Fiction:Draconid Imperium/Military

"Teeth to teeth, wing to wing. Comes the fires of the Imperium. Speak the words, the Paragons Hammer has fallen! Let Drakon's wrath be unleashed upon thee!"

- Exerpt from Erian Terpiniar's poem "Hammer of the Gods"

The Imperial Talon Navy - also known as the Talon Navy, Imperial Navy or the Talons - is the military arm of the Draconid Imperium and the imperial senate. Outside of local colonial defence forces they act as both a fleet and ground assault force. Soldiers are recognised with either the inverse-teardrop emblam of the empire or the three-toed claw shown right.

History
The entity now known as the "Imperial Talon Navy" has gone through several previous incarnations. The modern navy was formed in ID.23787 by Lord-Admiral Tothanor who noticed during the that while the Paragin's Imperial Navy served as an adequate peacekeeping force it was not capable of effective offensive logistics. For the next several millennia the navy has served as the Imperium's official peacekeeping force and as a tool for war, constantly battling pirates, smugglers and whatever threat faces the Imperium next.

On several occasions the Imperium has had to demand a severe upscaling of its forces to meet the emerging political situation. When the was absorbed, they added over 600,000 colonies to the imperial fold. To prevent overstretching commanders needed to order one of the largest upscalings in imperial history and thousnads of worlds dedicated industry to new warships. The number of warships has more than doubled since with more under construction. The proportion of the population serving in the military is also at it's highest since the era of the Imposters, bulked up with the increased admission of aliens to serve on warships and having cetain alien species such as the Val'Kar and the Drallivians being permitted to serve the marine corps for the first time in history.

The outcome of this upscaling is that the Imperium currently boasts one of the largest fighting forces in Andromeda, with a sizeable proportion of the navy serving in other galaxies, particularly Borealis and the Milky Way. With the imperium involved in conflicts such as the, Kraw Galaxy campaign and the along with thousands more new colonies outside of the Andromeda Galaxy, the current consensus is that this upscaling was a keen act of tactical foresight.

Organisation


The Talons are organised into several administrative divisions - the fleets, marine corps, mechanised units and the auxillaries - each of which work together. The supreme commander is referred to as the Lord-Admiral and is supported in his duties by one or more executive admirals.

Ranking
Since the reformation the ranks of both naval and ground units are considered the same and use the same names. The only exception to this rule is with NCOs where marines and low-ranking shipmen (shipmen who come under this would have had little to no academy training, which is rare among the draconis but common amongst alien ranks). The navy uses the following titles arranged in descending order alongside the dracid word:

--Comissioned Officers-- --Non-comissioned officers-- A lord-admiral does not have to be of noble blood to achieve the title. Promotion is based on field service and ability and promotion through long service is unheard of. While it is possible for someone to join the fleet without prior training, however it is rare to find one of the draconis with such a record due to a tradition of military service and academy training. As a result NCO positions on board ship are often reserved for other aliens. Marines begin their career as privates regardless of training.
 * Lord-admiral - parla'elmiladrus
 * Exective-admiral - Alkath'elmiladrus
 * Commodore - polomarus
 * Admiral - elmiladrus
 * Rear admiral - postra'emiladrus
 * Captain - elmitharis
 * Commander - poltharmir
 * Subcommander - orlpolthamir
 * Lieutenant - entharis
 * Sergeant/warrrant officer - kaltharo / orlast'paris
 * Corporal - lotharo
 * Private/crewman - palthorid / elmisatir

When an officer reaches commodore status he or she becomes eligible for a position as the naval chief of a specific region depending on rank. Commodores are placed in charge of subsectors while executive admirals are placed in charge of sectors. While there can be one or more commodores per subsector (withone acting as a senior) there is only ever one executive admiral per sector. Orders descend the heirachy in order to keep everything in line making it rare for executive admirals to reposition specific fleets without advisory from the involved commodores. administrative officers (commodore and above) may also be granted a seat on the security council although the council itself consists mainly of the executive admirals.

Naval Forces
Below the Lord Admiral are the executive admirals, each of them acts as a supreme commander for an entire sector. In charge of each fleet is an admiral who can command anything up to several thousand vessels. Each vessel has a contingent of marines used to protect against boarding parties, board other ships and engage in ground operations.

Marines
A standard Talon Marine is equipped with a fusion rifle, powered full-body ceramic armour, a shortblade, fusion pistol, five plasma grenades and combat software. Many marines augment themselves with stimulants, optics and non-invasive cybernetics. Marksmen exchange their fusion rifle for a rail rifle which provides much longer range at the expense of rate of fire. Most marines have trained extensively for at least two decades before being qualified. Over the course of the imperium's history the marines have become synonymous with the Imperial Navy as a whole depite the fact a single auxillary unit can often outnumber them.

During siege operations marines are the first to be deployed, engaging in hit-and-run tactics on frontier and outlying populations, forcing them into the cities and denying planetside food supplies. Marines will often be assigned as bodyguards for high-value personnel, however guarding the Paragon or their brood-relatives remains the domain of the Blood Dragons. Combat tactics of the marines focus on several well-equipped fireteams that conduct ambush and hit-and-run firefights. Emphasis is given on striking a target fast and hard, leaving little room for retaliation. On occasion marine detachments are given permission to call in air or artillery support, along with having reserved AO-8 dropships for every three fireteams.

