Name: Advent
Born: 2055
Biology:
Superficially, the Advents appear very similar to humans in their anatomy, although the comparison can only be made on a superficial basis, for in their minds and souls the Advent are truly complex. They stand taller than a man, with longer, cleaner limbs and handsome, striking features. Their slanted eyes possess a penetrating quality more akin to that of a hunting cat than a man. The most fundamental difference can be seen when they move, for they each radiate an inhuman elegance and poise. This is especially evident in the sinuous grace with which they fight and the dexterity with which they fight with which they field their weaponry. Every gesture is laden with subtle intent, and their reflexes are dazzlingly fast. A casual, languid gesture can end in a pinpoint thrust should the necessity arise. On closer inspection, every aspect of the Advent physiology betrays their alien nature. Their hearts beat at twice the speed of a human's, and their minds race through possibilities and process emotions so fast that even the so-called geniuses of human history appear dull by comparison. Even their lives are greater in span – About 800 years. It will expand further in future. Each is psychic to one extent or another; Even the complex technology of their race is based upon psychic engineering, the manipulation of and even creation of matter using mental energies alone.
Those who actively cultivate their psychic potential seem to exhibit a much-extended lifespan as well, one proportional to their prowess. In this way the leaders and Seers of the Advent may live for several thousand standard years. They see themselves as completely separate from the normal humans. As they are not even have naturally evolved at all, as they are actually the creations of the Xel'naga.
Biological Capabilities:
A range of 1 - 10 tells how often it is seen.
10 - common
1 - Rare
Longevity - Increased lifespan. At least 800 years lifespan (will increase more in future). (10)
Hyper Reactive Pupils - Increased eye reaction speed and information transfer to the brain. (9)
Depth Perception - Increased sight range. (9)
Adrenal Neurosympathy - Grants a Combat Pheromones boost that increases reaction time of soldiers during combat. (8)
Secondary Heart - A secondary hearth exists within the individual, and acts as a backup. (7)
Bioelectric Skin - Allows one to sense the electricity that machines and organics give off within a short range. (2)
Mimetic Skin - Confers the ability to change skin pattern to match cover. (1)
Muscle Fiber Density - Confers superhuman strength. Increases muscle strength. (7)
Accelerated Healing - Advent heal far faster than a normal human by about 5 times. (10)
Efficient Nervous System - Increased efficiency speed of signals from one cell to others, or from one part of the body to others. (8)
Efficient Blood Circulatory System - Increased efficiency flow speed and transport of nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, and blood cells to and from the cells in the body. (7)
Psionic Potential: Vast.
Among all the intelligent races of the galaxy, the Advents possess some of the most powerful psychic in existence, using their ability to divine the future to shape their fate while also unleashing devastating telekinetic powers upon those that oppose them; however, the sheer power they generate when they combine their psychic strengths ensures they must be cautious to not overuse their powers lest it backfire against them in crucial time. They are forced to become highly disciplined and regulated in their usage of psychic power.
The Advent's psionic potential exceeds even that of protoss, but they lack the vast experience the protoss have at using their powers throughout their long history. On their own, it would likely have taken anywhere from 100 to 200 years to fully understand their psionic powers, but with the help of the protoss, that has been shorten down to merely a few decades. They can continue to learn as long they live.
These are the various levels of psionic powers that anyone can have.
Iota / Theta / Eta
Conscious and moderate level of psionic talent. As the individual is able to control abilities with effort. Children are the most common individuals stay at this level, and after becoming an adult are at the Eta level.
Zeta / Epsilon
Very high level of mental psychic activity. This is one of the common levels of psionic potential found throughout advent territory, and is necessary for joining the military.
Delta / Gamma
Delta and Gamma level psionics exhibit extreme levels of psionic ability, and are uncommon. Individuals of this level can be found on the Discord Battleship. This is the highest anyone can normally achieve in their lives.
Beta / Alpha
Exceedingly rare and dangerous. Very few have the capability to reach this level, and are said to be a one man army.
Alpha-Plus
In the rarest of all cases, the twenty-four point scale of the Assignment does not adequately characterize a being of indescribable ability. Such individuals, for all intents and purposes, pass beyond the scale entirely. These subjects are known as Alpha-Plus psionics.
Culture:
At an early age, Advent children are taught to seek enlightenment in whichever way naturally suits them and it is common to see even the very young using their psionic abilities in various way. Much like the protoss, the advent use their psionic abilities to understand each other on a much higher level than they could without.
Navigating, interpreting, and shaping are highly prized skills in Advent culture and one's mastery in these areas forms the basis of the Unity's social hierarchy. Females in particular demonstrate a natural prowess and have come to dominate the higher castes, called Coalescences.
After reaching maturity, individual Advent would be assigned to a caste, mostly in accordance with the caste of their parents. However, it is not always the case as sometimes children take different caste than their parents. Every Advent chooses for himself or herself a discipline that he then makes his task to master to the exclusion of all else in life. Each discipline is called a Path, and each path may require further choices and specialisations as he walks further upon it. Once an Advent has mastered one Path, he chooses another and in this way creates a toolbox of abilities and skills during the course of his long lifespan over which he has complete control. An Advent may travel many different Paths in his life, and the skills he learns in each Path serve to greatly enrich all of his further accomplishments.
