Journals (13)
Newest
CRP: Harnak-Muzilak Coalition (WIP)
27 min read
The Korps and Expeditionary Forces
Rifle Korps
The standard Harnak infantryman wears the trademark grey stormcloak over a hardened battleplate of plasteel reactive battle plate. Worked into the plates lower sections are looms of heavy chainmail created of a psychic neutralizing material known as Meridian. To protect the infantrymen from the weather conditions, each soldier is equipped with leather vestments which protect the soldiers arms, legs, and upper torso. A classically designed Stahlhelm with an enclosed leather mask and glare goggles protects the soldiers face from shrapnel and glancing hits from small arms fire. To increase the troops survivability, each soldier is given a small displacer shield generator located on the rear of the troopers carapace near the lower spine. The displacer field known as a Phase Field Generator generates waves of energy sapping sonic frequencies which slow down incoming projectiles to reduce damage taken. The shields have no effect against radiation, explosions, fire or chemical based weaponry. Wielding the trademark Mkb VII Assault Carbine, the trooper is capable of laying down devastating volleys of fire. To bulk up the offensive power, each carbine is retrofitted with an underslung shotgun, flamethrower, or grenade launcher mount fed by a nanorobotic magazine. Majority of the Mkb VIIs’ have modified spectrum scopes, extended magazines, elongated or shortened barrels, and/or custom grips to enhance the users lethality.
Sniper Korps
Soldiers of the Harnak Korps showing outstanding skill in the fields of marksmanship are sent to the Rangers detachment located in the Malicorn Asteroid Belt, roughly 200,000 miles away from the home planet Meridia in a hostile environment of conflicting gravity wells and constantly mutating environs. The chaotic environment of the Malicorn Belt makes it home for the Rangers Korps and advanced Harnak Naval Squadrons as both the proving grounds for new recruits and prototype vessels/weapons. Recruits of the Ranger Korps wear pure white feather plumes on their helmets to mark their advanced training and higher experience whereas the veterans and higher serving Rangers have a pure red or golden plume for their helmets. In addition to the standard armaments of the infantryman, Rangers carry a more powerful version of the Mkb Carbine known as the Mk III which uses customized hyper-sonic rounds pre-fabricated in the magazine by the nanorobotic ammunition blocks to better counter the targets shielding and/or armor.
Pioneer Korps
Engineers and Mechanics of the Harnak Mercenaries are trained through countless centuries of ancient lore and schematics dating back to Industrial Revolution of Terra. Using bio-tech and nano-biotic computation modules implanted into their brains, Pioneers are able to use hundreds of robotic tendrils that are integrated into their bodies to attend to several tasks at the same time. The increased processing power of their augmented brains allows them to rapidly access damage and being repairs where needed in addition to being able to fight and repair at the same time. Several Pioneers have further augmented their bodies with machine replacements such as servo-arms, full robotic limb/organ replacements, or even full bodily replacements. Typically, the more replacements or augmentations the person goes through, the more senior their ranking. Pioneers are typically not frontline combat units, instead supporting their brothers and sisters in arms from afar. However, specialized combat units consisting of heavily modified Pioneers are used for special operation. These units typically wield heavy weapon mounts and shields as they become walking juggernauts of flesh and steel. Nicknamed the Cerberus Assault Squad, these units are rare and ferocious as they are known for berserking when they become immersed in the bloodshed.
Harnak Marine Korps
Well disciplined naval soldiers who are trained in void warfare boarding actions and specialized close quarters fighting. These men and women wield heavy boarding shields which are outfitted with a specialized barrier shield that can absorb and/or deflect incoming fire allowing the user to easily advance on enemy positions to unload their heavily augmented weapons. As they are prepared for void warfare, each unit wears a large mechanized environment suit capable of sustaining the wearer for up to eight hours in the void and comes with an all encompassing barrier shield for additional protection. Made of several composite layers of plasteel and titanium alloys, the suit can withstand astonishing amounts of fire before breaching. In addition to the heavy armor and shields, the suit has built in weapon mounts located on the shoulders and arms. The shoulder mounts are designed to carry Hunter-Killer rocket launchers, grapple hooks, plasma or fusion beamers, and even heavy laser focusing arrays. The smaller, limb mounted armaments house built in flamers, repeating gatling cannons, and even flechette launchers. Weighing roughly half a ton, these walking tanks are designed to be the first and only line of defense and offense for the Naval forces of the Harnaks.
Technologies of the Harnak/Muzilak Korps
Nano Mite Ammunition
The most standard technology seen in everyday use by the fighting infantry are the nanorobotic ammunition blocks they carry. Made of millions of condensed nanobots, each block, roughly 40 lbs in weight and the size of a small notebook is capable of pre-forming several different ammunition types at a neural signal from the soldier. The most common ammunition templates are solid shots of varying calibres and properties, low grade flamer fuel, high density fusion beams, low and high grade rockets, scatter and solid shot, low and high grade grenades of varying properties, and temporary IEDs.
Phase Field and Plasma/Plasmic Generators
The most commonly utilized device on both ground vehicles and infantry are the phase field generators. A varyingly sized sonic emitter, the phase field uses power generated by a small fusion power source located on either the infantry's back harness or the vehicles central engine drive. The device is capable of slowing down most solid projectiles but is relatively redundant versus high energy weapons or radiation waves such as Plasma or Laser based weaponry.
Plasma generators utilize high sources of energy to create an invisible screen of energy around the vehicle or vessel at a pre-designed distance. As the shield is all encompassing and held in place by several hundred to even several thousand generator pylons, the shield is impervious to penetration as all incoming projectiles and energy waves are distributed throughout its form and absorbed or burned off. However, it has one major flaw. The shield is unable to allow weapons to be fired through its surface which means that the shield will be temporarily disabled in the localized projections of the weapon emplacements. Well timed or lucky broadsides can potentially penetrate the downed sections during the firing phase completely negating any defensive mechanisms the vessel uses and striking against the armored plating underneath.
Plasmic generators are small scale plasma generators designed for infantry use. Emitting an extremely focused shield around a small area, an infantry with a plasmic generator can deploy an impenetrable shield for a few seconds on an energy cell or even a few minutes off a larger power source to protect squad mates or important materials at a moments notice. While the shield is activated, the unit(s) within the affected area cannot fire outside as the shield is entirely solidified in its directional absorption. Sonic weaponry and other EM weapons can ignore the shield and even counteract the effects as the shield is designed to stop only projectile based weaponry and shrapnel, not so much against concussive force.
Displacer Fields
The most common infantry portable shield generator, the displacer field only activates when the wearers interface detects a projectile coming at a certain velocity pre-set by the wearer and will teleport them in a 200 degree reverse arc roughly ten to twenty meters away. This does end up having the inverse effect of causing troopers to be sent into walls or chasms and is mostly only used in open combat areas and buildings. The system is smart enough to recognized solid objects and is reliable not to teleport you into a solid object or a biological hazard. With that said, Harnak soldiers have a great mistrust to using the shield in cramped confines as some have had the unfortunate experience of being teleported into the middle of an enemy squad.
Trans-Slip Space Warp Drives
The first trans-slip warp drive was created from the TIberius MVID FTL Engine which was almost three times the size of the Karrion SSWD used on most of the Coalition vessels. Designed out of a 80000 square foot containment chamber of varying metals and alloys, mostly Iridium Carbon alloys, the containment chamber houses a massive three prong fusion generator built into the central rear of the space vessel into anywhere from one to six engine cores per drive. Each prong or “generator” is self contained in its own gravity field and is fitted to an automatic vent control system in case of a containment breach or emergency drive dump to drastically reduce the chance of the vessel being destroyed from a critical engine. Using plasmic energy fields generated by the drives, the warp core can create a chemical reaction capable of giving the vessel sublight speed or switch to the ethereal vane which envelops the vessel and a small area around it within a holo time sphere which will “warp” the affected area to a different time and space. Scientists are still investigating if the Karrion SSWD allows for time travel or trans-dimensional travel as those who have been exposed for long periods of time tend to experience memory lapses where there were none before or have slightly different memories.
Iridium Carbon Ballistic Plating
The most common heavy armor alloy used by the Coalition, the Iridium Carbon alloy is an artificial composite of rare metalloids that when conjoined, are almost three times harder than Adamantine, one of the strongest known metals in the galaxy. Typically used on mechanized walkers, aircraft, space vessels, and heavy armor, the ICBP is a twelve layer composite reactive armor plating made of alternating layers of the alloy and a special heat resistant man made organic material known as nanoweave composite armor. Larger vehicles and vessels can have even more layers or even several different armor shells to increase its survivability in combat in addition to shield inlays to allow electrical currents flow through. Though exploitable by short range EMPs, the armor is typically able to nullify outside electrical currents through use of dampers located on the back of each armoured panel.
Admantium Ballistic Plating
A naturally occurring heavy metal, adamantine or admantium is a heavy element found deep in seismically active planets and geographic locations. Typically used as a heat resistant component, it can be strengthened through additional alloys and composites to create an extremely resistance armor plate. Retrofitted into infantry armor plating and vehicles, Admantium plating is the most common heavy armor reinforcement available and is prized for being both heat and electrical current resistant making it great for sensitive electronics and systems.
Plasteel Ballistic Plating
The most generic armor plating used by the Coalition, Plasteel is a manufactured composite alloy used in infantry and vehicle armor. Naturally resistant to heavy kinetic forces, heat tolerant, and easily shapeable and magnetically conductive making it one of the best templates for technicians and shield based armors. Due to the fact plasteel is easy to mass produce and is relatively flexible in design, it has multiple variants and uses. The most common defensive use is for body armor and entrenchment reinforcement though it can be added on as additional armor plating for light vehicles, skimmers, and aircraft.
Nanoweave Textiles
Created from massive collections of microscopic kevlar threads, nano weave textiles are naturally kinetic resistant and flame retardant making them good fillers for layered armors in addition to making good cloth based armor. Adopted from battles with EU and UN coalition forces in the early 23rd and 24th century, Nanoweave textiles have become a continued staple through the centuries as a cheap fallback for body armor.
