Rathakern

Also known as Reapers.

History
The Rathakern originated on the arid planet of Raptis Prime, a planet with dark red skies that resided in a secluded region of space near the edge of the galaxy. Throughout their history, they competed with other races that had evolved on the planet, gradually accumulating power until the formation of the great tribe under the leadership of Warmaster Arn. Arn, who is believed to have created the fabled Void Axe, led the Rathakern for centuries, his reign coming to an end shortly after the development of firearms. He was succeeded by Warmaster Karn, who successfully eliminated the Rathakern's enemies after centuries of warfare. Karn was succeeded by the current Warmaster, Moratoryan, who wields Arn's Void Axe. Under his rule, the Rathakern have become the dominant power in their region, carving out a sizeable empire for themselves in the process.

Raptis Prime and many surrounding planets possess vibrant red crystals. The Rathakern are fiercely protective of these crystals, which they harvest for reasons still unknown. It is believed that they behave similarly to Margan Crystals and are used as a power source.

Biology
The Rathkern in many ways resemble dragons, albeit without wings and possessing a row of large spikes that travels along their spine. Their hands, wrist, and legs are coated in hardened bone that provide some protection against projectiles and explosives. Rathakern see best in dark red light; though scientists have not yet determined why, it is believed to be connected to Raptis Prime's atmosphere.

Culture
The Rathakern value power and weaponry above all else. They are naturally aggressive and are taught to fight straight from birth; paradoxically, there are no records indicating that the Rathakern have fought among themselves, their history speaking only of conflict with outsiders. Family relations are almost non-existent, with members too preoccupied with matters of the state and with work to focus on personal relationships, which exist only to perpetuate the species. Foreigners seldom visit Reaper colonies due to the risks involved, greatly limiting the galactic community's understanding of the Rathakern.

Warfare
The Rathakern can fight in most any environment, but they specialize in desert warfare thanks to their upbringing on Raptis Prime. They rely heavily on frontal assaults spearheaded by armored vehicles and mechs followed by infantry assaults; they also make heavy usage of orbital bombardment via laser cannons mounter on their battleships.

Most Rathakern infantry are divided into four classes, each possessing their own sub-classes:
 * Grunts, which can become bombers and workers; Typically given TR-60 blasters.
 * Marines, who can serve as chain-gunners and heavy weapons specialists; XY-34 blasters are standard issue arms.
 * Voidtroops, elite infantry armed with V8-R7 sword-blasters. Can pilot mechs.
 * Arganoughts, who can also become a mech pilot or a destroyer commander. Granted access to a XY-45 blaster and a powerful Lightning Sword.

Stronger or more specialized classifications also exist, but they are not as common. Rathakern infantry start with very little armor, and have to prove their worth and climb the ranks in order to receive better protection - as evidenced by the army's motto "You earn your armour".

Rathakern territory is notoriously difficult to invade. This is because the majority of their colonies reside in a tightly-packed cluster of stars, allowing the empire to quickly respond to any threat. But as the Rathakern expand outside of their cluster, they have found that they cannot reinforce their new holdings with the same speed, leading to efforts to produce faster and more efficient FTL engines and a greater number of troops being stationed in their outer colonies. To protect Raptis Prime as armies were deployed elsewhere, the Rathakern established the Honor Guard, which consists of some of the most elite troops the empire has to offer. Honor Guard soldiers sometimes accompany important individuals and may also be sent out to perform tasks of great importance.

Though they had yet to directly engage the Biomatter, the Rathakern are constructing a task-force to take on the hives. Though they have made great strides in amassing the fleet, they are still in the process of developing specialized weapons.

Omnishia
The Omnishia is a battleship constructed in secrecy at the orbital shipyards of Raptis Prime. A vessel of vast size, the Omnishia was constructed over the course of several years and would serve as the Rathakern's premier flagship. In the final years of production, the Rathakern experienced a shortage of resources for the project, which played a large part in their intervention in the Great War when they attacked and occupied Warbot Industries' remaining colonies. The Rathakern would later attack another location to acquire necessary components to the Omnishia's A.I, which required a substantial amount of processing and electrical power to control the all of the vessel's various systems.

Notable Individuals
Warmaster Moratoryan - Leader of the reapers and wielder of both the Void Axe and the Helmet of Domination. He personally oversees a secretive installation beneath Raptis Prime known as 'Project 4', the purpose of which remains unknown even to the Warmaster's generals. He is notably large for a Rathakern, standing a full two feet larger than average.

Commander Wreav - Commander of most small scale attacks. Eschews the use of mechs in combat as he feels they are too clunky and restricting.

Commander Dorion - Commander of the Reaper Honour Guard. Never leaves Raptis Prime.

General Wraithbane - Leads the army & offensive fleets in partnership with Moratoryan. Second in command to the Warmaster.

General Parthen - Before becoming a General, Parthen was a talented Arganought mech pilot, and he has taken this experience into his new command. Unlike the other generals, Parthen puts a heavy emphasis on rapid-response mechanized doctrines. He is a gifted strategist, and was the architect of the Reaper's full offensive plans. Given control of the homeland defense fleet by the Warmaster before their full offensive was launched.

Kanten- Lead engineer on the Omnishia project

Percivel - Not much is known of him. Only seen once on a barren planet that was attacked shortly after. Judged on his armor he is very high ranking and outranks some of the generals.

Sightings
Mission: The Reapers

The first sightings of the reapers. A small warbot mining base was attacked by the reaper fleet. They wern't the only planet under attack though, 10 other planets near them were attacked it was part of the reapers project "project Revelance". Only one person responded to the attack and was the same person who made it out alive.

Mission: Motivations

A Reaper fleet attacked s IAE hilltop base the attack lasted 5 hours and the IAE won in the end but the reapers stole some cores and a AI waiting for programing. They have no clue why they stole that and left the weapons.

Mission: Bombardment & Operation Overlord

Reaper weapon scientists had developed the Overlord Bomb, a large self propelled bio-bomb. The bombs had been constructed in secret, but the weapons factory was infiltrated by a group of Diabloian Valkyries. The secrecy paid off, however, as the Valkyries discovered the project too late to intervene. A city on the Diabloian world of Larvos was hit by an Overlord Bomb, and thousands were killed in the initial strike alone.

Mission: Reap What You Sow

Reapers occupy the Delani city of New Demosia on the ice planet Tikka, but are ultimately driven out in fierce urban combat.