When an Advent's mind becomes so intently focused upon one thing that he is no longer capable of leaving one path for another, he is said to have been "lost upon the Path." It is an outcome that can befall any of them despite the intense discipline and training they have sought to maintain to keep their minds balanced.
Political view:
Advent puts value in the group, the community, and its civilization as a whole. Advent's ultimate goal is peace, harmony, and perfection — a world where everyone gets along and no one seeks to disturb the bonds of unity that they had worked so long to forge. To govern and protect its community, Advent makes use of and puts value in a number of broad concepts; morality (ethics, religion), order (law, discipline), and structure (government, planning).
Advent does not focus on the individual, but instead on the whole. Individuals are indeed encouraged to act on behalf of race and stop those who oppose it, even inside its own borders, but their personal views and feelings are often disregarded and even discouraged in a manner, in order to preserve the health and bond of the group. But they do not enforce on collectivism as much as Khalai Protoss, they consider them to be guilty of being far too much intrusive of personal space and individual rights.
Advent cannot afford to allow the individual too much power in their jurisdiction, for the individual inherently holds their own well-being and satisfaction above all else. This is dangerous to Advent's way of life. Thus, Advent uses more tangible civil laws, so that individuals do not disturb the whole with their ambitions or their craving for freedom. This shows that Advent is very concerned with the society they watch over, in that the good of the society is much more important than the rights and welfare of a single individual. The phrase, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few", certainly applies to their way of living. This again implies that any dissident will be dealt with swiftly so that no opposition can form within the Advent society.
Advent as a people are isolationist, tending to ignore most things going on outside of their borders. They don't even trade much with outsiders. If someone does attack them, they wipe the enemy out, but they wait for that first attack. The Advent language has no phrase for "preemptive strike", and they find the concept unlawful. Of course, once the Advent have actually been attacked, they have no problem with abandoning the defensive strategy. In fact, they're really skilled and ruthless when it comes to war. Advent law could be seen as, "Never throw the first punch, always throw the last punch." They'll deal with you peacefully if they can, but if you attack them, they can end you.
They also follow Prime Directive which applies particularly to civilizations which are below a certain threshold of technological, scientific and cultural development. Unity has forbidden any Advent from using their superior technology to impose their own values or ideas on lesser races. But if such races aggressively attack them, then Advents can retaliate without computation.
Government Policy:
Advent government, known is a hierarchical meritocracy. While it has great potential for misuse, this is tempered by the civic duty and personal responsibility Advents learn during their childhood.
Advents have citizenship tiers, beginning with civilians (client races and children). The initial period of military service is the second tier. Formal citizenship is conferred at the third tier, after completing military training. For client races, citizenship is granted after the individual musters out. Higher-ranked citizens are expected to lead and protect subordinates. Lower-ranking citizens are expected to obey and support superiors. Promotion to another tier of citizenship is based on the personal assessment of one's superiors and co-rankers. At the top are the Coalescence, who each rule a colonization cluster. They otherwise maintain a "hands-off" policy, trusting the citizens on each level below them to do their jobs competently.
Throughout their lives, Advents ascend to the higher tiers and are occasionally "demoted" to lower ones. The stigma associated with demotion lies not on the individual, but on those who promoted them when they weren't ready for additional responsibility. This curbs the tendency to promote individuals into positions beyond their capabilities. Settling into a role and rank is not considered stagnation. Advents value knowing one's own limitations more than being ambitious.
They enjoy broad freedoms. So long as one completes their duties, and does not prevent others from completing theirs, nothing is forbidden. For example, there are no laws against recreational drug use, but if someone is unable to complete their duties due to drug use, their superiors step in. Judicial proceedings are 'interventions.' Peers express their concern, and try to convince the offender to change. If rehabilitation fails, they have no qualms about sentencing dangerous individuals to life at hard labor for the state.
Government organization:
Great Coalescences are the nine domains of politics and power in The Unity. Each of the nine domains, also known as the Pyramids, were headed by a Representative of Great Coalescences, and between them they encompass the entire Unity. Through the Great Coalescences, they control and oversee the day-to-day operations of the Unity, and every individual and organization within the Unity ultimately answered to at least one of the Great Coalescences through the hierarchy of the Advent. Those Great Coalescences are
Ast Eternal is charged with the protection, distribution and expansion of Advent psionic knowledge. It is led by Jacob Jefferson Ramsey, who also oversee the Xel'naga Reclamation Service to ensure that Xel'naga artifacts and archaeological discoveries are handled correctly and benefited the Unity. Advents do not have any preservers like the khalai Protoss so they are forced to modify Argus crystal to store memories. It acts as a growing database of collective Advent knowledge.
Cult of Cerebri is concerned with the direction of the Advent Military in order to preserve the Unity and its people from external and internal threats. As a result, Cult of Cerebri often coordinated its effort with the Hand of Illus. It is led by James Eugene Raynor.