A common sight amongst the armored and light infantry brigades of the Harnak Mercenaries, the Recon Korps, also known as the Jaegerkorps are the scouting eyes and ears of the military. Utilizing integrated jet-packs built into their carapace armor, the Jaegerkorps are able to quickly transgress the battlefield before the enemy even knows they are there. To improve their infiltration chances, each carapace suit, nicknamed the Cyclone Stealth Suit MK II is built in with cameoline sensors across the entire surface, allowing the user to mimic its surroundings. The cameoline system is extremely delicate and prone to overheating so is best used earlier on when the power supply is strongest. A counterpart to the cameoline stealth system is the holo-screen projector unit which is built into the torso carapace of the Cyclone MK II. Capable of producing a five by seven meters image, the holo screen projector can temporarily project an image over an area. This can be used in infiltration missions within buildings to confuse the enemy by projecting false walls or even time loops to buy time for the unit.
Harnak Jagdpanzer Korps
The standard armor regiment of the Harnak Mercenaries, the Jagdpanzer Korps is comprised of mostly light armor pieces and self propelled guns. An elite korps of heavy armor and super heavy battle tanks make up the cream of any heavy assault. The Jagdpanzer traces their roots to the original Wehrmacht and Waffen SS brigades. The most common armor pieces of the Jagdpanzer Korps are anti-grav armoured personnel carriers and scouting armor armed with high caliber autocannons and focusing laser mounts. One of the most iconic being the Challenger Scout Tank and Heinrich Medium SPG. Another element of the Jagdpanzer Korps are the ground based walkers and siege platforms used for advanced scouting missions and heavy anti-entrenchment warfare. Built out of experimental composite alloys and heavy shield generators, these armor pieces can roll into the midst of combat and survive horrendous amounts of damage in order to deploy their main weapons and lay waste to the aggressors.
Harnak Fallschirmjager Korps
Advanced scouting infantry known for their aerial insertions and teleportation assaults, the Fallschirmjager Korps are the phoenix creation of the Wehrmacht Fallschirmjager. Wearing composite carapace made of ballistic cloth and light metal alloys, they are fast moving and combine rapid assault drops with heavy rapid firepower to overwhelm the enemy. Most Fallschirmjager infantrymen use short range teleportation kits and/or anti-grav assault packs to quickly move about the battlefield. Carrying the trademark Mkb Assault Rifles, they can easily produce solutions to hostile equations with the nanomite ammunitions and plasmic power cells. Certain veteran units also enter combat with specialized displacer and/or plasmic shield generators to weather heavier opposition. However, the heavier defenses come at the cost of reduced maneuverability and the removal of teleporter devices and jetpacks as the increased power supply needed to power the shield generator introduces too much strain on the units weight capacity.
Harnak Intelligence Korps
The brains of the Harnak logistical operations, the Intelligence Korps also known as CICO (Central Intelligence and Command Operations) is primarily a non-combatant group. Typically placed behind the frontlines in secure positions, the CICO support local operations by providing logistical support, real time troop movements, and strategic aerial imaging. The CICO in dire situations can control local Muzilak military drones to protect themselves in addition to having generic weapons training. Most Harnak mercenary personnel look down at the CICO personnel for lacking frontline combat experience and for being generally annoyingly pleasant on the help hotlines.
Technologies of the Harnak/Muzilak Korps
Nano Mite Ammunition
The most standard technology seen in everyday use by the fighting infantry are the nanorobotic ammunition blocks they carry. Made of millions of condensed nanobots, each block, roughly 40 lbs in weight and the size of a small notebook is capable of pre-forming several different ammunition types at a neural signal from the soldier. The most common ammunition templates are solid shots of varying calibres and properties, low grade flamer fuel, high density fusion beams, low and high grade rockets, scatter and solid shot, low and high grade grenades of varying properties, and temporary IEDs.
Phase Field and Plasma/Plasmic Generators
The most commonly utilized device on both ground vehicles and infantry are the phase field generators. A varyingly sized sonic emitter, the phase field uses power generated by a small fusion power source located on either the infantry's back harness or the vehicles central engine drive. The device is capable of slowing down most solid projectiles but is relatively redundant versus high energy weapons or radiation waves such as Plasma or Laser based weaponry.
Plasma generators utilize high sources of energy to create an invisible screen of energy around the vehicle or vessel at a pre-designed distance. As the shield is all encompassing and held in place by several hundred to even several thousand generator pylons, the shield is impervious to penetration as all incoming projectiles and energy waves are distributed throughout its form and absorbed or burned off. However, it has one major flaw. The shield is unable to allow weapons to be fired through its surface which means that the shield will be temporarily disabled in the localized projections of the weapon emplacements. Well timed or lucky broadsides can potentially penetrate the downed sections during the firing phase completely negating any defensive mechanisms the vessel uses and striking against the armored plating underneath.
Plasmic generators are small scale plasma generators designed for infantry use. Emitting an extremely focused shield around a small area, an infantry with a plasmic generator can deploy an impenetrable shield for a few seconds on an energy cell or even a few minutes off a larger power source to protect squad mates or important materials at a moments notice. While the shield is activated, the unit(s) within the affected area cannot fire outside as the shield is entirely solidified in its directional absorption. Sonic weaponry and other EM weapons can ignore the shield and even counteract the effects as the shield is designed to stop only projectile based weaponry and shrapnel, not so much against concussive force.
Displacer Fields
The most common infantry portable shield generator, the displacer field only activates when the wearers interface detects a projectile coming at a certain velocity pre-set by the wearer and will teleport them in a 200 degree reverse arc roughly ten to twenty meters away. This does end up having the inverse effect of causing troopers to be sent into walls or chasms and is mostly only used in open combat areas and buildings. The system is smart enough to recognized solid objects and is reliable not to teleport you into a solid object or a biological hazard. With that said, Harnak soldiers have a great mistrust to using the shield in cramped confines as some have had the unfortunate experience of being teleported into the middle of an enemy squad.
Trans-Slip Space Warp Drives
The first trans-slip warp drive was created from the TIberius MVID FTL Engine which was almost three times the size of the Karrion SSWD used on most of the Coalition vessels. Designed out of a 80000 square foot containment chamber of varying metals and alloys, mostly Iridium Carbon alloys, the containment chamber houses a massive three prong fusion generator built into the central rear of the space vessel into anywhere from one to six engine cores per drive. Each prong or “generator” is self contained in its own gravity field and is fitted to an automatic vent control system in case of a containment breach or emergency drive dump to drastically reduce the chance of the vessel being destroyed from a critical engine. Using plasmic energy fields generated by the drives, the warp core can create a chemical reaction capable of giving the vessel sublight speed or switch to the ethereal vane which envelops the vessel and a small area around it within a holo time sphere which will “warp” the affected area to a different time and space. Scientists are still investigating if the Karrion SSWD allows for time travel or trans-dimensional travel as those who have been exposed for long periods of time tend to experience memory lapses where there were none before or have slightly different memories.
Iridium Carbon Ballistic Plating
The most common heavy armor alloy used by the Coalition, the Iridium Carbon alloy is an artificial composite of rare metalloids that when conjoined, are almost three times harder than Adamantine, one of the strongest known metals in the galaxy. Typically used on mechanized walkers, aircraft, space vessels, and heavy armor, the ICBP is a twelve layer composite reactive armor plating made of alternating layers of the alloy and a special heat resistant man made organic material known as nanoweave composite armor. Larger vehicles and vessels can have even more layers or even several different armor shells to increase its survivability in combat in addition to shield inlays to allow electrical currents flow through. Though exploitable by short range EMPs, the armor is typically able to nullify outside electrical currents through use of dampers located on the back of each armoured panel.
Admantium Ballistic Plating
A naturally occurring heavy metal, adamantine or admantium is a heavy element found deep in seismically active planets and geographic locations. Typically used as a heat resistant component, it can be strengthened through additional alloys and composites to create an extremely resistance armor plate. Retrofitted into infantry armor plating and vehicles, Admantium plating is the most common heavy armor reinforcement available and is prized for being both heat and electrical current resistant making it great for sensitive electronics and systems.
Plasteel Ballistic Plating
The most generic armor plating used by the Coalition, Plasteel is a manufactured composite alloy used in infantry and vehicle armor. Naturally resistant to heavy kinetic forces, heat tolerant, and easily shapeable and magnetically conductive making it one of the best templates for technicians and shield based armors. Due to the fact plasteel is easy to mass produce and is relatively flexible in design, it has multiple variants and uses. The most common defensive use is for body armor and entrenchment reinforcement though it can be added on as additional armor plating for light vehicles, skimmers, and aircraft.
Nanoweave Textiles
Created from massive collections of microscopic kevlar threads, nano weave textiles are naturally kinetic resistant and flame retardant making them good fillers for layered armors in addition to making good cloth based armor. Adopted from battles with EU and UN coalition forces in the early 23rd and 24th century, Nanoweave textiles have become a continued staple through the centuries as a cheap fallback for body armor.
Vehicles and Weapons of the Harnak Korps (Unfinished)
Mkb Kinetic Pulse Rifles
Standard issue infantry firearms for majority of the Coalition ground forces. Reliable and typically smaller than other conventional firearms, the Kinetic Pulse Rifle is a staple for any army. Typically designed for recon and rapid assault forces, the Mkb KPR is designed out of a single nanoblock with curved frames to prevent snagging and reduce overall weight. It’s bullpup design reduces the overall length of the gun to between 28-35” on average in addition to being more form fitting to the user. Ammunition receivers typically take a single fusion energy cell built into the stock of the weapon and a sickle cell magazine of metal dense ammunition rods. Designed in the late 24th Century to go from traditional hard round to kinetically accelerated rods, the Mkb KPR is capable of piercing up to 20cm of heavy armor in addition to several lightly armoured targets and most building walls. Due to the guns design, it is unable to be heavily modified on the standard frame for underslung weapon attachments leading to several specialist versions being created. One of the more common specialist KPRs known as the “Dragonfly” has a triple barrel of a larger caliber allowing the weapon to act as a portable heavy weapon and anti-vehicle rifle for Fallschirmjager and Recon Korps personnel. Another trademark variant is the 40” long “Fatman” KPR which has a massive grenade tube designed into the weapons forward grip. Due to the fact it contains two barrels of different calibers, the weapon is slightly blockier than its brother compatriots and is sometimes classified as a non Bullpup KPR.
