| Description The race that made up the Asteroid Axis was called the Comensal. Standing an average of 1.7 meters in height, humanoid in shape, the Comensal were noted for the multitude of bony, interlocking plates that covered their bodies. Fine hair grew out of the merger points of those bony plates. Though they have no real need for clothing except in extreme environments Comensals cover themselves head to toe. After developing several colonies in their home system, the Comensal went through an intense period of political and racial tension. One group, certain of its natural superiority, launched a civil war. In conjunction with their asteroid colony populations, this group methodically destroyed all opposition on the homeworld. With this victory, the group, known thereafter as the Asteroid Axis, went on a thirty-year binge of population purges to ensure that only the 'proper' people were left. The home system was fully exploited. Indeed, more people were living in orbital, moon, and asteroid habitats than on the home planet. Thus, the deaths on the planet's surface went largely without notice. Axis authorities were in full control of information distribution, plus the 'proper' people were of the same mind as the government - only those deemed worthy of enhancing the race were allowed to live. Technically, the Axis had advanced very little when it explored its first warp point one year after the last population purge. Eager to find new worlds to emplace its perfect people on, Axis survey squadrons flooded through all available warp points in the new system and ran right into the Darkstorm Nebula Empire. Given the mindset of the Axis leaders, war was a certainty. An external threat would take what was left of the people's attention away from the decades of deliberate slaughter and infuse a new sense of purpose and unity. The first battles with the Darkstorm fleet did not go well. But the advantage lay with the Axis, both in overall economic terms and in shipbuilding capacity. The Darkstorm had only three habitable planets and a handful of outposts, while the Axis had fully exploited their home system and a huge reserve. Overcoming the most important technical deficiencies, datalink and an improved version of point defense, the Axis fleet conquered the Darkstorm despite massive losses in ships and ground troops. Over the following decades the Darkstorm population was literally worked to death as Axis colonists arrived to make the Darkstorm homeworld their own. This action set the standard for which the Asteroid Axis dealt with most of the sentient races it encountered. The Axis Fleet Command (AFC) The early Axis fleet consisted of ships that were either optimized for close range beam or long range missile combat. Given that both the Axis and Darkstorm's beam weapons worked best at close range it wasn't a problem to encourage both sides to close the range. After the first few battles, however, Axis ships began to keep their range open with their Darkstorm opponents. The plasma launchers on Darkstorm ships were short ranged as were their gun missiles. Sheer numbers, mainly in the Sprinter and Punch class ships overwhelmed the Darkstorm bases that guarded the homeworld warp point. |
| National Will class CL
AC 9 XO Racks 45 Hull
TL 2 (3)(Sx5)(Ax7)H(BbS)(I)Fp(II)(I)LQs(II)Fp(I)DbLDbQs(II)(6) 45 MCP 5 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 575mc/86.3mc HTK 31 S x 5 A x 7 Db x 2 Fp x 2 L x 2 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 635mc/95.3mc |
| Leader class CL(C)
AC 9 XO Racks 45
Hull TL 2 (3)(Sx5)(Ax7)H(BbS)(I)Fp(II)(I)LQs(II)(CIC)(I)DbLDbQs(II)(6) 45 RCP 5 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 590mc/88.5mc HTK 31 S x 5 A x 7 Db x 2 Fp x 1 L x 2 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 650mc/97.5mc Typical command ship. Roughly one light cruiser out of ten was a Leader. |
| Barrage class CL(R)
AC 9 XO Racks 45