912th Legion
Originally a typical marine legion this specialist force was the first legion chosen to undergo nanite infusions based on the newly-developed Morphis serum. The technology allows the user to augment their body any way they desire. As a result the 912th have become drastically different from other marine legions and can be consdidered super-soldiers. While not externally different all of them carry an improved physiology although specifics vary between marines: All members of the 912th Legion bear an orange horizontal band of colour on their left shoulderpad occupied in the centre with the dracid letter 'Kothi'. Below this is the number 912 which denotes the legion. The 912th have become the flaship force to use morphis as the technology becomes increasingly common across the Imperium.
 * Hardened dermis
 * Carbon-fibre laced skeleton
 * reinforced scales
 * Improved cognative thinking
 * Increased regeneration

Talon Ground Legions
The Talon Groudn Legions act as the bulk of the navy's ground forces. They fulfill all roles that require numbers, support or crew skills. Most legion soldiers come from the many protectorate of the imperium and those with this status are considered lower-ranking than Draconis soldiers even if an individual holds an equal or senior equivilent rank to a Draconis soldier. they are never placed in command of any Draconis soldiers and cannot become high ranking officers and admin within the auxillaries is typically reserved for senior draconis officers.

The draconis place duty-bound respect for the protectorate legionnaires because they have volenteered to serve on the frontlines despite knowing they are subordinate to the draconis in almost every way. Legionnaires are outfitted with full-body ceramic armour, coilguns, powerpacks, plasma grenades and stimpacks. Sometimes legionnaires equip themselves with equipment issued from their protectorates if Talon officers deem that piece adequately superior to the standard-issue.

TGL tactics involve sending troops en-masse against the enemy; relying on sheer firepower backed up by long range artillery and fast attack vehicles. Unlike the marines, auxillaries are typically deployed via larger landing craft and (with the exception of black-ops operations) little discretion is given during deployment. During a siege assault larger dropships would be used to deploy legionnaires on the outskirts.

Distribution
With quadrillions of soldiers, crewman and support staff on permenant or semi-permenant service; The Navy's ground and space forces make it something of a military juggernaught. The scale is designed not just to crush any enemy but also to deter agggressors or rebels who think the Imperium may be vunerable.

A singe sector typically supports over 100 fleets, with fleet command based in the sector capital. Each planet is garrisoned with either auxillary detatchments or a militia force (Who are either frontiersmen or trained militia, depending on the planet's level of development). Marines are typically stationed within fleets and deployed either to defend a besieged planet or as the vanguard assault force.

On at regular intervals fleet command can agree to swap fleets with another sector. This is done to both relieve war-weary fleets and provide fleets previously posted in secure sectors with a chance of action. In both cases this provides a morale boost to both sides along with the potential of breaking monotony. Navy protocol will have fleet A (posted in a secure sector) meet up with fleet B (posted in a more dangerous sector), giving the signal for fleet B to proceed to fleet A's previous post upon arrival. In the event of fleet A finding fleet B in battle, fleet A is required to support fleet B who will proceed to the nearest shipyard afterward for repairs before reposting.

This distribution method also applies to subsectors, especially if two subsectors contrast in the amount of danger. This distribution routine - known commonly as fleet cycling - has been in action ever since the creation of the Paragon's Royal Navy during the Prime Paragon Era.

Communication & Nomeclature
Within the field marines use shorthand expressions to both improve effectiveness, minimise distraction time and potentially confuse the enemy. These commands are normally a series of words that would make no sense to the casual outsider. Below are a list of the more common phrases with explainiations
 * Down = Partcular sqyad-mate is incapacitated
 * Grenplas = Plasma Grenade
 * Hold = Hold position/Hold the line
 * Close-quarter = Switch to melee
 * Fore = Move forward
 * Livarm = Units with living armour
 * Focus = Focus fire

Military equipment is usually identified with an acronym describing what kind of weapon it is along with a number referring to the version. For example; A mk21 rifle that uses coil technology to propel the shot is classified as an RC-21 (RifleCoil-[version]21). Lowercase letters denote a subfeature such as a variation (for example in energised swords, the letters l s and b denote the weapons as long, short and broad respectively). Below is a list the different letters used. naming genreally follows the formula of: Fuction, primary feature, subfeature, version.
 * H = handgun
 * R = Rifle/Rail
 * C = Coil
 * F = Fusion
 * P = plasma
 * E = Energy
 * S = Sword
 * G = Grenade

below is for protective gear
 * A = Armour
 * C = Ceramic
 * F = Fullface
 * K = Kevlar
 * P = Powered

Mechanised Units
The navy deploys a wide range of vehicles for combat purposes, many vehicle models are in fact millenia old, kept useful by technological advances.

Ground
HUNTER-KILLER PROBES were one of the first devices to use antigrav technology. Measuring 1.2m long and armed with powerful sensors, a miniature cannon and micro-rockets, the probe's primary task is to find and kill specific targets or a particular group. Along with acting as remote reconissance, Marine units are typically deployed for support. Although the coilgun cannot compare in sophistication to the fusion rifles, it's robust nature and low noise generation make it an ideal hunter (hence the name). Their drawback comes from their ligt armour making them fragile (a high risk in open combat). Their low cost and remote operation means the empire can quickly deplopy many thousands on a single campaign.

BATTLE DROIDS have been of common use since the Alcanti Solar Confederacy and are typically used to bolster the ranks within military operations, as such they are frequently seen alongside the Auxillary corps. Posessing advanced targeting, navigation, awareness and strategic algorithms droids function well as effective ground troops. While they are self-aware they are programmed to follow the orders of organics and are primarily controlled and coordinated by an orbiting Highcortex-class cruiser. Battle droids themselves are outfitted with phasic shielding, weapon technology adapted for use on a machine and resistant armour plating containing a zinc-tungsten weave and as a result even a single squad of battledroids can be a challenge to overcome.