Mkb Nanorobotic Munitions Rifles
Heavier grade munition systems, the Mkb NMRs use solid blocks of nanite drones to formulate different ammunition types. Capable of forming solid shot, grenades, flamer fuel, plasma, and missiles, the nanorobotic munitions system is capable of becoming a support weapon for any unit. Typically fielded in lower quantities than other munitions systems due to the fact the ammunition is harder to come by and much more expensive than standard frontline troops. With that said, elite shock troops and paratrooper formations typically field larger quantities of these weapons as they remove the need for multiple weapon systems and ammunition can be shared amongst the entire unit. Each rifle weighs almost 50lbs and is designed in a long bore rifle shape with advanced targeting scopes capable of switching between short to long range at the push of a button. Each scope also has the capability to switch to infrared or thermal imaging. The nanorobotic ammunition blocks are 30lbs each and are the equivalent of five clips of standard ammunition/two energy cells/three missile racks/six bandoliers of grenades depending on ammunition type and properties. These rifles can also be remotely fired allowing soldiers to remotely position themselves to snipe at distant targets or combine multiple rifles to create an ambush when in lower numbers.
Mkb Laser Rifles
The Mkb Laser munitions system is standard issue for most defensive formations in addition to being a favourite for ground assault troops. Using focusing lenses built into the rifles barrel, the weapon is capable of amplifying the laser beam to almost 1600 degrees Celsius, more than capable of melting through reinforced carbon steel. Due to the high power of the weapons system, each rifle has an intricate array of cooling systems that bleed off the excess energy to prevent the barrel from warping with the stored energy being deposited into a thermal cell that is capable of recycling some of the power into additional energy for the weapons ammunition cells which use thermal energy cells and fusion energy cells. Lower grade laser systems are mass produced for generic infantrymen and fighting forces but are prone to lense misalignment if not properly maintained which can warp or destroy the barrel. Each weapon comes with two replacement barrels in case of heat warping or the destruction of the weapons built in cooling system which can allow a soldier to rapidly repair their weapon while in the frontlines.
RSPB (Radiation Spectrum Pulsar Beam) Rifles
A prototype weapons system produced by the Muzilak mining corporation for their Centurion warbots, the RSPB weapons system uses focused rays of gamma radiation or photon beams to disintegrate or melt the target. Due to the massive amount of energy and excess radiation produced by this weapon system, it is generally not used by biological infantry and instead remotely operated on defensive emplacements or robotic infantry. Another drawback to the weapon is the amount of energy required to power the main armament making it relatively impossible to field in an assault as the weapons energy stores are relatively low and require access to a large power grid or reactor to remain operational. However, when these weapons are fired, they are capable of piercing even the strongest of reactive armours and light or medium shield arrays.
Lugermorph Pistols
A traditionally German weapon derived from the original Luger, these weapons are issued to special forces and officers and is in many ways the same design and workings as the original Luger or Walther pistol. Redesigned to work with a variety of ammunition calibers and to also work as a machine or laser pistol, the Lugermorph weapons system is one of the most reliable and deadly handgun weapons system.
Hierarchy of the Harnak-Muzilak Coalition (Unfinished)
Political regimes in the Coalition are based off military officers from the Harnak Mercenaries and the Industrial Finance Committee of the Muzilak Mining Corporation. A small elite cadre from each side is selected to form the Coalition Governing Council which creates and enforces the laws, expansion policies, and everyday affairs of the Coalition within the secure Inner Core Worlds. The Outer Core Worlds are completely governed by military generals given the rank of Lord Governor-General who have command over a few planetary holdings in each sector. As part of their increased power and stature, each Governor pays a tithe to the Coalition of soldiers and resources that helps feed the ever growing war machine of the Coalition. In addition, the Governor is entirely responsible for any events that happen with his/her holdings and is expected to be able to deal with small scale invasions and rebellions without external assistance.
Coalition Governing Council
An elite cadre of Harnak military generals and Muzilak corporate leaders selected from the more powerful castes and factions to represent the entire Coalition. The Council is based on the Coalition capital of Meridia and is typically a group of 30-50 individuals
Coalition Warmaster
The highest military rank of the Harnak Mercenary Korps, the warmaster is an elected official from the Council who represents the embodied might of the Harnak military. These individuals lead the combined armies of the Harnak against distant foes to secure more land and resources. A warmaster holds the rank until either death, promotion, or court-martial.
Lord General Sub-Sector
A single high ranking military official of the Harnak Mercenaries who oversees the entire sectors military and economic needs. Reports directly to the Council and is supposedly elected to office every ten years. There is no current law against holding the office multiple times.
Governor General
A senior military official of the Harnak Mercenaries responsible for a few planetary holdings. Reports directly to the Lord General Sub-Sector. Has absolute power over all those under him/her and their word is law. Pays a tithe annually to the Coalition to support the Sub-Sector military defense force and to fund further operations. Successful Governor-Generals can be promoted to Lord General Sub-Sector or even Warmaster.
Field Marshal
One of the highest ranking military officers, the Field Marshal is the most common field commander capable of wielding political power within the Coalition. Normally placed in charge of strategic defensive arrays or contested holdings, the field marshal is a symbol of authority and commands respect through terror and military might.
Fabricator General
A Muzilak ranking given to industrial corporate leaders on the far fringes, a Fabricator General is given military powers to defend key industrial planets and holdings. A rarer sight amongst the commanding hierarchy, the Fabricator General is on par with a Field Marshal in all but name and typically calls upon an army of augmented soldiers known as Skitarii to defend their holdings.
General/Warden
A high ranking military officer who reports to either a Fabricator General or a Field Marshal upon the far fringe worlds. Generals of the Harnak Military are ambitious leaders who are purposely pitted against each other to outdo his/her subordinates in conquest leading to increased aggressiveness when on campaign. During peacetime or in well controlled areas, Harnak Generals typically take the rank of Warden and are responsible for a small collection of cities/towns on a core world planet. The more ambitious Generals are typically promoted to Field Marshal and possibly Governor General.
Rifle Korps
The standard Harnak infantryman wears the trademark grey stormcloak over a hardened battleplate of plasteel reactive battle plate. Worked into the plates lower sections are looms of heavy chainmail created of a psychic neutralizing material known as Meridian. To protect the infantrymen from the weather conditions, each soldier is equipped with leather vestments which protect the soldiers arms, legs, and upper torso. A classically designed Stahlhelm with an enclosed leather mask and glare goggles protects the soldiers face from shrapnel and glancing hits from small arms fire. To increase the troops survivability, each soldier is given a small displacer shield generator located on the rear of the troopers carapace near the lower spine. The displacer field known as a Phase Field Generator generates waves of energy sapping sonic frequencies which slow down incoming projectiles to reduce damage taken. The shields have no effect against radiation, explosions, fire or chemical based weaponry. Wielding the trademark Mkb VII Assault Carbine, the trooper is capable of laying down devastating volleys of fire. To bulk up the offensive power, each carbine is retrofitted with an underslung shotgun, flamethrower, or grenade launcher mount fed by a nanorobotic magazine. Majority of the Mkb VIIs’ have modified spectrum scopes, extended magazines, elongated or shortened barrels, and/or custom grips to enhance the users lethality.
Sniper Korps
Soldiers of the Harnak Korps showing outstanding skill in the fields of marksmanship are sent to the Rangers detachment located in the Malicorn Asteroid Belt, roughly 200,000 miles away from the home planet Meridia in a hostile environment of conflicting gravity wells and constantly mutating environs. The chaotic environment of the Malicorn Belt makes it home for the Rangers Korps and advanced Harnak Naval Squadrons as both the proving grounds for new recruits and prototype vessels/weapons. Recruits of the Ranger Korps wear pure white feather plumes on their helmets to mark their advanced training and higher experience whereas the veterans and higher serving Rangers have a pure red or golden plume for their helmets. In addition to the standard armaments of the infantryman, Rangers carry a more powerful version of the Mkb Carbine known as the Mk III which uses customized hyper-sonic rounds pre-fabricated in the magazine by the nanorobotic ammunition blocks to better counter the targets shielding and/or armor.
Pioneer Korps
Engineers and Mechanics of the Harnak Mercenaries are trained through countless centuries of ancient lore and schematics dating back to Industrial Revolution of Terra. Using bio-tech and nano-biotic computation modules implanted into their brains, Pioneers are able to use hundreds of robotic tendrils that are integrated into their bodies to attend to several tasks at the same time. The increased processing power of their augmented brains allows them to rapidly access damage and being repairs where needed in addition to being able to fight and repair at the same time. Several Pioneers have further augmented their bodies with machine replacements such as servo-arms, full robotic limb/organ replacements, or even full bodily replacements. Typically, the more replacements or augmentations the person goes through, the more senior their ranking. Pioneers are typically not frontline combat units, instead supporting their brothers and sisters in arms from afar. However, specialized combat units consisting of heavily modified Pioneers are used for special operation. These units typically wield heavy weapon mounts and shields as they become walking juggernauts of flesh and steel. Nicknamed the Cerberus Assault Squad, these units are rare and ferocious as they are known for berserking when they become immersed in the bloodshed.
Harnak Marine Korps
Well disciplined naval soldiers who are trained in void warfare boarding actions and specialized close quarters fighting. These men and women wield heavy boarding shields which are outfitted with a specialized barrier shield that can absorb and/or deflect incoming fire allowing the user to easily advance on enemy positions to unload their heavily augmented weapons. As they are prepared for void warfare, each unit wears a large mechanized environment suit capable of sustaining the wearer for up to eight hours in the void and comes with an all encompassing barrier shield for additional protection. Made of several composite layers of plasteel and titanium alloys, the suit can withstand astonishing amounts of fire before breaching. In addition to the heavy armor and shields, the suit has built in weapon mounts located on the shoulders and arms. The shoulder mounts are designed to carry Hunter-Killer rocket launchers, grapple hooks, plasma or fusion beamers, and even heavy laser focusing arrays. The smaller, limb mounted armaments house built in flamers, repeating gatling cannons, and even flechette launchers. Weighing roughly half a ton, these walking tanks are designed to be the first and only line of defense and offense for the Naval forces of the Harnaks.
Technologies of the Harnak/Muzilak Korps
Nano Mite Ammunition
The most standard technology seen in everyday use by the fighting infantry are the nanorobotic ammunition blocks they carry. Made of millions of condensed nanobots, each block, roughly 40 lbs in weight and the size of a small notebook is capable of pre-forming several different ammunition types at a neural signal from the soldier. The most common ammunition templates are solid shots of varying calibres and properties, low grade flamer fuel, high density fusion beams, low and high grade rockets, scatter and solid shot, low and high grade grenades of varying properties, and temporary IEDs.
