The Factbook of the Phanes Republic (FT)

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Index;

Section 1; Timeline Of The Phanes Republic
Section 2; Cultural And Societal Overview
Section 3; Military Of The Phanes Republic
Section 4; Equipment and Vehicles of the Stratia
Section 5; Vessels of the Nautikon
Section 6; Technology of the Phanes Republic
Section 7; Terminology Guide of the Phanes Republic
Section 8; People and Organisations of Note

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Timeline:

0 AE - Colony Ship Gaia arrives in what the onboard computer system names only as A12-7ED. This 'Arrival Event' marks the beginning of modern Sagittar's dating system, with every year afterwards given a number to designate it.

1 AE - The first colony is formally established on the surface of what is now Sagittar. Within weeks, thousands inhabit the city of Gythiea. A system of government by which everyone over the age of twenty-one receives the right to vote is established, with each settlement running itself independent of others.

6 AE - A single speck of light in the night-time sky is the sole indicator for the inhabitants of Sagittar that the Colony Ship Yǔshān has arrived in orbit of what is soon named as Cao-Xhan.

37 AE - The City of Sicyon, named after the family of the the chief founder, begins to manufacture crude projectile weapons and light armoured vehicles. Within a year, Sicyon has conquered two other towns, and a number of smaller villages. The other great city-states of Sagittar are fearful of this, and send a deputation to ask the Sicyon family why they make war. Achileus Sicyon declares that the weak and the powerless deserve only to be led, and has the deputation thrown from the new walls of his palace in the heart of the city in what is forever known as the Achilean Betrayal.

38 AE - The city of Galatea, the populace infuriated by the death of the deputation at the hands of the nascent warlord's men, begin their own manufacturing, consulting salvaged information-charts that contain any reference to war from their colony ship's origination point. Inspired by one reference, Jason Constanzakis soon has his own small army of powered ornithopters. Leading a conventional force into battle against a numerically superior Sicyon army, he devastates them as the flying machines appear overhead, dropping cobbled-together bombs made from Corinthian fertiliser on the enemy.

40 AE - Constanzakis leads his army to the gates of Sicyon, having spent nearly two years reclaiming the land conquered by the invaders. Within a month, after countless hundreds of deaths, the walls are breached and the Constanzakite coalition floods in. By the day's end, the walls of Achileus Sicyon's palace are torn apart, and Jason is credited with killing the tyrant in a fierce gunbattle as he leads the charge into the command tower. Flushed with victory, the invaders pay no heed as Achileus, wounded mortally rather than dead, uses his last few breaths of life to shoot Jason in the back.

63 AE - The first primitive space rocket is launched from a facility owned by the founding city, Gytheia. Within a decade, a burgeoning space programme is underway, with the participation of Galatea, Corinth, and Sicyon. Contact is also made with the inhabitants of Cao-Xhan.

86 AE - Just twenty-three years after the contact with the inhabitants of Cao-Xhan, the first economic expansion is made as the merchants of Gytheia sign a deal to export foodstuffs to the hydroponic-reliant Xhanese.

118 AE - The Gytheian merchants supplying the majority of Xhanese domecities are found to be involved in sabotage of native food-production efforts in an attempt to maintain a captive market.

143 AE - The Sagittarian freighter Olympian is destroyed in orbit, labelled an 'industrial accident'. Anti-Sagittarian groups are suspected to be the cause of it however, and the mercantile community unanimously imposes a five-percent tariff on Xhanese heavy metals and rare-earth's as a result. This causes a two year dip in the Xhanese economy, fostering further dislike of the Sagittarians who are seen as imposing themselves upon Cao-Xhan.

159 AE - Tensions that had been escalating between Sagittar and Cao-Xhan for the past decade over trade tariffs and customs barriers finally erupt into open warfare. Later known as ‘The Trade War’, it starts with a massed attack on Cao-Xhan’s moon, Guangdo by the converted freighters that serve as the muscle of the nascent Sagittarian fleet. A Xhanese counter-attack forces the Sagittar naval forces to withdraw, leaving a beleaguered ground-force behind.

161 AE - The Sagittarian forces holding Guangdo finally surrender to the Xhanese after holding in a siege for nearly two years. This single event comes close to shattering the morale of the remaining Sagittarian forces.

172 AE - After managing to hold off periodic probes and counter-attacks from the Xhanese, the first Titans are laid down, as the first part of a formal navy to replace the ad-hoc armed merchantmen of the early years of the war. In conjunction with the full formation of a planet-wide fleet, the Stratia has reformed itself into what is to become known as the New Model Army.

174 AE - In what is known as the Second Battle of Guangdo, the new Titan warships destroy the orbitals over the moon. However, the Xhanese unveil their own new fleet consisting of Yang-class warships constructed out in the asteroid belt closer to the sun than Cao-Xhan itself, and planet-based Jaoi Di bombers. The result is a strategic stalemate, with the Nautikon unavailable to contest their foe's superior numbers.

182 AE - After the defeat of the newly-created Nautikon in 174 AE, construction of the final Titan-class warships is finished. Guangdo is invaded again as the Sagittarian units of the New Model Army make planetfall. Large settlements are traded with to secure their support, but the myriad smaller villages and hamlets supporting planetary militia units fighting a guerilla campaign are ruthlessly destroyed. The infamous Peltast squadron 'Sicyon's Spears' are accused of destroying four villages in a single night, culminating in a death toll of three-thousand and sixty-eight people. Two Yang-class warships, the Ao Qin and the Zhulong, are captured while in dock.

189/90 AE - Using their base on Guangdo as a staging ground, all fifteen Titans are deployed against the remaining seven operational Xhanese missile-ships. Within a day, the eight Titans left undamaged call upon the Xhanese to surrender, and conduct desultory orbital fire on unpopulated areas as a morale offensive. One ship, the Hyperion, is crippled by the blast of nuclear mines preplaced in orbit.

190/192 AE - The years following the assault on Cao-Xhan are filled with the build-up of an invasion force, and the rebuilding of the damaged Nautikon vessels. By 192 AE, the Stratia conducts an invasion on the western plateau, occupying three settlements within a month. This marks the start of a bitter and bloody ground campaign.

199 AE - The Trade War ends with the surrender of the Xhanese Planetary Council as they lose their final stronghold. Cao-Xhan is adopted as a theoretically equal member of the new Phanes Republic, a system-wide government largely headed by Sagittarian interests. Guangdo is formally removed as a protectorate of the Xhanese, and made the third member-world of the Republic. The system then becomes known as the Sagittarius System, as a memorial to the victory of Sagittar.

201 AE - Contact is made with outside races, culminating in the joining of the Republic with the multi-nation Joint Systems Alliance. Various multilateral events happen, including participation in a colonisation programme sponsored by another JSA state.

203 AE - Membership in the Joint Systems Alliance ends when it is overthrown by within by the Vipran Imperium. Hoping to avoid notice by the vast regime, the people of Phanes withdraw within their own borders, ending all travel both out-and-inbound.

213 AE - The Republic's hidden borders are stumbled upon by a Maekari scout vessel. Negotiations are conducted between the two races. The Republic annexes the system of Liu Xiu soon after, and declare it a free port.

214 AE - The Republic begins to intensify a buildup of military forces. Part of this is an experimental surveillance ship which is lost on Espina, a world of the Hierarchy. True contact is also made with the Huerdaen Star Empire thanks to a meeting with their deposed royal family.

215 AE - The Republic suddenly disposes of its rights of ownership of the Liu Xiu Freeport and transfers them to the polity known as the Imperial Star Republic. Both politicians and citizens alike are noticeably tight-lipped on why this might be, either through dismissing the topic or ignorance.

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

The Republic

The Republic is, in galactic terms, a young nation. Barely two-hundred years have passed since the first inhabitants of Sagittar landed on their new homeworld. Within that time, the fractious populations that split the system between themselves have fought brutal wars with each other and with those of their own worlds. Despite all this, or perhaps because of it, the majority of the two cultures prevalent are at peace with each other in the modern era. Just a few short years after unification, the Sagittarians and Xhanese found themselves newly minted members of the Joint Systems Alliance, a body which ended a few short years later. After spending a decade in cautious hiding from the ferocious Vipran Imperium, the Sagittarians have, after inadvertent contact with the Maekari, revealed themselves again.

Government of the Republic

The government of the Republic itself is comprised of a single body. This is the Archontes, composed of nine Archons. Four of these are selected from the great ruling families of Sagittar, but pressure is increasing to have at least one of these selected from the world of Cao-Xhan. Two members are recruited from the merchant class of Sagittar, with holders typically being the most influential members, with the ability to effectively control parts of the Sagittarian economy. Two more Archons are chosen from the collected ranks of Sagittar’s presbyteros, one being the highest ranking male while the other is the highest ranking female.

The last, and most influential place in times of uncertainty, is the role of Strategos Autokrator. This individual is elected by the collected body of the Strategos, and is for all intents and purposes the head of the collected forces of the Republic. Whether or not this process is the most useful is highly debated, as some argue that the elected Strategos is often the one with the most politicking in their background rather than military expertise. It was tradition in the early years of Sagittar that the most influential of the noble Archons is named Eponymos archon, with the period they serve for known after their family name. For this reason, there are at least two periods in Sagittarian history listed as First Sicyon, and Second Sicyon Archontes. As of late, this particular tradition has been steadily falling out of popularity.

Individual cities and settlements however are largely left to their own devices. Both Sagittarians and Xhanese alike see the government's role as to deal with affairs on a planetary scale, and otherwise remain out of their own business.

Worlds of the Republic

Sagittar;
The homeworld of the Sagittarian people, and the fertile second planet of the Phanes System. Large cities dominate the landscape, each one forming an electoral district for the myriad smaller settlements and farms that abound. Sagittar is a mostly-temperate planet, and large tracts of the land that are not owned by private interests are designated by the planetary government as wilderness, forbidding development on them. The Sagittarian people are fiercely protective of their rights, with every man and woman over the age of twenty permitted to vote in local elections, and hence for the bi-annual planetary election. Society on Sagittar is in theory classless, though in fact the population is segregated by socio-economic status. The largest section are the free men, an old title from pre-colonisation times, which consists of workers, farmers, and professionals. The other sections are the priesthood, the noble families who originally ruled the largest cities, the newly-risen merchant nobles and the hereditary military families. Though technically not a class of their own, the fellows of the Order of Alopece, a group of distinguished intellectuals who are highly respected within public life are given an enormous amount of regard for their work. As a people, the cultural focus of the Sagittarians is on the individual and what they see as the symbiotic relationship between the individual and the state.

