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MORTE IMPERIUM
GENERAL INFORMATION
Faction Overview
Official Name: Das Grösses Mortereich aller Todestern (Gothic), Imperium Magni Morte (archaic Mortean), The Morte EmpireCommon Name: Morte Imperium, Mortereich, Morte Empire
Government: Elective Centralized Totalitarian Monarchy (actually closer to a benign dictatorship)
Dominant Species: Morte (100%)
Capital: Silberdorf
Systems Owned: 3 (Toderstern, Erzricht, Heissessen)
Planets Owned: 2 (Mortis and Lichtfel with the rest being completely uninhabitable)
Population: 15,569,242,144 (according to last year's census)
Territory Overview
Gate Code(s): N919The Morte Imperium currently controls the central portion of the Stormlosweg Sector, a harsh irradiated nebula zone. The region used to host multiple intelligent species but due to the Cataclysm and the ensuring series of desperate wars for survival reduced this to only a few. By now Morteans are the most dominant among them. Aside from the 2 semi-habitable planets they own Morte established 16 major colony clusters of space habitats which provides home for nearly 75% of their men. Their homeworld is Mortis of the Toderstern star system. Yet the capital is moved to Silberdorf, a colony cluster found within the interstellar void and a special section of space free of radioactive gases. Silberdorf is the rich region within the Imperium, housing less than a percentage of the entire population.That being said Toderstern is still their most populous region and remains the keystone piece of their industry.
TBA
History
Morteans as a civilization are several hundred years old. Their beginning was also the end of their previous civilization. Pre-Mortean history only has fragmentary information and as such the details are unclear. According to the official Mortean records before the Calamity their home planet was called Lieberland, a lush green planet with a peaceful and prospering civilization. Whether this has any roots in reality or mere fabrication for propaganda purposes is uncertain and it is unlikely we'd ever know the truth. What we know that around seven centuries ago a neutron star violently detonated, its nova and dangerous fragments ruining star systems close by, including theirs. Realizing their impeding doom Lieberland made preparations and sealed themselves in bunkers. It was far from a perfect solution and many sections of the bunker either failed to shield them, malfunctioned or people died out of sheer starvation. Regardless they managed to survive, now naming themselves Morte. Some suggests that Morteans are not Lieberlanders proper but were part of an experiment to create a new race fit for their changed world. Of course information regarding this is practically nonexistent. Either way Lieberland (now Mortis) became a barely habitable death world, hostile for life. It took nearly a hundred years to build up their civilization and avert their grim fate. Many civilizations in neighboring star systems were far less lucky, either dying in the initial gamma ray burst or failing to survive in the changed environment. Those closest to the kilonova had their entire star system reduced to space dust. In spite of that the worst had yet to come for Morte.During this point Morte operated under a democratic system with their elected government doing their best to get their civilization on their feet. Through their struggles Morte began to slowly prosper and even began exploring space. Of course rather than pure curiosity their objective was to seek resources to further benefit their home. Yet their renewed activity soon drew the eyes of Xi'kar, in particular the Great Tertax. Xi'kar were the most advanced civilization prior to the Cataclysm but being too close to the kilonova meant they lost their home and were forced to become nomads. Tertax in particular was a pirate leader and after doing reconnaissance he saw Mortis as his price.
[to be continued...]
SOCIETY INFORMATION
Demographics
Until just recently the Morte Imperium was an isolated civilization within the Stormlosweg Sector. As such it is unsurprising that the one and only sapient species within the Empire are the Morteans. Morteans are humanoid creatures with blueish skin, red eyes that might glow in the dark, sharp teeth and slightly pointed ears. They are at average shorter in stature (~ 150 cm) due to malnutrition but at times they can grow above 2m in height. Due to the effects of radiation they have an alarmingly high percentage of mutations which sometimes can be very visible. Unlike humans the Mortean blood is colored cyan. Morteans have human-like body structure but there are considerable differences in their chemical makeup. Mortean bones are made of various bio-steels, enhancing their durability and tolerance to radiation. Though the not so amazing side effect is that Morteans can get stuck to sufficiently strong magnets. Their sharp teeth are capable of chewing through many things and it isn't impossible for a Morteans to chew on rocks and ores (though not the most nutritious choice for sure). Mortean stomachs are versatile and work by different reactions and this generally applies to their entire system. Toxins that could be lethal to humans may be even considered nutrients. In reverse the Morteans have a number of harmful and deadly toxins specific to their physiology. Biologically the Morteans can live for 200 years but in effect the mutations and awful living conditions reduce the average life expectancy to 40 years. Due to their relatively well-adopted physiology to their environment there's a popular theory that the Morteans were actually engineered this way. Due to the effect of radiation, birth defects and mutations are relatively common and according to statistics 27.4% of the children die at (or before) birth. For every Mortean death is a common experience which swayed their society into an unique direction. Morteans neither fear death nor welcome it. They accept death as a natural element of their lives and strive to serve their community during the short time they're given. In the eyes of others Morteans themselves do appear almost machine-like, having little in the way of personal goals and instead striving to complete their duties to the community as a whole. They have little in the ways of compassion or complex emotions and instead approach everything with cold logic.Cultural Overview
Morteans are struggling to survive in a sector inhospitable for all life. This obviously shaped their thinking to extremes, becoming pragmatic and almost machine like in their behavior. They lack empathy and so long it can be logically justified Morte is capable of any cruelty. Mortean society is all about order and hierarchy. The lines of leadership are clearly defined and Morteans work together like cogs in a well-oiled automaton. Questioning the authority of your superiors is unheard of and everyone is under constant supervision of their peers to act like a respectable Morte. On the other hand incompetence is not tolerated and subordinates can and will file reports about any of their boss' misdeeds. Advancing through the leadership is possible but difficult and at times certain social groups could be outright class-like. Mortean citizens know and use money with their official currency being the Reichsmark. At the same time a lot of commodities are rationed which means each person only entitled to a limited amount during shortages. Thankfully many of these rations are leased during the recent decades of peace but people are aware the system can be reinstated on a moment's notice. The official language of the Mortereich is the Gothic. This effectively splits into two distinct languages. High Gothic is a borderline forgotten language used for ceremonial purposes. It strangely resembles Latin from ancient human civilization but the connection is unlikely. Low Gothic is the common language of Mortean, it resembles German. There are also 4 other major dialects and even more minority dialects within the population which can range from slight mutation to something that doesn't even sound like the same language.Government Overview
The Mortean government is imperial, formed under necessity during the early centuries to fend off the Luxans and other crazy invaders. Initially it was a typical monarchic government with the rule of Karl von Metzel and his descendants. However this soon changed and for 400 years now the Kaiser is an elected title which currently only assumed for the length of 2 years. It's possible to get re-elected but no more than 4 times in a row (so a total of 10 years of rule). Since the title is elected technically anyone can become a Kaiser, provided they pass the rigorous selection process for the candidates. There are a few days of promotion and campaign followed by a quick election. There are no solid political parties, albeit siding with certain companies, organizations and social groups may provide benefits at the election. After appointed as the Kaiser he or she has absolute power to do anything for the good of the Empire. Yet the Kaiser is tightly monitored and after 2 years pass he or she is thoroughly evaluated and potentially punished for any misconduct (sometimes even executed). The Empire also have ministers and other political leaders with their own powers and responsibilities. Their conditions are similar to that of the Kaiser but to a lesser extend. In Morte everyone watches the other and ready to report wrongs straight back to the authorities. This complex relation of hierarchy and keen supervision what defines Morte social structure the most. In terms of foreign politics since every new civilization they've encountered in the Stormlosweg Sector became hostile it's practically non-existent. That being said while the government is paranoiac they don't reject the idea of coexisting with other species. As such the first ever Mortean expedition outside the Stormlosweg Sector is watched with great anticipation.TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
Tech Overview
After experiencing their paradise rapidly turning into a radioactive hell the Morteans doubled their efforts toward technology. Their first priorities were shielded homes and developing means to grow food in their changed environment. Over the centuries as Mortean society transformed their affinity towards technology only grew. Advanced medicine, gene engineering for special plants that grow in radioactive environments, robotics, self-improving computers and so on. The achievements of the Morteans were impressive. Due to their metallic bones development into electrogravitic systems began early and it is still their most popular form of artificial gravity. Over the time Morte also began experimenting with material sciences to the degree they can manipulate atoms and even design custom ultraheavy elements fit for special roles. This is in part inspired by reverse engineering the weird constructs of the DRVQ/Drovec. Yes, if anything Morte soon learned to utilize the technology of their hostile neighbors which eventually propelled them to become the dominant faction of Stormlosweg. For a long time the centermost portion of Stormlosweg was dominated by the Luxans with the hypergate sealed off until the last century. In addition Morte had limited reserves for Eltreum which they most used for jammers to fight back alien raids. As a result by galactic standards the Mortean FTL technology is fairly underdeveloped and they are only capable of gate travel very recently. In conclusion Morte is in possession in highly advanced technology albeit they tend to use it with some reservation, putting more faith in conventional and reliable designs over fancy experimental tools.