Phase Field and Plasma/Plasmic Generators
The most commonly utilized device on both ground vehicles and infantry are the phase field generators. A varyingly sized sonic emitter, the phase field uses power generated by a small fusion power source located on either the infantry's back harness or the vehicles central engine drive. The device is capable of slowing down most solid projectiles but is relatively redundant versus high energy weapons or radiation waves such as Plasma or Laser based weaponry.
Plasma generators utilize high sources of energy to create an invisible screen of energy around the vehicle or vessel at a pre-designed distance. As the shield is all encompassing and held in place by several hundred to even several thousand generator pylons, the shield is impervious to penetration as all incoming projectiles and energy waves are distributed throughout its form and absorbed or burned off. However, it has one major flaw. The shield is unable to allow weapons to be fired through its surface which means that the shield will be temporarily disabled in the localized projections of the weapon emplacements. Well timed or lucky broadsides can potentially penetrate the downed sections during the firing phase completely negating any defensive mechanisms the vessel uses and striking against the armored plating underneath.
Plasmic generators are small scale plasma generators designed for infantry use. Emitting an extremely focused shield around a small area, an infantry with a plasmic generator can deploy an impenetrable shield for a few seconds on an energy cell or even a few minutes off a larger power source to protect squad mates or important materials at a moments notice. While the shield is activated, the unit(s) within the affected area cannot fire outside as the shield is entirely solidified in its directional absorption. Sonic weaponry and other EM weapons can ignore the shield and even counteract the effects as the shield is designed to stop only projectile based weaponry and shrapnel, not so much against concussive force.
Displacer Fields
The most common infantry portable shield generator, the displacer field only activates when the wearers interface detects a projectile coming at a certain velocity pre-set by the wearer and will teleport them in a 200 degree reverse arc roughly ten to twenty meters away. This does end up having the inverse effect of causing troopers to be sent into walls or chasms and is mostly only used in open combat areas and buildings. The system is smart enough to recognized solid objects and is reliable not to teleport you into a solid object or a biological hazard. With that said, Harnak soldiers have a great mistrust to using the shield in cramped confines as some have had the unfortunate experience of being teleported into the middle of an enemy squad.
Trans-Slip Space Warp Drives
The first trans-slip warp drive was created from the TIberius MVID FTL Engine which was almost three times the size of the Karrion SSWD used on most of the Coalition vessels. Designed out of a 80000 square foot containment chamber of varying metals and alloys, mostly Iridium Carbon alloys, the containment chamber houses a massive three prong fusion generator built into the central rear of the space vessel into anywhere from one to six engine cores per drive. Each prong or “generator” is self contained in its own gravity field and is fitted to an automatic vent control system in case of a containment breach or emergency drive dump to drastically reduce the chance of the vessel being destroyed from a critical engine. Using plasmic energy fields generated by the drives, the warp core can create a chemical reaction capable of giving the vessel sublight speed or switch to the ethereal vane which envelops the vessel and a small area around it within a holo time sphere which will “warp” the affected area to a different time and space. Scientists are still investigating if the Karrion SSWD allows for time travel or trans-dimensional travel as those who have been exposed for long periods of time tend to experience memory lapses where there were none before or have slightly different memories.
Iridium Carbon Ballistic Plating
The most common heavy armor alloy used by the Coalition, the Iridium Carbon alloy is an artificial composite of rare metalloids that when conjoined, are almost three times harder than Adamantine, one of the strongest known metals in the galaxy. Typically used on mechanized walkers, aircraft, space vessels, and heavy armor, the ICBP is a twelve layer composite reactive armor plating made of alternating layers of the alloy and a special heat resistant man made organic material known as nanoweave composite armor. Larger vehicles and vessels can have even more layers or even several different armor shells to increase its survivability in combat in addition to shield inlays to allow electrical currents flow through. Though exploitable by short range EMPs, the armor is typically able to nullify outside electrical currents through use of dampers located on the back of each armoured panel.
Admantium Ballistic Plating
A naturally occurring heavy metal, adamantine or admantium is a heavy element found deep in seismically active planets and geographic locations. Typically used as a heat resistant component, it can be strengthened through additional alloys and composites to create an extremely resistance armor plate. Retrofitted into infantry armor plating and vehicles, Admantium plating is the most common heavy armor reinforcement available and is prized for being both heat and electrical current resistant making it great for sensitive electronics and systems.
Plasteel Ballistic Plating
The most generic armor plating used by the Coalition, Plasteel is a manufactured composite alloy used in infantry and vehicle armor. Naturally resistant to heavy kinetic forces, heat tolerant, and easily shapeable and magnetically conductive making it one of the best templates for technicians and shield based armors. Due to the fact plasteel is easy to mass produce and is relatively flexible in design, it has multiple variants and uses. The most common defensive use is for body armor and entrenchment reinforcement though it can be added on as additional armor plating for light vehicles, skimmers, and aircraft.
Nanoweave Textiles
Created from massive collections of microscopic kevlar threads, nano weave textiles are naturally kinetic resistant and flame retardant making them good fillers for layered armors in addition to making good cloth based armor. Adopted from battles with EU and UN coalition forces in the early 23rd and 24th century, Nanoweave textiles have become a continued staple through the centuries as a cheap fallback for body armor.
A common sight amongst the armored and light infantry brigades of the Harnak Mercenaries, the Recon Korps, also known as the Jaegerkorps are the scouting eyes and ears of the military. Utilizing integrated jet-packs built into their carapace armor, the Jaegerkorps are able to quickly transgress the battlefield before the enemy even knows they are there. To improve their infiltration chances, each carapace suit, nicknamed the Cyclone Stealth Suit MK II is built in with cameoline sensors across the entire surface, allowing the user to mimic its surroundings. The cameoline system is extremely delicate and prone to overheating so is best used earlier on when the power supply is strongest. A counterpart to the cameoline stealth system is the holo-screen projector unit which is built into the torso carapace of the Cyclone MK II. Capable of producing a five by seven meters image, the holo screen projector can temporarily project an image over an area. This can be used in infiltration missions within buildings to confuse the enemy by projecting false walls or even time loops to buy time for the unit.
Harnak Jagdpanzer Korps
The standard armor regiment of the Harnak Mercenaries, the Jagdpanzer Korps is comprised of mostly light armor pieces and self propelled guns. An elite korps of heavy armor and super heavy battle tanks make up the cream of any heavy assault. The Jagdpanzer traces their roots to the original Wehrmacht and Waffen SS brigades. The most common armor pieces of the Jagdpanzer Korps are anti-grav armoured personnel carriers and scouting armor armed with high caliber autocannons and focusing laser mounts. One of the most iconic being the Challenger Scout Tank and Heinrich Medium SPG. Another element of the Jagdpanzer Korps are the ground based walkers and siege platforms used for advanced scouting missions and heavy anti-entrenchment warfare. Built out of experimental composite alloys and heavy shield generators, these armor pieces can roll into the midst of combat and survive horrendous amounts of damage in order to deploy their main weapons and lay waste to the aggressors.
Harnak Fallschirmjager Korps
Advanced scouting infantry known for their aerial insertions and teleportation assaults, the Fallschirmjager Korps are the phoenix creation of the Wehrmacht Fallschirmjager. Wearing composite carapace made of ballistic cloth and light metal alloys, they are fast moving and combine rapid assault drops with heavy rapid firepower to overwhelm the enemy. Most Fallschirmjager infantrymen use short range teleportation kits and/or anti-grav assault packs to quickly move about the battlefield. Carrying the trademark Mkb Assault Rifles, they can easily produce solutions to hostile equations with the nanomite ammunitions and plasmic power cells. Certain veteran units also enter combat with specialized displacer and/or plasmic shield generators to weather heavier opposition. However, the heavier defenses come at the cost of reduced maneuverability and the removal of teleporter devices and jetpacks as the increased power supply needed to power the shield generator introduces too much strain on the units weight capacity.
Harnak Intelligence Korps
The brains of the Harnak logistical operations, the Intelligence Korps also known as CICO (Central Intelligence and Command Operations) is primarily a non-combatant group. Typically placed behind the frontlines in secure positions, the CICO support local operations by providing logistical support, real time troop movements, and strategic aerial imaging. The CICO in dire situations can control local Muzilak military drones to protect themselves in addition to having generic weapons training. Most Harnak mercenary personnel look down at the CICO personnel for lacking frontline combat experience and for being generally annoyingly pleasant on the help hotlines.
Technologies of the Harnak/Muzilak Korps
Nano Mite Ammunition
The most standard technology seen in everyday use by the fighting infantry are the nanorobotic ammunition blocks they carry. Made of millions of condensed nanobots, each block, roughly 40 lbs in weight and the size of a small notebook is capable of pre-forming several different ammunition types at a neural signal from the soldier. The most common ammunition templates are solid shots of varying calibres and properties, low grade flamer fuel, high density fusion beams, low and high grade rockets, scatter and solid shot, low and high grade grenades of varying properties, and temporary IEDs.
Phase Field and Plasma/Plasmic Generators
The most commonly utilized device on both ground vehicles and infantry are the phase field generators. A varyingly sized sonic emitter, the phase field uses power generated by a small fusion power source located on either the infantry's back harness or the vehicles central engine drive. The device is capable of slowing down most solid projectiles but is relatively redundant versus high energy weapons or radiation waves such as Plasma or Laser based weaponry.
Plasma generators utilize high sources of energy to create an invisible screen of energy around the vehicle or vessel at a pre-designed distance. As the shield is all encompassing and held in place by several hundred to even several thousand generator pylons, the shield is impervious to penetration as all incoming projectiles and energy waves are distributed throughout its form and absorbed or burned off. However, it has one major flaw. The shield is unable to allow weapons to be fired through its surface which means that the shield will be temporarily disabled in the localized projections of the weapon emplacements. Well timed or lucky broadsides can potentially penetrate the downed sections during the firing phase completely negating any defensive mechanisms the vessel uses and striking against the armored plating underneath.
