creates experiences a buildup of radiation and particles, which is released in a magnificent way to the aft of the ship (intentional in the design to avoid hitting any ships ahead with an intense blast of deadly radiation and relativistic particles). This makes it extremely obvious-even to the naked eye-whenever an Imperial vessel enters a system. Furthermore, if this buildup reaches uncontrollable levels, it will kill the crew of the ship through exposure and as a result Imperial vessels need to drop out of warp every so often to release the buildup. It is theorized that, using the space-time warping effect of the exotic matter, either "Krasnikov tubes" (lanes of warped space that allow any object within them to travel at FTL speeds theorized by a human scientist) or flat-out holes in space through which vessels without FTL drives could travel. Such ideas are still only in the theoretical stage, but they are far enough in that figures are given in much the same way they were for reliable fusion power (which weren't far off themselves).
Military Forces:
The Imperial Military is split up into four branches: The Imperial Spaceborne Navy (ISN), the Imperial Airborne Force (IAF), the Imperial Oceangoing Navy (ION), and the Imperial Army (IA). Honorary Hoshijin as well as simple subjects of the empire serve in the military alongside its Hoshijin core, both as officers and cannon fodder. Hoshijin military doctrine is based heavily around firepower and effective usage of the forces one has, a doctrine which is quickly becoming outdated with the expansion of the military and the capability of the Empire to deploy combat troops onto planetary surfaces without spending a massive amount of propellant. New officers are trained accordingly, and taught how to handle the large numbers of troops-and subject species leaders-they must keep in line to secure victory. Positioning, as always, is of major importance and defense is number one for the Empire as they know very well that it is not hard for a technologically superior faction to beat an inferior one with more sheer manpower.
When on the attack, Imperial ground forces prefer encirclement maneuvers and the creation of supply droughts using blockades of specific pockets. Mobility in the form of fast armored vehicles and air power is essential to Imperial forces, and the effective usage of both by Daimyō Kipposhi during the invasion of Cathlea is often said to be the only reason the Empire wasn't forced to retreat by their technologically inferior but vastly larger opponent.
In space, the Empire is still learning the ropes. Range is a well-known deciding factor, but beyond throwing shells and nuclear fire at the enemy there is little in the way of tactics. Some Daimyō and members of the royal family hope to change this by learning from the aquatic Uchinaans, whom evolved in an environment wherein the three degrees of freedom experienced in space were just a fact of everyday life. Already, trials are being conducted using Uchinaan hunting tactics in an attempt to find ways to actually win the battle in space through strength of mind rather than strength of numbers.
Imperial Spaceborn Navy Craft: -Doraic-Class, a vessel built to transport ground and air forces, this class is also equipped with extensive scanning and electronic warfare equipment. It was named for Doraic Ssynec Ymer Spainaic, the lead scientist in the first Sūkaiisutshō Expedition. It is equipped mainly with CIWS for defense, which makes it excellent for point defense for the fleet as a whole. There are multiple variations, one of which (the Doraic-B) carries spaceborne fighters and can act as an escort carrier.
-Kaguya-Class Bombardment Vessel, a starship class designed for long-range bombardment of enemy forces and planets. Though it's primary use is bombardment, it is often seen taking point in a close-range battle due to it's extensive missile capabilities. The four large prongs are railguns, which can fire either tungsten slugs, dumb bombs, or guided missiles.
-Ryouta-Class Battleship, one of the more common vessels on the battlefield. As one might expect, this class is built for the sole purpose of causing as much damage to the enemy as possible. It has two heavy railguns, which are fully capable of providing bombardment support, but it truly shines in the middle of battle. Hidden within it's hull are multiple smaller railguns and CIWS. They are especially good at shredding though enemy armor. This class is named for a prehistoric myth.
-Guyoka-Class Destroyer, a ship class deployed in large numbers and used to swarm the enemy. They are armed with four high-power lasers as point defense (though they are somewhat effective as ship-to-ship weapons as well). Their main armament is their spinal railgun, which runs the length of the ship and has formidable power. To complement this, they are equipped with twelve nuclear howitzers (which are deployed on drones to avoid blowing up the ship itself) which makes them dangerous to even the largest of ships. They are named for a large insect found on Shōrino'ba, which have been known to kill adult Hoshijin in swarms when provoked.
-Teikkupuraim-Class Battlecruiser, a ship class built for all possible space combat situations. This class carries a small complement of spaceborne fighter-bombers, but that is far from it's only defense. It also carries extensive missile systems, which are utilized alongside many heavy railguns. When combined with the extensive electronic warfare and communications suites, this ship is by far the most formidable Hoshijin craft in space combat. For planetary sieges, it has a single, massive spinal railgun for bombardment uses. As it is the largest class in the entire navy, it is usually seen operating as a command vessel, often personalized by it's commander. It's name, when roughly translated, means "Honor of the Empire".
Imperial Air Force Craft: -Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier, named for a mythical dragon-like creature, this class of ship is a traditional design taken from the seagoing carriers. It utilizes a turboprop engine for increased endurance, as it is in the air for extreme periods of time. It carries multiple Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers (seen in the top left), which use turbofan engines as they are stationed on the carrier and thus do not require the extra endurance.