Cao-Xhan;
Cao-Xhan is the second oldest inhabited world, and the closest to the golden star in the Phanes System, and it is a source of constant wonder to those who visit it that life can sustained on the surface of this bedevilled world. Cao-Xhan is riven with volcanism, the great tectonic plates shifting constantly, throwing up great mountain ranges one year and tearing them apart the next. Over half the planet is estimated to have great underground lakes of magma beneath it. As the plates shift, these magma lakes shift too. The native warrenbeasts, vicious pack-hunting reptilians, often migrate through their underground habitats to follow the heat of the magma, posing a threat to the Xhanese settlements desperately trying to gain enough power to keep the heatshields working that protect the inhabitants from the rigours of the ash-laden winds and the continuous output of carbon dioxide which would quickly kill all those exposed to it.

Great tracked leviathans known as 'firefinders' roam the slopes and valleys hunting for the magma lakes to tap as a power source for the fixed settlements. Dozens of these settlements dot the land, each one owned by the oldest clan present, with the other clans being offshoots. New settlements are created often, as over-population in existing locations and the creation of new marriages spurs more development. Founded on principles of pragmatic meritocracy, the clans that control each settlement are constantly in turmoil as new up-and-coming citizens prove themselves better in capability than the old rulers and take over, an approach that seems incomprehensible to the Sagittarians.

Guangdo;
The sole moon in orbit of Cao-Xhan, Guangdo is a desolate wasteland. Like Cao-Xhan, the air can only be breathed with the assistance of respiratory equipment, limiting settlements to the same enclosed village pattern as Cao-Xhan with the exception of a burgeoning tunnel network. An extensive mining operation dominates the surface of the planet, with a heavy industry in uranium mining, as well as numerous other vital metals. The moon is the site of the famous Guangdo Stand, where Sagittarian forces attempted to force the surrender of the Xhanese in the opening moments of the Trade War.

Taurus;
After the boost given to public confidence when Endicott was 'acquired' in 201 AE, a meeting of the Archontes was held to address the matter of public opinion. The years after the Trade War had not seen much in the way of Sagittarian and Xhanese national feeling coalescing. This, along with concerns over the relatively limited spread of the Polyarchy compared to its fellow JSA members led to the decision to instigate an extensive resettlement programme that would take volunteers from both Cao-Xhan and Sagittar to form an ethnically integrated population.

The project was finally begun in 202 AE, with an initial commitment of half a million colonists, with the population growing to nearly six and a quarter hundred thousand people. Aside from being the nearest system to the encounter of the A-41 with the alien species known as the Maekari, Taurus is most well known for the Taurus Incident of 203 AE. The Incident is the collective term for a series of bombings and attacks conducted across multiple settlements of Taurus. Hospitals, Gendarmerie stations and firewatch buildings were all attacked, and at least one space station was crippled for several months, with the death toll eventually reckoned at around seven-hundred dead or wounded.

Endicott Station;
Endicott Station was the first real step made into the galactic world. The system was the site of a trade route running close to the Sagittar System, operated by the Phenians, but one that stayed resolutely away from Republic territory. With an eye to the potential profits that could be made from it, the decision was made to order a decisive 'pirate raid' on the system while a Phenian convoy stopped through. Following an official JSA inquiry, and decision of innocence, the Republic was deemed non-responsible, and a wait of mere months saw the system taken under its control. Now the Endicott System hosts a nascent asteroid mining operation, as well as free-floating trade posts and AG-stops where travellers can rest for a few nights in the comfort of artificial gravity.

In addition to all this, the system hosts Endicott Station, a staging post for the Nautikon's Fourth Lochos, as well as providing a deep-space engagement training zone. In addition to this are repair and resupply yards, open to the public for a fee, as well as government research installations for programmes where discretion is of the utmost importance. It is speculated that from late 214AE, the Station will also see the opening of the first extra-Phanes shipyards.

Religion of the Republic

Religion in the Republic is held to be a matter of personal responsibility, with the anthropos being free to worship as they please. For the most part, the two component cultures of the Republic follow different beliefs, though over time it is expected that they may come to blend. The Sagittarians follow a religion worshipping a group of deities known as the Twelve, patterned after the ancient gods their ancestors worshipped pre-colonisation. The Xhanese on the other hand follow a loose belief in the worship of ancestors, who like their Sagittarian counterparts have the colloquial name of 'The Venerated Dead'.

While legally religion does not have any standing, in practice it is highly influential as two of the Archons of the Republic are chosen from the two most senior priests and priestess of Sagittar, with at least one of these traditionally being the head of the temple of Zeus. The Twelve are often invoked by Sagittarian anthropos in their daily lives, for example, a craftsman attempting to work a fine piece of jewellery may chant a prayer to Athena or Hephaestus as he works. One euphemism common even among those who are not especially devout is 'walking the Fields', a common term for those hovering on the boundary of life and death, referring to the belief that those of the dead who go to Elysium rest on the green fields, never to toil again. Those thus 'walking' the fields are instead not so far gone as to lie down, or succumb to the embrace of death.

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

General Background of the Military

Since its foundation, the military of the Phanes Republic has always been a volunteer force, something influenced by the preceding military forces of the separate planetary members. Upon the eighteenth birth year of a citizen, without regard to gender they may enlist in the Army or Navy. Unlike most other nations, the Republic's military is not the foundation of the state's power, and in its short time has seen no serious conflict apart from the bloody conflict of the Trade War. Because of this, the Republic places great emphasis on modularity, efficient battlefield support, and logistics. Ever since the conclusion of the Trade War, the massive casualties incurred have echoed throughout the mind of the population, whose political pressure has since forced the ruling bodies to throw millions of credits at medical care and aid, meaning that any soldier of the Republic can expect the very best post-injury assistance known. Forces are organised in low-level units, which as the situation demands are combined with other equally-ranked forces in order to form an appropriate response.

The Republic prides itself on using the appropriate response to combat situations, something ingrained in the general culture thanks to the mercantile legacy of both founding worlds. Under this, an enemy is always met with an equal amount of force, something which also helps ensure that conflicts do not grow out of proportion. For example, should a single pirate vessel attack a trade route, a single ship would be despatched in turn. Should a group of such vessels be seen, then the next step would be for the Nautikon to despatch an enomotiai or a pentekostyes as required to combat the foe. Of course, at all times the Republic military strives to factor in the qualitative and/or quantitative edge of the enemy into their calculations.

Structure Of The Military

In their early history, the original Stratia and Nautikon forces of the then Sagittarian Democracy used the same organisational structures, such as enomotiai's being used to refer to both naval squadrons and brigade-level army units. Following the inclusion of the Xhanese Defence Force into the Stratia and Nautikon carried on the work introduced with the New Model Army and the true Nautikon in separating the two organisations. The different tables of organisation are built thus to reflect the different scales each force operates on.

Mora - The Morae would be known to most races as a 'Fleet Group'. There are only two in existence as of early 214 AE, the Patritha Mora and the Makria Mora. The Patritha guards the Sagittar and Taurus systems as the most populated Republic systems, while the Makria guards out-system convoys, the Endicott System, and provides patrol forces for the Liu Xiu System.
Lochos - The highest-tier combat force in the entire Republic, this is equivalent to a fleet. Five exist, with three assigned to the Patritha Mora as two guard fleets and a reserve & training fleet, while the latter two are assigned to the Makria Mora as two guard fleets. The coming expansion in the Nautikon is believed to be causing the formation of an additional two Lochos, with one tagged for the reserve and logistics in the Makria Mora.
Epilarchía - Each epilarchía, or task-group, is a conglomeration of two or more pentekostyes. It is not unknown for the strength of each one to fluctuate over time as various pentekostyes are pulled from service in one area, and re-tasked with another mission. Those officers granted the responsibility of commanding an epilarchía are granted the title of Polemarch to replace their normal rank.
Pentekostyes - The basic squadron is the cornerstone of Nautikon naval organisation, and those with the responsibility of commanding one are retitled Chiliarch. While squadrons are theoretically supposed to be composed of a full six ships, all of the same class, the limitations of construction, budgeting and maintenance often require that they operate with as little as five or four ships.
Enomotiai - Within the pentekostyes lies an even lower form of organisation, the enomotiai. This term, referring to a 'division', traditionally encompasses a three-ship unit. Due to this, the first Enomotiai is regarded as the responsibility of the Chiliarch leading it, and the leader of the second is the ship-captain most favourably regarded by the Chiliarch. This person receives the title of Taxiarch to reflect their responsibility over the second Enomotiai.

Compared to the larger forces the Nautikon operates in, the Stratia's organisation reflects the smaller scale it typically operates in. The use of officers to command units at all tiers may be seen by some as too regimented, but it is done in order to allow qualified and trained officers the flexibility and initiative on the battlefield.
Taxis -
Tagma - A battalion-level unit, the Hipparchia is a standard mechanised infantry unit equipped with the most advanced vehicles, and forms the main offensive force of the Stratia. On the few occasions when naval guards are required to be gathered in such numbers, the unit is called a Tagma.
Hekatonarchia - Despite the name, there are considerably more than a mere one-hundred hoplites inside this company-level formation. The Hekatonarchia is the foundation of the Stratia's tactical planning
Systasis - A thirty-six strong platoon. Eight of these constitute a Hekatonarchia, allowing units to be quickly deployed as necessary allowing maximum tactical flexibility, something of a necessity given the relatively low technological prowess of the Republic's available weapons technology.
Pempas - The basic twelve-man fire-team. Both the standard soldiers and special forces of the Stratia use this grouping as the basis of organisation and battlefield tactics. Each one is commanded by a non-commissioned officer, with one of their trusted companions serving as the unit's second. Below the Pempas, a unit will split into two six-man fire and manoeuvre sections, but these are not a formal organisation and are formed at the team leader's discretion.

Stratia

The Stratia is the elder of the two services, with origins that can be traced back as far as the Achileus War and the army constructed by Jason Constanzakis. Within fifty years, it had evolved into an all-volunteer force that was regarded as a relic, supplementing the myriad law enforcement stations on Sagittar and the two moons orbiting it. The decade preceding the Trade War saw elements of the force go independent, if not in name, then at least in manner, acting as unofficial adjuncts of the various trading houses. The start of the Trade War saw the unprepared and disparate forces of the Stratia land on Guangdo in what was anticipated as a swift occupation before the surrender of the Xhanese. The reality was a bitter siege, with Stratia units abandoned on the surface attempting to hold off the Xhanese reinforcements as the battered fleet of Sagittar fled. Those units which operated on their own authority were largely picked off by the enemy far from friendly lines, forcing the other stranded to adopt a fierce discipline and reassert a legitimate chain of command. The legacy of the Guangdo Stand has left its mark on the organisation, contributing to the lean and efficient nature of the force as it is today, a highly mechanised, well-supported elite branch.

Service within the Stratia, while still rigidly focused on the concept of a chain of command, does permit a certain laxity in relations between soldiers and to discipline. While no hoplite would dare disobey an order without good reason, he or she would not think twice about making a joke at a superior's expense. Part of this atmosphere extends to the traditional inking of the skin performed by many in what would be seen as socially undesirable careers, such as the merchant marine or the groundcrawlers that supply the energy needs of the Cao-Xhan settlements, with modern Stratia personnel often marking their skin with so-called 'litoos', often used to mark tours of service, units they've been a part of, and where they were trained. While the policy of marking kill-counts with litoos is officially forbidden, more than a few troopers continue to break this rule and evade punishment.

