The following is a CODEX Chapter. Neat stuff for lore nerds who want to know more about the world, but not necessary to understand or enjoy the story. If you don't want to read it, feel free to skip.
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Mobile Suit/Mass Effect
Re: UC 0376 - 3
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CODEX - Machines and Mobile Weapons
Congressional Armed Forces Armored Vehicles
M-70-A3 Hussar Main Battle Tank: Because the lion's share of defense spending goes to the Space Force, the Congressional Army has often had to make do with less - be it less advanced, less numerous, or less capable equipment. Nowhere is this more visible with the Army's fleet of ground based machines, the vast majority of which are conventional vehicles who's design language can be traced all the way back to the late Anno Domini era. As the SSC colonizes more and more worlds, the need to secure these new colonies in a cost effective manner breathed new life into the Main Battle Tanks which were long taught to be obsolete since the years of the Federation-Zeon wars of the late 1st Century UC.
The M-70 Hussar was first introduced in UC 0370, as a replacement to the much older Crisis-era M-13 Cataphract. Its most notable feature was the miniaturized ultra-compact Minovsky reactor within the Hussar's hull, meaning it could eschew conventional chemical propellant munitions in favor of more advanced weaponry like beam cannons and railguns. These tanks are often the first to respond on the ground, holding the line and taking the fight to the enemy in the absence of mobile suits in the area of operations.
M-54-A4 Rhino Infantry Fighting Vehicle: As history has shown time and time again, tanks, mobile suits, and other armored vehicles needed the support of infantry to plug up the many, many blindspots that each design inevitably has. The Rhino was simply the latest in a long line of mechanized infantry support platforms which operated alongside the MBTs and Mobile Suits, carrying infantry to and from battle and providing close fire support with its autocannons and guided anti-tank/anti-MS missile launchers.
Specialized variants of the Rhino were eventually designed and deployed, such as a command and control vehicle featuring Minovsky Pollution resistant communication systems, a self propelled anti-air variant with surface to air missiles and a miniaturized Minovsky reactor installed into the passenger compartment powering a beam vulcan turret, as well as a self-propelled gun variant which can be equipped with either a beam or railgun.
M-67-A2 Ferret Armored Scout Vehicle: Rounding out the Congressional Army's fleet of conventional armored vehicles are the Ferrets - light scouting vehicles meant for aggressive force recon and light infantry support. These light vehicles are almost always first to join a fight, though their light armor and lighter armaments mean they're used are limited. More often than not they will act as skirmishers, harassing the enemy lines and keeping them on their toes using a combination of light machineguns and guided missile launchers.
M-76-[G/N/S] Guncarrier Mobile Weapon Platform: Guncarriers are an odd beast of a machine that fills a very particular niche in the Congressional Force's needs. Skirting the line between Mobile Armor and Mobile Suit, the Guncarrier serves as a heavily armed and armored assault transport, meant to ferry specialist troops across no man's land into the heart of enemy territory. While in Mobile Armor mode, the Guncarrier uses then-cutting edge Mass Effect grav-sleds to keep the troop compartment on the machine's 'butt' from contacting the ground. The propulsion system which actually drives the machine varies depending on which variant and service branch the Guncarrier has been assigned to. The ground variant used by the army (Guncarrier [G]) features tracks on the front. The amphibious variant used by the Navy (Guncarrier [N]) has its tracks replaced with wheels for ground operations, while a powerful waterjet pushes the vehicle forward for sea operations. The variant used by the Space Force Marine Corps (Guncarrier [S]) also has wheels for surface operations -just like its wet navy counterpart- but eschews the waterjet for thrusters that help it maneuver in zero-g environments.
Regardless of service branch and variant, the Guncarrier's propulsion limbs can unfold and transform into legs. Combined with the machine's 'turret' unlocking its side weapons appendages effectively turns the Guncarrier into a slow and heavy - though no less dangerous- Mobile Suit.
Turian Army/Special Naval Landing Force Armored Vehicles
Turian Hover Tank HvrBTk-IV 'Equitae': Hover tanks have long been a staple of Turian space age combat. Having replaced bipedal tanks in the opening years of the Trebian Wars, the usage of grav sled driven vehicles have practically become synonymous with the Turian military.