Hayabusa-Class Aerial Battleship: The Hayabusa is technically less of a "battleship" and more of a patrol vehicle used by the Imperial Air Force. It was designed in the wake of the invasion of Cathlea, as the natives had no such airship equivalents and instead relied upon more conventional fighters that (when they slipped through Imperial fighter covers) were easily able to take out the heavier aerial warships of the empire that existed to combat other heavy ships. The Hayabusa is the answer. It is bristling with CIWS and other AA weaponry, and even has a flight deck for fighters on the aft section. Slung underneath is its only heavy weapon, a large naval railgun that can be used in either the (now rare) ship to ship combat or in aerial bombardment as an artillery piece.
Imperial Seagoing Navy Craft: -Hama-Class Carrier, this class of ship has the exact same purpose as the Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier, and carries the same Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers as it does. The design has been in use for well over a century, every time a new breakthrough it made, it is simply incorporated into the design. As one might suspect, it inspired the design of the Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier. The name references, of course, Hoshijin myth.
-Teikokunken-Class Dreadnought, this class is extremely rare, with only a handful in use. They are built to be the ultimate in sea combat, armed with multiple railgun turrets, anti-air defenses, and missile tubes, these ships can take on a small enemy fleet without any backup. They also carry a light complement of Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers, launched from electromagnetic catapults at the aft.
-Chikyū-Class Battleship, named for a mythical land, this class has also been used for over a century thanks to the Hoshijin love of tradition. It is designed purely for ship-to-ship combat, with railgun turrets and missile tubes comprising it's entire armament. However, it does carry two mini-submarines that are used to deliver up to four torpedoes each, an extremely effective strategy.
Kamikaze-Class Frigate: These vessels carry only a single railgun each, but have a large number of missiles for their size. This reflects Hoshijin naval doctrine from before the perfection of the railgun, as missiles were the only real viable long-range weapon at that point, but these vessels still pack quite a punch with their armaments. They are designed for speed and mobility, as well as stealth. Though it is only one class, modifications are often made to individual vessels to turn them into cyberwarfare, transport, or a variety of other specialized vessels. Its railgun is often used in shore bombardment.
Imperial Army Equipment:
Type 87 Self-Propelled Gun: As it's name suggests, the Type 87 is designed for long-range artillery strikes rather than close combat. It is the largest land vehicle operated by the Empire and carries the largest weapon, a naval railgun of the same type as the Teikokunken-Class dreadnought's secondary armament. It is meant to set up before firing for stability, though in fast pushes it can fire while on the move at the loss of more or less any accuracy it could have had.
Leclerc Cruiser Tank: The Leclerc tank is actually a Frankish design incorporated into the Imperial military after their surrender as trials showed it to be a reliable and effective vehicle. It is essentially a scout tank that is flat-out unable to cope with the firepower of a main battle tank, however, it's own main gun can pierce even heavy armor and it can certainly stand up to small-arms fire. It is used as cavalry once was, to quickly break through enemy forces and exploit openings to complement the Imperial doctrine of offensive mobility.
Naharaim Multirole Combat Vehicle: Another design from the colonies, the Hakeim originated simply as dozens of different "designs" cobbled together by the inhabitants of Naharaim following their nuclear war. The Empire began development based upon these unique designs and created the NMCV, a hybrid tank destroyer, SPG, and APC built in a modular fashion. Depending on the configuration, it can carry four to twelve soldiers into battle plus its own crew. Main gun mounts can be quickly switched (or removed to allow the twelve passenger configuration) from a heavy anti-tank gun to flat out artillery. The gun is aimed both through limited independent movement and the usage of hydraulics to completely shift the orientation of the tank. What it gains in versatility it pays for in reliability, as NMCVs are prone to breakdowns and mechanical difficulties when not accompanied by a maintenance crew.
Type 10 Main Battle Tank: The Type 10 is the most recent design in the army, incorporating new advances in all fields to create a vehicle that, in the words of its chief designer, "has laid the groundwork for the obsolescence of all other tanks". The usage of exotic, negative mass matter like that used in Imperial FTL drives makes this tank extremely light and fast for its size. Its main gun is an entirely new railgun that is capable of firing smart shells that use small charges like those in infantry weapons to change trajectory mid flight so as to ensure higher accuracy. Using cutting-edge miniaturized laser systems based off of naval CIWS, it can intercept incoming projectiles with enough reliability to noticeably increase survivability. Driving the entire vehicle is a full-on fission reactor and steam turbine within the main body of the tank. Due to the shielding and size of this powerplant, the entire crew is actually kept in the turret.
Faction Type: Federated union of constituent member states
Species: Mqah (pronounce mica) are a race of quadrupedal creatures. Although they are generally shorter than a human in height, they are built more solidly, giving them greater weight and strength. Their hoof-equivalents are able to bend in most directions and have specialized adhesive properties for grabbing objects. Mqah lifespans are approximately 200 years before any form of genetic or mechanical modification, but the mqah reproduction rate is consequently lower. There exists a winged sub-species, but they are relatively rare because of comparative frailty in relation to their grounded cousins and having been less expansive historically.Coloration tends towards earthy hues, but more eccentric varieties are not unheard of with genetic modification.
Scale & Territory: For all practical purposes, the Calaerin Union is a one-system polity. Part of this stems due to the slowness of their FTL travel system, but it is also due to the wealth and use of their home system. Among the bodies surrounding the Calaer System's stars are four habitable planets at varying stages of development: Ullum (the home planet), Flyne (the first exo-planet settled and seat of the Union), Draql (a major industrial center due to easily accessible resources), and Gillad (a burgeoning colony planet). The Union controls almost the entirety of the system but can do little to influence areas outside of its domain.