SKIMMERS are often refitted skybikes; given extra armour, weapons and long-range sensors. During a campaign they act as a vanguard for more fortified targets, as FAVs and can hunt down smaller and faster targets. Armour is only basic and the craft is fitted with two missile pods and two twin-linked coilguns to preserve speed and agility. Skimmers are not as common in the main body due to a general fragility found in hovering vehicles - the danger of grav-panels failing is often more serious as when tracked vehicles' tyres fail. Due to theri nature as a vanguard and patrol force, skimmers are often sided with hunter-killer probes for any hard-to-reach targets. Currently the empire uses the PK-742-A skybike retrofit; refitted from the civillian Gravis-Syncher Clarity, a popular model in rural areas.

FAST ATTACK VEHICLES are designed for hit-and-run tactics. While most FAVs are essentially purpose-built variations of skimmers, the role does include the aformentioned vehicles. When purpose-built they often exhibit heavier armour, a more robust design and more powerful weapon systems. The most common vehicle at present is the FAVT-75; favoured for it's all-terrain capability and it's simliarity to a car. There is frequently a swivel-mounted chaingun on the roof. it is common for larger FAVs to be used by officers for transport across the field and in some cases (Such as the ReT-81) FAVs act as dedicated officer transports and patrol vehicles in more dangerous environments. The FAVT-75 is so popular that the automotive company Samis have developed a civillian line known as the Favous from it.

LIGHT TANKS are lighly armoured versions of the main battle tank and act as 'bodyguards' to heavier armour, it is possibe for them to pack as much punch as an MBT but this severely compromises flexibility. Three models currently in service include the LT-158, LT-159 and LT-160.

MAIN BATTLE TANKS such as the T-472 act as the backbone of a major campaign, plated in high-resistance ablative armour with reactive underlayers, there is little that can stop these icons of imperial force. Of the two designs in service, The T-472 Dragon is armed with a twin-linked fusion cannon while the T-359 Condalid is equipped with a heavy rail launcher. Both vehicles are equipped with missile pods and can withstand extreme heat and punishment. Out of all ground vehicles however MBTs have a habit of being the most expensive and energy-hungry.

LONG RANGE ARTILLERY such as the multi-barelled A-59 Shatterpounder tend to stay far outside of hotzones, preferring to fire shells of plasma, rail charges or depleted uranium at fortified targets. Due to their nature as sternguard vehicles they tend to be poorly armoured, with much space dedicated to targeting and storing ammunition. Along with standard arnaments, the A-59 is equipped with specialist faultline shells. The purpose of these shells is to hit the ground, burrow some way in and then devastate the target region with a series of seismic shockwaves that trigger earthquakes even deep within tectonic plates. The devastation wrought by faultline shells is such that widespread devastation is usually the result.

Fleet
A typical fleet will hold anything between 50-100,000 distinct vessels. Many ship designs are ancient and some - such as in the 182nd fleet - have been in service since the Janos War. The reason for the fleet's success is the ease of upgrading. Although some ships can boast nearly 200,000 years of service, they are completely indistinguishable from their original commission aside from the chassis. Far from nostalgia, this is the result of the navy preferring the 'tried and tested'; If a ship design works well, why change it? Occassionaly a new design will come out but it will take time to replace.

Design Philosophy
Along with the neccessities for space travel, most warships are fitted with four protective layers:
 * The first line of defence is three non-phasic shields layered over each other and are effective against all types of traditional weapons along with phasic warheads. Since the Imperium's warships are not as dependant on energy weapons as other empires they can dedicate more energy to the shields.
 * If anything does get through the shields it impacts a layer of ablative armour, vessels compensate for the lack of regenerative nanobots with nano-forges placed at key locations under the hull which provide both stock material and allow millions of nanobots to be made in seconds. The ablative armour is angled and laced with nanotubes to spread the damage out and minimise the amount of penetration.
 * Underneath the ablative plates is a layer of reactive armour. Designed to absorb the shock and capture the projectile along with providing a cushion in case the round or missile is explosive.
 * The final layer is a nanotube-reinforced bulkhead designed to protect the crew. Bulkhead panels consist of graphene layers and carbon nanotubes laced within titanium-alloy panels to ensure all but the highest degrees of impact does not compromise the vessel.

Since the late stages of the, the Imperium has been intergrating technology reverse-engineered from vessels and equipment salvaged from battles against the Andromedan and Borealis Grox Empires into its designs. This has bolstered the firepower of the refitted ships, making the navy's warships even more dangerous.

The Imperium fostered a great sense of pride in from accomodating function. To make warships more comfortable, shipyards hireinterior designers to decorate the interiors and often work with engineers to ensure that their beautiful designs do not hinder repairs, make refurbishment more difficult or hamper crew efficiency. Designers are trainedintently to follow the philosophy of tweaking towards the perfect balance between beauty and efficiency. With extra attention to detail paid towards places such as the command deck and officers' quarters.