Plasmic generators are small scale plasma generators designed for infantry use. Emitting an extremely focused shield around a small area, an infantry with a plasmic generator can deploy an impenetrable shield for a few seconds on an energy cell or even a few minutes off a larger power source to protect squad mates or important materials at a moments notice. While the shield is activated, the unit(s) within the affected area cannot fire outside as the shield is entirely solidified in its directional absorption. Sonic weaponry and other EM weapons can ignore the shield and even counteract the effects as the shield is designed to stop only projectile based weaponry and shrapnel, not so much against concussive force.
Displacer Fields
The most common infantry portable shield generator, the displacer field only activates when the wearers interface detects a projectile coming at a certain velocity pre-set by the wearer and will teleport them in a 200 degree reverse arc roughly ten to twenty meters away. This does end up having the inverse effect of causing troopers to be sent into walls or chasms and is mostly only used in open combat areas and buildings. The system is smart enough to recognized solid objects and is reliable not to teleport you into a solid object or a biological hazard. With that said, Harnak soldiers have a great mistrust to using the shield in cramped confines as some have had the unfortunate experience of being teleported into the middle of an enemy squad.
Trans-Slip Space Warp Drives
The first trans-slip warp drive was created from the TIberius MVID FTL Engine which was almost three times the size of the Karrion SSWD used on most of the Coalition vessels. Designed out of a 80000 square foot containment chamber of varying metals and alloys, mostly Iridium Carbon alloys, the containment chamber houses a massive three prong fusion generator built into the central rear of the space vessel into anywhere from one to six engine cores per drive. Each prong or “generator” is self contained in its own gravity field and is fitted to an automatic vent control system in case of a containment breach or emergency drive dump to drastically reduce the chance of the vessel being destroyed from a critical engine. Using plasmic energy fields generated by the drives, the warp core can create a chemical reaction capable of giving the vessel sublight speed or switch to the ethereal vane which envelops the vessel and a small area around it within a holo time sphere which will “warp” the affected area to a different time and space. Scientists are still investigating if the Karrion SSWD allows for time travel or trans-dimensional travel as those who have been exposed for long periods of time tend to experience memory lapses where there were none before or have slightly different memories.
Iridium Carbon Ballistic Plating
The most common heavy armor alloy used by the Coalition, the Iridium Carbon alloy is an artificial composite of rare metalloids that when conjoined, are almost three times harder than Adamantine, one of the strongest known metals in the galaxy. Typically used on mechanized walkers, aircraft, space vessels, and heavy armor, the ICBP is a twelve layer composite reactive armor plating made of alternating layers of the alloy and a special heat resistant man made organic material known as nanoweave composite armor. Larger vehicles and vessels can have even more layers or even several different armor shells to increase its survivability in combat in addition to shield inlays to allow electrical currents flow through. Though exploitable by short range EMPs, the armor is typically able to nullify outside electrical currents through use of dampers located on the back of each armoured panel.
Admantium Ballistic Plating
A naturally occurring heavy metal, adamantine or admantium is a heavy element found deep in seismically active planets and geographic locations. Typically used as a heat resistant component, it can be strengthened through additional alloys and composites to create an extremely resistance armor plate. Retrofitted into infantry armor plating and vehicles, Admantium plating is the most common heavy armor reinforcement available and is prized for being both heat and electrical current resistant making it great for sensitive electronics and systems.
Plasteel Ballistic Plating
The most generic armor plating used by the Coalition, Plasteel is a manufactured composite alloy used in infantry and vehicle armor. Naturally resistant to heavy kinetic forces, heat tolerant, and easily shapeable and magnetically conductive making it one of the best templates for technicians and shield based armors. Due to the fact plasteel is easy to mass produce and is relatively flexible in design, it has multiple variants and uses. The most common defensive use is for body armor and entrenchment reinforcement though it can be added on as additional armor plating for light vehicles, skimmers, and aircraft.
Nanoweave Textiles
Created from massive collections of microscopic kevlar threads, nano weave textiles are naturally kinetic resistant and flame retardant making them good fillers for layered armors in addition to making good cloth based armor. Adopted from battles with EU and UN coalition forces in the early 23rd and 24th century, Nanoweave textiles have become a continued staple through the centuries as a cheap fallback for body armor.
Vehicles and Weapons of the Harnak Korps (Unfinished)
Mkb Kinetic Pulse Rifles
Standard issue infantry firearms for majority of the Coalition ground forces. Reliable and typically smaller than other conventional firearms, the Kinetic Pulse Rifle is a staple for any army. Typically designed for recon and rapid assault forces, the Mkb KPR is designed out of a single nanoblock with curved frames to prevent snagging and reduce overall weight. It’s bullpup design reduces the overall length of the gun to between 28-35” on average in addition to being more form fitting to the user. Ammunition receivers typically take a single fusion energy cell built into the stock of the weapon and a sickle cell magazine of metal dense ammunition rods. Designed in the late 24th Century to go from traditional hard round to kinetically accelerated rods, the Mkb KPR is capable of piercing up to 20cm of heavy armor in addition to several lightly armoured targets and most building walls. Due to the guns design, it is unable to be heavily modified on the standard frame for underslung weapon attachments leading to several specialist versions being created. One of the more common specialist KPRs known as the “Dragonfly” has a triple barrel of a larger caliber allowing the weapon to act as a portable heavy weapon and anti-vehicle rifle for Fallschirmjager and Recon Korps personnel. Another trademark variant is the 40” long “Fatman” KPR which has a massive grenade tube designed into the weapons forward grip. Due to the fact it contains two barrels of different calibers, the weapon is slightly blockier than its brother compatriots and is sometimes classified as a non Bullpup KPR.
Mkb Nanorobotic Munitions Rifles
Heavier grade munition systems, the Mkb NMRs use solid blocks of nanite drones to formulate different ammunition types. Capable of forming solid shot, grenades, flamer fuel, plasma, and missiles, the nanorobotic munitions system is capable of becoming a support weapon for any unit. Typically fielded in lower quantities than other munitions systems due to the fact the ammunition is harder to come by and much more expensive than standard frontline troops. With that said, elite shock troops and paratrooper formations typically field larger quantities of these weapons as they remove the need for multiple weapon systems and ammunition can be shared amongst the entire unit. Each rifle weighs almost 50lbs and is designed in a long bore rifle shape with advanced targeting scopes capable of switching between short to long range at the push of a button. Each scope also has the capability to switch to infrared or thermal imaging. The nanorobotic ammunition blocks are 30lbs each and are the equivalent of five clips of standard ammunition/two energy cells/three missile racks/six bandoliers of grenades depending on ammunition type and properties. These rifles can also be remotely fired allowing soldiers to remotely position themselves to snipe at distant targets or combine multiple rifles to create an ambush when in lower numbers.
Mkb Laser Rifles
The Mkb Laser munitions system is standard issue for most defensive formations in addition to being a favourite for ground assault troops. Using focusing lenses built into the rifles barrel, the weapon is capable of amplifying the laser beam to almost 1600 degrees Celsius, more than capable of melting through reinforced carbon steel. Due to the high power of the weapons system, each rifle has an intricate array of cooling systems that bleed off the excess energy to prevent the barrel from warping with the stored energy being deposited into a thermal cell that is capable of recycling some of the power into additional energy for the weapons ammunition cells which use thermal energy cells and fusion energy cells. Lower grade laser systems are mass produced for generic infantrymen and fighting forces but are prone to lense misalignment if not properly maintained which can warp or destroy the barrel. Each weapon comes with two replacement barrels in case of heat warping or the destruction of the weapons built in cooling system which can allow a soldier to rapidly repair their weapon while in the frontlines.
RSPB (Radiation Spectrum Pulsar Beam) Rifles
A prototype weapons system produced by the Muzilak mining corporation for their Centurion warbots, the RSPB weapons system uses focused rays of gamma radiation or photon beams to disintegrate or melt the target. Due to the massive amount of energy and excess radiation produced by this weapon system, it is generally not used by biological infantry and instead remotely operated on defensive emplacements or robotic infantry. Another drawback to the weapon is the amount of energy required to power the main armament making it relatively impossible to field in an assault as the weapons energy stores are relatively low and require access to a large power grid or reactor to remain operational. However, when these weapons are fired, they are capable of piercing even the strongest of reactive armours and light or medium shield arrays.
Lugermorph Pistols
A traditionally German weapon derived from the original Luger, these weapons are issued to special forces and officers and is in many ways the same design and workings as the original Luger or Walther pistol. Redesigned to work with a variety of ammunition calibers and to also work as a machine or laser pistol, the Lugermorph weapons system is one of the most reliable and deadly handgun weapons system.
Hierarchy of the Harnak-Muzilak Coalition (Unfinished)
Political regimes in the Coalition are based off military officers from the Harnak Mercenaries and the Industrial Finance Committee of the Muzilak Mining Corporation. A small elite cadre from each side is selected to form the Coalition Governing Council which creates and enforces the laws, expansion policies, and everyday affairs of the Coalition within the secure Inner Core Worlds. The Outer Core Worlds are completely governed by military generals given the rank of Lord Governor-General who have command over a few planetary holdings in each sector. As part of their increased power and stature, each Governor pays a tithe to the Coalition of soldiers and resources that helps feed the ever growing war machine of the Coalition. In addition, the Governor is entirely responsible for any events that happen with his/her holdings and is expected to be able to deal with small scale invasions and rebellions without external assistance.
Coalition Governing Council
An elite cadre of Harnak military generals and Muzilak corporate leaders selected from the more powerful castes and factions to represent the entire Coalition. The Council is based on the Coalition capital of Meridia and is typically a group of 30-50 individuals
Coalition Warmaster
The highest military rank of the Harnak Mercenary Korps, the warmaster is an elected official from the Council who represents the embodied might of the Harnak military. These individuals lead the combined armies of the Harnak against distant foes to secure more land and resources. A warmaster holds the rank until either death, promotion, or court-martial.
Lord General Sub-Sector
A single high ranking military official of the Harnak Mercenaries who oversees the entire sectors military and economic needs. Reports directly to the Council and is supposedly elected to office every ten years. There is no current law against holding the office multiple times.
Governor General
A senior military official of the Harnak Mercenaries responsible for a few planetary holdings. Reports directly to the Lord General Sub-Sector. Has absolute power over all those under him/her and their word is law. Pays a tithe annually to the Coalition to support the Sub-Sector military defense force and to fund further operations. Successful Governor-Generals can be promoted to Lord General Sub-Sector or even Warmaster.