The Equitae is merely the latest iteration of these hover tanks, and its design heavily reflects the changing Turian military doctrine of the time it was introduced. Thick and heavy armor plating of older hover tanks were ditched, making room for powerful kinetic barriers that were just as capable yet sacrificed none of the speed. Powerful maneuvering thrusters more akin to a fighter planes were equipped, giving the Equitae very high speeds for what is supposed to be a main battle tank. Its main gun features an autoloader system, further reducing weight and freeing up more room for the three remaining crew members. Unlike its human counterparts, the Turians prefer to use a smaller high velocity cannon as opposed to a larger bore gun. This was done under the belief that advancing Mass Effect technology meant modern mass driver guns could overmatch the vast majority of armor plates used by enemies of the Turian Empire. Thus, accuracy and rate of fire were prioritized.
Turian Infantry Fighting Hover Vehicle HvrATr-251 'Triarii': To keep up with hover tanks that were only increasing in speed, wheeled and tracked IFVs were eschewed in favor of faster and more nimble hover IFVs. The Triarii featured a small automatic cannon for infantry support and could temporarily extend its own kinetic barrier field to envelop allied troops up to 6 meters away. This allowed Turian forces to deploy their infantry aggressively, as they didn't need to worry about their troopers getting picked off the moment they dismounted.
Turian Self Propelled Hover AA HvrSPAAGn-IV 'Peltast:' Based on the Equitae's hull, the Peltast self propelled anti-air battery replaces its main tank cannon for a GARDIAN Laser turret to provide short ranged air defense against low flying airborne hostiles. An upgrade package allowing the Peltast to tow and operate a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher has also been introduced. However, because to RADAR guided missiles were very ineffective in a Minovsky polluted environment, very few of these SAM trailers were deployed in the 314 Expedition.
Turian Self Propelled Hover Gun HvrSPGn-IV 'Ballista': Also based on the Equitae's hull, the Ballista was first devised as a heavily up-gunned variant of the hovering battle tank, but the project quickly spiraled out of control and languished for years before Primarch Lacinius stepped in and enforced a strict vision for the Ballista. The result was a vehicle that could bring about a powerful naval grade railgun which can be used in both direct and indirect fire modes. Functionally, this means the Ballista can be used as a bunker buster, mobile artillery, and to a lesser extent an anti-ship platform.
Turian Navy Interceptor Fighter Vf-109 'Long Talon': A fast and powerful fighter craft, the Long Talon was built based on the reliable and battle tested Talon fighter. The Long Talon sacrifices its predecessor's agility for superior speed, range, and firepower. Long Talons were compact compared to their predecessors, as their wings and nosecone can be collapsed for better storage within its mothership. While mainly designed to dogfight other fightercraft, recent developments have allowed the Long Talons to carry anti-ship munitions, though the Turian Navy has yet to fully make use of this feature due to a lack of serious research into the usage of small strike craft against ships.
Turian Mobile Suit Ve-262 'Arma Gigas': The first of its kind, the Arma Gigas was initially meant to be a stopgap solution to even the odds against the Humans and their Mobile Suits, but eventually became much larger than originally planned. Production orders kept expanding till the point that the Turian Military Council decided that it would've made more logistical and economic sense to simply keep production lines up. Much of the Arma Gigas' individual components were more or less bought off the shelf, modified slightly and then put together to form a functioning mobile suit. However, as the designers predicted, the mostly modified and hardened industrial grade components couldn't withstand the same levels of stress and rigor as purpose made components meant for combat could.
Mothballed Congressional Space Force Ships
CSF Wilhelm Schnee-Class Destroyer: Serving as the Congressional Space Forces' frontline workhorse over the course of the Secession Crisis, the Schnees were produced in such numbers that the last of its class were still waiting to be decommissioned even as the First Contact War began. The Schnee Class Destroyer boasted impressive armaments for a Space Destroyer of its time, letting it overmatch contemporary Secessionist vessels of the same tonnage and also pose a credible threat against cruisers. The last few Schnees in service (and the select few reactivated during the First Contact War) were eventually retrofitted with a Minovsky/Mass Effect drive, circumventing the need for large and expensive boosters to push it out of atmosphere.
