Negative Energy Technology

Negative Energy is a natural phenomenon linked to gravity and the curvature of space.  It has a number of practical uses, from creating artificial gravity fields, to hyper-efficient refrigeration and noise-cancellation systems, to some of the most powerful weaponry in the galaxy.  It is also the key to spatial compression, the primary FTL (faster than light) technology in human-controlled space.  It even impacts the world of communications with spatial compression radio technology.

The generation of negative energy is generally accomplished through the use of Casimir Stacks (a device that operates on the Casimir effect ), or through the squeezed light technique. 

Manipulation of negative energy often requires the use of time crystals, exotic objects that never reach thermal equilibrium, as well as nega-conductors, special materials that can transmit negative energy.

Negative energy can also be stored in an anticapacitor.  When charging, anticapacitors are said to "charge down", rather than charging up, as one might think of a normal energy storage device.

Negative Energy Hazards

A negative energy field counteracts positive energy that it comes into contact with, so a common injury from exposure to excessive negative energy is frostbite, as it absorbs the heat in the environment.  An environment rich in negative energy is one with dim light or darkness, little or no sound, and cold temperatures.  All movement slows down in its presence.  Electronics often fail in such environments as well.

This feature also makes negative energy based weapons the preferred armament of assassins and spies.  Where a conventional weapon would give away its presence with emitted light and sound, a negative energy blaster or blade blocks out light and sound, making its use harder to detect.  

Negative energy systems have to be carefully shielded and insulated. If they aren't, the area around the equipment can quickly become hazardously cold.

Titans

When the Holy Empire of Man took over the island, the locals called them the "Sky Kings". One village embraced the Sky Kings and their ways while the rest clung to the old ways. One day, the Celestial Knight descended from the heavens and stood by the village. Then a mighty hurricane rose from the sea and destroyed all the enemies of the Sky Kings. The village and the Celestial Knight stood unharmed, square in the eye of the hurricane for three days. The locals called it a miracle, the commanding officer called it weather control.

Titans are enormous walking vehicles similar to battleoids, but at a larger scale.  The smallest titans are about the same size as the largest battleoids, but the largest are far larger.  Because of their size and complexity, titans are always piloted by a crew of at least two, and usually three or five pilots connected via an inter-brain network based off the early experiments of the Markovians (notably technology recovered from the Archipelago incident).  Unlike battleoids, Titans are never mass-produced. Each one is custom-built for a particular use.  Many prosperous industrial worlds prominently feature a titan in their planetary defense forces, as a status symbol.

History

The first Titans saw deployment around GSC 850 among the star-kingdoms along the Sagittarius rim.  The Planetary League never widely adopted the technology, but the Holy Empire of Man used them extensively, mainly as an intimidation tactic.  The Empire of 1,000,000 Suns gained the technology shortly before the War of the Empires, and Titans saw extensive use during that conflict.

E1MS Artillery Pod

Overview

The Artillery Pod was an important weapon in the armory of the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns.  Before the 1,000 Years War, these walking artillery pieces were, for the most part, fully robotic.  During the war; however, they defected to the Cult of Troniac in large numbers, and subsequently, were manufactured almost exclusively for operation by an organic pilot.

Heavily armed and armored, but slow and ponderous, the Artillery-pod was often used to set up fortified positions, especially in rough terrain. 

E1MS "Sapling" Rifle

The "Sapling" was the standard rifle chassis for most of the history of the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns. 

An unadorned Sapling, as might be seen in field use.

For formal inspections, parades, etc., the Sapling is often seen adorned in Imperial Green.

History

First developed during the 1,000 Years war, it saw continuous service (albeit with many variations and upgrades) until the period between the Great Reckoning and the War of the Empires.  Many later claimed that the E1MS might have won the War of the Empires if they had stuck with their traditional arms instead of upgrading to higher tech designs provided by the remnants of the Planetary League.

The E1MS also used the Sapling as a foreign policy tool, gifting it (or the designs to build it) to nearly anyone willing to fight the enemies of the Empire. 

The Cult of Troniac also made extensive use of the Sapling, (especially during the 1000 Years War), as many early conversions to the faith were robots that built the Sapling in the Empire's military machine.

Over time, this weapon was produced in such large numbers, and the designs to create it were so widely available, that most criminal enterprises, insurgencies, and warring factions throughout the galaxy had at least a few of them in their armories.

Variants

There were three main variants of the Sapling in use throughout most of its career. 

The first was the laser rifle, which was the most widely used as it required only electricity to operate, and was therefore the simplest to keep in service.  It was also the cheapest to mass-produce.  This simplicity was offset by the fact that a foe could deflect the laser by presenting an appropriately reflective surface.  Most laser rifles could be switched between "single shot" mode, which activated the laser briefly, and "continuous beam" mode which would operate until either the trigger was released or the power cell discharged.

The second main variant was the rail-gun, which used electromagnets to launch kinetic projectiles.  This necessitated carrying ammunition in addition to power cells.  The projectiles came in a variety of variants with various properties, such as armor-piercing, hollow-point, etc.

The third, and most complex of the standard variants was the plasma-bolt rifle.  This version launched a magnetic core surrounded by charged plasma.  It had the most complex ammunition, consisting of a power cell, a magazine of cores, and a cylinder of gas.  This was a logistical hassle that helped make this the least used of the main variants of the Sapling.  In addition to the damage caused by the magnetic core (its self a kinetic projectile), the plasma fired by this weapon could damage electrical circuits, super-heat armor, and burn flesh.  If the specialized ammunition was unavailable, this version could also fire the projectiles made for the rail-gun variant as well. 