- Elektrokinetics: Using charge transfer instead of chemical change it is plausible to achieve even higher yields of power. Elektrokinetics are versatile ranging from power generation, car engines, artificial limbs and even guns and explosives. E-motors for example use liquid metallic fuel and violent electric discharges to power a relatively conventional engine. E-rockets are extremely compact and with the right apparatus can use almost anything as a propellant. Modern electrokinetics rarely need special fuel and instead rely on electrogravitic field generators to alter the composition of relatively common materials to serve their purposes. Of course electrokinetics are also effective at developing batteries and hypercapacitors thus making them the backbone of Mortean energy technology.
- Phased Plasma Technology: Rather than using the heat of plasma like most civilizations, Morteans use the properties of ultrahot plasma to achieve essentially a higher grade of electrokinetics. Plasma technology is power hungry and relatively unstable, unfit for common purposes. Plasma tech is employed when sheer power is required. Plasma Impulse Engines are the main drives of most starships while phased plasma explosives nearly rival nuclear weapons in firepower.
- Atomic Reactors: Mortean product combining nuclear reactors with plasma technology and advanced material science. Atomic reactors are extremely compact and could be fueled by any common material. Atomic reactors are widespread and could be miniaturized down to the size of a mere coin. Ultra small variants use extremely simplistic measures and serve as auxiliary power generators. Larger variants are much more versatile and thus expensive, only finding use in the industry or high end military vehicles (including starships). This leaves a niche for other alternatives as solar power or E-motors thus while an all atomic powered Imperium is promising it has yet to become a reality.
- Electrogravity: Reproducing the effects of gravity through electromagnetism. While not a perfect reproduction of gravity it jumpstarted Morte's space habitation efforts and in spite of developing gravity manipulation methods it is still the most dominant measure. Electrogravitcs are versatile as they could induce both electromagnetic and (to a limit) gravitic effects and thus they've found many applications. Electrogravitic field manipulation is a very common part of any Mortean technology as well as the basis of modern electrokinetic propulsion. More direct use of electrogravity includes hover mechanisms and forcefields.
- Duramaterials: Morte has advanced knowledge of metamaterials which is further pronounced by their sheer commonality. The largest family of them are the various duramaterials made for constructional purposes. Durasteel in particular is widespread and long replaced regular steel products. Duramesh is a tough plastic-like versatile material, though considerably weaker than durasteel. Aside from these the use of various duracomposites are also gaining ground, although on the expensive side for now.
- Nanolathe: By using forcefields as a 3D blueprint and inject nanoparticles it's possible to produce complex objects relatively quickly and without the usual upfront costs for acquiring the right machinery. Nanolathes are energy demanding processes but are highly popular and modified versions are even used for research purposes. That being said nanolathes can't replace all industrial processes or not without sacrificing quality. As such classic construction methods are still in use.
- Fold Drive: Morteans believed FTL travel is implauisble until they met the Karanesh pirates whose warp engines allowed them to be a menace for centuries. Reverse engineering and further refining this technology the Morte developed the foldspace drive, a device which allows apparent velocity faster than light through warping space-time. Unlike some other FTL measures fold travel occours in real space and navigators must be mindful of physical obstacles. This gives a degree of freedom and situational awareness albeit obviously an FTL vessel has gigantic turning radius thus maneuvering in regions like within star systems can be difficult if not impossible without precise calculations.
- Phased Plasma Technology: Rather than using the heat of plasma like most civilizations, Morteans use the properties of ultrahot plasma to achieve essentially a higher grade of electrokinetics. Plasma technology is power hungry and relatively unstable, unfit for common purposes. Plasma tech is employed when sheer power is required. Plasma Impulse Engines are the main drives of most starships while phased plasma explosives nearly rival nuclear weapons in firepower.
- Atomic Reactors: Mortean product combining nuclear reactors with plasma technology and advanced material science. Atomic reactors are extremely compact and could be fueled by any common material. Atomic reactors are widespread and could be miniaturized down to the size of a mere coin. Ultra small variants use extremely simplistic measures and serve as auxiliary power generators. Larger variants are much more versatile and thus expensive, only finding use in the industry or high end military vehicles (including starships). This leaves a niche for other alternatives as solar power or E-motors thus while an all atomic powered Imperium is promising it has yet to become a reality.
- Electrogravity: Reproducing the effects of gravity through electromagnetism. While not a perfect reproduction of gravity it jumpstarted Morte's space habitation efforts and in spite of developing gravity manipulation methods it is still the most dominant measure. Electrogravitcs are versatile as they could induce both electromagnetic and (to a limit) gravitic effects and thus they've found many applications. Electrogravitic field manipulation is a very common part of any Mortean technology as well as the basis of modern electrokinetic propulsion. More direct use of electrogravity includes hover mechanisms and forcefields.
- Duramaterials: Morte has advanced knowledge of metamaterials which is further pronounced by their sheer commonality. The largest family of them are the various duramaterials made for constructional purposes. Durasteel in particular is widespread and long replaced regular steel products. Duramesh is a tough plastic-like versatile material, though considerably weaker than durasteel. Aside from these the use of various duracomposites are also gaining ground, although on the expensive side for now.
- Nanolathe: By using forcefields as a 3D blueprint and inject nanoparticles it's possible to produce complex objects relatively quickly and without the usual upfront costs for acquiring the right machinery. Nanolathes are energy demanding processes but are highly popular and modified versions are even used for research purposes. That being said nanolathes can't replace all industrial processes or not without sacrificing quality. As such classic construction methods are still in use.
- Fold Drive: Morteans believed FTL travel is implauisble until they met the Karanesh pirates whose warp engines allowed them to be a menace for centuries. Reverse engineering and further refining this technology the Morte developed the foldspace drive, a device which allows apparent velocity faster than light through warping space-time. Unlike some other FTL measures fold travel occours in real space and navigators must be mindful of physical obstacles. This gives a degree of freedom and situational awareness albeit obviously an FTL vessel has gigantic turning radius thus maneuvering in regions like within star systems can be difficult if not impossible without precise calculations.
Industrial Overview
Having centuries of history on space faring Morte long began exploiting their system. While only a few planets could sustain any life Morte makes good use of every resource under their control. Rock planets and asteroids are strip mined by extensive automated installations, nebula gases gathered, solar collectors are commonplace and gas giants serve as powerful industrial bases. While their territories are almost tiny compared to more expansive empires their robust infrastructure means they might be a match for them regardless. The dense nebula also provides convenient fuel for their atomic reactors that are essential to power their huge nanolathe systems. Developed hundreds of years ago the nanolathe sprays tiny particles on shaped electromagnetic fields, allowing both fast and precise construction. Nanolathes are also versatile, capable of manufacturing a whole different product after adjusting their programs. Regardless their energy requirements limit them to places with plentiful power generation to be economical on the industrial scale. More conventional methods of construction are still frequently employed.
MILITARY INFORMATION
Military Overview
With almost a thousand years of constant warfare with outside aggressors Morte became a militaristic nation where soldiering is part of every citizen's duty. Just prior to reaching adulthood all Morteans regardless of gender receive combat training and discipline. The best of the trainees are offered to become part of the Reichswehrmacht which, given the overall better living conditions of soldiers, is an offer not many refuses. Even after the training adult Morteans are obliged to periodically refresh their soldiering skills and accept to be drafted in a moment of notice. This kind of social structure aided Morte to eventually triumph over their superior enemy, very much drowning them in numbers. On the other hand having a hundred years without war the Morte civilization faces the greatest crisis since their foundation: Peace and prosperous growth.Mortean military technology is cheap and mass produced. They want reliability and numbers above almost everything. As such while their technology is advanced they opt for the more conservative uses. For example while hover technology is mature its cost and reliability makes it rarely used with combat vehicles. Similarly in favor of having more weapon systems for relatively low cost Mortean doctrines like to use manpower wherever it isn't a detriment. While many other civilizations would find means to keep soldiers away from dangerous missions the Morte side has volunteers and given their overpopulation issues there's no incentive to stop this anytime soon.
E-Gun: Weapon using electrokinetics instead of chemical reactions as driving force for a relatively conventional gun design. Elektrokinetics are more powerful and thanks to modern developments far more versatile compared to chemical propellants. Nowadays E-guns can just turn the back end of the projectile into a constant stream of spontaneous propellant, simplifying both logistics and the weapon's mechanism. In spite of this E-Guns are growing to become a niche weapon outclassed by other technologies for anything but firing explosive shells.