Specifications:
Length: 255m
Hangar Capacity: 6x slots (3 standard operating capacity, 3 emergency slots), 3x Heavy Transport Capacity
MS Catapult: 1x Internal Bow Catapult
Main Armaments: 6x Hyperbeam Cannon Turrets
Secondary Armaments: 76x VLS Missile Tubes, 2x 6 Tube Torpedo Turrets
Anti-Air: Beam Flak Battery, Beam Vulcan Array
Propulsion: Nuclear Pulse Engines
Drive System: 3rd Generation CSF Mass Effect Drive (standard), Minovsky/Mass Effect Drive (retrofit)
Powerplant: 2x Minovsky Hypermatter Reactors
The Schnee was named after a renowned industrialist, who helped revolutionize Element Zero mining all around the Solar Sphere.
CSF Gambol-Class Cruiser: Unlike their more modern counterparts and their smaller screening ships, Gambol Class Cruisers were produced in smaller numbers relative to the succeeding Chariots. Gambols were expensive to produce and operate due to its rushed design phase, meaning the CSF Admiralty were only too happy to transition to newer, better designed models which could do all the same jobs at a much reduced cost.
Specifications:
Length: 474m
Hangar Capacity: 9x MS slots (6 standard operating capacity, 3 emergency slots), 6x Heavy Transport Capacity
MS Catapults: 2x Stern Mounted Unfolding Catapults
Main Armaments: 6x Twin Hyperbeam Cannon Turrets
Secondary Armaments: 130x VLS Missile Tubes
Defense Systems: Beam Flak Battery, Beam Vulcan Array
Propulsion: Nuclear Pulse Engines
Drive System: 3rd Generation CSF Mass Effect Drive
Powerplant: 4x Minovsky Hypermatter Powerplant
The Gambol Class Cruiser was named after a colony station of the same name, the first to be built in the New Cyrene system.
CSF Dragon-Class Battleship: The apex predator of its time, the Dragon was for many years considered the most dangerous warship to ever sail the stars. Designers working on the battleship made the then radical decision to make the Dragon's primary armament be Hyper Mega Particle Cannons, mounted on rotating armored turrets placed along the ship's centerline.
Specifications:
Length: 722m
Hangar Capacity: 36x MS slots (30 standard operating capacity, 6 emergency slots), 16x Heavy Transport Capacity
MS Catapults: 2x Side-unfolding Hull Mounted Catapults, 4x Deck Mounted Over/Under Catapult
Main Armaments: 4x Hyper Mega Particle Cannon Turrets
Secondary Armaments: 10x Twin Hyperbeam Cannon Turrets, 200x VLS Missile Tubes
Defense Systems: Beam Flak Battery, Beam Vulcan Array
Propulsion: Nuclear Pulse Engines
Drive System: 3rd Generation CSF Mass Effect Drive (Default), Minovsky/Mass Effect Hybrid Drive (Retrofit)
Powerplant: 8x Minovsky Hypermatter Powerplant
The Dragon Class Battleship was named after a mythical creature from old Earth legends. The cultural attitude towards dragons varied from culture to culture, with many fearing it while other revere. However, it is generally agreed that dragons were creatures of spectacular power.
Notable Vessels: CSS Amber Celica (Shanxi Outer Sphere Fleet)
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CODEX - Factions and Subfactions
Minor Faction: The Krogan Federation (formerly)
First heroes, then villains, the Krogan people -then united under the flag of the Federation of Krogan Clans- once stood as the mightiest galactic power of all, eclipsing both the Salarians and Asari at the peak of their strength. Uplifted by the Salarians a century into the Rachni Wars, the numerous and hardy Krogans were enlisted as shocktroops against the seemingly endless hordes of the Rachni. During the midst of all this, the strongest Krogan clans that survived their nuclear war were organized by the Asari and Salarians into a united Federation from which they could organize their war and reconstruction. For a time, it appeared as though the uplift was a success. The clans, united under the banner of the Warmaster, slowly but surely turned the tide against the unstoppable Rachni. Between the successful war effort and ongoing restoration of Tuchanka's biosphere, things were looking very bright for the Krogans.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst. Unshackled by the hostility of their irradiated homeworld, the Krogan population exploded in numbers. Where only a handful of newborns from a single clutch were expected to survive, thanks to Citadel provided medical technology a single Krogan reproductive cycle could spawn more than a dozen each time. In combination with the Krogan's rapid maturity rate, this turned the spreading Krogan people into a ticking time bomb. More and more planets were colonized by the Federation, before eventually they came into conflict with the colonization efforts of the other races. The Krogan Wars would erupt only 66 years after the end of the Rachni War, leading to the rise of the Turian Empire as a galactic polity, the dissolution of the Krogan Federation, and the desolation of the Krogan race due to the effects of the Genophage.