Hand of Illus oversees various analytical and espionage departments, particularly the semi-autonomous Intelligence agency. It is led by Leonid Celsus. They are intelligence-gatherers and in matters of grand strategy and intelligence tactics they are without peer, their political insight unparalleled by the savants of the Unity. They engineer their mark's doom via their consummate command of information. They wage a far more complex war, taking the art of the stealth kill to the next level. Their modus operandi is to learn everything possible about not only their target but also those closest to him, then to tacitly manipulate circumstances so that their mark's death is brought about by his own folly or - preferably - by the hand of a once-trusted friend or comrade.
Prophets of Zei is concerned with the direction of Advent race and their fate. Its members are amongst the most powerful of Seers and probably represent some of the most potent psychics in the entire galaxy. They explore potential future paths that may lie ahead and making a determination about which paths need to be altered to produce a better future outcome. It is led by Zeratul who is an honorary member of this Great Coalescences.
Psi Order Zealots directs the law enforcement and justice branches of the Unity, and under its control the rigid order and efficiency of Advent society remained intact and justice is maintained across the Unity. It is led by Nova Terra.
Raesaedia Sect is tasked with the protection of the Code of the Unity, ensuring that the acolytes and apprentices remained loyal to the tenets of their society. It is led by Edmund Duke.
Rolus Solbare is charged with overseeing the Logistics, reporting directly to Valerian Mengsk who is in charge of this Great Coalescences. It oversees the Unity's trade routes, resources, economy, military supply lines, transportation systems, nationalized industries, and other assets and programs essential to the continued functions of the Unity.
Voice of Senar oversees the expansion of the Unity's borders and directs the Diplomatic Service in its efforts to secure new allies and maintain their allegiances. It is led by Arcturus Mengsk who prefers military expansion and conquest over diplomacy in order to further Advent interests.
Xian Precept oversees the creation of powerful new cybernetics, super weapons, military technology and other revolutionary machines for the good of the Unity. The Medical Corps, disease control, genetic manipulations and experiments all fell within its control. It is led Jenson Archimedes.
Religion:
Before Advent transformed into a new race they use to worship earth based human religions. After their transformation, they began to worship the unknown race who changed them. After excavating, they found a name of that race "xel'naga".
Later they adopted the philosophy of xel'naga but they modified it for their use. They believe that the entire universe is a living entity enriched by the collective experience of ever-changing life. Struggle, competition and even war are not at odds with the harmony of the cosmos, as they are regarded as a natural part of life. However, excessive and needless cruelty and destruction are seen as introducing an imbalance in the harmony of Living Time. However, where xel'naga cherished all life and refused to kill anything, Advent does not believe that much pacifism is realistic. Their motto is "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Technology:
Advent technological levels are vastly superior to the Systems Alliance and is roughly on par with the protoss. They excel because of a wonder called PsiTech which amplifies their mental ability above all other races. It is also used in the everyday life of Advent civilians and helps improve the workforce supply for the Advent military.
Weaponry and Defense:
The Advent people pride themselves on their advancements in technology. Advent armaments consist almost entirely of directed energy weapons. Advent technology adheres closely to natural biological shapes and structures. This is quite understandable, as there is no real difference between technology and nature in the Advent mind - they are a single process by which the Advent imbue living things with function and functional things with life. The materials the Advent use in their engineering are complex and varied ectoplasmic that can be formed into solid shapes under psychic pressure. In some respects they are more like living tissue than inert substances, growing and reacting to their environment in a similar way to plants. The completed device or artefact may work in a conventional manner, but is operated by psychic means.
Advent favor cheap, lightly armored ships with lower hull strength, preferring sophisticated shield systems to bulky armor. All Advent structures and spaceships are designed to be aesthetically pleasing and are typically slender and sleek.
PsiTech:
PsiTech is the technology that members of the Advent use to augment their mental abilities. This allows them to accomplish tasks through the use of their mind instead of physical power. This makes the Advent especially powerful and potentially advantageous in many aspects. The Advent can telekinetically hold armor together through the use of PsiTech.
Even in resource gathering the Advent uses PsiTech. Psintegrates are placed onto Mining Facilities and telekinetically separate unwanted resources to help improve the quality of mineral shipments. PsiTech is a powerful tool that, when utilized properly, will allow the Advent war machine to locate, control and disrupt its enemies; it will also inspire loyalty, augment mental power and allow communication amongst the Advent population.
Advent Ships:
Destra Crusader:
Size - Length, 250 meters. Width, 200 meters. Height, 200 meters.
Bio - Destra Crusaders bring enlightenment to the masses, if not typically in a friendly manner. The Destra's design is dominated by four huge plasma cannons which make it more than a match for most enemy targets.
Armament - 4 x Plasma Cannons (Fore)
Discord Battleship:
Size - Length, 600 meters. Width, 350 meters. Height, 350 meters.
Bio - The Discord battleship is the newest Advent weapon to field and features a number of deadly psionic abilities that aid in its destruction of enemy ships. Featuring an impressive array of armaments, the Discord follows up its punch by weakening opponents' armor with a powerful area-of-effect attack.