Some litoos that command respect from any member of the Stratia are those commemorating the survivors of the Guangdo Stand. Those who survived the destruction of their units have the words 'Alkestis Guangdo' on their tattoo, identifying them as escaping death while those who managed to stay within organised units have 'Parnassos Guangdo', which identifies them as survivors of the ill-fated Stand.

Nautikon

Despite being the younger service, the Nautikon, or Navy, is the larger service. The bulk freighters and tramp shuttles that are the economic lifeblood of the Republic are far in excess of what most other nations would require for such a size, and the Navy is left constantly trying to update and expand itself. In keeping with the doctrine of the Republic, the organisation bases itself on the principle of small, rapid-response vessels to play the role of convoy escorts, patrols, or hunting corsairs, with larger ships providing support against any foe too heavy for the lighter ships.

The Nautikon adopted a classification scheme for their ships based on historical descriptions of their ancestor's own naval vessels, with each classification being judged by how many reactors it possesses. This includes both main and reserve variants, the latter being used only in emergencies or when the power output of the main reactor would be too high.

Penteres – As of now, penteres are the largest warships in the Nautikon, and while existing in far fewer numbers, they are individually far more capable than smaller tetreres. As befitting their progenitors, a penteres-level vessel mounts five reactors, three of which are primary power-generators with a pair of emergency backup devices.
Tetreres – These are the smallest ‘proper’ warships in the Navy, and are the most commonly seen outside of the two core systems of the Polyarchy. As a tetreres is not as self-sufficient in combat as its larger brother, these ships are most often formed into groups of three on missions where raw combat power is needed, and often split up on patrols where the ability to cover more ground is better suited. Vessels of this level mount four reactors, two primary and two secondary.
Hemiolia - This word depicts somewhat of a hybrid classification. The small 'Ranger'-class vessels are designed to take part in combat but are not dedicated warships. Likewise, a surveillance vessel would be classified as a hemiolia due to being a non-combat purposed vessel. Vessels of this size will typically only mount two reactors, one primary and one backup.
Lembos - These are the small craft of the Nautikon. Lembos are rarely, if ever, armed, with some exceptions for craft such as gunships and police cutters. These vessels are typically characterised by the inability to travel interplanetary distances, with some exceptions, such as the Iris-class Courier.
Drepanèphoros - While technically a term applying to any kind of fighter craft in the Polyarchy, be it spatial or atmospheric, in practice this is applied only to those used by the Nautikon. The current, and only series of drepanephoros is the 'Peltast'-series, currently on its third mark.

Ranks of the Nautikon

Ranks in the Nautikon do not follow quite the same pattern as those of other nations. For example, the commander of a Pentekostyes of Tetreres is acting in three rights; First as the commander of their own ship, then as the commander of their Enomotiai, and lastly as the Pentekostyes commander. However, there are frequent proposals to enact some form of command structure similar to foreign navies by the use of so-called 'flag officers'.

Naύarchos - Admiral
Antinaύarchos - Vice Admiral
Eponaύarchos - Rear Admiral
Archiploiarchos - Commodore
Ploiarchos - Captain
Antiploiarchos - Commander
Plotarches - Lieutenant Commander
Epoploiarchos - Lieutenant
Semaioforos - Ensign

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Infantry Weapons

Infantry weapons in the Republic are, in contrast to most other races, simple kinetic energy weapons. Despite association with other nations that utilised more advanced weapons, the Stratia has in a sense lagged behind on adoption of higher-tech solutions due to a combination of factors, such as cultural inertia, a desire to see these 'higher-tech' weapons developed into functional status before equipping them prematurely, and the old adage of not fixing something that isn't already broken.

Achilles Support Gun - The Achilles is an up-scaled version of the Kefefs. Mounting large sixty-round drums, the Achilles is designed to serve a Pempas as a light weapon to provide heavy support. Firing the same ammunition as the Kefefs, it possesses a longer and heavier barrel, allowing it more range, better accuracy, and to keep up sustained fire. Normally fitted with a vertical grip to allow the user to rest on the ground while firing, the Achilles is a very accurate and lethal weapon.

Artemis Sniper Rifle - The Artemis, named for the ancient goddess of the hunt, is an adapted civilian rifle that was originally designed by a Corinthian firm for farmers defending their livestock from native predators. Firing heavy metal slugs, the Artemis is capable of downing a predatory grypon bird in one shot, and the military version is equally adept at penetrating the heaviest of conventional body armour. As a slow bolt-action weapon, the Artemis is not normally called upon unless a particularly hard target is encountered.

Dian Mu Experimental Directed Energy Weapon - This particular weapon is built as a joint venture between the Stavridis-Hwang Cartel and Wei-Xia Global Defence, and based on the same principle as the prototype directed energy weapon the company has offered to the Nautikon since 202 AE. The Dian Mu itself is a hand-held chemical laser in the infra-red spectrum, and has an output of one megawatt, allowing it to serve both as anti-infantry and . As a chemical laser, the Dian Mu negates the requirement of a heavy power-source unit by using deuterium-fluoride batteries. Each battery is rated for twenty projections before it needs replacing. Speculation as to whether the Dian Mu will enter full service depends on whether the issues surrounding the environmental impact and their reuse of the DF-cartridges outweighs the combat potential of the weapon itself.

Feng Bo Heavy Rifle - Designed especially for the Lei Gong AAU, the Feng Bo is a 'rifle' built around a caseless 20mm round. Intended for use in anti-personnel work, the Feng Bo is built with a tough and sturdy design at the expense of any form of manual aiming, being electronically linked to the operating Lei Gong's sensor suite. Built as it is for an AAU to heft, the Feng Bo is incredibly heavy to the point of being nigh unusable for even a fully prosthetised individual. In recognition of the benefits an AAU possesses in close-quarters, each Feng Bo can be equipped with a 'bayonet' that in normal hands would be classed as a sword. Field testing of this feature has yet to occur.

Hephaestus Heavy Pistol - Despite its status as 'only' a pistol, the Hephaestus is, besides the heavy machine-guns and sniper rifles in service of the Stratia, one of the most powerful hand-held weapons in the entire Republic. The pistol is a single-shot weapon that fires the widest variety of ammunition known with the exception of a basic round. The Hephaestus is strictly speaking an emergency weapon for use by those with the physical strength necessary to compensate for the recoil of its 12mm round, not to mention the sense of when it's appropriate to unleash its firepower. This weapon is very popular with the Stratia's Asthetairoi units that specialise in long-range reconnaissance where it provides a versatile, if short-ranged, support weapon.

Hippodamia Multi-Purpose Missile Launcher- As an organisation that prides itself on tactical flexibility, the notion of an infantry-portable heavy weapon for anti-vehicle use appealed greatly to the senior commanders of the Stratia. The Hippodamia is a trade-off, firing hyper-velocity missiles capable of fitting anti-tank, anti-infantry and anti-air warheads. With this versatility and light weight, it suffers from a small-magazine capacity, lack of 'punch' against sufficiently heavy vehicles, and an over-long lock-on phase, rendering the weapon unable to be 'dumbfired' without substantial against regulations tinkering.

Houyi Battle Carbine - The Houyi is a relatively recent development. After a senior officer of the Asthetairoi branch visiting Cao-Xhan found himself in the middle of an attack on the settlement by the native warrenbeasts, he gathered a group of Xhanese settlers about him with the intention of venturing into the tunnels to exterminate the pack. With him went the Kefefs rifle standard to all branches of the military at the time, and it was there that he discovered the relative lack of stopping power the rifle offered against armoured or thick-skinned targets such as the warrenbeasts. After successfully killing the pack's bond-pair and returning to Sagittar, the officer submitted a report and privately commissioned a new rifle for himself, citing concern over the Kefefs failings.

The result was the Houyi. A compact yet bulky weapon firing 10mm rounds in the original prototype, the head of the Asthetairoi intervened in the design process. The resulting design relies on a cylindrical sixty-round magazine loaded in front of the handgrip, contrary to the design of the Kefefs, with the benefit of offering greater capacity with no real increase in the weapon's bulk. The front of the gun itself was stretched upward, housing the original rifle barrel beneath a 30mm gas-operated grenade launcher fed by a top-loading magazine containing three rounds. The unusual tandem-barrel design of the Houyi also emphasised allowing the user to use as many kinds of ammunition as physically possible, and it rightfully earned the title of jack of all trades following successful field testing. Following adoption by the Asthetairoi, the rifle was upgraded with a digital round counter displaying both caseless and grenade rounds, a multi-mode sight capable of direct-linking to the user's helmet, and equipped with add-on points for all the miscellaneous upgrades in use with the military.

Ixion Standard-Issue Service Pistol - The standard pistol in service, the Ixion is issued to every single member of the Stratia, as well as in use with the law enforcement of the Republic. Firing lightweight 9mm rounds, it is designed solely as a backup in combat or for use against regular criminals in the case of law enforcement. The pistol comes with either standard iron sights or digital pop-up sights that allow the user, providing they have an appropriate data-link, to aim just by looking at the target, as well as a digital read-out on the side of the grip that allows the user to simply glance down and see how many rounds are left in the magazine. Asthetairoi units often modify their weapons with silencers and extended magazines for covert operations.

Kefefs Assault Rifle - Ever since the end of the Sicyon War, a continuous stream of small arms have left the factories of Sagittar as industrial competitors endeavour to outdo each other. This has long left the Stratia with endless choice in their supply to the point where they can comfortable put out tenders for high-end specifications. The result of one such tender in 198 AE was the Kefefs, a bullpup design which was itself unusual in the weapons industry, but became even more so thanks to its innovative use of caseless rounds. Even so, the designers made provision for the chances of a misfire, and allowed operators to simply eject the round through the dual-ejection ports mounted on each side of the rifle. This, in addition to a mirrored system for the fire-selector switch, allows the Kefefs to be operated by both right and left-handed personnel with no discomfort.

Firing the new 4.73×33mm rounds, the Kefefs was designed to be cheap, reliable, and effective no matter who by or where it was operated. Fitted with a carrying handle mounting a red-dot scope as standard, the rifle also uses a rail system to allow attachments as required by the tactical needs of a mission, including foregrips, underslung grenade launchers, electro-shock devices for incapacitating non-combatants, and the RAM, or Retro Action Motor, designed to allow the Kefefs to be used in zero-gravity without displacing the operator through recoil.

Yun Tong Close In Defence Projector - Fitted to every AAU, the Yun Tong is a system of micro-grenade launchers fitted onto a specially-made harness. Each Yun Tong is tied into the respective AAU's sensors, and operates completely automatically. In the first rounds of testing this design choice led to a number of friendly casualties when the test units moved to block the line of fire at friendly troops, and the decision to install a cut-off was made quickly. While originally intended to only carry fragmentation grenades, speculative work on special smoke charges has proceeded, and rumoured to be of use in negating laser beams.

