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The Lokoid Hierarchy
The Hierarchy, The Lokoid, The Roaches (Derogatory)
Government
The government is the Ruling Caste. The Hierarch Council disseminates their orders to system regional governors which keeps all systems in line with the will of the hierarchy. The council of hierarchs is made up of five members.
- Araq, Supreme Hierarch - Chosen by the Hierarch Council
- Kaloth, Hierarch of Commerce - Governs the Commerce Caste
- Gorn, Hierarch of Research and Development - Governs the Academic Caste
- Dagoth, Hierarch of War - Governs the Soldiery Caste
- Zasz, Hierarch of Industry - Governs over mass production
These members of the council all have equal power except for the Supreme Hierarch who supersedes the rest of the council. The council deliberates everything related to running the Hierarchy as a whole and is responsible for the direction of the Hierarchy moving forward.
Demographics
The Lokoid Heirarchy is made up mostly of Lokoid. It is rare to find any other race on Lokoid worlds, especially those not built for the pleasure or leisure targeted towards those of a different race.
Society
From birth, the order of the hierarchy is implemented. Lokoid young hatch from eggs within an egg sack as larvae. The liquids in the sack are consumed, filled with vital nutrients and antibiotics. The weak are eaten and the strong continue to develop. Once the survivors break out of the egg sack, they are taken as nymphs to be educated. Primary education begins, but nothing could prepare the young Lokoids for their second trial. The nymphs, nearing their adolescence, are thrown into the wilderness to survive. Cannibalism is encouraged if it means survival. They are given the lesson, eat or be eaten, the survival of the fittest as they once did when they were larvae. But it was also natural selection as those who fail to adapt die off. The survivors at the end of the month are taken and given secondary education. Their secondary education focuses on the general education of different subjects. Four years later, they are evaluated and if their scores drop below a quota they are euthanized, prepared as food, and is rationed to the rest of the now grown brood.
Usually, the survival rate for Lokoids in their childhood is less than half. Their massive amounts of eggs per-person, however, necessitate this way of population control. The survivors are then given a caste position and specialization training. It is possible to move up in society through individual meritocracy. The weak and the stupid are recycled and eaten. This is vestigial behavior from a more primitive time. The average lifespan of a Lokoid, if allowed to live in ideal conditions, is seventy standard years. However, the oldest known Lokoid was a hierarch who was reported to be 210 standard years old, indicating that in the best conditions the Lokoid can have a surprisingly long lifespan when compared to humans.
The castes themselves are divided into five categories:
- The Ruling Caste
- The Commerce Caste
- The Academic Caste
- The soldiery Caste
- The Industrial Caste
The ruling caste is composed of the fittest Lokoid, the ones who have displayed amazing intelligence and leadership ability within their respective caste. The ruling caste’s most powerful members are made up of five individuals known as the Hierarch Council. Each individual all have equal power to one another and have different jurisdictions. However, there is always one individual among the five that presides among the five. This individual would come to be known as the supreme hierarch. The representatives themselves are known as, from descending order of caste, the hierarch of commerce, the hierarch of research and development, the hierarch of war, and the hierarch of industry. The supreme hierarch is chosen based on leadership ability and is chosen among the five hierarchs of the ruling caste. Only a majority vote within the council of hierarchs can have the supreme hierarch replaced.
The commerce caste is composed of traders and businessmen. The commerce caste is specifically for those among the Lokoid who display great social skills and have an eye for business. The commerce caste is the primary economic group that provides the Lokoid new business opportunities in the galaxy. They acquire trade licenses, manufacturing patents, design contracts, and more. On top of this, the commerce caste is also responsible for lending and collecting loans, managing budgets and expenses, and conducting audits on the other castes.
The academic caste is composed of Lokoids who display amazing aptitudes for the sciences. The academic caste is responsible for technological gains within the hierarchy. They are in charge of designing new ships and weapons for use in manufacturing. On top of this, they are in charge of scientific advancement in many fields such as botany and particle physics just to name a few. If the commerce caste is equated to a marketing and advertising department then the academic caste is research and development. This is where new products are made and approved. If approved they are handed over to the commerce caste and industrial caste for marketing and mass production.
