Asanian Syndicate

Summary :
The Asanian Syndicate is an expansive and dangerous foe, unpredictable at best and utterly psychotic at worst. They are one of the few things that could be more hateful then the Margan, and have a hunger to consume that rivals even the Biomatter. They are known for creating efficient but deadly pieces of technology, each thing designed for limited use due to the constantly adapting nature of the Asanians. From AI systems to resource harvesters, Asanians have their own version of everything possible. They are also known for stealing from other races to improve their own technology, their reverse-engineering being almost unmatched in skill.

Despite being a very young race overall, their existence is already having an impact on the universe, entire planets becoming barren rocks as they literally tear apart everything in their way to follow the crazed and all-consuming drive that pushes them ever forward. They are a metal tide, being weak singularly but strong when in a group. If the threat is not realized, they will literally consume the entire galaxy.

Biology :
The Asanian biology is surprisingly robust, being rather simple compared to most other species, but having the ability to adapt to overcome shortcomings that challenge them in a surprisingly quick amount of time compared to natural evolution. They are also surprisingly unique individually despite their simple carnivorous fish origins.

Asanian Physiology
The Asanian body is an expansive, adapting, unique, and detailed piece of biological engineering. Through the years they have been in existence, they have changed in various ways and evolved into something that is very different from their origins. As with all creatures, these adaptations have been to change to better suit the Asanian within its own environment.

Physical Characteristics
Asanians are fish-like organisms, with sharp teeth and eyes mounted on a cranium. The thin skull houses a brain almost too large for the head. Usually small fins cover parts of the body, but sometimes harder spurs can also form, depending on the individual, and webbed appendages further add to the look of fish. Asanian tails can vary, from having frills and fins to having only frills or only fins. They are almost always blue scaled, although slightly varied hues have been seen. Asanians require a high hydrogen molecule amount in the atmosphere to breath correctly. Dry areas and warm atmospheres are hazardous to them, thus they are commonly seen with filter masks, although they wear them almost everywhere. Being naturally an aquatic species, they are extremely good swimmers, and have fought entire wars underneath the liquid surface of a planet.

The Asanian physiology is extremely hyperactive. They can heal wounds that would take days to heal with other creatures in a few hours. They have a ferocious appetite, and can consume their body weight in a single sitting. They are omnivorous, but mainly carnivores, and would much rather prefer to eat live meat over long deceased meat, however they are not picky. They speak quickly, move quickly, and often times shake uncontrollably if held in a single position for too long. They are also prone to frequent fits of anger and mood swings.

Their hyperactive systems come at a cost though. They have an extremely limited lifespan, ranging from twenty to twenty-five years. They also depend on sound waves in the air interacting with the large fin-like ears on their heads. Due to their hyperactive systems, their minds cannot process large amounts of sound, causing an overload and filtering the excess information through their neurological centre. This has the effect of increasing or decreasing the Asanians heart rate extremely, even more extreme mood swings, instant pacification or unstoppable rage, and even death. Asanians are also extremely susceptible to sonic weapons, and they take great measures in preventing the use of sound waves as a weapon. They has been known to use a rather unstable method of playing music and direct injections of sound into soldier helmets, to increase soldier proficiency by increased reflexes and increased reaction speed. Long term side-effects are unregistered and unresearched.

It is nearly impossible for an Asanian to gain or lose weight naturally. Their eating habits result in most weight either shed quickly due to the energy depletion, or lost weight to be gained quickly from food consumption. Most Asanians, as a result, have a full, yet somewhat lanky build, their arms and legs being neither thin nor overly large.

Biological Characteristics
Due to Asanian physical bodies being hyperactive compared to most other species, the Asanian biology is a unique specimen compared to most other sentient creatures. Asanians only have a single heart, located in the direct center of their chest, a few inches below there neck. This heart has six chambers inside of it, which coupled with there rapid pace makes the heartbeat of an Asanian strange to feel. Rather then a one-in one-out system, it follows a two-in one-out system, making two quick beats to force blood through the veins then one slightly longer beat to suck the blood back in. This results in Asanians bleeding at a reduced pace from vein wounds as the heart pushes half as much blood, while arterial wounds cause extreme blood loss to said individual as the heart pulls twice the amount of blood across the wound.

The Asanians immune system is relatively ineffective at an age of one year, however at the age of five years it is fifteen times less likely for an Asanian to become infected by a disease then a younger Asanian. As well, the Asanians immune system is constantly adapting to invading pathogens and parasites, and the more dangerous the invading cells are the more aggressively the Asanians immune system will adapt to defend itself. There are very few examples of Asanians with cancerous growths or tumors, however there are multiple examples of mild ailments such as fever and the chills causing death in Asanians due to their immune system not able to adapt to a relatively simple intruder or the immune system being overloaded by a variety of different, but simple, forms of a certain virus.

Asanian immune systems always attempt to adapt to keep the virus or bacteria from reproducing within the Asanians body, forcing the cells to stay within the body but remain unable to reproduce and thus die off, making the nutrients the cells have available to Asanian cells. This also has the side effect of making the cells consumed by the Asanians cells resitent to further infections by a new strain of the virus. The more infections an Asanian has in life, the more resitent to said infections they will become, at least up to a limit in the cells memory. If their is too much for the cell to remember, they need to shed the barriers against older virus's that they create for themselves, and make the Asanian more susceptible to older infections then new ones.

Asanian saliva acts as a form of mild antiseptic, the tongue and mouth being covered in saliva that has specific enzymes known as proteases within the saliva. Proteases are normally found within the stomachs of creatures, however Asanians, having there oral orifice the main area in which infection can happen, have adapted to create these proteases within said orifice. These enzymes are mild at most, coating areas with saliva on them and digesting foreign cells on the surface of objects as well as washing away any dirt or foreign substance on said surface through the liquidy saliva. This makes the term 'licking your wounds' surprisingly true for Asanians, as through the cleaning of ones wounds they can avoid infection as well as help the coagulation of blood happen as the restrictive proteins in the blood are broken and the coagulation agents are able to work quicker in the moist environment created by the saliva.

Asanian Personalities
Although mentally unstable and psychotic compared to other races, there is varied types of mental builds for Asanians due to their brains expansive size and unmatched processing speed. Something as simple as changing a name has vast physical and biological changes on an Asanian, nothing truely being simple in their physiology.

Standard
Despite being an asexual race focused on the death of all others and the ascension of themselves, the Asanian personality spectrum is very wide ranging and an important topic concerning the military and civilian lives.

The normal Asanian personality and mindset is one of gluttony, hatred, and learning. They constantly want more from their usually meagre lives, wanting more to eat, more work to do, more importance within the system. Sadly, most attempts at this utterly fail, however if one can make a company that works within the systems and becomes used for its products or services, one can easily profit from the result and be recognized.

Hatred is the other drive that fuels Asanians. Hatred of other species forced upon the young, hatred of the old forced upon by companies, and hatred of the poor and desolate forced upon by the populace. Hatred is what fuels the Syndicate, pushing it to grow ever faster and constantly change. Hatred is what fuels those Asanians who join the military and fight in the name of the Syndicate against their many many foes.

Curiosity is the last thing that really pushes Asanians. Their constant need to learn, to advance, pushes them to ever greater feats as they constantly strive for perfection. Being able to learn is one of the greatest skills they use, everything that they do is because they learnt how to do it either through observation, experimentation, or coincidence. This constant need to learn is the biggest reason they have survived up until now, their insatiable curiousity for the new and unique allowing them to push forward into the new.

Personality Details
Asanians are pack creature, never wanting to be truely alone for long periods of time. This instinct differs between Asanians, but the roots are all the same. Sadness is a feeling that Asanians rarely feel, but being alone is one of the few things that can instigate it. Being alone for an Asanian is a heart pounding experience, and sometimes they will knowingly move into enemy territory if only to find another being to be near. Most forces believe these to be wandering scavengers, and a portion of that is truth as the Asanian needs to feed. However, being alone is the biggest motivator for them.

Asanians are not very particular in many subjects, however most have a set quality minimum that they would like, but usually aren't able to, adhere to. This applies to food, work, research, even social interactions.

Despite their aggressive natures, the natural curiosity of the Asanian will almost always override their anger. Being able to learn and to control gives them more of a rush then being angry at something.

Variations
Many variations of the normal Asanian personality can be found, some due to artificial intervention, others due to natural mutations. Most are acceptable, however they are usually culled and limited by racism within the Syndicate.

Feministic
An uncommon, but noticeable, mutation in the Asanian personality is it gaining a feminist personality instead of the normal masculine type. The simple mindset of saying she instead of he has an amazing impact, especially with the Asanians hyperactive minds. Forced into a different way of thinking, the body follows the mind, shifting its features to accommodate a different form. Feministic Asanians usually have thinner features, with more pronounced hips and chests and more hourglass-like figures as well as smoother scales and more rounded overall. Despite these changes, they are entirely Asanian in biology, and these changes are merely aesthetic. Feministic Asanians could never mate with a masculine Asanian, and feministic Asanians have to go through the same issues that masculine Asanians must.

Feministic Asanians are usually quieter and much more calmer versions of their masculine counterparts, preferring to work silently over discussion. These calmer personalities are usually singled out by other Asanians, and they are shunned for being different. Being shunned in Asanian society is not an issue, as most social interaction is business rather then pleasure, and as such the Asanian can still get whatever they want.

Cloned
Cloned Asanians have an innate characteristic of being extremely susceptible to outside influence. Many discussions are held on this topic, but the general consensus is that the Asanian does not go through its Guppy phase, thus not giving the brain the time to grow to its full natural potential. The brain is entirely equivalent to a normal Asanians, however the area in which anger and fear are stored is not quite grown correctly, allowing outside influences to shift what an Asanian thinks due to its curious nature causing it to doubt its current ideas and shift towards a new mindset.

This innate natural response is an immediate threat to cloned Asanians, and as such it is heavily enforced that the Asanian ideals are pressured onto the clones mind. Pushing aside all doubts, they reinforce and apply the idea that Asanians are better then all other species, and that hatred is the only thing they should feel against another creature. Despite these imprinted teachings, cloned Asanians are still able to be swayed from other influences, and can, with time, shift from their self-focused personality to something more caring or even angrier if the situation dictates it.

Contained
Contained Asanians, usually either prisoners or test subjects, have predictable results that slowly change to something altogether different. Every single time it begins, the Asanian will be extremely violent to its captors, refusing to move unless literally carried, threatening them constantly, and even attempting to attack them if able to. However, given a routine schedule and some positive reinforcement, they shall actually start to lower from their self-placed position higher then their captors and actually start to cooperate, although they will still be hateful and spiteful. A long enough time with their captors, if the captors are not aggressive or harmful, could actually result with the Asanian treating them with dignity due to its understanding towards the other species being changed and rewritten.