Vehicles

Asterion Cataphract - Named for the Minotaur of legend, the Asterion is a high-powered and heavily armoured battle tank. Equipped with a long-barrelled 120mm cannon, the Asterion is built for the sole purpose of destroying enemy armoured vehicles too tough for the Kentaurus anti-tank missiles. A single co-axial machine-gun is equipped for the purpose of attacking enemy infantry while a cupola-mounted machine-gun is used for operations in built-up areas. Given its larger weight, and thus lower speed, it is only rarely seen in use, and most were assigned to garrison duty in the Phanes System and it seems inevitable that the construction of the successor to the Asterion seems to herald its well-earned retirement.

Asterion 2 Cataphract – The Asterion 2 is a step beyond its ancestor. Fitted with an experimental railgun firing 20mm ferric tungsten flechettes, the tank is the most heavily armed vehicle in use with the Stratia. In addition to the railgun, the design mounts a modified Achilles support gun in a remote weapon system on the top of the turret, allowing the three man crew to cover a multitude of threats without having to leave the safety of the vehicle’s interior. It also carries a much-heavier amount of armour than the first Asterion, with a multi-layer mix of composite armour, non-energetic reactive armour, and explosive reactive armour. This leaves the Asterion 2 as far bulkier than its predecessor, and even the addition of a much improved engine leaves it with a negligible speed increase over the original design.

Cheiron Hippotoxotai - Based on the reliable and efficient chassis of the Kentaurus, the Cheiron is a fast-moving and lethal vehicle. Named after the patron of Sagittar, the centaur Cheiron, it is equipped with two turreted gatling-type 20mm cannons equally capable against aerial targets and ground infantry, as well as the HOPLON system. HOPLON integrates the inbuilt radar of the Cheiron as well as laser-detection equipment in addition to a rear-mounted battery of vertically-launched micro-missiles designed to shoot down incoming missiles. However the system does not react at all to 'dumb' warheads, and was only designed to act against air-launched missiles, negating the likelihood of successful interceptions against ground-launched missiles.

Huli Jing Drepanèphoros - While the Zhenniao represented a phenomenal improvement over the Argos, the heavy amount of firepower it contained and its large troop capacity led to an almost inevitable confusion of use by commanders, with many Zhenniaos often being used to conduct offensive seek-and-kill operations rather than simply softening up the landing zones it was intended for. Combined with its large outline and relatively low speed, it was quickly realised that in any serious conflict they would be rendered useless through misuse and enemy action and that a purpose-built design was necessary to accompany it.

It didn't take long for the progenitor of the Huli Jing to appear. Built around an identical cockpit design to the Zhenniao, it was arranged around a pod-and-boom design allowing for a much more slender profile. Able to take the same turret options as the transport, it carries a pair of internal weapons bays running along the lower flanks, each capable of holding a variety of munitions as needed. Most commonly the Huli Jing will be seen with a mixed load out of Kontos ATGM's and Kestrosphendonè MWM's.

Kentaurus Hippikon - The Kentaurus is the main infantry combat transport of the Stratia. A tracked vehicle equipped with a single light 30mm autocannon, it also carries four turret-mounted Kontos anti-tank missiles in box containers. This mix of light and heavy firepower, combined with its reliability, versatility and speed, long ago led to its recognition as the true backbone of the Stratia. The design carries the usual fossil-fuel engine of other ground vehicles, but also carries a solar battery for auxiliary use, though some consider this particular feature a mere sop to Gytheian enviromental sensibilities. Nonetheless, the chassis' formidable qualities have seen it become the forefather of an extended family of combat vehicles, and it is highly unlikely it will leave service for some decades yet.

Kuklōps Hippotoxotai - Likewise based on the chassis of the Kentaurus, the Kuklōps is a tracked self-propelled gun carrying a 155mm gun. Developed to provide long-range support for Stratia units with no access to aerial backup, the Kuklōps specialises in so-called 'shoot-and-scoot' tactics, firing a shot as needed before moving off to a better location. As a result, it does not carry more than a mere twenty rounds for its main gun, and is not designed for sustained operations. Although it still sees a great deal of use when dealing with fortified positions, the general use of the Kuklōps in the future is believed to be increasingly more unlikely, and work has already commenced on a mobile missile platform as its replacement.

Lei Gong Assisted Armour Unit - Named for the Xhanese god of thunder, the Lei Gong is an attempt to weaponise prosthetics on a large scale. First created by Tiějiang Foundries in conjunction with Suidochi Synthetics in 215 AE, the Assisted Armour Unit is a massive suit of armour designed to allow the 'pilot' to connect with it via neural interfaces in a manner similar to prosthetic connections. Standing at just over nine feet in height, the AAU is a hard carapace with just enough space for an average-sized human to fit inside, with what little space remains devoted to fibre-bundles, armour plate and sensors.

In a first for Republic vehicles, the suit is fitted with a system inspired by the concept of bifocal vision; the user's normal field of vision is displayed on the inside of the helmet's HUD, while the remaining field behind the user of around one-hundred and sixty degrees is displayed on a strip above. Each suit is also fitted with manipulator arms based on prosthetics as well as an inbuilt communications suite, allowing it to carry a range of up-sized weapons designed especially for it such as the Feng Bo or the Dian Mu. Only a few Lei Gong's are currently in existence, with most assigned to the 49th Independent Systasis, a unit assigned to the strategic reserve on Taurus.

Pēgasos Attack Craft - The Pēgasos is, comparatively speaking, a masterpiece of Republic design; a sleek, variable geometry, fighter, it is one of the two fixed-wing, endo-atmospheric designs used by the Stratia, and serves as their main aerial combatant. Fitted with a single long-barreled thirty-millimetre gun in the centre-line, the Pēgasos also contains two hardpoints under the fuselage, as well as one on either side of the fuselage, allowing for a total of four Mesangylon air-to-air missiles to be carried.

In emergencies, the Pēgasos can also operate as a light air-to-ground strike craft, though it can only carry six Kontos ATGM's in this manner as the side-mounted hardpoints lack sufficient height clearance for two. Republic commanders are advised to use something like the Pēgasos in this role only in the absolute worst-case scenario, and many pilots are glad that they've not been called upon to do so.

Zhenniao Troop Transport - The Zhenniao is something new in the history of the Stratia. During the Trade War, Sagittarian forces relied on bulky mining craft and personnel shuttles to convey them from their transports to the surface. Even the later Cetea-class warships were forced to rely on the venerable Argos-class transports which were only retired in 201 AE. Since then, the Stratia has lacked any real means of conducting orbital assaults or aerial manouvres, a major flaw in the mobility-orientated doctrine it almost exclusively favours.

It was only the success of the Ikaros class dropship that convinced senior strategos to look into creating a replacement, with the result being the Zhenniao. A hybrid gunship/transport, it can carry either a 30mm cannon or a 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret, while wing slats are provided to carry up to eight Kontos ATGM's or four 57mm rocket pods. The Zhenniao also carries room for up to eighteen passengers, though work is taking place on a cargolifter variant with added capacity for mass transport and cargo-runs. At the moment only a limited number of units have access to the transport since acceptance in 210 AE, and full use is only anticipated to be deemed complete by 217 AE.

Zhenniao Guī Heavy Transport - Based on the original Zhenniao's cargolifter variant, the Guī variant is designed to carry a full six-strong team of Lei Gong AAU's. In an effort to provide as much speed as possible without compromising lift capacity, most of the original airframe's weaponry was stripped out with the exception of the chin-mounted turret. The sides of the frame have been reworked to allow them to slide back, allowing each AAU to rappel out of the heavy transport by a heavy duty carbon nanotube cable derived from the same design used to make the walls of the deuterium-fluoride batteries of the Dian Mu.

Zhūgě Nǔ Hippotoxotai - A variant of the familiar Cyclops, the Zhūgě Nǔ is a rather more specialised vehicle. The powerful 155mm gun is gone, instead replaced with a shorter assembly of three 60mm barrels designed to allow sustained fire without wearing the barrels unusable. Each one is assembled on a rotary frame, with an ammunition drum mounted beneath loaded with ninety projectiles, ranging from air-deployed mines to fragmentation rounds to small-calibre fusion munitions. While in action, the gun somewhat resembles the 20mm gatlings used as point defence by Nautikon warships, leading more than one casual observer to liken it to iron hail.

The Zhūgě Nǔ's are far more favoured by mobile strikeforces for their lighter weight and superiority in volume of fire compared to their Kuklōpes ancestors, and it's for this reason that production of them is slowly outstripping the older Hippotoxotai. It is in fact well known for commanders to mass their Zhūgě Nǔ's together, an effort that can wipe half a grid square out in minutes when equipped with their fusion munitions.

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Pentērēs

Titan-class –
The Titans have for decades been the symbol of the Nautikon. Originally designed to replace the mediocre stop-gap conversions of merchant freighters that had been used during the disastrous first attack on Guangdo in 159 AE, the Titan-class took some thirteen years to design as constant alterations were put forth by competing companies and the infrastructure to build and maintain them was built up. They broke ground in many ways, using the innovation of a gravity simulacrum device to avoid the strain of weeks spent in null-gravity, their sheer size, requiring as it did huge enlargement in the orbital shipyards used by Sagittar at the time, as well as the sheer size of the crews required compared to even the largest of Sagittarian freighters. In 174 AE, when the first three Titans had been completed, a raid to test the capabilities of their new systems was organised for the Xhanese protectorate of Guangdo where the Sagittarians had lost the majority of their ground-based forces over a decade before. During the first hours of the engagement, all three ships wrought a terrible toll on the orbitals that housed hydroponic gardens, habitations, and research facilities. However, the success was cut short when the Xhanese revealed their own new fleet of the Yang-class Long-Range Missile Carriers and Jaoi Di Planetary Attack Craft, and forced a hasty retreat.

Only in 182 AE following the construction of fifteen Titans in the Alpha, Beta, and Strategion tranches was a return to Guangdo, and a breaking of the stalemate that followed the Second Battle of Guangdo, contemplated. Following a successful landing in which the 'New Model Army' of the Stratia scoured multiple landing zones of defending Xhanese militia, the Titans assisted in capturing two of the Yang's, the Ao Qin and the Zhulong, from where they'd been laid up in drydock. Seven years followed the bloody occupation of Guangdo, with the remaining Yangs and long-range planetary-based missiles from Cao-Xhan itself attempting to disrupt Nautikon and Stratia units. It was after this that the final push began, and the fifteen Titans squared off against the ten remaining Yangs. By the day's end, forced to hold their position lest the Titans get the freedom to conduct orbital strikes on the dome-cities below, all the remaining Yangs were out of ammunition and badly damaged, with seven of the Titans left in relatively operational condition to call upon the Xhanese Planetary Council to surrender, conducting strikes on unpopulated areas as warnings. As a final act of spite, a minefield was activated, in the process crippling the Crius.

