Post by Darth Xaos on Apr 23, 2015 0:19:40 GMT
The Ascendancy Automated Forces (better known to the Galaxy-at-large as the Chiss droid armies) have become a famous fighting force in a very short time. When the droids defeated the Wachetroopers during the Battle of New Bethrezen they caught the public’s attention. The Wachetroopers had developed a reputation as one of the most effective currently-active fighting forces and yet they could not stand up to the relentless assault of the Chiss droids. In that moment, the galactic balance of military power shifted forever.
History
At an unknown point during the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent System established a series of military installations in various segments of the Unknown Regions. The intended purpose for these redoubts varied from installation to installation but, for the most part, they were meant to house reserves or surprise-attack forces. By modern times all these bases had been activated either by the CIS or by ex-CIS resistors to the Galactic Empire. All, that is, except one.
Space Platform Choronu remained untapped for decades, waiting out the Galactic Civil War and Yuuzhan Vong War in utter silence. The first man to set foot upon Choronu after this extended quiet was the Chiss Sith and erstwhile Unknown Regions warlord called Darth Trivas. The scouts of his Ni’novian Ascendancy discovered the derelict station on an exploratory mission and quickly returned with news of the strange find. Trivas did not put the droid army contained therein to immediate use, however, choosing instead to limit knowledge of the slumbering iron legions and keep them as an emergency fallback. That emergency would come at the conclusion of the Third Sith Schism.
His capital on the verge of falling to his enemies, Trivas initiated a contingency to ensure his survival. Leaving behind a clone Alchemically altered to feel like Trivas in the Force to be executed in his place, the Chiss Sith fled to Choronu. Once aboard the space platform, Trivas activated the forges and patiently waited the years it took Choronu to build a military force to its maximum capacity. During this time he perfected a variant of Battle Meditation that allowed him to control his droids through the Force. When, at last, his droid armies were complete, the fallen warlord launched into his plans for vengeance.
Infuriated at the notion that the Chiss Ascendancy had joined the Union (a nation led by those who had destroyed Ni’novia) Trivas decided to make conquest of Chiss Space his first priority. However, even though Trivas’ ground forces had the potential to capture the Chiss capital and force capitulation, he knew that the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force would outgun him in a space battle. To solve this problem Trivas decided to send two Lucrehulks to engage the Union in a feint at Ilum. As predicted, the CEDF dispatched ships to aid their allies. With the Chiss capial of Csilla now vulnerable, Darth Trivas quickly moved to invade.
What the Chiss Sith Lord hadn’t predicted is that Darth Lucifer would be dispatched to aid in the defense of Ilum. With the Sith Marauder’s help, Ilum’s soldiers and their Chiss allies were able to defeat the decoy force far more quickly than Trivas had planned. The defenders were therefore able to depart immediately upon receiving word that Csilla was under attack. With the arrival of enemy reinforcements, Trivas found himself flanked. He would not live long enough, however, to see his armies crushed. Darth Lucifer flew his starfighter into the droid fleet’s flagship and faced Trivas in a lightsaber duel. After a vicious altercation, the Chiss Sith met the fate he had avoided years before on Ni’novia. And, with their master’s Battle Meditation silenced, the droids deactivated.
Never ones to turn down a good opportunity, the Chiss Ascendancy impounded the invading ships and dumped their navicomputers. Retracing the route back to Choronu, the Ascendancy took possession of the platform and immediately began restoring the droid armies to working order. Dubbed the Ascendancy Automated Forces, the droids strengthened the Chiss’ military notably. The AAF would go on to win acclaim in the Union at large by carrying the ground combat in the Battle of New Bethrezen during the Second Union Civil War.