If the captors are abusive or aggressive, causing pain to the Asanian, its ideals will only be reinforced, and it will grow ever more hateful of its captors, eventually resulting in an unstoppable rage that can only be quashed by killing the subject, which it might do to itself if its anger spikes enough and its body cannot keep up.

Feral
Feral Asanians are simply Asanians that have been cut off from the Syndicate, trapped in an alien environment or simply the last of their force that was destroyed. Whichever way it happened, the Asanian will seem lost and alone, usually staying in place for a long time, waiting for support from its peers. If that support never comes, the Asanian will usually try to find food for itself, as the hyperactive systems result in little time allowing to be wasted. If food cannot be found, the Asanian will usually just lie down and wait, either dying in its semi-conscious state of sleep due to food deprivation or killing itself out of loneliness.

However, if a ready food source is found, the Asanian will usually horde it, feeding when it is required and attempting to survive by itself for a period of time. If left for longer then a week, the Asanian will usually start to shift into a more beast-like mindset, stalking across areas and trying to sniff out food sources like a wild animal. More akin to a Macabre or Grotesque after two weeks, they become extremely beast like, fully now within their little world and almost impossible to re-civilize. Although terrible, these feral Asanians make prime subjects for Gastan Industries, and sometimes Gastan will search old battlefields just for these lost Asanians.

Reproduction
Asanians have a notable reproductive system that is within the classification known as automictic parthenogenesis. This classification is labelled as such due to the Asanians unneed for two different beings to produce offspring, as through meiosis the offspring of said Asanians are different from one another as well as there 'spawner' which causes them to be considered 'half clones' as the Asanian reproductive system is considered a form of self cloning, similar to how many insects and lizards, as well as plants, self reproduce. Eggs are grown and fertilized within each and every Asanian at tbe beginning of its bipedal stage of life.

The eggs grow with their Asanian host, doing little more then growing as the food they required was put into their small shell. At roughly ten years of maturity, an Asanians gullet will begin to swell slightly from the eggs increasing in growth speed. At this time, an Asanian will usually enter a building that can be politely called an incubator, as an Asanian not held down during the spawning process can suffer from multiple extremely painful outcomes. The spawning process causes the Asanians mind to grow rapidly feral until the eggs are released, and these bestial reactions can range from simply shaking violently and having a near seizure to unconsciousness and even suicide.

The eggs are, almost violently, expelled out of the Asanians mouth by a reproductive action that cannot be controlled. The Asanian simply waits until it triggers, and proceeds to vomit up base-ball sized eggs into a large vat. Once expelled, the parents job is done, and the eggs proceed into a massive, warehouse-like moist room where each of the vats is filled with a high-hydrogen compound extremely similar to water. The eggs continue to grow in the incubated state, until about a month later the eggs hatch, releasing small 'Guppies' into the water. These Guppies are tadpole-like Asanians, roughly the size of a softball when they hatch. These Guppies stay in the vat for another year, simply swimming about with their brethren as they evolve into their final bipedal forms. The vat is routinely drained and refilled, the Guppies moved from vat to vat as they grow. Commonly, as they grow in size, they become too large to all be in one, and are split into multiple to continue growth.

The Guppies, by six months of growth, are still tadpole-like, but have all of the sentient intelligence of a normal Asanian. Locked inside a watery vat in perpetual darkness, they swim about, actively talking to one another as they grow. Around eleven months is when they start to grow hyperactive, the water almost starting to churn as they swim faster and faster around in the vat, their brains nearly pushing against their skull from the inside. The tadpole bodies start to deform, the small fins on the sides growing out, and the body growing longer. Nearly a year after birth, a fully grown Asanian manages to pull itself out of the vat, wandering towards the lit doorway as they are prepared to do what they were assigned upon birth.

History :
Being a very young and very new race that is moving at breakneck speed, the Asanians have a short, but eventful, history pertaining to their existence.

Growing Hatred
Asanians originally started off on a rather desolate, but inhabited, planet. They were not the first species to reach sentience, and instead were raised up by another creature called the Ge'Va. The Ge'Va were very peaceful in nature, and uplifted many non-sentient species on the planet. The Asanians were originally carnivorous fish before, but through the Ge'Va's domestication and eventual teaching, they started to learn about their rulers and how weak they were. The Ge'Va were preyed upon by nearly everything on the planet, and due to their naturalistic culture they refused to advance their technology in ways that would harm the environment around them. The Asanians started to diverge away from their rulers, slowly festering a hate for them because of their weak tendencies and peaceful natures. They refused to further themselves, and the Asanians at the time were slowly growing a hatred for those that were peaceful and passive.

Secretly the Asanians began construction of their own groups and towns underneath the water that covered their planet. Sneaking and stealing, they slowly built up a large fortress, entirely underwater, and began to prep themselves for warfare. Although passive, the Ge'Va were skilled in defense as many of the other carnivorous species on the planet hunted them. It was during this time that the hyperactive systems of the Asanians started to develop, due to the pressures of the ocean in which they were hiding in. The high amounts of pressure and extremely limited time out of the water started to have a toll on the Asanian physiology.

By the time the Ge'Va realized that there Asanian members were plotting against them, it was too late for them to do anything, as the Asanians had reproduced much faster in the entirely underwater environment that they lived in. The Ge'Va were overwhelmed by the Asanians, who, despite there less advanced technology and weaponry, outnumbered the Ge'Va ten to one and were ferocious in their attacks against them. With spear and sword they murdered every Ge'Va they could find, apart from those who had left the planet via interstellar vehicle. The Asanians were very primitive in this time, and conflict was rampant throughout the time after the war against their up-bringers.

The Mixed
A few select groups of Asanians started to rise above the other constantly warring ones, delving deep into the advanced technology of the Ge'va and learning how to use it through trial and error. Some pieces of the Ge'Va technology required complete bondage of the machine to a natural form, giving rise to who the Asanians call 'The Mixed'. They are part-machine and part-creature, being much stronger and more intelligent than a normal Asanian. The warring Asanians were struck in awe at the mixed creatures, amazed at what technology could do to a form. The flesh was weak, and through careful use of their power the Mixed began to reconstruct the Ge'Va's torn apart cities and world.

As they paid no attention to nature or its form, the reconstruction and acclimatization to this new, high-tech lifestyle was swift. Within two generations, the entire planet was transformed from scattered remains of ruined cities and savage bands of fish warriors murdering each other into a fast-paced extremely efficient technological marvel. But, due to this extremely rapid speed of progress, the Asanians were tearing apart their own planet, and were threatened with global extinction when the toxic fumes of their factories and the degrading quality of their water supply forced them to look up to the stars for the next planet to colonize. Over-population was wearing a great hole into the resources of the Asanian lifestyle, and they quickly realized that if they did not colonize new worlds soon, this planet would be unable to support them.

Almost immediately they worked upon creating a vessel capable of interstellar travel. Although they constantly were foiled by a single problem : The atmosphere of their planet had become so thick that travelling up through it would tear apart a ship's hull due to its corrosiveness. It was during this time that one of the Mixed had found upon one of the Ge'Va's secrets; A way to warp through space-time using high-energy atoms and polarized magnetic fields. By using these fields to bend a point in space into a loop, they could move something a distance away before it broke the loop and was pushed back into reality. The Asanians instantly fell upon this prospect, working against the clock to recreate this warp technology for mass-use.

Finally, after six years of degrading planet conditions as well as an increasingly overflowing population, they reproduced the warp technology with pleasing results, and they proceeded to use it to great effect. Massive colonization ships were requisitioned, and filled to the brim with supplies and the populous. They did not know of any habitable planets in there system, as the poisonous atmosphere disabled any sorts of scans and was too thick to see space from. The massive ships were prepared, and quickly sent through a massive warp tunnel into the space just above the planet. The ships instantly set off for pre-designed directions, all scanning planets nearby for habitable conditions. The Asanians left on the main planet continued in the direction of production and lifestyle they had before, using special chemicals and massive machines to keep the planet from falling apart around them.

First Contact
The colonization ships eventually found their way to various planets in the nearby system, all unloading there cargo and proceeding to quickly colonize the planet. Over a few more generations, most of these planets were strip-mined of resources extremely quickly, and many more colonization ships were prepared and launched. During these times, the Asanians advanced in technological might and numerical superiority. A single planet commonly held nearly three trillion Asanians, all guided towards the fact that they were superior to anything they found.

This fact was proven when they first made contact with another space-faring species. Although the other species was peaceful, the Asanians had not heard of the 'universal language' or anything akin to galactic code. Vastly uninformed, they prepared themselves for warfare against this new alien species. The Asanians many factories and warp technology allowed them to quickly and efficiently mobilize an army in a fraction of the time it took their enemy. That is, if the enemy had known about the coming assault, they might have been better prepared.

The Asanians struck fast and hard, there massive siege machines and countless hordes of troops devastating the first planet they assaulted. Within ten days, all major groups of species, apart from Asanian military forces, were either slaughtered or taken prisoner. Reinforcing the already extremely strong military force, they proceeded towards the next planet of their enemy. This time though, they were better prepared, and had a large space fleet blockading the planet. The Asanians were weak in the space combat area, and so there forces were torn apart and sent limping back to Asanian territory. Knowing that they were outmatched in the space combat department, they quickly worked upon the fact that they were deficient in this. Only a month later, they had another huge fleet ready, supported by new battleships designed specifically for space combat. The new ships proved their worth, blowing apart many enemy ships and destroying the blockade above the planet.

The surface defenses were prepared as well, but the Asanians had an advantage due to their control over the planet as well as their superior ground forces. They captured the planet within weeks, the populace slaughtered without remorse. The alien species knew they could not fight the Asanian might, and sent peace offerings and begged for an end to the slaughter. The Asanians ignored these pleas, and closing upon the last planet held by their enemies, bombarded it to oblivion with plasma torpedoes and laser batteries. The planet turned from a tropical paradise to a molten craggy surface of rock and charred bodies.

The Asanians were victorious, and claimed there spoils with glee. They captured enemy technology, combining what was useful with their own, or throwing it away as useless. They knew that they were extremely powerful, and expanded there colonies and star space faster than any empire could have thought. Within a hundred years, their empire grew from five colonies to thirty five, then ninety five, then two hundred. They were destroying everything in their path, utterly remorseless and unstoppable. Few things were a challenge to them, and when they approached these barriers they adapted and rose up above them. Covering up flaws they know they have, they believe themselves to be perfection.

Culture :
The Asanian culture is a strange thing, being mostly focused on the overall instead of the individual. The individual can acquire from the overall, but the individual is usually encased in its own small world for the entirety of its limited lifespan.

Citizen

 * "Civilian? I think not. I wouldn't call any Asanian a Civilian. Even unarmed they are fully willing to tear into you. No, I think Citizen is a better word." - Margan diplomat in response to inquiries about Asanian colony-cities.

