Cannons

"200 years, 3 stellar conflicts... We've developed fusion warheads and proton cruise missiles. And yet, here we are. Still shooting bullets."

-- Captain Angela Settle, on lamenting the futility of engaging a UGTO Carrier without reloading her Railgun ammo stockpiles

Cannons are projectile based weapons that are designed to provide a sustained front of damage towards enemy ships. They combine energy efficiency, accuracy, and power to make for the go-to standard armaments for mid-range combat ships.

When fired, with the exclusion of core weapons, multiple rounds are fired towards the target ship. Onboard ship computers calculate the angle needed to fire based on the ships current speed and trajectory when fired. However, this does no guarantee a hit. Cannon fire can and should be dodged when possible, as it provides a ship with the most sustained damage of weapon types.

Cannons

There are three tiers of cannons - Standard, Heavy, and Core. Standard Cannons are found on most ships. Heavy Cannons are an upgraded version, doing the damage of 2 standard cannons and can be found on larger capital ships. Core weapons are the equivalent of 2 Heavy Cannons, and are the most powerful. They are usually found only on the largest of ships.

Particle Cannon

Faction:	UGTO
Type:	Cannon
Range:	925 GU
Damage:	Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	High
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	60
Tech Req:	5

The UGTO Particle Cannon is the most common, and most favorable, cannon among captains for its reliability, manageable power usage, sustainable damage, and excellent range. This weapon functions by drawing power directly from the ships main engines, containing charged sub-atomic particles in a magnetically charged sphere. Once charged, the sphere is transferred to the cannon itself, where it can be sustained until ready to fire. Since the cannon fires in a five round burst however, a cannon will not be ready to be fired until five charged rounds are held in containment for that weapon.

Due to its energy based nature, the Particle Cannon is only limited by the energy reserves of the ship in regards to ammo. However one major drawback to the weapon is that as the round travels, the magnetic field surrounding the charged particles begins to weaken, commanders are advised to close the distance as much as possible before firing.

The Particle Cannon can replace the EMP Cannon on available allied worlds, for 60 resources and 5 technology.

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Heavy Particle Cannon

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Faction:	UGTO
Range:	925 GU
Damage:	Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	High
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	120
Tech Req:	10

Realizing the need for a heftier armament, UGTO engineers came up with a way to better stabilize the magnetic capture of the sub-atomic particles and thus a heavier payload could be formed. Thus, the Heavy Particle Cannon was developed, capable of dishing out twice the firepower of a normal particle cannon and improved range. However, as it was a larger mount and required a specialized framework, it can not replace existing smaller Particle Cannons.

The Heavy Particle Cannon is found on a few specialized, smaller capital ships, but its mostly reserved for Cruisers and Dreadnought class capitals.

It can replace the Heavy EMP Cannon on available allied worlds, for 120 resources and 10 technology.

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Electro-Magnetic Pulse Cannon

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Faction:	UGTO
Type:	Cannon
Range:	725 GU
Damage:	EMP
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	150
Tech Req:	25

The UGTO Electromagnetic Pulse weapon is a replacement option for the standard Particle Cannon. For UGTO commanders that prefer to take the rebels alive, this cannon's primary function is to do system damage, potentially disabiling enemy ships. It does however, do very little damage to all types of shields, armor, and hull, so it is best used in combination with other weapons (such as torpedos) to punch through the outer layers; the shielding of even the thinnest armor prevents system damage.

Unlike the Particle cannon, it is fired in a four round burst, due to a common (but largely debunked) UGTO superstition that excessive firing of the cannon would disable their own ship.

Like all UGTO cannons, this weapon suffers from diminishing returns at extreme ranges, commanders are advised to use their primary armaments as close as possible for maximum effectiveness.

This weapon requires no ammo, and may be purchased from available friendly planets for 150 resources and 25 technology.

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Heavy EMP Cannon

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Faction:	UGTO
Range:	725 GU
Damage:	EMP
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	300
Tech Req:	45

Once the UGTO engineers discovered how to develop a heavier payload for the Particle Cannon, it wasn't long before they applied the same technology towards the EMP cannon. Delievering twice the payload of a normal EMP round, the Heavy EMP is mostly found on a few specialized smaller capital ships but is mostly used on Cruisers and Dreadnought capital ships.

It can replace the Heavy Particle Cannon on available allied worlds, for 300 resources and 45 technology.

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Railgun

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Faction:	ICC
Type:	Cannon
Range:	1225 GU
Damage:	Medium
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Kinetic
Magazine:	90
Resource Req:	30
Tech Req:	5

The is the standard cannon device for most ICC ships, with a Magazine of 90 rounds and the ability to fire 5 accelerated projectiles every 3 seconds. Captains are notified that the Railgun provides the same yield regardless of distance or time.