PASE Gun: Alternatively referred as the "Plasma Gun" its official name is Plasmaktiviertstaub Entlader (plasma activated powder discharger). This is a powerful albeit somewhat limited technology allowing to supercharge shaped durasteel dust projectiles into explosives for varying effects. Most commonly used for PASE rifles it makes each shot as powerful as an antiquated hand grenade.The system has some fairly specific weaknesses, though. The shaped dust projectile is extremely light (~ 1 milligram per shot for a common carbine) and act like an explosive shell. The problem is with the "fuse" which uses electric potential. That means special materials made to minimize electric interactions or forcefields without any electric component can harmlessly defuse PASE weapons. That being said the projectile still has a fair momentum so a sufficiently powerful shot can overcome this protection as well as there are hybrid cannons that can alter between both this and E-Gun properties called Phased Electrokinetic Cannons, or PEK for short.
Macro Particle Gun: Makropartikelngeschütz also called Massenlanz (Mass Lance) is a technology which generates a special hyperdense particle stream focused to an extremely thin beam for destructive effects. The said particle stream is unstable and would violently explode but generally only after sufficiently slowing down after penetrating the enemy defenses. This makes them ideal anti-armor weapons and the mainstay armaments of starships. Over the time these became more widespread, allowing them to be scaled down to man portable weapons or even warheads alongside upgrades that made it become far more versatile. Regardless they are still mainly a spaceborne weapon. While technically meaning the same in effect there's a distinction between Macro Particle Guns and Mass Lances. The latter is meant for extreme performance at reduced range and versatility while macro particle guns are fully functional guns with less dense beams but increased stability and full range of functions.
Duracomposite: While Durasteel variants are often fine enough to protect against simple weapons more nuanced armor designs require a new approach. Duracomposites as their name imply are not one material but a precise arrangement of various duramaterials to provide the best protection. This consequently also makes them more expensive. More advanced duracomposites are engineered to work with structural integrity fields and used mostly for starships.
G-Screen: Through advanced electrogravitic devices it is plausible to create layers of concentrated gravity. The shield system came as a byproduct of researching FTL drives and since then they are becoming increasingly widespread. While direct shielding is relatively common the more popular form is a deep layer that gets increasingly more powerful the closer you get to the source. Less like a hard barrier a Mortean starship shield acts like a ballistic gel. That being said Mortean shields are overall on the weak side and rather than stopping attacks they use shields in conjunction with their heavy armor to overcome attacks.
PASE Gun: Alternatively referred as the "Plasma Gun" its official name is Plasmaktiviertstaub Entlader (plasma activated powder discharger). This is a powerful albeit somewhat limited technology allowing to supercharge shaped durasteel dust projectiles into explosives for varying effects. Most commonly used for PASE rifles it makes each shot as powerful as an antiquated hand grenade.The system has some fairly specific weaknesses, though. The shaped dust projectile is extremely light (~ 1 milligram per shot for a common carbine) and act like an explosive shell. The problem is with the "fuse" which uses electric potential. That means special materials made to minimize electric interactions or forcefields without any electric component can harmlessly defuse PASE weapons. That being said the projectile still has a fair momentum so a sufficiently powerful shot can overcome this protection as well as there are hybrid cannons that can alter between both this and E-Gun properties called Phased Electrokinetic Cannons, or PEK for short.
Macro Particle Gun: Makropartikelngeschütz also called Massenlanz (Mass Lance) is a technology which generates a special hyperdense particle stream focused to an extremely thin beam for destructive effects. The said particle stream is unstable and would violently explode but generally only after sufficiently slowing down after penetrating the enemy defenses. This makes them ideal anti-armor weapons and the mainstay armaments of starships. Over the time these became more widespread, allowing them to be scaled down to man portable weapons or even warheads alongside upgrades that made it become far more versatile. Regardless they are still mainly a spaceborne weapon. While technically meaning the same in effect there's a distinction between Macro Particle Guns and Mass Lances. The latter is meant for extreme performance at reduced range and versatility while macro particle guns are fully functional guns with less dense beams but increased stability and full range of functions.
Duracomposite: While Durasteel variants are often fine enough to protect against simple weapons more nuanced armor designs require a new approach. Duracomposites as their name imply are not one material but a precise arrangement of various duramaterials to provide the best protection. This consequently also makes them more expensive. More advanced duracomposites are engineered to work with structural integrity fields and used mostly for starships.
G-Screen: Through advanced electrogravitic devices it is plausible to create layers of concentrated gravity. The shield system came as a byproduct of researching FTL drives and since then they are becoming increasingly widespread. While direct shielding is relatively common the more popular form is a deep layer that gets increasingly more powerful the closer you get to the source. Less like a hard barrier a Mortean starship shield acts like a ballistic gel. That being said Mortean shields are overall on the weak side and rather than stopping attacks they use shields in conjunction with their heavy armor to overcome attacks.
Army Overview
Irdishstreitkrafte der Mortereich (Surface Armed Forces of the Morte Imperium) is a virtual term describing three different military branches: Reichsheer (Imperial Army), Reichsgrenadierkrafte (Imperial Grenadier Force) and Volkswehr (People's Defense AKA Militia). Reichsheer is the main army of the Empire with roughly 300 million troops (mandated by the PAX Accords from IR521). This is their bare minimum and any loses are to be recovered within a week. As per the Morte attitude to recruitment, every Morte who passes the physical tests are considered "reserves" to the Heer thus in times of crisis this number can increase considerably. In the current "peacetime" days their purpose is defensive but they also form the numbers for every major invasion. Reichsgrenadierkrafte is effectively the "marines" of the Morte, they are elite highly mobile force constantly traveling aboard starships. They are the primary response of the Morte during peacetime and the spearhead of major assaults. Volkswehr is an institution rather than an outright military branch, used during crisis when the regular military isn't present or requires backup. By its nature the Volkswehr is poorly equipped if not forced to use improvised weapons but they can somewhat compensate this by their sheer numbers and fanaticism.Morte ground combat doctrine focuses on massed infantry formations supported with a great deal of artillery. Morte likes fortifications and defensive combat as their wars frequently involved the other side as the primary aggressor. Armor is generally only what each army corps has assigned to them. It often provides fire support but there are pure armored forces for breakthrough and maneuvering combat. Air force is a bit of a maligned child in Mortean warfare. Both Reichsheer and Reichsgrenadierkrafte has aerial detachments that can be linked with any large force for support but usually their numbers alone are insufficient. This is often reinforced by space fighters from the Reichskriegsflotte but the different chain of command is a source of other issues. For a ruthless military Morte has a surprising lack of chemical weapons for two reasons. One, they love streamlining their logistics thus special shells are rare. Two, their chief opponents are the semi-robotic Dorvec and the mutant biotechnological Luxans which means chemical weapons are of little utility. In contrast their enemies love to employ chemical and biological weapons and thus before anything else the most essential equipment for Mortean soldiers are their gasmasks and environmental suits.
The backbone of the army, Mortean infantry are employed in massive numbers in every theater. The standard infantry has simplistic equipment only sufficient to defend against the environment and minor blast effects. They usually carry semi-automatic PASE carbines and suppressive fire is either created by volleys or specialized fireteams. Bayonets with monomolecular durasteel edge are also standard issue. In a sense Morte almost appears to be stuck in the doctrines of Mankind's WW1 era.
Specialists and elite troops often have access to body armor that can neutralize some hits by PASE guns and offer decent protection against both energy and kinetic weapons. Some armies also mix the slow firing but powerful PASE carbines with rapid-firing E-carbines that resemble futuristic assault rifles. In general though platoons or even companies rarely use expensive heavy equipment. Instead weapons companies attached to regiments carry the specialist, anti-armor and portable artillery options. Mortean doctrine focuses on mass infantry thus anything below regiment size does suffer.
Reichsgrenadiere are part of a different branch that are the marines. As boarding groups and expeditionary forces they can afford more advanced equipment and receive stronger focus on small unit based combat. They are often the primary force of planetary invasions and thus equipped accordingly. They have powered exoskeletons woven into their suits that reduces strain on strength and stamina while also giving slight boost to their agility. They of course wear decent body armors, better than what even veterans of the Reichsheer could afford. They also use Assault-type PASE Carbines that require more resources and maintenance but could lay down devastating suppressive fire from a single Grenadier. They also have breakthrough and boarding specialists called the Panzergrenadiers who wear slim and sealed power armors and which gives them extra protection and strength to carry equipment regular soldiers assign an entire fire team for. When this isn't enough they also have heavy power armored troops called the Reichsdragoner who are essentially compact vehicles and even possess rockets for limited flight/jump.
Lastly Volkswehr provides an emergency force to the Imperium. They have very limited gear, mostly just a cheap environmental suit/mask. They also of course tend to make use of military surplus like old model carbines or at times outright improvised weapons. Their skills are negligible, their equipment is crap but their enthusiasm to defend their home could make them surprisingly effective. Regardless they are considered fodder when in the presence of regular army and generally used as militia to hold off the enemy until military relief.