Being a Citizen in the Asanian social web is a difficult life. Working for over three thirds of their life, Citizens are akin to living machinary, constructing delicate systems, working with panels of metal, processing massive quantities of food, and everything in between. Almost anything that requires action has an Asanian filling said role for a minimal amount of payment and simplicity in life. Although it is repetitive and boring, work is not supposed to be entertaining.

Their is a large portion of unemployment and death rates in Asanian cities. the living conditions are usually equivalent to high-tech slums, however the Asanians do not mind said conditions as it is what they can afford. Those Asanians who are apart of a company or have come across a stroke of good luck in one of the many lotteries that companies offer can afford to buy an actual home for themselves, usually being the size of a small trailer. This tiny room, despite its limited size, is seen as a sign of profit and nobility in the Syndicate, and those able to afford anything larger are regarded with awe.

Citizens, despite being such, are usually clothed in jumpsuits or armour, as the Syndicates living areas are a harsh place indeed. Although crime is kept to a minimum due to most Asanians beign owned by companies, those not in companies are ruled by those who have the most money and power. Having money means you can own whatever the money lets you own, and weaponry is not an uncommon article to be found in the Syndicate.

Citizens live on a twenty hour schedule, no matter where they live in the universe. Ten hours is spent working, either in factories, civilian companies, processing plants, or anything that can be found as a job.

Names

 * "Such diverse names these Asanians are given. Each one is unique, and yet each one also feels the same. They are all different, but yet they give the feeling of similarity despite however formal the naming process is." - Margan diplomat in response to inquiries about Asanian colony-cities.

As Asanians are not born with parents and are left alone in the world, they are unable to be given a name. Many hundreds of years ago, a system was put into place to generate names for newborn Asanians as they left the birthing vats. The system would usually cut up words in the normal Asanian dialect and paste them together, forming names with different meanings depending on what was randomly selected. The name could start as simple as 'Fear' but after the system was finished it could be as long as 'FearLifeClimbWorldStarPariah'. Despite these long and extravagant names, the name itself would usually be contracted to an average of four to twelve letters, ensuring the name is easy to say. This system is still used today, however cloned Asanians sometimes have their names chosen for them by their creators.

Naming is, surprisingly, one of the largest issues in the Asanian Syndicate. Each Asanian, due to their huge birthrate and massive amount of citizens, is given only a single name instead of a first and last. This helps to lessen the load on regular names, but also adds to the load on needing to make unique names. The old Asanian culture system would only allow a single Asanian to have a certain name, it being the only way in which it could be identified from the rest. However, with the constant expansion Asanians have had, this has resulted in even this system growing to epic proportions as more Asanians are spawned then those who die and release their name for use. Thus, the ASCI was created from the Syndicate.

The Asanian.Syndicate.Code.Integrate is a number system akin to labelling on food and other products. Each citizen would be assigned a number, which could grow to infinite proportions and thus allow any number of Asanians to have a unique label to their name, even if their name was the same as anothers. Each Asanian knows their ASCI in memory, it being pushed into their heads so forcefully that sometimes they will react to their number as if their name was said. With this system, it allows Asanians to be named the same and yet still be unique, however singular names are still kept for ease of use on documents and in general life. Due to being accustomed to this system, Asanians will say every part of a beings name due to how their mind thinks, never shortening or changing it.

Particularly remarkable Asanians might be gifted with a last name, making them extremely rare to be found as having two names marks them out as having prestige. A commander of an entire Asanian fleet would still have only a single name, making those with a first and last very important in the eyes of the Syndicate.

Colony

 * "After a few trips inside an Asanian colony, you'll start to see a pattern to the buildings. Lower levels are almost always food and consumerist materials, while those higher-up are warehouses and company-based materials. However, it is difficult to see where one colony ends and another begins, as they spread across the ground like a metal wave." - Margan diplomat in response to inquiries about Asanian colony-cities.

Asanian colonies are built in spreading waves, with different 'layers' that spread up from the planets surface. The bottom layers are where the poorest Asanians live, the factory workers and processing plant technicians. Those in the second and third layers are either fortunate factory workers, or memebrs of a company. Anything above the third layer is almost always company owned, and as you travel up the layers you will see a harsh change in the scenery and environment. The lowest levels look like mazes of metal hallways, while the upper layers have actual parks as well as drones that take care of the public areas.

Cuisine

 * "Animals eat each other, it is what life dictated when it was created. But Asanians have brought it to such a level of formality that I am almost awe-struck by it. The consumption of ones foe has become a normality for them. They are truely the epitomy of consumerism." - Margan diplomat in response to inquiries about Asanian colony-cities.

The Asanian cuisine has been expanding at a rapid pace. Before most food consumed would be that of a nutrient slurry or the raw meat of some recently slain creature. However, Asanian taste buds are extremely sensitive, and they can detect the smallest traces of taste in food. It is so sensitive, they can taste the skin of the cook that had created the meal, and as such many Asanian chefs wear sanitized gloves with a special coating that has no taste, thus keeping them from tainting the meal.

Soldiers and commanders on the front are usually left to either nutrient paste, meat cups from grinders, or whatever else they can forage from enemy troops such as ration packs. Few things on the front lines are worth any taste, however Asanians are not picky when eating, and are both fully willing and capable of ripping chunks of flesh out from a foe who is still alive in their grasps. However disgusting it is, it is perfectly valid, and consuming earlier makes no difference to consuming later on.

However, on colonies and within Asanian held space, food is a delicacy. With the recent introduction of other sentient species into the mix, markets have exploded, the sale of other creations internal organs, bodies, and even corpses becoming very common quite quickly. The purchase of the corpse of an enemy creature, depending on the size and damage inflicted on it, can range from about a single week to two weeks worth of payment. The payment is for the replacement of the corpse with nutrient paste for the soldiers, as well as transport from the front lines to their kitchen.

However abhorrent it may seem, groups of Asanians are more and more commonly having social gatherings, dining over the fallen body of a Diabloian, Luminarian, Sauran, or any other creature they can find. Since even the armour is left intact, their are a growing number of ways to cook and prepare the food, and a growing debate on either cooking within the armour or removing the corpse, as well as numerous other things like eating the head or stomach area first.

Species
The Asanians as a species have a varied and myriad assortment of topics pertianing to the entire species. These topics are heavily debated by the directors of large companies as well as The Mixed, which makes them hot topics in debates and are constantly foughten over. Some companies, such as Eniend, avoid politics entirely while others like Pyre-Tech have an in-depth role in them.

Cloning
Cloning is a long and heavily disputed topic within the Syndicate. Cloning, for the Asanians, is the act of artificially creating eggs from DNA collected from another Asanian. Any and all attempts to clone another species have been either shut down or terrible failures, and as such are a minority in the overall issue.

Natural birth will never be outpaced by cloning, as with the Asanians birthing rate they would have to make trillions of clones a year just to near it. These clones, rather, would be limited to military and company soldiers, companies, and experiments. Despite Asanians being psychotic, some see that using a life purely for research, especially when that life requires many more resources then the usual Asanian to make, is simply a waste and should not be done. Others suggest that clones allow Asanians to reach the next level of genetic perfection, as they can tailor make each and every Asanian that comes out of the tubes. Both sides constantly dispute and argue the point, however cloning is currently a popular, but covered up, way to get subjects.

A cloned Asanian has all the rights, privileges, and duties of a regular Asanian, just as if they were naturally born. However, cloned Asanians, along with the standard name generation once born, are required to put a (#) next to their name. The number inside the brackets is the clone number they were from the DNA piece. For example, an Asanian named Restek(63) means that Restek was the sixty-third Asanian clone taken from the DNA strand. It is simply a way to attribute a label to the body, however it is not used in anything except for paperwork. The cloned Asanian also does not require any servitude or social interaction with its origin. In fact, many times the clone is suggested to avoid the original subject, as they could abuse the clones open-mindedness for its own uses.

Companies
Companies are the mainstay of the Asanian Syndicate. Everything they have has been provided by a company, and everything they will ever need will be either purchased or provided by a company. There is hundreds of thousands of companies within the Asanian Syndicate, all governed by the Council of the Mixed. Any Asanian, no matter what age or position, be it military, political, or simply industry, is allowed to create a company. What they do however, will dictate how well or how poorly the company is able to survive in the Syndicate, as the largest companies are that of the Asanian military, as it is an expansive part of the Asanian culture.

Companies can be seen as a government within a government, being allowed to make its own laws and govern itself within the Syndicate.

X.S.G.I.P
X.S.G.I.P stands for Xenomorph/Syndicate.Genetic.Induction.Procedure. The base of this procedure is exceedingly new, but the main idea of it is sound compared to the procedures and surgeries that most members of the Syndicate partake in. This procedure is only ever applied to ambassadors or diplomats working only with the Asanian Syndicate. As well, this procedure is entirely voluntary, and is not required to continue work as a diplomat. However, through the use of this surgery as well as some psychological training, this procedure has the ability to make xenomorphs that have difficulty in the Syndicate more comfortable with the Asanians around them.

The main idea of this procedure is increasing the speed of the subjects body systems. Either through artificial enhancement by an advanced form of nano-bionics within the neural interface of the subject, or simply mutating the genetics of the subject to increase it, the work on the subject is always done in careful environments and is fully monitored during the entire process. Unlike most procedures, this one is taken in high regard, as the last thing the Syndicate wishes is for an ally to fall victim to a voluntary procedure, and hundreds of precautions are taken on a level that is unforeseen within the usually twisted ideas of the Asanians.

Although the subjects body systems would never be able to match the hyperactive minds of the Asanians, the increased body speeds and reaction times do make conversing with the Asanians more comfortable, and the familiarity between diplomats and Asanians grows more if the subject undertakes the procedure. Some recounts of the procedure by subjects describe it as "It feels like everything moves just a bit slower then before." The improved body systems follow the Asanians body more closely, increasing the metabolism, reactions times, and sometimes even slightly altering how the subjects thinks in extreme cases. However, as only the allies of Asanians, who already have similar ideas to the genocidal fish have ever taken the procedure, thus making any shifted ideas very miniscule in difference to what is already thought.

Epic War Involvement :
The Great War was the first conflict the Asanians have engaged in that has provided them with foes of some resistence, as well as other races which might actually be seen as allies. The Great War is good to the Asanians, as they know with it they can always grow stronger and better as they fight new foes.

First Engagement
Asanians land upon a resource-rich planet, and proceed to strip mine it of everything useful. Within a week, roughly a quarter of the planet's surface has been decimated and harvested. A nearby Sauran fleet is appalled by the destruction, and makes a direct course to engage the Asanian fleet. They are not prepared for the extremely aggressive Asanians though, and send out a signal for assistance.