The Railgun works in a sequential launch sequence, collecting a preloaded projectile in it's firing chamber and charging it with magnetic energy, once the order for launch has been given, the chamber floor pushes the projectile into the barrel, where rings of super magnetic coils accelerate the projectile to near light speeds. This occurs at a standard rate of 5 projectiles every 3 seconds to ensure the Railgun does not overheat, but evidence from recent pirate skirmishes shows that this can be increased when required.

The standard Railgun costs a Captain 30 resources and can only be bought from suppliers with a technology rating of 5 or higher.

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Heavy Railgun

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Faction:	ICC
Range:	1225 GU
Damage:	Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	90
Resource Req:	60
Tech Req:	10

The Heavy Railgun is the higher powered version of the standard Railgun, featuring the same magazine and rate of fire but with a bigger charge yield. Captains are notified that the Heavy Railgun provides the same yield regardless of distance or time.

The Heavy railgun uses the same chamber firing and magnetic coil system to launch it's Projectiles at near light speeds, however the barrel has been expanded to allow for a larger projectile, often containing an additional shaped charge.

The Heavy Railgun costs a Captain 60 resources and can only be bought from suppliers with a technology rating of 10 or higher.

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Gauss Gun

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Faction:	ICC
Type:	Cannon
Range:	1410 GU
Damage:	Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	100
Resource Req:	30
Tech Req:	5

The Gauss Cannons boasts a longer range, more damage per projectile and ammo than Railguns. It uses 3 coils to accelerate projectile by activating/deactivating each of them in order which increases energy useage and limits the cannnon to fire only 2 shots per volley; but has the fastest projectile speed, which makes it good for sniping and hunting smaller ships.

The red trail commonly seen behind Gauss projectiles is the exhuast trail from a small rocket motor on the backend of the Gauss projectile. This motor fires immediatly after launch to increase the projectiles velocity as it flies, making the Gauss Gun actually do more damage the longer range you are from the target.

The Gauss Gun can be switched out at friendly worlds for the Railgun. Buying a Gauss Gun will set an aspiring back 30 resources and can only be bought at planets with a tech rating of 5 or higher.

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Heavy Gauss Gun

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Faction:	ICC
Type:	Cannon
Range:	1410 GU
Damage:	Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	90
Resource Req:	30
Tech Req:	5

A larger, meaner version of the Gauss gun, The Heavy Gauss Gun takes everything about the Gauss Gun and makes it bigger. The Triple-Magnetic Accelerator has been oversized to project a much larger bullet to speeds still comparable to regular Gauss projectiles. Energy costs are doubled in comparison to the original Gauss device to accomodate these changes.

The rocket motor accelerator on the aft of the Heavy Gauss bullet has been proportionatly sized to the increased mass of the projectile, the increase in velocity during the projectiles flight is identical to that of the original version.

The Heavy Gauss Gun can be bought at suppliers with a tech rating over 5 for 30 resources.

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Psi Cannon

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Faction:	K'Luth
Type:	Cannon
Range:	660 GU
Damage:	Low
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Psi, Kinetic
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

UGTO scientists are still baffled by the exact origin and operation of the alien K'luth's Psi Cannon but field sensor readings seem to indicate that the projectiles are actually psionic projections from the mind of the ship itself. The organic ships the K'luth favor are shown to have very strong minds, capable of coalescing enough psionic energy in a small area to fold space in that area, as if it were a strong gravitic field. The cannon mount itself acts to shape the ball of energy and give it a direction. The psionic burst is launched out of the cannon in pieces, giving the K'luth cannons multiple projectiles per charge. Creating and sustaining these psionic balls fatigues the ship, an analog to the energy demands of the human factions conventional weaponry. The psionic bursts also tend to lose cohesion over time while in flight, meaning additional range weakens the projectiles effectiveness.

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Heavy Psi Cannon

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Faction:	K'Luth
Type:	Cannon
Range:	660 GU
Damage:	Psi, Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

A larger version of the psionic weaponry seen on K'luth ships. The stronger minds of the larger K'luth ship classes are capable of folding space much more so than their smaller compatriots, doing approximately double the damage. These larger psionic bursts require a larger cannon mount to shape and serve as a launch point. The largest K'luth warships can mount many of these cannons, making them a force to be reckoned with.

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Plasma Cannon

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Faction:	K'Luth
Type:	Cannon
Range:	640 GU
Damage:	Psi, Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

Actually an admission to how effective the human weapons have been against the K'luth, the Plasma Cannon was recently designed to replicate the cannon styles seen in human vessels. Not based on the minds of the ship itself like the Psi Cannon, the Plasma cannon is a self-enclosed weapon platform. Waste gases from the organic ships normal biologic processes are funneled into a reaction chamber and excited to a high density plasma, then shaped into a projectile form and shot out into space. The volatile plasma bursts on contact with the target, spraying over a wide area of the enemy hull, burning everything it touches.