KVWz. 1088 Entrenching Tool: Kampfverschanzungswerkzeug typ 1088 is a short bladed bayonet made of durasteel and fitted with a micrometer edge. As its official name states it is intended to also work like a tool for fieldwork. Like most bayonets the KVWz. 1088 is detachable and can function a bit similar to a knife. That being said Morteans aren't shying away from melee combat and bayonet charges are a notable element of their doctrine.
Pistols: While rifles are supplied to all official soldiers, pistols are a different matter. These tend to be privately owned and bought off from Morte's thriving handgun market. Whether it uses PASE, E-Gun or other mechanism you can choose from a wide variety. If we just narrow it down to plasma weapons you can go from the "peashooter" category that uses a weakened charge to make it safe even up close and in unarmored combat to effective hand cannons that can blow up an entire building with their shot. The weapon choice is entirely up to the user's preferences and their respective "work environment". Pistols are rare among the common infantry though not impossible while officers and certain backline specialists are legally required to own a pistol for their own defense.
PGew. 223K PASE Carbine: Robust and relatively cheap weapon used by the infantry. It fires a ~850-microgram plasma activated dust projectile at hypervelocity which is usually designed to splatter and disperse in the body prior to detonation. This is a requirement for heavily damaging larger Luxan creatures while allowing to turn the body of the target into improvised shrapnel. PGew. 223K has a detachable E-capacitor for 100 shots while the internal container holds specially prepared durasteel dust sufficient for over 50,000 shots. To replace the container it requires special tools and generally not something the average soldier must do on the field. Full length variants named PGew. 223B and vehicular-use folding stock PGew. 223KS also exist. Reichsgrenadiers are issued with the StPGew 101C which is a compact full auto capable PASE assault carbine.
StEGew. 471 E-Carbine: Cheap carbine used for local security and special purposes. It lacks the explosive power of PASE carbines but capable of rapid-fire thus there are situations where such weapon is preferable. It fires 1-gram durasteel "nails" at hypervelocity that are intentionally weakened to break into numerous pieces upon jaw. They have respectable ammo capacity but regardless they are less convenient than PASE guns in an all out war scenario thus they're representing a niche. Due to their low collateral damage such weapons are growing popular for Reichsgrenadiers during boarding actions. Although a new much more powerful variant called StEGew. 488 is developed to fill in that role.
Handgranate A271: Classic handheld explosive issued to the grenade carrier of each platoon. The weapon has several variations with electrokinetic fragmentation warhead being the most common. Its special feature is the deployable handle made of durametal wire mesh that can expand or collapse on a button push. Grenades are considered wasteful to be issued to every infantryman but during special occasions like assaults entire regiments can carry several of these each. Reichsgrenadiers due to their elite status always carry grenades and they even have more modern variants that could use rocket motors for better range and precision.
PAGew. 342 PASE Machinegun: Leichtes PASE Autogewehr 342C is a portable gun firing a steady stream of plasma activated dust projectiles for fire suppression. Used at platoon scale this weapon could lay down massive destruction. Regular PASE rifles are incapable of rapid fire due to self-magnetization issues but the robust design of the PAGew. 342 solves that at the cost of weighing over twice that of a standard carbine. The gun has capacity to accept both infantry or grenadier grade E-caps of various type, its own heavy E-cap or even receive direct charge from outside sources. Its durasteel dust particle container is also quickly interchangeable to reduce idle time. Aside from infantry platoons the weapon is also popularly installed in vehicles (B variant) and the shortened K variant is the standard armament of the Panzergrenadiers whose exosuits can deal with the extra weight.
KPK 011 PASE Hand Cannon: Standard equipment of the Reichsdragoner which is essentially compact wrist mounted PASE cannon. It features 32 small projectors and a field containment chamber to allow great variety. It can unleash a massive torrent of mini pellets at rates up to 38400RPM or tone it down either by increasing the cooldown or through the projectors merging the individual pellets together prior to fire. Either way this results in increased firepower at the expense of firing rate. Some of the more unique modes include a "shotgun" that sends swarm of carbine strength pellets in a spray pattern every five seconds or the cannon mode that overcharges the projectors for a highly destructive ball of plasma. The so-called hand cannon is versatile and shows the full potential of Mortean PASE technology. Its high cost, complexity and terrifying energy demands keep this weapon almost exclusive to the Reichsdragoner, though.
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Pistols: While rifles are supplied to all official soldiers, pistols are a different matter. These tend to be privately owned and bought off from Morte's thriving handgun market. Whether it uses PASE, E-Gun or other mechanism you can choose from a wide variety. If we just narrow it down to plasma weapons you can go from the "peashooter" category that uses a weakened charge to make it safe even up close and in unarmored combat to effective hand cannons that can blow up an entire building with their shot. The weapon choice is entirely up to the user's preferences and their respective "work environment". Pistols are rare among the common infantry though not impossible while officers and certain backline specialists are legally required to own a pistol for their own defense.
PGew. 223K PASE Carbine: Robust and relatively cheap weapon used by the infantry. It fires a ~850-microgram plasma activated dust projectile at hypervelocity which is usually designed to splatter and disperse in the body prior to detonation. This is a requirement for heavily damaging larger Luxan creatures while allowing to turn the body of the target into improvised shrapnel. PGew. 223K has a detachable E-capacitor for 100 shots while the internal container holds specially prepared durasteel dust sufficient for over 50,000 shots. To replace the container it requires special tools and generally not something the average soldier must do on the field. Full length variants named PGew. 223B and vehicular-use folding stock PGew. 223KS also exist. Reichsgrenadiers are issued with the StPGew 101C which is a compact full auto capable PASE assault carbine.
StEGew. 471 E-Carbine: Cheap carbine used for local security and special purposes. It lacks the explosive power of PASE carbines but capable of rapid-fire thus there are situations where such weapon is preferable. It fires 1-gram durasteel "nails" at hypervelocity that are intentionally weakened to break into numerous pieces upon jaw. They have respectable ammo capacity but regardless they are less convenient than PASE guns in an all out war scenario thus they're representing a niche. Due to their low collateral damage such weapons are growing popular for Reichsgrenadiers during boarding actions. Although a new much more powerful variant called StEGew. 488 is developed to fill in that role.
Handgranate A271: Classic handheld explosive issued to the grenade carrier of each platoon. The weapon has several variations with electrokinetic fragmentation warhead being the most common. Its special feature is the deployable handle made of durametal wire mesh that can expand or collapse on a button push. Grenades are considered wasteful to be issued to every infantryman but during special occasions like assaults entire regiments can carry several of these each. Reichsgrenadiers due to their elite status always carry grenades and they even have more modern variants that could use rocket motors for better range and precision.
PAGew. 342 PASE Machinegun: Leichtes PASE Autogewehr 342C is a portable gun firing a steady stream of plasma activated dust projectiles for fire suppression. Used at platoon scale this weapon could lay down massive destruction. Regular PASE rifles are incapable of rapid fire due to self-magnetization issues but the robust design of the PAGew. 342 solves that at the cost of weighing over twice that of a standard carbine. The gun has capacity to accept both infantry or grenadier grade E-caps of various type, its own heavy E-cap or even receive direct charge from outside sources. Its durasteel dust particle container is also quickly interchangeable to reduce idle time. Aside from infantry platoons the weapon is also popularly installed in vehicles (B variant) and the shortened K variant is the standard armament of the Panzergrenadiers whose exosuits can deal with the extra weight.
KPK 011 PASE Hand Cannon: Standard equipment of the Reichsdragoner which is essentially compact wrist mounted PASE cannon. It features 32 small projectors and a field containment chamber to allow great variety. It can unleash a massive torrent of mini pellets at rates up to 38400RPM or tone it down either by increasing the cooldown or through the projectors merging the individual pellets together prior to fire. Either way this results in increased firepower at the expense of firing rate. Some of the more unique modes include a "shotgun" that sends swarm of carbine strength pellets in a spray pattern every five seconds or the cannon mode that overcharges the projectors for a highly destructive ball of plasma. The so-called hand cannon is versatile and shows the full potential of Mortean PASE technology. Its high cost, complexity and terrifying energy demands keep this weapon almost exclusive to the Reichsdragoner, though.
These equipment are either issued on larger organizational level to specialists or only used on special occasions.
PGew. 227AX Scharschüssgrewehr: While every squad has a good shooter who might fulfill the sniper role, the true Mortean marksmen of the Reichsheer have a fairly unique responsibility.. They use heavily modified high spec PASE rifles that are not only accurate but have a myriad of options in order to correctly adjust the composition of the shot and its mechanisms. For example it is entirely likely that PGew. 227AX will shoot through obstacles and only detonate its PASE explosive at a designated position for maximal damage. Taking down targets behind cover is one of their main roles, a duty which is assisted by a group of 2-3 spotters with special sensory and communication equipment. In addition they are expected to deal with certain types of armor or target weak points of giant Luxan creatures. As such every company has a squad of marksmen armed with these specialized PASE rifles. Due to the weapon's complexity the PGew. 227AX needs extensive care and is unsuitable for the regular grunt's use.
