Aldarshu Order
The Order, Four-Arms, Dragons, Tankers (considered a slur), Blues (nickname for the Azurian Guard)
General Information
Minor Belligerent
Overview
The Aldarshu are four armed, draconic humanoids that physically tower over most sentient species of the galaxy. A designer species built from the ground up to be a terrifying shock trooper, they proved too powerful to control and in time broke free of their bondage, shattering the empire built on their backs and driving their slavers into distant stars. While many assumed a species bred for battle would devolve into anarchy and infighting, the Aldarshu proved themselves to be the exception, tempering their warlike nature and building an empire on a code of honor and the rule of law that could stand among the other, natural races of the galaxy.
History
The Aldarshu were the creation of the Nezath Directive, a moderate power on the galactic stage established long before the Ashtar arrived in this part of the universe. The Directive is populated entirely by the Nezath, a bipedal humanoid creature whose appearance is hidden behind containment suits. The reasoning for this is largely unknown; their xenophobia and relative isolation have prevented anyone from really getting close enough to find out, and their planet's temperate climate doesn't seem to necessitate the suits. The most plausible theory is that the Nezath possess a severely compromised immune system, either from a fluke of genetics or a mutation brought on by chemical or nuclear warfare. The need to manage their health would explain how their primary contribution to the galaxy, besides the occasional military foray, was their highly advanced biotech and medical technology, some of it benevolent and truly innovative, but most of it relating to their most notorious practice; tank breeding.
With a weakened physical form, few resources to dedicate to heavy industrial machines, and a relatively isolated empire with few species to use as labor, the Nezath were infamous for their practice of creating tank-bred species to perform tasks for them. The Tankers, as some called them, were customized for specific tasks, be it hard labor, military service, or even administrative tasks, and many were built with incredibly short lifespans and a fanatical desire to serve the whims of their Nezath overlords. They regarded the Tankers as tools to be used and fitted to perform tasks, and even sold "models" to criminal elements or unscrupulous governments for quite a fine price.
One of these tank bred races were the Yuu-Wen 5 (Nezath for Legion Model 5), a massive, four-armed draconic race designed to be an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Gifted with an innate knowledge of combat and tactics, as well as an extremely resilient durability, the fifth model was unique in that it could not be programmed with the same kill switch that the other Tankers possessed. This was not a problem of course, as like all military units in the Directive their purpose was to be fed into the meat grinder of battle until the day was won. The Fifth model would merely last longer, and there was always going to be a good war to throw them into. After all, the Nezath Directive were not shy about going after weak targets or taking decisive action when a chance arose to quash a threat or secure a valuable commodity. Who could hope to stand against them?
With a weakened physical form, few resources to dedicate to heavy industrial machines, and a relatively isolated empire with few species to use as labor, the Nezath were infamous for their practice of creating tank-bred species to perform tasks for them. The Tankers, as some called them, were customized for specific tasks, be it hard labor, military service, or even administrative tasks, and many were built with incredibly short lifespans and a fanatical desire to serve the whims of their Nezath overlords. They regarded the Tankers as tools to be used and fitted to perform tasks, and even sold "models" to criminal elements or unscrupulous governments for quite a fine price.
One of these tank bred races were the Yuu-Wen 5 (Nezath for Legion Model 5), a massive, four-armed draconic race designed to be an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Gifted with an innate knowledge of combat and tactics, as well as an extremely resilient durability, the fifth model was unique in that it could not be programmed with the same kill switch that the other Tankers possessed. This was not a problem of course, as like all military units in the Directive their purpose was to be fed into the meat grinder of battle until the day was won. The Fifth model would merely last longer, and there was always going to be a good war to throw them into. After all, the Nezath Directive were not shy about going after weak targets or taking decisive action when a chance arose to quash a threat or secure a valuable commodity. Who could hope to stand against them?
