The treaty could also only prohibit indiscriminate bombardment: asteroid strikes, strategic nukes, antimatter bombs, etc. Precise tactical strikes of limited scale against specific targets could be permitted.
It's really just fluff. The idea is they're too committed to the *vague super conflict* to devote more resources to Anuria, so they're running on Quality over Quantity. If it really bugs people I can rescale them.
Still sorting out a few last details, the important stuff is done though.
The Ashtar Dominions
Species Name Biologically, Herkress hatanis, but more commonly, the Ashtar
Species Description The Ashtar are a species of reptilian humanoids with pale blue skin composed of soft, supple scales. They possess hair on their heads, but nowhere else, and their features tend to be very angular. Whenever possible, Ashtar conceal their faces from outsiders: communicating with audio only, wearing helmets and hoods, even using telekinesis to shroud their faces. In general, Ashtar are cold, formal, and distinctly arrogant. They’ll never say they’re better than you, but they’ll certainly think it.
It is important to note that the Ashtar have highly developed telepathic and telekinetic abilities, a skillset they refer to in general as psionics. This permits them to read the thoughts of other beings, communicate with their thoughts, even attack the mind of an opponent and destroy their sanity. Their telekinetic powers let them move objects with their minds, though this is a tiring process. More skilled Ashtar are capable of manipulating objects at the molecular or even subatomic level, permitting them to create fireballs, blasts of energy, or variety of other things; such feats require a tremendous understanding of the universe and a large amount of psychic power.
Another distinctive feature of the Asthar is their Union, a vast psychic network between every individual of their species, sharing all thoughts and feelings. When they die, their minds retreat into the Union, and may enter to a new body to live again. Thus, death becomes a learning experience.
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Nation Name Lo Ashtar al Mishri, also referred to as the Ashtar Dominions
Nation Size In their home galaxy, the Ashtar have established a unified galactic civilization with thousands of worlds and countless billions of citizens.
Nation Description The Ashtar are an older species who have been puttering around the stars for several thousand years, accumulating a lengthy and elaborate history. Unfortunately for them, they are currently embroiled in a massive intergalactic conflict; allied with a Coalition of smaller nations, they fight off the looming threat of the Sakturi Imperium in a conflict that shows no sign of stopping.
Nation Involvement Originally, a small task force was deployed to Anuria to investigate suspected Sakturi activity; a clear violation of the Prosperos Treaty concerning interference with intra-galactic civilizations. The original task force rapidly became embroiled in the conflict, and reinforcements were deployed. Ninety years later, the Ashtar on Anuria can still sense the psionic presence of Sakturi agents, but are no closer to finding them. Standard procedures for minimum intervention were discarded long ago, along with basic luxuries. No longer do the Ashtar soldiers retire from the front; their fixation on unearthing their ancient enemy is all consuming. They die, immediately return to whatever bodies are available, and fight on, constantly taunted by the quiet whispers of the Sakturi presence.
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Ashtar technology is in some respects extremely sophisticated, while in others it remains brutally simple. Their FTL systems, for example, demonstrate a highly refined mastery of gravity and dimensional physics. On the other hand, their weapons systems are primarily based around simple but highly destructive particle beams.
A note on psytech: Converting psionic power into useable physical energy was one of the Ashtar’s greatest scientific achievements, and it now forms an integral part of much of their technology. A particular type of synthesized carbon isotope crystal is able to conduct psionic energy; it can be used as a transmitter and receiver, or shaped to hold particular warp forms, which only require a trickle of psionic energy to activate. Sensors and C&C systems in particular make heavy use of the Ashtar’s inherent psionic powers. Psytech weapons are horrifically powerful, and are forbidden except for the smallest of infantry devices.
Power Generation: The basis of much Ashtar technology is a handy little particle derived from metallic state xenon referred to as “Omega” particles. Usually highly volatile, careful manipulation can push the particles into a self sustaining stable configuration that generates vast amounts of useable power; this is usually done in devices called harmonics chambers. Harmonics chambers require power to sustain them, but generate much more than they consume. Great stress, caused by weapons fire, for example, destabilizes the Omega particles and causes a massive explosion, providing an extremely effective self-destruct sequence for Ashtar ships. The destructive potential of Omega particles is widely used in Ashtar weapons systems.