ITN warships generally feature several shared design priniples which include:
 * At least one Hypermatter and one matter-antimatter power core.
 * A battle bridge situated on the upper decks some way in from the hull with ultra-high-defenition screens for external views
 * Primary thrusters at the back of the ship with lateral ion engines at the fore and aft of the ship for on-the-spot turning
 * Traditional windows replaced with high-defenition holographic screens
 * Redundant life-support
 * Comfortable accomodation for both crew and visitors for long-distance patrols and expeditions
 * Holodecks used for training and recreation
 * Nano-forges for replicating ammunition, equipment and for ship repair

While all these features are common on most ITN vessels, larger ships will often be more able to accomodate these design features

Small Craft= The navy fields two variations of craft, both are designed for atmospheric use as well as in the vacuum of space. Because of their nature they are not given proper identifying names - instead using the naming system found on vehicles and equipment - and are designed primarily to swarm targets from other fighters to capital ships. Because they are built with magnetic drives and vertically-firing jets all strike craft are classed as VTOL and so do not require much space for storage or take-off. Asa result, ITN carriers can field hundreds at a time. A typical fleet cwould have roughly 700,000 strike craft depending on how many carriers are available.

ASf-class strike-craft are operated remotely by a single pilot. Their arnament consists of two gauss cannons, two turbolaser cannons and one torpedo launcher. While their arnamant might not match up to larger vessels such as frigates they compensate by flying in squads of 20 along with using magnetic drives and sophisticated manouvering thrusters to weave through fire.

ASb-class strike craft are primarily bombers and carry smaller variations of missiles found on larger vessels. Because of their small size they are limited to carrying 50 at a time and will lanch them in clusters. Squadrens of ASbs are normally escorted by surrounding ASf squadrens. The missiles themselves are designed to punch through more heavily-armoured targets than the torpedoes used by ASfs such as froigates and cruisers. ASbs are slightly larger than ASfs and use a variety of warhead patterns.

AO-8 THe AO-8 is a workhorse transport for the Imperial Talon Navy designed for surface-to-orbit personnel transfer. Unlike other varieties of shuttle, the AO-8 is equipped for combat and can serve as rudimentary air support. Their primary task involves ferrying as many as 40 Draconis plus equipment and basic supplies to terrestrial combat zones. Along with built in rail cannons and a missile bay, the side-mounted entry platforms are fitted with swivel-mounted particle cannons with the purpose of claring landing zones of hostile forces and providing cover fire for any extractions
 * Formal designation: AO-8
 * Role: Drop-ship, medium transportAO-8 2.png
 * Length: 50m
 * Decks:2
 * Crew:1
 * Weapons:2 Rail cannons, 1 missile bay, 2 swivel-mounted particle cannons
 * Defences: 70cm-thick ablatve plating, non-phasic shielding

Kept aloft by advanced magnetic drives, the AO-8 has superior maneuvreability and is equiped with internally-generated inertial dampeners to safeguard passengers against any high-G turns. For security measures, the AO-8's interior can lower bulkheads at 5-metre intervals to provide "pressure rooms" to protect passengers from any depressurisation. The small engine compoents allow for a large passenger area to be installed above the lateral entry platforms and it is this second floor where the cockpit can be found. The AO-8's bulk comes at a price because means that it requires space to maneuvre, not so much of a problem when Naval invasion doctrine uses rooftop insertions for urban takeover.

Frigates= GLORYHUNTER One of the oldest and most commonly seen vessels in imperial space. They are designed for short-range patrols and due to their size, cost and ease of manufacture they make up the bulk of any fleet. While gloryhunters lack the sheer firepower of other, larger classes they make up for it in flexibility and numbers; their weapon batteries operate on swivel-mounted turrets allowing them to focus fire at almost any angle and often operate in wolfpacks of 35-50 individual vessels.
 * Formal designation: Kramaujenrael
 * Role: Patrol cruiserDrakGloryhunter.png
 * Length: 450m
 * Decks:18
 * Crew:110
 * Weapons: 2 Turbolaser Arrays, 5 Rail urrets, 1 missile bay
 * Defences: 3m-thick ablatve plating, non-phasic shielding

FIRELANCE Designed to act as artillery frigates. Armed with ten LRM batteries (8 at the front, 2 at the back) and three turbolaser batteries the brightlance's primary task is to act as long-range support, firing remote-controlled missiles and staying far from view. The firelance is only slightly smaller than a gloryhunter and holding even fewer crew in favour of storing as many missiles as possible. The firelance is also equipped with a high-power embedded turbolaser cannon.
 * Formal designation: Emrichasmus
 * Role: Missile frigateDrakFirelance.png
 * Length: 400m
 * Decks:16
 * Crew:91
 * Weapons: 2 missile bays, 1 turbolaser cannon, 4
 * Defences: 3m-thick ablatve plating, non-phasic shielding

FLAKCLUSTER Outffitted with fast-tracking turbolaser turrets. While not as powerful as turbolasers on other vessels the flakcluster's task is to pick off strike craft. In certain cases these vessels can be assigned to target softpoints on larger vessels; this could be a certain hardpoint, exposed bridge or a hanger but this is only done in the abscence of enemy strike craft.
 * Formal designation: Scaterugeraubum
 * Role: flak frigateDrakFlakcluster.png
 * Length: 415m
 * Decks:16
 * Crew:108
 * Weapons: 6 fast-tracking turbolaser turrets, 3 Rail urrets, 1 missile bay
 * Defences: 3m-thick ablatve plating, non-phasic shielding