Armament - 1 x Heavy Beam Cannon (Fore) / 3 x Plasma Guns (Fore)
4 x Pulse Laser Batteries (Starboard / Port)
The Discord Battleship as other abilities at its disposal. If enemy ships get to close, they will be thrown away harshly. They may also confused and disorient the crew of ships for some time, preventing them from taking any action. The Battleship may focus its minds to overpower the minds of the crew aboard smaller craft, forcing them to serve the advent. However, if too many individuals are on the ship, they can resist the control, and instead are disoriented for a short while. Given that the advent want to peacefully bring other races under them, this ability is almost never used, expect if a pirate ship has something of high value on it that the advent want. The last ability that the Battleship has, is the ability to regenerate the shields of nearby friendly targets over time. This works on both advent and protoss ships, making it highly useful.
Halcyon Carrier:
Size - Length, 950 meters. Width, 550 meters. Height, 500 meters.
Bio - Responsible for remotely piloting groups of the Drone fighters, Drone Anima are valued crew members aboard all Advent capital ships. The most veteran of this caste are reserved for positions aboard Halcyon Carriers; leveraging the piloting skill of these elite Psintegrat allows the ship to host a veritable swarm of strike craft. Halcyon Carriers employ a number of systems to augment the combat effectiveness of their own fighter wings.
Armament - 2 x Heavy Beam Cannons (Starboard / Port) / 6 x Pulse Laser Batteries (Starboard / Port)
Radiance Battleship:
Size - Length, 1000 meters. Width, 450 meters. Height, 500 meters.
Bio - Radiance Battleship is the pinnacle of Advent starship technology. Its speed and maneuverability make fighting a Radiance Battleship a tricky prospect in and of itself for any foe, but when combined with its Advent Weapons Batteries, Pulsar Lances, and squadrons of Attack Craft like Fighters and Bombers, the Radiance Battleship becomes a match for any starship that dares to face it in battle.
Literally bristling with varied energy weapons, it can unleash a torrential downpour of plasma bursts and laser fire. Those who endure such an onslaught have little respite, as the Radiance's axial beam cannon can cut a wide swath of destruction through enemy ranks.
Armament - 6 x Heavy Beam Cannons (Fore) / 4 x Heavy Plasma Guns (Fore)
5 x Heavy Pulse Laser Batteries (Starboard / Port)
Eradica Titan:
Size - Length, 700 meters. Width, 1,400 meters. Height, 1,800 meters.
Bio - The Eradica Titan is a very large and powerful ship able to support fleets or take command of the battlefield. Not much else is known about The Eradica.
Armament - The Eradica has a multitude of long-range beam and plasma weapons to deal with larger targets. For smaller targets, the Eradica has a multitude point defense laser all over its hull. However, the Eradica has one more weapon at its disposal. The Spirit Blade.
The Spirit Blade is powerful burst of psionic energy that deals damage to the target and all enemies near it. Unlike it other attacks, the spirit blade can attack in all directions and is far more powerful, but it takes time to gather the necessary psionic energy needed to perform it.
Advent vehicles and personal:
Advent Army (marine):
Bio - Advent Army compose the bulk of most advent front-line forces. They take to the field armed with Z-180 Close Combat Rifle. Each valley is levelled with such pinpoint accuracy that they slice through armor, bone and flesh with sickening ease. They have an uncanny knack of knowing when to follow this onslaught with a lightning-fast assault and when to carefully draw the enemy forward onto their positions. Their training gives them the uncanny ability to read the ebb and flow of battle, knowing when to press the attack or feign retreat and fall back, luring their foes into a carefully prepared ambush.
It was also a common policy among soldiers to extract the memory impressions of their vanquished foes before executing them. However, in the case of opponents they deemed worthy, it was considered more honorable to execute them outright.
Armament - Advent Soldiers are protected by their powered amour, but come equipped with shields for added protection. They wear lightweight synthetic bodysuits, reinforced with plates of psycho-sensitive bioplastics that will instantly harden to resist impacts. As well as absorbing impacts, those plates can morph their shape in accordance with the wearer's movements, meaning the armor does not encumber the wearer in the slightest, affording good protection with excellent mobility.
Each soldier is assisted by an advanced, computerized targeting device. Worn over the shoulder and plugged into the their ranged weapon via his or her armored suit, this pan-spectral targeter operates independently of the user, finding and tracking multiple targets and feeding target information directly to the Aspect armor's helmet display. It is likely that it can also differentiate between enemy and ally.
The Z-180 Close Combat Rifle bears the hallmarks of Advent design: highly angular and metallic. It appears to be held together at least partly by energy fields, as indicated by its self-assembly process and floating sights. Orange highlights can be seen while the weapon is self-assembling and throughout the casing once assembly is complete; these highlights grow brighter when the weapon is fired. The weapon receives five energy cells from a breach-loaded compartment.
Spectre:
Bio - Operating in squads, spectres specialize in hit-and-run, close-quarters combat. Classified as foundational units for advent forces, they are more mobile than normal soldiers as their jet packs allow them to surmount obstacles independently. They are remarkably agile, and in addition to using their limbs for conventional movement they are also capable of translocating over moderate distances, allowing them to either swiftly retreat from the battlefield or to flank their enemies.