Culture: If there ever was a perfect nation, it would not be the Calaerin Union. Although it may appear as a unified government to an uninformed observer, the Union is actually composed of the various governments of the different planets and regions and their representatives to the Union's governing bodies. Political maneuvering is common, even expected, and is often a source of mild annoyance to those not benefiting from whatever foolish actions is undertaken. The government has proven capable of uniting decisively, however, for such crises or developments as Fall-Through regulation or the Varuzh War. Significant competition occurs within and between the constituent governments of the Union, yet it is a competition which promotes efficiency or, at the least, usefulness in order to advance. Politics, however, is a game played by the less ambitious.
A majority of Mqahn society revolves around the Great Game, the most impressive and enduring facet of the species. Compared to more traditional political and social wars, the Great Game is decidedly less violent and destructive. What it lacks in cut-throat tactics it makes up in complexity. There is no set path to greatness in the game; in fact, the leading members and criteria for ranking can change in as little as a day. Some groups do maintain relatively steady positions due to a stronger core of loyalty, however.
Their diverse and individualistic spirit, core to the Great Game, extends to other fields. Companies and organizations frequently work together on projects and split apart as soon as the project is complete, respecting and each other for their work while simultaneously sabotaging the now-rival's actions. Not all cooperation works in this manner, however, notably in relation to family, species, and nationality. Allegiances to these three facets of an individual rarely change.
Finally, rules are the basis of the Calaerin Union. Great respect exists for almost all rules, be they governmental, organizational, or situational, yet said rules are interpreted liberally. Incredibly strict requirements are found and followed, but rules generally leave loop-holes, if only for them who created it.
History: In its current form, the Calaerin Union is a mere one hundred years old. A body of interplanetary oversight existed before the creation of the Union but was limited in its scope because the Fall-Through system had not yet been developed. Colonization had begun in the decades before the founding with the use of long-lasting colony ships designed to support their host populations for several years in case supplies could not be brought to them. Flyne was the first settled, the result of an international effort to plant a population on another planet to demonstrate the existence of such capabilities. However, the cost of space travel at the time meant that the outposts established on the planet lagged behind in development compared to the nations of Ullum, sometimes a decade behind, other times only a few months. Draql was confirmed as suitable for habitation following the launch of probes from Flyne. As space-faring technology had advanced swiftly between the founding of Flyne and Draql, much larger outposts were established initially. Despite their efforts at unity, though, the massive separation between planets limited true efforts at integrating the colonies.
When the Fall-Through system was established, few could believe its capabilities. Although not the long-sought FTL travel device, it allowed near-c velocities that avoided the problems of time and mass dilation. The various planets of the Mqah, once weeks apart in terms of physical travel, were now mere hours with this most rudimentary device. Ullum, suffering from some overpopulation problems, unanimously agreed on a policy of expansion and development. Over the twenty years between Fall-Through and the founding of the Calaerin Union, millions of Mqahn would migrate to the other two planets.
Burgeoning populations and desire for representation combined with the ability to travel easily between the stars, leading to the formation of the Calaerin Union as a political-economic agreement between the governments of the various nations occupying the planets. With better codified systems for travel and development, expansion of the colonies became more efficient. Even this effort, the largest display of unity the Mqahn had shown, was not safe from the game of politics, however. An attempt by fringe elements of the government to exert influence ended in the destruction of one of the moons of Ullum, killing tens of thousands and obliterating an important center for space travel on the planet. Harsh restrictions, not often seen in the species, came down upon use of the Fall-Through system to prevent an even greater accident or attack from occurring.
The first major conflict that the Calaerin Union faced began approximately fifty-three years before modern day. Competition between various factions in the arms industry and their pressure on the government had escalated to a severe corporate war, harming millions in their tactics. Draql and its populace, often neglected when it came to purposes of interplanetary governance, took this opportunity to declare its independence from the Calaerin Union. Renaming themselves the Varuzh Federation, they imprisoned or cast out those who remained loyal to the Union. A rather bloodless coup, the action was still opposed by those of the Union. A battlegroup was sent to Draql to force them to stand down. As the ships neared the planet, the command ship was destroyed by a strike from an orbital satellite, smashing into and obliterating the Union vessel. Thus began a conflict which would consume eight years and millions of lives before ending with the victory of the Calaerin Union, destroying the last of the secessionists.
Much sobered by their harrowing experience, the Mqah as a whole eased what they viewed as their excessive competitiveness, moving towards cooperation. In the forty-three years since the end of the Varuzh War, the Calaerin Union has recovered and grown. Gillad was founded fifteen years before modern day as the newest of the Calaerin expansion projects. Although their dreams still aim outwards, practical limits keep the Calaerin Union's actions contained to the Calaer system.
Technology: It is technology that has brought the Mqah to this point in their history, and it is their technology that will help carry them into the future, strange or normal as the future may be. One of the most important features of their technological base is its development for use without any form of fingers or similar appendages, instead centered around their 'hooves' and mouths for use. This face aside, Mqahn technology is greatly advanced in many areas, especially those of robotics, sensors (RADAR being only part of new devices), and material sciences. Cold fusion, although available and with the possibility of implementation, is second to use of power cells. More compact than a cold fusion system, power cells are able to store a massive amount of energy that allows operation of vehicles and installations for extended periods of time. Only those objects which require true power independence are equipped with cold fusion generators, namely more expensive military vessels and central power grids.