A nearby Diabloian fleet gets the signal, and makes a direct course to assist the Saurans against this new adversary. A nearby Kastalian fleet also receives it, and appears almost out of thin air to assist the Saurans and Diabloians. A conflict ensues. The Asanians are beaten back, but the Peacekeepers make a new foe and they learn of the splintered, but extremely deadly, might of the Asanian Syndicate.

This engagement against these new foes, along with a realization that the Asanians are in a conflict much larger then expected, brought a sort of joy to their species. Now, they can show these opponents what the true enemy was.

Main Engagements
Although the bulk of Asanian forces are still in their colonized space, the Asanians are attempting to expand at a breakneck pace. Tendrils of Asanian forces are pushing themselves into the occupied territory of these new opponents, and their name is swiftly becoming a major threat to all those that know of them. Their alliance with the dreaded Margan has only enforced this, placing them fully into the position of being seen as absolutely psychotic killers intent on the destruction of everything in their seemingly unstoppable wake.

Asanians, once on a battlefront, will push that front with all available forces. They will never sit back and recover, as with their almost unmatched industry they can continue to constantly reinforce and push ever deeper. This, coupled with their surprisingly intelligent tactics and unpredictable plans make them extremely difficult to stop. Once a barrier is reached, they will slam against it with their forces, constantly trying to find a hole to pry open and get through.

Destruction of the Delani
The Syndicates first encounter with the Delani was a harsh one, the Delani not being prepared for such an aggressive race and their defenses quickly being overwhelmed by the ever hungering Asanians. Seeing a threat near to them, the Syndicate poured many resources into troops and vehicles, pushing against the Delani borders with limitless fury and anger. Civilians were slaughtered wherever possible, and their grotesque use of the corpses quickly became both a fear for the Delani as well as motivation to rally against them. However, this slight boost in morale did little to dampen the Syndicates attacks, and they were quickly overrun by the blue-scaled humanoids.

Within months, most of the Delani Republic was destroyed, its civilians either slaughtered or taken as slaves. Few planets remain under Delani rule, however these have fallen into martial law, each one struggling to survive and hoping the Asanians don't return to finish their species off.

Asanian Forces :
The Asanian military is not a single collective force, rather it is a solid core of the base Asanian military, supplemented by various companies in the Asanian Syndicate. Competition between the companies is fierce, as each one attempts to prove its products are better then its competitors. As well as making affordable and efficient troops, the companies are also nearly always trying to sabotage there competitors through mechanical failures, issues with orders, and physical attacks against each other.

Standard Military Infantry Units
The standard Asanian Infantry units are the bread and butter of any military force. They are the types of troops you will see on virtually any battlefield containing Asanian troops, even if the main forces are of a single companies section. No army is complete without at least a small division of standard forces, as they can help fill out any gaps that are in an army.

Infantry Mk II
"There is always more."

The basic infantry unit of the Asanians, the Infantry MK II is an astounding piece of technological engineering. A simple Asanian trooper, lightly trained, but wielding one of the most sophisticated suits ever developed. A contained ecosystem, it is built with a full standard Asanian respirator, which constantly forces a chemical compound that is made mainly of Hydrogen past the mouth of the Asanian to breath. This respirator also has holes built into the front, allowing an access point between the current and the atmosphere for smell as well as an access point for food to be inserted. It is nearly impossible for the holes to be plugged due to the currents pressure causing anything in the holes to be sucked in.

The helmet itself is a supercomputer, able to process and direct information at an astounding rate. The main functions of the helmet are to monitor the life systems of the occupant, provide resonance injections of sound that result in increased agility and speed, and process battlefield information for targets. A much-used secondary function is to activate 'blinders' in the visual display, directing a frenetic Asanian towards a specific target by keeping their attention occupied.

The main weapon of the Asanian inside of the suit is a pair of wrist-mounted pulse guns. These 'Pulsars' generate a weak electric current inside a vacuum chamber, and release a tiny electrically-neutral atom. This atom is charged by the electrical field, and quickly degrades inside of the weapon, releasing a large amount of electro-magnetic radiation. This radiation is focused, and released from the front of the pulse gun. The pulse moves through the air as a wave, being seen as a blue bullet-like effect. Upon impact, it releases its electrical charge, severely shocking the target and burning through armour like plasma. Although weak against armoured targets, it is very powerful against unarmoured ones, causing extensive damage as it burns the target.

Linebreaker Mk II
"Nothing stops us."

A more advanced version of the Infantry Mk II, the Linebreaker Mk II is an assault trooper, sent directly into the centre of enemy formations to wreck havoc. Equipped with wrist-mounted EK-3 electrically charged blades, they dive into enemy formations, depending on their thicker armour and powerful weapons to bring victory.

They are otherwise equipped similarly to the Infantry Mk II, wearing pressure-formed armour plates with built-in electronics, all sealed from the environment. The armour is bulkier then a regular suit, but still lightweight and easily mass-produced. As well, the armour is more angled then the standard design, causing most kinetic weapons that don't land flatly on it to ricochet off and do little damage.

Linebreakers are overall a support unit to the basic Infantry units, being less numerous due to their additional trianing and resources required for their close-combat equipment. They usually work alongside Flashbacks, as the Linebreakers can typically take more firepower then the Flashbacks, allowing their more agile brethren to engage in close quarters.

Flashback Mk II
"In a flash."

A heavily armoured and armed unit, the Flashback is an expensive, but powerful, support unit. Mounted on their back is a large array of mechanical stabilizers and energy directors, which are used to direct a flow of pulse energy released from a back-mounted generator. Though small, the generator is able to propel the Asanian and suit small distances via forcing the pulses along the array. These pulses can help an Asanian leap huge distances, slow a descent quickly and efficiently, or even used to increase the users agility to avoid weapons fire.

Flashbacks typically use modified pulse blasters of the Infantry units, mixing the design with the older, but still efficient, EK-1 power blades. The EK-1 has three smaller blades mounted on the wrist, rather then the larger single blade. Overall more efficient on energy use, but less destructive against armoured targets, the EK-1 is still a prime example of Asanian engineering, despite being surpassed.

Recently, Flashbacks have been utilized as shock troops, utilizing them along with the warp rift technology the Asanians normally use for travel. Moving through singular rifts, they will commonly appear behind enemy lines, using their quick speed and agility to cause havoc to supplies and commanders as they face this sudden threat within their own lines.

Resect Mk II
"One slice at a time."

Resects, a cousin to the Linebreakers design, are focused more around the point of causing damage then surviving it. Linebreakers are heavily armoured troopers, however they are not as agile as the standard Infantry units. Resects fill this gap in mobility, primarily used alongside Infantry and Crag Gunners in urbanized battlefields. Resects are very useful at flushing enemy troops out of cover, as the Resect is able to get into combat quickly and effectively, usually causing enemy forces to change position to avoid the Resects deadly energized blades.

However, outside of urban battlefields where cover is plentiful, they aren't widely used, as their limited armouring makes them prime targets as they try to close the distances towards their enemies. Heavy weapons fire is a major threat to them, and even if they do get into combat they will almost never outnumber the enemy due to their lost numbers. This puts them at a disadvantage already, as Asanians are not physically superior to other races and must rely on numbers to bring victory.

Crag Gunner Mk II
"Kaboom."

The Crag Gunner is a relatively new addition to the Asanian arsenal. After a few conflicts against the heavily armoured Sauran as well as having to attempt to face the vehicles of other species, the Asanians quickly realized that they needed something with more stopping power. Thus, the Crag Gunner was rapidly designed and sent into testing. Based upon the design of the Saurans armour, which allows large weight loads yet is very flexible, the Crag Gunner mounts two under slung light particle cannons on its arms.

These cannons are capable of firing a highly-unstable atom that is positively charged, which causes it to be attracted towards parts of enemy armour that radiates large amounts of electricity. This has the result of the ammunition seeming to 'home in' on enemy weak points, like power generators and heat sinks which usually don't have much armour to mask their energy signatures. This makes it a very devastating weapon against enemy vehicles, as the mobility of the Infantry coupled with the hitting power of the cannon makes for a powerful combination.

Stalker
"Silent but deadly."

Asanian Stalkers are the closest thing they have to a sniper or infiltrator unit. Stalkers are lightly armoured to allow for quick movement and agility. Equipped with high powered particle rifles, they primarily support Asanian lines or harass the flanks of enemy forces alongside Flashbacks, firing at choice infantry targets while the Flashbacks absorb or avoid enemy fire.

Stalkers are usually selected from Infantry units that are shown to have a high accuracy rating, as well as lowered body systems rate. All Asanians are hyperactive to a degree, however some are less then others, and these ones that can take a mere moment or two more to aim are usually used in the Stalkers section. Stalkers primarily utilize the LRHS-7 rifle, which fires a particle at extremely high speeds, which rapidly gains momentum and can smash through targets with relative ease, leaving a burnt hole in its wake. The other signature device of the Stalkers are cloaks made of a rare metal called Fenerium. Fenerium, when charged by an electric current, changes hue and reflective properties, and with the right amount of power flow can basically become invisible to nearby surroundings. The Stalkers use these cloaks, along with their extreme agility and natural speed, to hide in the most dangerous of places to fight.

Gale Hoversuit
"Fall from the sky."

A very new design, Gale hoversuits are the first air-based infantry support the Asanians have utilized to good effect. Multiple designs have been tested before, but the Gale is the only one to pass into production. Wielding large EK-7 pulse rifles, they descend upon foes from the skies, firing at prime targets and removing support elements for allied Asanians to get through.

Gale training is very extensive, being so radical that the Asanian barely touches the ground during its time out of the birthing vats. Most Infantry and Linebreakers are given simple weapons and tactics training, while Gale's are trained from growth to death. They are very proud and hard-headed about their superior training, and are willing to challenge allies and opponents alike if they doubt their skill. Piloting the Gale suits is very difficult, as most controls are mounted in the feet and neurally activated. No Gale pilot is under six years of age, and each one is superior to many regular Asanian troops.

Gales are becoming much more common, as their high mobility coupled with their heavy weaponry allows them to support as well as lead assaults, and their all-terrain capability makes them deadly in both urban and wilderness combat ares. Despite not being readily equipped to fight off armour elements, they are still a threat to infantry, and many a soldier as perished after being grabbed by a Gales talons and lifted in the air only to be dropped to their death.

Shredder Mk II
"Messy."

The Shredder Mk II, in essence, is a terror and assault trooper. Wielding nothing more then the equivalent of a massive energized chainsaw, they literally run into enemy lines, swinging wildly and viciously tearing apart enemy forces that get too close. Although not very common and somewhat unwieldy, the Shredder is a fine example of Asanian military designs adapting to overcome flaws. Many of the forces they are engaging have advanced or very supportive infantry elements, and while the Asanians usually excel at fighting against vehicles, they aren't physically superior and are usually considered cannon fodder when it comes to facing down heavy infantry divisions of the enemy.