They can also join their mind together during battle through temporary psionic link, drawing strength from each other. Prolonged use of this technique will cause the users to start finishing each other's sentences or thoughts. This power can also be seen as a form of telepathy. The enhanced power brought by Meld worked both ways: while the Gestalt could influence a large number of minds with much more power, a great psionic disturbance could overwhelm the melding participants as they received the pain through their enhanced senses. If the pain was caused by the minds the melding participants were touching, it would bring devastating effects to the participants, sometimes to such a degree that the participants would lose control of their own minds and become ignorant to other threats.
Armament - Spectres are clad in self-contained body suits and wear polarized plasteel flight goggles. They are armed with dual-wield P-55 "Scythe" pistols and hold one Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon charge for more armored targets. Some of them use Incineration cannon, which fires five antimatter-infused streams of concentrated explosive particles, and gather into globular projectiles that oscillate along a straight trajectory. The projectiles detonate and spread upon impact with a target, ricocheting and bouncing in tall but short arc trajectories. It initially holds five whole charges at a time with one shot per charge. Each charge is automatically "loaded" after firing and cool-down. It has been described as "mixing traits of a rocket launcher, shotgun, and flamethrower."
Ghosts:
Bio - Ghosts are feared advent covert operatives of the Hand of Illus. They are known for their skill, psionic powers and ability to cloak. Ghosts are lightly armored and rely heavily on their shields to protect themselves. They are generally trained as commandos and assassins, appearing and striking suddenly and silently. The Ghost Academy was created in Tarsonis City on Tarsonis and is where all ghosts are trained.
Each of the ghosts specializing in a different form or method of assassination. Some specializing in the artful deception of the enemies of the Unity through infiltration, deceit and impersonation. Some are cold, calculating killers that eliminate their targets with contemptuous ease. They aim to bring inglorious death to the enemies of the Unity with a sniper's bullet and have elevated the skills of the marksman to an art form. Some trains exclusively in the use of exotic poisons and subtlety in carrying out their mission requirements who can manufacture killing philters from the basest of components, which allow them to terminate their targets and leave no metabolic trace of the toxin.
Armament - They do possess active camouflage units, which allow bend light around the wearer, thus making them effectively invisible. This include built-in active camouflage generators. These built-in generators have a severe drawback in that they divert power from shielding equipment. Ghosts equipped with permanent active camouflage generators tend to have weaker shielding than those not equipped with an active camouflage generator.
Predator:
Bio - Predators, sometimes called "cybercat", are big, heavy robots shaped like cats. They are mostly used by ghosts as fast scouts and even companions.
Armament - Predators have a powerful area-of-effect ability called lightning field that damages nearby enemies each time they attack. Add in their titanium claws and fangs, and it is a very powerful short ranged anti-infantry specialist.
Vulture:
Bio - The vulture is a hover bike with powerful anti-gravitic motors, allowing the craft to attain such great velocity that without an Advent's enhanced reaction speed it would be lethal to ride. Through subtle manipulation these motors can also send the bike into a steep climb or sharp dive, though its shape naturally inclines it towards level or upward flight. Long, curved vanes on either side of the bike allow for incredibly sharp mid-air turns. Like most Advent technology the jet bike is mentally attuned to the natural psychic abilities of the Advent. Small patches of psychotropic crystals, within the bike's handlebars and the rider's gauntlets, allowing the rider to control the craft through mental commands.
Armament - The standard primary armament for a Vulture is a Splinter Rifle mounted on the hull, which can be upgraded to a Shredder, Blaster or Heat Lance. Some Advent, add Cluster Caltrops and a Grav-Talon which are intended to destroy pursuers in the air.
The Vyper:
Bio - The Vyper is a highly mobile weapon platform based on an enlarged Jetbike design. Vypers are two-seater attack craft capable of mounting a variety of heavy weapons. It carries two Advents, a pilot and a gunner. The pilot and gunner are generally trained together and very rarely will a single member of the crew be changed. The Vyper is capable of carrying a wide variety of Advent heavy weapons. Although lightly armored, the impressive speed and maneuverability of the Vyper is almost a superior defense. Vypers are often fielded in squadrons of up to three vehicles. These squadrons are capable of redeploying in seconds to target a vulnerable area of an incoming tank, looping around an exposed flank or jinking away to escape interceptors attempting to close with them.
Armament - Vypers mount a fearsome array of weapons - shuriken cannons and scatter lasers to scythe down ranks of enemies, or missile launchers and bright lances to deal with tanks or heavy infantry. Together, Vypers have the speed and firepower to deal with any threat.
Cyclone:
Bio - To keep personnel out of harm's way, the Advent developed the cyclone, a mobile assault drone armed with twin Typhoon missile pods that engage air and ground threats. The cyclone also features a sophisticated lock-on system, which allows it to concentrate fire on an enemy while on the move. The cyclone is a small and fast mechanical unit.
Armament - The cyclone features a twin Typhoon missile pods, carrying up to 36 missiles per pod. It is intended more for harassment, but is often used for front line military forces.
Widow mine:
Bio - A support unit, the widow mine is a quadrupedal device that represents the next step in Advent automated weaponry. It is controlled remotely, piloted into a contested area and then set to activate when enemy units draw near. Once triggered, the widow mine launches a missile designed to explode in a firestorm of shrapnel, eliminating its primary target as well as any foes that might be nearby. The missiles are assembled in an automated manufacturing plant located in the 'thorax' of the unit.