Following the end of the Trade War in 199 AE, and the 'voluntary' absorption of Cao-Xhan and its former protectorate of Guangdo into the Republic, along with all former Xhanese military assets, the Titans were quickly formed into the centrepieces of the Nautikon's new-found strength. Today, they form the backbone of the fleets assigned to defend the Phanes and Taurus Systems. As with all Nautikon units, each Titan is now assigned a designation it is expected to use for administrative purposes, with the RNV Leto being assigned the designation "Republic Naval Vessel-Titan 12". (This move was implemented following one notable exercise in 201AE when a fleet commander mistook a subordinate's hurried pronunciation of the name 'Asterius' for the name 'Asteria', and thus ordered an Argonaut-class Tetreres to do the job of a Titan.) As of now, seventeen Titan-class vessels are in service with another nine planned for construction over the course of the next decade. Retrofitting all previous variants to the current Gamma-standard is planned to also take place over the course of the decade.

- Titan Alpha The original versions of the Titan-class, the six vessels of the Alpha series were all armed with the standard Caseless Kinetic Cannon in the twelve-turret layout. Carrying a total of twelve fighter tubes in the forward hanger of each 'wing', the onboard Peltast Mk1's were designed to provide cover for troop transports into the limits of the upper atmosphere. Following the engagement of the Yang's and Jiao Di's, these were instead re-purposed to serve as the primary defence against the heavy missile craft of the Xhanese, and the Alpha series was only upgraded to Gamma standards in 201 AE.

- Titan Beta The three ships in the Beta series were somewhat of an oddity. The severity of the threat posed by the Jiao Di was such that while they were being laid down, plans were altered to delete some of their anti-shipping capability in favour of expanding the on-board hanger capacity, and provide a measure of extensive coverage with their own on-board fighters. Each one had the side 'wing'-mounted guns removed, in addition to the two most vertically prominent cannons on the top and bottom of the hull and the foremost guns in the recess of the fore-hull, while the 'wing's connecting frame was shortened and strengthened.

While this left the Beta's with only six guns, they featured over twice the capacity of the Alpha's, going from twenty-four Peltast's to ninety-six. Thanks to being superseded due to the introduction of the Muse-class Penteres, the three Titan-Beta's are scheduled for complete rebuilding to Gamma-standard within the next year, though some senior command staff have argued for their continued service as-is until the next three Muse-class Penteres have been constructed.

- Titan Stratègion The PNV Crius was converted partway through the war to serve as a command ship for its sisters. Half of the existing fighter tubes were removed to make room as their crews were disembarked to make way for the addition of an extensive 'flag' deck as well as personnel quarters suitable for high-ranking officers. It was also noted for being the first Titan to feature the newly-developed magtubes to launch fighters from, a development of the orbital elevator concept of the time. In addition to this, the Stratègion was equipped with upgraded versions of the Alpha and Beta-series engines, allowing it a five percent increase in total acceleration.

- Titan Gamma First introduced after the end of the Trade War, the Gamma series all mount the same twenty-four fighter launch-tubes as did the original Alpha series, but updated to use the same magtubes as the Strategion-rebuild of the PNV Crius. The Gamma's other claim to fame comes from their use of the then-new Kinetic Plasma-Assisted Weapons System, allowing them to lay down medium-range fire thanks to the higher velocities imparted by the new system. As with the Stratègion-variant, the Gammas have the same upgraded engines.

Yang-class - If the Titan-class is a warhammer, the Yangs are a spear. During the Trade War, Cao Xhan was easily able to outproduce Sagittar in a quantitative fashion, substituting the hitting and staying power of the Sagittarian Titans for speed, range, and cost-effectiveness. Each Yang relied on long-range missiles derived from the same nuclear weapons that served them as orbital mines, as well as batteries of light cannons for defence against the fighter swarms each Titan could unleash. As the sheer scale of the Xhanese's efforts became realised, the Sagittarians began to renovate crippled and captured ships, bringing them into service to make up for their own deficiency in numbers. Only five were left in Xhanese hands by the war's end, and those were surrendered to the Nautikon as part of the peace terms.

- Yang-Yi The original Yang was armed with a pair of missile tubes on the prow, as well as six each on the port and starboard flanks, firing nuclear missiles derived from the same technology that produced the Sunburst mines. To accommodate the longer reach and weaker hulls of the Yangs, they adopted far more powerful but temperamental engines, allowing them to outrun the Titans easily at the cost of an increased (one-in-seven chance compared to the Titans one-in-thirty-four) of catastrophic explosion should the engines be run at full military power beyond advised time limits. Finishing the ship's armament is a battery of fourteen rapid-firing 35mm guns, fair heavier than the corresponding Sagittarian point defence, but with better accuracy at range and damage potential.

- Yang-Er Three of the Yangs, the Ao Guang, Chi, and Tianlong have been modified, with the removal of all 35mm PD in favour of twenty-four Nautikon-standard 20mm weapons. Each of them benefits from the same upgraded engines as the Titan-Gamma series. All fourteen missile tubes are replaced with upgraded versions based off the same principle as the magtubes used to launch the Peltast fighters of the Titans. A final improvement is the use of upgraded sensor technology, allowing each Yang-Er to act as a target designator for its shorter-sighted Yang-Yi compatriots.

Muse-class -
With over forty-four years in service to the Nautikon, the design limitations of the original Titans are beginning to show. Designed as they were to provide light fighter cover to themselves and to atmospheric invasion forces, the continual development focus on their anti-ship firepower has shown that a dedicated fighter carrier is needed for the mass of Peltast fighters that traditional naval doctrine has called for. While some members of the traditionalist faction maintain the supremacy in flexibility that a gun-armed and fighter-carrying vessel would have is worth it, reformists have pointed out the fact that the course of the Trade War saw the Titan-Beta swap half its guns for nearly three times the fighter-capacity shows that a dedicated fighter carrier is what the Nautikon desperately needs.

The same reformists also pointed out that since the end of the Trade War, the Phanes System has totally lacked any form of heavy fighter or bomber craft aside from what few Jiao Di have avoided being reclaimed for salvage. The Peltast, even in its latest iteration, is still an entirely anti-fighter design with an armament to reflect this, and even many traditionalist naval officers have acknowledged the need for a small craft capable of hurting enemy ships. In the end, it was almost inevitable that the reformers won, with the go-ahead for the design of the first of the Muse-class given in 210 AE.

- Muse-Alpha These ships are the new face of the Nautikon. Tentatively named the Calliope, Clio, and Erato, these are dedicated carriers. Each one carries a novel arrangement of two hanger decks, and two launch decks, staggered sequentially. With some forty-eight magtubes on each flank of the flight decks, allowing for a ready complement of one-hundred and ninety-two Peltast Mk3's along with a reserve of ninety-six of the same, each one of these ships is more than adequately equipped to protect an entire epilarchía if need be. As a result, they are easily the largest ships seen in Nautikon service, with each one being twice the length of a Titan, with the caveat of being 'flatter' to produce an almost squashed appearance more in keeping with the Yang-class. Each one carries a minimal armament of four KPAWS turrets on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces, along with an enlarged command and control centre, allowing them to act as flagships for entire taskforces.

Tetrērēs

Argonaut-class - The Argonaut's are the newest design from the Republic's naupegia, built in tandem with the Muse-class. While the Muse's are built to act as capital-class carriers, the Argonauts are built for independent action, being more similar to other navies 'destroyers' or 'cruisers' in purpose. Carrying six 220mm guns, arranged with three to each flank, the Argonaut's also mount a total of twelve 20mm revolver point defence guns. With only eighteen built so far, the plans to form them in concert with the larger Titans and Muse's have been shelved in favour of gathering the ships into their own attack units. So far, the majority have been assigned to the Makria Mora covering the former Republic territory of Liu Xiu and the Endicott System.

Hemiolia

Ranger-class - The staple of the Nautikon, Ranger hulls are the preferred method of spatial border patrol and have been used as such since before the Trade War. These small vessels, due to both their numbers and relatively small size aren't formally named, instead given numbers such as the A-41 under Antiploiarchos Anna Katsoros which first encountered the Maekari near the border of Republic space. Equipped with four 120mm guns and a single wing of Peltast fighters, each Ranger is supposed to be able to successfully protect merchant ships, or chase down lawbreakers on armed vessels.

Cetea-class - Cetea-class ships are, like the Titans, a relic of the Trade War. Purpose-built from the lower plates up for one purpose, they are designed to act as invasion ships, capable of carrying a full Hipparchia, as well as conventional air-breathing fighters. However, due to the current focus of the Stratia on light and manoeuvrable forces, the two Cetea's are left in neosoikoi, awaiting either the breaker or a war fought at all costs. With that said, the ships are regularly maintained in expectation of attack. Only time will tell if the Cetea-class ever sees a replacement.

Moirai-class - The Moirai are a special class of ships for a special set of tasks. Built on three Ranger frames fresh from the factory yards, each one carries a pair of 155mm cannon, as well as the standard compartments of the Rangers, with small adjustments for the lack of crew, due to the first-time use of extensive automation. The rest of the ship is dedicated to three main areas; an enlarged hanger bay carrying Ikaros-class dropships as well as a single Hermes transport for regular use, a secured chamber midships that holds briefing rooms, barracks and armouries for the onboard special forces, and a small drop-bay, holding reconnaissance drones and what are euphemistically referred to as tactical strike packages.

Lembos

Hermes-class - The Hermes is the main personnel transport in use with the Nautikon. Only twice the size of a Peltast, a Hermes is a lightweight atmospheric-capable craft designed to shuttle people or in some cases light cargo between ships in orbit and planetary dropzones. The standard Hermes carries a crew of two, a pilot and a co-pilot responsible for overseeing the protective ECM suite, and can carry a total of eight passengers, or around half a ton of cargo. A number of variants exist, mostly troop-transports, scouts and cargo haulers.

Iris-class - The Iris is the smallest Jump-capable craft in existence. Designed solely for speed and comfort, the Iris is used for conveying important messages or as a transport for VIP's between locations. Two fleets of them exist, the first acting as couriers for the Nautikon and the Stratia while the second acts as personal transports for the Archontes should they need to conduct official business off-world. The hull of the Iris is also popular with wealthy corporations and news organisations who can summon the funds to purchase demilitarised versions.

Ikaros-class - Built from the ground up for one function, the designers of the Ikaros focused on three qualities; speed, robustness, and discretion. Despite the small and almost alarmingly fragile-looking frame, the Ikaros has a far lower flight-time/crash record compared to either the Iris or the Hermes. Armed with only a single 20mm gun derived from the same point-defence gun as used by the Nautikon's warships, the Ikaros also mounts an impressive ECM suite, as well as hardpoints for additional cargo such as rocket pods, or even fuel drop tanks. The Ikaros also has an impressive capacity for size, allowing a total of twelve individuals in full plate to sit reasonably comfortably.