Cruisers= STARFURY These cruisers are the mainstay of the Talons. Their presence has been a constant sign of security for over 200,000 years. Typically operating in packs of 100, the starfury will head fleets in the abscence of capital ships. The Starfury's presence and reputation make it a commkon sight as both a crusier of the line and as a patrol vessel alongside the Gloryhunter-class. The class's larger size and heavier arnament make it more idea for patroling more vital or more dangerous regions of space.
 * Formal designation: Drantherinan
 * Role: Heavy cruiserDrakStarfury.png
 * Length: 900m
 * Decks: 60
 * Crew: 520
 * Weapons: 6 Turbolaser Arrays, 6 Rail Batteries, 2 missile bays
 * Defences: 7m-thick ablatve plating, non-phasic shielding

HIGHCORTEX These cruisers act as command vessels within fleets. Along with officers and tacticians the cortex houses an A.I. bank programmed for reactive battle analysis. Due to the vessels' importance within a fleet they are heavily armoured but - not being combat vessles - are lightly armed. Should one come under attack a fleet must prioritise with their defence but can remain competent without them. There are normally at least twenty in any given fleet, many more in larger fleets.
 * Formal designation: Elvahercenus
 * Role: Logistics, drone commandDrakHighcortex.png
 * Length: 800m
 * Decks: 50
 * Crew: 425, Anylkis-pattern A.I. core
 * Weapons: 3 Turbolaser Arrays, 2 Rail Batteries
 * Defences: 8m-thick Ablative plating, adaptive phasic shielding

GANGPLANK These cruisers have one goal: Capture. The gangplank will head for outlying ships in an enemy fleet, disable the engines of any stragglers before launching boarding pods at the disabled ship. For defence the gangplank is equipped with four turbolaser batteries, four rail bateries, two missile bays and heavy ablative armour. Their main feature is a set of 100 reinforced and magnetically-fired boarding capsule, each capable of holding 35 Draconis equipped with full marine gear. The pods are fired at an enemy vessel with the intent of punching through armour, a series of turbolaser cannons attached ot the front of each pod weakens the armour at the intended point-of-impact. Once a breach is made a whitering volley of plasma grenades are deployed into the corridor.
 * Formal designation: Cherisumus
 * Role: BoardingDrakGangplank.png
 * Length:650m
 * Decks: 41
 * Crew: 350 (3500-marine capacity),
 * Weapons: 2 Turbolaser Arrays, 100 boarding-pod launchers, 1 missile bay
 * Defences: 6m-thick Ablative Plating, adaptive phasic shielding

BIOCOSMIC These cruisers are support vessels. Originally based on commercial freighters this military version is equipped with remote service pods, fuel bays and storage units these vessels supply and maintain the fleet and will remain behind in the event of a firefight. They boast larger medbays for emergency situations. Biocosmics also act as frontier exploration vessels. The cargo bays that dominate theri hulls can be fitted with a wide variety of modules and are nto restricted to freight. Science, medical and prefab modules are also available for installation.
 * Formal designation: Dravdranael
 * Role: Support, explorationDrakBiocosmic.png
 * Length: 1km
 * Decks: 40
 * Crew: 320
 * Weapons: 2 Turbolaser Arrays, 1 Rail Battery
 * Armour: 4m-thick ablative plating, adaptive phasic shielding

Capital Ships= DRAGONFIRE These vessels are equipped with twenty fusion batteries bult into the underside of the ship. Along with the clear presence of blanet-bombing guns the dragonfire's main focus is in beam weapons. They have 3 fusion launchers for orbital bombardment along with 6 missile bays and a Ribaud-pattern megalaser cannon built into the bow. This vessel is actually small and new for a capital ship. Unlike other vessels this class is only 80 millenia old and built to replace the ageing serpentflame-class.
 * Formal designation: Drakumrichus
 * Role: Orbital Bombardment, support capitalDrakDragonfire.png
 * Length: 2.1km
 * Decks:85
 * Crew: 1500
 * Weapons: 20 Turbolaser Arrays, 25 Rail Batteries, 10 Missile Bays, 8 belly artillery bays, Ribaud-pattern hypermatter cannon
 * Defences: 18m-thick ablative plating, non-phasic shielding, adaptive phasic shielding

RIFTFIRE Designed in response to reports of 'invincible' targets by gigaquadrant standards and a spiritual cousin to the Dragonfire-class, the Riftfire-class is a prototype vessel using the aforementioned class's chassis. What makes this ship class unique is the experimental shatter-band pattern cannon in piace of the standard Ribaud-pattern. There are other small differences such as the four mk-XV hypermatter reactors for power generation (other classes use between mk-XII and mk-XIV reactors), increased armoury holding various high-explosive warheads and a redesigned layout to optimise energy flow. It is likely the new advancements will be shifted to other designs once testing is complete.
 * Formal designation: Verdorichus
 * Role: Siege capital, orbital bombardment RiftfireProto1.png
 * Length: 2.1km
 * Decks:85
 * Crew: 1500
 * Weapons: 20 Turbolaser Arrays, 25 Rail Batteries, 10 Missile Bays, 8 belly artillery bays, Shatterband-pattern hyperspace cannon

CLUSTERMASTER Vessels that function as carriers. Most are 60 decks high and reserving the 8 central decks as hanger bays. the average vessel accomodates around 900 strike craft and 1100 pilots. Normally a fleet will contain several of these. Despite having only 80 fast-tracking turbolasers for defence the vessel relies on the sheer numbers of strike craft to achieve victory. Alongside the Battlemaster-class, wing commanders (who are in charge of sections of a fleet) will chose this as a command vessel.
 * Formal designation: Gerbanupraetus
 * Role: CarrierDrakClustermaster.png
 * Length: 3.4km
 * Decks: 70
 * Crew: 1500
 * Weapons: 20 Fast-tracking Turbolaser Arrays, 10 Rail Batteries, 4 Missile Bays
 * Defences: 14m-thick ablative plating, adaptive phasic shielding