Organization and Role
The Ascendancy Automated Forces are a subdivision of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force and consist of a few commanders, officers and a throng of technicians. The AAF commanders answer to the Defense Hierarchy but none are Hierarchs themselves. The majority of command roles are actually filled by T-Series tactical droids and several of the AAF’s battles have been fought with no organics on their side. The AAF is primarily used to deal with pirate groups, warlord states and other, less defined threats that originate in the Unknown Regions. In this way very few Chiss are required to risk their lives on these dangerous missions. As shown during the Battle of New Bethrezen, the AAF are the most likely responders to calls for aid from the Union federal government to the Chiss.
Ground units are organized into armies of 218,400 battle droids, plus necessary support droids. Each of the AAF’s ten armies is assigned to a single Lucrehulk-class battleship. The AAF’s space fleet is somewhat less robust, its sixteen ships only qualifying it as a squadron under the old Confederate standards (and a small one at that).
Infantry
B1 Advanced Battle Droids
The B1 battle droids constructed by Choronu station are not the generic variety the Galaxy became familiar with during the Clone Wars but, rather, an advanced variant with thicker armor plating. These B1s are also slightly more intelligent than their infamously dopey generic counterparts. In ground battles AAF commanders use massive formations of B1s as living bulwarks. As the enemy exhausts themselves wading into line after line of B1s, more advanced models move into position to flank and overwhelm the enemy position. Choronu-made B1s are aided in their tasks by special self-repair protocols that allow them to scavenge the parts of their fallen comrades to repair their own damage. B1s serve the majority of roles onboard AAF ships, from helmsman to gunner to dock overseer.
B2 Super Battle Droids
Heavier armored and packing a larger punch than the B1s; B2s are the shock troopers of the AAF. Deployed en mass they become a slowly but ceaselessly advancing wave of iron that crushes enemy positions. Choronu B2s are programmed with the same self-repair protocols as the B1s.
Droideka Destroyer Droids
Armed with powerful shields, brutal blasters and a shockingly maneuverable mobile mode, Droidekas are terrors on the battlefields. Enemy positions that prove resilient against B2 waves will soon be met with sudden flank attacks from Droidekas. These destroyers also make effective vehicle escorts due to their high mobility. Although the Ascendancy Automated Forces have yet to face Jedi in battle, their contingency stratagems call for the use of Droidekas as anti-Jedi squads. Since they lack the necessary appendages to make use of them, destroyer droids are not programmed with self-repair protocols.
HK-51 Assassin Droids
It is unknown why or how the standard CIS commando droid design was ignored in favor of the more exotic HK-51 in Choronu’s foundry computers, however, it is no mystery why, out of all the various HK models, the 51 was the one to be installed. The HK-51 is the perfect middle ground in the arc of HK series development. It lacks the idiosyncrasies of the 01, 24 and 47 models while displaying greater versatility than the 57, 58, 67, 77 and Taskmaster variants. All Choronu HK-51s are created with jet packs and can serve any specialized role in combat. Sniper, commando, paratrooper and space marine are all jobs that can be taken up by a HK-51. 51s possess the standard self-repair protocols. There have even been instances of 51s firing on each other in the pursuit of scavenging parts.
T-Series Tactical Droids
Taking most of the officer roles in both ground and space combat, T-series have proven to be effective strategists in many campaigns. Tactical droids possess override codes that can bring a droid undergoing an obedience protocol malfunction under slave-mode control. This can be especially handy with the more individualistic HK-51s. Because a T-Series’ strategic programs cannot be compressed without diminishing their effectiveness, the tactical droids cannot spare the memory for self-repair protocols.
A-DSD Advanced Dwarf Spider Droid
Despite its somewhat awkward appearance, the advanced spider droid excels in a wide variety of situations. Its heavy blaster cannon and missile launchers lend themselves equally well to destroying enemy cover and tank-hunting duty. Heavy armor plates cover the advanced spider droid’s front legs and allow it to serve as a bulwark for lighter droids. While its comfort with uneven surfaces and infrared visions make it ideal for subterranean or urban combat. Like the Droideka, spider droids lack the necessary mandibles for mechanical work and therefore are not programmed with self-repair protocols.
