Unathi Spaceflight

Overview

While the Unathi were already a spacefaring species prior to first contact, exposure to human and Skrell technology helped to catapult their interstellar development, granting them access to warp and bluespace technology. Now, Unathi-made vessels are a common sight across the Spur, and the Izweski Hegemony continues to project its power across the stars. While to Wastelanders or rural Sinta a spaceship may be a rare and miraculous sight, they are a frequent sight in the cities of the Untouched Lands now - and most Unathi are well familiar with the nature of interstellar travel, even if they have never experienced it themselves.

Pre-Contact Spaceflight

The Unathi first took to the stars 64 years prior to first contact, when the Izweski Hegemony launched their space program in 2339. Largely, this came in the form of unmanned communication and observation satellites, many of which have been refurbished for the modern day. The first manned Unathi missions came in 2343, when an Unathi named Kseok Hizra made history - becoming the first Unathi in space. Manned missions continued, with Unathi setting foot on Chanterel in 2361. The Hegemony space program received drastic upgrades in 2372, when Ouerea was discovered to be inhabitable. The Izweski poured money and resources into the colonisation of Ouerea, establishing a population of a few thousand on the planet, as well as establishing orbital installations for resupply of their crude and slow shuttles. This lead to the creation of what was at the time designated Izweski Station - the first space station put into the orbit of Moghes. Izweski Station fell into disrepair during the Contact War, and has only recently been restored with the aid of the K’lax Hive, now known as the IHSS Restoration.

Spaceflight in the Modern Age

During the Contact War, the resources of the Izweski space program were turned towards a military purpose - instead of sending their rockets to the skies, they sent them towards the Traditionalist Coalition. When the conflict turned nuclear, several existing spacecraft were refitted to deliver atomic payloads to the Traditionalists, and development began on weaponizing existing satellites. The sudden lack of investment in the flourishing space program led to many problems, as Izweski Station’s systems began to break down, and the colonists of Ouerea struggled without shipments of supplies from Moghes. Cases of more advanced space crafts being used by the Traditionalists were recorded too, though with little to not success, such as Seryo’s Last Landing, a battle which saw the Kazhkz clan acquire a large fleet of Human-made shuttles to use in an attempted landing against Skalamar.

When the War was over and the Hegemony stood victorious, they still lacked interstellar travel of their own, leading Hegemon S’kresti Izweski to offer an amnesty to the growing population of Unathi space pirates in exchange for lending their ships to the Hegemony’s service. This had mixed results, but it did allow the Hegemony to begin the assembly of an, admittedly rag-tag, fleet. This trend continues to this day, also helping the Hegemony deal with the more hostile kinds of pirate fleets. As Hephaestus Industries began to expand into the Uueoa-Esa system, the Hegemony was able to partner with the human megacorporation to construct the Hegeranzi Starworks in orbit of the gas giant Omgolo, and with the aid of Hephaestus engineers begin constructing ships of their own. While it was once operated by the Shipwrights’ Guild, their failure to meet demand led to Hephaestus absorbing the guild as a subsidiary.

Today, the Izweski Hegemony is a notable regional power in the southern Orion Spur. Though their navy is impressive, it has been hamstrung greatly by the phoron crisis, as many of their larger ships are no longer capable of bluespace travel. This has led to an increase in pirate activity within Hegemony space, as the bulk of Izweski naval power is currently mothballed in Uueoa-Esa until phoron can be found again, or they can be refitted. As the Hegemony's economy continues to suffer through famine and phoron scarcity alike, many fear that its rivals in the region will look to take advantage of its weakened state.

Izweski Civilian Ship Classes

Most Unathi-manufactured ships are constructed for the Izweski Navy - however, civilian classes have been produced in recent years, largely sold to rich nobles or powerful guilds. In addition, some criminal elements have been able to acquire ships of their own, with the Shortclaw Clan having managed to acquire a rare few civilian freighters for use in smuggling their ill-gotten gains across the Orion Spur. In addition, many Hegemony civilian ships have been stolen and retrofitted by pirate fleets, and it is not uncommon to see the below classes in the hands of such criminals.