Rather then spending large amounts of credits on dedicated shock troops such as Pyre-Tech Infantry or a unit of Gastan Macabres and Grotesques, they simply equipped Infantry units with more aggressive close combat equipment. Shredder's wield a large EK-8 Assault Blade, although it can be best described as a loud and destructive energized chainsaw. The many blades covering the weapon are covered in a tiny electrical field, allowing the weapon to viciously tear through objects that most weapons of the same design would have difficulty with. Although considered rather unwieldy and useless by some races, the entire point of the weapon is to make as much of a ruckus as possible to demoralize the foe. Few soldiers can stand to watch their comrade turn into a literal fountain of blood after a close encounter with Shredder units.

Advanced Military Infantry Units
In the Asanian military, the lines between advanced and basic troops are very blurred. No trooper is truly basic, as the armour they wear is more expensive then their life. But, their are special cases with certain units that stand out in the standard forces of the military. Although maybe not superior to the basic troops, they usually have a specialized feature that makes each one unique and deadly.

CommTech
"Communicate and conquer."

Asanian Communication Technicians are the equivalent to squad leaders in the Asanian hierarchy. Maintaining a constant link to an orbiting fleet and nearby outposts, operators at these locations can take a commanding view of the battlefield, either from the point of view from the CommTechs own eyesight or from a commanding point automatically projected above the field from the CommTechs position. These artificial maps are generated by radio waves that project from the communications system mounted on the back of the CommTech's back. These waves map out the area around the CommTech, up to around a mile radius from the origin. Some of the waves bounce off of objects, marking out a map for the receiver, while others pass through and bounce off of objects farther away, resulting in being able to map areas that they cannot even see nearby, from ship interiors to destroyed cities to open plains.

The CommTech is somewhat more armoured then the Infantry MK II, although apart from the communications systems, they don't usually wield any equipment that differs from the standard Infantry suits. However, a common use of the support systems is utilizing the mapping systems and being able to pinpoint targets for the HAOLS. (High-Accuracy Orbital Laser System) The HAOLS system is a series of extremely powerful lasers designed exclusively to support units on the ground from orbit. Usually mounted by floating orbital stations, the HAOLS are mostly useless against other space-faring enemies. However, against ground targets, it becomes a serious threat, targeting enemy forces with lethal precision as the CommTech simply continues his broadcast and the white lance of light pierces through the atmosphere, cutting down enemy troops systematically and easily.

The HAOLS has an extremely light recharge rate, being able to be fired quite rapidly from the satellite in orbit. However, the laser requires at least ten seconds of lock-on to prepare and evaluate before it will fire at the target, and after firing the lock is broken, requiring an additional ten seconds to re-target and re-evaluate the enemies locations. Despite these few shortcomings, the HAOLS is still an extremely powerful weapon. However, a single CommTech can only ever have a single HAOLS using its communications systems for targeting. Any additional ones can result in de-synchronization from the constant feedback from the CommTech, interference from the signals causing a lose of targets, or, in rare cases, the wrong targets to be selected.

Technomancer
"Life shudders in my grasp."

No Asanian, no matter how gifted, is psionic in any way. Even the most bright of Asanian beacons is merely a dwindling glimmer in the minds of psychics, and trying to fully read the mind of one is dooming that psionic to insanity from the swirl of thoughts that is an Asanians mind. However, a few select Asanians seem to have their minds attuned to the natural forces that control the universe. Time, energy, electricity, all are forces that can be controlled by the right individual. Technomancers are these individuals, controlling the raw substance of the universe through artificial enhancements and natural skill. Many of the abilities they have are spread out and unfocused, and are weak when as such. Using technology and physical adaptations, they are able to focus these innate powers, using mechanical supports to assist in these endeavours.

These gifted Asanians may never know of their skill their entire lives, and many a prime Technomancer pupil has been simply ignorant of their skill. However, sometimes the pupil is able to find out about their ability, and are greedily pulled into the Technomancer program. Probes, injections, replacements, all aimed at improving the control they have over the natural forces. Most of them saw their abilities as being good with mechanics, or being very lucky that the enemies weapon suddenly stopped shooting. However, no events are truely coincidental, and the Technomancers are the players of the hands of fate.

Technomancers are absolute terrors on the battlefield, most being specialized in only one form of -mancy, but some especially gifted ones are able to manipulate and control two or more. A common one is pyromancy, or pyrokinesis. This particular skill allows them to manipulate and control fire, to a degree. Being able to shift a flamethrowers arc of projection is quite simple for them, but extreme cases could be as potent as turning a simple spark into a blazing inferno, throwing it upon foes and forcing the clinging flames down their throats, causing them to roast from the inside out. Chronomancy, electromancy, and even plasmancy have all been observed, and many more are probably waiting to be used. Technomancers are extreme threats, using their advanced control over nearly everything to harm opponents and protect allies. Foes are usually left with attempting to kill the Technomancer with their bare hands, as their armour suddenly disengages and their weapons explode in their hands.

Despite these devastating powers, Technomancers are not immortal. They can be outgunned by mass weaponry, and are usually prime targets for enemy snipers and heavy weapons. If the Technomancer is unaware, they are unable to defend against it. Technomancers are also extremely rare on the battlefield, being only fielded when the Syndicate feels it actually has a threat to combat. Despite these few weaknesses, Technomancers are rightly feared for their skills and powers, and should be.

Marauder HAS-1
"Unstoppable!"

The Marauder is the Asanians answer to any foes that believe infantry is an unneeded asset. The Marauder is utterly covered in armour, wearing plates of moulded metal thicker then the HS-2 Battle Tank's hull. The Marauder is a massive metal behemoth, plodding along at an excruciatingly slow speed and diving into the thick of enemy fire. Basically immune to small arms fire and even medium calibre weaponry, it savagely decimates enemy troops and armoured elements with salvos of small cluster rockets mounted onto its forearms, the rockets being constructed in an internal factory mounted onto its back.

The Marauder was originally designed as a super heavy assault mech, primarily to be used to soak up enemy weapons fire and allow other Asanians to fire back. However, this design was scrapped, as the weight of the suit would make it difficult for even mechanically supported systems to move quickly. Instead of removing the entire design however, they downsized it, making it into a personal suit that dwarfs even enemy vehicles and allows it to be much cheaper as well as filling its primary combat role. Supported by mechanical systems, it is extremely heavy, making craters where it steps and punishing anything that gets in its way.

The design is somewhat awkward, as the body is very stocky to allow the suit to balance easily. If the body was extended up any further, it would cause it to fall over if hit by anything stronger then a light breeze. It is also extremely slow, the speed attributed to the heavy weight as well as the systems focusing on keeping the suit balanced rather then assisting in movement. This issue is easily ignored, as the heavy armour plates allows the suit and wearer to withstand even a direct artillery barrage with little damage. The cluster rockets mounted onto the forearm are designed as HEAT rounds, formed to pierce armour while also exploding a mere moment after impact, causing destruction if it pierces an enemy vehicle and obliterating organic targets when it smashes through their armour. These rockets are small and numerous, and simple enough in design to actually be manufactured within the suit itself. A small depot mounted onto the back constantly creates ammunition when required, using easily stored resources put within before deployment.

Despite its shortcomings, the Marauder is a very popular choice for Asanian Commanders that require a big punch with little weaknesses. Designs are currently being tested to allow for Marauders to drop from orbit independently, creating a devastating unit that can land in unexpected areas and destroy everything within.

Mauler HAS-2
"Revved and Ready."

Based upon the design and armour of the Marauder HAS-1, the Mauler is the Marauders close-range cousin, removing the bulky back-mounted munitions depot and rocket packs and replacing them with the terrible efficient and messy Gauss Blades. Designed for close quarters fighting, Mauler and Marauder pilots have a tendency to fight over kill counts and who is more useful.

The Mauler design was, like the Marauder, going to be for a super heavy mech. But unlike the Marauder, the Mauler actually was able to be designed and sent into testing, as its lighter frame enabled the mech suit to move correctly. However, results were poor, as its size made it a threat to allied infantry and vehicles and its close-combat capabilities were very minimal as few things were large enough to actually be considered useful targets. Downsizing it along with the Marauder, the Mauler became much more useful, dashing ahead at surprising speeds and using its thick armour to ignore enemy rounds as it slices apart enemy infantry and armour elements alike.

Its signature Gauss Blades are an astounding piece of technology. Four small rotating discs are placed on an oval track, held in place by electromagnets of astounding strength. Sixty percent of the machines power generation goes to keeping the magnetic field active towards the discs, as the forces they are put through can cause major havoc if they were to fail. The discs, following along the rail, are pulled, rather then pushed, using a train-like system of magnets. Similar to Gauss weapons, where the bullet is propelled through a barrel, the discs are propelled along the oval track, moving at astounding speeds and making a loud whizzing sound in the air. The discs themselves are extremely dense, each one being designed around a core of dark matter. As the discs impact a target, they literally tear through it, very few things being able to slow down the blades as they spin.

An issue, however, is that the Gauss blades need both time to warm up to an optimal speed as well as cool down to a standstill. This time isn't very long, being roughly thirty seconds, but it is still an overly long length of time, and can make the difference in surprise attacks. Keeping the blades active as well is a large power drain on the suit, and they cannot be used for extended periods of prolonged combat. Still, the Gauss blades are a terrifying force, literally shredding infantry into a fine mist and tearing apart vehicle housing like paper.

Hurricane Hoversuit
"Reap the whirlwind."

Hurricane Hoversuits, bigger and more armoured cousins of the Gale hoversuits, are far more dangerous and rare then their other skyborn kin. Mounting heavier armour and weapons but not relinquishing any of the speed or agility they have they are truely deadly foes both in melee combat and ranged situations.

Mounting overly-large powerblades onto the suit, increasing the armour plating, and adding demolition charges to the Hurricanes arsenal makes it a well-placed addition to the Syndicates forces. Despite its rifle being removed, large wrist pulse guns have been mounted onto the suit as well as the claws, allowing it to still fire upon enemy targets in addition to its new role of hacking them apart up close. The power claws are highly energized, making them adept at tearing apart all forms of matter if they come within reach.

Hurricanes also usually carry large demolition packs mounted on the suit. The packs are usually ejected or thrown onto some form of armour, as against infantry targets the pack is not very effective. The pack is energized to stick to metal plating, so if it hits it will usually stay put like a sticky bomb. After a few moments, the pack disappears in a devastating plasma explosion, detsorying everything nearby and heavily damaging whatever it was attached to. With the mobility of the Hurricanes, they can easily attach it to moving vehicles, heavily protected platforms, and sometimes even aircraft.

Serius Devastator Battlesuit
"Jack of all trades, master of warfare."

HS-2 Battle Tank
"Just keep going, ignore the fire."

