[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/71726c85-1ac4-4289-8c55-4ca240dea0ab.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][color=05CBF7][i]A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Or maybe not so far away…

During a routine patrol of the borders with Wild Space by the Galactic Empire’s 33rd Border Control Fleet encountered a pair of unrecognized and unregistered [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/007d9c2c-f6cf-4db7-bf14-d64c8541bd73.jpg]fighter-class[/url] ships scanning the Teth System from its outer edge. Due to reports from earlier in the conflict known as the Galactic Civil War about the Rebel Alliance designing, building, and deploying new fighters, the fleet’s Moff ordered a small group of TIE/IN Interceptors deployed to handle the assumed prototypes before the Rebellion could get them back. To the shock of everyone present, both fighters reacted quickly, with one vanishing into what the Imperials assume to be hyperspace while the other quickly reaches attack velocity.

Without any attempt at communication, the Interceptors opened fire on the fighter, only to be outmaneuvered by it. The enemy fighter proceeds to wipe out the squadron of Interceptors with no discernible damage to itself, and with an unidentified weapon type, before it too heads into hyperspace, following its companion. Sending out a call to Imperial Command for reinforcements, the Border Control Fleet tracks their heading along what appears to be an unregistered hyperspace route to an unexplored system deep in Wild Space. Suspecting Rebel Activity, perhaps even the Rebel Headquarters itself, the Emperor dispatches Death Squadron, Darth Vader’s personal fleet, alongside the Imperial Fourth Fleet to finally quell the rebellion and secure a future of peace and prosperity for his Empire.

Once all three fleets were gathered and properly prepared, with Darth Vader having ordered the addition of Blizzard Force to their ground forces in the event of another frigid world like Hoth, they set out on the hyperspace route that they’d tracked the unknown fighters on. Presuming these were rebels that would be waiting for them at the end of the route, a trip of at least 8 hours for the combined task force, battle tactics were being decided on that had worked against the rebels cells previously. Darth Vader even had his shuttle prepared while they were still in hyperspace so that once the slaughter began, he could be ready to return to Coruscant and report mission success.

Unbeknownst the Galactic Super Power, who’s twenty years in power were already under question thanks to the powerful Rebel victory over the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, a new power was beginning to reach beyond its home in a system all too familiar…[/i][/color][/center]

[hr]

[right][sub]Moonbase Solace
Moon Colony
1500 hrs Local Time[/sub][/right]

Warrant Officers Johanna “Jo” Svarka and Anthony Markson both land back on the moonbase within moments of each other after escaping the unknown fleet, their scanner logs in hand and their reports on the situation on the other side of the T’mara and Eldarsin systems, as well as several others, from what they had seen before Jo had FTL’d back to base ahead of Anthony. Nodding to each other as they approached the debrief room that had been set aside for scout missions. There was a ten minute wait while two other scouting pairs reported and then they entered and offered their salutes to their CO, Captain Elias Beckett, before Anthony spoke up. “Sir, we have a development and we don’t think the brass is going to be happy about it…”

Several hours later, Sol System Defensive Fleet repositioned for potential attack from their newly discovered neighbors as the heads of the United Earth Space Command(UESC) argued over the best course of action, even as reports of a large group of FTL traveling signatures heading towards them were confirmed. At the head of the room was an older Fleet Admiral and veteran of the Vur'ad Incident with graying brown hair with a goatee to match, sharp green eyes and sun-kissed skin speaking of his Spanish descent, kept firm in spite of the calls for preemptive action. “Ladies and Gentlemen of UESC Command, we CANNOT and WILL NOT take any form of pre-emptive action. We tried that when we encountered the Ghesul not more than six months after we ended the two year long conflict with the Vur’ad. That war lasted almost a decade and we haven’t been able to colonize many other systems beyond the Sol system as a result until the Ghesul are able to verify the safety of several potential systems that our colonization won’t be adversely affected by long term effects of that war. Also, we agreed to recover our fighting capability before they did and while we’re at our strongest militarily since, we shouldn’t be looking for another war so soon, not with the previous war barely fifteen years past.” Another Admiral, with snow white hair, clean shaven with blue eyes and scars on his face issued a counterpoint, pointing to a sector where the incoming fleet was suspected to appear when they arrived.