Hull TL 2 (3)(Sx5)(Ax4)H(BbS)[W(I)W(II)x2]QsW(I)WmgDbDbQs(II)(6) 45 RCP 5 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 569mc/85.4mc HTK 31 S x 5 A x 4 Db x 2 W x 6 mg x 1 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 629mc/94.4mc This class became far more combat effective when the Axis developed datalink technology. |
| Sprinter class DD
AC 6 XO Racks 30
Hull TL 2 (3)(Sx5)(Ax5)H(I)(I)(I)QsL(I)(I)(I)LDbQs(I)(7) 30 RCP 20 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 356mc/53.4mc HTK 23 S x 5 A x 5 Db x 1 L x 2 Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 406mc/60.9mc Built in large numbers, the Sprinter class served as the Axis' warp point assault ship. |
| Arrowsmith class FG
AC 4 XO Racks 22
Hull TL 2 (2)SSSH[(I)Wx3]mg(I)DbQs(I)(7) 22 RCP 3 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 248mc/37.2mc HTK 15 S x 3 Db x 1 W x 3 mg x 1 (W/XO Rack ammo) Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 298mc/44.7mc A frigate version of the Barrage class, the Arrowsmith became more effective when datalink was installed. |
| Punch class FG
AC 4 XO Racks 22
Hull TL 2 (2)(Sx4)(Ax4)H(BbS)(I)(I)(I)(I)FpDbQs(I)(7) 22 RCP 3 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 235mc/35.3mc HTK 18 S x 4 A x 4 Db x 1 Fp x 1 2 cutters Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 285mc/42.8mc The smallest Axis fleet combatant. Designed and built shortly after the Darkstorm War started, the Punch class supplemented the battleline. A boatbay was installed so that the ship can conduct search and rescue operations. Given the way battles were fought, such operations were common for this class of ship. |
| FT5
AC 4 XO Racks 45
Hull TL 2 (3)SSH(BbM)(Ic)(IcIc)(Hx25)(Ic)DbQs(IcIc)(4) 15 RCP 10 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 276mc/20.7mc HTK 37 S x 2 Db x 1 2 shuttles |
| DD(FT) Prefab Transport
AC 6 XO Racks 30
Hull TL 2 Prefab
Transport Hull (3)SSH(BbS)Qs(I)(I)(I)(Hx15)(I)(I)(I)DbQs(I)(7) 30 RCP 20 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 365mc/54.8mc HTK 29 S x 2 Db x 1 2 cutters |
| CT(FT) AC
3 XO Racks 16 Hull TL
2 (2)AH(I)(Hx7)(I)(I)DbQs(I)(8) 16 RCP 9 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 133mc/20mc HTK 15 S x 1 A x 1 Db x 1 |
| BS2(B) 10 XO
Racks 50 Hull TL 2 (0)(Sx5)(Ax12)H(BbS)Qs(Lx6)(M1)DbDbQs(0) 50 RCP Trg: 2 Cost = 510mc/25.5mc HTK 30 S x 5 A x 12 Db x 2 L x 6 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 570mc/28.5mc |
| BS2(R) 10 XO
Racks 50 Hull TL 2 (0)(Sx7)(Ax7)H(BbS)Qs(WWWWmgx2)DbDbDbQs(0) 50 RCP Trg: 1 Cost = 513mc/25.7mc HTK 31 S x 7 A x 7 Db x 3 W x 8 mg x 2 (W/XO Rack ammo) 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 583mc/29.2mc |
| BS1(B) 5 XO
Racks 25 Hull TL 2 (0)(Sx2)(Ax6)H(BbS)LLLDbQs(0) 25 RCP Trg: 1 Cost = 241mc/12.1mc HTK 15 S x 2 A x 6 Db x 1 L x 3 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - add Z, Db to D. 291mc/14.6mc |
| BS0 3 XO Racks
15 Hull TL 2 (0)(Sx5)H(BbS)(CC)DbQs(0) 15 RCP 10 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 200mc/10mc HTK 10 S x 5 Db x 1 1 shuttle Tech Level 3 update - Db to D. 210mc/10.5mc |
| FT5(SYM)
AC 4 XO Racks 45 Hull
TL 2 (3)SH(BbS)(Ic)H(IcIc)H(Ic)(SYM2)DbQs(IcIc)(4) 15 RCP 10 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 394mc/18.3mc HTK 16 S x 1 Db x 1 1 shuttle |
| CL(TS) Troopship
AC 9 XO Racks 45 Hull
TL 2 (3)SSSSAAAH[(I)HHHHQQQ(Lh)(BbL)(II)x2]Qs(I)DbDbQs(II)(6) 45 RCP 5 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 541mc/81.2mc HTK 39 S x 4 A x 3 Db x 2 6 shuttles Can carry a maximum of 18 PCF-x or 300 personnel points. |
| CL(T) Personnel Transport
AC 9 XO Racks 45 Hull
TL 2 (3)SSSAAH(I)(II)(I)[H(Qx5)(Lh)(BbS)x3](II)Qs(I)DbDbQs(II)(6) 45 RCP 5 MCP Trg: 1 Cost = 585mc/87.8mc HTK 43 S x 3 A x 2 Db x 2 3 shuttles Can carry a maximum of 9 PCF-x or 750 personnel points. |
| ES(Sry) AC 9
Hull TL 1 (2)AH(BbM)(I)(I)XQs(I)(8) 9 RCP 16 MCP Cost = 133mc/20mc HTK 8 A x 1 4 cutters Tech Level 3 Scout Version (Pathfinder class) - BbM to BbS. X to XR. 128mc/19.2mc now carries 2 cutters |