To say the Directive was blindsided by the arrival of the Ashtar would have been an understatement. They were in fact the first to be made examples of when their fleet was utterly annihilated in a preemptive strike on the enigmatic newcomers. This defeat forced the Directive onto the back foot, and for a time it looked as though the formerly cold and heartless Nezath was preparing to rethink its place in the galaxy, open up to outsiders and change from what they were.
And then the unthinkable happened; a Yuu-Wen 5 refused an order.
It was a doomsday scenario thought to be impossible. With no wars to cull the population, the same resistance that prevented the shortened lifespan from being effected caused the mental hold the Nezath had on their tank bred soldiers to decay. The Nezath position grew desperate, their attempts to cull the population hampered by their devastating losses against the Ashtar, but in time it became clear that their best soldiers, bred to be the most terrifying effective fighting force in the galaxy, had grown completely out of their control. Disobedience became violence. Violence became rioting. Riots became rebellions. And at long last, on the planet Aldarshu, a band of the tank-bred soldiers, slaves to a brutal despotic empire, raised a flag over the tallest building.
The rebellion on Aldarshu was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a cause and a banner to rally behind, the Yuu-Wen 5 shed their designation numbers and took the name of the first of their kind to rally for freedom. The rebellion tore through the Directive's holdings like a firestorm, and planet after planet fell before the righteous fury of the Aldarshu. The Directive was utterly devastated, losing the majority of their empire, including their home planet, and it was only the intervention of the Ashtar that saved them from being wiped out entirely. The Nezath population scattered throughout the galaxy, and what was left of the leadership set up a government in exile that was adopted by the Sigma-Jalaryian Ascendancy as a client state and later absorbed into the Ascendancy itself, ending the nightmare of Aldarshu enslavement at last.
And then the unthinkable happened; a Yuu-Wen 5 refused an order.
It was a doomsday scenario thought to be impossible. With no wars to cull the population, the same resistance that prevented the shortened lifespan from being effected caused the mental hold the Nezath had on their tank bred soldiers to decay. The Nezath position grew desperate, their attempts to cull the population hampered by their devastating losses against the Ashtar, but in time it became clear that their best soldiers, bred to be the most terrifying effective fighting force in the galaxy, had grown completely out of their control. Disobedience became violence. Violence became rioting. Riots became rebellions. And at long last, on the planet Aldarshu, a band of the tank-bred soldiers, slaves to a brutal despotic empire, raised a flag over the tallest building.
The rebellion on Aldarshu was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a cause and a banner to rally behind, the Yuu-Wen 5 shed their designation numbers and took the name of the first of their kind to rally for freedom. The rebellion tore through the Directive's holdings like a firestorm, and planet after planet fell before the righteous fury of the Aldarshu. The Directive was utterly devastated, losing the majority of their empire, including their home planet, and it was only the intervention of the Ashtar that saved them from being wiped out entirely. The Nezath population scattered throughout the galaxy, and what was left of the leadership set up a government in exile that was adopted by the Sigma-Jalaryian Ascendancy as a client state and later absorbed into the Ascendancy itself, ending the nightmare of Aldarshu enslavement at last.
Born in fire and fury, the Aldarshu would have probably burned itself out if the Ashtar hadn't intervened heavily on their behalf, helping to keep opportunistic powers away and working to repair the damage done in the massive uprising (a fact that perturbs many of the remaining Nezath, since they got no help by the Ashtar when the Aldarshu rose up). Peace and stability gave the Aldarshu the chance to see themselves outside of the scope of war, and it was here, during a time called the Forging, where this legion of tank-bred soldiers became a proper galactic nation. Building a strong, stable government with a military sheen, this time period saw rapid industrialization, the advent of public services and education, and most notably the opening of the formerly closed off Nezath core worlds, bringing in new people and new ideas to help the fledgling nation grow into its own image.
