Bleakbane’s Galaxy Guide: Herosine Empire

[Aotrs Shipyards]

Dates and Comparative Units

These guides use galactic-standard dates and comparative units (to assess vehicle and starship capabilities), the explanations for which are given below.

Dates:

Dates listed on the galactic standard calendar. When given relative to present, this is relative to the year of writing (2347). To translate dates to Earth-E Julian (or Gregorian) calendar, simply subtract 326 years.

      Units (Starships):

      mc: Millilights. Acceleration from full stop, assessed over ten seconds (in fractions of the speed of light (c)).

      MEU: Manoeuvre/Evasion Units: Comparative scale of manoeuvrability; derivation includes the nominal radians per second of maximum sustainable/safe G-force turns at a standard speed of 0.1c.

      TXq: Teraxyllaqens (the x is pronounced “ch”). The xyllaqen (originating from Royal Elven Kingdoms) is a galactic-standard unit of (comparative) power (output or dispersion) measurement, assessed over a weapon’s firing period against a set accuracy band (for direct-fire weapons), by warhead yield (for warheads) or by maximum energy dispersion capacity before collapse (assessed for a single, non-penetrating attack) for shields.

Starship armour is measured in Armour Integrity Capacity (in teraxyllaqens). This is assessed as the nominal point at which the armour has received sufficient Xq to have been penetrated/ablated to the point it is compromised (e.g. has too many holes in it to work).

For both armour and shields, these values are not necessarily indicative of deflective, ablative or penetrative resistance (especially with regard to lighter fighter or point-defence scale weapons), though it should be noted that for capital ship-scale weapons, these effects are small in relation to the effects of actual armour destruction, due to the very high power levels of starship weaponry.

Planetary-class weapons are usually classed without an accuracy consideration, since accuracy against their intended targets is a non-issue.

Xyllaquens are named for an Elven scientist. They were introduced to (before eventually being adopted by) humans during the first-contact data sharing. The use of the unit is due to the wide variety of wildly differing types of weapon, shields and armour types (both known and unknown). A direct comparison using, say, Earth-E IS energy units (e.g. comparing projectile muzzle energy to energy weapon Wattage) does not take these variations into account and could thus be very misleading or require that armour and shield be rated against each individual type of weapon separately, which could quickly snowball into an impractical number of ratings. (E.g. kinetic impact, disrupters, disintegrators, electroblasters, coldbeams, thermal, many different kinds of explosives etc. Even “thermal,” which includes lasers, lazers, blasters and plasma weapons would be an over-simplification, due to the variation in effect even those related weapons.)

      Units (Ground Forces):

Vehicular-scale weapons and armour are categorised into Power Tiers. These are broad classifications of energy output (for weapons) or dispersion (for armour). Unlike starships, where the variance in magnitude tends to be more linear, the more varied ranges, fire-rates and differing power levels the Power Tier system includes an exponential component, and is not a linear scale. (Note that this means it does not have a direct conversion to TXqs.)

Shield ratings are categorised by Penetration Resistance and Barrier Strength.

Penetration Resistance is given as a percentage of deflection under standard test conditions.

Barrier Strength is an approximation of how much energy a shield can absorb from weapons before collapsing. Unlike the starship TXq rating, due to the lower forces and relatively much smaller geometries, deflection, penetration and other factors (such as atmospheric effects) are taken in account by the calculations. Barrier Strength is a derived factor obtained by resistance to a test-standard Tier 10 weapon benchmark.

Overview

The Herosine Empire[1] has long been a monument to the worst human excesses. It is a mega-corporation turned major power. Notorious for both its wealth and its greed and corruption, the Herosine Empire nevertheless has persisted from its birth early in the space colonisation race, maintaining a stranglehold on commercial starship manufacturing that has never been challenged. The Herosines have strong cultural allusions to ancient Rome, and they show a surprisingly self-aware presence of mind about their own corruption and evil activities, seeming to revel in their depravities.

The capital world, Herosine, was colonised in 2080 as corporate venture by Kandrani Arms, which shortly thereafter renamed itself Herosine Arms. Outside of any political influence, Herosine was an independent world and subject to no laws but its own. Herosine’s abundant resources were excellently – if somewhat ruthlessly – managed by the executives, quickly lead it to become a major economic exporter. The arms trade was an ideal business for the Herosine colony to invest in, selling numerous arms to many nascent powers and mercenary groups. Far enough away to be out of the major spheres of influence, but close enough for food trade, the Herosine Arms Corporation flourished. The onset of the First Sol War – in which Herosine remained staunchly neutral – gave the corporation a boost which set in in place as a solid economic power.

The cultural direction of the Herosine population has always been largely dictated by its corporate overlords. Iconography from myth and ancient history proved a powerful tool to those ends, though it was applied only in a shallow, typically corporate fashion. “Herosine” itself was a bastardisation from the Greek “Heros” to mean “like Heroes.” Then in 2142, in the chaos of the first Cybertank attacks, the Herosines declared their first Emperor, and officially went from corporation to government.  The then-CEO of Herosine Arms (Orfeo Savio Traini) was of (somewhat distant) American-Italian descent and took the cultural influences one step further. In his coronation speech, he spoke of making a “new Roman Empire.”

Traini became Imperator Nerva Traianus I – or Emperor Trajan. He hoped that the same success of the Roman Emperor of that name would come to him; Traini regard the historical Trajan highly and considered himself a successor. Surprisingly, he was proven right. He was the most successful Emperor the Herosine Empire has ever had. He was, in the twilight of his reign, honoured – like his namesake – with the addition of “Optimus.”

It was not long afterwards that the Herosine Empire’s shipyards began to trade their wares on the public market in anger. In a shrewd move, the Emperor sacrificed much of the current profits from those sales to establish the Herosine Empire as the biggest independent source of starships outside of the major powers’ own military contractors. Despite the complaints of the wealthy senators, the Emperor’s gamble paid off in spades, and the Herosine Empire rose to become one of, if not the, wealthiest power per capita.

The Herosine Empire’s economic might was not well matched by its size, however. While the Herosines made a great deal of expansion continuously over the two hundred years until the present, it was really only in 2336 they achieved enough size and military influence to be classified as a true major power.

The Herosine Empire today is extremely powerful, though still small in terms of territory held, due its comparatively low population. In addition to the steady trade on arms and starship hulls (which until recently, included – through subsidiaries – even their enemies), they gain a great deal of wealth from slave trading and anything else that takes their fancy. The Empire is now ruled by the Council of Twelve, the head of which is the Emperor. The Emperor is elected by the other council members. Half the council are publically known; the identities of the others are hidden. The Emperor does all the public addresses, and is thus the most visible target, and so it is not always the best of positions – in the past there have been fierce power struggles over who is not the next Emperor.

The Herosine population divided into two groups in a mirror of the Roman Empire that was more coincidental that deliberate. The top strata are very affluent, much more so that the equivalent positions in other societies, but characterised with greed and materialistic values.

Below that are the proletariat: indentured workers, slaves and robotic servitors.  Most of the roles that are typically served by working classes are filled by robots or slaves. Indentured workers tend to be employed in higher status and less menial jobs than slaves and robots. They are marginally better off, in that in theory they can work off their debts, but in practise are closer to slaves in name, if ones with the slightly higher standing. This is a comparatively small class, however, as one only becomes an indentured worker through the economic machinations of a corporate overlord or as punishment.

The human Herosine people are out-numbered by their slaves. Slaves are a commodity, and most are from one of the four subject races whose worlds the Herosines conquered. Slaves have few rights and those that exist seem only to be there so that the Herosine can take pleasure in violating them.

A particularly Herosine oddity is that slaves are paid. Not in money, but in “Slave Credits.” Slave Credits are an officially recognised artificial currency traded in by the slaves to buy privileges. Privileges might be something as relatively mundane as extra food rations or time off. They might also be used to allow a slave to be quartered with another (in as close to marriage as is permitted) or buy permission to have (or retain) children. But most often, they are used as a means of control. At its heart, this is a system design for psychological manipulation. Slave Credits are used to fuel activities that are permitted to slaves for the express purpose of encouraging addictive behaviour. This can be as obvious as a drug habit or more insidiously via mental addiction to sex, gaming or gambling (or all at once). By dangling the carrot of the reward of Slave Credits, the slave in encouraged towards good behaviour (or at least what the master decides is “good”) and hard work so that can earn Slave Credits to feed their addiction (or their children).

Slave Credits are awarded more or less on a whim by the master, though there is a set of broad guidelines ascribed to the cost of activities. The Herosines have discovered a trickle of Slave Credits with bonuses tends to make more compliant slaves than merely an occasional reward. Slave Credits do not have any true purchasing power, however and while Herosines themselves might buy and trade Slave Credits amongst themselves there is no true conversion between Slave Credits and real currency.

The Herosines do not generally take slaves from outside the Empire (unless they think they can get away with it), as this would most likely cause other powers to wage war on them, and war is something the Herosine do not want unless it is on their terms (i.e. they can make a profit on it).

Despite the large slave population the Empire suffers little real danger of a revolt – the Herosine’s legions of advanced robot troops ensure that their organic slave population remains fully under control. Despite some stylistic comparisons to the Roman Legions, the Herosine Empire does not have a true professional standing army. The vast majority of their armed forces are robotic troops with human leaders. While there are some career military soldiers and sailors, in all levels of armed forces, military power is seen as a stepping stone to greater economic and social power and influence. While extremely well equipped, Herosine armed forces are often poorly-led and sloppy, leaning on their wealth and expensive technology to carry the day.

Of the many large corporations which the Herosine Empire has built its wealth upon, the Herosine Arms Corporation itself and General Designs Hulls are among the most famous. GDH provides a disproportionate amount of starship hulls sold on the market to worlds or power with limited manufacturing capabilities of their own and Herosine Arms weapons – on the personal through to the starship level – are among the widely available in the galactic community.

Military Technology

The Herosine Empire’s overall technology level is roughly to the galactic standard, but its application is wildly varied. In terms of purely military technology, outside two areas (robotics and shielding) the Herosine Empire has only just broached parity with the galactic standard as of the 2340s. While they have spent centuries making money hand over fist, this success has not always translated well to developing their own technology in areas which are not as profitable.

The Herosines are very advanced in robotics. Civilian life is rife with robots, which are ubiquitous – so much so that slaves are considered more a status symbol than robots or androids. The Herosines are working towards transferring a human mind and soul to a mechanical body to prolong their evil lives, but so far, this has escaped them; the procedure has a 98% chance of failure – enough that only the very desperate will try it.

The Herosine Imperial Army is made up mostly of combat androids, robots and drones. These significantly out-number organics: a standard Herosine ground unit consists of about six mechanoid to one human unit. Aboard ships, about 60-80% of the crew will be mechanoids, including most of the security division. This is the primary reason no-one has ever tried to eliminate the stain of the Herosine Empire; there are tens of thousands of combat machines everywhere.

The Herosine’s combat troops are also available on the common market if one can afford then – the first generation War Droids of Army Of The Red Spear were bought from the Herosine Empire.