Field Marshal
One of the highest ranking military officers, the Field Marshal is the most common field commander capable of wielding political power within the Coalition. Normally placed in charge of strategic defensive arrays or contested holdings, the field marshal is a symbol of authority and commands respect through terror and military might.
Fabricator General
A Muzilak ranking given to industrial corporate leaders on the far fringes, a Fabricator General is given military powers to defend key industrial planets and holdings. A rarer sight amongst the commanding hierarchy, the Fabricator General is on par with a Field Marshal in all but name and typically calls upon an army of augmented soldiers known as Skitarii to defend their holdings.
General/Warden
A high ranking military officer who reports to either a Fabricator General or a Field Marshal upon the far fringe worlds. Generals of the Harnak Military are ambitious leaders who are purposely pitted against each other to outdo his/her subordinates in conquest leading to increased aggressiveness when on campaign. During peacetime or in well controlled areas, Harnak Generals typically take the rank of Warden and are responsible for a small collection of cities/towns on a core world planet. The more ambitious Generals are typically promoted to Field Marshal and possibly Governor General.
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All information is sourced from the the Eternal Crusade website and forums including information gathered from interviews and trailers from the game developers. A full list of the implementations can be found on the Eternal Crusade Forums here: forum.eternalcrusade.com/threa…
The Open Beta for the MMO Eternal Crusade will open up at the end of 2014 (November-December) and will showcase majority of the launch day classes, vehicles, weaponry, and wargear. Eternal Crusade will possibly be cross platform pending user agreements with Sony and Microsoft between PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The server hosting will be through PikkoServer and is supposedly reliable to support up to 1000 players per server.
The four opening races will be Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar. A fifth race, the Tyranids will be restricted to NPC/AI controlled and each faction will start on the same continent with different holdings surrounded by Tyranids. The more a race wins in territory, the greater the Tyranid forces will be to slow down rapid growth and allow other factions to catch up. The MMO is confirmed to be more than 75% PVP with a mix of Warhammer40k:Space Marine and and Gears of War. Gender can be changed for Eldar but Orks, Space Marines, and Chaos Space Marines will all be "male".
Micro Transactions (aka purchased items) will recieve a -20% stat to prevent players from purchasing better wargear. This is to encourage group actions and to promote scouting within the world to win new territory and resources for their faction. Each faction will have a ten-twenty person strong council which will make alliances and control overall warfare.
Resources and Experience are earned through combat and territory control. The more territory your faction controls, the faster your resources/requisition increase which will allow the fielding of vehicles. Ground vehicle combat has been confirmed with majority of the 40k vehicles being fielded. Keep in mind the Beta will only see the most iconic ones with majority of the other vehicles appearing after game release. Aerial Combat is being discussed but is not canon.
The game will run on DirectX11 and 64 bit systems with three languages being supported at Beta launch (prone to increase). Controller support and multi-monitor has been confirmed. Oculus Rift will not be supported.
There will be several types of campaigns (primary campaigns and secondary campaigns with secondary objectives). Each campaign will last between two weeks and three months, and then a winner will be declared by overall territorial control and dominance. Players that successfully overtake an enemy territory will get all the resources that come with it. Resources are necessary to make armors, weapons, ships, and fortress armaments needed to defend your faction’s stake in the world.
Eternal Crusade will feature destructible environments. Note that there will be very specific points of destructibility such as static guns, sections of walls or gates and accesses, but the majority of the world will not be destructible. Keep in mind that this isn't Battlefield, expect to see Call of Duty type destructibility. In game world size is to be larger than Planetside 2. A day and night cycle will be implemented.
Dual wielding ie. pistol and sword have been confirmed though using a single weapon will have greater power in melee combat and greater accuracy in ranged combat. Players will be able to block, dodge, roll, duck behind obstacles and shoot from behind them. When your life drops to 0, you don’t die immediately. You’re hurt on the ground and cannot move until one of your friends comes and heals you. However, you have a chance to be executed by the enemy as well. If you are hit by a weapon that sends you below 0 HP, you will automatically die. (Think Gears of War combat mechanic). > If you die, you will still keep your weapon and armor though a penalty might be included (currently under discussion)
FRIENDLY FIRE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED
The Open Beta for the MMO Eternal Crusade will open up at the end of 2014 (November-December) and will showcase majority of the launch day classes, vehicles, weaponry, and wargear. Eternal Crusade will possibly be cross platform pending user agreements with Sony and Microsoft between PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The server hosting will be through PikkoServer and is supposedly reliable to support up to 1000 players per server.
The four opening races will be Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, and Eldar. A fifth race, the Tyranids will be restricted to NPC/AI controlled and each faction will start on the same continent with different holdings surrounded by Tyranids. The more a race wins in territory, the greater the Tyranid forces will be to slow down rapid growth and allow other factions to catch up. The MMO is confirmed to be more than 75% PVP with a mix of Warhammer40k:Space Marine and and Gears of War. Gender can be changed for Eldar but Orks, Space Marines, and Chaos Space Marines will all be "male".
Micro Transactions (aka purchased items) will recieve a -20% stat to prevent players from purchasing better wargear. This is to encourage group actions and to promote scouting within the world to win new territory and resources for their faction. Each faction will have a ten-twenty person strong council which will make alliances and control overall warfare.
Resources and Experience are earned through combat and territory control. The more territory your faction controls, the faster your resources/requisition increase which will allow the fielding of vehicles. Ground vehicle combat has been confirmed with majority of the 40k vehicles being fielded. Keep in mind the Beta will only see the most iconic ones with majority of the other vehicles appearing after game release. Aerial Combat is being discussed but is not canon.
The game will run on DirectX11 and 64 bit systems with three languages being supported at Beta launch (prone to increase). Controller support and multi-monitor has been confirmed. Oculus Rift will not be supported.
There will be several types of campaigns (primary campaigns and secondary campaigns with secondary objectives). Each campaign will last between two weeks and three months, and then a winner will be declared by overall territorial control and dominance. Players that successfully overtake an enemy territory will get all the resources that come with it. Resources are necessary to make armors, weapons, ships, and fortress armaments needed to defend your faction’s stake in the world.
Eternal Crusade will feature destructible environments. Note that there will be very specific points of destructibility such as static guns, sections of walls or gates and accesses, but the majority of the world will not be destructible. Keep in mind that this isn't Battlefield, expect to see Call of Duty type destructibility. In game world size is to be larger than Planetside 2. A day and night cycle will be implemented.
Dual wielding ie. pistol and sword have been confirmed though using a single weapon will have greater power in melee combat and greater accuracy in ranged combat. Players will be able to block, dodge, roll, duck behind obstacles and shoot from behind them. When your life drops to 0, you don’t die immediately. You’re hurt on the ground and cannot move until one of your friends comes and heals you. However, you have a chance to be executed by the enemy as well. If you are hit by a weapon that sends you below 0 HP, you will automatically die. (Think Gears of War combat mechanic). > If you die, you will still keep your weapon and armor though a penalty might be included (currently under discussion)
FRIENDLY FIRE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED
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Eternal Crusade Awareness
2 min read
This is an awareness broadcast to all Warhammer 40k players. Eternal Crusade MMO is reaching the crucial point in it's development that Beta testing should be arriving by June-July. The website link for the forums which will be the source for most updates and tech support/details for the game is here forum.eternalcrusade.com/
The currents races allowed in the MMO are: Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, Tyranids (NPC only), Imperial Guard (Yet to be implemented as playable race, currently under discussion for either NPC or player use), Tau (To be revealed after launch), Dark Eldar (To be revealed after launch)
Races awaiting the go ahead for implementation: Sisters of Battle (Most likely released after launch), Necrons, Imperial Guard, Dark Eldar, Chaos Daemons
The game is still underneath heavy development but is receiving daily posts from it's creators so community activity is off the charts. Even if you aren't planning on buying the game when it is released, it is advised that you at least join the discussions on the forum to help make Relics/Games Workshops first MMO a big success. Time to go blow World of Warcraft out of the water!
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Cortex Art Update
1 min read
I recently started on an entire new lore nicknamed the Harnak Mercenary Korps which is the militant arm of an Industrial Corporation known as Muzilak Mining Industries located on the outer fringe worlds of Sub-Sector Helios. I will be uploading a full lore list of the units, commanders, vehicles, structures, technology, and of course, some in game screen shots of the HMK in roughly one week since they are still a work in progress at the moment.
Another one I hope to update and post soon are the Britannians who aren't related to the ones from Code Geass aka Lelouche of the Rebellion. These Britannians are actually designed for Cortex Fantasy and take some of their history from actual British history and culture. It is still unfinished as well but is close to being done.
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Space: Reality vs Fiction
18 min read
Disclaimer: This article is not going to discuss certain matters in depth and designed as a generic over view as to what is most feasible to happen and be designed. For a more in depth yet still short article, please check out this article gizmodo.com/5426453/the-physic…. The posted article is not written by me, but is a very good example and representation of how space combat should work. Keep in mind, this can be entirely wrong as it is all still theory until it can be mass produced in practice and is bound to change based off of technological innovation and/or introduction of new elements. This article is bound to be updated with more information or be broken into several discussions if interest is taken in certain parts. If you would like to discuss or see a specific concept of space lore or fiction, I will be happy to oblige. This entry was written after deep discussion with Retired USAF Colonel Michael Corbett.
The first thing we should start off with are the vessels themselves. Several people believe that massive space vessels are unrealistic and unfeasible to produce in large numbers. Logically speaking from most peoples perspective of land based warfare, this is entirely true. This however is where the first problem comes into play, in space, the physics and laws of warfare are basically thrown out the window. Size is everything as true maneuverability is not seen or measured the same way as it is in ground warfare. The reason why larger vessels are more feasible than some believe, is that the larger the scale of the vessel, the larger it's weapon and troop transportation capacity is. It is entirely reasonable to suspect that if a vessel is built the size of our moon, it would have the capacity to store smaller vessels inside of its hangers which for one thing, would scare the crap out of most sane people. Another reason as to why size would matter is that if you can support larger engines or reactors, then you can also support bigger hardware. This can include several (so far fictional in some cases) items such as stealth generators, more accurate sensors, and of course, weapon arrays. One of the primary reasons a vessel would be built larger than normal is that if it has a large scale weapon such as a rail gun or magnetic accelerator, it would have to be built either along the upper spine of the vessel or the exact center. This is due to power supply issues and of course, design. A great example of this design would be the Battlecruisers from StarCraft lore in which their Yamato weapons system is housed in the central spine along the length of the vessel which is where the greatest support and protection would be offered.