They never stopped being soldiers though, and even in the peace time years the Aldarshu's skill and tenacity as warriors shone through, if not in their battles then in their culture, beliefs, and even their government. And they had long memories as well, thus it was only natural that when the Ashtar suddenly and mysteriously vanished, they were among the first to jump into the Great War, settling grievances with some of their neighbors and putting their new armed forces to the test. They were steady participants in the war, seen in many of the major battles and earning fame for relieving the brutal siege of the Taulron planet Barisol in spite of long odds. No victory was as important to the Aldarshu people, however, as seeing their signature on the treaty ending the Great War. Long regarded as outcasts or misfits because of their tank-bred, slave soldier histories, their being included as a proper nation in the peace negotiations was the final step in the forging of the Aldarshu Order, which emerged in triumph as a new power ready to make its mark on the world.
They never stopped being soldiers though, and even in the peace time years the Aldarshu's skill and tenacity as warriors shone through, if not in their battles then in their culture, beliefs, and even their government. And they had long memories as well, thus it was only natural that when the Ashtar suddenly and mysteriously vanished, they were among the first to jump into the Great War, settling grievances with some of their neighbors and putting their new armed forces to the test. They were steady participants in the war, seen in many of the major battles and earning fame for relieving the brutal siege of the Taulron planet Barisol in spite of long odds. No victory was as important to the Aldarshu people, however, as seeing their signature on the treaty ending the Great War. Long regarded as outcasts or misfits because of their tank-bred, slave soldier histories, their being included as a proper nation in the peace negotiations was the final step in the forging of the Aldarshu Order, which emerged in triumph as a new power ready to make its mark on the world.
Major Holdings
Aldarshu Prime: The Capital of the Order, the first planet in the defunct Directive to fall to the Aldarshu Rebellion. A tropical planet that was once little more then a stockyard for batches of clone soldiers, the slave pen that first flew the banner of the Aldarshu stands at the monument in the center of the gleaming metropolis that was built around it. With few natural resources outside of extensive hydroelectric facilities, Aldarshu Prime is largely an urban administration center, serving as both an important trade hub in the order as well as hosting the government plaza and the bureaucratic institutions that manage and micromanage the day to day goings on in the Order.
Urtaria: A sandy sun-blasted world, with the major cities clustered around oases and rivers that dot the surface. Urtaria was used by the Nezath to battle-harden the Aldarshu and under new management it serves the same purpose, albeit slightly differently. Despite it mostly being a desert, a cluster of rivers near the northern pole created a unique blend of different terrains and environmental conditions, perfect for training soldiers in every climate. Today the planet hosts the largest number of military bases and outposts on any Aldarshu world, as well as the prestigious Urtarian Academy, where the best officers and leaders are trained. Urtaria is also a huge energy provider as well thanks to extensive networks of solar panels across the surface.
Nez: The former homeworld of the Nezath species, now under new management. Despite early efforts to raze the planet in retaliation, cooler heads prevailed and it was rebuilt much like the rest of the Order, and is the only place where a sizeable population of the Nezath still live. A lush temperate world, the cloning labs have since been torn down and replaced with respectable and ethical scientific institutions, where some of the best and brightest arrive to innovate and experiment. The strife of the uprising still runs deep however, and the planet is host to a political movement urging reconciliation with the defeated Nezath despite less savory elements elsewhere in the Order that demand the purging of the slavers from Aldarshu space for good. Today a statue stands in the capital city depicting a Nezath and an Aldarshu shaking hands, while the Order mulls over new legislation allowing the wayward Nezath to immigrate back to their homeland.
Des and Nin: A double planet located in a dense asteroid field, the dual planets are the industrial heartland of the Order. Precious minerals are mined Des and the surrounding asteroids, are taken to Nin for refinement, and shipped out to shipyards and factories all across the Order. A large portion of the mining and refinement is done with the help of automation, thus the planets have a small population compared to other key regions, consisting mostly of administrators and technicians, and of course military forces.