“Fleet Admiral Rafael Avilés, you can’t be serious. That fleet, assuming it’s ships and not weapons of some kind, is almost the size of our Defensive fleet, if not larger. At the very least we should send out one of the Supercarriers and their escort to make them reconsider taking immediate hostile action. We are not pushing for wartime actions ri-” Another voice rang out, cutting the previous speaker off.

“Hell no! They immediately attacked our scout ships and made no effort at communication beforehand! This is a hostile invasion and we should treat it as such! We should clear the [i]Jörmungandr[/i] for use of the Planetary Railgun the moment that fleet arrives!” The Fleet Admiral waits a moment and then holds up a hand, managing to silence the room in its entirety before he begins speaking.

“Ladies, gentlemen, I understand the concern that after initial contact with our scouts went poorly but, and I cannot emphasize this enough, we will [i][b]not[/b][/i] initiate another war. If this is to turn into fighting, it will be their fault, not ours.” The Fleet Admiral paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. “Regardless of that, our scouts never got past the system they were engaged in, so we don’t even know where we’d be sending an assault fleet for mutually assured destruction if this goes south. And I’m not concerned about initial combat in any case. Data logs from Warrant Officer Markson says they use energy weaponry similar to the weapons we ran into with the short conflict we had with the Monud and their…I’m still not sure we can call those warships. So we are prepared.” An aide ran up from behind the Fleet Admiral’s right shoulder and whispered in his ear, prompting him to shut down the large holographic projector of the Sol System and stand. “Admirals, the unidentified fleet will arrive within two hours. You are dismissed to finalize preparations for battle, should it come to that.” A series of salutes answer Rafael Avilés before everyone files out and he sighs before heading for the command room. Whatever this day brought, it was going to be a long one.

On Earth, air forces were being mobilized and ground forces taking their defensive positions as anti-air weapons swept the skies for enemy ships and large scale anti-capital ship weapons were slowly warmed up. The governments and armies of the world were unsure of what exactly it was their two scouts had found, but for most, they had declared intention to wage war and that, well, war was something that the Human Race had been doing for a long time and they were easily considered experts at this point. Whoever was racing towards them would encounter resistance the likes of which they likely weren’t expecting.

[center][h2]Star Wars: Invasion Terra[/h2][/center]

Welcome to a new war with new stakes! As established within the opening bits of writing, the Galactic Empire of the Star Wars Universe, the OG baddies of one of the most critically acclaimed pieces sci-fi in existence find they share the galaxy with one of our potential futures, whose technology is a cross between Halo and railgun weaponry on a larger scale and an infantry scale. Now, there will be some Force shenaniganiry at some point, but the opening act of the RP is a larger focus on standard infantry. Granted, as we know, Earth will have a much wider array of infantry units compared to the Stormtrooper Corps, but over all, it should be interesting. Below you will find your character sheet and more information on the fighting force of Earth in this RP, the United Earth Space Command, alongside its ground side sibling, the United Earth Marine Corps.

The below character sheet is just a semi-basic outline, by all means, customize it and add what you need for your character, I have no issues with it.

[hider=Character Sheet]
Name: 
Age: 
Appearance:
Faction: 
Personality:
Race: (If from SW Known Space)
Combat Job/Rank:
Backstory:
Notes:[/hider]

[hider=UESC]

[u][i]United Earth Space Command(UESC)[/i][/u]