Sprengkopfswerfer: An umbrella term for simple launch tubes, mostly used by infantry or modified from infantry gear. It literally means warhead thrower and it allows replacing mortars, AT and AA missile tubes with a singular system. This flexibility and the fact utilizing these is part of the soldiers' training means they can have massive quantity of tubes for any of the three roles, switching as necessary. Of course there are drawbacks and sacrifices. AA missiles sacrifice a lot of power for speed and range while AT variants go the opposite way and can be quite oversized. Mortar variants are closer to the AT type yet tend to be much cheaper and rely on simpler mechanisms. The most common variant is currently the SkW. 336C Blutfaust although the Luxan Wars also saw the rise of an unique variant the small caliber multi-tube SkW. 747 Fliegerfaust. The latter was mostly invented against light fliers like the insectoid swarms of the Luxans. SkW. 747 has 9 tubes that can be loaded with up to 3 stacks of mini rockets meaning it could fire 27 times before reloading.
Lanzewerfer: Also known as the Mass Lance Projector which focuses a tight beam of pre-charged macro particles in order to punch through heavy armor. The system is highly energy efficient but needs time to produce and compress sufficient quantity of particles while also suffering from relatively short range. Yet it's portable and thus the primary anti-tank weapon at the Morte's disposal. Huge variants known as Grössesmassenlanzewerfer also exist for special situations.
Infanterieverstarkerswaffe: For a while infantry had to carry towed weapon systems into battle which provided its own logistic issues. Replacing that IVW (abbreviation of their word for infantry support weapon) is effectively a self-propelled carriage equipped with its own engine sufficient to follow the infantry yet efficient enough to not require too much care. It can support various systems ranging from heavy machineguns, automatic E-cannons, portable macro particle cannons, light artillery and even AA batteries. Not to mention those that act like mules to carry surplus gear and other essentials. One might wonder why the Morte didn't fully automatize these yet the answer is obvious, they valued that above the worth of their soldiers.
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PGew. 227AX Scharschüssgrewehr: While every squad has a good shooter who might fulfill the sniper role, the true Mortean marksmen of the Reichsheer have a fairly unique responsibility.. They use heavily modified high spec PASE rifles that are not only accurate but have a myriad of options in order to correctly adjust the composition of the shot and its mechanisms. For example it is entirely likely that PGew. 227AX will shoot through obstacles and only detonate its PASE explosive at a designated position for maximal damage. Taking down targets behind cover is one of their main roles, a duty which is assisted by a group of 2-3 spotters with special sensory and communication equipment. In addition they are expected to deal with certain types of armor or target weak points of giant Luxan creatures. As such every company has a squad of marksmen armed with these specialized PASE rifles. Due to the weapon's complexity the PGew. 227AX needs extensive care and is unsuitable for the regular grunt's use.
Sprengkopfswerfer: An umbrella term for simple launch tubes, mostly used by infantry or modified from infantry gear. It literally means warhead thrower and it allows replacing mortars, AT and AA missile tubes with a singular system. This flexibility and the fact utilizing these is part of the soldiers' training means they can have massive quantity of tubes for any of the three roles, switching as necessary. Of course there are drawbacks and sacrifices. AA missiles sacrifice a lot of power for speed and range while AT variants go the opposite way and can be quite oversized. Mortar variants are closer to the AT type yet tend to be much cheaper and rely on simpler mechanisms. The most common variant is currently the SkW. 336C Blutfaust although the Luxan Wars also saw the rise of an unique variant the small caliber multi-tube SkW. 747 Fliegerfaust. The latter was mostly invented against light fliers like the insectoid swarms of the Luxans. SkW. 747 has 9 tubes that can be loaded with up to 3 stacks of mini rockets meaning it could fire 27 times before reloading.
Lanzewerfer: Also known as the Mass Lance Projector which focuses a tight beam of pre-charged macro particles in order to punch through heavy armor. The system is highly energy efficient but needs time to produce and compress sufficient quantity of particles while also suffering from relatively short range. Yet it's portable and thus the primary anti-tank weapon at the Morte's disposal. Huge variants known as Grössesmassenlanzewerfer also exist for special situations.
Infanterieverstarkerswaffe: For a while infantry had to carry towed weapon systems into battle which provided its own logistic issues. Replacing that IVW (abbreviation of their word for infantry support weapon) is effectively a self-propelled carriage equipped with its own engine sufficient to follow the infantry yet efficient enough to not require too much care. It can support various systems ranging from heavy machineguns, automatic E-cannons, portable macro particle cannons, light artillery and even AA batteries. Not to mention those that act like mules to carry surplus gear and other essentials. One might wonder why the Morte didn't fully automatize these yet the answer is obvious, they valued that above the worth of their soldiers.
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Mortean preference for defensive combat and infantry didn't prevent them from eventually developing an effective armored force. Neglected compared to their infantry the Mortean combat vehicles are usually minimalist in design, focusing on mass deployment rather than exceeding others in terms of individual performance. Armored transports are numerous and often feature firing points for letting the soldiers shoot out of them. Tanks are compact but relatively powerful and overall quite enduring. Fire support vehicles are dedicated to their specific role and require escort to remain effective.
Notable Vehicles:
Name: Pzkmpfwgn. A22/42F "Löwe 300"
Classification: Mainline Tank
Dimensions: 4.46m long, 2.05m tall, 2.98m wide
Weight: ~ 55 metric tons
Main Armament: 8,8cm P/E.Ka. 093L7 (plasma-electric cannon)
Secondary Armament: Schw.A.PGew. 104ZKS sponson guns, P/E.AGew. 076B front and co-axial guns
Crew: 6
One of the oldest and most enduring vehicle designs of the Morte, the Löwe tank still enjoys great popularity. Yet while sharing many design elements its technology underwent a giant overhaul. The current baseline variant is called "Löwe 300" made for the vehicle's 300 year anniversary. Gone the plain durasteel frame and replaced with a new type of duracomposite, shaving off weight while improving its structure. This variant also features hybrid plasma"electrokinetic weaponry for increased versatility. In case of the main cannon this allows the tank to seamlessly switch between various anti-armor, anti-fortification, demolition and anti-personnel functions within seconds. It also has a list of sensors for scanning targets both in the surface and, considering the threat of Luxan burrowers, even underground. The tracks are also made from a semi-liquid duracomposite which can be quickly shaped back into form in case of track damage. Overall the Löwe 300 and its variants are quite formidable although also the product of a nations own strange doctrine. One of its most notable weakness is on the back which features the oversized E-motor to propel this increasingly powerhungry beast. In addition the tank cramps a lot of crew into a small place which fits Mortean doctrine but obviously impacts negatively their survival in case of penetrating hits.
Special fire support vehicle built upon the Löwe chassis. Self-propelled macro particle projectors were in use by Morte for quite a while but they only became widespread after the development of the original Feuergeist. It's been 180 years and 17 generations since then with the newest variant being incomparably better than the original yet the core element remained: marrying a reliable platform to a weapon system that provides it the best firepower. Feuergeist has reinforced front armor yet they aren't frontline vehicles. Their weaponry has a fixed forward firing arc and requires charging time during which it requires protection. Feuergeist can be useful for multiple occasions but its classic role is to defeat fortifications and destroy superheavy armor. The current variant uses a stripped down corvette grade mass lance that amusingly would render it a long ranged macro particle cannon by ground combat standards. It features modifications that enable the weapon to have a myriad of settings fit for countless purposes. It is possible to adjust the time and angle when the beam dissolves explosively, allowing to precisely detonate after penetration. The same settings can be also used to turn the projector into a shotgun, bleeding energy in its expanding cone of death. Things get downright nasty when SHMS (superheavy molecular strings) are involved which can spread out in a chaotic spiral, slicing up everything in their way.Thankfully SHMS are difficult to manufacture and thus Feuergeist units have very limited supplies of them.
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Morte puts heavy emphasis on artillery support, utilizing them practically anywhere. Employing excessive firepower was the one factor Morte could rise above their opponents. In the broad sense even the common infantry and their PASE carbine are considered a form of artillery and their drill involves elements of that. Yet in effect artillery mostly covers two categories: grenade throwers and gun tubes. Grenade throwers as their name implies launch explosives at low velocity. Gun tubes on the other hand are powerful E-Guns firing programmable spevial shells up to hypervelocity ranges. Unlike a grenade thrower system like a mortar, your average gun tube system tends to launch its projectiles into the stratosphere and its primary destructive element becomes the application of its own kinetic energy. Gun tubes of course can also sport tremendous ranges, often capable of bombarding the enemy from the other side of the planet (although throw distances range between a few hundred to several thousand kilometers instead). Assault guns that focus on direct firepower belong to neither of these categories and generally don't form their own artillery units. Basically they are fire support attachments to other units.