Andjety: The planet Andjety itself is a dead world, its population having annihilated itself in an atomic war that destroyed the ecosystem long before even the Nezath showed up. While still a magnet for archeologists interested in pre-spacer civilizations, the Andjety system is more importantly known as the hub of the Aldarshu Order's navy, home to the most extensive shipyards in the region as well as the command center for spacefaring operations in the Order. The population of the Andjety system largely resides in the bio-domed satellite orbiting the dead planet, one of the largest of its kind with an extensive defensive system keeping the people, as well as the naval commanders, safe.
Demographics
Population
The population of Aldarshu Order planets is, naturally, overwhelmingly Aldarshu. The Aldarshu stand at nearly ten feet tall on average and are largely reptilian in appearance, easily distinguishable by their extra set of arms and secondary set of eyes. The Aldarshu are unique in that they are tank-bred, created to be fearsome warriors. To that end they serve their purpose well, and they are renowned for their natural strength and incredible endurance that might fool some onlookers into thinking that they are merely dumb brutes. Being tank bred also means they do not have the means to reproduce, thus it is a common practice for Aldarshu parents to simulate the experience via cloning to create new children. It's a necessary action, but a taboo one, as it is considered a sign that they are not a proper species like the other great races in the galaxy, not to mention that the Order regular needs to trade for medical tech to prevent the Aldarshu genetic code from decaying in successive generations.
Small minorities of other species inhabit the Aldarshu planets, most notably the race that's infamous for creating them, the Nezath. Humbled by the collapse of their directive, the more normal-sized race are still as enigmatic as ever, well-known for the distinctive sealed suits that hide their appearance from the outside world. Relations are cool between the Nezath and their former slave soldiers, naturally, but given their sordid history things could be a lot worse for them, all things considered. One thing is for certain, though.
You don't get to see what they look like behind the helmet. Bad things happen to the people who try.
Society
The Aldarshu Order is defined by their unique status as a designer race bred by another species, and equally defined by the inherent desire to move past that stigma. Aldarshu are by design naturally inclined to work and coordinate together, and are most comfortable in rigid command structures with their day to day activities dictated by tight schedules. This would have in any other instance led to a race favoring authoritarianism and fanatical loyalty to a single strong leader, a mindset that the Nezath worked to cultivate in the pre-rebellion days when the Aldarshu were merely shock troopers, but when a flag was raised over Aldarshu prime, the belief in a higher authority that can do no wrong was shattered. With the help of new allies in the Ashtar, instead of collapsing into infighting as expected, the Aldarshu re-evaluated their position, attempting to reconcile their freedom with their inclination for order. The result was the Kuresan.
The Kuresan, roughly translated as the Brotherhood, has come to signify the bond that all Aldarshu share with one another, redefined from a series of genetic codes to encourage cohesion to the desire to band together to show that they are free and independent like any other race in the galaxy, and deserve to be treated as such. Thus the Aldarshu Order became not just a nation or a galactic empire, but the collective will of the Aldarshu people, joining together in once voice to say "I think, therefore I am." It's a touch confusing to outsiders to say the least, who tend to regard such lofty language as populist or socialist despite Aldarshu society being so orderly and scheduled.
Thus the Aldarshu moral code is centered around the Kuresan, with their actions defined by this nebulous concept. Service to the state, militarily or otherwise, is considered something to be proud of, as well as acting charitably and honorably towards friends as well as enemies. The displeased are encouraged to make their voices heard, and to the Aldarshu even good leadership should be challenged if necessary.
It's also worth noting that the Kuresan is the only form of spirituality that the Aldarshu practice, given that they are atheists who reject the idea of creator beings since their creators were the Nazeth. Rather they believe that the Aldarshu share a collective spirit that connects them to their long dead ancestors, and as such notable figures of the past become venerated in their death. And all Aldarshu are ready to fight and die as they did; combat training is a mandatory part of a developing Aldarshu's education, and they are never afraid to use it when the time is right.