If the widow mine sustains crippling damage to any of its systems, an advanced heuristics recovery algorithm quickly begins the process of determining what's the best course of action to restore operative efficiency. After executing multiple simulated scenarios, the simple onboard AI reroutes power from affected systems and reprograms the unit's behavioral patterns to either allow it to complete its mission, or return home for repairs.
Armament - Field tests revealed that the burrowing capabilities of the weapon could be improved at a nominal cost. The addition of neosteel carbide tips, and sonic oscillators that allow each leg to vibrate independently at high speeds, significantly reduced burrow times. These claws can be used to fight, but it is not recommend. Sentinel missiles are the main weapon of widow mine. These Sentinel missiles are of short range and pack a fragmentation warhead that delivers superheated shrapnel to the target and the adjacent area on detonation.
Falcon:
Bio - The Falcon is the main battle tank of the Advent, a fast, mobile and well-protected grav-tank carrying excellent anti-tank and anti-infantry firepower. In addition to the Falcon's considerable assets, it can also transport a small squad of Soldiers into battle.
Armament - The key to the Falcon's battlefield performance is its engine and anti-gravitic generators. Falcon's engines can generate an estimated top speed of 800 kph. Its advanced ant-grav generators are also capable of limited flight, climbing higher thus giving them the added edge of altitude, allowing them to swoop down onto the battlefield at high speed, weapons locked on to their pre-selected targets. Each Falcon has a crew of two, the pilot and the gunner. These will be already experienced soldiers, having most likely learned their skills within Jetbike squadrons or along other, similar paths, who intuitively handle the Falcon's complex and delicate control systems using both their mind and body.
As befits its versatile battlefield role, a Falcon's armament is also very deceptive. Alongside its standard high-energy firing Pulsar, a Falcon can be equipped for just about any role: be it anti-infantry with Scatter Lasers and Shuriken Cannons, or dealing with light armor with Starcannons, or in an anti-tank role with a Bright Lance or Missile Launcher.
Fire Prism:
Bio - The Fire Prism is an Advent gravity tank based on the design of the Falcon. Its primary role is that of a dedicated tank-hunter. Despite its aesthetic qualities, the Fire Prism sacrifices none of the killing power associated with heavy armor. It replaces the Falcon's troop-carrying capacity and turret weapons with a massive crystal array, known to Imperial forces as a Prism Cannon. This weapon has twice the range of the Pulse Laser or Scatter Laser, allowing it to hit targets just visible on the horizon, and is powerful enough to punch through the thickest armor or even combine with other Prism Cannons for increased destructive potential. The Fire Prism's distinctive weapon is the bane of the heavy battle tanks of many other races in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Armament - The Fire Prism's extremely unusual armament uses a two-stage firing process. A medium-magnitude laser is discharged into a massive crystal prism that greatly amplifies the potency of the shot in a fraction of a second. This energy can be discharged in a focused beam capable of blasting through a tank and out the other side, or dispersed to slay entire squads of enemy infantry. Most unusual of all, sophisticated tracking arrays allow this technological wonder to narrow the field of its prism cannon into a thin lance of light, forming one all-powerful laser beam that can fell any tank with a single shot.
War Walker:
Bio - Standing three meters tall, the War Walker is the smallest and lightest of the Advent's many different types of combat walkers. It is controlled by a single pilot who merges with its Wraith bone core. This Advent enters a meditative state to become one with his machine. Piloting a War Walker is often an advent warrior's first step to eventually becoming the steersman of an Advent Thor. The pilot is assisted by a variety of advanced support and failsafe systems, including the use of a pure Khaydarin crystal to focus pilot's psionic powers, while an advanced gyroscopic-stabilization system and the War Walker's articulated legs allow the walker to traverse even the roughest of terrain.
Armament - The War Walker mounts a pair of Advent heavy weapons, which can include a Bright lance, Scatter Laser, a Shuriken Cannon, a Star cannon or a Missile Launcher, giving the walker the versatility it requires to fulfill multiple tactical roles. In order to preserve its mobility and maneuverability, the War Walker lacks much in the way of armor, though the pilot is protected by a shimmering Holo-field. This Holo-field distorts the War Walker's outline and location, providing the pilot with an equivalent level of protection as to be found in a fully up-armored vehicle of the same size and configuration.
Thor:
Bio - Heavy composite Necrodermis armor and heavy shields protects the thor. Necrodermis a material of that possesses the extraordinary ability to regenerate almost all damage instantaneously, "flowing" back together as if it were a liquid while closing bullet holes, mending gashes and tears, or even reattaching severed pieces with little delay. The material is also adaptive in some unknown fashion and can learn to repair itself given enough time from nearly any form of damage, even a blast powerful enough to reduce it to its constituent molecules or atoms. Designed to defeat high-explosive armor piercing rounds, as well as disrupt the searing beams of energy-based weapons, the thor's plating offers unparalleled protection to the pilot and the mechs internal systems. Its innermost layer has a heat-resistant kinetic mesh that prevents damage from shrapnel, slugs, or even sheared armor fragments. ATVX has also developed an "immortality protocol," allowing a thor to repair itself in the field as long as its hull remains intact.