Although a simple design, the HS-2 Battle Tank still fills its role very well. Being designed as a battering ram of sorts, its very thick hull and transport capacity allows it to act as both a tank as well as an armoured personnel carrier. Used to crush enemy lines and soak up firepower, the HS-2 is designed with simple features, appearing almost brick-like in design. This was entirely purposeful, as the frame is heavily supported and the armour is nearly half a meter thick in some areas. This does have the side effect of making the HS-2 very slow, but the defensive capabilities it has outweigh the issues it has.

The HS-2 is designed to soak up firepower and keep moving, and as such it runs on six large treaded movement systems, two in front, two on the back, and one on each side. The treads help keep it stable with its large base, and the two side ones can turn up to fifteen degrees in either direction, allowing the tank to turn rather quickly despite its large and cumbersome shape. Its weaponry, although powerful, is short ranged, and overall not very effective. New designs are being tested, however all require the loss of its troop capabilities for ammunition or power generators, and as such this design is in use until a better one can be manufactured.

Its main weapon, a large-scale pulse cannon, fires a pulse blast similar to the weapons used by infantry. This one is much more volatile however, and explodes in an energy induced fire on contact. Although powerful against infantry, this weapon has a slow reload time, is nearly useless against other pieces of armour as it fires explosive shots, not piercing ones, and it has a short range. Despite these shortcomings though, the HS-2 is still in use on many battlefields as it is a tight lynchpin with Asanian forces, using them to smash through blockades and swarm over defenders.

LRAS-72 Missile Walker
"The skies rain fire."

HS-6 Hammer Artillery
"Baby rain."

HWS-4 Tarantula
"Everywhere at once."

HWS-3 T-2 Vagabond
"Old but efficient."

LR-2 Drone
"Mechanical cannon fodder."

Asanian Guppy
"Cute until it grows up."

Pyre-Tech
By far the largest of the four companies, Pyre-Tech specializes in advanced weaponry and artificial enhancement. If nature made something good, technology can make it better. They constantly strive to improve their equipment, even more extremely then normal Asanian military sections.

Pyre-Tech units are heavily trained warriors, put through horrendous training and given some of the best equipment in the Asanian arsenal. Although limited in number, they are easily a match for all but the most elite of enemy troops. It usually requires massed firepower to silence a Pyre-Tech unit, as they have extremely resistant armour and the genetic engineering just fortifies the Asanians natural ignorance to pain. Killing a Pyre-Tech unit almost requires complete mutilation of the body, as the brain, even if heavily damaged, will continue to function at a high quality until entirely destroyed.

Pyre-Tech specializes in powerful infantry units assisted by heavy assault vehicles. These machines of war, wielding devastating energy and kinetic weapons, are a foe to not be underestimated. Few defense lines are prepared enough to stop a dedicated Pyre-Tech assault.

Pyre-Tech is also known for using mainly pureblood Asanians, usually avoiding clones and other variations of the Asanian gene. It is unknown why as the variations are just as effective, but it is simply fact.

Pyre-Tech Infantry
Heavily armoured warriors of malice, the Pyre-Tech Infantry is a simplistic design, based off of the Mk I style. With upgraded armour, a fully enclosed helmet equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and scanners, as well as arm-mounted pulse cannons and compressed rocket packs make them deadly foes and a threat to any and all kinds of foes.

They are trained via direct neural implant, knowledge being forced into the hyperactive Asanian mind, muscles learning how to do things without even attempting them. This way of 'force training' is a Pyre-Tech exclusive, as all normal training methods wouldn't be able to compact the vast skill that is required into a reasonable time span, especially with the Asanians short attention span and limited lifetime.

The training is 60% on combat maneuvers and close combat, for Pyre-Tech units are extensively trained in close quarters warfare, unlike standard troops. Most Asanians prefer not to get too close to other creatures, being naturally xenophobic. Pyre-Tech has no qualms about this, and some Infantry units have even been quoted as saying that "They like to feel the blood against their visor."

The other training is all about intelligence, from teaching basic and advanced mechanical knowledge for successful sabotage to explaining how to properly signal an artillery barrage. This training is extremely important, as the Infantry fills multiple roles required on the battlefield. They are trained to be the ultimate jack-of-all-trades unit, and they fill the role rather well.

Pyre-Tech Infantry units are covered in form-fitting plates of armour, each piece specially designed to deflect blows and protect the user to the highest degree. Fire-proof, water-proof, resistant to kinetic impacts, and energy absorbent, the armour itself is a marvel. Coupled with the high-grade multi-layered combat weave underneath and naturally enhanced resistance of the Asanian inside, it can protect from all kinds of attacks.

The helmet itself is filled with sensors, able to detect even EL frequency radio waves, thus allowing the Infantry unit to infiltrate enemy orders across the battlefield. It has multiple target tracking, predictive AI assisting, as well as being able to even control the Asanians suit should the Asanian inside be knocked unconscious via concussion blast or something similar.

The main weapon systems mounted on the suit are twin destabilizer pulse cannons mounted on the forearms, which fire an unstable pulse. Although they have a shorter range, the pulse quickly and violently causes the atom to destabilize, resulting in an energy-filled explosion on impact. These devastating weapons have a high fire rate, and do large amounts of damage. Coupled with shoulder-mounted compressed rocket pods that fire small groups of missiles designed to penetrate almost any armour type, and you have a deadly combination that is able to take on both infantry and armoured vehicles alike.

Pyre-Tech Glaive Lord
Pyre-Tech Infantry units that show exceptional skill in close quarters combat might be inducted into the Glaive Lords. The Glaive, an old combat weapon use long ago by Asanian ancestors for combat, was a fiendish weapon with a long blade, sometimes serrated, mounted on a long pole and swung around the user. It could parry blows, defend against long reaching enemies, and could be swung with astounding force. It takes a great amount of skill to use the weapon correctly, and this skill is neurally mapped onto the Asanians brain via intense laser surgery. Thirty years of combat training is compressed into a two hour procedure, which has a eighty-three percent chance of success. This is easily within the acceptable range, and as such, is widely performed.

Glaive Lords are powerhouses on the battlefield, combining the exceptional agility of the natural Asanian with an immense weapon capable of tearing vehicles in half. They forgo their pulse cannons for increased melee strength. Glaive Lords can wield one of two weapons, either a massive sword, or a double-bladed spear. The sword is easily three-quarters the size of the Asanian, and nearly the same weight. The blade is made of high-grade starship metal, the same kind used to reinforce hulls from kinetic impacts. It is tempered and formed into an extremely sharp and extremely heavy weapon. A small generator is built into the core and handle of the weapon, which constantly generates a powerful energy field around the weapons blade, which assists it in being able to carve through almost any material.

The spear is of a similar design, although much less heavy. It is designed with the same extremely thick hull metal that the sword is, although it is formed in a different way to retain its flexibility. The spear is more like two large blades formed together at the handles, the handle still incorporating the generator that the sword variant has. The same power field extends over the blades, giving it a very powerful cutting force against almost all forces of matter. The spear can be used more defensively then the sword, parrying and deflecting blows with ease.

Advanced Pyre-Tech Military Infantry Units
Even in the elite and powerful force known as Pyre-Tech, they have troops that stand above the others in training and equipment. Each one is a devastating force, and in number can easily turn the tide of battle with the simplest of actions. Killing these troops is difficult, but would get rid of a major threat to enemy forces.

Gastan Industries
The second largest company of the Asanians, they specialize in reworking what nature has already given. Using technology, they genetically mutate Asanian troops to create terrible beasts of war. The troops commonly lose most of their sentience and sanity, but many of the volunteers believe that it is a worthy sacrifice.

Gastan troops are usually both terrible to see and terrible to fight against. The simple idea of fighting literal zombies and monsters that were once your brethren can cause almost any battle hardened warrior to break and flee from the horrors they see. Even if they do stay put, fighting against Gastans troops is a terrible ordeal. They have no tactics, no planning, no maneuvers. They act with an animalistic instinct, attacking constantly and without thought for its own safety. Even death cannot stop them, as the wounded rise again to continue fighting in the face of morbid injuries.

Gastan Military Infantry Units
Calling the Gastan forces a military force is difficult. Being more like a pack of hunters then a cohesive group of soldiers, troops each follow their own agenda, hunting down enemy elements and cutting them off one by one. Even the basic troops of Gastan are terrifying to behold, as the walking corpses that they are bring terror to all those that see them.

Gastan Macabre
The Macabre is the cornerstone of Gastan's forces. Macabres are sadistic and grotesque degenerates that are more creature then sentient. They are a collection of various species that the Asanians capture, being used as both terror troops and shock troops to great effect, the savage creations spreading fear and destruction as they move through enemy lines like a pack of animals. The Macabres are a force feared by all, for they are the inner beast within that always fights to get out.

Many Macabres were originally volunteers, the fanatic and near-fearless mind of Asanians ignoring the imminent danger of offering themselves as living test subjects. The subjects are subjected to intense physical testing before 'treatment', the body needing to be able to handle the intense forces that the experiments will cause. The subject then has their entire brain removed from their body, the body itself being frozen cryogenically and the brain having multiple injections directed straight into its neural cortex's. The Asanian's brain is subjected to multiple injections over a period of nearly a week, it being kept alive by a rich protein and nutrient vat that the brain is held in.

Once the brain has begun to reform itself due to the altering, a final surgical procedure is done, re-encasing the brain in the subjects skull as well as cutting out specific sections of it to allow room for it to change and grow. The body is released from stasis, and the subject is chained into position as its brain starts to reactivate the bodies dormant systems. Once the subject is fully mobile, many differences are apparent. These differences are unique with each user, but all have a common horror element. Many times, scales flake off revealing scar tissue beneath, sometimes the skin falls off as well, leaving behind a bleeding wound that reveals muscle that will never again be covered. The fins of the creature fall off, leaving the stiff cartilage in place and commonly adding bony spurs and edges across the entire body. Claws grow in hands and feet, and the body shifts into a more arched posture.

Not only is the body changed, the mind is as well. The sentient Asanian from before is gone, a raging beast that constantly strains against its bonds is left, a hollow shell of was once there. The Asanians are kept chained down until they reach the front lines, where they are transported in containers and brought to the front lines. With the scent of blood thick in the air, the newly made Macabres are easily goaded towards their targets. With power claws and energy blades attached to their neural systems, they savagely attack anything in distance, sometimes slaughtering their controller if it gets a bit too close.

Macabres are not only left to the Asanian species. Many prisoners and soldiers captured by Asanian forces are sold to Gastan for conversion into a Macabre. Usually the changes are harsh and dramatic, just like as they were with Asanians, but as the species itself is different the changes are different. Diabloians, for example, usually lose use of their wings as the skin on them falls away and leaves behind a skeleton, while their skin becomes akin to rock and much more adept at deflecting blows, making them utterly vicious monsters that are very difficult to put down in combat. Sauran seem to be become an even more bestial version of the Macabre, becoming true animals compared to most other Macabres who are simply on the edge of sentience. As each creature and species is different, the changes are different, but all have common roots.