Economy
The Aldarshu Order is entirely a state-controlled economy, and what little free enterprise exists is heavily regulated. As a result, the Order is largely self-sufficient and produces as much as it needs to run the day to day functions of the state, at least in terms of physical goods. The Order does recognize the importance of a vibrant economy however and has allowed a limited degree of free trade, closely watched and neatly folded into the bureaucratic mechanisms of the state. It's not the Wild West, but a wily trader can still turn a profit in Aldarshu space, provided they have the right forms filled out.
Tourism and scientific expeditions are a common sight in Aldarshu, thanks to the Nezath keeping their systems closed from the rest of the galaxy and the Aldarshu themselves being unusual to the other races that visit them. Aldarshu metallurgy is highly sought after as well, and the Order is happy to trade their excellent refined metals for use in construction, keeping the best materials for themselves of course. What the Aldarshu want in return tends to change on a whim thanks to the highly regulated economy, but there's always an appetite for foreign cultures among the Aldarshu, a population eager to see all the exotic, luxurious artifacts that their neighbors make. In addition, they also regularly trade in biotechnology, exchanging their own tech for advances to help keep their genetic code strong during cloning.
Government
The Order is governed by a mixture of representative democracy and bureaucratic administration. Merit factors heavily into the selection of new leaders, with education or a period of government service (military or otherwise) being a requirement for most leadership positions, especially the elected ones.
Inspired by their neighbors, the Aldarshu established a central government with a single legislative body, called the Masuran Assembly. Representation is determined by population, and while all representatives, known as Masurs in the Aldarshu language, serve for life, there is a mechanism in the legal code where a snap election may be declared at any time to oust a Masur. The Masuran Assembly serves to voice the concerns of their constituents, draft laws, and elect the Grandmaster of the Aldarshu Order.
The Grandmaster of the Order is the political head of state and the supreme commander of all military forces under the jurisdiction of the Empire. Like the Masurs, the Grandmaster serves for life and can also be voted out of office if need be. The Grandmaster performs what is expected of the head of state, along with his council of ministers, the Lazul Council, who are approved by the Masurs to act on his behalf and oversee large segments of the Order's resources, as well as provide advice to the ruler. One of these roles is the Chancellor, a sort of vice-ruler who manages the government in the event that the Grandmaster is leading men into battle. The lower governments of the planets and states on the planets generally follow this model of governance, depending on the local situation.
The Order also has a bureaucratic system that manages the inner workings of the Empire, their members chosen entirely on merit and who keep the industry and economy rolling as well as providing essential services to the populace in terms of health care and education, among others.
Technological Information
Major Techs
Aldarshian Titanium: The Aldarshu's talent for metalwork is second to none, and their best creation in this field is the rare alloy Aldarshian Titanium, built with rare materials only common in Order territory and forged by beings bred for war and innately experienced with the concept of battle damage. Aldarshian Titanium is lightweight and malleable, and possesses an uncanny ability to resist and absorb energy, kinetic or otherwise, making it perfect for every military application from body armor to reinforced hulls.
StimGel: This bio-mimetic gel is a Nezath invention, made to treat serious battlefield wounds but has since been refined and perfected by the Aldarshu. StimGel is made of cloned stem cells modified to grow and develop at a rapid pace, replacing wounded or missing flesh and blood with brand new material indistinguishable from the old. StimGel medkits are standard in all Aldarshu military units, where it is a fast and easy fix to normally debilitating and even fatal wounds. StimGel is also invaluable to doctors, where it can be used to assist in surgeries and, with some modification, even be used to regrow brand new limbs and organs.