Herosine Shield technology is also very advanced. Nearly all ground troops have a limited shield generator, and all combat mechanoids do. In the mid-2330s, advances in shield technology improved the capabilities of shielding. The dispersion capacity is increased only a little under 2%, but the deflective ability is 6% higher and spot-penetration resistance almost doubled. At the behest of the Council of Twelve, the Herosine Empire began a major refitting project to upgrade all of their starships with this new technology. Vessel equipped are denoted with an –I suffix to their vessel classification. Official documentation indicates that the “–I” this is to designate an “Imperator”-class shield, but in truth this is a political definition as even the initial shield development program used “Improved Shield.” By 2345, this improved shield technology had been retrofitted on to all vessels in active combat status.

The Herosine’s choice of weaponry is varied. Herosine vessels tend to have a mix of smaller weapon systems, rather than a few large ones.

The Herosines – with their usual deep pockets – rely on missiles as their primary weapons. Almost all Herosine ground vehicles and most starships carry missiles and/or torpedoes. This doctrine originated from the concession that Herosine technology was behind and they would rely on the greater range of missiles to even the gap. Until the introduction of a new generation of warheads in 2342, their missile technology was inferior to the galactic average in range, accuracy and agility, though the payload was not.

The Herosines use three major types of warheads. Small, conventional (sub-100 TXq) warheads which are often found on smaller vessels and fighters. Capital ships carry warheads containing advanced anti-matter explosives; both missiles and torpedoes carry 750TXq-yield warheads. The missiles have to sacrifice about half of their range to carry such a heavy warhead, so the Herosines also carry missiles with a more conventional 200TXq yield for long range.

The remaining starship weaponry is secondary. Current design doctrine makes use of principally disrupter weaponry (discharging in the green spectrum) for fighters and starships, supplemented by railguns and pulse disrupters; though the exact composition can vary over time, depending what the military think is in vogue (or can get the best price on); across all the military vessels in their entirety is a more scattered mix of blasters, lazers, disintegrators and plasma weapons. Ground vehicles and human troops tend to be equipped with kinetic weapons. Combat droids are equipped with almost anything; lasers, blasters, disrupters, conventional firearms, and even micro-warheads.

Until 2342 and the introduction of newer, more advanced weapons, the Herosine Empire was aware it was out-ranged by many of the other, larger powers, and have took measures. Ship design doctrine requires all Herosine capital ships to carry Screen Drones. These are effectively very small unmanned fighter drones carrying a single large spinal-mount particle accelerators and twin blaster cannons. They fly alongside the parent vessel and provide additional fire support against incoming fighters or missiles.

Ships of the Herosine Imperial Fleet

As a wealthy and affluent major power, the Herosine Imperial Fleet has always comprised a very wide variety of hulls and classes, of which only a selection are presented here. Many other hulls come from smaller manufacturers in the Empire who happened to be owned by or have the support of a particular senator at the time when a new design was required. (Sometimes this need was itself manufactured to enable the contract).

Herosine fleet vessels are sometimes manufactured exactly to spec, but more often are a custom refit of an available hull, albeit one outfitted with slightly superior technology to export versions. As such, the class are given a designation, which is the class name initial followed by a slash and the vessels’ designation. (E.g. DC/FF for the Diocletian Light Frigate based on the Delta frigate hull). As noted, vessels built with or upgraded to the improved shields add “-I” to their class name and designation. (E.g. Diocletian-I Light Frigate (DC-I/FF)).

Herosine vessel classes tend to be named for Roman leaders; the more insane and corrupt the better; vessels themselves are often named for sins, excess and general ill-meanings. The Herosines are nothing if not proud of their own corruption.

Herosine fleet deployment doctrine has the fleet broken in naval detachments, the composition of which is typically formed by a 4/2/1 rule. The typical formation is thus a single vessel of one class (usually the largest ship, but sometimes an escort), with two larger vessels of the same class and four escorts of the same class. Variations of 2/2/2/1 or 4/1/1/1 are not uncommon, as are larger and smaller formations.  Three vessels of the same class in a formation are only typically seen if one is a variant of that class (e.g. an ECM ship) which is considered a different class by the doctrine. It is almost unheard of to see five or more capital ships of the same class in a formation.

Keeping to the doctrine is a point of pride for the Herosine fleet. The reasons for it are somewhat antiquated. It stems from an early rare but potentially catastrophic AI/droid processing glitch which occasionally gave the droid crew problems in dealing with co-ordinating units not divisible by two. The 4/2/1 deployment essentially eliminated the possibility of the bug occurring (at least before battle casualties). The error was corrected within a decade, but the deployment doctrine stuck.

(Editor’s Note: measurements are taken from bounding box extremities.)

Beta Class Screen Drone

Length	5.05m
Width	4.38m
Height	1.20m

Not to be confused with the Beta-series of capital starship hulls, the Beta Screen Drone was introduced in 2342 as replacement for the Alpha Screen Drone. While the Alpha was still relatively new, only being about ten years old itself, the advances in avionics and communications was enough to warrant a new design.

The Beta Screen drone’s mission profile is identical to the Alpha: a single 42 TXq spinal-mount particle beam cannon and two smaller 19.5 TXq particle beams cannons and enough manoeuvrability to be able to actively defend a starship (or battle tank in ground operations) from missile or fighter attack. The Beta uses a new engine, whose slightly greater power compensates for the added mass of the more modern systems, while still providing the same performance of 42mc and 470 MEUs. While the new power core allowed about 3% more power to be squeezed out of the armament over the Alpha, the biggest improvement to the Beta is in the sensor and communication systems, which have been replaced with the new 6^th generation standard of the 2340s. The internal system of the Beta have been re-organised and optimised, meaning that despite the new technology, the Beta is very little different to the Alpha in cost.

Some minimal attempt to provide some protection has been made: the new Beta has a slightly smaller target profile and a little more armour (an AIC of 15TXq over the Alpha’s 12TXq). Like the Alpha the Beta carries no shields and the armour is of dubious value in starship engagements and serves only to deter lighter weapons fire in ground combat engagements. Otherwise, the Beta is as fragile as the Alpha, with low cost and disposability being considered more important.

Beta Series Light Carrier

Length	457.5m
Width	287.8m
Height	215.0m

The Beta series of starship hulls was General Design Hull’s first large-scale implementation of the techniques and methods adapted in creating the Delta series hulls into an entirely different design. Created early in the Delta series’ life, the Beta hulls were aimed more towards the civilian and haulage markets. This was chosen as that market was forgiving in terms of design specifications, given that combat was not their primary purpose and thus suitable to prototype many of the design features while retaining a way to recoup some of the design costs.

The bulk of the Beta series does not see much military use, though Beta transports remain a common sight in civilian haulage.

The largest of the Beta series hulls, the stock Light Carrier is capable of carrying two squadrons on fighters as standard. The apparently excessive size (vertically 40m square) of their hangar bays is due to their being designed to be spacious to accommodate larger smallcraft, such as many subcapital civilian transports. About 15% of the remaining mass and volume is reserved for cargo and supplies, or more commonly, for the addition of end-user modifications.

The Light Carrier is little more than a transport barge. As such, it has an acceleration of only 5mc and 50 MEUs make its manoeuvrability sluggishly at best. Shields of 1000TXq and modest armour with an AIC of 600TXq give it some protection, but it fares poorly against a sustained attack. The ship’s only weapons, four point-defence laser turrets, each with an engagement sphere of 0.9Ym³ and an output of 450TXq provide equally modest defence against missiles and fighters.

Like all the other General Designs hulls, it is configurable into all manner of duties, from transport to troopship. The Beta Heavy Transport is essentially just the Light Carrier with the hangar bays replaced with more cargo holds. This version is the one most likely to be seen plying the spaceways.

The Herosine Empire itself uses the Beta Light Carrier hull as the basis for the Valentinian (VA/CV) Carrier. The Valentinian expands the starboard hanger to house twenty-four fighters and four Alpha or Beta screen drones. The other hangar hols a pair of Galba Assault Shuttles in lieu of the vessel typical basic shuttles.

The defences are shored up, with the addition of a point-counter-measures (PCM) system, and the shields increased to 1800TXq and the armour doubled. Finally, additional mass is devoted to the engines, pushing the Valentinian up to a more respectable 8mc and 86 MEUs allowing it to keep up with the rest of the fleet.

The Valentinian-I (VA-I/CV) overhaul upgraded the shield arrays to the new improved standard. The laser point-defence turrets were upgraded to more modern 485TXq output lazer systems in line with the rest of the Herosine fleet. It is likely that over the next few decades, the Valentinian-I will be further upgraded to a VA-I2/CV version, using the sixth generation hyperdrive, sensor and communications systems that Empire has begun to put into production in the 2342.

The Valentinian serves as the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s primary carrier, though a number of Pompeii Escort Carriers remain in service. The Pompeii is built on an extensively modified Eta series hull, which are themselves retroengineered from the Cybertank Particle class.

Beta Series Scoutship

Length	128.0m
Width	90.0m
Height	58.5m

The Beta series Scoutship is just on the practical limit for capital starships, being little bigger than large smallcraft. A light scout vessel hull, sold on the public market and suitable for localisation, the Beta Scoutship is a common sight in militias and the navies of the lesser powers alike because of its low price point.

The stock Beta scoutship makes the most if it small size and power-to-weight ratio. It has an acceleration of 32.2mc – as good as many bombers – and a very respectable 362MEUs. It relies on the speed and agility for its primary protection, having only a small 155TXq shield system. A fixed pair of 38TXq laser cannons provides only light firepower, and a dorsal turret with twin 19.5TXq laser cannons is its only point-defence, with an engagement sphere of only 0.7Ym³.

In the civilian market, a Courier version removes the fixed guns and reduces the size of the engines to carry a small amount of cargo. The courier version’s main selling is the lower price; with only a third the acceleration and agility of the stock version, it is outclassed in almost all regards by larger vessels as a capital starship and as a short-ranged transport by smallcraft transports.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet has used several classes of the Beta scoutship over the centuries. The current one is the Elagabalus Scoutship (E/SS). The Elagabalus trades out the stock version’s capital ship shields for fighter grade shields instead, an usual choice for a capital starship. The advantages are two-fold. Firstly, the generators are more compact, which saves considerable space. Secondly, while the dispersion is more than halved to 70TXq the recharge rate is more than doubled. However, this comes at a significant cost in additional power requirements. Fighter-grade shields are also not optimised for spot-penetration resistance from capital ship weapons, which makes them poor protection against weapons such as capital ship warheads or heavy beam-class weapons. The improved shield technology also isn’t compatible with fighter-scale shields. Finally, outsizing fighter-scale shields to a capital ship also becomes disproportionally expensive for vessels larger than the Elagabalus, which is why the practise is not common.

The trade-off for the Elagabalus is that is allows it an increased weapons load, in the addition of a pair of 25TXq-yield torpedo tubes, each with fourteen torpedoes. This turns the vessel into what is effectively an oversized fighter or bomber; but as capital ship, it has the advantage of being able to undertake long-range operations (such as scouting) without the need for a carrier.

Beta Series Transport

Length	318.8m
Width	90.0m
Height	208.0m

Take a trip to almost any large commercial spaceport in human space and you are likely to see a Beta series Transport. The GDH Beta Transport and its wide variety of sub-classes are the single most numerous large civilian transport vessel hull-types, exceeding Hawkings Astronautics’s Nomad and newer designs like the Oxen and Mule. The Beta transport was the first of the series and the bare-bones, low-cost design has endured for the better part of two centuries.