Gates: The primary Ashtar method of FTL travel, Gate drives are essentially wormhole generators. They bend and then cut through space and subspace, cutting a razor thin hole through spacetime. The other side of the Gate ends up being in another location. Gate generators mounted on ships can travel great but still limited distances, and take time to recharge. To compensate, any ship larger than a corvette will have at least two generators. Gates are extremely elaborate metaphysical constructs, and are therefore vulnerable to disruption by extreme gravity and other anomalies.
Graviton Jump Drives: An older method of FTL travel, jump drives are sturdier and more reliable than their newer counterparts. Recently brought back into common use, jump drives comprise the secondary FTL systems of Ashtar ships. Jump drives involve using intense gravitational bursts to move an object from point A to point B near instantaneously. The Ashtar have refined the technology to be useable on even small objects such as fighter craft and missiles, granting a huge amount of tactical flexibility. Jump drives trade range for rapid recharge times, leaving Gate drives responsible for long distance travel.
Corvette Sheiding: 4 shield generators create a skin that follows the contours of the ship. Conventional weapons will have their energy absorbed by the shields and fed into the ships power batteries. The 4 shield generators will rotate, so that no one generator is submitted to more stress than any other. Even more useful is the fact that the system will automatically divert power to any point of impact.
Cruiser and Capital ship shielding: On larger Capital Ships, as many as 50 shield generators will function in unison to create two layers of. shielding. In short, nothing will get through, other than constant pounding with powerful weapons. These shields are the same as corvette shields, though infinitely more powerful, and they also create an outer shield bubble as well as a conformal shield skin.
Armor: Ashtar ships have from 1 to 30 meters of armor plating on top of the already highly resilient hull. Plating is constantly active, is capable of absorbing and distributing tremendous force, and is also backed up by an energy field. Plating is a misleading term, as Ashtr armor is a continuous shell rather than many plates.
Shipboard Artificial Intelligence Constructs: It quickly became clear to the Ashtar that conventional computer systems could not manage their massive capital ships, even with psionic interfaces. A highly sophisticated AI system was developed to manage the more complex systems of the ship. The AI has direct control of the entire ship, permitting Captial ships to operate with a significantly reduced crew. The AI usually takes care of the more complex controls of the ship, such as the rotation and automatic compensation of the shields, the energy absorption functions of the shields, the control of the thousands of point defense weapons, the control of lighter ship-to-ship weapons, internal security, and many other things, though a crew is still required. Curiously enough, the Ashtar gave each respective system aboard each respective ship it's own distinctive personality and appearance and name, making the AI almost a person. As well as appearing on display screens, the AI can project an interactive hologram of itself. The AI also has control over many service androids, and 1 highly sophisticated android known as an Avatar. This Avatar shares the AI's appearance and personality. In case of contamination or internal error, the entire AI can be shut down remotely with a unique psionic command from the Ashtar.
Psionic Interface: As well as the AI, Ashtar ships are also equipped with psionic interfaces, allowing any number of Ashtar to directly control various functions of the ship with their minds. This is what gives Ashtar corvettes their incredible maneuverability, and what gives all ships their pinpoint accuracy.
While Ashtar ground forces leave much to be desired, their vessels of war truly fearsome. Powerful shields and weapons combined with advanced technologies and highly versatile FTL mean that even the pathetic remnants of the Sacred Armadas are a force to be reckoned with. The Ashtar fleets don’t adhere to traditional models; they lack heavier ships such as battleships and dreadnoughts, and instead have absolutely colossal capital ships that completely eclipsed the competition, even among Coalition nations. Conventional Ashtar strategy involves dispatching a single capital ship and a support fleet of cruisers and corvettes to problem areas, and letting the capital ship’s immense firepower and vast hangars solve the problem while the cruisers and corvettes fill support roles.