BATTLEMASTER These vessels are behemoths of battle and each one is considered a symbol of the of the navy's might. These vessels are built for the sole purpose of maximum firepower. The aptly-named battlemaster is always imposing both in orbit and on patrol. The reason wing commanders use this as a command vessel is due to it's immense firepower and imposing nature however many will take larger vessels given the chance. Along with a devastating broadside, battlemasters are also fitted with a Ribaud-pattern megalaser cannon built into the bow.
 * Formal designation: Khethanupraetus
 * Role: BattleshipDrakBattlemaster.png
 * Length: 2.5km
 * Decks:130
 * Crew: 2000
 * Weapons: 30 Turbolaser Arrays, 25 Rail Batteries, 12 Missile Bays, Ribaud-pattern hypermatter cannon
 * Defences: 24m-thick ablative plating, non-phasic shielding, adaptive phasic shielding

Titans= Titans are the largest vessels the Imperium fields. Because of the sheer scale of them they are always be built and handled in orbital drydocks and are very material-consuming. As a result there are few titans compared to other classes. Due to their scale and capabilities, Titans are frequently capable of singlehandedly patroling even high-risk hotzones with little trouble. Bristling with hundreds of guns, self-sustaining infrastructure, matter-to-energy techonlogy and quantum replicators, these monsters can host entire armies and contain the technology to build entire flotillas of warships inside their massive forms. It is believed by lesser empires that to see an imperial titan as an enemy is to look at your own end.

WORLDRAVAGER Designed shortly after the deployment of the imperium's first stable wormholes, the Worldravager-class is to act as a smaller-scale dreadnaught flagship for entire fleets. Accomodating a medium-sized hanger bay and a few contingents of marines, the warship is designed to hold its own against small-scale patrols. As was the intention there are many more worldravagers than warlords currently in service.
 * Formal designation: Alconoporalypsraus
 * Role: Dreadnaught, armada flagshipDrakWorldravager.png
 * Length: 8km
 * Decks:210
 * Crew: 5,000
 * Weapons: 300 Turbolaser Arrays, 210 Rail Batteries, 50 Missile Bays, Raestor-pattern hypermatter cannon
 * Defences: 70m-thick ablative plating, non-phasic shielding, adaptive phasic shielding

WARLORD WARLORD-class vessels are some of the largest waships available. At 20km long this design far outscales almost anything else on the field along with being capable of launching 2000 VTOL-based strike craft and accomodating entire marine legions. Built into the bow of the ship is an Extermias-pattern siege cannon - A hypermatter-based particle cannon capable of cleaving through entire fleets and devastating both orbital installations and potentially small continents.
 * Formal designation: Vorlusordarum
 * Role: DreadnaughtDrakWarlord.png
 * Length: 20km
 * Decks:700
 * Crew: 80,000
 * Weapons: 600 Turbolaser Arrays, 630 Rail Batteries, 150 Missile Bays, Extermias-pattern hyperlaser
 * Defences: 400m-thick ablative plating, non-phasic shielding, adaptive phasic shielding



Notable Vessels
Titans=
 * Designation: TNSS Dominax
 * Type: Flagship-grade Warlord-class titan[[file:TNSSDominax.png|right|290px]]
 * Registration: T-755-219-7-393-810
 * Assigned: 1st fleet
 * Launched: ID.219393
 * Crew: 83,000
 * Commanding officer: Captain Serlena Sorefenios
 * Other noteable crew: Lord-Admiral

The TNSS Dominax is considered the pride of the Imperial Talon Navy. Flagship of both the first fleet and the Imperial Talon Navy itself, the ship has gained a legendary reputation as an order-bringer and is so far the signature vessel of the Imperium's lord-admiral. When not on campaign, the Dominax accompanies the rest of the first fleet either in defensive orbit over Alcanti or on patrol in nearby systems. The ship was originally comissioned to fly under the command of Lord-admiral Torfus Vanathias, posession of the ship was passed on to Larnus Vontarion after the former passed on due to age. While its original construction sported a distinguishing construct above the barrel and a large crusier-sized hanger for the, the ship has since been extended to feature some of the most advanced technology available to the Imperium.

Originally fitted with an advanced Extermias II-pattern hyperlaser cannon. The Dominax was refitted in ID.219498 with reverse-engineered and adapted Andromedan Grox technology providing increased firepower and was refitted again in ID.219504 with an Ultimas-pattern riftfire cannon designed to fire free-neutron payloads through hyperspace that are powerful enough to annihilate a planet within a ten-minute exposure period. The extra power demand required for the fitting of four prototype hypermatter siphons (both main and redundant units).



Equipment
Despite the widespread coverage of the navy, the frequent presence of high-density and industrialised colonies in each sector means that the navy can maintain an effective level of standardisation even if access to other sectors is cut off. Many established colonies are provided blueprints to create equipment to supply and maintain a Talon garrison.

Fusion weapons
Imperial Talon Marines are equipped with an CF-31 pulse carbine, a 120-year-old version. The fusion canisters can - under normal settings - hold up to 30,000 shots before reloading while the carbine itself is capable of firing 2 pulses in quick succession. The refinement of the design makes the weapons highly accurate and have a default setting of controlled bursts. The magnitude and density of the plasma pulse can be manually or automatically changed to optimise for the situation (this changes the number of available shots) however the default setting is still considered effective against most targets.