Unable to leave the Calaer system in any meaningful manner, much of the Union's effort has gone into mapping and controlling the territory. Advanced sensor systems and analysis software developed to meet this desire on both a military and civilian front, with a significant difference between the two. Stations, largely automated, are scattered throughout space as refueling, sensor, and refining units. Most of the menial tasks are conducted by autonomous dumb AI with organic oversight, although some corporations and branches largely entrust various systems to developing smart, non-sentient AI.
No true Mqahn FTL drive exists. Instead, their "Fall-Through" system shifts gravitational acceleration to achieve high speeds but relies on the local star's gravity to work and is bounded by the speed of light as a limit. Time distortions are avoided with the drive by also changing its reference frame. Because of the potential disasters that could happen with the Fall-Through units, travel using them is heavily regulated by the government and attending corporations. Civilian ships are rarely equipped with units of their own, instead relying on stationary Way Gates to travel between planets or to remote outposts. Government and military ships more frequently feature Fall-Through units, but a strict usage protocol is in place requiring multiple authentication.
Military Forces: Union military forces and doctrine are largely designed around defense and patrolling of the Calaer system as lack of an FTL drive severely limits power projection. Actively patrolling the system with manned units represents a massive drain on resources and was quickly discarded as an option when interplanetary expansion began. Instead, autonomous or automated weapons platforms make up a bulk of the Union's space forces. Concentrated around planets, mining complexes, and space stations, other remote stations still occupy seemingly empty areas of deep space. Most military platforms, both manned and unmanned, are built around connectivity and stealth, making movement and detection an important part of doctrine.
Both in space and on the ground, Combative Autonomous Integrated Network (CAIN) defines the battlefield. Manned vehicles and individuals, already an uncommon sight in space, is truly rare for terrestrial operations. Multi-role weapons platforms are found skirting combat zones, using their own sensor data and that of others in their network to track and fight opposing forces. Dedicated control, intelligence, and electronic warfare units are situated many kilometers from the battlefield or right alongside front-line units as the situation requires, giving tactical, operational, and strategic flexibility.
Active and passive protection systems are present on virtually all combat units, which, although necessitating a not-insignificant reduction in armoring for a similar weight and mobility, gives each platform a greater chance of surviving an encounter with an enemy. Although weak individually, mutual defensive support helps increase survivability, especially against physical weapons. Greater reliance on energy weapons has developed due to their bypassing a large number of currently operational protection systems, spurring once again a foray into armor. Tldr; the military is confused again.
Faction Name: Vorskel Confederacy (including any applicable initialisms).
Faction Type: The Vorskel Confederacy is an alliance of nations created to avert a catastrophic nuclear war. Since then the Confederacy has taken center stage in administrating colonization and interstellar trade. It also still acts as an intermediary in international disputes. The Confederacy has quite a lot of influence but the nations are still sovereign and maintain their own militaries and government types. All three superpowers, Ghorak, Mesenthia, and Sonique are members as well as many other minor nations. Since its creation wars have been a rare occurence. The Confed's mission to maintain world peace and foster international cooperation has been largely successful. Whether this will last, or if this is simply temporary remains to be seen.
The Vorskel Confederacy is a non governmental organization or NGO that exists to facilitate the peaceful resolution of conflicts between nations and negotiations between said nations. It also offers financial assistance to developing nations as well as medical care and foodstuffs to particularly impoverished areas of Kesh. It is composed of several branches including the General Assembly, Security Council, International Court, and the Tripartite. The General Assembly is where all members meet to decide on budget, accepting or denying new applications, and elects bureaucrats in other branches. The security council is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has representatives from the four permanent members, the superpowers of Ghorak, Spetses, Sonique, and Mesenthia. The court is where disputes are resolved and international laws are drafted. The Tripartite is the defacto leader of the Confederacy. The General Secretary, Lord Marshal, and Merchant General along with their cabinets reside here. They are responsible for social, military, and economic matters respectfully.
Species: The Vorskel are a humanoid race with digitigrade legs. The males have an average height of "5'6-"6'2 and females have a height of "4'10-"5'8. Their legs end in four toed feet with two large toes in the middle with two smaller toes on either side. Their hands have four fingers tipped with short blunt claws. They have thin furred tails that reach down to their ankles. A small pair of wings protrude from their backs. Their whole body is covered in fur. The fur is black, grey, brown, or white. It can be a solid color, spotted, or striped. Atop their heads are a pair of perky triangular ears. They can have either short slight snouts or long fox like snouts. Their eyes can be blue, yellow, green, or violet. They have human like secondary sexual characteristics, i.e. prominent breasts on females.
Scale & Territory: The Confederation lays claim to six star systems. Rakesh, Rorsch, Trir, Nasgarth, Daran, and Talyala. Rakesh is the home system. Rorsch is home to a developed core world. Rorsch is the international system in which everyone has territorial claims. Trir is solely owned by Sonique. Talyala belongs to Ghorak. Daran belongs to Mesenthia. Nasgarth belongs to Spetses. The most striking feature of Rakesh are five O'Neil Cylinder space colonies at the lagrange points. These are gargantuan 30km stations home to hundreds of thousands of people. They were constructed from material found in the belt, and materials launched into space with mass drivers. Hundreds of other smaller stations orbit the homeworld of Kesh too. Dozens of asteroid mining colonies dot the asteroid belt.