Drepanēphoros

Peltast-series -
The Peltast series of Drepanēphoros is the Nautikon's original design. Constructed in the years leading up to the Trade War, the design called for a mixed endo/exo-atmospheric attack craft capable of being launched from space and entering the atmosphere of a world in order to escort landing craft carrying invasion forces. Since then the series has evolved with only minimal alterations to the original design, leaving the surety of building it for one specific environment in favour of the flexibility it offers.

- Peltast Mk1 The Mk1 is the original space-superiority fighter of the Nautikon, and was its main fighter during the so-called Trade War that united the Homeworlds under the Republic's banner. Still in service for a decade following the end of the War, it was retired when the Navy's upper command perceived that forcing those who had lost family or friends to Mk1 pilots to fly the very same craft was at the very least impolitic, and at worst causing tension between the newly unified pilots of the Nautikon, and a decision was undertaken to drop the design and replace it with a new design with a significantly different aesthetic. Historically, nearly as many losses of the Mk1 were due to accidents as they were to combat casualties, due to the poor handling of the craft and significant under-appreciation of the mechanics of using fighters in space that the original design teams had worked off. As a result, it can only be found in disposal facilities and war museums commemorating each side's losses during the War.

- Peltast Mk2 The Mk2 is the oldest form of Peltast still in service with the Nautikon, but is not in danger of retirement any time soon. The toughness of the design, along with its ease of maintenance and the sheer numbers of them built and in service means that they'll remain in use for another ten years at least. Equipped with modernised versions of the original 20mm cannons used in the Mk1, the Mk2 also features improved handling for pilots as well as an emergency reactor designed to supplement the main reactor during combat, or take its place in normal flight should it go offline. The Mk2 is equipped by all 'Titan'-class penteres as well as the defence stations that lie in orbit of the Republic's claimed worlds.

- Peltast Mk3 The Mk3 is currently largely in the testing phase at the moment, built on the basis of the Mk2 with some of the aesthetics of the original Mk1. Thanks to this, it is being assigned to the newer Muse-class penteres while the Titan-class soldiers on with the older Mk2 Peltasts. The Mk3 is also the first in the series to accommodate the possibility of equipping missiles for combat instead of relying solely on its hull-mounted guns, with a heavy armament of three 20mm guns, as well as two hardpoints for carrying a variant of the ‘Kestrosphendonè’ MWM, altered to operate in the vacuum. As with its predecessors, it is still largely an anti-fighter unit with no real capability for hurting capital-class vessels.

Jiao-Di -

- Jiao-Di Mk1

- Jiao-Di Mk2

Lu Jiao Dao -

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Native-Designed Military Systems

The weapons of the Republic are in some respects quite crude. Old-fashioned projectile guns and missiles are the main armament of the military, and only desultory work has been done on more advanced weapons despite the legacy of the JSA and the advanced nations that had been members alongside the Republic. Even now the Republic relies mostly on direct-fire ballistic projectiles, with starships mounting heavy cannon and lightweight point defence guns while only one military vehicle uses any form of missiles, the 'Chiron' Aerial Defence Vehicle. Despite all this, the Republic has honed basic projectile weaponry to a high degree of proficiency. Advanced digital sights, electronic round counters and a staggeringly wide variety of ammunition differs the Republic from any lower tech state.

‘Hekatonkheires’ Global Fire Command System – The ‘Hekatonkheires’ is an innovative approach to a problem that the combined Republic military branches have mulled over for a number of decades; how best to contest an enemy orbital-based assault from the ground? Traditionally, weapons such as the ‘Sarissa’ have been ground-launched and put under the control of orbiting space stations. In exercises, the older method worked well, but in such times total loss of any mobile naval support was never anticipated.

The events of recent times have shown that the Nautikon and the Stratia would be foolish to assume their orbital presence in war theatres. Instead, it was ordered to create a way in which solely-ground based forces could coordinate defensive fire against enemy orbital assets, as well as any atmospheric strike craft. The ‘Hekatonkheires’ instead takes absolute control of all long-range anti-air and anti-orbital assets, controlling theoretically hundreds of different weapons systems at a time, with the intention of wielding them in concert and with a decisiveness that multiple organic operators couldn't begin to match.

This sheer processing and decision-making cycle speed is due in the main to the use of the Abyss; the Hekatonkheires is tied into this virtual reality world, and no civilian has dared to approach the borders of the system's programming for fear of the formidable defences and counter-responses it can muster, both in the Abyss and the real world. In theory, it is believed that the 'Hekatonkheires' will be able to provide an effective, real-time, global-level defence platform. However, the system remains untested, and it is the hope of the Republic's military planners that the situation remains so for a very long time to come.

'Huoguo' Anti-Ship Missile - Named for the 'fire pot', a communal meal shared by families on Cao-Xhan, the 'Huoguo' is the standard anti-shipping armament of the Yang-class Penteres. Fitted with a warhead derived from the same design as the Sunburst spatial mine, 'Huoguo's are chemical-burning missiles fired from tubes. Slow, but with a heavy punch, they are most often used against large mobile targets, or fixed fortifications. These missiles are carried on all Yang-variant ships, with a larger version equipped to space stations.

‘Kestrosphendonè’ Multi-Warhead Missile – The ‘Kestrosphendonè’ is a relative innovation, used by the Huli Jing gunship. Operating on an infra-red targeting system, it is capable of acquiring both ground and aerial targets, and constitutes a vital part of the Stratia's armaments. The MWM consists of a casing holding a seeker projectile and a trio of live warheads to which the seeker relays target information constantly.

Kinetic Plasma-Assisted Weapon - Prior to, and indeed for a significant part of the early years, of the Trade War saw the Nautikon of Sagittar using conventional gunpowder weapons to arm their spaceships. While these did have the advantage of using caseless rounds, still in service for ground-based weapons as well as spatial fighters and point-defence, they lacked sufficient velocity to be anything more than adequate at short range. A design team in 178 AE working on ways to store drive plasma to serve as a possible short-term power source for fighters made the realisation that drive plasma, if suitably pressurised, could easily propel an anti-ship shell at a much higher velocity than the conventional rounds.

This was the advent of the KPAW's. First deployed on the Titan-Gamma class, they were quickly refitted to the Titan-Alpha, Beta, and Strategion-variants. In theory, the weapons are simple enough in operation; conduits leading from the drives through the turret rings connect to the containers located at the rear of each KPAW. From there, the pressurised plasma is opened into the chamber, propelling the shell out of the barrel, which also allows each KPAW to see use as an RCS point, though this prevents it from offensive use while in operation.

Despite the inherent disadvantage of the KPAW's vulnerable plasma containers in their tendency to disastrously detonate upon taking fire, something only solved with the advent of detachment points, the system will remain in service for the foreseeable future. The Nautikon, always swift to look for any advantage, has in fact repeatedly shelved proposals for railgun systems on the grounds that they don't offer the reliability and maintenance ease of the KPAW.

'Kontos' Anti-Tank Guided Missile - The Kontos is one of the most important weapons in use with Stratia forces. It carries an dual-mode seeker, allowing it to either operate in automaton mode in situations where speed and volume is more necessary than pinpoint accuracy, or can be laser-guided by a designation team when precision is demanded. While mainly intended for use by aerial vehicles, the 'Kontos' is also in use with 'Kentaurus' vehicles.

'Sarissa' Planetary Denial Missile - The single largest missile in service with the Republic's armed forces, Sarissai are nuclear-warhead carrying weapons devised for the singular purpose of suppressing enemy forces that have orbital superiority over high-value Polyarchy territory. While not progressed beyond a proposal, it has been rumoured that the imported 'Ji' LRSDASM's warhead may see revision for use in a much larger anti-shipping use by defence platforms.

'Styx Ferry' Enhanced Yield Air-To-Surface Weapon – A development of the ‘Sarissa’, the ‘Styx Ferry’ is a nuclear weapon altered to emit massive amounts of neutron radiation, intended for situations where maximum organic lethality is desired.

'Sunburst' Spatial Denial Weapon - The 'Sunburst' is a weapon of Xhanese design. Based on a core of uranium-238 refined into plutonium-239, the mine is derived from weapons used to blockade the occupying forces on the Xhanese moon of Guangdo. Modern 'Sunburst's are radar-detonated multi-megaton weapons designed to be low-detection and, for their firepower, low-volume.

'Xyston' Active Area Defence Missile - The 'Xyston' is the projectile component of the 'Chiron' Aerial Defence Vehicle's HOPLON system. Each missile is approximately 40 centimetres long, with a range of around one mile. The 'Xyston's are stored in a vertical launch cell system carried in the rear of the Chirons for ease of operation and loading. When the on-board radar system detects enemy missiles inbound within the defensive mile radius of the system, a single AADM is launched to destroy it. While efficient in defeating small-scale attacks, the HOPLON's 'Xyston's can easily be overwhelmed by massed volleys, and are of zero use against dumb-fired rockets.

Foreign-Created Munitions

'Ji' Laserhead Anti-Ship Missile; The Republic's weapons tech is, for its size and age, still relatively simple. Simple gunpowder weapons and nuclear missiles are all that comprise its main naval armoury, but this does not stop the various weapons-makers and munitions cartels from continually trying to develop new equipment to alter the make-up of the Nautikon, not to mention get one-up on rival companies. The Ji is the result of one such effort, with the Stavridis-Hwang Cartel covertly dealing with the Corleigh Armaments & Development Corporation of the Raumreich to import their LRSDASM weapons. As of this moment, the Cartel is believed to be testing the Ji aboard the Yang-Er class Penteres, Tianlong.

Plasma Reactors

Ever since the end of the Trade War, and the unification of Sagittarian and Xhanese technology, the scientists of the Republic have steadily worked on myriad improvements and designs for the nation. One of the earliest of these was the so-called 'tokamak' plasma reactor. Based on a toroidal ring design, the tokamak relies on deuterium and tritium fuel to power it, causing those fuels to be significantly in demand thanks to the heavy use of the tokamak reactor on military and civilian vessels.

Jump Drive

The very first spaceships known to the Republic were slower-than-light generational ships, the colonisation vessels Gaia and Yǔshān. Nobody knows the exact origination point of either vessel, but one thing was obvious for the Sagittarians; STL was a barrier that absolutely had to be broken if they wanted to ever see the outside of their system in a reasonable time limit. The result was the Jump Drive. For reasons of security, knowledge of the drive's operation is tightly controlled; export of any Jump-equipped vessels is prohibited, and those who work with the drives require background checks.

What little is known is the general effect of the Jump Drive; it acts as a gravitic weight, or shotput. The generator 'throws' itself to the coordinates specified, or as close as possible, along with the ship it contains by radiating outwards. However, the Jump Drive is not a miracle device; while capable of providing instantaneous travel, it is not accurate at long ranges, as the power draw required for long-range jumps can disrupt the location systems. For this reason, most FTL vessels perform short ranged 'stutter' jumps, with the exception of military vessels which are more likely to perform the longer jumps.