Another concept of ship design is that space vessels are built in a compartment format. It would be rare and extremely stupid on the designers part to make a ship that wouldn't have the ability to section off and even jettison portions of the ship, this is particularly true of ammunition stores and reactor or engineering sections in which the consequences of a fire or major damage to hull could lead to the entire destruction of the ship. With this comes the argument of engines themselves. Is it feasible to have massive engines on a vessel? In most cases this is a requirement as even though there's no friction for the vessel to glide against, it still requires some type of propulsion to move it in a direction and to slow them down. One thing that is normally overlooked in this case is that vessels would have several hundred-thousand smaller propulsion systems or vents located along the entirety of the vessels hull to allow greater maneuverability and also for rapid turning, such as a bow thruster on a sailing vessel.
In terms of maneuverability or direction in general, space has no "up" or "down". Something that Star Wars did a really bad job at showing is that in space, every vessel is going to be in all manners of direction and facing and especially in a dogfight between fighters, thinking a battle is going to follow the same general rules as one on a planet will get you killed. A primary problem or question however arises from this. As of current, it is unrealistic to even comprehend how fighters or space faring vessels in general will be able to consistently maneuver in the void using solely their engines. The technology required is still too far outside of our grasp and of course, the resources to manufacture wide spread engines that run off fusion or some other type of energy is out of the question. Once this problem is answered, of course it would be easier, but for now, most combat would take place near to planets and around their gravity well. Speed and maneuverability would be governed by the closeness to the planet as the closer you are, the faster you can use the gravity well to spin and turn your vessel. Another concept with that is that being too close to a planets gravity well will also lead to your destruction, particularly with larger space vessels as one general rule is that said vessels will almost never be produced on a planet, and therefore, aren't originally designed to handle a planets gravity. The reason being is that since it is easier to manufacture and secure vessels out in the void then on a planet, production would be quicker and of course cheaper to build all vessels in space. The only ones that would have little to no problem would be fighter or smaller transport craft which would be small enough that their frames would still support them.
For this post, the final concept discussed will be FTL or faster than light technology. Yes, it is possible to eventually create a "warp" technology in which vessels can make jumps from one area to the next. However, this is entirely based off the concept of gravity wells as each planet, moon, and asteroid has differing fields of gravity based off of it's composition of minerals and elements, for example, the north and south magnetic poles of the planet Earth would make it unfeasible for vessels to jump to and from the northern and southern axis poles due to the fields being much weaker. This can create travel zones in which it would be seen as ideal to place space stations or military installations/blockades because an enemy fleet would have to come through that area or risk losing ships to different warp speeds or coming in to close or to far from the target location. FTL technology will not become the answer for instantaneous responses or travel, it still takes time for vessels to maneuver into "good" locations for warping and also you would have to make several jumps depending on the distance to reduce the chance of arriving at a different location altogether and also to increase the chance of larger formations arriving together.
Part II: Plausible Weaponry Concepts
In the warfare of the void there are several ways upon which humanity could go about at destroying itself and other unseen opponents. The first main way to do this is the same as anywhere else, hard round propulsion ammunition.
Machine guns and other heavier autocannons have the capacity to operate in the void and in fact would operate at even better capacities as if they are placed outside on the hull in point defense turrets they can be cooled at a much faster rate allowing them to have increased rates of fire as compared to the same variants here on Earth. Due to the fact each round would start off with a high acceleration and velocity, they would be excellent at peppering formations of fighters and weakly armored targets at relatively close range. Due to the face the ammunition used wouldn't be slowed or arced without gravity wells as they would be here on the ground, they can hit their targets faster and deal more damage. With this said however, you would change the way you design the ammunition used. With void warfare, hard round projectiles would have higher density and mass to allow them to fully penetrate the target or basically knock the target off center with opposite forces of acceleration.
For instance: say a lightly armored attack craft is heading towards a stationary vessel that has several large scale machine guns on it. As the vessel being target by the small craft doesn't have to move, it can essentially put up walls of fire in different arcs around the target to ensure it will be caught in an inescapable cone of fire. Once the light craft gets hit once, it loses most of its momentum and also is jerked off course similar to how an asteroid hitting another asteroid would bounce off into opposite directions upon impact. This does two things. The first being that the vessel in question has successfully been halted in its tracks as it would then be hit several times once the range is found and the second being that it would most likely penetrate the meager hull. At this point the objective isn't to destroy the enemy but to ensure their capacities are crippled. Small craft can be deadly to larger ones but unlike a larger craft, if the hull is penetrated the pilot(s) lose their oxygen supply and go to internal which would only last so long and they will start to suffer bleed off from their electrical systems which would in turn reduce its operational capacities.
To do this the most effectively, ammunition types would change from high explosive to armor piercing because explosive ordnance in space isn't nearly as effective as it would be on the ground. The reason being is that without oxygen to expand with, the explosion would be much shorter lived and also the shrapnel expended would most likely bounce off larger vessels or heavily armored slopes where a tungsten steel alloyed shell would punch clean through causing a vacuum breach in the hull. However, this doesn't discredit explosive ammunition at all but instead enforces a new version going off timed explosions. Effective anti-ship weaponry would be armor piercing rounds with a delayed fuse for the explosive warhead so that upon breaching a hull, it can explode in an oxygen rich environment and also cause the wound to enlarge in addition to destroying the internal organs of the vessel such as life support and ammunition feeds or power grids.
Heavier and larger based weaponry would effectively be either rail guns or laser based weaponry. Due to the fact lasers require massive amounts of energy to create just like rail guns but are both easier to maintain and essentially unlimited in its ammunition with the right power source, they are a much more mainstay weapon as technology progresses. In a nutshell, lasers would simply get larger and larger power sources and magnification lenses to amplify their power and since they travel at the speed of light, would reach their target the fastest and with the most accuracy compared to other sources of weaponry. Laser based weaponry is also critical against all targets in that it can blind and destroy sensors such as radar and visual information in addition to also melting through the hull and warping weapons on the target. While in space, you won't just be looking to destroy your target, you will also be looking to loot or salvage them. Until such a time as where it is easier to mass produce space faring warships, most militaries will still be looking at salvaging what they can after the battle or more importantly, trying to capture enemy vessels intact. The reasons are simple enough but mostly because it is expensive and time consuming to replace ship than it is to retrofit an existing one.
Missiles and warheads will also be a viable option in that they can track their target and also glide across the void to their targets with minimal use of their fuel sources making them one of the best options for anti-ship warfare. Missiles are also heavy hitting where as regular autocannons and large caliber machine guns would lack the penetration power against heavily armored vessels. Unlike hard round ammunition, missiles could also be fitted with additional variants to contain either electrical jamming equipment to disable the target vessel(s) or render them blind, be filled with multiple high explosive warheads that would move deeper into the vessel once it penetrates, or even simply be the equivalent of a bunker buster with a thruster and bounce around to create as many breaches in the hull as possible to kill the crew through lack of oxygen.
Part III: Ship to Ship Combat
Larger scale vessels such as capitol ships and cruisers or frigate classes will almost never get within boarding range of each other unless they are capable of completely overwhelming the target. The reason being is that there are several possibilities in which the defending ship could easily outmaneuver or destroy both itself and the attacking vessel.
Exhibit A is when a cruiser comes in on an equivalent vessel and gives chase. For this scenario the attacking vessel is capable of outrunning the other and can get within boarding distance. The captain would be very hesitant to do so as long as the enemy has its engines or thrusters as it could ram them when they pull in and also the closer they come in, the more damage they would sustain from small weapon hard-points that would normally not have the range or accuracy at the normal fighting distances. Once both the engines and weapons are disabled, then can the attacking vessel close in for boarding but even then, this is the hardest of all parts as you do not know the layout of the enemy vessel and you are as equally susceptible to boarding. Boarding actions would be costly and highly dangerous as neither side has any idea to the troop strength of the other and that you would exposed to the void possibly in addition to other environmental factors such as no gravity or ricocheting debris.
Due to these small issues, most vessels will slug it out at medium to long range which can range from a few thousand miles to several hundred thousand miles requiring both sides to plan ahead with attack vectors and no amount of maneuvering. Since most vessels would be very far away, majority of the attacks would be through laser, rail gun, torpedo, and missile attacks which in general can be avoided and shot down in the latter cases. This leads to rail guns and laser arrays being the most essential weapon in ship to ship combat. As these weapon systems move either at the speed of light or close to it, they can hit far away targets easily and surgically cripple parts of a vessel or even destroy it. Due to the fact most weapons would have to be forward mounted the larger it is, weapon systems such as rail guns would almost always require the vessel to face its target but smaller weapon arrays such as torpedo bays, missile launchers, and laser batteries could be side mounted for broadsides. For anyone who has experience in naval combat, the broadside is almost always more preferable when attacking due to the fact you can place more shots in a wider cone to increase the possibility of hitting the target compared to facing them head on would be a defenders best option to present the smallest target of opportunity. Another key factor comes into the design of the vessel at this point. Since as mentioned before, there is no up or down in space, vessels would most likely have weapons on ALL sides excluding the primary engine zones to counter an attack coming in at any angle. This means the bridge or central command section would either be located in the general middle of the vessel where it has the best protection or on a massive armored growth on one side.
The bridge or command section of any vessel would essentially be the winning shot as it would house most of the control stations for a large vessel and overall contain the officer corps and communications. Protruding bridges would be the most vulnerable but have the greatest control and visibility as they have basically a full view of their surroundings and do not need to "see" through cameras or view points along the vessel which can be damaged or destroyed. The opposite is true of the internally designed bridges, while being the hardest to detect and destroy, they would be the easiest to blind as laser arrays scramble and overload sensors and view points along the hull which is a hard price to justify to stay alive longer.
Hanger bays would be the main targets of opportunity as without shielding technology they would have to open up to disgorge fighters or drones and would be open either all the way through or majority of the way into a vessel. Landing a shot against the armored slopes or even inside would be devastating as they can easily break a ship in half since the overall integrity would be weakest in these sections. Hanger bays would also have the closest locations to large scale armory's and ordnance chambers which could cause a chain reaction should a shell detonate within. They are also the key points for boarding actions because they can allow an invading host to marshal the most troops in a single area to storm the entirety of the ship and tend to either be located along the sides or extreme front of the vessel.