Mortean artillery has a myriad of transport measures. Their mainline artillery alone has variants ranging from miniature IVW mounted pieces to towed and self-propelled variants to even giant trailers mounting gigantic gun tubes. While mobility is important their range and inherent design requirements made this a secondary concern. Gaussified E-Gun Tubes consume tons of energy, produce terrible recoil and need to do this while maintaining an acceptable rate of fire. With limited mobility and tendency to group them up for maximal effect, Mortean artillery positions would be perfect for counter battery fire. Yet the Morte soon learned to turn their weakness into their strength. They dense grids of point defenses, escort and G-Screen projectors to fortify their position. Indeed, from a distance the Mortean artillery batteries function like a fortress. Of course this could make them an inviting target to orbital bombardment but competent leaders know when to amass their tubes to one place..
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Mortean artillery has a myriad of transport measures. Their mainline artillery alone has variants ranging from miniature IVW mounted pieces to towed and self-propelled variants to even giant trailers mounting gigantic gun tubes. While mobility is important their range and inherent design requirements made this a secondary concern. Gaussified E-Gun Tubes consume tons of energy, produce terrible recoil and need to do this while maintaining an acceptable rate of fire. With limited mobility and tendency to group them up for maximal effect, Mortean artillery positions would be perfect for counter battery fire. Yet the Morte soon learned to turn their weakness into their strength. They dense grids of point defenses, escort and G-Screen projectors to fortify their position. Indeed, from a distance the Mortean artillery batteries function like a fortress. Of course this could make them an inviting target to orbital bombardment but competent leaders know when to amass their tubes to one place.
The following list contains the most popular types of artillery types and calibers in the Morte arsenal.
8/4cm Kurzkanone: Small gun tube mounted on IVWs and used at battalion level. Its large bore tube launches a comparatively small 4cm shell to achieve performance similar to more decent gun tubes. It was designed as a replacement to the old 5cm tube to alleviate its crippling issues. While lacking throw weight the 40mm shell makes up in technology and sheer velocity. Its standard projectile mode is the Stinger which disperses 90% of the shell weight into extremely thin durasteel nails that leave flaming trails on impact and can decimate infantry in a wide area. As such the weapon is often nicknamed as the flaming carpet. Due to their density and overall velocity the nails can pierce through simple body armor, sandbags or foilage with ease. Solid shells with delayed E-detonator are also useful against light fortifications and armor without sufficient roof protection.
8cm Leichtkanone: Standard artillery utilized on the regimental level. The weapon is versatile and while towed and fixed variants enjoy the most popularity the Morte also adopted them for quite a few self propelled artillery variants. Since it does not rely on any trick for its performance the Leichtkanone is capable of fully utilizing every type of shell although cluster rounds are more preferred from larger guns.
13cm Kampfkanone: The workhorse heavy artillery of the Morte, often working in concert with their lighter cousins. Compared the the Leichtkanone the 13cm variant has better effective range, greater penetration and sufficient payload to deploy several to dozens of small individual shells if the need arises. Cluster rounds in particular are seen as a way to saturate theaters in shells at a rate unmatched by lighter tubes. This is seen as a situational benefit for either overwhelming point defenses or to quickly deal with multiple weaker targets.Of course heavy shells are also more destructive but for certain situations they could be even an overkill. Hence the Mortean dependence on light artillery as their main piece.
28/21cm Langeskanone: Special heavy pieces that accelerate their elongated shells at even greater velocities. In certain situations this could even render them as very short range anti-orbital defenses albeit their primary purpose is to break down the enemy's defenses while still being sufficiently light for vehicular transport.
36cm Mörserkanone: A strange grenade thrower and gun tube hybrid firing shells of both type and from diameters ranging from 160 to 360mm. This weapon system is rare yet has a well-deserved notoriety for smashing through everything in its way.
8/4cm Kurzkanone: Small gun tube mounted on IVWs and used at battalion level. Its large bore tube launches a comparatively small 4cm shell to achieve performance similar to more decent gun tubes. It was designed as a replacement to the old 5cm tube to alleviate its crippling issues. While lacking throw weight the 40mm shell makes up in technology and sheer velocity. Its standard projectile mode is the Stinger which disperses 90% of the shell weight into extremely thin durasteel nails that leave flaming trails on impact and can decimate infantry in a wide area. As such the weapon is often nicknamed as the flaming carpet. Due to their density and overall velocity the nails can pierce through simple body armor, sandbags or foilage with ease. Solid shells with delayed E-detonator are also useful against light fortifications and armor without sufficient roof protection.
8cm Leichtkanone: Standard artillery utilized on the regimental level. The weapon is versatile and while towed and fixed variants enjoy the most popularity the Morte also adopted them for quite a few self propelled artillery variants. Since it does not rely on any trick for its performance the Leichtkanone is capable of fully utilizing every type of shell although cluster rounds are more preferred from larger guns.
13cm Kampfkanone: The workhorse heavy artillery of the Morte, often working in concert with their lighter cousins. Compared the the Leichtkanone the 13cm variant has better effective range, greater penetration and sufficient payload to deploy several to dozens of small individual shells if the need arises. Cluster rounds in particular are seen as a way to saturate theaters in shells at a rate unmatched by lighter tubes. This is seen as a situational benefit for either overwhelming point defenses or to quickly deal with multiple weaker targets.Of course heavy shells are also more destructive but for certain situations they could be even an overkill. Hence the Mortean dependence on light artillery as their main piece.
28/21cm Langeskanone: Special heavy pieces that accelerate their elongated shells at even greater velocities. In certain situations this could even render them as very short range anti-orbital defenses albeit their primary purpose is to break down the enemy's defenses while still being sufficiently light for vehicular transport.
36cm Mörserkanone: A strange grenade thrower and gun tube hybrid firing shells of both type and from diameters ranging from 160 to 360mm. This weapon system is rare yet has a well-deserved notoriety for smashing through everything in its way.
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TBA
Navy Overview
The Reichskriegsflotte (Imperial Fleet) is the Reichswehr's special branch dealing with starships and generally the region of space. Like for any interstellar civilization an absurd majority of their territory is space thus the Imperial Fleet has a prominent role of securing it. Since the Mortean triumph in Lux the Imperium haven't faced any existential threats and enjoys a relative peace. Of course there are always Xi'kar pirates, Dorvec remnants or rouge Luxan raiders to worry about yet at their current strength the navy is way prepared to deal with them. In order to reduce maintenance problems the PAX Accords were signed which currently limits the Mortean navy to 250 warships. Consequently many old warships were phased out and mothballed over the time. Decommissioned ships are preserved and kept at various bases thus they could be reactivated fast upon a new crisis. Of course this doesn't account for the numerous support and escort ships that could accompany them, nor ships built for only local defense.
Mortean warships are built for endurance, relying on heavy armor and constant cannon fire. The typical Mortean war vessel is shaped like a slightly conical cylinder with the main engine cluster at the back and most firepower concentrated to several turrets of usually the macro particle cannon variety. In Mortean dictionary a warship is an independent combat starcraft capable of acting on their own. Starships in the smaller range are escorts that accompany the larger vessel for screening purposes as well as to satisfy special roles. Support ships are non-combat vessels that follow the fleets and perform anything from maintenance, transport, mining, manufacturing war materials or even provide hospital services. By the standards of most civilizations the Mortean ships tend to be on the smaller side with battleships often considered the size of other civilizations' cruisers if not destroyers. On the other hand Mortean warships classes are less diverse when it comes to sizes. Escorts are more fluctuating in scale and in rare cases it's difficult to distinguish the smallest escort ships from the largest starfighter classes.
When talking in context of the Mortean Navy the term warship has a more specific meaning, implying a sorts of capital vessel fit for independent actions. While most civilizations consider only the strongest and most decisive vessels of their capital ships, Mortean terminology for warships is far broader. Warships are versatile combat vessels capable of fulfilling multiple roles. Aside from their sheer combat capability they share functions like interstellar travel for expedient deployment and patrols, cargo holds for emergency war goods, extra rooms for troops and refugees, sensors and communication systems sufficient for all their equipment, hangar space for shuttles, recon and other special role smallcraft, internal production facilities for limited self-sustainment and so forth. Anything that is related to war should be within the capability of a Mortean warship, hence their name. Of course even warships do specialize and different kinds of warships have differing strengths and weaknesses, whether it comes to their combat or other roles. Though an old and not frequently used system nowadays the Morte does distinguish their warships with ratings. First rate are mainline battleships sporting a good array of powerful cannons. Second and third rate are consequently less powerful and usually where cruisers and outdated battleships are put into. Fourth to Sixth rate are reserved for patrol and skirmishing vessels that are either not present in major fleet engagement or support the main battleline from the sides. Unrated ships also exist that are difficult to classify could also exist. Zeroth rate was implemented to account for oddities like dreadnoughts. While unofficially this system has some use its rigidity made the ratings unsuitable for the navy by now and instead they use an algorythm for devising the predicted combat potential for the enemy vessel called CCS (Comprehensive Combat Score). For reference the average CCS value for an old Tanhauser-class battleship is around 724 and Kvasir-class assault cruisers worth 496 points.CCS only estimates potential firepower with only a few corrective factors yet its simplicity makes it a good asset when devising strategies.