The soldiery caste is responsible for choosing the strongest among the castes and placing them into sub-castes. These sub-castes are divided by merit and intelligence. There are four major sub-castes:
- Command Caste - Responsible for NCO’s and command staff
- Specialized Caste - Responsible for special operations
- Regular Caste - Responsible for regular soldiers and fleet personnel
- Support Caste - Responsible for operating equipment and vehicles
These sub-castes are responsible for training and selecting from placed or recruited members of the Soldiery caste. They are the backbone of the militant might of the hierarchy and make use of automated combatants if needed and are a common sight when collecting due debts and in security details.
The industrial caste is the largest among the castes and is where most Lokoid are placed. Some may find their way up the ladder from the industrial caste and into the other bodies of the hierarchy. The industrial caste is the primary workforce of the hierarchy. They are responsible for manufacturing goods, mining, and farming. They are given many avenues to rise up from this rung of society through merit. Pursuing education, displaying high levels of skill or strength, making logical and intelligent decisions, and more. The survival of the fittest and natural selection are at play. Those who do not adapt, stay in the industrial caste and are shackled to a life of service and are loaned as cheap manpower for the rest of the galaxy. Because of the individualistic nature of most Lokoid, this is seen as normal. Those who are left behind are left with basic skills and enough intelligence to do their job.
History
THE UNIFICATION ERA
Many centuries ago when the Yrrani were just stretching themselves across the galaxy as silent, but ever present observers of the stars around them, they came upon the lush yet harsh jungle planet of the Lokoid homeworld, Lokus-III. The Yrrani of before still felt the responsibility to let things develop naturally, they weren't yet the gods that would bring about their own destruction with their own hubris.
They observed the Lokoid who, at this point, had only reached a semi-tribal state with many groups and different ideals. Their society was brutish and barbaric when compared to the Yrrani or any of the other races that the Yrrani had encountered before. The Lokoid were stronger than most other races and preserved a warrior culture through most of the societies that they had formed. The Yrrani were prepared to write off the Lokoid as another primitive, barbaric race that would never amount to anything, that was until they found that the Lokoid were progressing rather quickly for a primitive race. In a span of three decades, they went from stone age technology to figuring out advanced metallurgy. The Yrrani quickly realized that there was potential in the intelligence of the Lokoid race. Some Yrrani xenoanthropologists speculated that the Lokoid were younger than the Yrrani when they first figured out steelcrafts.
However, the Yrrani were once again quickly disappointed to learn that the Lokoid advancement wasn't for the overall benefit or comfort of the Lokoid's people, in fact they seemed to put no effort towards comfort at all and only really cared about hygiene and advancements in medicine. The Lokoid were extremely utilitarian and the reason was because all their effort was geared towards making war. Once again, the more peaceful Yrrani of this period largely wrote off the Lokoid and kept an eye on them to make sure they wouldn't grow out of control. However, in the next century, the Yrrani found themselves in a lot of conflict and the peaceful regimes of the past have all but vanished. The new Yrrani found themselves remembering the Lokoid and their potential as stalwart warriors and within them hatched the idea of turning them into willing auxiliaries.
The Yrrani returned to Lokus-III and found that the Lokoid had changed drastically since they were last observed. The planet itself seems to have seen conflict of immense magnitude, what was once a lush planet was now only dotted with small patches of crimson, the color of their most abundant flora. What was more surprising was the fact that the Lokoid themselves had conglomerated into only one identity, the Heirarchy they called themselves. A civilization that just one century ago was only figuring out steelcrafts had now blossomed into its hyperindustrial age as a supernation on their own planet. What was more surprising was their nearby moons, of which there were three, had all shown signs of exploration. The Lokoid had taken their first steps in exploring space. Seeing this worried the Yrrani, but they didn't need to fret as the Lokoid still retained their fierce warrior culture despite their new disposition. That aggression, that drive, had just simply been channeled into something else.
The leading theory on what had happened to the Lokoid was that in the century the Yrrani had left them, they had undergone significant societal, technological, and military advancements. From the marks of major conflict on their planet, it seems that there were several nations that vied for control of Lokus-III. A battle for the planet ensued and for one reason or another, one faction completely dominated and either subjugated or exterminated the rest. From then on their growth was exponential, reaching heights of technological advancements that other races in the galaxy struggled to even get to in their first few centuries of existence. This suited the Yrrani's goals well, it meant that the Lokoid were fast learners and they would use that to channel their aggression towards the Yrrani's enemies.