Ground Vehicles
Single Trooper Aerial Platform
The STAP (an inelegant acronym for Single Trooper Aerial Platform) is an even lighter version of a speeder bike. Its primary uses in combat are scouting and escorting heavier vehicles. STAPs are typically mounted by B1s but HK-51s with damaged jetpacks have been known to requisition a STAP (sometimes forcibly from the previous rider).
Platoon Attack Craft
Used for rapid deployment of troops, PACs delve deeper behind enemy lines than their heavier counterparts. A PAC may carry up to one hundred and twelve B1 battle droids or 20 Droidekas and requires two B1 pilots.
Multi-Troop Transport
Much more heavily armed and armored than a PAC, the Multi-Troop Transport is equal parts droid carrier and assault vehicle. Its massive blaster cannons prove ideal for blasting through enemy defenses and it can quickly deploy its occupant troops after taking a position. A MTT has the same cargo capacity as a PAC.
Armored Assault Tanks
AATs serve highly typical tank roles. Support fire, siegecraft, officer transport and frontlines combat are all within its capabilities. The AAT’s projectile launchers and anti-personnel blasters allow it to serve in anti-armor and anti-infantry roles respectively.
Starships
Vulture Droids
More properly called the ‘Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid Mark I’, the Vulture droid is the workhorse of the AAF’s space battles. The AAF fleet follows fighter-doctrine strategy and its Vultures are key to its overall space tactics. Vultures can fulfill multiple roles; their blaster cannons allow them to function as traditional fighters while their energy torpedos are useful when working as interceptors and their Buzz droid missiles make for an unorthodox sort of bomber.
Munificent-Class Star Frigate
In fighter-doctrine forces the role of a cruiser like a Munificent is primarily defensive. The Munificents serve as a bulwark against bomber runs on the Lucrehulks and ensure communications dominance in any theater. Each Munificent is commanded by a T-Series captain.
Lucrehulk-Class Battleship
The Lucrehulk’s primary combat role in the AAF is that of a carrier. All of the AAF’s ground units and Vulture droids are brought into a theater of war by a Lucrehulk. All droids produced by Choronu space platform are created with two operation modes: ‘slave’ and ‘independent’. In slave-mode the droids are dependent on transmissions from their Lucrehulk’s massive computer networks to function. It was in this mode that they functioned under Trivas’ Battle Meditation, allowing the Ascendancy to capture them after the Sith Lord’s death. The droids mostly operate in ‘independent’ mode these days, in which they make decisions based on internal computations like most droids.
C-9979 Landing Craft
The C-9979 is the primary means of transporting ground forces from the Lucrehulks to a planetside engagement. These landers are lightly armed and depend on Vulture droids for escort into the atmosphere. Once on the ground, and with the proper equipment, prefabricated defenses can be deployed to turn a C-9979 into a Mobile Command Center. A C-9979 carries a total of 4,368 battle droids plus support droids.
Choronu Space Platform
Choronu was designed by the CIS to be a totally self-sustained military base. It has the room and mechanical capabilities to maintain a maximum of ten droids armies, their ground vehicles and enough Vulture droids to fill those armies’ assigned Lucrehulks. Its foundries, as a matter of simple feasibility, are not as robust as ground based factories. The foundries could never truly be put to production with widespread distribution of its droids in mind. They were designed to replace battlefield casualties not serve as a major battle droid forge. Choronu can construct its B1s as quickly as any other facility but B2s, Droidekas, HK-51s and tactical droids take longer than normal, even when operating at full capacity. To say nothing of the time heavy vehicles take.
Choronu possesses minor shipyard capabilities as well. It can construct Vulture droids and C-9979 landers internally and it possesses a sizeable drydock frame for creating Munificent frigates. Choronu can only build a single Munificent at a time, however, and can support only a few active ones. Though the platform is not able to build Lucrehulk battleships, it is capable of converting Lucrehulk freighters into their battleship variants. Choronu could conceivably support a great number of Lucrehulks but its inability to equip any beyond ten with droids and its low level of frigate support have caused the AAF to set their fleet size at ten Lucrehulks and six Munificents. The Choronu platform was originally built in the depths of unclaimed space but, after acquiring it, the Chiss towed the mighty construct into their territory.