Starships
Strelnikov class corvette Besides strike craft, these are the smallest vessels in the Sacred Armadas. Small, fast, and easy to build, these nimble craft are deployed in vast numbers. The standard loadout is four light yield pulsed Omega cannons, two DEL turrets, and a single omega torpedo launcher. In combat, Strelnikov’s either mass into screening formations to protect their assigned capital ship, or they form hunter-killer wolfpacks, and use their extreme speed to sweep through enemy fleets in formation and take down targets of opportunity. Strelnikov’s are small enough to operate in atmosphere as well, making them highly useful in multiple situations.
Archangel class cruiser The workhorse of the Armadas. The Archangel is an extremely versatile medium cruiser that strikes a good balance between offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as long range and short range weaponry. Multiple variations of this class exist for different combat situations, though the long range variant is more plentiful these days. It has a higher than usual number of missile launchers, and attempts to engage enemy forces at a distance. They also play an important role in providing point defence for capital ships.
Vigilance class assault cruiser A newer design than the Archangel that makes the fight up close and personal. The Vigilance is equipped with minimal point defence systems and missiles. Instead, it has a higher number of heavy ship-to-ship weapons, a greater number of jump drives, and heavier armour plating. The Vigilance is designed to use its FTL systems to jump right into the middle of enemy formations and unload its heavy weaponry on them, counting on its heavy armour to keep it intact until it can jump away again.
Capital ships Each and every capital ship is a unique work of art and a triumph of the Ashtar as a race. Part battleship, part carrier, part command vessel, each of these mighty vessels is built as close to perfect as possible and with loving attention to detail. There is no standard configuration; each fulfills a purpose, though there are some generalized types that have emerged. To provide a few examples, Combat variants bring as much heavy ship-to-ship weaponry to bear as they possibly can and back it up with immensely powerful shield generators. ECW variants trade some firepower for extremely advanced electronic warfare suites, permitting them to interfere with the targeting systems of entire enemy fleets. Carrier variants also sacrifice firepower in exchange for much larger hangars which they use to store colossal numbers of strike craft. Even among variants, no two ships are the same. Exactly 100 are in operation at any given time, making them rare, but even one of these massive ships can change the tide of battle. Any battle except Anuria, it seems. Originally the Ashtar deployed the combat variant Behold Our Wrath Given Form and Function and its support elements to Anuria, but it took heavy damage and had to retreat. Unwilling to divert extra capital ships away from the main front, the Ashtar instead dispatched the fleet support variant Perhaps it is Best to Redefine the Rules of Engagement. Instead of directly engaging in combat and risking a valuable asset, Rules of Engagement remains hidden in system, deploying and supporting cruisers and corvettes.
Another area where the Ashtar excel, Ashtar air forces grant their ground soldiers heavy fire support and high mobility. Strelnikov corvettes see a lot of action in Anuria’s atmosphere; they are small and fast enough to slip past enemy fleets in orbit. Their small size and aerodymanic profile also means they are not as resource intensive to operate in atmosphere as larger ships. Strelnikovs are used to bring heavy fire support against fortified positions.
Coralis gunship A perfect blend of performance and design, Coralis class gunships are mass produced for deployment all across the Sakturi front. Twin graviton turbines provide excellent mobility, letting the Coralis rapidly transport a surprising number of soldiers all across the battlefield. This mobility means reduced armor, but heavy shielding, decoy flares, and ECW tactics keep the Coralis in the skies. When acting as fire support, the Coralis boasts a number of weapon systems. Its primary armament is somewhat unusual for Ashtar craft; a pair of graviton “thumper” turrets, useful in any situations. Heavy firepower is presented by a dorsally mounted pulsed Omega cannon. Side mounted missile pods complete the Coralis’ armament.
Swiftwind fighter The newest space superiority fighter, the Swiftwind was designed with a variable geometry nanite hull, making it suitable for both vacuum and atmosphere. Rapidfire DEL cannons, an arsenal of missiles, and two pulsed Omega cannons make it well suited for almost any opponent. The nanite hull is not as robust as a solid counterpart, but decent shields keep the Swiftwind in the fight. Swiftwinds are remotely operated by psionic interface, so even at extreme ranges, there is no control lag. Adept Swiftwind controllers can operate three, four or even five craft simultaneously. The lack of pilots and the simplicity of producing more of them means Swiftwinds tend to be deployed in massive swarms, and are considered disposable.