The stock Beta transport is practically standard for merchant shipping. The Beta Transport is optimised to carry the maximum amount of cargo. It has been likened to a slightly pointed brick, and flies like one, with only 1.6mc acceleration and barely 18 MEUs. It has no armour and only a very basic 360TXq shield. The most versions have three small laser turrets rated to 330TXq output to deal with rogue space debris, but do little to dissuade even light raiders on their own. The bulk of the ship is storage. The nose ports hold up 40×40×120m ST-08 cargo modules – four modules two deep – with some additional small storage space in the space around and between.

A new Beta transport hull will come with 5^th generation systems and more modern 450TXq laser point-defence turrets. But on civilian market, where there is less requirement for replacement or combat attrition. Spare parts are ubiquitously available from third party manufacturers as well as GDH itself. Thus, the majority of Beta Transports in service with civilian or corporate concerns are still equipped with 4^th generation technology. A few vessels can be found still using 3^rd generation systems, especially hyperdrives.

The Beta Transport has never been fully militarised, as unlike the scoutship and light carrier, it is not well-suited to the task. However, many are modified to serve as fleet transports, refuelling ships or navel auxiliaries, notably by the Herosine Imperial Fleet. These versions reduce the cargo space by about 17%. This allows the shielding and point-defence systems to be doubled in strength, and the engine power sharply upgraded to around 5mc and 55 MEUs. This shores up the defences considerably for military service, though the Beta Transport remains a relatively soft target without an escort.

One other relatively common set of modifications used is to turn the cargo hauler into a passenger liner. These conversions run the whole spectrum of quality; some are very basic, simply replacing the cargo space with a like number of passenger facilities while others are luxury cruisers with their own small hangars for private smallcraft.

Delta Series Assault Shuttle

Length	18.71m
Width	9.73m
Height	6.28m

General Design’s Delta series Assault Shuttles are commonly seen on the market. One of, if not the most, cheapest armed shuttles available, the Delta series’ usual customisability sees the Assault Shuttle used by everyone from merchants to adventurers to military forces.

While marketed as an assault shuttle, the Delta Assault Shuttle in reality more of large armed shuttle. Less than half the size of even the smaller typical assault shuttles, it is only suitable for carrying infantry or very small vehicles. It is only marginally larger than a glorified space-going APC. In theory, the assault shuttle can carry two around two companies of infantry, albeit only counting combat troops and with limited supplies. This is very much a manufacturer’s spec and is primarily considering boarding teams, rather than ground combat troops. Filling it to capacity even with infantry transport is a squeeze, and for carrying ground troops into combat, it can practically only manage half that.

With 30mc acceleration and 345 MEUs, the Delta assault shuttle is a little below average in manoeuvrability. Its defences are also slim; 60 TXq-rated fighter-grade shields are light and the armour is only a paper-thin 10TXq. The vessel is little better in terms of offense. Four 19 TXq lazer cannons are mounted in the nose. There is a top turret with twin 20TXq lazer cannons for limited point-defence.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet modifies the stock Delta assault shuttle into the Galba Assault Shuttle (G/Asl). The turreted lazer is removed entirely. It is replaced with a pair of 30TXq-yield light torpedo tubes, each with four torpedoes. The shielding is doubled to 120 TXq, which grants the Galba much better defence and strike ability, if at the expense of missile defence.

A secondary modification, the Galba-H, cuts the troop capacity in half, but adds in a hyperdrive and expands the torpedo magazine to eight torpedoes per launcher.  A very common modification made to the stock version follows similar lines, but rather than magazine space has additional shield generators, taking the shields to 100TXq dispersion.

Delta Series Attack Cruiser

Length	500.0m
Width	268.8m
Height	79.0m

The Delta Attack Cruiser is a newer cruiser hull, containing some of the more recent refinements of the old heavy cruiser hull and is rapidly gaining popularity. The Attack Cruiser has an improved power core, which makes it optimised for high energy output systems.

The stock version has the same overall protection as the Delta Heavy Cruiser, but skews to more shields (1400TXq) and less armour (AIC of 800TXq). The larger power core gives it a slight improvement in acceleration and manoeuvrability, pushing it to up 11mc and 130 MEUs over the heavy cruiser’s 10.67mc and 120 MEUs.

It has the same point-defence output (1350TXq lasers). The heavy cruiser’s four lazer batteries have each been improved to more modern 295 TXq output lazer cannons, and unlike the older heavy cruiser, the attack cruiser’s batteries cover all aspects.

The improved performance makes the vessel have a higher price tag, but the heavy cruiser’s reliability and time-tested durability means it is not likely to be replaced at any point in the future.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet was spotted with its first Attack Cruiser classes when the Trajan Optimus-I was spotted in 2342. This new vessel, the Messalina-I Attack Cruiser (MS-I/CA) was acting as escorts to the Trajan Optimus-I. The Messalina-I  has the new improved shielding system, giving a slightly improved 1424TXq output. The point-defence systems are dropped to arrays, but using the Herosine fleet’s standard 485TXq output systems, supplemented by a hangar for four Beta Screen Drones. The hyperdrive, sensors and communications systems are all of the cutting-edge 6^th generation systems.

Firepower is concentrated in three disruptor batteries, totalling 810TXq output, which cover all the vessels arcs. Finally, a small six-tube missile launcher is equipped with 18 750TXQ-yield antimatter missiles and 30 200-TXq conventional missiles, all at the Herosine’s 6^th generation improved standard.

Delta Series Battlecruiser

Length	610.0m
Width	326.0m
Height	122.0m

The Delta Battlecruiser was the first new Delta series hull to be constructed in the retro-engineering of the Cybertank hulls. A battlecruiser was selected as a good mid-point between the sizes of the Assimilator and Amplitude that served as the benchmarks. The first prototype necessitated a considerable degree or problem-solving. But by the time the initial program was complete, General Designs Hulls had learned enough to begin to apply the techniques to new applications in the form of the Beta series. Simultaneously, work began on down-sizing to create the Delta Destroyer.

The Delta Battlecruiser is technically only a battlecruiser in name, as strictly speaking, it is little greater mass than a heavy cruiser. Defensively, the stock model has manoeuvrability little better than a battleship with the shields not much better than a heavy cruiser. The engines are a little underpowered for its size. Its acceleration is comparatively sluggish for such a vessel at only 8.9mc, little more than the Delta dreadnought twice its size, but the manoeuvrability at 98 MEUs is rather better by comparison, though a typical cruiser will still out-manoeuvre it. Shields of 1600TXq are an improvement of the 1200TXq benchmark, but the armour is light, with an Armour Integrity Capacity of only 800 TXq.

Where it gains over a heavy cruiser, however, is in an offensive load. Lazer cannon batteries of a combined 1160TXq provide strong firepower in the forward hemisphere, though only a single 195TXq battery covers the aft, and only has two-thirds the engagement envelope of the primary guns. Three missile racks give the ship some additional firepower at range. Point-defence lasers rated to a total of 1800TXq give it solid, if unremarkable defence against fighters and missiles.

Despite its short comings, the robust and efficient design, its longevity and low price tag make the stock Delta Battlecruiser a popular design with many smaller powers.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet uses the Delta Battlecruiser as the basis for the Pertinax Class Battlecruiser (PX/BC). The Pertinax retains the shields (albeit upgraded in the case of the Pertinax-I), armour and engines of the stock Delta. The weapons are completely stripped out and replaced.

The core of the ship is a fifteen-tube missile launcher, which carries 120 200TXq-yield missiles and 80 750TXq antimatter missiles. The energy weapon arsenal is significantly reduced to a pair of 270TXq disruptor batteries, but these cover all aspects of the ship. The point-defence lasers are replaced entirely, with a point-counter measures system, a pair of 472TXq lazer point-defence batteries (485TXq in the PX-I/BC) and a hangar for six Screen Drones.

This armament improves its defences against missile attack at the long ranges that the Pertinax is intended to fight, while giving it significant firepower for when it closes to short range for the kill.

Delta Series Battleship

Length	900.0m
Width	464.0m
Height	157.0m

The Delta Battleship is considerably larger than the smaller Battlecruiser; it is only about 10% smaller than the Delta Dreadnought. This makes it the much less frequently seen of the two due to the higher price tag. Most minor powers have neither the money nor the need for a vessel of this size. For those that can afford it, the Battleship is a reliable and robust hull suited for almost any purpose.

The stock Delta Battleship has above good speed for a Battleship, with 9.1mc and a respectable 93 MEUs. Armour with an AIC of 1600TXq is covered by 3200TXq rated shielding, giving it solid defences. A series of laser point-defence batteries of a net 1350TXq output complete the defences. The Battleship’s main selling point is the considerable array of lazer batteries, granting it a combined output of 2320TXq to any angle from the ship.

The most recent of the many Delta Battleship hulls to be used by the Herosine Imperial Fleet is the Carinus-I Battleship (CR-I/BS). The Carinus-I is equipped with cutting edge Herosine technology, including improved shields and 6^th generation sensors, communications and hyperdrive.

The Carinus-I was first spotted in formation with the Trajan Optimus supercruiser in the 15^th Naval Detachment, acting as an additional escort. To serve this purpose, it carries a powerful ECM array backed with no less than a total of 2425TXq lazer point-defence cannons and six Beta Screen Drones.

The weapons load is replaced with five disruptor batteries, totalling 1350 TXq in output. A six-tube missile launcher gives it some additional flexibility. The launcher is equipped with the Herosine’s latest 6^th generation starship missiles – 48 760TXq-yield short-ranged antimatter missiles, 96 212TXq conventional missiles and 48 of the Herosine’s new point-defence missiles. These weapons have an engagement sphere of 113YM³ and carry a tripartite warhead with a 208TXq combined yield. While this missile salvo is relatively light on its own, in combination with the Trajan Optimus-I and the two accompanying Messalina-I Attack Cruisers, it makes for a devastating punch.

Delta Series Corvette

Length	188.0m
Width	100.0m
Height	41.7m

The Delta series Corvette is found in many star fleets throughout the galaxy. It is the smallest Delta hull that is a capital ship (with only the Delta Assault Shuttle being smaller). The stock model is optimised for light security duty, but like all the Delta series, is sufficiently adaptable to be outfitted for any task.

The stock model has an average manoeuvrability profile rated at 180 MEUs and an unexceptional acceleration of 16mc. 190 TXq shields cover the hull, which has only very light armour (AIC of 25TXq), little more than light plating. It carries a suite of laser point-defences that total 900TXq in output. A battery of laser cannons covers all but the rear aspect with a 200 000km accuracy envelope and an output of 195 TXq. This provides solid, but unremarkable performance for a mid-sized corvette, but that comes at a low purchase price.