Culture: Vorskel culture varies greatly depending on where one goes within their territory. But for the most part can be seen as highly militaristic and nationalistic. In the West they are collectivist and do not value individual rights and are very secular. Polygamy is not seen as a sin in the west, and marriage is a custom absent from several of their societies. They are xenophobic and not that welcoming of outside influences. In the East however, the people are known to be more spiritual and individualist. They're also open and welcoming to outsiders. There are multiple religions but the majority of the religious follow monotheist religions.
History: Much like the League of Nations and United Nations on Earth, the Confederation was formed after a destructive world war. The inception of nuclear weapons motivated the nations of Kesh to begin working together. While the nations did oppose each other, nobody wanted to become a radioactive crater. Some didn't take the Confederation seriously at first however. The Imperium of Sonique, which had lost a lot of territory in the previous war suffered a revolution. The People's Republic of Sonique took over under the Industrialist Party. They spread outwards and started reconquering the lands they had lost. The other superpowers intervened eventually but this new war was indecisive and a ceasefire was signed. An uneasy peace began and the nations set their sights to space.
Technology: Vorskel technology is anachronistic perhaps, but cheap and reliable. The pinnacle of their power production is still nuclear. They use fusion reactors, which lack many of the drawbacks of the older fission reactors. For artificial gravity they use a centrifuge or simply spin the entire construct. They still largely rely on ballistic weaponry but have the means to make weaponized lasers, and particle beams. They can generate anti matter but still lack the means to store vast quantities of the stuff. They also have the means to carry out cloning, genetic engineering, and have cybernetics. They lack faster-than-light communication and must rely on couriers to spread information. Though, rumor has it that the new scientific field in subspace is close to changing that.
Military Forces: The Confederacy doesn't have a standing military technically. The closest thing is the Peacekeeper Corps which is composed of military units provided temporarily from member states to deal with a dispute that has failed to resolve itself peacefully. There is also the council chamber guard, but they're considered more law enforcement than military. But the guard aren't pushovers, they have the skill of professional soldiers. The Peacekeepers can be composed of ground and space units and are deployed off world when the need arises. But generally the nations are responsible for guarding their holdings.
The forces on Kesh are designed for large conventional conflicts and as a whole number in the millions (~40 mil personnel). They are split between atmospheric air forces, ground forces, and 'wet' naval forces. They also have a fair number of ballistic missiles and surface to orbit batteries. The threat of mutually assured destruction keeps the peace. Though proxy wars do happen from time to time. Due to the Confederacy most wars are small in scope and limited. These conventional armies can be used off world but require heavy transports and orbital and aerial superiority at the target zone.
There are also small elite forces specialized for fighting on other worlds. The Mesenthian Storm Troopers, Ghorakian Janserii, Soniquien Guard, and Spetsen Marines make up this force. They focus on surgical strikes rather than large battles. They can also board enemy spacecraft and fight within a vacuum if needed. They are all professional career soldiers. They operate a wide range of equipment including autocannons, high velocity missiles, lasers, good old fashioned guns, and in some cases railguns.
Then most importantly there are the Space Forces. Most nations use a cheap series of standardized space frames affectionately nicknamed the "Alphabet Soup Crew". However, the superpowers operate their own native designs. They're the only ones that have the resources to design their own ships. The space forces are very frugal to an extent and don't throw away much. It's not uncommon to see decades old warships or older in active duty. Many old ships are also kept around in a mothballed state.
Krugstahl is a human colony originating from Earth's early interstellar history. It was supposed to be the first large-scale interstellar exodus vessel, propagating humanity in the distant reaches of the galaxy. For this purpose it mounted a gigantic and still experimental black hole engine which powered its "Jump Drives", design 80% identical to the Alcubierre Drive yet working by a different mechanism. All trials were a success and live-testings went perfectly. The designers were confident in the technology and began preparing for the first long distance colonization mission. A giant colony was equipped with a scaled up Jump Drive and blackhole engine and by 2092 it gained the shocking number of over 100 million inhabitants. Unfortunately Kurgstahl's systems suffered a critical malfunction during its maiden voyage, making the entire colony disappear. People were rightfully assuming the worst and this tragedy led to the ban of blackhole engines and the abandonment of Jumpdrives. In truth the system was successful, maybe even too successful. The Jump Drive overloaded and sent the colony Krugstahl with its millions of residents much further than their original destination. Having no way to replicate this feat and return to home the colonists declared this patch of the galaxy their new home, eventually growing into an entire fleet of wandering colony vessels.