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/f727d06e-3793-40c2-aef9-2b85768c4a58.jpg][i]Charon[/i]-Class Transport[/url]-Named for the Ferryman who would deliver souls across the River Styx to the Underworld in Greek mythology, these armed gunships deliver the souls of the UEMC to landing zones hot and safe for deployment to combat. Armed with an ER43 Railgatling swivel-mounted under the nose and two four-barreled rocket pods on the wings, it can clear a landing zone to unload the troops on board before quickly jetting away to pick up more troops.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/007d9c2c-f6cf-4db7-bf14-d64c8541bd73.jpg][i]Hermes[/i]-Class Scout Fighter[/url]- Equipped for long range scout missions, this ship is able to operate independently for months at a time, often with little to no contact with UESC command. Deployed in pairs and armed with only the ER43 Railgatling, these fighters are capable of moving at high speeds to blitz targets before falling back. Equipped with powerful sensors and scanners to make their job easier, they’re also equipped with a Faster-than-Light(FTL) drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/9bae0ab5-2fc1-4777-9d90-88aa1dd27e0e.jpg][i]Hera[/i]-Class Interceptor[/url]-The mainline fighter of the UESC and the UEMC, the [i]Hera[/i]-Class Interceptor is lightly armored and armed primarily with a TS61 Rotary Railturret with smaller SB22 Railguns on each of the four wings’ tips. While it lacks any heavy ordinance, the fighter is able to use its AI-assisted railgun turret to track enemy fighters and bombers at high speed, making evasion of this primary fire system difficult even for skilled pilots. Clocking in at speeds in the atmosphere of almost three thousand kilometers per hour, this ship is fast enough to make enemy fleets hate it and want it at the same time. Equipped with an FTL drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/5474a3ff-6603-41ef-b3c4-2406560d83fe.jpg][i]Athena[/i]-Class Heavy Fighter[/url]-The heavily armored [i]Athena[/i]-Class fighter is the frontline fighter craft of the Earth’s military. While not as fast as the [i]Hera[/i]-Class, it makes up for this by being able to take more punishment and in raw firepower, armed with four HV59 Heavy Railguns and twin Mercav Missile Tubes. Often used in strike missions on key enemy capital ships and command centers on the ground as an escort for bombers, as it can shrug off most anti-air fire and anti-fighter weapons. Also equipped with an FTL drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/a050adff-2596-444a-8e4a-e76304c7fcc0.jpg][i]Hephaestus[/i]-Class Bomber[/url]-The primary bomber of Earth’s fighter force, the [i]Hephaestus[/i]-Class is armed with a more powerful HQ44 Heavy Railturret on top and four SB22 Railguns facing forwards on the wings. It’s bomb payload is eight FyrX Bombs. Equipped with Zestryx armor slightly thicker than the [i]Athena[/i]-Class and an FTL drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/8c6a5db9-12f3-416f-bfc6-775058aa160c.png][i]Zeus[/i]-Class Frigate[/url]-The lightest of the large combat ships in the UESC fleets, the [i]Zeus[/i] used as the vanguard of an attack fleet while the battleships,destroyers, cruisers and supercarrier deploy and support them. Armed with Seran Repeating Railcannons for ship to ship combat and TS61 Rotary Railturrets for point defense, this ship is able to compete with heavy destroyers and smaller battlecruisers in terms of firepower and defense power. Its armor is similar to that of frigates of a similar class, but like all UESC ships, it is equipped with Cyclone Shielding and a slipspace drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/3aae1e9f-41bc-4069-9b20-a27e57c32c9a.jpg][i]Poseidon[/i]-Class Heavy Destroyer[/url]- The Poseidon is often deployed in groups of four to eight and are armed with Seran Heavy Repeating Railcannons and scaled down Planetary Railguns called Midgard Railguns, though they rely much more heavily on their Cyclone Shielding than other ships in Earth’s fleets as they are used to swarm critical ships and their armor isn’t quite up to par to fight one-on-one with most capital ships Humanity has encountered. Also equipped with a slipspace drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/04ebd1fd-30be-4599-b561-6f2a0faf2da4.png][i]Apollo[/i]-Class Battlecruiser[/url]- Often used to support the [i]Hades[/i]-Class Battleships and often in the vanguard alongside the [i]Zeus[/i]-Class Frigates, offering heavier firepower and armor to support their attacks. Sporting considerably thicker armor than the [i]Poseidon[/i]-Class to supplement their Cyclone Shielding, their standard armament is a trio of turret mounted Midgard Railguns for primary engagements with other battlecruisers and destroyers with smaller Seran Heavy Repeating Railcannons for smaller ships and two flights of [i]Hera[/i]-Class Interceptors and TS61 Rotary Railturrets as a screen against fighters. Equipped with a slipspace drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/bf39740e-5e66-43bb-b987-55f409ab1f90.jpg][i]Hades[/i]-Class Battleship[/url]-The [i]Hades[/i]-class has a single role and that is to serve as the final line of defense between an enemy fleet and the [i]Ares[/i]-Class Supercarrier. While they do provide long range support for the rest of the fleet, as they are the only capital ships in Earth’s fleets equipped with the Anar Long Range Railcannon. Armed with Stolokov High Power Railcannons for close range ship to ship combat, point defense falls to HQ44 Heavy Railturrets while a dozen heavy fighters and interceptors are the primary defense against enemy fighters should point defense fail. It’s armor is nearly as strong as that of the Supercarrier class and is also equipped with Cyclone Shielding and a slipspace drive.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0ea6083f-edd7-4c13-8c35-b1bf3a1251c8.jpg][i]Ares[/i]-Class Supercarrier[/url]-Only a handful of these ships exist and they are the flag ships of the Sol System Defensive Fleet and the three invasion fleets, Fenrir Fleet, Prometheus Fleet, and Ardona Fleet. Their primary armament is the Planetary Railgun. Its supplemental armament is a full complement of Stolokov High Power Railcannons along both the port and starboard sides of the ship for ship to ship engagements and  HQ44 Heavy Railturrets and TS61 Rotary Railturrets for point defense. It’s armor plating is thick enough to shake off a barrage from its own guns, but is also equipped with Cyclone Shielding that is more advanced with a faster recharge. Capable of slipspace travel, which is faster than the FTL drives used in fighters, these ships create a bubble around them of safety as well as using a magnetic towline to keep it’s escort fleet close while in slipspace. Along with it’s outboard armament, it is accompanied by two dozen flights of [i]Hera[/i]-Class Light fighters, one dozen flights of [i]Athena[/i]-Class Heavy Fighters, two flights of [i]Hephaestus[/i]-Class Bombers and four dozen [i]Charon[/i]-Class Transports along with the thousands of troops and ground vehicles along with the crew compliment to keep it running.[/hider]