THE YRRANI'S "UPLIFTING" MISSION
First contact with the Yrrani was met with aggression, like a foot stepping into an ant nest. The Yrrani, knowing that the Lokoid had no real means of fighting back in any significant way and only understood strength, demonstrated it by glassing their biggest city. Seeing the power of the Yrrani first hand and knowing that they couldn't do anything about the Lokoid had to submit to the superior power. They vowed that the Yrrani would one day pay for humiliating their proud race.
The Yrrani wasted no time in enforcing laws that dictated that the most able-bodied Lokoid warriors were to be trained post haste. The Yrrani gave them weapons technology that they believed only they could create. But they had underestimated the Lokoid mind, they were geniuses at figuring out complex and intricate problems. They viewed Yrrani technology as a challenge to be cracked. The Yrrani themselves also had instances of autonomous AI that the Lokoid had started to admire. The combination of Yrrani technology and raw Lokoid warrior instinct, made the Lokoid Auxiliaries one of the best soldiers in the galaxy and at times better warriors than mainline Yrrani fighters. They were used to subjugate and hold colonial planets in the Yrrani empire and were more professional than their Yrrani counterparts.
Lokoid tactics and strategies were complex and multifaceted, often comprising of several staging operations. The Yrrani recognized their cunning and kept a close eye on their Auxiliaries. However, after years of loyal service and the Lokoid's best attempts at pleasantries, they were gifted hundreds of worlds. The Lokoid had negotiated for it as they said, "More worlds, more Lokoid, more Lokoid, more soldiers, more soldiers, less Yrrani death." The Yrrani, confident that they could crush the Lokoid at any moment and confident in the security of their technology that prevented the Lokoid from turning their weapons against their masters, they allowed them more and more leeway. This is what the Lokoid wanted, to lull the false gods into a false sense of security. Every world they conquered, they studied the technology of the other races; Every peice of Yrrani technology, they studied its form, its function, its effects; Every piece of information, they meticulously tore apart and brought back together.
The Lokoid constructed themselves in secret, hundreds of foundries, fabricators, and ships deep underground their planetary strongholds. They figured out the technology to finally fight back, but the Empire was still too strong. They needed to bide their time and so they did the Yrrani's dirty work up until the Yrrani's civil war.
THE PRICE OF HUBRIS
When the Empire fell into a civil war, both sides turned to the Lokoid to bolster their forces among many others. However, they made a fatal mistake. The Lokoid had prepared for this moment, their forces spread across many Yrrani worlds, their foundries creating hundreds of autonomous weapons of war, hundreds of their warships rising form the hundreds of gifted worlds. The Lokoid had found their opportunity, and they used it.
All across the Empire where the Lokoid were present, the Auxiliaries turned on their Yrrani masters by using weapons that they had created, weapons that had no technology to prevent them from working against the Yrrani. They distributed these weapons to the locals who had been persecuted for too long. Lokoid numbers and the weapons that they fielded cut down the Yrrani in short order. The fleets of Lokoid ships seemed endless as the Yrrani cut down one, only to find another mass of ships appearing out of nowhere. Fleet after fleet, battalion after battalion. The Yrrani on both sides struggled to keep a hold of their systems as they had to fight intense battles everywhere else. Some worlds never received reinforcements, others had to abandon their posts at the sight of five battlegroups.
One century of war. One century of hunting and exterminating Yrrani forces. One century of growing the Lokoid Hierarchy's forces. The Yrrani called who had once called them, "The Terror" for they fell upon their enemies like a tidal wave, now experienced them first hand. It didn't matter whether they could stave off one attack, there was always another. Eventually, the last Yrrani remnants and their allies were wiped away by the endless tide of the Lokoid. The Lokoid then turned to those they had helped free, they understood that a service rendered was a service paid fairly. They left the former Yrrani colonies to themselves, they had wanted freedom most of all and fought for it alongside the Lokoid. It was a business transaction for the Lokoid, one that they could easily make up for later. However, on other worlds where the primary residences were the Yrrani, they claimed those worlds and turned them into Agri-worlds, Factory worlds, Mining worlds, Hab-worlds, and the like. They understood that they needed to reorganize and reorient themselves to sustain a now interstellar nation.