Accessories

Being such a widely-produced weapon for such a long time lead to a plethora of accessories and modifications being created for the Sapling from the mundane to the exotic.

Other Notes

The Sapling rifle was designed to be used by Cielioids, and as such, the trigger is about twice the size as what a human would normally use.  (Cielioids have only two large fingers on a hand about the same width of a human hand.)  This makes operation of the rifle by humans awkward, but not by any means impossible.  During Era-2, one of the most popular modifications for the Sapling was to replace the handle and trigger with something more amenable to human hands.

Kugelblitz projector/ Kugelblitz formation

Description/ use

The Kugelblitz projector (and the Kugelblitz formation) is a massive weapon, designed to create a small black hole at a target location, by precisely targeting a large number of high powered lasers.  A black hole generated by light concentrated in a small space is known to science as a Kugelblitz (from the German, meaning "Ball Lightning").  The Kugelblitz is a real black hole,(meaning that it has gravity so intense that light can not escape it), although in almost all recorded uses of the Kugelblitz projector/formation it lasted only a fraction of a second, due to Hawking Radiation.   Hawking Radiation is also the main lethal force of the Kugelblitz Projector, as the black hole generated by it is too small to have far-reaching gravitational effects, and the Hawking Radiation of such a black hole is colossally explosive.

The Kugelblitz Projector/ Formation is a large-scale weapon, generally deployed against capital ships, cities, or space-colonies.  The higher-power versions could destroy the biosphere of an inhabited planet, or even break up small planets.

The Kugelblitz projector is a single-unit weapon, usually installed on large capital ships, consisting of a large number of high-powered lasers with a centralized controller to aim them at a certain location, and to time the beams to arrive there at the same instant.  Sometimes (especially with lower-tech versions), the projector will operate with the assistance of a targeting drone, similar to the Kugelblitz formation.

The Kugelblitz formation follows the same concept, except the lasers are distributed among a number of smaller craft.  This makes the precise targeting essential to the operation of the weapon more difficult.  For this reason, a Kugelblitz formation generally uses a targeting drone (usually a torpedo modified with special reflectors and a reaction chamber where the Kugelblitz forms) fired from a command ship in order to coordinate the attack.

The technology that enables the Kugelblitz Formation is derived from the older Sunflower Formation, which used reflectors mounted on small craft to concentrate sunlight on a target, in order to super-heat it.

History

In the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns, the first known designs for a Kugelblitz projector were created by Kroah Dashan as a speculative project.  Eventually, it was built for use in combating the dreaded Nomad Armies that frequently raided the Empire.  Both the projector and the formation found a substantial amount by both sides during the 1,000 Years War.  After that conflict it was used only sporadically, during the long, relatively peaceful period until the War of the Empires, when it again became a main weapon in large battles.

In the Holy Empire of Man, the Kugelblitz Projector was developed during the Great Reckoning, for use by the Purification Fleet, destroying cities and sterilizing planets.  During the War of the Empires, the Kugelblitz Formation was also developed in order to counter the E1MS, and was used heavily by both sides in that conflict.

Battleoids

Description

Battleoids are large (between 5 and 20 meters in height), piloted walking vehicles.  In contrast, suits of powered armor  are worn like clothing, and are typically less than 5 Meters tall.  Their larger cousins, the Titans, are usually over 25 meters tall, and are always piloted by a crew as opposed to the single pilot of a battleoid. 

Battleoids are commonly used in warfare where they combine the flexibility of infantry with the firepower and durability of an armored vehicle, as well as a big advantage in size.  Battleoids also have peaceful uses, primarily in heavy construction and civil engineering functions.  Battleoids typically have fully sealed life-support systems, and find use in a variety of hostile environments from underwater to deep space.

There are two main types of control systems for a battleoid.  The first is used in most mass-produced models, and has a traditional cockpit with control panels, heads-up displays, and a pilot's seat.  This control scheme relies on artificial intelligence algorithms for most of the coordination and agility needed to perform its tasks.  The other control scheme interfaces directly with the pilot's nervous system, and is often found in high-end or custom-built battleoids.  These units are typically tailored to their pilots, and give much more precise control than the standard interface.  The trade-off of better control is the risk of feedback to the pilot if the battleoid's systems are damaged.  Also, there is further risk of damage to the pilot in the event that he or she needs to eject out of the cockpit while still engaged with the neural link.  Elite warriors often die with their machines, rather than ejecting in cases of catastrophic damage.

History

The first battleoids were developed for entertainment.  They crushed cars, breathed fire, and fought each other in packed arenas for the amusement of an audience.  Later, the design was adapted to use in construction and earth-moving, before making its way into the military.

Types of Battleoid

The Empire of 1,000,000 Suns uses civil-defense battleoids to protect cities.

The Convergence Scout Walker is a fearsome terror-weapon.

The John-Henry is a heavy-duty battleoid designed for construction applications.

The Holy Empire of Man used the Retribution-class battleoid extensively in military operations.

The Strider was made by Danforth Galactic and widely used across the galaxy as a mobile watchtower.

Famous Battleoids

Shinigami is a legendary battleoid that was built in the E1MS, used by pirates during Era-1, and rebels during Era-2.