[hider=Weapons and armor tech][u][i]Shipboard Weapons and Defensive Technology of the United Earth Coalition[/i][/u]

SB22 Railgun: The little brother to the ER43, this is roughly chambered in a 20mm style. However, whereas the ER43 uses a trio of rotating barrels to reduce heat build up, the SB22 uses a tighter grouping of six. Sporting the highest fire rate of any of the two stationary fighter sized railguns the UESC uses, it’s primary purpose is overwhelming firepower on an enemy target in front of the interceptor.

ER43 Railgatling: Considered to be a smaller “caliber” than other railguns in service aboard most UESC ships, this particular railgun also has the second highest rate of fire of them all. Using a trio of rotating barrels to reduce heat build up from sustained fire in longer engagements or when engaging multiple targets. Caliber is roughly 30mm, which is large enough to deal with most fighters.

TS61 Rotary Railturret: Equipped with a pair of tri-barreled railgatlings on either side of the turret “brain” where it’s AI is housed, this weapon is used for point defense on frigates and for fighter engagements on interceptors. High rate of fire with the three barrels on each weapon reducing heat build up on individual barrels.

HQ44 Heavy Railturret: Still housing an AI brain, this railturret uses twin barrels mounted on either side of the housing that have a considerably slower fire rate than the Rotary Railturret or the ER43 offers but with much more power behind individual shots. Chambered in roughly 40mm.

HV59 Heavy Railgun: Roughly chambered in 105mm, these are used to down enemy fighters and bombers as quickly as possible, though they are staticly placed due to their power and size. One shot is capable of causing heavy damage to a [i]Hephaestus[/i]-Class bomber.

Seran Repeating Railcannon: Capable of causing heavy damage to enemy cruisers and outright destroying frigates and destroyers in two to three volleys, the Seran Repeating Railcannon has the fastest firing speed of all capital ship grade weaponry. Larger ships will typically be able to shrug off shots from this cannon but repeated volleys will lead to severe damage eventually.

Seran Heavy Repeating Railcannon: More powerful, slower firing variant of the Seran Repeating Cannon, this weapon was designed to destroy larger ships short of certain classes of cruisers and supercarriers.

Stolokov High Power Railcannon: Relegated to battleship and larger class ships, the Stolokov High Power Railcannon lacks the firing speed of the Seran model cannons but carries nearly four times the impact power, making it ideal for trading broadside blows with other capitol ships.