THE RECLAMATION WARS
The Lokoid reorganized and it was a rough few hundred years, but the Lokoid stabilized. They began rubbing elbows with many other races. They were coming to be known as a reliable manufacturer of cheap quality goods and provider of cheap quality labor. However, they were not always welcomed, whether it be their past as auxiliaries for the Yrrani or their alien culture, they met with many mixed reactions.
One of the most violent encounters that they had before the Reclamation wars were with the Augustans. An Empire that the Lokoid now viewed as unreliable business partners. There were many small incidents that led to this and no one really knows what started it. But the leading theory is that it all started with an Augustan noble failing to pay the Lokoid for their services. In response, the Lokoid Banking Union and Trade Commission sent a fleet to repossess their goods or take it back by force. They had hoped the Augustans would see reason after being threatened with escalation. However, the Lokoid were infuriated to learn that other Augustan nobles and members of their military showed up to meet them. The Augustans had the gall to tell the Lokoid that they had lied about not being fairly paid and were now here to extort Augustan nobility.
This confrontation escalated into small border skirmishes that would eventually come to a head in the Reclamation wars. The Reclamation Wars saw many nations and races battle for Tar Yrra. The Lokoid encountered new enemies such as the living trees that called themselves the Mu and old friends such as the Supremites who they assisted during the Yrrani civil war and many more.
The worst of the conflict happened on the Scorched Line. The Scorched Line are a line of star systems that were fiercely contested between the Augustans and the Lokoid. Both sides saw heavy losses and contrary to usual Lokoid doctrine, they had committed considerable resources in contesting these systems against the Augustans because of personal grievances, total loss and profit were not accounted for in the Scorched Line battles and saw the Lokoid deploying their most dangerous weapons of war against the Augustans. In the end, when the 4th Reclamation War ended in an armistice called by the Idkarian Dominion establishing what would come to be known as the interstellar league of nations, the Scorched Line became a demilitarized zone between the Augustans and the Lokoid through this armistice.
Now the Lokoid along with other nations have created a defense force and sent their own independent civilian researchers to study Tar Yrra in accordance to the provisions provided by the Armistice.
MILITARY
The Lokoid military uses a number of automated units for their ground and naval use. Because of their massive industrial resources, this often means that they can output a large fleet in a matter of days and with the Lokoid birth rate, it is entirely possible to staff new positions quickly with competent Lokoid commanders.
The Lokoid also field manned units and Lokoid infantry for special deployment or even as command elements. These are usually the best of the best in terms of what the military could offer.
The Lokoid military doctrine is a balance between large numbers and adequate quality. They strike heavily at a target to either degrade it or engage in a battle of attrition with self-sufficient mobile factories.
The navy’s job is to combat other opposing navies and provide orbital and aerial support for all combat units. Some special ships like the Annihilator Class Super Dreadnought or the Heirarch Class Battle-Carrier are also considered factory units and can be (but aren’t always) outfitted with modules that allow for taking in scrap, melting it down, and turning it into new fighting units.
Annihilator Class Super Dreadnought
Lancer Class Battleship
Hive Class Super Carrier
Heirarch Class Battle-Carrier
Executor Class Battleship
Mauler Class Cruiser
Brawler Class Cruiser
Antennae Class Destroyer
Instigator Class Destroyer
Hailfire Class Destroyer
Stinger Class Destroyer
Dagger Class Destroyer
Lokoid Multi-Role Buzzer Fighter (Manned)
Lokoid Swarm Interceptor (Unmanned)
Heavy Assault Dropship (Unmanned)
Atmospheric Troop Gunship (Manned)
Ravager Assault Gunship (Unmanned)
Atmospheric Bombardier (Manned)
Annihilator Class Super Dreadnought
Lancer Class Battleship
Hive Class Super Carrier
Heirarch Class Battle-Carrier
Executor Class Battleship
Mauler Class Cruiser
Brawler Class Cruiser
Antennae Class Destroyer
Instigator Class Destroyer
Hailfire Class Destroyer
Stinger Class Destroyer
Dagger Class Destroyer
Lokoid Multi-Role Buzzer Fighter (Manned)
Lokoid Swarm Interceptor (Unmanned)
Heavy Assault Dropship (Unmanned)
Atmospheric Troop Gunship (Manned)
Ravager Assault Gunship (Unmanned)
Atmospheric Bombardier (Manned)
The army’s job is to conduct ground operations. They are the regulars that fight on the ground. Super heavy units like the Assault and Foundry walkers are meant for high profile ground engagements and are usually only deployed when orbital and aerial superiority is established. The Foundry walker in particular is meant to be a mobile factory that can deploy whole divisions of fully functioning automated units in a few hours. The army, however, is made up of variants of the Multipurpose Modular Automata series of droids, abbreviated as MMA with a mark number denoting series and other series of robotics coupled with only a few manned vehicles.