Another vulnerable attack point are of course, the engine blocks. Since modular design would be the most accepted choice of design to easily separate the vessel from damaged portions of the ship, the engine blocks would be naturally located to the rear sides and central rear of the vessel. These are of course not the only engines but are instead the ones that create the most power for the critical systems of the ship and forward propulsion. Blocky and vulnerable to attack, most engine arrays would require a fusion or nuclear power source to supply sufficient amounts of energy to space vessels in the near future also leading them to be extremely unstable when damaged.
Smaller vessels and drones would be used to support large scale vessels when they close into short range combat which would be within a few thousand miles to basically point blank you're going to ram each other range. These fighters and bombers would be slow moving but capable of targeting weak points and protruding targets of opportunity in addition to damaging the integrity as a whole. While not able to bring as much firepower as the main vessels, fighters are an essential in attacking in close range as until shield technology is developed, a single fighter can easily destroy a bridge or take out an engine by crashing into it or firing a single missile at danger close range where a massive weapon system such as a laser battery could be deflected by protruding portions of a vessel. With this said, fighters and drones would only be able to operate for very short duration as they suck up fuel at a massive rate and have small engines in addition to small payloads. While yes they could theoretically carry more than their Earth compatriots, they would still suffer in acceleration and velocity should they need to maneuver as an object that only looks to be going about 5mph could in turn be moving at a few hundred due to distance and acceleration being hard to judge in space.
Part II: Plausible Weaponry Concepts
In the warfare of the void there are several ways upon which humanity could go about at destroying itself and other unseen opponents. The first main way to do this is the same as anywhere else, hard round propulsion ammunition.
Machine guns and other heavier autocannons have the capacity to operate in the void and in fact would operate at even better capacities as if they are placed outside on the hull in point defense turrets they can be cooled at a much faster rate allowing them to have increased rates of fire as compared to the same variants here on Earth. Due to the fact each round would start off with a high acceleration and velocity, they would be excellent at peppering formations of fighters and weakly armored targets at relatively close range. Due to the face the ammunition used wouldn't be slowed or arced without gravity wells as they would be here on the ground, they can hit their targets faster and deal more damage. With this said however, you would change the way you design the ammunition used. With void warfare, hard round projectiles would have higher density and mass to allow them to fully penetrate the target or basically knock the target off center with opposite forces of acceleration.
For instance: say a lightly armored attack craft is heading towards a stationary vessel that has several large scale machine guns on it. As the vessel being target by the small craft doesn't have to move, it can essentially put up walls of fire in different arcs around the target to ensure it will be caught in an inescapable cone of fire. Once the light craft gets hit once, it loses most of its momentum and also is jerked off course similar to how an asteroid hitting another asteroid would bounce off into opposite directions upon impact. This does two things. The first being that the vessel in question has successfully been halted in its tracks as it would then be hit several times once the range is found and the second being that it would most likely penetrate the meager hull. At this point the objective isn't to destroy the enemy but to ensure their capacities are crippled. Small craft can be deadly to larger ones but unlike a larger craft, if the hull is penetrated the pilot(s) lose their oxygen supply and go to internal which would only last so long and they will start to suffer bleed off from their electrical systems which would in turn reduce its operational capacities.
To do this the most effectively, ammunition types would change from high explosive to armor piercing because explosive ordnance in space isn't nearly as effective as it would be on the ground. The reason being is that without oxygen to expand with, the explosion would be much shorter lived and also the shrapnel expended would most likely bounce off larger vessels or heavily armored slopes where a tungsten steel alloyed shell would punch clean through causing a vacuum breach in the hull. However, this doesn't discredit explosive ammunition at all but instead enforces a new version going off timed explosions. Effective anti-ship weaponry would be armor piercing rounds with a delayed fuse for the explosive warhead so that upon breaching a hull, it can explode in an oxygen rich environment and also cause the wound to enlarge in addition to destroying the internal organs of the vessel such as life support and ammunition feeds or power grids.
Heavier and larger based weaponry would effectively be either rail guns or laser based weaponry. Due to the fact lasers require massive amounts of energy to create just like rail guns but are both easier to maintain and essentially unlimited in its ammunition with the right power source, they are a much more mainstay weapon as technology progresses. In a nutshell, lasers would simply get larger and larger power sources and magnification lenses to amplify their power and since they travel at the speed of light, would reach their target the fastest and with the most accuracy compared to other sources of weaponry. Laser based weaponry is also critical against all targets in that it can blind and destroy sensors such as radar and visual information in addition to also melting through the hull and warping weapons on the target. While in space, you won't just be looking to destroy your target, you will also be looking to loot or salvage them. Until such a time as where it is easier to mass produce space faring warships, most militaries will still be looking at salvaging what they can after the battle or more importantly, trying to capture enemy vessels intact. The reasons are simple enough but mostly because it is expensive and time consuming to replace ship than it is to retrofit an existing one.
Missiles and warheads will also be a viable option in that they can track their target and also glide across the void to their targets with minimal use of their fuel sources making them one of the best options for anti-ship warfare. Missiles are also heavy hitting where as regular autocannons and large caliber machine guns would lack the penetration power against heavily armored vessels. Unlike hard round ammunition, missiles could also be fitted with additional variants to contain either electrical jamming equipment to disable the target vessel(s) or render them blind, be filled with multiple high explosive warheads that would move deeper into the vessel once it penetrates, or even simply be the equivalent of a bunker buster with a thruster and bounce around to create as many breaches in the hull as possible to kill the crew through lack of oxygen.
Part III: Ship to Ship Combat
Larger scale vessels such as capitol ships and cruisers or frigate classes will almost never get within boarding range of each other unless they are capable of completely overwhelming the target. The reason being is that there are several possibilities in which the defending ship could easily outmaneuver or destroy both itself and the attacking vessel.
Exhibit A is when a cruiser comes in on an equivalent vessel and gives chase. For this scenario the attacking vessel is capable of outrunning the other and can get within boarding distance. The captain would be very hesitant to do so as long as the enemy has its engines or thrusters as it could ram them when they pull in and also the closer they come in, the more damage they would sustain from small weapon hard-points that would normally not have the range or accuracy at the normal fighting distances. Once both the engines and weapons are disabled, then can the attacking vessel close in for boarding but even then, this is the hardest of all parts as you do not know the layout of the enemy vessel and you are as equally susceptible to boarding. Boarding actions would be costly and highly dangerous as neither side has any idea to the troop strength of the other and that you would exposed to the void possibly in addition to other environmental factors such as no gravity or ricocheting debris.
Due to these small issues, most vessels will slug it out at medium to long range which can range from a few thousand miles to several hundred thousand miles requiring both sides to plan ahead with attack vectors and no amount of maneuvering. Since most vessels would be very far away, majority of the attacks would be through laser, rail gun, torpedo, and missile attacks which in general can be avoided and shot down in the latter cases. This leads to rail guns and laser arrays being the most essential weapon in ship to ship combat. As these weapon systems move either at the speed of light or close to it, they can hit far away targets easily and surgically cripple parts of a vessel or even destroy it. Due to the fact most weapons would have to be forward mounted the larger it is, weapon systems such as rail guns would almost always require the vessel to face its target but smaller weapon arrays such as torpedo bays, missile launchers, and laser batteries could be side mounted for broadsides. For anyone who has experience in naval combat, the broadside is almost always more preferable when attacking due to the fact you can place more shots in a wider cone to increase the possibility of hitting the target compared to facing them head on would be a defenders best option to present the smallest target of opportunity. Another key factor comes into the design of the vessel at this point. Since as mentioned before, there is no up or down in space, vessels would most likely have weapons on ALL sides excluding the primary engine zones to counter an attack coming in at any angle. This means the bridge or central command section would either be located in the general middle of the vessel where it has the best protection or on a massive armored growth on one side.
The bridge or command section of any vessel would essentially be the winning shot as it would house most of the control stations for a large vessel and overall contain the officer corps and communications. Protruding bridges would be the most vulnerable but have the greatest control and visibility as they have basically a full view of their surroundings and do not need to "see" through cameras or view points along the vessel which can be damaged or destroyed. The opposite is true of the internally designed bridges, while being the hardest to detect and destroy, they would be the easiest to blind as laser arrays scramble and overload sensors and view points along the hull which is a hard price to justify to stay alive longer.
Hanger bays would be the main targets of opportunity as without shielding technology they would have to open up to disgorge fighters or drones and would be open either all the way through or majority of the way into a vessel. Landing a shot against the armored slopes or even inside would be devastating as they can easily break a ship in half since the overall integrity would be weakest in these sections. Hanger bays would also have the closest locations to large scale armory's and ordnance chambers which could cause a chain reaction should a shell detonate within. They are also the key points for boarding actions because they can allow an invading host to marshal the most troops in a single area to storm the entirety of the ship and tend to either be located along the sides or extreme front of the vessel.
Another vulnerable attack point are of course, the engine blocks. Since modular design would be the most accepted choice of design to easily separate the vessel from damaged portions of the ship, the engine blocks would be naturally located to the rear sides and central rear of the vessel. These are of course not the only engines but are instead the ones that create the most power for the critical systems of the ship and forward propulsion. Blocky and vulnerable to attack, most engine arrays would require a fusion or nuclear power source to supply sufficient amounts of energy to space vessels in the near future also leading them to be extremely unstable when damaged.
Smaller vessels and drones would be used to support large scale vessels when they close into short range combat which would be within a few thousand miles to basically point blank you're going to ram each other range. These fighters and bombers would be slow moving but capable of targeting weak points and protruding targets of opportunity in addition to damaging the integrity as a whole. While not able to bring as much firepower as the main vessels, fighters are an essential in attacking in close range as until shield technology is developed, a single fighter can easily destroy a bridge or take out an engine by crashing into it or firing a single missile at danger close range where a massive weapon system such as a laser battery could be deflected by protruding portions of a vessel. With this said, fighters and drones would only be able to operate for very short duration as they suck up fuel at a massive rate and have small engines in addition to small payloads. While yes they could theoretically carry more than their Earth compatriots, they would still suffer in acceleration and velocity should they need to maneuver as an object that only looks to be going about 5mph could in turn be moving at a few hundred due to distance and acceleration being hard to judge in space.
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