The Decius and Decius-I (D/CC and D-I/CC) Corvettes of the Herosine Imperial Fleet are markedly different. They are optimised for close-ranged mass attacks. The engines are completely replaced with engines that double the power, bringing the Decius to 364 MEUs and 32.5 mc. This sharply increases the vessel’s survivability due to the improved speed. The price of this is in the weapons payload. The point-defence lasers are upgraded to the Herosine fleet standard (944 TXq and 970TXq for the –I). The vessel’s only other weapon, however, is a spinal-mount 120 TXq output disruptor cannon. This has only half the range envelope of the stock version. As a single vessel, the Decius is less of a threat to capital ships, if one rather less easy to swat. However, the Decius is designed for swarm attacks, accompanied by other craft (notably the Elagabalus Scoutship). The Decius’ limited capital ships weapons assist in shield and armour stripping, so that it an accompanying craft can use the lazers to devastate an enemy vessel’s hull and in this role it becomes a much more dangerous threat.

Delta Series Cruiser

Length	397.0m
Width	220.0m
Height	82.0m

The Delta Cruiser is, strictly by modern standards a light cruiser. It was one of the early Delta designs to be created, before larger hulls were more common and cruisers in general were smaller. (This likewise explains the small size of the Delta Battlecruiser in comparison to modern battlecruisers.)

The stock Delta hull has typical light cruiser performance. It has only thin armour skin of AIC 40TXq, but shielding of 1000TXq. Acceleration and manoeuvrability are unremarkable at 10.8mc and 125 MEUs.

As a light cruiser, the Delta cruiser is something of a jack-of-all-trades. Four point-defence arrays totalling 1800TXQ output over a 0.9Ym³ engagement sphere give it enough defences to work without its own escort of serve as a supplementary escort itself. The weapons load consists of a single lazer battery of 290TXq that covers all but the aft arc, and two smaller batteries of 195TXq of two-third the range envelope that cover all aspects of the ship. The stock cruiser is inexpensive, with a general no-frills design. This makes is highly popular with minor powers, which can usually only afford to field smaller starship in planet defence militias.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet’s Domitian Class Light Cruiser (DM/CL) is a significant departure from the standard. The engine power is boosted by about 20%, giving it 13.4mc acceleration and 158 MEUs. This comes at the expense of power for shielding and weapons. The shields are reduced to only 600TXQ. The armour plating has been thickened, granting a much-improved AIC of 120TXq, but the overall protection is lower. This is compensated for by the higher manoeuvrability.

The power draw from the engines necessitates missiles being the primary weapons as much as Herosine fleet doctrine. A 12-tube missile launcher forms the backbone of the ship’s firepower, typically equipped with 72 750TXq-yiled antimatter missiles and 108 200TXq conventional missiles. This is supplemented by a single 270TXq disruptor battery.

Point defence is lower as well; only two 472TXq lazer arrays protect the ship, though these are supplemented by a hangar for two screen drones.

The Domitian–I (D-I/CL) sports the Herosine’s improved-grade shielding and refinements to the power core allow it to mount more modern 485TXq lazer point-defence systems.

Delta Series Destroyer

Length	357.0m
Width	180.0m
Height	78.0m

The workhorse of many small navies, the Delta Destroyer is one of the most popular vessels in the Delta series. Half the size of the Delta Heavy Cruiser, the destroyer has a reputation for solid and reliable performance that goes all the way back to its first introduction. It is a common sight throughout human space, fulfilling every function conceivable.

The stock Delta Dreadnought sports 600TXq shields, but only light armour (30TXq). It sports a combined 900TXq output of point-defence lasers, making even the stock version a good escort vessel. 585TXq of lazer cannon batteries complete its offensive arsenal. The drives push it up to an acceleration of 13.6 mc and 165 MEUs, above average performance for most vessels its size.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet uses two main classes of destroyer based on the Delta hull. The Caracella (CC/DD) is identical to the stock version apart from its weapons. The point-defence are upgraded to military-standard 472TXq output lazers (485TXQ for the Caracella-I Class Destroyer (CC-I/DD)), but only half the number of mounts; a hangar for a pair of Screen Drones makes up for the lack. The main weapon is a 9-tube missile launcher, with a plentiful supply of 88 conventional and 72 short-range antimatter missiles. This is backed up by a single 300 000km accuracy envelope disruptor battery.

The second version is Caracella-I S Class Scout Destroyer (CC-I/DD-S). The Scout Destroyer is a variant of the Caracella. It mounts an array of additional sensor and communications systems, serving as the primary sensor vessel for the Herosine Imperial Fleet. However, the emplacement of the sensor array necessitates reducing the disruptor battery to a lighter 180TXq system. The engines are reduced in size, dropping about 20% performance. However, as the Scout Destroyer is intended to be primarily fighting at range, retaining the missile launchers was considered more important than the loss of manoeuvrability.

There is some indication that the Caracella-I S will be one of the first refits to 6^th generation technology. Aside from the obvious improvements to 6^th generation sensors for its primary role, this would allow it to carry the new point-defence missiles, further offsetting the manoeuvrability downgrade.

Delta Series Dreadnought

Length	1000.0m
Width	520.0m
Height	182.0m

The Delta Dreadnought is a retro-engineered clone of the Cybertank Amplitude Dreadnought. In combination with the Assimilator Heavy Cruiser, it was the benchmark for creation of the Delta series. The Amplitude historically has been  an uncommon vessel in the Cybertank fleet, so it was pure luck that the wreckage of two were recovered early enough for General Designs Hulls to accelerate the re-engineering process. Both wrecks came from a single battle at Divitiae in the Vespasius system, the second system to be colonised by the nascent Herosine Empire. The success of GDH and the Herosine Empire at large can be attributed to this one battle without a great deal of hyperbole, as it allowed GDH a head start on the Cybertank retro-engineering that no other human power equalled.

The Delta Dreadnought shares the Amplitude’s excellent engine performance, granting 8.8mc acceleration and 92 MEUs, though it’s maximum safe speed is lower. Shielding and armour was likewise cloned: 4200TXq shields and an AIC of 1400TXq, making it a considerably tough vessel.

The stock version’s weapon systems are inspired by the Amplitude Warship configuration of that time, one of the two original wrecks. (The Amplitude Warships versions spotted in recent years have upgraded weapons.) The Amplitude’s main spinal weapons were mounted in three housing in the middle-tier superstructure. These are designed to easily accommodate large fore-mounted weapons like torpedo or missile tubes or heavy beam weapons; in the stock version, these weapons mount three lazer cannons each of 350TXq output. The Amplitude’s lower superstructure houses a straight substitution of four Kandrani Arms 200TXq-yield missile racks instead of the Cybertank equivalents. An equivalent number of 290TXq output lazer batteries replaced the Amplitude’s particle lasers.

Without the ability to replicate the Cybertank’s Displacer screen, here the vessels diverge. The Delta Dreadnought uses the remaining mass to mount an additional firecontrol suite and significantly bolster the Amplitude’s typically-Cybertank poor point-defences. The modern version has 2700TXq output of point-defence lasers, more than twice what the Amplitude carried at the time of that critical battle.

The Delta dreadnought is an uncommon sight in modern times due to the price tag, as those with pockets that deep often buy the Delta Superdreadnought instead. This is true of the Herosine Imperial Fleet itself, which does not have a current standard Delta Dreadnought class. There are a few in service, either hold-overs from before the Superdreadnought could be built that have not been retired or replaced. A few more are the personal vessels of wealthy senators. Likewise, a handful of Delta Dreadnoughts remain in the hands of smaller powers where combat attrition has not claimed them.

Delta Series Frigate

Length	227.5m
Width	119.4m
Height	49.0m

The Delta Frigate is a light frigate, only about 20% larger than the Delta Corvette. As with many of the smaller Deltas, the basic stock version gives functional performance at a low cost, which makes it appealing to the budget of small navies in whose service it is a common sight.

The stock frigate in particular emphasises low cost over performance. The drives give it a comfortable acceleration of 13.33 mc and 150 MEUs. Without using much additional mass and power over, the engines can be improved with an optional upgrade kit to give it nearly a 20% boost in performance.

Protection is light – shields of 210TXq provide the only real protection, since the armour skin at an AIC of 25TXq is largely negligible to starships-grade weapons. Laser point-defence arrays give an output 900TXq, however, giving it fair protection for a ship of its size.

The remaining weapon systems are limited to a pair of lazer batteries with a 200 000km accuracy envelope and 390TXq in combined output, though they cover all the ship’s firing angles.

The Diocletian Light Frigate (DC/FF) and its upgrade, the Diocletian-I Light Frigate (DC-I/FF) are the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s most common class of Delta frigates. A single lazer point defence system of 472TXq (or 485TXq in the case of the –I) provides defence against fighters and missiles. The main weapons are also altered. A single 180TXq disruptor array with a similar accuracy envelope to the stock’s lazer batteries is backed up by a six-tube missile launcher. This carries only a minimal load of 28 conventional missiles and only a dozen short-range antimatter warheads. However, the engines are further expanded, pushing the Diocletian up to 240 MEUs and an acceleration of 22.1mc.

Delta Series Heavy Battlecruiser

Length	654.0m
Width	420.0m
Height	113.7m

The Delta Heavy Battlecruiser is a newer hull, only being in production since 2311. A more experimental design, it has a wider profile than many of the other vessels in the Delta series. With two larger superstructures at the fore, this extra space enables it to be used more readily for an assault ship, pocket carrier, command ship or torpedo or heavy weapons vessel, while still retaining enough flexibility to be used as a general purpose warship as well.

The stock Heavy Battlecruiser is sold as an escort carrier. It has adequate engine performance: 8.2mc acceleration and it rated at 90 MEUs. 1800TXq shields provide good protection, in addition to armour with an Armour Integrity capacity of 1000Txq.

The stock version’s main selling point is the duel hangars, enabling it to carry a single squadron of fighters.  The bays have only an 8m by 14m entrance, however. This can be increased to 15m by 20m at maximum, though it requires some additional superstructure work. This confines the vessel to predominately a fighter carrier – the bays are a little too small to fit any larger smallcraft. (It is not without note, however, that the Delta Assault Shuttles are small enough not to have this problem, virtually necessitating their purchase if an assault ship version is desired.)

The weapons load that remains is comparatively light; four 450TXq laser point defence arrays and a pair of 290TXQ lazer cannons.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet has not adopted the Delta heavy battlecruiser, preferring to stick with its exiting Pompeii and Valentinian carriers, which straddle the heavy battlecruiser’s size.

At least one custom version has been spotted in the Herosine Imperial Fleet as the vessel of a senator’s personal guard. This version drops the carrier aspect and instead uses the space to mount two forward quad torpedo tubes and from sensor readings, appears to have bolstered the shielding to 2200TXq. This vessel also presumably would upgrade the other weapons to the Herosine fleet standard, thought as this particular vessel has not been seen in combat, this remaining speculation.

Delta Series Heavy Cruiser

Length	430m
Width	250m
Height	110m

The Delta series heavy cruiser is used by a wide variety of powers. Both the heavy cruiser and the Delta Dreadnought are retro-engineered designs from the Cybertank Assimilator and Amplitude vessels respectively. The prevalence of Assimilator wreckage, combined with the extreme modularity of Cybertank technology lent itself well to re-engineering. Many races have performed similar re-engineering project on Cybertank ships – the Assimilator especially – but General Design Hulls was the first to do so among human space and used it to steal a march over the competitors.

The techniques were so successful that GDH were able to build the entire Delta series range out of the principles, as well as expand it beyond that with the Beta series.