M.M.A. Mk.1 Standard
M.M.A. Mk.3 Standard
M.M.A. Mk.3 Fire Support
M.M.A. Mk.3 Anti-tank and Anti-Air
M.M.A. Mk.3 High-Mobility
M.M.A. Mk.3 Melee
Pelter Mobile Defense Sentry (P.M.D.S.)
Pummeler Heavy Mobile Sentry (P.H.M.S.)
Saboteur Drone Series 40 (SDS-40) Ripper (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Saboteur Drone Series 10 (SDS-10) Ticker (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Saboteur Drone Series 15 (SDS-15) Swatter (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Whisper Drone Series 10 (WDS-10) Watcher
Artillery Support Crawler (A.S.C.)
Anti-Personnel Assault Crawler (A.P.-A.C.)
Anti-Tank Assault Crawler (A.T.-A.C.)
Light Armored Stinger Tank
Assault Crawler Multiple Launch Missile System (Hits both Aerial and Ground Targets)
Heavy Assault Walker
Planetary Assault Walker
Planetary Foundry Walker
Lokoid Heavy Logistics Carrier (Manned)
Lokoid Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Manned)
M.M.A. Mk.1 Standard
M.M.A. Mk.3 Standard
M.M.A. Mk.3 Fire Support
M.M.A. Mk.3 Anti-tank and Anti-Air
M.M.A. Mk.3 High-Mobility
M.M.A. Mk.3 Melee
Pelter Mobile Defense Sentry (P.M.D.S.)
Pummeler Heavy Mobile Sentry (P.H.M.S.)
Saboteur Drone Series 40 (SDS-40) Ripper (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Saboteur Drone Series 10 (SDS-10) Ticker (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Saboteur Drone Series 15 (SDS-15) Swatter (Deployable in swarms via air bomb, orbital, or artillery)
Whisper Drone Series 10 (WDS-10) Watcher
Artillery Support Crawler (A.S.C.)
Anti-Personnel Assault Crawler (A.P.-A.C.)
Anti-Tank Assault Crawler (A.T.-A.C.)
Light Armored Stinger Tank
Assault Crawler Multiple Launch Missile System (Hits both Aerial and Ground Targets)
Heavy Assault Walker
Planetary Assault Walker
Planetary Foundry Walker
Lokoid Heavy Logistics Carrier (Manned)
Lokoid Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle (Manned)
Commando units, the only section of the army that heavily relies on well trained organics. They’re given the special task of being deployed behind enemy lines and causing havoc. They’re deployment is usually preluded with drops of Saboteur Drone Series units or Whisper Drone Series scouts depending on the mission type.
Lokoid Commando Unit
M.M.A. Mk.2 Terminator Commandos
M.M.A. Mk.4 Infitrators
Lokoid Commando Unit
M.M.A. Mk.2 Terminator Commandos
M.M.A. Mk.4 Infitrators
The hunters are a unique and highly specialized mechanized component of the hierarchy and are primarily trained for high risk, high value, deployments often alongside commando units. The hunters use a four legged arachnoid mech that bares the designation “Strider”. The current model of strider is the S-80 and its variations separated into “types”.