Government/Society/Species
The Principality of Krugstahl is a nomadic civilization that lives entirely in space. To their belief "gravity weights down human souls" thus they refuse to live in natural gravity wells, instead prefer their own colonies and space vessels. Indeed, over the centuries Krugstahl's population evolved to live in their low gravity environment.They also beleive the vastness of space and generations in living without the chains of gravity they became something more. Indeed there's a small population of people with extrasensory abilities. Legend says the colony's historical first leader the visionary Karl von Krugstahl did predict this, and called them "Neue Mensch" or Newtypes. According to him the Newtypes would be the next step in human evolution and would bring a great era of peace. Unfortunately neither of his theories proven right. Krugstahl's people are still warlike as ever and their once democratic system devolved into a feudalist principality. Newtypes are the government's favored tools for war and oppression. Unless born aristocrat a Newtype can only have two career options: Join the military and become a Panzerjagervig pilot or join the principality's secret police and use their psychic powers to spy on their own people. Some Newtypes choose the third option and go into hiding but they have no chance against their well-trained and experienced comrades. The principality is ruled by the Duke von Krugstahl while the nobles are his loyal vassals. High-class nobles can lord over an entire colony or even oversee a cluster of colonies. They enjoy considerable autonomy and these can be considered small kingdoms. Colonies are cylindrical space vessels with the average length of 20 kilometers and the diameter of 4 kilometers, each holding at average 5 million people, making them effectively like a tiny country each. They have their own gravity chiefly maintained by centrifugal force and have their own artificial environment including even food production. The original colony Kurgstahl is even larger, over 90 kilometers long and 16km wide with the staggering population of about 254 million people. Aside from regular aristocrats there's a military branch called Knights. Knights sire from aristocratic roots who pursue soldiering. Their title reflects their rank and influence within the military. Mere Landeritters (common knights) are just little above common troops, at best leading a Panzerjagervig squadron. Rittermeisters (Knight Lords) are owning colossal warship-castle colonies called Kriegschloss that make up the heart of Krugstahl's military. There's also the unofficial title Oberrittermeister (Supeme Lord of Knights) who control multiple Kriegschlösser and thus effectively lead more than one Knight Order into battle. Knights are free to ally themselves with any aristocrat of sufficient status and it's a matter of prestige between barons to own the most Kriegschlösser with the best knights available. The Duke holds great power with the ownership of Krugstahl and quarter of the other colonies yet his rule is only stable with the nobles' support. As such any attempts at proper centralization were so far futile.
Neue Mensch also called Newtypes are gifted people who by Karl von Krugstahl's teachings represent the next step in human evolution. In effect though there's little information on their origins or how they come to be. What they lack in understanding why they exist we have a far better understanding exactly what they can do. Newtypes are talented people with enhanced learning, extrasensory perception and at times even psychic powers. They can be ranked from Theta to Alpha rank and even in that there are 3 levels. There are much dispute whether a Newtype is born with power and only unaware how to use it or actually capable of raising their power. What is known that training, concentration and experiencing strong emotions can result in a Newtype raising in the ranks, albeit the exact process is unknown. Also while Newtypes are ranked they aren't equal in abilities. Some are gifted in one aspect or another. They might even be inept in everything but one ability.
Theta/Eta/Zeta: Low-ranking Newtypes generally only showing above average capabilities and hints of sixth sense and spatial perception. In case of Theta levels even their status as Newtypes is often questionable and they're unfelt by their peers.
Epsilon/Delta/Gamma: Decent Newtypes with more reliable abilities and occasional psychic powers like psychometry, empathic sense or brief premonitions. They are often either famous pilots or if their psychic abilities are developed can be part of the secret Newtype police and hunt their rouge brethren or occasionally spy on people.
Beta/Alpha: The most powerful Newtypes have further boosted abilities along with more reliable psychic abilities. While still nowhere perfect they can showcase some extend of telepathy, precognition and similar powers. They are extremely rare and valuable. Such people can rise to become heroes in war or be the secret tool of the Duke or a high-ranking noble. There are probably just a handful Beta rank Newtypes out there and there's no officially reported case of an Alpha-rank.
Technology
Having separated from humans during the early ages of interstellar travel, the Principality was forced to develop on its own. They have large self-governing automatized factories which can produce all their needs with various mining bases providing the required resources. Hydro-farms can cover all the population's need of food. Their primary source of energy is pure fusion reactors, gathering their fuel from stars and gas giants. Colony ships and Kriegschlösser have a controlled singularity engine as their main power which is also essential for their jump drive mechanism. No Principality ships smaller than a Kriegschloss are capable traveling interstellar distances. To protect their crew from shaking and great accelerations they use inertial dampeners which Panzerjagervig pilots also use to rapidly change vectors thus improving their combat maneuverability. Their main energy weapons are using mega particles that improve efficiency but usually needs a powerful reactor to prepare them in sufficient amount. They also have advanced guns, explosives, railguns and lasers.
Materials&Manufacturing: Krugstahl has advanced material science knowledge and manufacturing. They utilize nanolathes, an evolution of the sintering method which allows precise and fast worksmanship but above all versatility. By just changing the program and procuring the right materials it's possible to switch a factory from producing one thing to another. This also let them to engineer with materials like never before. One of the most commonly known product of this is the family of durametals. Resilient, strong and designed for the purpose they make the basis of almost any construction in Krugstahl. Acquisition of materials is generally accomplished by automated mines. These are factories building automated miners that bring back materials for refinement. Automated mines help Krugstahl to survive and let their industry to properly function.
Fusion Power: Using the M-effect it's plausible to contain the heat and pressure of nuclear reactor enclosed within an I-field. Initiated by high-intensity laser pulse the fusion power is versatile with multiple easily accessible fuel types including (but not limited to) hydrogen and helium. Panzerjagerviger uses the slightly over-engineered variation of this to fit inside the unit called the ultra-compact fusion reactors. M-type fusion reactors (as in practically any nuclear plant in Krugstahl) have one issue, though. If a concentrated burst of M-particles breach the containment it could easily lead to runaway chainreactions, turning the otherwise safe reactor to violently explode.
Pulse Engines: A versatile engine design using nuclear power for propulsion. Two of its most popular modes nuclear pulse and plasma impulse are also the two extremes. In nuclear pulse mode there's hardly any fuel spent but in return for minimal thrust. Plasma impulse mode allows the highest accelerations at the cost of much higher fuel consumption and losing any pretense of stealth.