Ashtar ground forces are significantly less effective than their space fleets. Their infantry is well equipped and trained, and has the unique advantage of psionic support, but they are severely lacking in armor support. This shortcoming has persisted for centuries, as the Ashtar usually rely on other Coalition members to provide the bulk of ground forces while the Ashtar attend to their fleets. When they do engage in surface warfare, they prefer mobility, and are heavily reliant on advanced gunships to quickly move them around the battlefield.
Ashtar Commando The basic infantry unit of the Ashtar forces. They’re equipped with mk. VII heavy power armor, which comes with built a built in graviton thumped and rapidfire DEL carbine. A variety of other wieldable weapons can be plugged into the armour’s power systems. Mk. VII power armour also comes equipped with tactical cloaking systems, fully functioning shield generators, wrist mounted energy sabres, and limited capability thrusters, permitting soldiers brief periods of flight. The majority of Ashtar commandos are extremely skilled warriors, having lived multiple lives and perfected their skills over hundreds of years. Death is a learning experience.
Psintegrat support commando Psintegrat (plural psintegrae) is a general term the Ashtar use to identify all users of psionic talents, either telepathic or telekinetic. There are two common varieties: psykers and psions. Psykers are telekinetic specialists; they use their skills to throw debris at the enemy, or generate protective bubble shields for their squads, or any number of other useful things. They excel at disrupting enemy formations. Psions are dedicated telepaths; they are absolutely essential in fighting the highly telepathic Sakturi, where they use their abilities to defend their comrades from telepathic attacks. Any squad without an attached psion quickly find themselves going insane as Sakturi psintegrae tear into their minds. Psions are used as a form of biological electronic warfare; they spy on enemy soldiers, stealing critical information and tactics from their thoughts, anticipating their moves, and keeping friendly soldiers safe from ambushes. They can also distract enemy soldiers with illusions and other minor distractions; extremely strong psions can sometimes even take control of an enemy soldier after crushing their mind. Be they psyker or psion, Ashtar psintegrae are arguably their greatest advantage on the battlefield.
Terrestrial Vehicle support
Ether-type anti-personel walker The Ether is a small walker that fulfils a very simple role. It has two pilots, minimal shielding, the snakelike flexible limbs characteristic of Ashtar walkers, and two dual rapid fire DEL pulse cannons, which can mow down enemy infantry like blades of grass. The Ether is unfortunately not very well protected, and can be brought down with as little as well aimed small arms fire. Recognizing these flaws, they are attempting to design a new vehicle to fill this role, but until that design is complete, the Ether remains on the frontlines.
Almas-type heavy walker In complete contrast to the Ether, the Almas is a very large, heavily armoured, heavily shielded, and heavily armed heavy walker. It is armed with a number of high-yield DEL beam weapons, ideal for slicing through enemy tanks, graviton thumpers, and a single pulsed omega cannon for use against fortified positions. The Almas, though expensive and time consuming to build, is a solid heavy armour design. However, in engagements between armour units, the lack of support available to Almas walkers is their downfall. They are usually supported by a number of Ether-type walkers, but those are easily destroyed, and then the Almas is highly vulnerable to swarm tactics, as its weapon systems are designed to engage other heavy tanks, not multiple medium tanks or platoons of infantry with rocket launchers. This is another shortcoming the Ashtar are attempting to address, and relatively few Almas walkers are currently in service.
Weapons Tech
Directed Energy Lances (DEL): These simple energy weapons fire a beam of energy drawn directly from the power reserves of a ship. DEL are used against smaller, less powerful targets, such as frigates or light cruisers, so they are also used as point defense weapons. Appear as a thin sky blue beam. Obviously has a variable yield, making it a versatile weapon. Used by all ships.