The S-80 features multi-directional rolling balls on each leg to facilitate smooth, fast movement on even ground and can transition to fast actuating legs for agile navigation of rough terrain. Alongside this, they have two high velocity wire anchors to overcome verticality and increase mobility in different situations. The fastest recorded time within an S-80 is a little over 150 kilometers per hour and it can attain this speed in any direction. However, it is noted that in simulations the machines were capable of much higher speeds however, practical combat, and terrain navigation trials saw the record speed as the highest practically possible.
They are also able to drive themselves into the ground using piledrivers located on each leg to act as mobile, fast paced, artillery. These pile drivers can also act as secondary or tertiary melee weapons against armored targets such as tanks or opposing mechs.
S-10 Experimental (1st Generation Strider)
S-50S Supply Strider
Armament: 16x smoke and chaff
Houses equipment that facilitates the reloading of S-80 Striders. Chassis based on 5th generation strider.
S-80 General Type
Armament: Standard length 120mm autoloaded smoothbore, 2x high-frequency blade sub arms, quad smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Sniper Type
Armament: Long 120mm autoloaded high velocity smoothbore, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Missile Type
Armament: 2x missile pods with ten missiles each, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Support Type
Armament: 40mm auto-cannon with programmable ammo, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
It should be noted that these are the factory standard and hunter units are encouraged to customize their striders to better fit their operational needs. Most hunter units are deployed in squadrons to maximize their tactical flexibility. The auto-loaded smoothbores can also switch between APFSDS, HEAT, and HESH as the auto-loader can switch magazines. However, a strider can only typically carry three magazines at a time and most squadrons opt to have two magazines of APFSDS and one magazine of HEAT as HEAT can deal with most lightly armored targets and have enough explosive potential to knock out light fortifications.
Other shell types are available depending on deployment with some specially selected divisions testing out the highly experimental HEPT-EX or High Explosive Plasma Type Experimental. A shell that encases the components needed for a plasmatic reaction generating excessive amounts of heat upon impact rendering most buildings, vehicles, and equipment unusable. However, the highly volatile nature of the warhead has produced less than stellar results so far.
The S-80 features multi-directional rolling balls on each leg to facilitate smooth, fast movement on even ground and can transition to fast actuating legs for agile navigation of rough terrain. Alongside this, they have two high velocity wire anchors to overcome verticality and increase mobility in different situations. The fastest recorded time within an S-80 is a little over 150 kilometers per hour and it can attain this speed in any direction. However, it is noted that in simulations the machines were capable of much higher speeds however, practical combat, and terrain navigation trials saw the record speed as the highest practically possible.
They are also able to drive themselves into the ground using piledrivers located on each leg to act as mobile, fast paced, artillery. These pile drivers can also act as secondary or tertiary melee weapons against armored targets such as tanks or opposing mechs.
S-10 Experimental (1st Generation Strider)
S-50S Supply Strider
Armament: 16x smoke and chaff
Houses equipment that facilitates the reloading of S-80 Striders. Chassis based on 5th generation strider.
S-80 General Type
Armament: Standard length 120mm autoloaded smoothbore, 2x high-frequency blade sub arms, quad smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Sniper Type
Armament: Long 120mm autoloaded high velocity smoothbore, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Missile Type
Armament: 2x missile pods with ten missiles each, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
S-80 Support Type
Armament: 40mm auto-cannon with programmable ammo, 2x 50 caliber machine-gun sub arms, 4x smoke and chaff dispensers, 2x wire anchors, and 4x piledrivers
It should be noted that these are the factory standard and hunter units are encouraged to customize their striders to better fit their operational needs. Most hunter units are deployed in squadrons to maximize their tactical flexibility. The auto-loaded smoothbores can also switch between APFSDS, HEAT, and HESH as the auto-loader can switch magazines. However, a strider can only typically carry three magazines at a time and most squadrons opt to have two magazines of APFSDS and one magazine of HEAT as HEAT can deal with most lightly armored targets and have enough explosive potential to knock out light fortifications.
Other shell types are available depending on deployment with some specially selected divisions testing out the highly experimental HEPT-EX or High Explosive Plasma Type Experimental. A shell that encases the components needed for a plasmatic reaction generating excessive amounts of heat upon impact rendering most buildings, vehicles, and equipment unusable. However, the highly volatile nature of the warhead has produced less than stellar results so far.