Elbe-class Frigate: Sixth rate warship made for patrol and fighting pirates. It has respectable speed and fold drive performance along with capacity to send out two squadrons of starfighters. It has light armor and only has four Grade-10 MPC as its main armament. Its overall length is around 275m.
Schwarzhund-class Destroyer: Sixth rate warship utilizing speed and aggressive close range tactics in combat. As one of the smallest vessels the Shwarzhund is only 250 meters long and sports six Grade-15 mass lances in an unique triple axis layout. Its secondary weapons are about two dozen light Grade-1 mass lances for point defense along with the usual defensive equipment. Due to its offensive focus the Schwarzhund just barely classifies as a warship. Nearly all of the Schwarzhund-classes are mothballed as part of the PAX accords.
Quasar-class Attack Frigate: Fourth rate warship utilizing a trio of large Grade-50 MPC turrets and the overall length of 366m. It does fulfill a similar role as old cruisers. Attack Frigates are faster, more economical but lack the sheer firepower of cruisers. It also notably has decent hangar space, capable of holding up to 120 craft total. Unlike most larger warships the Quasar also has decent torpedo capacity and thanks to its modular design this feature can be upgraded at the cost of internal space.
Gram-class Protected Cruiser: Old type cruiser once utilized extensively for border patrol. It has four Grade-36 MPCs and a pair of Grade-64 mass lances, a weird combination which also resulted in a confusing doctrine. While better armored and have greater firepower than the Quasar the vessel is otherwise grossly outdated and all of them ended up being mothballed. 422 meters long overall.
Solomon-class Battlecarrier: 460 meters long unrated vessel specializing in carrying smallcraft. While utilizing strike craft as a way to supplement offensive firepower its complicated logistics made such attacks troublesome. While Mortean warships can launch fighters they lack munition reserves and craft maintenance facilities for continuous deployment. Solomon-class is the latest in the line of "battlecarriers" intent to solve this issue. With internal munitions factories, many dozen repair shops and modular equipment distribution systems it enables fighters to be sent out many times in a row and last through entire battles. As a consequence though the Solomon has relatively limited self-defense capabilities (eight Grade-35 mass lanxes) and only average fighter capacity, capable of holding 640 of them.
Kvasir-class Assault Cruiser: Third rate warship currently serving as the backbone of the reformed Mortean Battlefleet. Only 416 meters long and weighing below 5 million tons the Kvasir is considered nimble and cost efficient by Mortean standards. Even with the new duracomposites and armor schemes it lacks the protection of old battleships and tries to compensate with active defenses. The main armament of the Kvasir are four Grade-75 MPCs which could punch through most defenses albeit compared to battleships this results in considerably less volume of fire. On the other hand its modern design is modular and allows room for plenty of features, including a hangar with upwards 210 fighters.
Tanhauser-class Battleship: 546 meters long heavy battleship which used to dominate space battles. They are armed with no less than twelve Grade-60 MPCs along with formidable secondary batteries. Their heavy armor severely limits both their sub and superluminal performance and overall reduced their travel endurance considerably. They were designed to be pure battle vessels and were considered the pillars of Mortean offensives yet with the century of peace their outdated design and poor efficiency made such vessels unwieldly. Only a select few fleets retain examples of the Tanhauser with the rest being preserved in various orbital stations.
Grendel-class Dreadnought: Monstrous zeroth rate warship designed for breakthroughs and combating other super battleships. The vessel is 844m long and carries twenty four Grade-100 MPC batteries. Only a handful such behemoths were ever created and the last active Grendel is currently leading Toderstern's own defense fleet. Based off the Tanhauser this ship looks like its oversized cousin.
Sieglinde-class Star Dreadnought: Newly developed flagship class currently still in the prototype stage. It utilizes various new technologies like its giant solitary impulse engine, new diamond shaped hull with special surfaces and materials helping to deflect energy attacks and eight prototype mass lance arrays. The latter combines eight individual mass lance projectors and along with gravomagnetic field lenses it enables new and even more versatile combat utilities. With each projector considered Grade-50 and capable of firing independently this also eliminates the need for secondary batteries. Point defenses also utilize similar measures at small scale, creating a fairly dense envelope of AA fire. The Sieglinde is 764 meters long yet has twice as much free space as the Grendel-class, allowing it to be equipped for any mission. Its hangars can be expanded to hold the maximum of 3600 fighters. Officers estimate the CCS value of the Sieglinde around 9455, allowing it to take on an entire opposing flotilla and win. Unfortunately the Sieglinde proves to be too expensive for mass production.
Schwarzhund-class Destroyer: Sixth rate warship utilizing speed and aggressive close range tactics in combat. As one of the smallest vessels the Shwarzhund is only 250 meters long and sports six Grade-15 mass lances in an unique triple axis layout. Its secondary weapons are about two dozen light Grade-1 mass lances for point defense along with the usual defensive equipment. Due to its offensive focus the Schwarzhund just barely classifies as a warship. Nearly all of the Schwarzhund-classes are mothballed as part of the PAX accords.
Quasar-class Attack Frigate: Fourth rate warship utilizing a trio of large Grade-50 MPC turrets and the overall length of 366m. It does fulfill a similar role as old cruisers. Attack Frigates are faster, more economical but lack the sheer firepower of cruisers. It also notably has decent hangar space, capable of holding up to 120 craft total. Unlike most larger warships the Quasar also has decent torpedo capacity and thanks to its modular design this feature can be upgraded at the cost of internal space.
Gram-class Protected Cruiser: Old type cruiser once utilized extensively for border patrol. It has four Grade-36 MPCs and a pair of Grade-64 mass lances, a weird combination which also resulted in a confusing doctrine. While better armored and have greater firepower than the Quasar the vessel is otherwise grossly outdated and all of them ended up being mothballed. 422 meters long overall.
Solomon-class Battlecarrier: 460 meters long unrated vessel specializing in carrying smallcraft. While utilizing strike craft as a way to supplement offensive firepower its complicated logistics made such attacks troublesome. While Mortean warships can launch fighters they lack munition reserves and craft maintenance facilities for continuous deployment. Solomon-class is the latest in the line of "battlecarriers" intent to solve this issue. With internal munitions factories, many dozen repair shops and modular equipment distribution systems it enables fighters to be sent out many times in a row and last through entire battles. As a consequence though the Solomon has relatively limited self-defense capabilities (eight Grade-35 mass lanxes) and only average fighter capacity, capable of holding 640 of them.
Kvasir-class Assault Cruiser: Third rate warship currently serving as the backbone of the reformed Mortean Battlefleet. Only 416 meters long and weighing below 5 million tons the Kvasir is considered nimble and cost efficient by Mortean standards. Even with the new duracomposites and armor schemes it lacks the protection of old battleships and tries to compensate with active defenses. The main armament of the Kvasir are four Grade-75 MPCs which could punch through most defenses albeit compared to battleships this results in considerably less volume of fire. On the other hand its modern design is modular and allows room for plenty of features, including a hangar with upwards 210 fighters.
Tanhauser-class Battleship: 546 meters long heavy battleship which used to dominate space battles. They are armed with no less than twelve Grade-60 MPCs along with formidable secondary batteries. Their heavy armor severely limits both their sub and superluminal performance and overall reduced their travel endurance considerably. They were designed to be pure battle vessels and were considered the pillars of Mortean offensives yet with the century of peace their outdated design and poor efficiency made such vessels unwieldly. Only a select few fleets retain examples of the Tanhauser with the rest being preserved in various orbital stations.
Grendel-class Dreadnought: Monstrous zeroth rate warship designed for breakthroughs and combating other super battleships. The vessel is 844m long and carries twenty four Grade-100 MPC batteries. Only a handful such behemoths were ever created and the last active Grendel is currently leading Toderstern's own defense fleet. Based off the Tanhauser this ship looks like its oversized cousin.