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Archive Entry
"Councilor Jonu Sidarte and The Genophage"
Hero of the Citadel and scourge of the Krogans, Salarian Council Jonu Sidarte was a divisive and controversial figure in Galactic politics who's notoriety has yet to fade even a century after he stepped down and decades after his death. Coming from a military background, Sidarte started off as a gunship pilot in the Salarian Army. Joining midway through the Krogan Wars, he served with distinction and rapidly rose through the ranks, proving himself to be a talented soldier with a knack for leadership. Sidarte became the youngest Salarian to ever reach the rank of General, which was unfortunately cut short after a botched deployment in the Second Battle of Senoquol rendered him unfit for frontline duty. He would be diverted to Military Intelligence shortly after recovering, which had changed the trajectory of his career. Sidarte once again became a record setter when after a Krogan raid on the Citadel, the Salarian Councilor was forced to step down by the Council of Dalatrasses, who then installed Sidarte as an interim replacement... an appointment that unofficially turned permanent very quickly when none of the different Salarian clans could agree who the actual replacement should be. Being that his appointing was rushed and only meant as a stopgap, this meant that Sidarte owed no allegiances to sponsoring clans and Dalatrasses... functionally letting him make decisions as he saw fit.
For his first major decision as Councilor, Sidarte approved the development -and later deployment- of the Genophage. This was a controversial decision even at the time, for the moral quandary of essentially neutering of an entire species was seen as too far by many among Asari and Salarian leadership. The motion was only approved by a hair's breadth, thanks to the support of the Turian Primarch at the time. Krogan occupied worlds, later Krogan colonies outright, were virus bombed from orbit, which would be followed shortly by a proper military invasion meant to force the Krogans to withdraw from the planet. The frequency and thoroughness of the Genophage virus bombing eventually made C-Sec command decide that Tuchanka itself needn't be virus bombed. Krogan forces and refugees fleeing towards Tuchanka were all already infected, and seeing as they significantly outnumbered the Krogans who still lived in the homeworld, Councilor Sidarte and Matriarch Dillinaga The Younger believed that the Genophage would naturally infect the remaining Krogans in a matter of a few short decades. Cruelly, Sidarte also believed leaving a sizeable population uninfected would cause major rift to form among the Krogans, who he believed would fight among themselves for the remaining fertile females. The prediction turned out to be entirely correct as following the Treaty of Fairixen, the Krogan Clans - now isolated to their irradiated homeworld- turned against each other to ensure their own survival.
Things were relatively quiet for Sidarte after that, as he mostly went through the motions of being a Councilor. Still, the Council of Dalatrasses couldn't come to an agreement on which of their factions the next Councilor should come from. The last few years of Sidarte's time as Councilor was spent drafting and later pushing through legislation that heavily regulated and restricted genetic modification. Sidarte's reasoning was that unless properly monitored and restricted, someone might eventually be able to engineer a cure for the Genophage, and this let the legislation pass. But as time went on, more and more restrictive regulations were put in place, eventually even banning life extension therapy that many wealthy Salarians underwent. This last bit of legislation was what eventually had him recalled from office. Many considered his banning of life extension therapy as hypocrisy of the highest order, as he had underwent the therapy himself not a few years before drafting the ban.
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A/N:
Edit 11 Oct 2024: Revised some of the specs on the CSF warships since I've been trying to sketch them and I realized some of the numbers are a bit... impractical.
THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3