Gastan Grotesque
Grotesques are massive bundles of muscle and meat, equally capable of tearing open armour as they are at crushing bone and flesh. Grotesques are massive shock troops, used in a similar roll to Macabres, although in a more aggressive stance. They are stronger, faster, and more dangerous then a Macabre, despite their lack of artificial implants such as electronics and armour plating.

Grotesques were originally a large herbivorous creature encountered on a small moon above a planet. During one of the Asanians innumerable wars before they joined the Great War, they were hard pressed to destroy a small base that the moon contained. Rather then bombarding the mineral and nutrient rich moon, they sent ground troops to harvest the many resources there. The Asanians however had a harder time fighting off the massive four-armed treetop climbing bipeds that inhabited the moons surface than the actual enemy forces garrisoned on the moon. The herbivores were relatively passive, until the Asanian harvesting machines cut down swathes of the jungle. The creatures were enraged, prompting multiple attacks from hordes of the creatures. They couldn't do much to the machines, but the Asanians piloting them were easy fodder to the beasts.

Gastan Industries had taken a notice to these creatures, and offered payment to the force if they would capture some prime specimens. Given the task, the Asanians easily completed it, capturing nearly two dozen of the largest of these herbivores they could find. Weeks later, the moon was taken, with Gastan having their massive creatures and the Asanian military segment successful in their capture of the moon.

Gastan proceeded to horribly mutate and breed the creatures in captivity, turning them from furred four-armed tree dwellers into savage, constantly bleeding beasts with claws as sharp as surgical blades and the strength of a tank. The Grotesques were the last of their species, as all previous versions of the creatures were exterminated along with the moons takeover. They are now the savage slaves that blindly follow, both figuratively and literally, their Asanian leaders.

In battle, they are an awesome force, smashing through enemy lines and destroying anything in their way. The immensely sharp claws they have coupled with their massive strength allows them to do devastating damage to enemy forces as they rampage through them. The Grotesques are very aggressive, although would never harm an Asanian for their fear of reprisal from their finned masters. They willingly follow Asanians around like a lost pet, constantly brushing against them in an almost caring form of movement. Most Asanians ignore them, although pack masters commonly grow slightly attached to the behemoths. This relationship is entirely in the pack masters favour, as the Grotesques are simply sent into battle without a care, the beasts doing what generations of breeding and mutation have forced.

Gastan Wyvern
Wyverns are the result of Gastan attempting to make a fast attack unit that is dangerous in close combat as well as ranged. Asanians mutated and changed to extend their fins, the Wyverns now use their fins more like wings, gliding down from above at breakneck speeds to pounce upon enemy forces. Although they can glide, the fins are not strong enough to support active lift construction, and thus they require boosters mounted onto their claw-like feet to generate lift. Once airborne, the Wyvern is able to keep airborn easily, and able to rapidly dive onto enemy positions to cause havoc and death.

Not many Asanians are suited for Wyvern mutation, as the Asanians require an innate fin on their elbow for it to be effective. Although mutation to cause a fin to grow is common, naturally occurring fins are also easily found and preferred over having to pay to grow the fins. The Wyverns are also extremely aggressive, even more so then usual. They will never stop hunting an enemy force down, and will savagely destroy anything in their way to get to their prey like a rabid animal.

Gastan Overseer
Overseers are the command and control units used by Gastan to keep a handle on their forces. They issue orders, can act as squad leaders to regular infantry troops, and take over the role of animal handler for Macabres and Grotesques. Both these creatures harbour a fear for their Gastan leaders wrath, but will savagely attack Asanians around them not knowing they are of an allied group. Overseers are there to prevent that, restraining them and, somewhat literally, beating it into them that they are to not be harmed. Overseers are brutal combatants, willing to use every dirty trick in the book to get the upper hand against enemies, from simply commanding their minions to attack them to physically ripping the eye sockets out.

Overseers are the main Asanians that should be targeted when fighting a force made of Gastan troops, as with the Overseers the force will eventually break down into a terrible mess of infighting as the creatures literally tear each other apart and feast upon the remains. However, the Overseers have a dark cunning, and are very similar to the beasts they control. Mortal wounds have little to no effect on them, and usually complete mutilation of the body is required to finally put down the beast. Even then, getting close enough to do such damage to the Asanian is difficult, as the many beasts they control are like a living blockade around their masters.

Advanced Gastan Military Infantry Units
Even in the morbid heirarchy of Gastan, their are militarized unis that stand out compared to others. these terrible beasts and monsters are the epitomy of Gastans search for the beast within, and each one is a terror to face in combat, most troops simply paralyzed by the fear of what they have to face.

Gastan Terrorfex
Walking on two massive muscle-bound legs carrying a jaw the size of a light transport vehicle, Terrorfi are terrible beasts of destruction, easily three times the size of most heavy vehicles, with destruction to match. Their thick carapace makes all but the heaviest of weapon shots bounce off the thick skin. Even weapons that do penetrate do little to the massive beast, as it feels no pain, and nothing short of simply mutilating the entire body will stop it from rampaging through enemy lines.

Created by Gastan only recently, Terrorfi were originally designed to be large guard beasts. However, the stimulants given to the small captured beasts which are now extinct reacted much more drastically then orginally thought. The creatures grew from nearly two feet tall to three stories high in a matter of weeks, the terrible wails of pain coming from it causing most other prisoners held by Gastan to quake in fear as to their inevitable demise. The originally fur covered creature quickly lost all of its coat, the skin underneath blistering and scabbing until an almost armour-like layer of scar tissue covered its entire body. Its eyes sunk in, the pupils growing massive and consuming the entire eye in a giant black orb. Its jaws extended, the lower one becoming nearly twice the size of the top one, and the small arms retaining their comparitively small size. A large crest grew from its skull, the extra bone from the skull pushing itself through the skin and making a hellish picture as its skin was torn apart by the intruder from within. Large spikes extended along its spine, the neural device turned into a weapon and defensive growth of sorts.

All this happened without the normally correct knowledge of Gastan Industries, and the first facility to attempt this was nearly torn apart by the rampaging beast that it had created. However, Gastan could not deny the invaluablility of this creature, and as such, with more controlled conditions, attempted to recreate it. The results were very similar, obviously differing due to unique specimens. The Terrorfex seemed to be resistent to being lead, except when being trained by those Asanians that had interacted with it since its hatching. This research has lead into a single Asanian being chosen for the training of the creature from birth to mutation to combat. These Terrorfex Overseers are very prestigious in Gastan Industries, as only the most highly trained and most experienced are selected to train these immense creatures.

Serenia
Serenia is the largest company to produce Asanian vehicles and other mechanical systems to date. They construct advanced drones, mechs, vehicles, and all other sorts of advanced and large pieces of equipment.

They are rather neutral, not caring for who they work with, as long as their product is being used.

Serenia MechHacker
"What's yours is now mine."

Serenia Scrambler
"There's a lot more then you can see."

Stealth soldiers and special operations units have always been troublesome for the rather disorganized mobs that are the basis of Asanian forces. Squads dissolve and supplies are lost as the Asanian troops always continue to move, and without much-needed organization the enemy can reach into places the Syndicate does not want them to go. Utilizing portions of reverse-engineered Rach stealth systems, the Scrambler is the returning answer to all foes who would attempt sabotage and raids against Asanian positions. Purchased by forces from Serenia for an oddly cheaper price then most soldiers, Scramblers are the main line of defense against would-be assassins and raiders.

With the reverse-engineering abilities of the Asanians coupled with their need to constantly adapt to enemy forces, the Scramblers were designed primarily to screw over the Rach at the heart of their military prowess. Scrambler armour suits have a specialized Jammer pack that constantly emits high frequency EM waves that distort the air around them. Although these waves will eventually result in the Scrambler losing all feeling in their limbs from the constantly numbing force of the pack, research is uninterested in the side effects. Rather, the true use of the pack is to nullify enemy stealth and cloaking fields. These EM fields wreak havoc with systems designed for precise manipulation, either draining some electronics of power fully or overloading them, they do their job with superb clarity. Even the advanced stealth technology of the Rach is no match for the sheer upfront ability to ignore it all that the Scrambler wields, and often times these Serenia soldiers will be placed in base defense as well as offenses, using the specially designed equipment to reveal the enemy soldiers and nullify the advantages they have.

Scramblers commonly wield a drum-fed version of a grenade launcher. Rather, they use a semi-automatic version of the standard launcher, firing three high-powered electrically charged grenades that will stick to almost any surface utilizing molecular bonding fields. Although the grenades are comparitvely weak when used against vehicles and heavy troops, they have a large blast radius and are the bane of lightly-armoured enemy troops, or more specifically, special operations soldiers. Stealth troops are almost never heavily armoured so that they may move fast, and Scramblers use this fact to punish those who would attempt to intercept their charge.

Scramblers have a few setbacks however. They can never be fielded near a CommTech support unit, as the EM fields emitted by the Scrambler will cut the connection between any HAOLS systems or command stations that the CommTech is linked to. As well, Scramblers utilizing their packs place a massive energy signature on their person, making them likely targets for heavily armoured sections and units that they simply cannot fight well against. In addition, highly precise and fine-tuned electronics are suggested to be kept away from Scramblers as they can become damaged from the fields emitted by the Jammer packs.

Serenia Flood Generator
"Fight us in our natural environment."

Eniend Systems
Little is known about Eniend Systems, apart from they are the creators of dangerous and highly experimental Asanian weapons of war. Their weapons are not to be taken lightly, as a single one is equal to a starship in power. They are very powerful, and highly volatile, as their name designations ending with the E (Experimental) tag explain.

Ascended
Despite not being an actual section of the Asanian military, the Ascended are the leaders and commanders of the Asanian hierarchy. Inside this extremely exclusive group of individuals are those known as High Technomancers, Asanian Warlords, and even the apocalyptic Mixed that control the Syndicate itself.

Asanian Warlord
Asanian Warlords are the epitome of their psychotic and genocidal lives. Utterly devoted to the extinction of every single species in the universe and beyond, the Warlords are a threat to everything in existence. Warlords command the bulk of the Asanian forces, pushing them ever deeper into enemy territory.

The Mixed
The Mixed are the original Asanians from centuries ago, fostered by the Ge'Va and the same ones that murdered them all. These Asanians are truely ancient, being more machine then creature. Merging themselves with the Ge'Va's technology, they became the gods that the Asanians would follow to the void. There is few remaining, as some have died due to their mechanical body systems failing or death in combat. However, there is still plenty left, and they are the true threat behind the Syndicate.