The thor's cockpit is pressurized and protected by a military-grade steelglass canopy, as well as thick layers of composite neosteel-ceramic armor. At its center lies the pilot´s seat, which helps prevent operator injuries through powerful inertial dampeners and a foam-padded six-point harness. Multiple gauges and screens monitor the mechs systems, and the main holographic display projects computer-generated imagery of the terrain. Were this screen to fail, the steelglass canopy has a fully integrated heads-up-display, a navigation screen, and an advanced targeting system helped by a Personal AI.
Armament - The thor is equipped with different types of heavy weapons. It is armed with two "Thor's Hammer" particle cannons (two are fired from each arm). Particle cannons project a beam of energy similar to a Sentinel beam to disintegrate any target in range. It also got a synthetic muscle-like locomotive system which allow its impossibly-graceful movement during battlefields. it have Close Combat Weapon which allows its prodigious strength and size to smash and tear apart the enemy, close combat weapons include the Powerfist, Laser Burner and Chainfist.
For aerial opponents, the thor is equipped with Javelin missile launchers. These are located on both sides of the steelglass canopy, and fire four small, IFF fragmentation warheads that can rip through multiple, lightly armored aerial targets on a single salvo. Due to the missiles' small size, the thor can carry a large payload, ensuring it will be fully prepared to deal with groups of flying bogeys even in drawn-out engagements. The thor has been outfitted with 330mm barrage cannons upgrades.
The most devastating weapon, it have is The Hellstorm Cannon which is a huge, five-barreled, directed-energy weapon that can completely decimate an entire city (perhaps even more) in just one cataclysmic salvo mounted on its shoulder.
Raven:
Bio - The Raven is controlled remotely by an advent pilot while the craft's computer houses the main AI core that regulates all critical ship systems and sub-systems. The AI closely monitors variables like overall condition, temperature, energy levels, and external hazards. It processes billions of instructions per second, affording the Raven an ample degree of independent thought and decision making.
Functionally, the Raven is a robust all-around air-mobile vehicle and workhorse that combines the functions of a surveillance drone and a combat engineer. Layers of neosteel and synthetic weave make up the bulk of the Raven's fuselage, with sturdy, space-grade fabric between each layer to provide insulation for internal components. The Raven is built to operate independently in harsh climates—the stabilizer fins and key points of the structure are equipped with microscopic weeping holes, which allow for the release of a multipurpose solution to break down ice buildups or cool the fuselage, depending on the environment the vessel is operating in.
Armament - Ravens excel in protection and reconnaissance due to their defensive auto-turrets and their advanced sensors, which can detect cloaked or burrowed enemies. The craft is equipped with an advanced manufacturing plant, where hundreds of thousands of AI-operated nanomachines diligently assemble a diversity of mission critical equipment, such as the auto-turret, point defense drone, and the seeker missile. These onboard production capabilities give the Raven greater operative flexibility than its science vessel predecessor. Its sensors consist of state-of-the-art surveillance and reconnaissance hardware. Two radars, operating at high/low frequencies respectively, and four high-resolution, multi-spectral cameras allow for target acquisition and tracking at long ranges. When the vessel's low frequency radar detects anomalies, heuristic detection algorithms supported by thermal and electrical imaging sweep the area to find any cloaked threats.
Phoenix:
Bio - The Phoenix is an advent ground attack fighter. While it shares many features in common with its smaller cousin, the Nightwing, the Phoenix sacrifices a measure of speed and maneuverability in order to carry a large weapons payload for ground attack missions. The two work in tandem, Nightwings clearing the skies of enemy aircraft and escorting Phoenixes as they rain destruction upon ground forces. However despite its loss in performance the Phoenix is still an outstanding aircraft, capable of tangling with any fighter aircraft and still coming out on top.
Unlike the Nightwing the Phoenix has a crew of two, a pilot and co-pilot, each with their own cockpit. The co-pilot serves as a weapons officer, operating the Phoenix's armaments whilst the pilot flys the aircraft. Control of the Phoenix is assisted by the fact that, like all advent aircraft, it is constructed of advanced psycho-plastics, psychically attuned to the crew and allowing for improved response times and pilot efficiency.
The Phoenix lacks the same straight-line speed and maneuverability as the Nightwing, in part because it does not use the same variable-sweep wings, and has been recorded achieving a max speed of only 3,100 kph by protoss forces. However it still makes use of the same advanced anti-gravitic technology, and so is more than capable of outperforming most other aircraft in both speed and agility.
Armament - The Phoenix is a heavily-armed aircraft. A pair of twin-linked Shuriken Cannons mounted in the craft's nose are primarily for engaging other aircraft or infantry units, while below the fuselage is a single centerline-mounted Pulse Laser for pinpoint accuracy against hardened ground targets. The Phoenix's main ground attack weapons, twin Phoenix Missile Launchers, can also be mounted in the fuselage or in wing mounts. They typically carry plasma missiles for saturation bombardment of a target, destroying it in a hail of plasma explosions, but may also mount Krak Missiles.