Anar Long Range Railcannon: Sacrificing firing speed for range and power, the only railgun that can outperform this model in both categories is the Planetary Railgun used by the [i]Ares[/i]-Class Supercarriers. While it has enough power behind a single shot to break an enemy ship’s shielding and heavily damage it, it requires long periods of time between shots and is useless once the two fleets have met in close-range combat, as their effective range is usually outside that scope.

Midgard Railgun: Essentially a scaled down version of the powerful Planetary Railgun, it trades the impressive range and firepower of it for a higher rate of fire. However, it’s shots can still turn a battleship class ship into space debris in two or three shots.

Planetary Railgun:This weapon is meant for ship to ship combat and not any form of planetary bombardment unless absolutely necessary. Test firing done on a dead planet in the Teklon system placed the destructive potential of a shot on a terrestrial target at full power as capable of destroying entire continents. Thus far, the UESC’s combat experience has been the largest ships in both fleets attempt to take each other out before close range engagement. Useless at close range due to the danger of friendly fire.

Mercav Missile Tubes: The only missiles still in service in the UESC fleet and UEMC airforce, they’re outfitted with advanced IFF identifiers and tracking systems to track lock targets. Power is enough to leave holes in frigates.

FyrX Bomb: Designated as the FyrX due to the sizable fireball they make, even in space, this bomb detonates in two stages. The first is to break a hole in the shielding of the enemy capitol ship or ground fortification. The second is the main explosive, causing extensive damage to the hull and/or structure with an explosion many times more powerful than the nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima.

Zestryx Armor Plating: Ship grade armor with mild energy absorbing tendencies, Zestryx is made from a refined metal mined from the moons Titania, Oberon and Puck of Uranus. Stronger than titanium armor used for most fighters and much lighter, more can be used in the construction of warships, from armor to infrastructure. However, infrastructure is still typically made of titanium for cost efficiency.

Cyclone Shielding: Rather than form a second, more or less flat, skin over a ship that simply absorbs a set amount of damage before depleting, the shield creates seemingly endless oscillations to deflect any number of projectiles instead of absorbing straight on, greatly reducing the amount of damage that the shielding takes directly for improved combat life.

[u][i]Infantry Arms and Armor of the United Earth Coalition[/i][/u]

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/14bbc147-0418-40fb-9ed0-e9a9b9fc0437.jpg]MK. VI Infantry Armor[/url]: The standard issue armor for all UEMC ground forces, it can be customized with various external kits for specialized roles and missions. Equipped with environmental seals, a sealed helmet, built-in communications system, magnetic boots, or mag boots, advanced Heads-up Display, or HUD, and limited life support, allowing for operation in hazardous environments for up to six hours before needing renewal.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/3498df47-bef4-4152-b96f-b48be6e7f556.jpg]MK. IV Heavy Infantry Armor[/url]: Equipped with the same suite and capabilities as the MK. V, this suit of heavy armor is also equipped with a built-in jetpack and is able to lift more, making it a mobile heavy weapons platform for infantry portable heavy weapons. Usually deployed with shoulder mounted Tesla Missile Launchers and a hand carried T-138 Magnetic Gatling Gun, though they are also frequently deployed with the high power RPR Heavy Railgun.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/da5981c0-73fd-4f40-963a-7aab99721ae8.jpg]MK. IX Spec Ops Armor[/url]: Equipped with the same suite and capabilities as the MK VI, this suit also comes with better life support, allowing for operational durations of upwards of weeks without requiring a return to base for renewal. Standard equipment for this armor also includes a stealth module with operational duration of several hours, advanced radar and enhanced vision modes, namely magnetic and thermal, with a prototype biohazard sensor and vision mode.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/c817519b-e87f-43df-aa09-e1896bebdb31.jpg]Railrevolver[/url]: One of two standard issue sidearms for UEMC and UESC personnel, more power per shot in exchange for a slower rate of fire. Roughly chambered for .45 ACP, a single shot is enough to punch through light infantry armor.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/591154d2-0c13-439c-8bb8-5526bdd58721.jpg]Sem-automatic Railpistol[/url]: The second of two standard issue sidearms for the UEMC and UESC personnel, this gun trades the power of the railrevolver for a better rate of fire. Capable of penetrating light infantry armor.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/d9923c80-b3fd-43e4-ba60-2a126c8efe27.jpg]R-111 Electromagnetic SMG[/url]: Used most often in shipboarding operations due to its high rate of fire and smaller size, making it ideal for use in the usually tight corridors of. Accurate at shorter ranges with burst fire and full-auto fire modes.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/4c5b8b77-c45b-42aa-9aa5-20bfab435b7d.jpg]GU-339 Magnetic Rifle[/url]: The go to weapon for most close and mid-range combat, the Railassault Rifle has three modes of fire. Burst for mid-range fire fights, full auto for when things start getting closer and dicier and single shot for mid to mid-long range fights. When flipped to single shot, a built-in scope on the rifle will activate, though it is a customizable weapon and many soldiers use a reflex sight with it as well.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/38969ca4-617a-41f7-972a-bedd9197992d.png]SSR-394 Magnetic Rifle[/url]: Accurate at ranges up to kilometers away, this is the standard issue long rage engagement weapon. Capable of penetrating heavy vehicle armor and exploiting their weak points, this weapon’s power and range is the greatest of any UEC infantry weapon.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/fdabb819-3f3e-4677-92a4-dc3d452babb5.png]T-138 Magnetic Gatling Gun[/url]: The primary weapon of the UEMC’s heavy infantry, this weapon is able to lay down heavy degrees of suppressive fire, destroy enemy cover positions, and destroy light combat walkers in a single burst. Heavy armor is largely unaffected. Also used for static defensive emplacements