History
At an unknown point during the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent System established a series of military installations in various segments of the Unknown Regions. The intended purpose for these redoubts varied from installation to installation but, for the most part, they were meant to house reserves or surprise-attack forces. By modern times all these bases had been activated either by the CIS or by ex-CIS resistors to the Galactic Empire. All, that is, except one.
Space Platform Choronu remained untapped for decades, waiting out the Galactic Civil War and Yuuzhan Vong War in utter silence. The first man to set foot upon Choronu after this extended quiet was the Chiss Sith and erstwhile Unknown Regions warlord called Darth Trivas. The scouts of his Ni’novian Ascendancy discovered the derelict station on an exploratory mission and quickly returned with news of the strange find. Trivas did not put the droid army contained therein to immediate use, however, choosing instead to limit knowledge of the slumbering iron legions and keep them as an emergency fallback. That emergency would come at the conclusion of the Third Sith Schism.
His capital on the verge of falling to his enemies, Trivas initiated a contingency to ensure his survival. Leaving behind a clone Alchemically altered to feel like Trivas in the Force to be executed in his place, the Chiss Sith fled to Choronu. Once aboard the space platform, Trivas activated the forges and patiently waited the years it took Choronu to build a military force to its maximum capacity. During this time he perfected a variant of Battle Meditation that allowed him to control his droids through the Force. When, at last, his droid armies were complete, the fallen warlord launched into his plans for vengeance.
Infuriated at the notion that the Chiss Ascendancy had joined the Union (a nation led by those who had destroyed Ni’novia) Trivas decided to make conquest of Chiss Space his first priority. However, even though Trivas’ ground forces had the potential to capture the Chiss capital and force capitulation, he knew that the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force would outgun him in a space battle. To solve this problem Trivas decided to send two Lucrehulks to engage the Union in a feint at Ilum. As predicted, the CEDF dispatched ships to aid their allies. With the Chiss capial of Csilla now vulnerable, Darth Trivas quickly moved to invade.
What the Chiss Sith Lord hadn’t predicted is that Darth Lucifer would be dispatched to aid in the defense of Ilum. With the Sith Marauder’s help, Ilum’s soldiers and their Chiss allies were able to defeat the decoy force far more quickly than Trivas had planned. The defenders were therefore able to depart immediately upon receiving word that Csilla was under attack. With the arrival of enemy reinforcements, Trivas found himself flanked. He would not live long enough, however, to see his armies crushed. Darth Lucifer flew his starfighter into the droid fleet’s flagship and faced Trivas in a lightsaber duel. After a vicious altercation, the Chiss Sith met the fate he had avoided years before on Ni’novia. And, with their master’s Battle Meditation silenced, the droids deactivated.
Never ones to turn down a good opportunity, the Chiss Ascendancy impounded the invading ships and dumped their navicomputers. Retracing the route back to Choronu, the Ascendancy took possession of the platform and immediately began restoring the droid armies to working order. Dubbed the Ascendancy Automated Forces, the droids strengthened the Chiss’ military notably. The AAF would go on to win acclaim in the Union at large by carrying the ground combat in the Battle of New Bethrezen during the Second Union Civil War.
Organization and Role
The Ascendancy Automated Forces are a subdivision of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force and consist of a few commanders, officers and a throng of technicians. The AAF commanders answer to the Defense Hierarchy but none are Hierarchs themselves. The majority of command roles are actually filled by T-Series tactical droids and several of the AAF’s battles have been fought with no organics on their side. The AAF is primarily used to deal with pirate groups, warlord states and other, less defined threats that originate in the Unknown Regions. In this way very few Chiss are required to risk their lives on these dangerous missions. As shown during the Battle of New Bethrezen, the AAF are the most likely responders to calls for aid from the Union federal government to the Chiss.