Pulse DEL: similar to standard DELs, these ones fire pulses instead of continuous beams. They are slightly more compact, making them suitable for small craft, such as Swiftwing type interceptors. They can also be mounted on turrets for use as point defense weapons. Used by all ships.
Heavy Ship-to-Ship Omega Beam Cannons: The mainstay of Ashtar weaponry. These weapons fire a stream of omega particles which de-stabilize on impact, causing immense damage. Appear as a thick, dark blue beam. Variable yield, though still only really suitable for heavy ship combat. Mounted on large dual-barreled turrets; usually multiple turrets are placed together in batteries. The hardware necessary to generate and sustain a stable beam of Omega particles is prohibitively bulky; while extremely powerful, these weapons are only used by Ashtar capital ships and some cruiser configurations.
Pulsed Omega Cannon: Pulsed version of the heavy beam cannons. Generating a single pulse of Omega particles contained in a polaron field is much simpler than a sustained beam, making this weapon much more compact and widely used, though it packs less of a punch than the beam version. Used by all classes of starships, some ground and air force elements.
Energized Flak System: A polaron field holds a burst of energy in suspension until the field dissipates, at which point the energy explodes outwards, destroying projectiles and attenuating energy weapons. Adjusting the strength of the polaron field adjusts the range of the round. These weapons are the mainstay of Ashtar point defence.
Variable Configuration Missiles: One of the staples of Ashtar offensive power. These missiles are assembled in segments: warhead, fuselage, and drive system. There are multiple types of each segment; armour piercing warheads, anti-shield warheads, extra fuel containers, high speed drive system, enhanced tracking systems, miniaturized jump drives, etc. The segments are all interchangeable and can be assembled in any configuration, making them extremely versatile weapons.
Omega torpedo: uses a small harmonics chamber, similar to Ashtar power generators, containing large numbers of omega particles. Particles de-stabilize on impact, causing immense damage. Though vastly more potent than missiles, torpedoes are quite a bit larger and slower. This means they are more or less useless against strike craft, and can be more easily shot down by point defense. Used by all ships
Thumper Cannons: An old-but-new development deployed on Coralis gunships and as a ground weapon. The Ashtar’s previous experiments with graviton weapons were lacking the kind of finesse Ashtar prefer in their weapons, but recent conflicts have brought the weapons back into action. A gravity field generator creates pulsed gravitic distortions that are fired like bullets. The great value of thumpers is their versatility; they can fire weak shots rapidly for anti-infantry purposes, or charge a stronger shot for hardened targets. They also don’t plasmatize the atmosphere around them (an annoying habit of Omega weapons that makes them more or less fatal to ground operators as well as targets).
Infantry weapons
Ashtar infantry have a variety of weapons systems available to them. None of them have extended designations or individualized names due to mass standardization. As soon as a new DEL carbine is developed, all older models are matter recycled and new ones are synthesized. No version number is necessary; it is simply the DEL carbine.
DEL carbine: A tribute to the age old adage “keep it simple, stupid” the Directed Energy Lance carbine is about as simple as energy weapons tech gets. The carbine simply draws power from a micro fusion core and shapes it into a coherent destructive beam. While simple, the DEL carbine is by no means weak. Unprotected targets are neatly sliced apart, and the beam can deal heavy damage to armor and shields as well. Highly modular additions can be made to the rifle in the field, increasing range at the expense of fire rate and the like. Good range, excellent accuracy, available continuous fire, no recoil and virtually no ammunition limits mean the simple DEL carbine is used by all Ashtar soldiers to great effect.
Anti-materiel omega sniper rifle: The one exception to the “Omega particles are bad news for infantry” rule, this rifle fires a single Omega particle caught up in a stabilizing polaron field. While the rifle’s purpose is indeed to destroy enemy vehicles, ‘anti-materiel’ might be something of a misnomer, since the destabilization of a single Omega particle results in an explosion akin to a tactical nuclear weapon being detonated. Great for when you really, really, REALLY want something dead. The ammunition for this weapon is kept in micro-harmonics chambers in its inert form. When the round is chambered, the weapon activates and stabilizes the Omega particle, and establishes its polaron field. The destructive power, potential for abuse, and overall extreme danger of this weapon means that it sees very limited deployment.