As with other advent vehicles, the Phoenix focuses on speed and agility rather than heavy armor for protection and benefits from an advanced Holo-field to disrupt enemy targeting capabilities. Psycho-plastic reinforcements along the craft's fuselage further help to strengthen and give extra resilience.
Nightwing:
Bio - Bio - The Nightwing is the primary fighter craft of the Advent, combining a speed and maneuverability that no other aircraft can match, along with considerable firepower and sophisticated energy field protection. An exceptional fighter-interceptor, Nightwings are expected to go into combat outnumbered by the enemy and still establish air superiority, performing maneuvers which would send lesser craft in an uncontrollable plummet and achieve speeds which would tear them apart.
Armament - Armament - The Nightwing's weaponry is geared towards engaging and destroying enemy aircraft. Twin-linked long-barreled Shuriken Cannons mounted in the nose of the craft, along with twin Bright Lances ventrally mounted beneath the fuselage, give it excellent firepower. The Bright Lances also give the Nightwing respectable anti-tank firepower should the opportunity present itself.
Simply put the Nightwing is capable of aerobatic feats which would be physically impossible in lesser craft thanks to the Advent's mastery of anti-gravity technology, such as a gravity-dampened cockpit to protect the pilot. Its multi-geometric wings can shift in flight to improve the craft's performance: Nightwings have been recorded at speeds of 3,600kph by protoss forces with wings fully swept back, and though only capable of 2,300kph when fully extended, this allows the craft to perform high speed, high-g turns and easily outmaneuver the enemy in a dogfight. Nightwing pilots will master this ability to switch between the two settings, suddenly breaking to throw off a pursuit and gain an edge during dogfighting. This performance is further enhanced by the fact that Nightwings, like all Advent aircraft, are constructed of advanced psycho-plastics, which are attuned to the pilot's psychic abilities, improving response time.
Voidraven Bomber:
Bio - Though considered by the Advents to be the ultimate in heavy weapon deployment, the Voidraven Bomber is an extremely agile aircraft capable of outmaneuvering any aircraft with ease. In addition, Voidravens are equipped with sonic dampening systems, making them virtually silent to unsuspecting victims below. Equipped with a void lance and missiles, the Voidraven is well suited for ground attack missions. However, this is not its most feared weapon. Each Voidraven carries a single Void Mine which introduces darklight into real space in a catastrophic implosion that leaves nothing but an enormous hemispherical crater in its wake. It is for this reason that Voidravens are one of the most feared weapons deployed by the Advent.
Armament - The Voidraven can be equipped with one of several known types of weaponry:
Monoscythe missiles - designed to release a wave of energy at head-height upon impact, decapitating nearby foes.
Necrotoxin missiles - Filled with deadly neuropoisons, it fires shards of toxic shrapnel when it detonates, killing and pinning the enemy.
Stormstrike Missile - is a missile that detonates with such a thunderous boom that it leaves those caught in the blast radius reeling and disoriented. Stormstrike Missiles have an extremely long range, and are effective against light to medium-armored vehicles, as well as heavily-armored infantry targets.
Seeker Missile - is a weapon system that consists of a single high strength missile which strikes a target that has been designated using a Marker Light. A collection of diodes built into the missile's warhead that is sensitive to the energy beams emitted by a Marker Light. The Marker Light releases a unique pulse signal that a Seeker Missile's targeting array picks up. The Marker Light also provides the missile's central control system the specific pulse pattern being used by the Marker Light via a high intensity flash download. The missile's targeting array processes the information received before feeding the data into its inertial guidance system. Once this is complete, its engines ignite and the missile launches.
Once in the air, the missile's guidance system focuses only on the Marker Light with the correct signal, ignoring all other pulse patterns. Guidance systems steer the missile by adjusting the flight fins mounted on the sides so that the Markerlight continually paints the warhead's diode array. This ensures that the missile is always heading straight for the target. When this constant targeting information is combined with the exceptionally high speed of the missile's processing and guidance systems, a Seeker Missile will prove extremely accurate over even long distances.
Vampire Raider:
Bio - The Vampire Raider is the largest Advent aircraft and an orbital-capable dropship. Vampire Raider is used to ferry assault forces onto a planet, descending from orbit at many times the speed of sound to quickly drop off its cargo before ascending back into space just as quickly. Many variants of the Vampire Raider exist, the most common one being the Vampire Hunter. The Vampire Raider is unusually fast, agile and well-armed for a craft of its size, a testament to the advanced technology of the Advent race, which is more than capable of seeing off enemy aircraft even without Nightwing escorts.
Armament - A highly configurable vehicle, in its primary form the Raider includes a nose-mounted Scatter Laser and twin-linked Pulse Lasers on under-wing hard points, a Titan-grade Holo-field for protection and the capability to carry up to thirty troops, in a passenger compartment accessible through a rear ramp. The Pulse Lasers can be replaced with twin-linked Phoenix Missile Launchers or a Pulsar in a centerline fuselage mount, turning the Raider into a heavy ground attack bomber, although this reduces its transport capacity by ten. Other variants turn it into a heavy transport with gravitic hooks allowing it to carry a Falcon into battle.