The stock heavy cruiser is pretty solidly the definitive heavy cruiser. 1200TXq shielding covers armour with an AIC of 1000TXq. This is heavier than the Assimilator upon which it was based, but the Assimilator also has the advantage of a Displacer Screen which remains beyond the reach of nonCybertanks. The engines are almost clones of the Assimilator’s granting 10.67mc and 120 MEUs. The only major difference is that the lower maximum safe speed (i.e. beyond which the effects of time-dilation and structural integrity beginning to become debilitating) for the Delta heavy cruiser is limited by Herosine compensation technology, rather than Cybertank.

The stock heavy cruiser is rather better protected than its ancestor, with multiple point-defence lasers with a 0.9Ym³ engagement sphere and a total output of 1350TXq. The cruiser’s firepower comes from four lazer batteries, with an accuracy envelope of 300 000km and a combined output of 1160TXq. Despite while mounted in the same mounting locations, the stock cruiser’s simple (and thus low-price) lazer batteries lack the Cybertank’s more flexible particle laser emitters. This means their arc is restricted to be concentrated in forward hemisphere, rendering the aft arc unprotected. This is easily addressed by replacing the weapons systems for better quality ones, but for minor powers the additional cost means they live with the limitations.

The Herosine fleet’s Tiberius Heavy Cruiser is significantly modified Delta heavy cruiser chassis. Unusually for a variant, the Tiberius is about 4% larger than the stock heavy cruiser, which reduces the Tiberius’ acceleration to 10.4mc and the MEUs to 116. The Tiberius has two variants – the T/CH-R and the T/CH-P. The two differ only in their secondary armament, which is prominently on their dorsal superstructure. The T/CH-R has a pair of railguns for long-range, whereas the T/CH-P carries a pair of triple-barrelled pulse disruptor batteries each rated at 105 TXq output for short range.

The engines and shielding are unchanged from the stock, but the Tiberius sacrifices 20% of its armour mass to mount a point-counter measures system. The point defence systems use lazer turrets rather than the cheaper lasers used on the stock, which pushes the output to 472TXq per array, but the Tiberius only mounts two such arrays. Instead, the Tiberius has a hangar for six Screen Drones. While significantly more expensive than a normal point-defence system, both in cost and supply, the Screen Drones present a stronger defence overall, though not one with some idiosyncrasies.

The Tiberius’ primary firepower is completely different to the stock Delta or even the Assimilator; a fifteen-tube missile launcher. The Tiberius carries a load of sixty 200TXq-yield conventional missiles and forty 750TXq short-range antimatter missiles. For the vessel’s primary weapon, the comparatively small magazine this means it has only a modest six-and-a-fraction salvoes before it runs out ammunition, but massed fire in concert with the other missile ships of the Herosine fleet usually means that the battle is over before this becomes a major problem.

A pair of 180TXq disruptor batteries round out the Tiberius’ armament. While these weapons only have an accuracy envelope of about 200 000km, this is only a little shorter than the antimatter missiles. Working in concert with the missiles, they provided some shield-stripping ability to maximise the missile’s effect.

At close range, between the short-ranged missiles, the disrupters and the screen drones, the Tiberius’ somewhat eclectic weapons can pose a considerable threat, especially to a foe who expects a predominantly missile-armed fleet to be geared up for long-range fighting only.

The T-I/CH-R and T-I/CH-P upgrades are identical, save for the shield upgrades and the lazer point defence arrays the new modern 485TXq systems.

Of note, the Herosine Empire’s primary neighbour and rival, the Tarrainian Federation has a Delta-TC Heavy Cruiser is essentially identical to the stock version, except built using local components.

Delta Series Supercruiser

Length	1500.0m
Width	745.3m
Height	232.7m

The existence of the Trajan Optimus-I Class Supercruiser was a very carefully guarded secret. In the depths of the Nathador Nebula, close to the natural hyperspace gate to the hitherto hidden Pravasti sector and its resource-rich planets, a whole new shipyard was constructed away from the prying eyes of the galaxy. The new shipyards, using new construction techniques, finally allowed the Herosine Empire to build true supercruiser hulls.

The first appeared in 2342; a new Delta-series hull a full 1500m long. The Trajan Optimus-I is the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s version, though it will doubtless not be long before anyone with pockets deep enough will be able to purchase this mammoth craft.

The supercruiser has several heavy spinal mount weapons emplacements on the first three tiers and numerous smaller weapons scattered across the hull. Provision is made for these emplacements to mount any number of larger weapons or be converted to fighter bays or even extra crew habitation. The emplacements on the largest tier are even big enough to accommodate super-heavy spinal mount beams, which only a vessel of the Supercruiser’s size can power.

Due to its enormous size, General Designs Hulls cannot manufacture it even in their largest shipyards and thus it can only be produced at the Nathador Nebula facility (and thus be competing with the Herosine Empire’s own demands). It is thus likely that it will only be built on special commission and thus no “stock” version exists. This undertaking will make the vessel extremely expensive, and few customers can afford such a heavy price. Thus far, only a few vessel of this series have been seen and all are Trajan Optimus-I class vessels.

The Trajan Optimus-I breaks tradition somewhat by being named, not after the most corrupt Roman Emperors. Rather, it is named for the first, greatest (being only Emperor to truly rule) Herosine Emperor, who took his name from the earlier Roman Trajan, in the hopes of attaining the same measure of success. Fortune appeared to support his attempt, as the Trajan Optimus-I rolled out on the 200^th anniversary of the Herosine Empire’s founding and Herosine Empire is stronger than ever.

The Trajan Optimus-I is outfitted with a suite of brand-new sensor and communications systems, with much better range and fidelity. The hyperdrive is refined and speed increased by 20%. It is the first Herosine vessel large enough to be equipped with spinal-mount mega-batteries – in the Trajan Optimus-I’s case, these are lazer cannons mounted above and below the largest tier, with an accuracy envelope of around a million kilometres and an output of 4050TXq.

Secondary forward lazer batteries add another 720TXq to the firepower at just over 300 000km. Disruptor batteries cover same accuracy envelope across the rest of the vessel, in total 1080TXq output.

Finally, and most dangerously, improvements to the missile technology give the Trajan Optimus-I considerably more firepower than the previous Herosine vessels. It carries three fifteen-tube missile launcher, each carrying 90 212TXq conventional missiles, 113 760TXq-yield short-ranged antimatter missiles and 60 of the Herosine’s new 208TXq combined yield point-defence missiles.

The vessels’ defences are equally formidable. As the –I suffix indicates, the Trajan Optimus-I boasts the Herosine’s advanced shielding systems, with shields rated to 10404TXq which covers the considerable armour (AIC of 3400TXq). Multiple point-defence lazer systems give a combined output of 2910TXq over the standard 0.9Ym³ engagement sphere. This is further backed by a point-counter measure system and a hangar of no less than twenty Beta screen drones. Its size perforce makes it slow, with an acceleration of 5.1mc and only 52 MEUs, but this is still has a significant performance for such a large vessel.

The new technology ensures that the Trajan Optimus-I will be superior to the vast majority of any similar hulls sold on export.

Delta Series Superdreadnought

Length	1220.0m
Width	660.0m
Height	183.0m

The huge Delta Superdreadnought was the largest hull build by General Designs until the surprise appearance of the Trajan Optimus-I. It is a rare sight, since few of GDH’s customers can afford such a large vessel. As such, there is no standard stock version and most of the produced hulls thus go to the Herosine Imperial Fleet, as the Empire’s primary starship contractor.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet’s current superdreadnought is the Maximus Thrax (MT/SDN). In line with Herosine fleet doctrine, the Maximus Thrax is quite agile for its size, boasting 8.1mc acceleration and 91 MEUs. 5600TXq shields cover the hull, whose armour has an AIC of 2400TXq. A point-counter measures system backs up four lazer point-defence arrays totalling 1888 TXq. A dozen Screen Drones complete the defence.

For offense, the primary firepower comes from two fifteen-tube missile launchers, each with 120 convention 200TXq missiles and 80 750TXQ antimatter missiles. Direct-fire weapons come in the form of two forward-mount 325 TXq disruptor cannons are supplemented by multiple disrupter batteries totalling 1080TXq.

The new facilities at the Nathador Nebula brought with them another benefit. The Maximus Thrax Superdreadnought Upgrade Project provided a major overhaul of the Delta Superdreadnought hull, which was right on the previous limit of technology. While the first recipient of this overhaul is the Maximus Thrax, the base Delta hulls will also see a similar update.

The overhaul to the MT-I2/SDN is a significant enough that it cannot be applied to the existing hulls. A new, larger power core allows the Delta Superdreadnought hull to carry a larger mass for the same engine rating. While not strictly larger than the Delta Superdreadnought, the upgrade has more mass and has notably significantly more super-structures on the tiers, allowing for more weapons emplacements (in the case of the Maximus Thrax-I2, another 270TXQ disruptor battery. The internal structure, notably the crew quarters have commensurately more space as well. This comes at the expense of some loss of flexibility in modification. The improvements give the MT-I2/SDN a 7% increase in shield output.

The modifications come with a substantial increase in manufacturing cost and currently only the Nathador Nebula facility can produce the vessel. The older Delta SDN models have now ceased production, since clients with pockets deep enough to purchase one in the first place will be willing to pay the higher price, and so the upgraded superdreadnoughts remain the purview of special commissions or from the Herosine Empire fleet itself.

Devastator II Heavy Cruiser

Length	450.0m
Width	250.0m
Height	165.0m

The destruction of Solarwolf Shipyards in the early 2320s was a great loss. A high-tech independent company in neutral space, Solarwolf had been formed in the late 23^rd century by ex-military contractors from three of the major human powers, including the Japanese Empire. The company’s only shipyard was attacked and destroyed in early June in 2321. The shipyards simply stopped responding one day, and when a Nomad-class transport from the Saturn Syndicate Authority arrived on a routine supply drop, they discovered the whole facility has been obliterated. The attack was either so sudden that no distress call was made, or it was actively jammed. The identity of the attackers has never been determined. The Cybertank’s first new Incursion after a fifteen year gap had begun, and it was initially thought they were the culprits. Analysis of the debris was performed almost too late to be of use due to jurisdictional issue over who should investigate, and only revealed the damage had been caused by heavy lazer weapons, which the Cybertanks don’t use. Both the Herosine and Japanese Empire certainly had the most motives, though again, such lazers are not their fleet’s primary armaments. The leading candidate was the top-technology-tier Blasted Legion, though given the Strayvian Dominion had been quietly active in the subsequent decade, they are another possibility – or it could have been an entirely unknown race. The truth will likely never be known.

Solarwolf’s most famous design was the Devastator Heavy Cruiser, which while never as popular as its GDH counterpart had many proponents. While not as easily modified as the Deltas, it had the advantage of using the latest technology, on a par with the major powers. Since that tragic event, the existent Devastators have been slowly lost due to attrition or cannibalised for spares. Most now serve in second-line operations or as merchant convoy escorts where they are at low risk, for it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace the damaged parts.