Zarinometry: Zarinometry is not a physical technology, but a special branch of mathematics and mechanics that the Aldarshu have an innate understanding of. Derived from military programming given by the Nezath and codified and recorded so it can be studied and taught, Zarinometry is effectively a mashup of mathematical theory and ballistics that the Aldarshu apply to their everyday lives. The obvious usage is military of course, what with allowing their guns and weaponry a degree of accuracy that other galactic empires have difficulty matching. Zarinometry is also utilized in their programming and computer technology, making even their computer guided targeting systems more accurate. A secondary benefit to this unique branch of science is its difficulty; it's hard for non Aldarshu to understand all the nuances and different theories that go into the subject, making it difficult to decipher and infiltrate their computer systems, which uses code derived from Zarinometric theory. Zarinometry is also utilized in their warp drive FTL engines, helping predict more efficient pathways through warp space.
Military Information
Military Overview
At first relying on their tried-and-true strategies of shock attacks and brute force, the military doctrine employed most often by the Order emerged in the crucible of the Great War as a method of utilizing the resilience, firepower, and the powerful assault tactics in their arsenal to their greatest effect.
On the surface and among the stars, Aldarshu military strategy focuses on the preparation of the strike just as much if not more then the strike itself. This doctrine encourages careful planning and maneuvering, avoiding foolhardy engagements and positioning their forces on the proverbial higher ground, harassing the enemy with skirmishes, artillery, and other attrition tactics until an opening presents itself where they can press their advantage. Bullets, after all, are cheaper then bodies, and the Aldarshu can always be counted on to take more punishment then the enemy can deal them, and give out more punishment then the enemy can take.
Currently, the Aldarshu armed forces, known as the Order Guard, is made up of citizen soldiers proudly serving the state, well-trained and reliable thanks to a natural inclination for war and mandatory military training in education. The Order Guard is further diversified into the Legion, the ground and planetary forces, the Stellar Guard, the naval and fleet personnel, and the elite Azurian Guard.
Fleet/Navy
Dreadnoughts:
The first generation of Dreadnought class vessels manufactured by the Order towards the end of the Great War was the Mosull Class. Built to lead fleets into battle, the Mosull is a bruiser built to lead the charge, equipped with heavy armor, mass drivers, and rail guns alongside the usual standard armaments. The most notable Mosull Class is probably the Mosull-Gal, which serves as the flagship for the Grandmaster of the Order. Since the message was broadcasted and the treaty lapsed, the Order has resumed manufacturing and updating of the Mosull class, improving its capacity as a command ship as well as commissioning a new Ezirol Class dreadnought with a more balanced approach towards combat.
Battleships: When the Order entered the Great War, the vessels that led the charge were the Ovek Class battleships. Ornately designed and renowned for their ability to punch holes in the toughest armor plating with their mass driver armaments, the Ovek Class led the Grandmaster and his generals to victory in the war and even as its glory days are long behind it, the ship can still be found as an honor guard or in the reserves keeping order in the untamed reaches of space. After the war, the Ovek Class evolved into the Ovekal Class, later the Ovekal-Lin and Ovekal-Shu variants, a superheavy armored and long-range artillery variant respectively, all of which didn't quite live up to the expectation of its predecessor thanks to the treaty but nevertheless was an important step in the evolution of Order military strategy. With the lapsing of the treaty, the third variant, Ovekal-Ren, was instead retooled into the much more effective Overen Class, able to properly lead fleets and support their larger Dreadnought cousins with their heavy cannons and armor.
Battlecruisers: The little brothers of the Ovek were the Eiso Class vessels, another classic ship from the Great War. It filled a similar roll to the Ovek on a small scale during the war, but radically changed in the post war period. In fact, it differed entirely in that its Detente Era successor, the Eisoren, was both more experimental and more successful then the Ovek variants. The Eisoren was the first made in the mindset of the new military doctrine, and as a result was built with more fleet support options, such as point defense, target hardening, and computer-assisted range-finding. The post-Detente successor the Eisorenek continued the reputation of the original ship, and its less militant design has lead it to be used as flagships in diplomatic missions where a softer hand is required.