Ground units are organized into armies of 218,400 battle droids, plus necessary support droids. Each of the AAF’s ten armies is assigned to a single Lucrehulk-class battleship. The AAF’s space fleet is somewhat less robust, its sixteen ships only qualifying it as a squadron under the old Confederate standards (and a small one at that).
Infantry
B1 Advanced Battle Droids
The B1 battle droids constructed by Choronu station are not the generic variety the Galaxy became familiar with during the Clone Wars but, rather, an advanced variant with thicker armor plating. These B1s are also slightly more intelligent than their infamously dopey generic counterparts. In ground battles AAF commanders use massive formations of B1s as living bulwarks. As the enemy exhausts themselves wading into line after line of B1s, more advanced models move into position to flank and overwhelm the enemy position. Choronu-made B1s are aided in their tasks by special self-repair protocols that allow them to scavenge the parts of their fallen comrades to repair their own damage. B1s serve the majority of roles onboard AAF ships, from helmsman to gunner to dock overseer.
B2 Super Battle Droids
Heavier armored and packing a larger punch than the B1s; B2s are the shock troopers of the AAF. Deployed en mass they become a slowly but ceaselessly advancing wave of iron that crushes enemy positions. Choronu B2s are programmed with the same self-repair protocols as the B1s.
Droideka Destroyer Droids
Armed with powerful shields, brutal blasters and a shockingly maneuverable mobile mode, Droidekas are terrors on the battlefields. Enemy positions that prove resilient against B2 waves will soon be met with sudden flank attacks from Droidekas. These destroyers also make effective vehicle escorts due to their high mobility. Although the Ascendancy Automated Forces have yet to face Jedi in battle, their contingency stratagems call for the use of Droidekas as anti-Jedi squads. Since they lack the necessary appendages to make use of them, destroyer droids are not programmed with self-repair protocols.
HK-51 Assassin Droids
It is unknown why or how the standard CIS commando droid design was ignored in favor of the more exotic HK-51 in Choronu’s foundry computers, however, it is no mystery why, out of all the various HK models, the 51 was the one to be installed. The HK-51 is the perfect middle ground in the arc of HK series development. It lacks the idiosyncrasies of the 01, 24 and 47 models while displaying greater versatility than the 57, 58, 67, 77 and Taskmaster variants. All Choronu HK-51s are created with jet packs and can serve any specialized role in combat. Sniper, commando, paratrooper and space marine are all jobs that can be taken up by a HK-51. 51s possess the standard self-repair protocols. There have even been instances of 51s firing on each other in the pursuit of scavenging parts.
T-Series Tactical Droids
Taking most of the officer roles in both ground and space combat, T-series have proven to be effective strategists in many campaigns. Tactical droids possess override codes that can bring a droid undergoing an obedience protocol malfunction under slave-mode control. This can be especially handy with the more individualistic HK-51s. Because a T-Series’ strategic programs cannot be compressed without diminishing their effectiveness, the tactical droids cannot spare the memory for self-repair protocols.
A-DSD Advanced Dwarf Spider Droid
Despite its somewhat awkward appearance, the advanced spider droid excels in a wide variety of situations. Its heavy blaster cannon and missile launchers lend themselves equally well to destroying enemy cover and tank-hunting duty. Heavy armor plates cover the advanced spider droid’s front legs and allow it to serve as a bulwark for lighter droids. While its comfort with uneven surfaces and infrared visions make it ideal for subterranean or urban combat. Like the Droideka, spider droids lack the necessary mandibles for mechanical work and therefore are not programmed with self-repair protocols.
Ground Vehicles
Single Trooper Aerial Platform
The STAP (an inelegant acronym for Single Trooper Aerial Platform) is an even lighter version of a speeder bike. Its primary uses in combat are scouting and escorting heavier vehicles. STAPs are typically mounted by B1s but HK-51s with damaged jetpacks have been known to requisition a STAP (sometimes forcibly from the previous rider).