Rumours persist that the Republic's own researchers are carrying out studies into the possibility of a 'gate' system using the Jump Drive, directing the drive's field inwards towards a transported vessel. Whether or not this shall work, remains to be seen.

Prosthetics

Even in the current society, medical technology can only do so much in healing heavily damaged limbs, and growing new replacements is still the stuff of fiction. To that end, the people of Cao-Xhan took the lead in developing body-replacement prosthetics. The first one ever created in the Republic was attached to a survivor of a warrenbeast attack, a young woman who had lost her left leg. Following this successful operation, prosthetics became more and more common across Cao-Xhan, being used as replacements for damaged limbs or even used by those who preferred the feel of a limb of metal and cables over flesh and bone. Original prosthetics were crude, often having exposed wiring which could snag on obstructions. In the past seventeen years however, with the influx of Sagittarian design aesthetic, most modern prosthetics are modelled to look like the owner's original limb.

The rise in prosthetic enhancement has led to a distinct subculture arising throughout Republican space, and which is readily identifiable, where people gather to show off the more outrageous prosthetics they can afford (or steal), causing most of the unenhanced population to regard Pro's as being somewhat suspicious. This trait is not helped by the uncouthness of the lower class labourers who use their prosthetics for manual labour, or the few gang members who run in the backstreets of Sagittar and Cao-Xhan.

The Abyss

The Abyss is a cybernetic world of data accessible to machines and those modified with the ability to access it through broadband receptors. Many of those accessing the Abyss for the first time call it such as it appears as a vast emptiness surrounding them, representing the vastness of all the knowledge in the universe and the fact that facts, like an abyss, are truly endless. More experienced users however have the ability to form their own private view of the Abyss, and can manipulate it to appear in a more user-friendly fashion, referred to as 'shaping'. Professional shapers are often used to access the Abyss for private and public concerns.

Information in the Abyss that is private is often formed into groups with other information held by the owners. Depending on the shaper accessing it, this data can look like digital data blocks, a box of files in a dusty storage room, and even a forest of trees that are always just out of reach. These groups, or clusters, are guarded by demi-sentient defence viruses, automated mindfences and shaped automatons, imprints left by a defending shaper to fight intrusions. The rest of the Abyss is used as a virtual meeting ground for those who desire exclusivity in their social groups, or to conduct shady backroom deals out of the view of the law. In fact, the Abyss is so easily shaped and so utilitarian that nearly any role users require can be formed from it.

Energy Sources

Cao-Xhan is a remarkably volcanically active world. The native warrenbeasts migrate to follow the heat of the underground magma lakes which are used to help power the domed cities of the Xhanese. Each settlement will have at least one power station tapping the bedrock, while huge crawlers tread the landscape equipped with mobile rigs allowing them to tap thermal energy and store it in capacitors. These crawlers also have a secondary purpose of acting as miners, digging out precious rare earth elements and needed ores, refining them in great onboard facilities before taking them back to the nearest city.

Sagittar on the other hand adopts a multitude of energy sources. The farming province of Corinth uses biomass-powered plants almost exclusively, and exports surplus biomass to other provinces in times of shortage. The province of Gytheia, next to the great ocean uses both hydro and solar power due to the weather conditions it experiences. The city of Sicyon is somewhat of a 'problem child' however, in that Sicyon power plants are nearly one-hundred percent coal-fired. Despite the advances in purification technology, many still believe these power plants to be damaging the environment, and the Archontes are forced to address the issue frequently.

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

A

ABYSS - A virtual reality that stores all the knowledge of the Republic.
AGEMA – Ceremonial unit often used to guard important buildings and civilians.
ANTHROPOS - Anthropos is the term used to describe a citizen of the Republic. Due to the inherent belief in their own superiority, even those who try to acknowledge other species as equal to their own fall into the trap of possessing an 'us and them' attitude best exemplified by the use of Anthropos, meaning human, for the Republic's citizens. (Related, see - BARBAROS)
ARGONAUT - The smallest kind of 'true' warship in the Nautikon. Each Argonaut mounts a variety of point-defence, light and heavy guns to take on a multitude of foes. Despite being the newest warships in the military's possession, they are also the most commonly seen thanks to their role.
ASTHETAIROI– Special forces units. While technically only applying to Stratia-commanded forces, the term is also used for government organisations who have the wherewithal and the funds to operate their own, similarly operating, units.

B

BARBAROS - Catch-all term for people of a different group other than the Republic. Because of this, it is commonly used as a pejorative term, and those who use it are oft-associated with radical isolationists.

C

CATAPHRACT – Originally referring to 'armoured horseman', the term was first applied to armoured combat vehicles in the mid-stages of the Sicyon War. Following the end of the war, it was adopted as the main term for the heaviest ACV's which are often tracked.
CHILLIARCH – Commander of a Pentekostyes.

D

DIALING - Those with minor cybernetic modifications, such as an arm or a leg, often lack the full support system that would allow them to use their prosthetics without creating severe bodily self-trauma. As a result, many choose to undergo the 'dialing' procedure, which limits the force capable of being exerted by the limb to within natural tolerances.
DILOCHITES - A leader of a Systasis or platoon.
DREPANÈPHOROS - Derived from the word for a chariot, the drepanephoros is a term for any fighter in service, either atmospheric or spatial.

E

EKDROMOI – The collective name for soldiers who function as marines, guarding naval vessels and facilities in both space and on ground.
ENOMOTIAI – The first tier where separate units are combined, these often consist of two battalions for ground forces, while the term for the navy designates a three ship squadron of Tetrērēs-class warships or a single Pentrērēs-class vessel.

F

FAKER - Someone who wears sinskin. 'Faker' is now a derogatory term used by radical Pro's for what they see as a betrayal of the superiority of the cybernetically-formed. Non-enhanced often use it as well to denigrate what they see as people who are no longer entirely human.

G

GUN-RIG - A term for a makeshift gunship, gun-rigs were first used in the later years of the Sagittarian's initial ventures into their solar system. It was not unknown for ships belonging to rival traders to duel in the depths of space, out of sight, or at least influence, of what few armed ships the Sagittarians had. Dozens of these kinds of vessels were made in the early years of the Trade War as the Nautikon requisitioned and converted merchantmen for service.

H

HEMIOLIA – General term for a small warship used as an adjunct to heavier combatants, or for a non-combat role
HIPPARCHIA - A battalion-level unit, the Hipparchia is an standard mechanised infantry unit equipped with the most advanced vehicles, and forms the main offensive force of the Stratia.
HIPPARCHOS – Leader of a Hipparchia.
HIPPEIS – Mechanised Infantry.
HIPPIKON – General term for APC’s and IFV’s.
HIPPOTOXOTAI – Artillery vehicle.
HOPLITE – Infantryman (Rank).
HOPLON - An active protection system mounted on Chiron ADV's to shoot down incoming enemy missiles.
HYPASPIST – Executive/staff officer.

I

INFORMATION SEIZURE - An information seizure occurs when a first-time user of the Abyss enters and is completely overwhelmed by the neural stimulation offered. This is often caused by the user attempting to gather far too much information than their cortex can handle causing it to shut-down in reflex. Ninety-eight percent of all Information Seizures end up in comas, lasting from such varied times as a few days to years at a time. An additional one and a half percent of seizures end in traumatic brain death. The last half-percent are the luckiest as they manage to live through the experience of a seizure intact.

J

JUMP DRIVE - Term for the faster-than-light travel mechanism used by the Republic. Jump Drive technology is still an expanding field within Republic society, ranging from study of the underlying principles to the biological effects on users to archaeology based on discovering the history of the drive.

K

L

LEMBOS – A collective term for small craft incapable of performing inter-planetary movement, these range from shuttles to landing craft to atmosphere-capable gunships.
LIMEN – Harbour, typically civilian. Limenes will exist in both endo and exo-atmospheric conditions, with sufficiently small craft being able to land on a planet's surface while larger ones are forced to make anchor in orbit.
LIMEN KLEISTOI – Although this originally meant a closed or private harbour, in popular vernacular this has changed to referring to a military or government dockyard.
LOCHAGOS – Leader of a Lochos.
LOCHOS – Largest permanent force in existence. Four exist, with three being garrison commands for the two occupied systems of the Republic, as well as a deep-space trading station while the fourth consists of a training and reserve command.
LOW-RIDE - A tactic first formulated in the beginning of the Trade War, this saw a ship, normally one not designed for such a purpose, diving from orbit into the atmosphere in order to strafe enemy troop concentrations with shipboard weapons-fire. While the main warships of the Nautikon are far too large to enter atmosphere, this term is still used to refer to an action that, while severely improbable, ends sucessfully.

M

MEAT - Derogatory term for someone who does not have a prosthetic, derived from the word 'meatbag' from a character of an old electronic interactive media form.
MORA – Composite force consisting of individual syndicos brought together for a serious offensive or defensive campaign.
MUSE - A successor, or rather counterpart, to the 'Titan'-class, the Muse is a penteres equipped with far fewer guns, all of which are medium, but carries far more fighters which are also more advanced.

N

NAUPEGIA – Dockyards.
NAUS - Ship.
NEOSOIKOI – Ship sheds (these are specially constructed stations designed to hold ships while they await time in a dockyard or are deactivated into the reserve)

O

P

PELTAST – The manufacturing designation for the Nautikon's prime series of naval spatial superiority fighters. There are currently three models of the Peltast in existence.
PEMPAS - The basic six-man fire-team.
PENKARCHOS - Leader of a Pempas.
PENTEKOSTYES – For the Stratia, a pentekostyes will consist of at least one enomotiai with individual supporting battalions, while the Nautikon will construct such a unit from at least one Tetrērēs enomotiai with either additional Tetrērēs, or a Pentērēs.
PENTERES – As of now, penteres are the largest warships in the Nautikon, and while existing in far less numbers, they are individually far more capable than smaller tetreres. As befitting their progenitors, a penteres-level vessel mounts five reactors, three of which are primary power-generators with a pair of emergency back-up devices.
PHAROS – Lighthouse (this refers to the navigational beacon stations which guide ships into harbours).
PLASTIC-SHEET - The common name for the sole physical currency used within the territorial bounds of the Republic, these come in a wide variety of denominations, and are manufactured by a hard-wearing and flexible plastic to minimise damage and allow many to be carried as easily as old paper-based currency of the early years of Sagittar.
POLEMARCH – Leaders of Syndicos (Due to the emergency nature of a Syndicos’ formation, the senior Lochagos often assumes this responsibility).
PRO - Short for 'Prosthene', a Pro is someone who carries a cybernetic limb or body-part. Officially referred to in the media as 'the cybernetically-formed', many associate this with the old form of political correctness used for those who were crippled, mentally or physically, and as a result view it as a condescending term.
PROSTHETIC - A mechanical bodypart tied into the central nervous system designed to replace a missing limb.