Plasmacaster beam weapon: Firing a continuous stream of superheated plasma, this weapon is the pinnacle of anti-infantry technology.
Personal thumper cannon: Moderate anti-infantry capabilities in rapid fire mode, good anti-vehicle capabilities with charged shots, personal thumper cannons are a nice midway point in portable heavy weapons systems.
Plasma grenades Pretty standard general purpose grenade.
Psytech weapons
An army of psintegrae may seem unstoppable, but the reality is that throwing things around with the mind is extremely tiring. To that end, the Ashtar use a number of psytech based infantry weapons to maximize the efficiency of their psionic power.
Der Lancen: An Ashtar innovation adored by psintegrae from all over Coalition space, the Der Lancen warp is an extremely effective anti-armor tool. Talented psintegrae may favour using the warp directly, but the Ashtar have developed a psytech tool that any old psintegrat can use with minimal effort. The Der Lancen warp itself involves superheating a bit of metal until it reaches a plasma state, then firing it at near-relativistic speeds at an oncoming target. A powerful psintegrat can use any bit of metal lying around, or may even choose to generate the metal himself. For everyone else, there is the Der Lancen psytech charge. The charge is a cigar sized cylinder containing a carbon-isotope crystal matrix with the Der Lancen warp imprinted in it, and a small ‘warhead’ of metal. Knowledge of the warp is not required to activate the charge, only a correctly attuned nudge of psionic power. Der Lancen psytech charges are widely used by Ashtar forces, and present a more convenient anti-material option than the Omega particle sniper rifle.
Truthliit Basically a psionic flashbang, Truthliit overwhelms its targets with psionic ‘white noise’; the futility of existence, the truth of life, fear, anger, hatred, love, basically an intense barrage of conflicting thoughts and emotions that will overwhelm all but the hardiest of minds. In psytech form, it is a simple grenade-like device with the warp imprinted in carbon isotope crystal. Unlike regular flashbangs, Truthliit cannot be screened out by helmet systems. On the downside, multiple exposures will have reduced and eventually no effect as targets become psionicly ‘hardened’. For this reason, the Ashtar generally try to kill everyone caught in the radius, unless prisoners are specifically desired.
Stihlpont A nasty little follow up to Truthliit, a Stihlpont grenade explodes into tiny, monofilament sharp spikes that can completely shred exposed flesh or seek out weak points in armour. Can be psionically controlled for extreme precision.
To be continued as needed
(General ideas only ATM)
DEL AA emplacements
Autonomous thumper cannons
Portable shield generators
Recon drones
Various psytech gizmos
(Still deciding) Northern Wastelands: big ole tower? underground bunker? partially submerged/covered cruiser jumped in from orbit?
(Names only for the moment, still need to rewrite their bios) Llyena, Supreme High Admiral of the Sacred Armadas, generally in charge of the whole war effort Arctus, Hierarch of War, Rage, Destruction Ichael, Hierarch of Life and Death, Depravity, Compassion
Hey, would love to apply, just gotta tailor one of my NS's for this. Couple questions though:
In general, what's the status of the orbitals? I'd like to have naval conflicts going on as well, so it would be sort of neat if the space around the planet was in a similar sort of ongoing conflict as the surface below, factions constantly vying to secure orbit and deploy reinforcements or execute tactical bombardments, etc.
Also a question about my faction in particular @Sigma; the one I'm thinking of using has a fairly effective system of immortality via reincarnation. When one of them dies, their mind returns to a hive mind and can be inserted into a new body to live again. Usually, the new bodies are designed to the individual's specifications, and soldiers are rotated away from conflict zones. But in this case, after such a long conflict they don't bother with the niceties, simply sticking the same minds into whatever bodies they have lying around. Tl;dr I'm envisioning an occupation force of increasingly traumatized/psychotic soldiers and officers inhabiting bodies they don't even recognize, fighting an endless conflict where they don't even have the luxury of dying. That sound alright?
Neziul
shylarah