Azkrazal-class Freighter

A civilian ship design commonly owned by the traders of the Merchants’ Guild, Azkrazal-class freighters are designed for long-distance cargo hauling. They make up the majority of Hegemony trade and shipping vessels, and as such are a common sight in any port which trades with the Hegemony, from the Republic of Biesel to the Coalition of Colonies. With famine gripping Moghes, many Azkrakal-class vessels have also been repurposed as supply ships, bringing food from Ouerea and other outlying colonies to help alleviate ongoing hunger at the Hegemony’s heart.

Voidbreaker-class Corvette

Based on the original design of the Navy’s corvettes prior to the creation of the Foundation, Voidbreaker-class ships are unarmed and heavily armoured vessels, now primarily seen operated by the Kataphract Guild. These ships are primarily used as transport for Kataphract warriors, as they take on mercenary work across the Spur. While they tend to lack guns, they are often equipped with boarding pods and small, fast, Spearhead-class shuttles to allow their warriors to perform aggressive boarding actions. While a few of these can still be found in service with the Izweski Navy, they have largely been scrapped or sold off in favour of the newer Foundation-class vessels. A few of them can be found in the possession of pirate groups, especially older fleets such as Izharshan's Raiders.

Sk’resti-class Colony Ship

Named after the former Hegemon who oversaw their design and construction, Sk’resti-class vessels are the primary colony vessels of the Izweski Hegemony. Enormous. slow vessels filled with construction supplies, cryogenic stasis units, and everything that settlers may need to establish a new colony. No new Sk’resti-class ships have been constructed since the beginning of the phoron crisis, as the Hegemony can barely maintain the territory that it already has. There are none of these ships currently in service, as all of those constructed have served their function and been reassembled into the centres of various Hegemony colonies.

Vharazki-class Transport

Named after one of the Zyola worshipped in the Southlands, Vharazki-class vessels are the main civilian transport of the Hegemony. They are small, cramped and generally uncomfortable, but are one of the cheapest and most reliable ways for a Hegemony citizen to travel offworld. Usually, they carry Unathi from Moghes or Ouerea to established colonies, or further afield to the Republic of Biesel. Hephaestus often makes use of these transports for their employees being sent offworld, and they are a common sight in Hephaestus installations across the Spur, bringing a fresh workforce at the behest of the human megacorporation. Like many civilian ships, a few of these can be found in the hands of pirate fleets, often stripped and modified to hold weapons and attack shuttles.

Seeker-class Freight Shuttle

One of the most common transport shuttles found in the Hegemony, the Seeker is a fat and ungainly shuttle, described by some human pilots who’ve flown them as “Looks like a brick, but steers like a brick”. As such, they are largely used for short-range transport of cargo, and are often used by the crews of Azkrazal-class vessels for pickup of goods. While they are not often used by pirates where better shuttles can be found, there have been a few recorded cases of pirate fleets overriding the safeties of a Seeker, filling it with explosives, and transforming it into a devastating improvised missile.

Glizkin-class Mining Shuttle

Commonly used by the Miners’ Guild, Glizkin-class shuttles are short-range mining vessels, designed for persistent mining of celestial bodies. They are viewed by their crews as small, yet reliable and enduring - much like the Tza Prairie folk hero for which they are named. These shuttles are too small to carry warp or bluespace drives, and as such they are usually assigned to planetary mining bases or remote space stations, where the Guild miners will live and work for extended periods of isolation.

Brick-class Freight Shuttle

The Brick-class is an older model of Hegemonic freight shuttle, largely used for in-system transport prior to reliable access to faster-than-light travel. They are larger than most standard shuttles, which has led to the Brick largely being retired due to the difficulties of fitting them aboard modern Hegemony ships. A few of these vessels can still be seen in service in Uueoa-Esa, largely serving as supply shuttles between the system’s inhabited planets and installations.