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Heavy Plasma Cannon

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Faction:	K'Luth
Type:	Cannon
Range:	640 GU
Damage:	Psi, Kinetic
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	Low
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

A larger version of the Plasma cannon, this version was adopted to replace the Heavy Psi Cannon. Functionally the same as the Plasma Cannon, this version does twice as much damage but takes twice as much energy to do it.

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Core Weapons

Quantum Singularity Torpedo

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Faction:	UGTO
Type:	Core
Range:	1050 GU
Damage:	Kinetic, Energy
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	High
Magazine:	80
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

Developed by UGTO weapons scientists as the final answer to capital ships, the Quantum Singularity Torpedo behaves more like a semi-automatic cannon. Sub-atomic particles are suspended in a quantum state in a shaped charge, and using tremendous amounts of energy, can be fired over extreme distances. Upon contact, the charge ruptures, distorting the quantum state at the target site, ripping apart armor and hull alike, doing the damage equivalent of four standard particle cannons. Highly dangerous, many commanders were warned to take precautions when using these weapons, warnings that generally went unheeded.

Several safety measures were finally undertaken when ICC sabatours managed to board an Elite Assault Dreadnought and detonate the entire cache of QST's currently onboard. There was not much left of the ship left to identify, and it is still strongly cautioned not to detonate QSTs in the immediate vicinity of allied ships for fear of any chain reaction.

Alternative weapons at par with the weapon are yet to be developed and tested, so QST cannot be replaced with another weapon.

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Ion Cannon

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Faction:	ICC
Type:	Core
Range:	1290 GU
Damage:	Kinetic, Energy
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	High
Magazine:	100
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

Ask any commander in the ICC fleet what weapon they wish they had more of and the answer you will always get is the Ion Cannon. A heavily modified version of the Gauss Gun, this weapon is almost indistinguishable from its original form. The Triple-Magnetic Accelerator underwent a complete overhaul, becoming more robust and capable of handling energies that would overload any other magnetic accelerator in use by ICC forces. The projectile itself was entirely replaced, as ICC scientists searched for a more powerful alternative. Eventually the weapon designers decided to use a new style of projectile.

The new projectile wasn't a bullet like the Railgun or a rocket-assisted charge like the Gauss gun, but was a magnetic core surrounded by charged particles. The magnetic core would be loaded into the cannon, then attract charged ions loaded into the bay. The charge is shot out of the cannon at high velocity. On contact, the projectile does less direct damage then other Core weapons in use.

The Ion cannon fires 2 shots per firing cycle, a holdover from its Gauss Gun roots, but with higher damage output and energy requirements.

The Ion cannon is not replaceable due to lack of availability to most ICC forces, as well as to the costly upgrades required to field it. It is a high priority for ICC Strategic Command to get more Ion Cannons out on the front.

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Stellar Incinerator

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Faction:	K'Luth
Type:	Core
Range:	800 GU
Damage:	Psi, Energy
Falloff:	{{{falloff}}}
Energy use:	High
Magazine:	Unlimited
Resource Req:	x
Tech Req:	x

The ultimate weapon in the K'luth arsenal, the Stellar Incinerator is a burst of tremendulous psionic waves, focused into plasma jet streams, and discharged by massive organelles. The explosive projectile charges towards the target at hair-raising velocities, and impacts causing deep ruptures into the target's superstructure. The violent energies then surge, causing absolute incineration of metal and engulfing the target in shock waves. Nuclear radiation is sometimes emitted during this surge.

Smaller human ships engaged in the conflicts with the K'Luth occasionally report deaths and mental dysfunctions merely due to being too close to Mandible forces discharging Stellar Incinerators. They are mostly overshadowed by the number deaths which happen on survivor ships of K'Luth ambushes, before as well as after fleeing. The Trade Organisation's Senate was under criticism for attempting to formulate laws, which mandated that :-

By this Decree, any United World's Ship, if it has sustained multiple attacks of Stellar Incinerators by the K'Luth faction, must not move beyond it's Zone of War and maintain a stipulated distance of 500 Galactic Units from other U.W.S. military and trade ships. After declaration of "No Further Threat", the said ship may undergo evacuation of alive and healthy ship crew ONLY. Any crew suspected of radiation poisoning must be denied evacuation.

Additionally, after completion of evacuation, the said ship shall be quarantined until further orders from the Galactic Senate, or be destroyed by designated warships after a period of 100 days, whichever event takes place earlier.

--War Policy (K'Luth) Sixth Draft, Galactic Senate, UGTO.

The Stellar Incinerator's devastating power can only be mounted upon K'Luth Mantes (Dreadnoughts) and Station analogs. Currently, the Stellar Incinerator is unmatched in it's raw power and utilises unique mount structures, so it cannot be replaced in favour of any other array of weapons.

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