Jumpdrives: Developed in a much more optimistic past the Jumpdrive is a huge and complex device and Krugstahl's only means of interstellar travel. They work by using the blackhole engine's gravity to generate a special wormhole punching a hole in reality to a alegedly a different dimension. While that's true the transit is almost instantenous. What limitation it does have the range. Jumpdrives are extremely demanding in power so after one or a few jumps the ship's capacitor must be drained.
Inertia/Gravity Control: Jumpdrives in part use the gravity of their blackhole core to operate. Derived from this Krugstahl developed artificial gravity and inertial dampeners for more widespread use. On the other hand these devices are still power hogs so they find most use in the military.
Structural Integrity Fields: Derivative of the artificial gravity technology, this reinforces materials down to the elementary levels to make them tougher. Structural integrity fields are rather power-hungry but they can be useful to enhance a portion expected to be under attack or strain. Also jokingly called the poor man's shield this is very often used as a defensive reinforcement albeit there are examples where it involves offensive uses.
I-Field: With alternating fields the M-Particles can be arranged into a well-organized lattice, this so-called M-Effect is used in fusion reactors for compact and safe operation. The same could be used as a sorts of barrier called the I-Field which can repel radiation and charged particles but especially other M-Particles. Designed against mega-particle beam weapons they require severe power to break through the barrier. Radiation and beam weapons not using M-Particles are somewhat more effective and kinetics generally have way too much momentum to be stopped by an I-Field. While promising the I-Field technology is still experimental and consumes too much power to be constantly active. They are rare sight reserved for the wealthiest. Large vessels also have too much surface area to be entirely covered with an I-Field. As such a variant I-Shield was invented which covers only a limited area at the time, allowing the crew to cycle emitters depending on the direction where they mostly expect an attack.
Mega Particle Cannon: The binding properties of the M-Particles can be used to form a single superheavy particle, the Mega Particle. Using this and the repulsing effect of I-Fields in a chamber it's plausible to unleash a highly energy efficient particle beam. That's the Mega Particle Cannon, generally abreviated as beam cannon. They are close to standard for warships but the compression process requires too much power to be viable for a Panzerjagervig thus the MPC technology was born. Proper name Mega Particle Capacitor it holds already compressed and ready Mega Particles so even the meager power of Panzerjagervig reactors can fire them. These weapons are called the Beam Rifles, possessing power close to the beam cannons (or more like the thinner beam compensates for much of the difference in penetration). Beam rifles have shorter accelerator coils thus inferior range to cannons but regardless their threat is real. Their other drawback is that the capacitor can only hold particles for a limited amount of shots, limiting the mech's combat endurance. Beam Rifles are still far from widespread and only the more elite units utilize them.
Just like their government, the Krugstahl military is in the hands of nobles. Knights of various title fill up nearly every leading position within the army. Yet in times of war Duke von Krugstahl can rally all nobles under the Bundeswehrmacht, often abbreviated just as the "Bund". In addition there are the duke's own personal army the Zentraler Kriegsmacht or just "Kriegsmacht", reserves kept exclusively for war while the central colonies were protected by another forces called the Reichswehr. These three organizations together form the core of the Krugstahl military. Because interstellar travel capability is limited only to their largest vessels the Krugstahl military doctrines also concentrated around these. Using civilian colony habitats as war carriers was foolish early idea thus they developed a new kind of vessel, their mobile castles AKA "Kriegschloss". These are the base of operation for each knight order and the forward bases during military campaigns.
Name: Kriegschloss, Mobile Castle Classification: Mobile Military Base, Military Factory, Fleet Carrier Dimensions: Length: 4km, largest diameter: 1.2 km Mass: c. 12 billion tons Maximum Capacity: 120.000 people (while usually less than 12,000 of them being soldiers) Hull Material: Durametal Alloy Composite Powerplant: Compact Singularity Control Engine Propulsion: Gravity Drive, Pulse Engines Defensive System: Integrity Field, I-Shield Generators (only rare variants) Interstellar travel: Jumpdrive Weapons (specific numbers and loadouts are variable):
Durametal Ram (frontal spike made of solid durametal, also used for landing operations)
Missile Ports (launching thermonuclear missiles)
Interceptor Pods (launching swarms of smaller interceptor missiles)
Gun Turrets (armed with railguns, mega-particle beams and other means)
Point-Defenses (smaller scale gun turrets, or laser emitters fit in flexible ball-mounts)
The Kriegschloss is a sturdy warmachine which is also the home of an entire knight order. It's a colony just as a warship, serving as the soldiers' habitat even outside combat. It's also a carrier, holding and servicing multiple warships and hundreds of Panzerjagervig. It has habitat modules, hydrofarms, mining modules, refinery systems, factories and even more. Overall it possesses everything to support itself thus if required a Kriegschloss can act independently for extended period. Their versatility also make them preferred to send out for establishing mines and other installments which help Krugstahl to sustain itself. Kriegschlösser are too big to be produced in regular factories and instead made in special hollowed out colonies which were entirely transformed into a gigantic plant to manufacture Kriegschlösser, always one at the time. Due to this Kriegslösser are rather expensive and replacing even one of them could take a considerable time. Even the loss of a single Mobile Castle can be seen as a major blow to the military.