Many of these shuttles have also proven bountiful targets for pirates, and as such they make up a significant portion of several groups’ fleets. Usually refitted with heavier armour and armed with whatever guns can be found, these shuttles are often used as attack vessels against small or poorly-defended targets. In particular, many of them can be found flying the colours of Izharshan’s Raiders, as they made up the bulk of Iklex Izharshan’s original fleet.

Kutah-class Mining Station

A station primarily used by the Miners’ Guild, Kutah-class stations are usually temporary outposts, constructed in mineral-rich systems and outfitted with one or more Glizkin-class shuttles. These small, slapdash stations are not designed for long-term operation, and will often fall quickly into disrepair when their operations are concluded. Guildsmen will live there for months to years, mining the local celestial bodies and shipping their ore back to Guild headquarters, where it is sold off. The stations are frequently complained about by miners, as they are cramped, ugly and prone to breaking down, but serving aboard a Kutah-class is considered a rite of passage by many Guildsmen, with the general terribleness of the experience bonding their crews strongly together.

IHSS Reclamation

The IHSS Reclamation, formerly Izweski Station, has been refurbished in recent years. While its crew were pulled out and the station abandoned during the Contact War, the arrival of the K’lax and the beginning of terraforming efforts against the growing Wasteland led the station to find a new purpose - as a key site of Izweski research and monitoring. Crewed by some of the Hegemony’s brightest biologists, geneticists and botanists, as well as workers of the K’lax Hive and even a rare few Diona gestalts, the station now serves as the centre of efforts to reclaim the Wasteland. Experiments are conducted on genetic modification of Moghresian flora and fauna, climate engineering, radiation cleansing and even genetic modification of the Unathi themselves - all in the name of saving Moghes’ crumbling ecosystem from total collapse.

Izweski Military Ship Classes

The Izweski Navy currently has five main ship classes, as well as various associated shuttles, fighters and gunships.

Foundation-class Corvette

The forerunners of the Izweski Navy, Foundation-class vessels are slim, agile and fast, equipped with high-grade warp drives. They are small vessels, usually assigned to patrol actions, escort duty or anti-pirate operations, and can often be seen in regions such as the Badlands or Sparring Sea attempting to secure Hegemony assets in the region. These ships have seen increasing usage since the phoron crisis, as the bulk of the Navy’s force is currently incapable of interstellar travel. They are usually lightly armed, equipped with Hegemony Bruiser II cannons and lightweight rotary guns.

Brawler-class Destroyer

A larger vessel, Brawler-class destroyers make up the bulk of the Izweski navy, and are usually the first line in any major Hegemony military operation. They do not require phoron to run, and as such are the largest ships in the Hegemony fleet that are currently deployable. Currently, they are primarily concentrated within Izweski space, protecting valuable colonies and shipping routes from pirate incursion. Brawlers are equipped with heavy plasteel armour, as well as large mass driver weapons. While these weapons’ size and weight can lead to the Brawler-class being slower and more cumbersome than other nations’ equivalent vessels, they make it extremely effective at punching above its weight class. The more recent Brawler designs have also been heavily front-armoured, aiding in the ramming manoeuvres popularised by Lord Sakax Razi.

Bulwark-class Cruiser

One of the Hegemony’s larger ships, the Bulwark-class cruiser is an extremely effective design, having seen extensive use in Lord-Admiral Yizarus’s campaign against the pirates of Izharshan’s Raiders. Uniquely for Unathi ships, they are equipped solely with energy weapons, armed with front-mounted heavy lasers, as well as an enormous ion cannon capable of disabling smaller vessels rapidly. However, these energy weapons place an enormous strain on the Bulwark’s power systems, leading to most of them being equipped with large and vulnerable fusion reactors. Their bluespace drives allow them to travel between systems at rapid speeds, but the ongoing phoron crisis has meant that the Hegemony is currently unable to fuel these vessels. Currently, all active Bulwark-class vessels are assigned to the Uueoa-Esa system, protecting Moghes, Tret and Ouerea from any potential threat. They are also armoured for ramming manoeuvres, though due to the size and long-range nature of these ships ramming actions are usually reserved for desperate last resorts, when the ship is already at high risk of destruction.