Sieglinde-class Star Dreadnought: Newly developed flagship class currently still in the prototype stage. It utilizes various new technologies like its giant solitary impulse engine, new diamond shaped hull with special surfaces and materials helping to deflect energy attacks and eight prototype mass lance arrays. The latter combines eight individual mass lance projectors and along with gravomagnetic field lenses it enables new and even more versatile combat utilities. With each projector considered Grade-50 and capable of firing independently this also eliminates the need for secondary batteries. Point defenses also utilize similar measures at small scale, creating a fairly dense envelope of AA fire. The Sieglinde is 764 meters long yet has twice as much free space as the Grendel-class, allowing it to be equipped for any mission. Its hangars can be expanded to hold the maximum of 3600 fighters. Officers estimate the CCS value of the Sieglinde around 9455, allowing it to take on an entire opposing flotilla and win. Unfortunately the Sieglinde proves to be too expensive for mass production.
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Smaller combat vessels that are both weaker and less versatile than a fully fledged warship are colloquially referred as escorts. They are either incapable of independent action or can only perform a limited list of tasks. Many of them are specialists, designed for a specific role and act as force multipliers. Another large portion exists for screening and local patrol purposes. The smallest escorts are almost indistinguishable from the heaviest smallcraft like gunships in characteristics. Actually, gunships used to be escort vessels until improvements allowed such crafts to be serviced from carriers. In contrast the largest escort vessels are at times even superior in combat performance compared to the smallest warship classes. Their size is comparable and since they lack all-rounder characteristics they can dedicate more to combat essentials like weaponry and defensive systems. Some escort classes are outright engineered to hunt capital ships or provide considerable firepower. While they don't count in the official Mortean ship rating system they can be an important battle asset regardless..
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Hansa-class Blockade Runner: A small barely 50m long vessel with only minimal armament. Can be used as advance recon, messenger and to carry important cargo or personnel. It sports impressive speed and electronic warfare capabilities along with decent FTL capability. As such some might classify this as a support vessel but due to its military capabilities it would more correctly belong to the escort class.
Aigil-class Gunboat: 42m long standard screening and small patrol ship specializing in point defense but also have room for minor cargo and passengers. Due to its outdated nature its primary role is often neglected and instead they found their way with the military police.
Lyngvi-class Torpedo Boat:60m long ship dedicated for delivering torpedo strikes. With gunships operating from carries became widespread the importance of ultralight torpedo ships became somewhat moot. While not decommissioned most variants were retrofitted into carrying missile packs, offering defensive utilities.
Farbauti-class Minelayer: Compact 105m long vessel designed for mine warfare. While other vessels can also deploy mines the Farbauti is outright designed for such role. Space mines in Mortean context are automatic suicide drones equipped with either propulsion to launch themselves towards the target like a missile or shoot the enemy with a powerful bomb-pumped energy weapon.
Begleiter-class Corvette: At the total length of 125 meters the Begleiter is a fairly standard escort vessel, occasionally referred as the "mini warship". In spite of being over 300 years old the long series of upgrades kept the ship a viable piece in any fleet. The current variant has modern engines, new front hull design and the unique 3 guns on the same axis setup like the Quasar-classes. The ship of course also has torpedo launchers and a minimal hangar for receiving recon, transport or messenger smallcraft.
Oldenburg-class Monitor: Antique ship class reactivated more recently. Monitors are strange vessels that often focus on a singular big gun above everything. The Oldenburg in particular still uses its E-Gun Battery which makes that an economical choice for orbital bombardment.
Sigar-class Weapon Ship At 150 meters of length the Sigar is an average vessel with a setup anything but the average. Sporting a massive Grade-100 Mass Lance that runs through the entire length of the hull. The weapon system was designed for more defensive combat. Of course the problem with a spinal mounted weapon is
Rasans-class Escort Carrier: 250m long carrier craft specializing to hangar space and launching strike craft. It has the capacity to hold up to 160 craft but lacks almost any other capability.
Aigil-class Gunboat: 42m long standard screening and small patrol ship specializing in point defense but also have room for minor cargo and passengers. Due to its outdated nature its primary role is often neglected and instead they found their way with the military police.
Lyngvi-class Torpedo Boat:60m long ship dedicated for delivering torpedo strikes. With gunships operating from carries became widespread the importance of ultralight torpedo ships became somewhat moot. While not decommissioned most variants were retrofitted into carrying missile packs, offering defensive utilities.
Farbauti-class Minelayer: Compact 105m long vessel designed for mine warfare. While other vessels can also deploy mines the Farbauti is outright designed for such role. Space mines in Mortean context are automatic suicide drones equipped with either propulsion to launch themselves towards the target like a missile or shoot the enemy with a powerful bomb-pumped energy weapon.
Begleiter-class Corvette: At the total length of 125 meters the Begleiter is a fairly standard escort vessel, occasionally referred as the "mini warship". In spite of being over 300 years old the long series of upgrades kept the ship a viable piece in any fleet. The current variant has modern engines, new front hull design and the unique 3 guns on the same axis setup like the Quasar-classes. The ship of course also has torpedo launchers and a minimal hangar for receiving recon, transport or messenger smallcraft.
Oldenburg-class Monitor: Antique ship class reactivated more recently. Monitors are strange vessels that often focus on a singular big gun above everything. The Oldenburg in particular still uses its E-Gun Battery which makes that an economical choice for orbital bombardment.
Sigar-class Weapon Ship At 150 meters of length the Sigar is an average vessel with a setup anything but the average. Sporting a massive Grade-100 Mass Lance that runs through the entire length of the hull. The weapon system was designed for more defensive combat. Of course the problem with a spinal mounted weapon is
Rasans-class Escort Carrier: 250m long carrier craft specializing to hangar space and launching strike craft. It has the capacity to hold up to 160 craft but lacks almost any other capability.
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The Mortean Navy of course utilizes ship types that are neither escorts and especially no warships. One of the most important types are the support ships that can carry extra equipment, troops prior to planetfall, factory ship for manufacturing munitions and spare parts, etc. Another category are the local defense ships that often eschew fold drives or anything related to long travel, making them capable in their role while cheap. Defense ships are overall comparable to escorts in performance albeit there are a few exceptions. Lastly but not least planetary invasions demand manpower and equipment that needs to be transported to the said destination. While Reichsgrenadiers and other elites can easily be transported by just warships the bulk of the military is too large without dedicated transport vessels. The so-called assault transports differ from transport specialized support ships in many aspects. For starters an assault transport is still a combat ship and equipped with considerable defenses. Second, while regular ships haul cargo the assault transport has specialized containers that also act as drop pods. During landfall they release these containers for rapid deployment. Due to space limitations and other concerns the soldiers are placed tightly in stasis capsule during transport, sleeping through the travel and only be woken up shortly prior to deployment. This of course also dodges other issues the soldiers might have in such tightly confined spaces. There's a slight chance the subject does not survive the thwarting process but such loses are more than acceptable for the Mortean military.
In Mortean military lexicons smallcraft are small scale spaceships that are limited in capabilities and either have one or a few crews. Internally the difference between ships and smallcraft is that smallcraft needs to have all its maintenance done externally while small ships have walkable corridors and service tunnels along with dedicated maintenance staff to help. Combat focused smallcraft are also referred as strike craft and in exchange limited endurance they can achieve respectable firepower, even if only sufficient for a couple of passes. Strike craft thrive in flanking attacks and exploitation. They can also be used to strain the enemy point defenses..
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Walküre-VII Fighter: The most notable space fighter utilized by the Morte. It lacks aerodynamic elements and made with easy storage in mind. The 16m long craft craft is about 90% weapons and engines, wasting no space for much else. It has a pair of rotating swiveling "arms" that hold giant capacitors along with a pair of mass lance projectors (4 total). It can also exchange either of the arms for missile pods or mini torpedoes, although deploying ordinance is more commonly the gunships' duty. The Walküre-VII is fast albeit not the most maneuverable. Rather than attempting dogfights it prefers to fight from moderate ranges and engage its targets in high energy passes.
Hummel-IX Gunship: 28m long blocky strike craft made with firepower in mind. Its primary armament consists of 4 modular weapon bays at the centers which can range from rows of railguns, mass lances, missile pods or even space for stacks of bombs and torpedoes. Bombs differ from torpedoes in the fact they lack propulsion and instead rely on the speed the gunship possessed prior to the launch and subsequent breakaway. This means you can pack up to three times as many bombs in the same space as torpedoes while each having comparable firepower. Of course this means gunships can literally become bombers.
Hummel-IX Gunship: 28m long blocky strike craft made with firepower in mind. Its primary armament consists of 4 modular weapon bays at the centers which can range from rows of railguns, mass lances, missile pods or even space for stacks of bombs and torpedoes. Bombs differ from torpedoes in the fact they lack propulsion and instead rely on the speed the gunship possessed prior to the launch and subsequent breakaway. This means you can pack up to three times as many bombs in the same space as torpedoes while each having comparable firepower. Of course this means gunships can literally become bombers.
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