Platoon Attack Craft
Used for rapid deployment of troops, PACs delve deeper behind enemy lines than their heavier counterparts. A PAC may carry up to one hundred and twelve B1 battle droids or 20 Droidekas and requires two B1 pilots.
Multi-Troop Transport
Much more heavily armed and armored than a PAC, the Multi-Troop Transport is equal parts droid carrier and assault vehicle. Its massive blaster cannons prove ideal for blasting through enemy defenses and it can quickly deploy its occupant troops after taking a position. A MTT has the same cargo capacity as a PAC.
Armored Assault Tanks
AATs serve highly typical tank roles. Support fire, siegecraft, officer transport and frontlines combat are all within its capabilities. The AAT’s projectile launchers and anti-personnel blasters allow it to serve in anti-armor and anti-infantry roles respectively.
Starships
Vulture Droids
More properly called the ‘Variable Geometry Self-Propelled Battle Droid Mark I’, the Vulture droid is the workhorse of the AAF’s space battles. The AAF fleet follows fighter-doctrine strategy and its Vultures are key to its overall space tactics. Vultures can fulfill multiple roles; their blaster cannons allow them to function as traditional fighters while their energy torpedos are useful when working as interceptors and their Buzz droid missiles make for an unorthodox sort of bomber.
Munificent-Class Star Frigate
In fighter-doctrine forces the role of a cruiser like a Munificent is primarily defensive. The Munificents serve as a bulwark against bomber runs on the Lucrehulks and ensure communications dominance in any theater. Each Munificent is commanded by a T-Series captain.
Lucrehulk-Class Battleship
The Lucrehulk’s primary combat role in the AAF is that of a carrier. All of the AAF’s ground units and Vulture droids are brought into a theater of war by a Lucrehulk. All droids produced by Choronu space platform are created with two operation modes: ‘slave’ and ‘independent’. In slave-mode the droids are dependent on transmissions from their Lucrehulk’s massive computer networks to function. It was in this mode that they functioned under Trivas’ Battle Meditation, allowing the Ascendancy to capture them after the Sith Lord’s death. The droids mostly operate in ‘independent’ mode these days, in which they make decisions based on internal computations like most droids.
C-9979 Landing Craft
The C-9979 is the primary means of transporting ground forces from the Lucrehulks to a planetside engagement. These landers are lightly armed and depend on Vulture droids for escort into the atmosphere. Once on the ground, and with the proper equipment, prefabricated defenses can be deployed to turn a C-9979 into a Mobile Command Center. A C-9979 carries a total of 4,368 battle droids plus support droids.
Choronu Space Platform
Choronu was designed by the CIS to be a totally self-sustained military base. It has the room and mechanical capabilities to maintain a maximum of ten droids armies, their ground vehicles and enough Vulture droids to fill those armies’ assigned Lucrehulks. Its foundries, as a matter of simple feasibility, are not as robust as ground based factories. The foundries could never truly be put to production with widespread distribution of its droids in mind. They were designed to replace battlefield casualties not serve as a major battle droid forge. Choronu can construct its B1s as quickly as any other facility but B2s, Droidekas, HK-51s and tactical droids take longer than normal, even when operating at full capacity. To say nothing of the time heavy vehicles take.
Choronu possesses minor shipyard capabilities as well. It can construct Vulture droids and C-9979 landers internally and it possesses a sizeable drydock frame for creating Munificent frigates. Choronu can only build a single Munificent at a time, however, and can support only a few active ones. Though the platform is not able to build Lucrehulk battleships, it is capable of converting Lucrehulk freighters into their battleship variants. Choronu could conceivably support a great number of Lucrehulks but its inability to equip any beyond ten with droids and its low level of frigate support have caused the AAF to set their fleet size at ten Lucrehulks and six Munificents. The Choronu platform was originally built in the depths of unclaimed space but, after acquiring it, the Chiss towed the mighty construct into their territory.