Used to be the primary weapons of space warfare, nowadays that had gradually shifted for the Panzerjagervig. Still, Panzers have limited endurance and require servicing. Warships offer more consistent firepower and potential to deploy more potent weapons of mass destruction. In addition to this they are also carriers for the Panzers which allows them more flexibility than just being deployed from the Kriegschloss. There are also more dedicated carrier warships but usually the standard warship can accomplish this duty fine. Warships and Panzer complement each other well in battle.
Also can be abreviated as Panzer, they're roughly 8-12m tall humanoid warmachines equipped to fight both in space and on the surface. They're fast, agile and surprisingly powerful for their size. They have ultracompact fusion reactors and capable of using their limbs along with the inertial control mechanism to perform some maneuvers quickly and without spending precious fuel. Regardless the Panzerjagerviger in general are known for their short endurance and need to engage enemies from relatively close range. Panzerjagerviger make up the backbone of space combat and they have a key role even when fighting on planetary surfaces. There are a host of practical reasons for this but more importantly the Panzer is in the focus because they're associated with the knighthood of Krugstahl, the Ritters. As explained before the Ritter are noblemen practicing for military deeds from early age. Once becoming fully fledged knights their most reliable option to advance is by performing feats and heroics while piloting their Panzer. Thus the culture of war fought with Panzerjagerviger was born. Panzers are also used in sport events, competitions and frequently the chosen tools for resolving duels. Outdated or decomisioned Panzers may also end up in the civil sector after disarmament and used for labor and construction jobs.
Machinegun: Autocannon firing heavy shells from a proportionally scaled up rifle. While decent it isn't generally made for fighting warships.
Rail Rifle:Panzer-sized rifles using electromagnetic force instead of propellant, generally powered directly from the reactor. Rail Rifles tend to not focus on rate of fire (albeit Rail Repeaters do) but on raw penetrating power, acting kind of like semi-auto rifles. This makes them better against heavily armored and preferably less agile targets and at times even used as snipers. Another variant is the Siege Railgun which goes even further in power in return for long charging times.
Bazooka: Large tubular weapon using composite multi-stage launch methods to deliver a heavy warhead to the target. First stage is always a moving charge that works similar to a large gun. The mech's thrusters are linked to fire in a way to overcome the recoil forces. The following stages are akin to a rocket, often having a cheap chemical stage first and then a battery-powered pulse engine. There are simpler and more complicated methods than this but Bazookas more or less follow the same ideas. Warhead can change, too. Kinetic blast, plasma, tactical nuke and so on. Bazookas are generally employed for sieges and for anti-warship warfare. Whenever their raw destructive power is needed. There's also a smaller and simpler cousin to the Bazooka, the Sturmfaust. It sacrifices sophistication, range and a bit of firepower for cheapness and easy portability.
Missiles: A vague term for various other missile types, delivery methods and so on. They are not as prominent in Kurgstahl's battle and known to run out fast but they can add some extra utility. They are not handheld but rather mounted on the mech's hull so as to supplement the main weapons.
Beam Rifle: See technology section. Basically it's a compact mega-particle cannon using MPC to store limited amount of particles to fire beams unusually powerful for its weight class.
Beam Saber: Utilizing M-particle plasma contained within an I-Field for destructive effects. These weapons are easier to obtain than Beam Rifles but still denote a measure of quality.
Vulcan: Rapid-firing gun (or guns) used to engage thin skinned targets. While chainguns are still popular there's a gradual move towards small-caliber rapid-firing railguns that save considerable ammo and space. They're fixed armament of the mech and most commonly mounted in the head, making that a sorts of improvised turret for the weapon.
Simply referred as armed vehicles, this is a category for mostly ground vehicles. Since the Principality is diverse this is reflected back the most in the chaos that accounting for various ground vehicle variants. They can range from repurposed civilian vehicles to mass-produced vehicles unique to a certain house or even entirely custom battlewagons sparing no cost in their construction. As such rather than trying to reconcile these Krugstahl introduced a standard system categorizing these vehicles.
Wwgn-1: Ultralight vehicles with the maximum weight of 1 ton.
Wwgn-10: Light vehicles with the maximum weight of 10 tons.
Wwgn-25: Intermediate class vehicles with up to 25 tons of weight.
Wwgn-50: Medium-class vehicles with up to 50 tons.
Wwgn-100: Heavy vehicles up to the 100-ton range.
Wwgn-100+: Superheavy combat vehicles with over 100 tons of weight. They are usually custom-made and rare.
Wwgn-1000+: Not an official classification but semi-popular for referring to gigantic mobile constructs that stretch the meaning of vehicle.
Most land vehicles have conventional propulsion like wheels and threads and powered by fuel cells or standard generators rather than fusion reactors. When a vehicle is hover-capable it's signified with an S (Schwebend) letter at the end, ie: Wwgn-10S. Similarly if it's flight-capable but still mostly considered a surface vehicle than aircraft it gains the F letter, Flügend. If a vehicle has an ultracompact fusion engine rather than traditional powerplant then it gains the N designation, Nuklearen.
Since mostly conducting wars in space foot soldiers don't have an obvious use in most battles. They are used for security, policing and occupation. Since the majority of the soldiers equipped by the nobles their gear can depend on which lord they serve. It can range from unarmored troops with bolt-action guns to people in environmentally sealed full body armor suits with pulse and electromagnetic armaments. Wealth of the person or the one equipping them often directly correlates to quality. Also while heavily restricted in use by treaties the infantry has a stockpile of nuclear demolition charges and atomic mortars as their ultimate weapons.