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/51f53568-1c21-470c-9f8a-4da4face174b.jpg]Tesla Missile Launcher[/url]: Man-portable high-power explosive fired from the shoulder of an infantry man and used as anti-armor weapons on an infantry scale. Equipped with advanced sensors making it capable of anti-air, however, the [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/765fe53a-aa57-4ed3-bde0-5bd12b4664ba.jpg]shoulder-mounted[/url] version equipped by the heavy infantry is the only one to perform consistently due to pairing with the helmet’s advanced sensors.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0656e922-e7cd-4d5d-8cae-8daaa80064dc.jpg]RPR Heavy Railgun[/url]: Carried exclusively by heavy troopers, these rifles are used to directly counter other heavy infantry units. Able to punch through fifteen light infantry in a single shot, but lacks the range of the SSR-394 and the fire rate of even the GU-339.

[u][i]Ground Vehicles and their armaments of the United Earth Coalition[/i][/u]

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/15e43dc1-da5c-4178-8fd5-0db073b4d49d.jpg]Wolfhound APC[/url]: Used both for scouting and carrying troops over land when air insertion isn’t an option, the Wolfhound is fast, lightly armored in Zestryx Alloy armor and lightly armed with only the Hyena Light Railcannon for engaging light armor and infantry.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/a91b03d8-0490-4bf4-9e48-842bfb68e49a.jpg]M405 Main Battle Tank[/url]: Equipped with the Rumbler Railcannon for tank to tank combat and an AI controlled T-138 for anti-infantry, this is the main combat vehicle of the UEMC in armored vehicle combat. Heavy armor makes it resilient to small arms fire and tanks of similar class have a difficult time penetrating the Zestryx Alloy armor.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/d812d452-59a9-4fc1-a12f-54b7a583abc3.jpg]Dreadnaught Superheavy Railgun Tank[/url]: The heaviest of the UEMC’s tanks, this vehicle is equipped with the twin-barreled Mako Railcannon for armored vehicles and a series of AI controlled T-138 turrets for anti-infantry. With plating made from full Zestryx armor, this is also the toughest of the UEMC’s tanks.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0b1ac05e-8b73-40eb-b1aa-69db735a948a.jpg]Empyrean Combat Mech[/url]: The only humanoid combat mech that the UEC has encountered, it is a specialist mech that is slowly taking the place of most of the combat walker roles. Armed with the Bengal Plasma Repeating Cannon for primary engagements with walkers and tanks. Armored in Zestryx, it also is equipped with a collapsible energy shield. Carries a scaled up version of the Railrevolver as a backup weapon in the event other combat mechs are encountered, along with a retractable energy blade in the right wrist.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/f6978c66-5855-454e-94fc-b96f89870223.jpg]Thunderstrike Heavy Artillery Walker[/url]: The last heavy walker still in production for the UEC and serving as a mobile artillery platform, it’s firepower is able to level a city block in a single barrage from its trio of Thunderclap Heavy Railcannons. Armored in Zestryx Alloy armor except around the cockpit, which is actual Zestryx Armor.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0e6052ea-b3ad-48a8-a6f4-49eb8eada5d4.jpg]Panther Light Walker[/url]: The last light walker still in production, this mech is used for infantry suppression and crowd control due to its ability to fit places that the Empyrean can’t. Armed with rapid fire Wolverine Magnetic Gatling and M220 Rocket Grenade Launcher. Armored in light Zestryx Alloy armor.