Hammer-class Battleship

A theoretical design, as none have yet been constructed, the Hammer-class is designed to be the equivalent of a human battleship. Designs for these vessels are outfitted with heavy mass-driver mounted weapons, as well as bays for several Siro-class fighters and onboard missile systems. While previous designs were outfitted with bluespace drives, similarly to the Hegemony’s other large ships, rumours from Hegeranzi Starworks indicate that new designs have been updated for warp drives instead - rendering them much slower at interstellar speeds, but capable of operating without dependence on phoron. The immense power requirements of this ship would require an advanced reactor, though the exact specifications of the Hammer-class’s power source have not yet been made public.

Cataclysm-class Super-dreadnought

The pride of the Izweski Navy, Cataclysm-class vessels are some of the largest ships manufactured anywhere in the Orion Spur. At nearly a kilometre long and two hundred metres wide, these vessels are an awe-inspiring sight, and have traditionally been used as flagships for the Hegemony’s fleets. They are each armed to the teeth, with heavy railgun batteries, heavy laser cannons and mass driver weapons attached, and dual supermatter reactors as a power source. Due to the size of these weapons, their bluespace drives take enormous amounts of phoron fuel to operate, and they were taken out of active service almost as soon as the phoron crisis hit. Despite their intimidating visage, Cataclysm-class vessels have several major weaknesses, the most critical being the supermatter engines. Due to the highly unstable nature of supermatter crystals, minor damage to the engines can easily cascade into a catastrophic disaster, a weakness which was exploited by the pirates of Izharshan’s Raiders in 2458, when the HMV Cataclysm was critically damaged in an act of sabotage. Their size also renders them slow and unwieldy, and while they are devastating at long-range they are vulnerable to smaller attack craft, as their point defense capacity is relatively limited to compensate for the power of their larger weapons systems.

Due to the enormous expense of constructing a Cataclysm-class vessel, the Izweski Hegemony currently only possesses three of these enormous ships, with no plans to construct any more. Some critics of the class have called them enormous vanity projects, and that their only real utility is to look impressive, stating that manufacturing a higher quantity of smaller vessels would have been far more strategically viable in the long run. Currently, all three active Cataclysm-class vessels are located in the Uueoa-Esa system, as they are incapable of interstellar travel.

Siro-class Fighter

The primary fighter of the Izweski Hegemony, Siro-class vessels are largely found attached to Bulwark-class cruisers, as well as the Cataclysm-class super-dreadnaughts. They are small, two-person fighters, armed with a single rotary cannon. They are lightly armoured, but fearsomely agile, and a force to be reckoned with in large numbers. In recent years, some Bulwark-class vessels have been modified to hold small fighter bays, as the ships designed for carrying them are largely unusable due to the phoron crisis.

Spearhead-class Troop Transport

An older model of transport shuttle, the Spearhead-class is used as a troop transport by Hegemony vessels. While it is unarmed and lightly armoured, it is agile and capable of quickly delivering a boarding party to an enemy vessel. The Spearhead-class has largely been replaced by the cheaper Hunter-class in recent years, and many of these shuttles have since been sold off to organisations such as the Kataphract Guild. They are capable of striking fast and hard, and are often favoured as attack craft by pirates and mercenaries who can get their hands on them.

Hunter-class Troop Transport

The replacement for the Spearhead, Hunter-class vessels are now the primary troop transport of the Izweski Navy. Designed for both spaceborne and atmospheric operation, they are often used in larger engagements for the deployment of Izweski warriors clad in the fearsome breacher suits, dropping them into ground engagements. The Hunter-class is faster than the Spearhead, but larger and less agile. They can usually be found attached to Navy vessels of all sizes, and are never seen far from their motherships - not least because their thrusters consume large amounts of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and require frequent refuelling to stay active.