The HF-54 handgun is a smaller variant carried by officers and off-duty personnel. While not as powerful as the rifle variants it can still cause considerable damage to unarmoured targets. Unlike the carbine the HF-54 doesuses a laser sight instead of a HUD-based scope, this does not however stop soldiers fitting their own. Draconis marines ore often partial to keeping HF weapons as sentimental sidearms or posessions in their own home due to their compact natures.

Magentic Induction
The imperium has largely phased out chemical-launched projectile weapons in favour of magnetic induction. Weapons that use magnetic induction are branded with "M" in their weapon registration. Currently the standard-issue weapon of the Talon Ground Legions is the RM-710 battle rifle. Built with a trio of eliptical toroid propellant chambers, the RM-710 uses magnetic coil induction to accellerate a ferrous slug to hypersonic speeds before being discharged from the toroid and given another burst from a muzzle electromagnet.

Like the CF-51, the RM-710 features a dual-muzzle construction. Most battle rifles utilise 1.51x23mm shatter rounds and are typically ejected from the barrel of an RM-710 with an average muzzle velocity of 5100m/s (mach 15 in one Earth atmosphere). THe RM-710 itself is a robust, 400-year-old model that can accomodate AP rounds as well as the typical shatter rounds.

The SR-21 is a sniper rifle. The rail feature is designed to maximise the weapon's penetrating power and range however extensive use of silencers is required to keep subtle. The SR-21 is capable of firing through lighter vehicles since the rounds are capable of a much faster velocity of mach-9+. When fitted with AP rounds and the right sights the rifle is capable of killing the crew of main battle tanks with little external damage. To make better use of this ability the SR-21 has a range of different scope modes using the EM-spectrum from infra-red to UV and X-ray if available.

Railguns are also one of the primary launchers used on Imperial warships, often alongside more rapid-fire gauss cannons. Rail launchers are also used to launch missiles at their target, giving the missile a significant launching velocity before it's booster has even ignited, adding to it's impact and penetrating power.

Plasma
Most military units use the standard GP-5 charges. When thrown the grenades lock to a stationary surface before exploding. The explosive delay can be manually set and can range from 2 to 30 seconds after the grenade hits the ground or a wall. Plasma greandes are used for a wide variety of purposes and can tackle vehicles just as effectively as infantry.

More uncommon are the GPa-7 adhesive variants. These stick to any target before exploding after a timed delay. Once impacting the surface they are virtually impossible to remove doe to the release of an industrial-strength adhesive gel.

Protection
Military forces are often equipped with ceramic armour in the form of various reinforced ablative plates. Colossal industrial and logistics capabilities allow for most the use of full-body ceramic armour. Powered variants are restricted to the marines although several protectorates had developed (and still use) their own varieties prior to assimilation. Marine-issue gear is outfitted to function as powered armour; The reinforced ceramic plates absorb impact energy which is then transferred to batteries for storage, this energy can then be used to power shielding and boost user or weapon performance. Talon Ground Legions are restricted to standard forms of armour with reactive ceramic armour being used by officers.

Vehicle protection ranges from several forms of reactive armour for light-to-medium vehicles and thicker ablative armour for heavier vehicles and starships. Most combat vehicles use angled plates to negate impact damage or possibly deflect the shot. When an impact hits, a layer of armour (Normally 10-45 micrometres thick) dissolves off. Many combatants refer to attacking layered ablative armour as 'onion peeling' (normally an analogue of the onion, depending on species). The prevalence of beam and missile weapons in space make ablative armour a common sight on starships of all sizes.

Shielding
Marine-issue armour and most vehicles are equipped with advanced personal shield generators that are powered primarily from microscopic fusion batteries embedded into a power-pack mounted on the user's back (for marines) or siphoned from the vehicle's power core (for vehicles). The use of personal shielding dramatically increases the wearer's survival.

Marine legions are often provided with portable shield generators and barrier generators (the latter being specialised generators that create a membrane of phasic shielding between two points instead of a bubble or a layer) that are primarily used in the construction of rapid-deployment defences. Phasic bunkers are self-deploying frameworks marked with non-phasic emitters for the shields to generate from and a team soldiers trained in their use can create a bunker in less than half-an-hour.

Starships use multiple layers of non-phasic shielding with some using prototype variants developed in response to the use of hyperspace missiles against ITN warships during the TIAF's invasion of the Balas-9 sector in 2786. These prototypes extend the technology's coverage into hyperpsace. In this early stage, the shields can only protect against the most commonly-used levels of hyperspace, with broader ranges becomnig available as the process is refined.

Cybernetics
Cybernetics are rare. Most will have non-invasive systems such as combat optics. In the event of injury or dismemberment a soldier is usually cared for with stem-cell therapy to regrow the injured area. In rare cases when a soldier does accept full cybernetics the designs are streamlined to appease both the wearer and make them less intimidating among relatives.

Morphis is a form of nanotechnology that is becoming increasingly common in the military. Hosts have a colony of nanites flowing within their body that allows them to augment themselves with the right thought patterns. The nanites recieve the signal and will assemble microscale augmentations in the intended location. It takes time for the user to adapt to augmenting theselves in the way they desire as certain subconscious thoughts can trigger an undesired change.