In 2330, at the behest of the Herosine Empire (or rather on behalf of interested senators with a financial incentive), General Designs Hulls has used the same retro-engineering used on the Cybertank Assimilators to create the Delta hull series to produce the Devastator II Heavy Cruiser. Slightly larger than the original Devastator, it can perform the same mission profile. While GDH technology was not quite as advanced as that of the major powers or Solarwolf Shipyards when the Devastator II was introduced, the newer GDH design used standard components, meaning, like all GDH vessels, it is much easier to configure the basic hull and to repair and maintain. GDH almost immediately received several orders from powers, both major and minor, to replace their now aging Devastator hulls and the Herosine Imperial Fleet made purchases of their own.

The new hull is slightly larger than the original. The Devastator II still shares the Devastator’s large engines and manoeuvrability profile, hitting 11mc and 125 MEUs, above average for a heavy cruiser. While the armour integrity capacity is a standard 1000TXq, the shielding is superior – a 40% increase over the original with a rating of 1400TXq.

The stock version’s weapons load, however, had to be substantially reworked from the Devastator. Solarwolf had access to Japanese Empire ion beam weapons systems, which the Herosine Empire did not. The ion beams, used to disable enemy craft, were among the reasons the original Devastator was popular among security forces. While the Devastator II has provisions for mounting the weapons, with the destruction of Solarwolf leaves only the Japanese Empire‘s military as the sole producers and they were not interested in export. This meant the functional loss of the Devastator’s Security Cruiser model.

Instead, the Devastator II sports a mix of armaments primarily inspired by the Devastator’s system defence model, with hyperdrive subbing in for the lost ion beams. Point-defence lasers of 900TXq are equal to the original, but are now are coupled with a point-counter measures system. (The lasers were upgraded to 970TXq lazers in the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s own Devastator II-I.) The lazer weaponry is the same as the Devastator: a single large lazer battery with 290TXq is supplemented by smaller, shorter-ranged batteries of combined 390TXq. However the original’s single missile rack and three-salvo torpedo tube was expanded to three missile racks and a four-salvo torpedo tube for standard (circa 700TXq-yield) torpedoes.

The Herosine Imperial Fleet model differs only slightly. The lazer batteries are replaced with 580TXq disruptor batteries – slightly less power output overall, but the more modern disruptor batteries have better range and bring the advantages of disrupters over the lazers in terms of damage to armour and shields. The missile racks are replaced with two three-tube missile launchers with the Herosine Empire’s standard mix of missiles and a Screen Drone bay with a pair of Screen Drones.

GDH-1131 Basic Shuttle

Length	5.55m
Width	3.96m
Height	2.00m

General Hull Design’s GDH-1131 “Basic” range of shuttles is a widely available design throughout all of the human powers. Archetypical of light transport shuttles, the “Basic” range, first introduced all the way back in2092 was marketed with the slogan “Back to basics! Why pay more?” It was so successful that “basic” shuttle became common parlance for this type of vessel. The penetration of the brand was sufficient that three centuries later, many people assume the brand was named for the category, rather than the other way around.

Light transport shuttles (as the category is officially known) are the smallest class of space-going vessels classified as smallcraft. Any vessel smaller than that, such as personnel shuttles (which are functionally little more than short-ranged, space-flying cars) are classed as vehicles, rather than starship smallcraft.

Despite a plethora of clones, knock-offs and derivatives, the GDH “Basic” shuttle range has maintained position as market leader for nearly three centuries, with GDH’s biggest competitor being Hawkings Astronautics. This is due to the range’s reliability, simplicity and low cost, which has been maintained in successive models, with only a few (and quickly replaced) hiccups over the decades.

The GDH-1131 is the latest model in the “Basic” range. Like its predecessors, it has an acceleration of 32mc and manages 360 MEUs. It is little more than an engine and cockpit with space for cargo or personnel. The GDH-1131 carries no hyperdrive, which minimises its cost. (Though a slightly larger and more expensive version, the GDH-1135, exists and does have a small hyperdrive unit.)

Rim Runner Light Corvette

Length	138.0m
Width	97.6m
Height	207.0m

Manufactured by the BD Starship Corporation, the Rim Runner is a technically a light corvette vessel. The Rim Runner is not a true combat vessel, however, but designed as a low-cost courier for small, high-value civilian packages. Built entirely from a civilian technology base, the Rim Runner cannot perform to the standard of contemporary military craft.

It has excellent speed for a civilian vessel, sporting an acceleration of 24.08mc.  The manoeuvrability is very respectable at 260 MEUs, though this is more limited than it could be, due to the stresses imposed on the vessel’s ventral keen. Despite its good acceleration, the lack of military engines mean it can only manage a safe maximum speed well below that of military craft, so even a slower-accelerating military ship will overhaul it at sublight in an extended chase.

The Rim Runner’s most notorious feature is the deep keel. This unusual design feature is predominantly a cost-saving measure. By moving the power core and hyperdrive initiators away from the main hull, it allowed costs to be cut in terms of thermal shielding. In addition, the keen serves as a thermal exhaust radiator. This feature comes with a cost of making the vessel very fragile. The limited shielding is forced over a much greater volume, and manages only 105 TXq of capacity. The exposed position makes the power-core vulnerable to attack, something which is also quite-well known to pirates. However, as ostensibly a civilian transport, combat capability is not a priority compared to purchase and normal running costs.

The most common version of the Rim Runner (the 400 series) carries only a small amount of cargo, but is armed with four fixed-forward 38 TXq laser cannons and two point-defence batteries with an engagement sphere of 0.7Ym³. This is a comparatively heavy weapons load when compared to a single fighter or even clearing debris, but woefully inadequate against anything larger. The second-most common version (the 300 series) lacks the fixed guns and has only a mere 0.45Ym³ engagement sphere point-defence system. This version can carry more cargo (though by no means a great deal) and has significantly lower maintenance and running costs.

Some planetary militias or minor powers use the Rim Runner as a light corvette. It is a role is very poorly-suited for and it is only pressed into this role due to the owners not being able to buy anything better. As such, these discount warships do not even typically attempt to replace the limited cargo with additional shields or weapons.

The sole Rim Runner designed for such usage is Rim Runner 500. This is a factory-built conversion to make the Rim Runner into a light strike corvette. It removes the fixed guns and the cargo space. The 500 model upgrades the PD systems to a military-standard particle beam system with a 0.9Ym³ engagement sphere. It also adds provision for a pair of missile racks, using the housing for the laser cannons as the firing tubes. The missiles intended to be used are surplus from prior warhead generations (typically old 150 TXq-yield warheads) and adapting them to modern weapons is not attempted, since it is generally cheaper to buy a more suitable vessel than make the more extensive modifications. With the addition of the long-range firepower from the missiles, the Rim Runner can operate from a greater distance, which somewhat mitigates its weak defences, though only to a point.

Spectre II Fighter

Length	10.92m
Width	10.50m
Height (unladen)	1.92m

The Spectre II was a refinement of the older Spectre fighter from the late 2220s. Introduced 2238, it proved to be orders of magnitude more successful than its predecessor with a longevity that has lasted over a century. The design proliferated amongst smaller powers and mercenary groups due to its affordability and customisation.

The secret of the Spectre II’s success lies in its high-grade hull and engine performance. With an exceptionally acceleration of 54mc and manoeuvrability rated at 609 MEUs, the Spectre is a nimble combatant and well suited to dogfighting or interdiction roles. In addition, the Spectre is highly suitable for atmospheric operations, with flaps to aid the thrust-vectoring performance so that the Spectre’s agility is retained even in air. This speed came with a price however – there was little room and no spare power for shields, and armour was correspondingly very light, with an Armour Integrity Capacity of only 18TXq.

The basic Spectre II is armed with twin 35mm gatling cannons. With no energy weapons of shields, all the Spectre II’s power could be concentrated in its engines. The Spectre II’s remaining offensive power comes from missiles.

The Spectre II has two missile hardpoints on its underside. These are rated only to a Standard Warhead Capacity of 2 each, though can mount up to two missiles each. Thus these hardpoints are typically each loaded with two short-ranged dogfighting missiles, such as the Vitrius Conglomerate SRASHM-1111 Viper, which has a 30TXq warhead. The hardpoints can be removed entirely if not in use, which helps reduced atmospheric drag.

Like the Spectre I, the Spectre II has two internal missile bays are placed on the upper fuselage. Given the Spectre’ II’s very narrow profile, some logistical juggling was required to fit the bays in at all. There is only just enough room for them between the engines and landing gear. A simple top hatch was not feasible, since it there was not enough room between the engine block and the cockpit for the length required for most missiles. A ventral bay would have meant that the missile hardpoints would have had to be removed.

Instead, the Spectre II’s bays have firing tubes, more akin to some capital ship missile launchers. The tubes lead at a slight upward angle from the bay to either side of the cockpit. The opening is shielded by a retractable housing, which splits open for firing, but is otherwise closed to reduce atmospheric drag. Despite the fact that the missile have to be essentially loaded one-by-one down the firing tube, this mechanism is surprisingly reliable and robust, having none of the same issues that plagued the Spectre I’s similar system.

The bays have a Standard Warhead Capacity rating of 7. The limited space means there are only two internal hardpoints available, however. Still, this is sufficient to mount four 40TXq missiles, such as the Darian Defence MRASHM-1119 Sunspot.

In the years since its introduction, improvements to drive and power core miniaturisation allow the Spectre II hull to be further improved. One of the earliest common upgrades was the addition of a hyperdrive.

The most infamous Spectre II modification is the Army Of the Red Spear’s Apparition. Originally bought during their 9^th starship generation as something of a stopgap in the early 2250s, the Apparition turned out to be such a success that the Aotrs eventually turned over to manufacturing it in-house.

The modern Mark 6 Apparition looks only a little different to its ancestor. The major difference is the dorsal missile bays have been enlarged (thanks to superior miniaturisation improvements) and transformed into a warhead launcher. The warhead launcher is sufficiently larger than it can fire directly forward (a necessity for firing torpedoes), discharging over the top of the old missile bay tube ports. This might seem to somewhat reduce the visibility for the pilot to the sides, but with superior Aotrs helmet displays, the launchers are digitally made mostly opaque for the pilot. The payload remains much the same as the original Spectre II (albeit with more advanced Aotrs missiles) and the substitution of rotary plasma-pulse cannons for the gatlings. The Apparition also boasts a comfortable 108 TXq-rated fighter grade shields.

Showing that a good idea is always worth stealing, the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s Severus (Sv/Ftr) fighter borrows the same concepts as the Apparition. The missile bays are replaced with torpedo launchers using a near-clone of the Aotrs techniques, albeit with less advanced Herosine torpedo technology. The bays are also somewhat taller, allowing the Severus to carry five 30TXq-yield torpedoes.

Like the Apparition, the Severus has shields, though only 82TXq rated. The Herosine design also replaces the gatlings, but in their case with two 18TXq disruptors. The Herosine version also adds two additional lower hardpoints, allowing it double the missile load. However, the extra mass of the missiles and torpedoes also reduces the Severus’ performance, reducing it to 52.1mc and 586 MEUs.

Infantry of the Herosine Imperial Army

(Note: The provided pictures of the infantry are constrained by the source material’s print limitations of small scale (as they are taken from 1:144^th scale renders). They thus should be treated as illustrative, rather than strictly accurate.)