Q

R

ROCKOUT - One of the most common illegal drugs that can be had in Republican space, Rockout is a sense-enhancer. Often found in the ownership of hedonists who will take it before attending parties, or in the hands of music enthusiasts. The Sagittarian shatterrock band 'Soundcheck', is particularly notorious for their practice of often selling heavily discounted packets of Rockout to their fans in discreet locations during concerts to enhance the experience. Rockout is a gel-like substance, and is used by mixing with any form of drinkable liquid. For this reason, it does not work with lifeforms incapable of ingesting human baseline drinks.

S

SINSKIN - Originally termed 'synthskin' by developers, sinskin is an artificial skin/muscle coating designed for use over prosthetics. The newer name is derived from religious protesters who called it 'sinskin' for allowing Pro's to cover up their 'blasphemous' enhancements to look fully organic. In its basic form, sinskin has a distinctive yellow pallor to it that can be adapted to look like real skin-tones by use of expensive chemicals. However, even the cheapest chemicals capable of altering sinskin are still relatively expensive, leaving many Pro's to avoid using sinskin at all. Sinskin is also inert, meaning that it cannot heal tears or cuts, and body hair is not present unless specially adapted for the wearer.
SKEUOTHEKAE – Arsenals. The same term is used for the ground facilities that house the stored weapons and vehicles of the Stratia as for the chambers on Nautikon vessels where Ekdromoi units store their personal weapons.
SOMATOPHYLAKES – A personal guard unit for officers of Lochagos rank or above.
STRATEGOS – Leader of a Mora (These are the highest-ranked officers in the military. As such, they will almost never take the field.)
SYNDICOS – Assembled out of smaller Lochos in emergencies, such as fending off organised military incursions.
SYSTASIS - A thirty-six strong platoon. Eight of these constitute a Tagma/Hipparchia, allowing units to be quickly deployed as necessary allowing maximum tactical flexibility.

T

TAGMA – The Tagma is in size the equivalent of a Hipparchia, and is formed out of Ekdromoi for the purpose of guarding sufficiently important naval facilities.
TAGMATARCHE – Leader of a Tagma.
TAXIARCH – Leader of an Enomotiai.
TETRERE – These are the smallest ‘proper’ warships in the Navy, and are the most commonly seen outside of the two core systems of the Republic. As a tetreres is not as self-sufficient in combat as its larger brother, these ships are most often formed into groups of three on missions where raw combat power is needed, and often split up on patrols where the ability to cover more ground is better-suited. Vessels of this level mount four reactors, two primary and two secondary.
TITAN - The oldest form of penteres in service. Mixes heavy kinetic batteries along with a moderate fighter capacity. These ships are old and due for retirement when a suitable replacement is found.
TWO-HUNDRED - Published by Mǐn & Solon of Acraeus, the Two-Hundred is an annual listing of the two-hundred most profitable companies. It is a matter of pride for any business to attempt to get its name on the list at least once, and of the top twenty companies, only three have made their position within the last ten years.

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

[Dreadful Sagittarius]

Corporations of Note

Katsoros Shipping Incorporated - One of the largest corporations in the entire Republic, KSI is also one of the oldest. Originally founded in 45 AE by an ex-member of the victorious Constanzakis army's supply train, the company specialised in logistics, investing in the petroleum engine developed during the conflict to move shipping and road-bound transport. By the time of the Trade War, KSI was a respected company with solid annual profits, but it was the accession of the then-teenaged Demetrios Katsoros in 162 AE which boosted the company's profile, and bottom-line, to heights it since has not fallen from. The young man's idea of converting the standard 'Demeter'-series agricultural vehicles to military use was a resounding success, with the company opening three more factories as a result to cope with demand.

However, by 182 AE, it was clear that the momentum of the war was squarely with the Sagittarian forces. Demetrios' decision to sell the design and rights to the Demeter-series caused a wave of discontent within the company, with board members attempting to remove him as head of the corporation, while share-prices fell as confidence took a hit. However, Demetrios proved to have his eye on the long-term, calculating that the time until the end of the Trade War proper was enough for the Xhanese people to forget who had originally built the Demeter variants that had been used by Sagittarian forces, with the result that KSI was one of the first companies to be welcomed by Xhanese investors.

Stavridis-Hwang Cartel - While not on the level of their competitors in the Wei-Xia Global Defence corporation, Stavridis-Hwang stand out in their field of defence systems. It was one of their people who made the deal with the Valinor Corleigh group of the Raumreich for the importation of the LRSDASM weapon, and the corporation's own R&D section is said to be engaged in work on a laser-based anti-ship weapon to replace the KPAWS bought by Wei-Xia in 205 AE.

Tiějiang Foundries - Among all the industries of the Republic, Tiějiang stands as a beacon of ingenuity. The company was founded as the brainchild of the man who first pioneered the early prosthetics in 142 AE, a move designed to help improve the livelihood of those Xhanese who were crippled thanks to accidents and attacks. The man, now known only as 'Grandfather', was motivated to design the original prototype when his own daughter lost her left leg in a warrenbeast attack. A clunky thing, with none of the sleekness associated with modern prosthetics, the artificial limb proved one thing; the limitations of the human body could be overcome. For years afterwards, the company manufactured their products, until the war came. No-one knows why it happened, but one night an air-raid took place on the isolated facility of Tiějiang. The factory was ruined, its flaming corpse still burning for days afterwards, with search teams still digging out the bodies for weeks. Among them was 'Grandfather' and the entire research department. By the end of the war, the company still hadn't recovered, and only in the last decade has it made its way back into the Two-Hundred. While it still markets prosthetics, they lack the stylised sleekness of the latest Wei-Xia Global or the versatile range made by CybCom Consolidated.

Only the highest-ranking members of the Tiějiang Foundries know the secret of the group's success beyond the modest profit in building crude prosthetics; a subtle link with Suidochi Synthetics of the Huerdaen Star Empire. While SS does not market the valuable Huerdaen augmentations, they instead provide a source of black-market modifications for those with the need for less than legal body-parts. In addition, the company operates a number of Heavy Augment clinics around the borders of the HSE, paying lucrative finders fees to Tiějiang for sending customers their way. In recent years the company has become of some note to the Republic's military forces, thanks to its innovative work in creating the Lei Gong armoured suit. Unbeknownst to the government of the Republic, the main neural net for the Lei Gong was only devised successfully thanks to Huerdaen intervention in the form of Suidochi Synthetics aiding Tiějiang once more.

Famous Personages

Anna Katsoros - A tightly-disciplined officer of the Nautikon, Anna Katsoros is one of two things to people in the naval forces of the Republic; Either a shining example of how even an outsider to the great military families of the Republic can rise to a position of note in the Nautikon, or the worst disgrace to the honour of the Archontes in living memory. Rampant rumours about her father, a wealthy shipping magnate's, hand in her passing the Academy exams and being pushed for command roles abound. While Antiploiarchos, or captain, of the Ranger-class hemiolia PNV A-41, she conducted first contact with the alien race identified as the Maekari, and was later rewarded for her conduct with promotion to Hypasist of PNV Autolycus.

Demeterios Katsoros - Founder and majority owner of Katsoros Shipping Incorporated. As a young man Demetrios took the opportunities offered by the invasion of Xhanese space to convert the manufacturing line in agricultural transports to military vehicles for the Stratia, neatly cornering the market on such production with the ease of use, robustness, and the low unit price of the vehicles. Within twenty years, Katsoros-built Demeter-class vehicles were used as the basis for dozens of conceivable variants, with later models built by new hands as the original agricultural line was sold off to new owners, with modern-day versions of the Demeter still in use. As a member of the influential trading families of Sagittar, Demeterios is not shy about building up the merchant influence, using his own position and reach to ease the way for his daughter Anna's accession into the ranks of the Nautikon.

Achileus Sicyon - Son of the founder of the city of Sicyon, young Achileus envied the prosperity of the neighbouring city-states. By the age of sixteen, his father had died suddenly in an industrial accident. Within a year, the young successor had taken firm control of his city, and instituted a programme of military build-up, with crude gun-powder weapons and armoured vehicles being bulk-manufactured. He takes over two neighbouring towns with the threat of military force, as well as a number of remote villages. When a pan-Sagittarian delegation was despatched to enquire as to what had happened, Achileus had them thrown from the walls of his new palace. Following the counter-attack by the new army of Jason Constanzakis, a brutal war occurred, with the young tyrant eventually thrown back to his own city by the burgeoning forces of a united liberation army. In a gunfight atop the walls of his black-marbled palace, Achileus inflicted a mortal wound on Jason, only to be shot dead in turn by his opponent who he thought dead.

Historical Events Of Note

The Trade War - Born of the struggle for economic superiority between Sagittar and Cao-Xhan, the Trade War was a brutal conflict that outdid any others before it in terms of sheer cruelty. Lasting over four decades, nearly a million people died in the conflict which saw ships, orbital stations and planetary settlements alike crushed into dust as both sides evolved from crude militias and private military vessels to great state-owned behemoths of war and professionalised, lavishly equipped ground forces. While many of the eldest generations look back on their counterparts with dislike caused by the war, nearly all would agree that despite any lingering problems, the Republic is greater than the sum of its parts.

Military Units Of Note

Bǎolěi Squad - A 'Chalkapis' unit, Baolei is a twelve-strong team under the command of Kallias, a Sagittarian Stratia veteran who goes by the callsign of 'Pretty Boy'. Due to the oddities of the Chalkapis organisation, none of the unit is actually an official member of the military, and operate solely under the authority of the Central Intelligence Directorate. As of 213AE, the unit's roster lists the following members; 'Pretty Boy', 'Tunnelrat', 'Eyes', 'Boomboom', 'Spidey', 'Holyman', 'Hound', 'Glory', 'Korinna', 'Babe', 'Lykou' and 'Blueball'.

The Harpies - The 3rd Tagma has a proud history in the Stratia. One of the original units from the Sagittarian militia that preceded the ‘New Model Army’, it was noted for having the highest ratio of female-to-male personnel in the NMA. It gained another measure of fame when it proved to be the sole unit that not only survived the Guangdo Stand relatively intact, but actually managed to organise a covert evacuation off Guangdo in the beginning of 163AE. Following their adoption into the new army, the 3rd was organised into an airborne unit operating from Argos-class dropships, converted cargo-haulers with little armour and no weapons. Despite that, the 3rd consistently outperformed all other tagmas, even as they took the casualties to reflect it. When in 211AE the first Zhennaio was released as a prototype, it was the Harpies who received it, and to this day they are the only unit to be fully equipped with the hybrid gunship/transport. It is not for nothing that since using it, the unit has readily adopted a new motto; ‘Whirlwinds of fire we ride, come forth to shatter your pride’.