Hyena Light Railcannon: Relatively low power, it has a high enough rate of fire to act as infantry suppressant and be able to riddle lightly armored vehicles with holes. Arguably the weakest vehicle-mounted ground weapon, unable to penetrate medium to heavy armor.

Rumbler Railcannon: Mainline railcannon in vehicle combat, it packs enough power to turn medium armored vehicles in the same class as the M405 into scrap metal in a single well placed shot. Chambered in roughly 120mm.

Mako Dual-Barrel Railcannon: Only mounted on the Dreadnaught, this cannon is able to shred light and medium vehicles in a single shot and punch through heavy armor in a limited number of shots. Chambered in roughly 220mm. Brought in as a means to bring down enemy fortifications and deal with enemy heavy armor.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/cfae5e81-d7f4-4199-b46d-81000915c414.jpg]Bengal Plasma Repeating Cannon[/url]: The only non-railgun based weapon in the UEC’s arsenal, this weapon hits with high power plasma capable of piercing shielding with sustained fire and penetrating the thickest of armor with repeated shots. Most walkers are unable to handle even a single shot from this cannon.

Thunderclap Heavy Railcannon: Mounted on the Thunderstrike Heavy Walker, this cannon is used to deliver long range artillery strikes on hard targets. Has the range and power to be fired in a straight line or in an arc like traditional artillery.

Wolverine Magnetic Gatling: Rapid-fire anti-infantry, deployed on the Panther Light Walker. Chambered in roughly 7.62x39 sized shots. Ineffective against medium and heavy armor.

M220 Rocket Grenade Launcher: Designed to launch rocket powered grenades over short to mid range distances. Equipped to the Panther Light Walker, usually equipped with fragmentation and riot control gas grenades.

Zestryx Alloy Armor: More cost efficient than full Zestryx armor, this is a titanium base with zestryx added in as an alloy modifier to improve strength further and energy weapon resistance. Used exclusively in ground vehicle construction.[/hider]

[center][h2][u]History of Earth, circa 2144[/u][/h2][/center]

In the year 2144, one hundred years after Earth first began colonizing and terraforming the planets in the Sol System, the United Earth Coalition, the government formed at the end of the third World War in the year 2033, encountered their first alien civilization in the feline-esque Vurad. Initial contact seemed to have been proceeding far better than anyone had dared to hope, until the Human diplomatic team that was sent to visit the Vurad ship went dark, suddenly and without warning. The Vurad ships immediately jumped to FTL and, despite their best efforts, the Mercurian Expeditionary fleet couldn’t track them. It was several hours before they heard from the Vur’ad again, when the fleet that had kidnapped the diplomatic team reappeared in the Sol System, with extra ships in an effort to intimidate Humanity.

Their demands were straightforward and simple; the UEC would disband and Earth and its fleets would become part of the budding Vur’ad Empire, or they would eat the Diplomatic party and their escorts in front of the entire populace and then destroy the Sol System Defensive Fleet and bombard their colonies into submission. In an effort to encourage surrender, the Vur’ad Leader turned to one of the diplomats, Flaviana Di Sarro, and told her to say it would be best for everyone. Instead, she spoke a single phrase that would affect the way humans dealt with First Contact for nearly another century. “Avvia il protocollo XCOM.” The head of the defensive fleet didn’t speak fluent Italian, but the last word in the sentence was all she needed to translate for herself; “Initiate XCOM Protocol.”