Lg-I/FS Legionary Mark 6 Footsoldier

The Legionary is the backbone of the Herosine Empire armed forces and has been for over a century. The Herosine Empire has used droid or robot troopers since its inception. The Herosines are light-years ahead of the competition, with only the most advanced races and those who are inherently technological having better quality troops. The Army Of The Red Spear first bought its War Droids from the Herosine Empire before it began working on its own, and the design lineage is still evident in some of their internal architecture. In some respects, the AI of the Herosine War Droids is now better than that of the Aotrs: the Herosine droids do not have the same command and control limitations as the Aotrs troops do.

In the 2330s, the Lg-I/FS Mark 6 model began to replace the older Lg/LS Mark 5s. The major difference in the newer model is the application of the Herosine’s latest Scutum Mark 6-I shield, providing better deflection and penetration resistance for the same power output as the older Scutum Mark 2. Many units of Mark 5s are also being recalled and converted with upgrade kits to the new standard.

Legionaries are typically armed with either Herosine Arms semi-automatic disruptor rifles, automatic blaster rifles or plasmatic repeater rifles, depending on what their role is intended to be. They can, however, use any two-handed energy weapons with the same proficiency thanks to their programming: some units are equipped with longer range weapons like lazer rifles or – for particularly affluent masters – disintegrator rifles. They also possess basic internal scanners, but rely mainly on attendant Psiloi Orb Scouts for those duties.

Legionaries are typically programmed with some basic technical skills – most often gunnery or heavy artillery skills. They also typically have some “space” left aside, which can be programmed to other skills (for ground forces, this typically means command or AFV piloting skills).

Ps-I/GOS  Psiloi Gravitic Mark 7 Orb Scout

Length	0.85m
Width	0.90m
Height	0.90m

The Psiloi is as venerable as the Legionary. For over a century, the Herosine’s ground forces and naval marine detachments have been supplemented with the familiar sight of the Psiloi Gravitic Orb Scout.

The Ps-I/GOS Mark 7, rather than an upgrade as with the Centurion and Legionary, is more of a new machine. While the basic structure is the same, the Mark 7 has a superior alloy armour surface. It replaces the old GOS Mark 4 shield generator with a new GOS Mark 5-I. The new Mark 5-I, in addition to being an upgrade with the newer technology, provides an all-around shield, unlike the forward-only barrier of the older GOS Mark 4. While the GOS 4’s exceptional output-to-consumption and weight ratio has kept it in service for so long, the new Mark 5-I provides 75% of the power output, but to all facings, rather than just the fore. Combined with the new armour, while the Psiloi is now 5% less protected from the fore arc, it obviates the Psiloi’s biggest – and well-known – weakness.

This design change has required a re-modelling of the Psiloi’s internal structure and a stronger power core and drive to lift the greater weight due to the armour.

The Psiloi is equipped with two frontal blaster pistols. It is outfitted with a suite of electronics, from a full sensor array, allowing it to designate for other Herosine missile vehicles. An EM and stealth suite that allow it to hide electronically from sensors. While short of a cloak and not fool-proof, it does grant the Psiloi considerably more ability to sneak around. This, combined with the Psiloi’s default suite of skills (unlike the Legionaries, the Psiloi is usually “full”) pertaining to stealth, threat detection, navigation, computer and hacking skills and even basic assassination skills allow it to be a significant threat to all levels of enemy grounds forces.

Cn-I/HS Centurion Mark 4 Heavy Footsoldier

Compared to the Legionary and the Psiloi, the Centurion is a relatively late addition to the Herosine Droid arsenal. It replaced the older Decurion Heavy Footsoldier, which was purely a heavy weapons platform.

The Centurion is not, as the inexperienced sometime assume, a command unit, given their typical deployment as one to an infantry squad, but a special weapons element. While the Decurion it replaced only carried a support weapon, the Centurion mounts four inbuilt weapon systems, capable of engaging foes at all ranges.

On the left arm, it mounts a Herosine Arms automatic subassault lazer. Capable of engagement up to 500m, this is the Centurion’s main anti-infantry weapon.  On the right, it carries a twin flame-pistol mount for close range urban clearance – or any other duties which require a flammable target to be set alight.

The remaining two weapon systems are mounted on its back, and rotate down over the shoulder when firing. The right-hand mount is particle accelerator cannon. The cannon are designed for continuous firing, drawing a steady amount of power from the Centurion’s power core for extended usage. It is an effective weapon against dispersed targets like infantry squads (owing to the fact it can be swept over an extended area), but is ideal for dealing with light point-targets such as powered infantry or other shielded droids.

The left mount is a missile launcher. This is typically outfitted with a standard Heavy Infantry Missile (typically rated at Tier 17) for use against armoured targets, though ship-board Centurions use one with a lesser penetration or a high-explosive warhead to avoid too much structural damage.

Centurions are typically fielded one to an infantry squadron of eight Legionaries and a Psiloi. Due to their vastly greater expense, it is rare to see more than one in a unit; however, personal bodyguards of ranking officials or special tank-hunting teams are not unheard of. Despite having a more advanced AI, Centurions are primarily designed for combat operations, and thus do not have much “spare” programming space for other skills to be added. In the latter case, this means that the usual squad numbers are reversed: eight Centurions in a squad with a Psiloi and a programmed Legionary acting as squad leader.

The latest model coming in the 2330s is Cn-I/HS Mark 4. This upgrades the Scutum Mark 5 to the newer Scutum Mark 7-I. As with the Legionaries, the older Centurions are undergoing refits to the current version.

Vehicles of the Herosine Imperial Army

(Editor’s Note: measurements are taken from bounding box extremities.)

Ax-I/Dr Auxilia Recon Drone

Length	1.99m
Width	2.52m
Height	1.61m

The Ax-I Auxilia Mark 6 Recon Drone is one of the Herosine Empire’s most prevalent reconnaissance vehicles. While the Psiloi Orb Scout is best suited for infantry support, the Auxilia is capable of dealing with armoured targets itself. It is much faster than the Psiloi, and more manoeuvrable and even capable of engaging enemy aircraft in a dogfight if pushed.

With an advanced sensor array, and a similar stealth package to the Psiloi (though its much larger size and power make this less effective) the Auxilia can perform a wide variety of tasks, from missile designation to sabotage, using its forward mounted Tier 14 disruptor cannon. While a short ranged weapon in its own right, at very close (>3m) ranges, the Auxilia can modify the output down to pencil-thin, enough for simple engineering tasks, especially when aided by the pair of small tractor beam arrays that are placed in the same mount.

The Auxilia’s main killing power, however, comes from its two missile racks. These, located beneath hatches on the dorsal rear slope of the hull, pop up just enough to allow a missile to fire. The five missiles in each rack are placed in a magazine, and can be fired in rapid succession. The magazine itself can be replaced very quickly from a dedicated engineering vehicle or structure, or somewhat more slowly by an engineering team or even by a second Auxilia if spares are to hand. The Auxilia typically uses SGMAT-23 Vastator missiles. These weapons have only a relatively short ranges of 2500m and carry a Tier 17 rated warhead, but the advanced lock-and-launch systems means that the Auxilia can unleash a barrage and drop down out of sight and minimise is own exposure.

EQ-I/MBT Eques Heavy Battle Tank

Length (Railgun mode)	10.0m
Length (Hull and other gun modes)	8.18m
Width	4.64m
Height	3.15m
Height (Rocket Pod mode)	3.18m

The Eques Heavy Battle Tank is the primary main battle tank of the Herosine Empire. Nearly ubiquitous now, the Eques has undergone numerous minor upgrades since its inception ago in 2323 (none significant enough to warrant a new mark number). Most recently was the conversion to newer shield generators and the –I version.

In part, this is due to the exceptionally careful design, in which cost was no object. The Eques demonstrates the Herosine Empire’s economic advantage to the fullest. The Eques comes equipped as standard with technology, that while not out of reach of most other powers, would be prohibitively expensive to use on a normal tank. The Eques is modular, with the basic design expected to be upgraded piecemeal over a projected fifty to seventy year lifetime: the Eques at the end of such a time will be only superficial similar to the earliest.

The Eques’ most major feature is the use of nanotechnology, specifically nano-replicators. In addition to being part of the Eques’ internal structure – thus providing superlative self-repair facilities, provided with sufficient power – the Eques’ turret can be reconfigured on the fly. Each of the three main guns can be transformed – together or independently – by the use of the nano-replicators in just a few seconds to one of three patterns.

The primary barrel configuration is a 200mm railgun. Working in concert, this allows the Eques to fire a staggered salvo of railgun slugs. While this affords it better penetration that one slug alone, it also has the advantage of being better at penetrating shields: if the first or second round drops the shields, the remaining rounds can strike the armour unimpeded.

The second configuration is an 80mm gatling railgun for anti-infantry or anti-air defence. As the Eques turret is not suitable for tracking high-elevation targets, the guns instead pivot a short distance outside the turret, allowing them to reach up to 90º elevations. While this shortened the distance the barrels could be made (and thus the penetration), Herosine railgun technology and the rate of fire produce a significantly dangerous output when fired together. Further, the guns automatically set to stagger-fire against point-targets, granting the same advantages as the main guns against shielded vehicles.

The final configuration is a rocket pod. Each pod carries 30 SGMAT-20 Sagitta rockets. Unlike the simple solid slugs of the previous two weapons, even the nano-replicators cannot create warheads themselves, but the Sagitta’s otherwise simple mechanisms can be produced. Thus the warheads themselves are stored separately and fetched and installed as the pod is replicated. This limits the total reloads to 90 across the entire vehicle. The process of conveying the warheads to position (or back to storage) doubles the time it takes to switch to and from this weapon mode, but this is still only a staggeringly short 11.2 seconds.

The small size of the Sagitta precludes a large warhead (the rockets have slightly less power than a Herosine Heavy Infantry Missile), but in concert (typically fired in salvos of three), their firepower rated at Tier 17. The rockets are also capable of being sensor guided, allowing the Eques to make indirect fire when given targets from Screen Drones or Psiloi Gravitic Orb Scouts.

Finally, the Eques carries a standard point-defence turret with twin Tier 7 lazer cannons, which also houses a sensor array, allowing it to act like a short sensor mast.

The Eques AA vehicle is a modification to the Eques tank, essentially replacing the turret with the missile turret of the Turma warhead launcher module turret, and doubling the available magazine space. While not strictly a dedicated AA vehicle, the Eques’s inherent AA targeting computer allows it to use its missiles as a company air-defence asset. They are frequently assigned a recon unit (typically a single Auxilia or one or two Psiloi) which allows them to additionally function as a limited artillery support unit with their torpedoes.

Lu-I/DT Lucius-class Base Defence Turret

Length (Disruptor)	3.96m
Length (Missile Launcher)	2.79m
Width	2.42m
Height (Disruptor)	3.97m
Height (Missile Launcher)	4.57m

The Herosine Empire’s most common base defence weapon system is a light, shielded turret, usually outfitted with either a high-track quad disruptor cannons or a missile launcher, typically with ten missiles.

On-I/SHT Onager Superheavy Tank

Length (Railgun)	12.97m
Length (Howitzer)	13.18m
Length (Disruptors)	12.40m
Width	8.12m
Height	4.57m

Virtually no other power could afford to field the Onager. With a price tag over ten times greater than a “typical” super heavy tank, only the exorbitantly wealthy Herosines would even contemplate such cost. The bleeding edge technology it uses would in the hands of less affluent powers would experimental and impossibly expensive to run in the field.

