Cybershadow Technocracy
Introduction
The Cybershadows are an enigma to the Novans. Heavily tech-augmented and highly reclusive both as a faction and as individuals. The Cybershadows reside beyond the domains of known Novan systems within a huge, uncharted region of space at the Commonwealth’s northern border on most star maps. This territory is closed to outsiders and is heavily defended by numerous automated defense stations as well as roving patrol fleets. No one who has entered Cybershadow space for any reason has ever returned.
By contrast, relations between the Technocracy and the Commonwealth inside of Novan space are rarely hostile and trade is commonplace. The Technocracy’s technology—especially in arms and war material—is particularly sought-after and is usually acquired in exchange for minerals, rare ores and other natural resources.
Though the occasional Cybershadow trade vessel or mercenary fleet might be found throughout Novan space, the official Technocracy enclave on Syran provides a static touchpoint for Cyber/Novan commerce and allows the forming and signing of trade contracts between the two entities.
With conflicts springing up across the totality of Commonwealth space, such goods and services are always in desperately short supply by the Novans.
It is theorized that the Cybershadows once ruled vast areas of what is now Novan space—evidenced by strange and monolithic structures of Cyber design found rusting in the deserts of Syran and countless other Novan worlds all across the Commonwealth, a theory the Cybershadows themselves have neither confirmed nor denied.
Origins
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Forces
Stalkers
Stalkers are large war machines crewed by teams of Cybershadows. They tower over the battlefield providing commanders with peerless fire power. Many types of super heavy battle walkers have been identified to-date as being in service with those Cybershadow mercenary contingents who operate within Novan space. Below are some of the most commonly recognized variants. All machine identifiers used here are of Novan military intelligence origin.
- Jackal: The smallest class encountered thus far is nonetheless a very potent war machine. This walker seems to fulfill a heavy recon role for Stalker battle groups, as well as flank shield and heavy raider missions as required.
- Vulture: A rarer variant based on the Jackal chassis, the Vulture carries a single, massive ordnance piece in a dorsal mount and provides dedicated long-range fire-support to Stalker units.
- Dreadnought: The backbone of most Stalker battlegroups, Dreadnoughts possess heavy armour, moderate shields and three super-heavy weapons hardpoints. When deployed en-mass, they can be an almost unstoppable force, unless opposed with massive firepower.
- Jaeger: Similar in size to the Dreadnought but much more lightly equipped, a Jaeger is extremely fast and agile for a machine of its size—a trait that it exploits to close rapidly to assault-range with its targets.
- Leviathan: The largest of the known Stalker variants, the Leviathan is a true lord of the battlefield, heavily armoured and shielded, and mounting four super-heavy weapon batteries, it is a truly formidable engine of war. Leviathans are rarely seen in most Novan conflicts due to the prohibitive price mercenaries charge their employers to field these monstrous machines in combat.
Sub-factions
Mercenaries
It is not known for certain if the Cybershadows are a single people or a group of peoples, but there is some evidence to suggest that they belong to nuanced sub-groups. Besides the trade cartel officially operating as representatives of the Technocracy on the Crescente world of Syran, there are also several small, nomadic mercenary fleets operating throughout Novan space. These mercenary contingents seem to have little-to-no connection to or interaction-with the rest of the Technocracy as far as the Novans can ascertain although there is much speculation on this subject.
Regardless of their affiliation or motivations, these mercenaries are highly prized for the formidable battle walkers known as Stalkers that they employ. Stalkers are a class of machine that far surpasses our own Novan-built walkers in size, protection and firepower and their mere presence in a battle is often enough to ensure victory for any faction able to secure their alliance.
Other Information
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