“Affirmative, Negotiator. God rest you and those with you.” The Vur’ad leader, confused, demanded she repeat what she’d just said when communications cut suddenly and the Italian only laughed as the railgun weaponry of the Sol System Defensive Fleet opened fire on the invading fleet, along with the orbital defense platforms. This initiated a two year long war with the Vur’ad Imperium, however, with the loss of many of their ships during the initial battle in the Battle of Sol System, the Imperium was forced to surrender and agree to cease hostilities and return any human hostages they still had. XCOM protocol was established in the year 2101 as the reality of eventually encountering another race became more and more possible and the concern of hostile aliens became a concern. The protocol’s creator, who was a rather large fan of the turn-based Strategy game XCOM: Enemy Within and the sequel XCOM 2, used the tutorial mission from Enemy Within as the basis for it. Should an encountered alien species prove hostile, unmitigated war is to be waged upon them until one side is unable to continue. The next species encountered was to receive a pre-emptive fleet over an important world to discourage hostile actions before the two parties have met or during First Contact.

Unfortunately, this proved to be a poor approach, as while the Vur’ad Imperium had been foolish enough to think their superior numbers would intimidate a foe with superior firepower, the next race they discovered was far wiser. The Ghesul Consulate didn’t have large fleets like the Vur’ad, instead investing in what Earth classified as Supercarriers and a small escort fleet for them. The response to Chimera Fleet dropping out of slipspace over a population center of the Consulate was met with a heavy planetary defense cannon destroying the fleet’s flagship, [i]Corona[/i], a battleship class ship that had, until that moment, never fallen in battle or taken damage that hadn’t been repairable in hours or days. The fleet was routed by the arrival of a Ghesul response fleet shortly after and First Contact became the first genuine war the UEC had waged.

Nearly ten years of fighting was had, with heavy losses on both sides. When the two parties finally met to discuss terms of a ceasefire, the Ghesul Consulate had lost nearly two thirds of their few Supercarrier fleets and Earth, not yet having developed their own Supercarriers, was down to half the naval power they had started the war with. There were other long term effects still being investigated by the Consulate to this day forty years later, as some of the weapons they employed during the war were later found to have unintended consequences on the environments of formerly habitable worlds and they had declared that as they had deployed the weapons, they would clean up the aftermath.

Many in the Consulate would, for the first decade, feel the war was Earth’s fault and the use of the weapons was a response to them, however, the leadership of the alien nation had reviewed the provided documentation and video recordings of First Contact with the Vur’ad Imperium and did not blame the UEC for their use of the XCOM Protocol, though they did suggest adjusting it to avoid sparking a war with every new race they met. This proved to be a moot suggestion however, as five years after the conclusion of the war between humanity and the Ghesul a group of nomadic aliens known as the Monud showed up in the Sol System and began a guerilla war that lasted six months.

Their weapons focused on high energy pulses to destroy shielding and armor, however, after two conflicts with powers deploying energy weaponry the likes of which the UEC hadn’t yet even dreamed up, counter measures were developed in both shielding and armor for UESC ships and the Monud Conflict brought to a swift end, with the survivors sent back to their home system with a warning from both the UEC and the Ghesul Consulate to cease trying to disrupt the galactic peace with their raids.

[center][h2][u]Recent History of the United Earth Coalition, as of the year 2197 AD[/u][/h2][/center]

In the forty years since the end of the Human-Ghesul War, humanity has greatly restructured both their ground military and naval infrastructures to better excel in both combat and exploration. This led to a change from entire scout fleets to only a pair of scout fighters, equipped and provisioned for long term missions, allowing for less chance at visual detection and greater time to scout the target location, though at a slower pace. They also adopted the use of Supercarrier led fleets in place of individual battle groups making up a larger fleet as a whole, allowing more fleets to cover a larger area. In the thirty-fifth year of peace after the end of the Human-Ghesul War, the two races officially became trade partners and allies, though the bulk of the rebuilt Consulate fleets are still occupied with cleaning up the remnants of the war, but have allowed humanity to begin aiding in cleanup. The MK VI armor is intended primarily for use by soldiers, but there are civilian variants that exist for hazardous work as well.

In recent years, the UEC has launched scouting missions towards the other side of a mysterious asteroid belt that separated the bulk of known space for them and the Consulate from what they called the Unexplored Region, leading to the discovery of civilizations that exist in them. However, initial contact went poorly, as the patrolling ships were immediately fired upon by the patrol that found them and war is now once more at the doorstep of the United Earth Coalition. However, it is in the fires of war that humanity has been tempered, as this new foe will soon learn. United nos sto!