A weapon is an object either designed or re-purposed with the intent to cause harm or destruction to another being or object.
Standard Weapons[]
- Hell-lances are the primary weapons of Alliance and Syndicate warships and defenses. A hell-lance projector fires charged particles at high speed. They have medium range and are effective against most targets.
- Grapeshots are metal ball bearings fired by magnetic rail-guns. They are primarily used to reduce enemy ships' shields and can also be used to stop enemy missiles. Grapeshots have to be replenished, but they are easy for Auxiliaries to create and use easily sourced materials.
- Guided missiles packed with warheads are used in many situations. They can be fired at long range, or fired a few seconds before contact, but not at extreme close range (the guidance system cannot achieve lock-on in time). Warships have active defensive systems which target and destroy missiles, but which can be overwhelmed by firing large numbers of missiles, with at least some getting through. The Alliance uses specter missiles, which replaced the less advanced wraiths.
- Null-fields are a new technology and are found only on some Alliance capital ships (Battleships and some Battle Cruisers). They are fired by a null-field projector and nullify the strong nuclear force, making matter literally fall apart. Null fields give Alliance warships an advantage at close range, but can be stopped by strong shields.
- Kinetic projectiles ('Rocks') are used to bombard planetary and orbital targets. They are little more than big chunks of metal fired at high speed. Their immense kinetic energy is able to deal massive damage to targets. They are very effective against surface targets and static orbital installations, but cannot be used in ship to ship warfare, as they are easy to dodge.
- Mines are used primarily to blockade regions of space, especially in front of Jump Points and Hypernet Gates, as part of an ambush. Mines with stealth abilities have been used when a fleet is being chased and the pursuing fleets path is known (or can be altered onto a desired path).
Weaponised Systems[]
- The power cores of ships provide the energy required for ships to accelerate and do many other things. Sometimes they overload when put under great stress, causing the ship to explode, and also destroying or severely damaging any ships in a large radius. It can be used to scuttle ships or in a last-ditch attempt to kill enemy ships along with one's own ships. It has also been used in planned booby traps.
- Hypernet gates enable ships to travel between star systems at extremely high speeds. However, they can be collapsed destroying their tethers. When this happens, a variable amount of energy is released (ranging from Nova-scale blasts to absolutely nothing), usually enough to totally obliterate all life in an entire star system unless the collapse is controlled (with an algorithm created by Captain Cresida). They have been employed (or attempted) for the purposes of: a last ditch attempt to wipe out an entire fleet, threatening to stop others coming closer and by the enigmas to fuel mutually destructive warfare between the Syndicate Worlds and the Alliance.
Non-Standard Weapons[]
- 'Continental Shotgun' was the nickname for an Alliance project that utilised the energy released from detonating powerful nuclear munitions to power huge numbers of single-use particle beam tubes, capable of taking out an entire fleet (or at least most of it). The project was scrapped as it would inflict more damage on the planet itself than the enemy bombardment would. The Syndicate Worlds built their own version of this weapon, which was built under a POW camp at Simur and was designed to take out the Alliance First Fleet (which was under the command of Admiral Geary). The weapon was never fired as Geary spotted it in time and was able to avoid its path.