Morphis reacts subconsciously for the surivability reasons of the host, as the subconscious works on a different level to the conscious. it takes the attention of the user to suppress a subconscious signal and only then this is in certain cases.

Synthetic muscle suits are layers of polymaterial tubes built into the fabric of a body-glove. Most commonly the body-glove is used within the Imperial marine corps along with other specialist forces and elite mercenaries. Because the tubes can withstand pressures far above what organic skeletal muscle is capable of. Users wearing a body-glove posess significantly amplified strength. These levels of strengh are much higher with the use of synthetic muscles replacing the original tissue using the same technology. FOr the sheets, contraction and expansion occurs in-line with microsensors on the tissue's underside responding to muscle twitches detected on the user's skin along with microprocessors and sensors on the user's body. The result is the muscles expand and contract when they need to and at an appropriate level of force without requiring a direct link to the brain.

AirBooster
Developed to allow alien cultures to breathe alien air; AirBoosters are an ancient device that in most cases resemble filamet wires that go into the user's mouth and down towards the windpipe. Differing from a rebreather, AirBoosters come with an added purpse: Using a series of valves and pressureised microtubes, higher-pressure air than what is normal is pumped into the lungs of the user.

The ddevice has the effect of enhancing the user's strength and stamina through adminsitering a more plentiful supply of air than what the user is used to. in breatheable environemnts, airboosters use filters that draw in extra air. Another form involves a miniature containment field generator over the user's mouth, allowing them to survive in hostile air with minimal need for heavier breathing apparatus. They are standard equipment for both ground legions and marines, allowing both an edge in long-haul firefights or close-combat skirmishes.

Stun Grenades
Often nicknamed 'screamers' or 'banshee bombs' for the high-pitched whine they generate. Imperial forces use a variation of stun grenade that, when detonated, triggers a sensation of paralysis within anyone within hearing range. When exposed to the sonic vibrations and the high pitched noise the hearer's skeletal muscles lock up, effectively freezing the victim on the spot so long as they hear the tone. Muscles can remain locked up for several minutes after thw whine stops.

To ensure that their own forces are unaffected, ITN-issue armour comes with noice-cancelling equipment built into the helmet along with serum injectors that combat the paralysis. Marines are also aided by their body gloves, the mechanisms of which are both immune to paralysis and act as a dampener for the vibrations.

Stun grenades are more widespread in civillian organisations such as militas, Domestic Security units and RAIDS teams who are more accustomed to using non-lethal weapons to take people alive.

Invasion protocol
During a war the Talon Navy would deploy one or more fleets to blockade the planet. Once orbital superiority is achieved, the Imperium deplays troops and vehicles en masse. Despite the high risk, soldiers are often deployed on rooftops to flush-out any occupants and use the buildings to support units on the ground.

During the siege the planet's leadership is given every oppertunity to surrender. If the planet refused surrender the populace is expected to unconditionally accept imperial control after an occupying campaign. Once the planet is secured the population is detained in internment camps until the arrival of slave transports. During this time automated drones, otherworld slaves and drafted citizens work on restoring basic infrastructure and officers catalogue the population. Upon the arrival of transports the survivors are loaded up and then moved to other parts of the empire with little regard for family ties. Colony recruitment campaigns select draconis ciizens eager for a new life in the now-conquered world. Detainees who help rebuild are offered a chance to stay planetside, (or get moved to a nearby system) offering this as an incentive to encourage a more cooperative populace if not a faster way to restore the planet ready for the new colonists.

If the planet's government agrees to surrender then the government is replaced with a draconis council, the solar system effectively becomes part of a protectorate under strict imperial occupation. Unlike other protectorates the provisional government is very strict on who can enter or leave the planet until some time after the war and governors themselves are required to acclimatise the popuulace ot their new way of life.

Trivia

 * Monet47 keeps an updated Sporecast of the navy's current line of ships
 * The use of the Neutron Effusion Weapon by the Imperium was permitted by when it was decided the weapon was too powerful to be held by one user.

Quotes
"I give credit to my forerunner, Tothanor has devised a very effective system."

- Lord-Admiral

"I served for a time on one of the navy's warships, the whole operation is a marvel of logistics."

"Once the Imperium is mine, all of the galaxy will bow to the navy's might!"

"A prime example of an army, I am proud to have them fight alongside my own Zazane!"

"A fitting army for a fine empire."

"Impressive."

- Kicath

"An exemplar army for any empire, our troops have respect for the military of the Imperium for both its logistic capabilities and military might."

- Graiz Wehrz,Drakodominatus Drachon

"A powerful military presence within Andromeda, while several years ago Drachon Graiz Wehrz, still a Drachon rightly acknowledged them as being an exemplar army, as of now, we have made a different assessment. In terms of space combat, they hold the advantage of having more places to strike from in the Andromeda Galaxy, however we still hold the advantage in pure power of ships. If full scale war is to take place, we cannot let it become a war of attrition and must instead commit our forces to a decisive victory. This will be done through use of ships of the Titan class, which will be able to secure local battlefield dominance through sheer power. However, the sheer industrial capacity that they possess, makes a long term attrition war in Andromeda unsustainable if we are expanding on other fronts. Ground combat wise, according to our doctrine, if we are constantly on the offensive, we have local superiority due to the large scale deployment of overseers that will be allowed for these offensives, and even Dominatus are allowed for lightning offensives. Once we get our slaves out of the way and into oblivion, the Draconid Imperium shall bow before our knees assuming we implement our strategy competently."

- Military Evaluation