Mass effect first contact war: war of tragedy, war of sorrow Codex

by DeafeningEcho

A single spark can ignite a flame that will consume the lives of many. From a battle over a lonely relay, to a treaty signed on a space station that has acted as the crypt for a thousand civilizations, this is the first contact war

5. Standard Equipment Designation System

The Alliance uses the Standard Equipment Designation System for its equipment and components.

The system consists of first the producer of the equipment, with them being represented by either their initials or a shorthand for their name. Common producers of Alliance equipment are:

MF: Ming Fleetworks

RTX: RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation)

NSD: Nashan Stellar Dynamics:

AL: Aldrin Labs,

HK: Hahne-Kedar

AA: Adonis Aerospace

HMI: Haribon Military Industries:

CDS: Cherub Defense Solutions

Next, after a hyphen, is the type of equipment it is (life support, rife, engine, ect). This is represented by a set of two to four letters consisting of either the initials or a shorthand for the equipment. Some examples are:

ARD: Alliance Research and Development

AR: Assault Rifle

SA: Side Arm

ILFV: Integrated Life Support Vehicle

ILFS: Integrated Life Support Spacecraft

KBEC: Kinetic Barrier Emitter Capital

KBEP: Kinetic Barrier Emitter Personal

KBEI: Kinetic Barrier Emitter Intermediate (used on Fighters, Shuttles, Vehicles, ect)

FD: Fusion Drive

APD: AntiProton Drive

Following this, after a hyphen, is the design number of the equipment. These are usually a single or number due to the age of the Alliance, but it is different for smaller equipment and vehicles due to the Alliance usually purchasing a number of each competing design (usually designs already made for national militaries) and operating them in active units to test them before ordering, leading to some design numbers being double digit.

Next, the equipment's production year's last two numbers are added after a hyphen. Finally after that the equipment name is added, if it has one independent of its SEDS name.

As an example, the Lancer Assault Rifle was produced by Hahne-Kedar as an Assault Rifle, was the seventh design designated by the Alliance (though only the third to enter mass use), and first started production for the Alliance in 2156. This leaves the Lancer with the designation HK-AR-07-56 Lancer. This designation is usually not used due to the length, with equipment usually called by its name and either its production year or design number prefixed by M to denote its use for military purposes, or N for non military equipment. The difference is largely due to differences in the beliefs of the different units under the Navy, with the Marine Corp and Fleet using the design number, while the Fighter Corp and Exploration Division uses the production year. This leaves the Lancer with the general designation M7 Lancer.