Cruisers: From the Great War Kilesh Class to the more modern Himaro class, the cruiser has long been the workhorse of the fleet, the front-line fighter able to trade blows with the enemy, holding off assaults as easily as they do leading them. Equipped with good armor and strong batteries (the gun kind not the Duracell kind), the Himaro and the newly designed Himaroku are ready and prepared to bring on the fight.
Destroyers: Destroyers diverged in two directions following the Great War, the old strategy and the new strategy. The old resulted in the Tiso Class, less a ship and more a large artillery piece with a ship built around it, that is brought into battle for long-ranged firepower and bombardment. The other variant, the Osh Class, is a considerable divergence in that it's built as a scouting and harassment vessel, able to slip in and cause trouble and get out before they take too much of a beating. Both are glass cannons, the Tiso more so then the Osh, so they are rarely seen without support from the larger vessels.
Frigates: Aldarshu Frigates are largely seen in support of the destroyers and cruisers, oftentimes fulfilling similar roles in regards to scouting and front-line assault. The Oss Class is the most common variant used at this time, with modest firepower for its size, but the Ossven Class variant is a highly reliable troop transport, filled with marines and grouped with Cruisers to serve as boarding parties and infiltration teams.
Corvettes: Corvettes are defined by the hardy Kare class, rugged and reliable and serving with some modification since the Great War. It is most commonly used as troop transports and patrol ships, usually in the reserves and more commonly used to combat pirates and bandits rather then any military threat. That being said, experimentation is ongoing in regards to a new variant designed to disrupt enemy fleet movements, the Karelon Class.
Strike craft: Aldarshu Strike Craft are a recent development, made in line with their new change in tactics. They are often loaded onto battlecruisers and cruisers where they join in battles to cripple enemy ships or in skirmishes to harass them. Due to biological limitations, ie their physical size, their lightest S Class fighters are heavier and slower then most others in their class, with them and the interceptor K Class relying more on their firepower then their maneuverability in a fight, as is expected. Their bomber class, the Y Class, is a more ideal strike craft, able to be equipped with armor penetrating and high explosive weaponry in a modular fashion.
Army/Planetary forces
The Legion makes up the bulk of the foot soldiers and land troops in the Order Guard. Soldiers in the Legion are often specialized, but can be relied upon to be heavily armored and powerfully armed, with some accounts comparing Aldarshu Legionnaires to small tanks rather then foot soldiers thanks to their resilience and size. Equipped with their heavy modular assault rifles and backed by powerful artillery cannons and support tanks, Legionnaires can afford to be patient, entrenching and playing safe until the time comes to attack, charging forward under fire and closing in with explosives, rapid concentrated fire, and deadly bladed weapons. One critical part of the legion is the Wardens, a peacetime segment of the Legion which performs policing and anti-piracy actions, and the Stellar Guard has marines that function in a similar capacity to the Legion.
While most of the Aldarshu armed forces are citizen soldiers, the Azurian Guard are dedicated warriors, shock troopers and infiltrators well-versed in the tried and true tactics of the Aldarshu. Made up of the best warriors the Order has to offer, the Azurian Guard are often found in specialized roles on the battlefield, such as sharpshooters, paratroopers, and elite marines on the larger fleet vessels.
Hyperdread
The Vodimal Class began life as a glass cannon dreadnought, an attempt to mount the most powerful gun possible onto a vessel before it was upscaled to a hyperdreadnought. Bristling with powerful cannons, missile platforms, and a dedicated strike craft force alongside an elite Azurian Guard regiment, the Vodimal is a titan among titans, but the gun it is built around is the real firepower, an immense railgun exploiting the energy absorbing properties of Aldarshu Titanium to fire a single, deadly blast with enough speed and force that merely passing by enemy ships can inflict damage. The explosion from the shells can annihalate all but the toughest opposing ships, and the shockwave from the blast can cripple enemy fleets, wiping out smaller ships and cracking the hulls of the larger vessels.