Entering service in 2328, like the Eques, the Onager has been incrementally upgraded during its service, thanks to the modular nature of Herosine technology. The current –I version is the first major upgrade, outfitted with the new advanced shield generators. Like its stablemates the Eques and Turma, it carries nano-replicators granting it a configurable main gun and considerable self-repair capabilities. It also has substantial combat endurance, thanks to both highly efficient fuel and power systems and the comfortable crew facilities. The latter are relatively luxurious due to the considerable automation that allows the Onager to function with only four crew – driver, primary and secondary gunners and the commander. The vehicle’s advanced sensor system is supplemented by no less than four sockets for Psiloi Orb Scouts.

The Onager mounts a terrifying array of weapons, which combined with the no-expense-spared computer and crew stations means its standard configuration can fulfil multiple combat roles.

The Onager mounts four standard twin Tier 7 lazer point-defence turrets – two on the forward hull and two on the turret. Lacking the Turma’s disruptor pulses or the Eques’ gatlings for anti-infantry operations, the Onager instead relies on sheer volume of fire.

The turret is equipped with two SGMAT-20 Sagitta rocket pods. These pods are the same design as the Eques’s rocket pod configuration, except they are not nano-re-configurable.

The Onager’s main warhead firepower comes instead from the twenty-four vertical launch missile tubes mounted on the turret. While each tube contains only a single Tier 20 SGMAT-25 Exstinctor missile, the vertical tubes can be easily reloaded in a bay or by a repair vehicle, either by conventional methods or by simply pouring a solution of nano-replication substrate into the tube.

The main gun has three configurations. All three are articulated at the rear and by a highly advanced telescopic support at the front granting the Onager an elevation of an astonishing 90º with its heavy weapons. The telescopic support itself, composed for highly advanced alloys to withstand the forces, costs as much as the Eques’s main turret weapons.

The primary configuration is a 300mm railcannon – essentially a scaled-up version of the Eques’s railguns. The barrel is disproportionally thicker for the calibre to stand the dramatically increased stresses. The weapon has only a kilometre greater range than the Eques as most of the power is concentrated into a relatively short-range punch.

The secondary configuration is a 350mm smoothbore howitzer. It fires a single anti-matter shell up to ten kilometres, rated at Tier 26 under 1000m. While this payload is slightly lighter than other similar sized weapons, the Onager’s weapon has the advantage of speed, range and improved accuracy. And one hit from a shell can still easily destroy a bunker or super heavy tank if unshielded. The shells cannot be nanoreplicated and the ten rounds are stored in a magazine in the hull.

The final configuration is a twin Tier 15 disruptor cannon system, in an atypical configuration of one barrel mounted above the other. Though this lacks the short-range power of the railcannon, it has a 15km range in atmosphere and is quite capable of destroying starfighters – or even, if operated in the vacuum of space, damaging unwary starships.

The Herosines wanted the Onager to be largely self-sufficient, and that required it being able to undertake some basic engineering tasks. Rather than fitting a dozer blade or cutting device in the traditional sense, the Herosines instead equipped the Onager with an engineering array consisting of pair of automated disintegrator ball turrets at the front of the hull. Following from the inspiration of the Cybertanks, these are further supplemented by two independent micro-tractor beams attached to each turret. This, combined with a dedicated AI system to operate and process the system, allows the Onager to carve a path through a forest, demolish buildings or to literally slice up the land and tractor it away to form a tank-scape. The disintegrators have a range of up to a kilometre, and can be a dangerous weapon in their own right, though their position on the hull means that most frequently, they will be occluded by terrain.

The Onager can thus fulfil many functions. In addition to operating as a heavy tank, the howitzer and missiles mean the Onager can act as artillery support – complete with its own spotters in the form of the Psiloi. The Onager’s commander’s station is equipped with a full holosuite which is spacious enough to allow a second station to be nano-configured, enabling it to function as dedicated command vehicle in its own right. (Though this makes the commander’s station only just the right side of cramped.) It possesses the same anti-aircraft targeting as the Eques, so combined with the disruptor cannons, it can act as an air-defence vehicle. And finally, it is even capable of carrying out limited engineering operations with the engineering array.

The Onager is a formidable vehicle armed with a terrifying array of weapons. All the flexibility could not come without a price, however – the Onager’s armour and shields is slightly lighter than most similar super heavy tanks, though still very large by the standards of most main battle tanks.

TU-I/MRV Turma Multirole Vehicle

Length (APC, Command)	8.36m
Length (Tank, Warhead)	7.98m
Width	3.57m
Height (APC)	3.31m
Height (Command)	3.01m
Height (Tank)	3.50m
Height (Warhead)	3.40m

The TU-I/MRV Turma Multirole Vehicle is being steadily introduced to the Herosine Imperial Army. The Turma is built with the latest Herosine technology, taking many of the ideas field-tested on the Eques and expanding on them. Like the Eques, it has modular components and nano-replicators. However, the limitations of the technology in re-structuring (or at least re-structuring quickly) required the Herosines to – for the moment – abandon their plan of a fully reconfiguring vehicle and settle for a more conventional modular one.

The Turma hull carries two forward-fixed warhead launchers, which carry a typical load of 18 rockets and four light torpedoes.

The Herosine Empire currently has four module configurations in the field.

The first is the APC module. This sports an enlarged module suitable for carrying a squad of infantry. The module also has a socket for the Psiloi Gravitic Orb Scout (both droid and the rare organic infantry squads typically have one Psiloi attached to them). There the Psiloi can dock under the safety of the Turma’s shield, recharge, and gain some limited repairs from the socket’s nano-replicators. The Psiloi is able to link its sensors directly to the Turma, giving the Turma essentially a second set of sensors while the Psiloi is docked. The APC variant carries a high-track turret with two disruptor cannons and a standard lazer point-defence turret.

The second module is the Command Vehicle variant. This version has two point-defence turrets and considerable additional shields in addition to its command suite. A supplementary power core also provide some additional energy, allowing the command variant to exceed the Turma’s normal top speed in short bursts, all the better to protect the vitally important (and highly-self-motivated) Herosine commanders…

The third module is the tank module. This houses increased power generators and turret with a standard PD lazer turret. The main turret has nano-replicator weapons in two patterns. The first of these is a heavy particle accelerator cannon, configured for continuous fire. This weapon has less overall power than a similar sized gun, but has the advantage of being able to tear through physical defences (kinetic, ablative, reactive or otherwise) with equal facility.

The second is four disruptor pulse cannons, giving the Turma tank a high rate of fire (if not as good as dedicated rapid-fire weapon like a gatling). The other main advantage of this mode is its ability to strip shields more effectively.

The final module is the warhead launcher module. Externally the same as the tank module on which it is based aside from the turret, internally, much of the space is dedicated to the warhead launcher’s magazine.  A typical load-out consists of 10 guided missiles, 20 standard torpedoes and 10 blast torpedoes for area suppression. The warhead launcher turret is also provided with a laser PD array for additional missile protection.

© Alex Handley, 2010-2021

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Behind the Scenes

The Herosines started out as a random one-shot villain in a self-told story, whose name was written down, likely around the turn of the millennium. They first appeared “properly” later in a one-shot Rolemaster RPG game, debuting by name the Psiloi and Legionary. The Herosine Fleet made its first appearance during 2003, appearing in the sixth Accelerate and Attack scenario I wrote, where they faced off against the Orc Fearcrushy. (Ironically, for being at the time the two lowest technology powers, it was the battle fought at the longest ranges due to their fleet’s weapons.) Around 2005 or so, the Herosines again appeared as RPG villains, bringing this time with them a sketch of the Centurion (which was used as the basis for the later model and also for the Legionary model). That first encounter, the Centurion managed to burn a hole through the shoulder of one of the PCs, so it started out well enough…!

The initial Herosine fleet models were and are Irregular Miniatures models with some conversions and some Noble Armada ships. The tacit lore of the open market in general and the delta cruisers in particular was already well-established (since so many fleets that our group had between us used Irregular models). The Herosine Empire expanded from just “those guys with droids” to being the face of the arms market and things clicked into place.

Into the era of 3D printing, the Beta scoutship was one of the first (possibly the second ever) starship I attempted, with the Rim Runner (under the title of “deepship”) being the first. The Stone Portals and Vivrathk then commanded the bulk of the attention, but I began to experiment with the delta hulls a little. A series of commissions expanded the range. But the Herosine fleet was quite large already (at time of writing, it stands at 81 ships, the forth-largest fleet we have). So I didn’t instantly fit every design right into their fleet. In fact, I ended up palming off the dreadnought to become the Amplitude for the Cybertanks (who were critically short of anything between the Toroidal and Colloidal) just to have it somewhere. And the Heavy Battleship is still currently unused!

Once again, the Delta Heavy Cruiser is the SH3 Destroyer model from Irregular Miniatures human starship range.

The Spectre II deserves special mention. It was originally a fold-flat cardboard model design by my Dad for 28mm, a feature is shares with a couple of other vehicles, namely the Vampire APC, the Aotrs Dirge and the Tarrainian Federation Neuron truck. I had scaled it down to 6mm in cardboard – and the Aotrs appropriated it for the Apparition) long before 3D printing became an option. The fleet scale version was an early 3D print design, but I never actually painted the one I had printed. Updating and expanding the model while I was doing the Aotrs for the re-release proved to be rather harder than I had expected. The narrow hull doesn’t have a great deal of room and it had been over two decades since Dad had first designed it, so he couldn’t for the life of him remember what the intentions were, so it took some detective work on my old game stats for the 6mm fighter combat homebrew rules (and I had to dig DEEP into my archives to even find them) to get things in place, but I’m happy that I was able to de-abstract it out to its current form. (A more in-depth explanation of what I had to do was posted as an article for 2020’s Partizan in the Cloud on Facebook, before Facebook removed the ability to have notes. While I still retain the article in document form, it’s no longer accessible. I might restore it eventually.)

The Herosine ground force was another natural thing to do, and was centred around the experimentation of how far I could push 3D printing, with their hot-swappable, removable weapon barrels and the Psiloi mounts. The Herosines were also notably the first ground force to come out of the whole cloth without being inspired by or a homage to something, being predominantly created around their gimmick and from the ground-up to be easily printable on the Replicator. The Eques and later Onager remain probably my favourite ground vehicles aesthetically.

The Turma was fundamentally inspired by the real-world Boxer AFV and the model I had done from that. Like that model, the idea of having a removable rear module was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practise is a bit pointless, since everyone (myself included) just tends to have an equal number of rear modules as hulls, and it’s not an idea I will continue in future (especially as it’s not easy to lock the rear modules to the hulls, either.)

It’s not impossible that I will return to the Herosines at some point (perhaps doing some human infantry or more vehicles), but the ground army as it stands is not really missing any critical elements.

Model Availability

The Herosine Ground force and the other illustrated vessels are available Aotrs Shipyards direct (contact us on Facebook (catalogue available from Aotrs Shipyards Task Force Group) or via the webshops at:

TheShop3D

Shapeways

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[1] Pronounced “Herro-seen”; the “-ine” is as in “machine” not “line.”

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