The Mixed are very similar to Technomancers, being able to control their natural environment around them. However, this power is of a million times stronger, being able to exert physical barriers out of sheer willpower and crushing tanks with a twitch of a finger. They are extremely difficult to kill, nothing short of immense firepower for an extended period of time having the power to kill one. However, the death of even a single Mixed can cause the Asanians around them to simple cease to function, either just outright falling dead as their mind cannot comprehend the failure, or suddenly becoming afraid of everything and wailing loudly. The death of a Mixed is about the only thing able to truely halt an Asanian assault, and can even cause the Asanians to retreat from their enemies.

This does not happen often, as the Mixed very rarely participate in battle.

Engines of Destruction
Asanians are always seeking to make the most destructive and most effective things ever. These Engines of Destruction, being few and far between, are nearly unstoppable machines that threaten the existence of races just by being active.

W.E.R.M

 * ''"Gaze, you revolting wastes of resources! Gaze upon the epitomy of your destruction! Your eve of deliverance is upon you, lay down your arms and hope for a swift death!" - Serapis Essiah, Asanian Mixed.


 * "Our foes see us as primitive beasts. I believe this will prove them wrong." - Datyl Vexen during a tour of WERM before deployment.


 * "I wish to feed, little ones. Where do we go?" - WERM mere hours before the first consumed planetoid was reported.

WERM, an absolutely massive machine the size of a moon, is the ultimate harvester for the Asanian Syndicate. Having been working upon it for over two hundred years, they started it long before they knew of the Great War. Its construction is at an end, and its systems are prepared for activation. Resembling a large leech with massive metal claws to dig into a planets surface and an insane multitude of grinders mounted within that tear apart the many fragments of a planet, it is currently the most powerful weapon the Asanian Syndicate has mustered.

WERM stands for World.Ending.Revolution.Machine. In basis a giant clone of the smaller harvesters the Asanians use to get at resources deep in the planets core, WERM is the epitomy of Asanian engineering. Each of its multiple segments is an independent colony, Asanians working inside the machine to keep it moving and, almost literally, breathing. WERM is run by an AI system created by Serapis Essiah using some of the old technology the Ge'Va had. The Ge'Va had many machines to assist them and protect them, and artificial intelligence was one of their fortes. This has been transferred to WERM's systems, it being one of the few things the Asanians know that could handle the Ge'Va's advanced technology. WERM's AI system is like that of a sentient, being able to feel pain, sadness, forgiveness, and happiness. However, it is like that of a small child, constantly asking questions to its 'father' Serapis Essiah, who currently resides near its main AI core. It attempts to please him like a child, and always asks if it is doing right. Serapis Essiah is simply pleased that his construct is finally operational, and passes off WERM's attempts to bond with simple commands.

WERM itself is rather slow compared to most fleets, making it less of a threat that it would come after them. This doesn't mean it is any less deadly against them, as each segment of WERM is covered in turrets and defensive batteries, as well as being heavily shielded. WERM itself can also tear apart the ships through simply getting close enough and crushing them, however this isn't likely as most ships can simply move away from it. It is designed to assault planets, grabbing on with its miles long metal 'teeth' and slowly tearing apart the planet in its grasp, the grinders inside it acting like a digestive system and turning the raw resources into things that can actually be used.

WERM is also followed by an utterly massive Asanian fleet, always prepared to defend the massive machine from things it would not be able to itself. However, few things could attempt to destroy WERM from the outside, as it can constantly repair itself through its onboard drones and repair ships as well as its heavy shielding and defensive batteries giving it a very strong defensive capability. The only certain way to destroy it would be to destroy its AI core, located deep in the center of the construct. This is a mighty task indeed, as multiple armies of Asanians stand between any invading force and the core. Pyre-Tech, Gastan, Serenia, and even Eniend all have troops stationed in the massive machine, and Serapis Essiah himself would defend his lifes work to the last, nevermind WERM's inner maintenance systems that look like mechanical tentacles able to kill troops within itself. It is a mighty task, but also the most able to be done, as any other way would yield absolutely immense casualties.

WERM's original plan was to help destroy the Delani Republic, however with the Republics collapse and the death of billions of Delani WERM has been held back from its original course as a new one is seeked out. Many Asanians are demanding it is put into the conflict against the Sauran Solidarity, however there are still issues with putting such an expensive and rare machine against such a weak and pitiful force.

Military Information
A collection of gathered information on Asanian tactics, weaponry, and various other peices of information pertaining to the Syndicate.

Military Tactics
Asanian military tactics are simple, yet effective. They form a rather large mob of troops, usually spearheaded by assault troops like Linebreakers and Flashbacks. Vehicle elements are kept in the center or rear of the army, used to support holes in the battleline. The force moves forward like a hammer, smashing through opposing defensive lines and scattering enemy troops in the wake of their might.

If unsuccessful with this tactic, artillery and large support mechs are brought in, usually complimented by more infantry. This results in the Asanians digging themselves in right outside the enemy fortifications, usually trapping them in and beginning a stand off. They either pound the enemy force into the dust with artillery, or storm through a breach and kill everything in their way.

Military Upkeep
Asanian military elements commonly have a large amount of soldiers within their segment. These soldiers need constant resource consumption, as the Asanian war machine is both a weapon and harvester. The machinery needs constant refinement, although Asanian engineers are addicted to customizing their machines, so that is disregarded usually. The Asanians themselves however, consume a large amount of food in trying to keep their hyperactive systems working. This usually results in a food shortage as Asanians are constantly consuming resources, and almost nothing can sate their appetite.

A gruesome and disgusting answer has been popping up more and more commonly on the battlefields that Asanians use. Rather then waiting for the carrion to pick apart deceased bodies or removing them through fire and wasting the meat, they instead throw the corpses, both Asanian and opponent, into large meat grinders. These grinders require power to function, but otherwise are rather inexpensive. The grinders, using multiple large spiked rollers mixed with grinding gears and spiked clamps, pulverize and mash the corpses into a bloody paste as it moves through the machine. Magnets and various other instruments pull metal scrap from the paste, compressing what is collected into a cube and ejecting it out of the side for later use.

The paste eventually is compressed into a small cylinder-like package. Sealed, it is ejected out onto a large station where multiple packages are held. An Asanian, being carnivorous in nature, has no care for what it is eating, be it an enemy Diabloian or an unfortunate Asanian that fell into the grinder by 'accident'. Tearing open the top of the package, it can be easily compressed into the feeding and oxygen holes built into the front of the standard Asanian respirator.

It is a practice that is becoming more common, mostly due to the numerous amount of corpses on the battlefield as well as the easy way it can be achieved. Although abhorrent to nearly all race ideals, the Asanians see nothing wrong with it. Why let something perfectly fine go to waste, they think. And thus, the grinders are still being used.

Military Weaknesses
The Asanian military force is usually not mobile, relying on large amounts of troops to protect their fortifications and flanks. If they do not outnumber the enemy, then they are at an extreme disadvantage, due to their infantry being rather weak compared to other foot soldiers of various races.

They are also not known to have a superb fleet, instead relying on their ground troops to claim territory. They are not usually prepared to defend against fast enemy troops, such as raiders and scouts.

The machines that both power the Asanian movement and keeping it working are also a viable target for enemies. The meat grinders that feed Asanian troops are easy targets, commonly being built near the front lines to provide easy access. If enough of the machines are destroyed, the Asanian force will begin to starve out, due to them consuming their spare food supply quickly. The need to consume will override the Asanians natural will, and it will begin to eat its own appendages as well as others if it is starving enough.

Notable Figures
Even in the myriad confusion that is the Syndicate there is individuals who rise above their peers and make their names embedded into history. Either through warfare, surprising actions, or plain plot development, these characters are important in the universe.

Datyl Vexen

 * "Everything. Must. Die." - Datyl Vexen.


 * "His mind is that of a tactical machine. Nothing phases him, even when he kills his own troops. I do marvel at these Asanians, they have a wide range of uses." - Margan High Priestess.


 * "The bringer of the new age." - Serapis Essiah.

A notable Asanian commander responsible for the first contact with a species in the Great War, as well as one of the few Asanian Warlords in existence. Probably the most important Asanian alive, apart from the Mixed.

It was mostly his work that caused the destruction of the Delani Republic, and he is held in even higher regard then before. He has personally spoken with the Margan High Priestess, and is currently only second to the Mixed in terms of presence. His orders are law, and entire legions of troops are at his command. Turning his attention towards the Sauran Solidarity, he is determined to put these fools down quicky and efficiently, as he did the Delani.

Biography
Datyl is much older then a normal Asanian, being nearly sixty years old, only due to the genetic engineering and artificial regeneration surgery he has been through. He is from the Pyre-Tech company, although he has relations to and has even managed to gain the trust of Gastan's own troops, despite the hatred between the two companies.

Datyl originated from the Asanian military, being inducted as per the regular half of the population quota required by each colony to fill. Being thrown into combat against a, now exterminated, species called the Sereven, he managed to survive an artillery barrage while still keeping his appointed position defended from Sereven assaults. All infantry units, apart from him, were killed in combat, and he was the only Asanian left inside the compound when a reinforcement unit came in.

He was soon purchased by Pyre-Tech for training, and two years of genetic engineering and intense training as well as multiple death experiences soon created another Pyre-Tech Infantry unit. He was a part of a standard team, sent in to assault important points held by enemy forces. His team entered an installation via drop ship, and proceeded to tear their way through Sereven troops, who were some of the last Sereven left alive. The compound was, unknowingly, housing a large assault mech, designed to combat the Asanians hordes of infantry. The Pyre-Tech assault team attempted to destroy it, but the mech was far too large to destroy via pulse weapons and compressed rocket packs.

The Sereven activated the machine's AI systems, turning it on and directing it towards the assault team. The machine cut through the Pyre-Tech with its twin gatling cannons, as it fired bullets the size of tank treads. Datyl was thrown back against the force of the rounds, but miraculously unharmed. He was left alive, with only two other members of the assault team. Their position being hammered by the mech, Datyl thought of a plan. Directing the two other Infantry units to attack the mech from the side, Datyl would focus a rocket directly into the underbelly of the mech.

The two other assault team members followed this order without question, but were quickly cut down as they broke cover. Datyl managed to flank the machine, and fired a rocket straight into the weak underbelly of the mech, causing its internal ammo system to rupture and explode violently, destroying the entire mech from the inside out.

Datyl returned to base shortly afterwards, again the only survivor of his team. Pyre-Tech had different plans for him though, as he had a natural ability to stay alive and command troops. Pulled into the commander program, Datyl honed his tactical mind and learned the finer points of commanding troops. Another two years later, he returned as one of Pyre-Tech's solo commanders, assigned to various Asanian military sections to lead.

Datyl has been in many wars, and many conflicts. His nearly magical ability to escape from disastrous harm on multiple occasions has resulted in him gaining a rather large ego, displaying to his foes that they could not kill him as he was immortal. Some would believe this, as the number of times he has managed to survive impossible scenarios is hard to count.

Commanding Style
Datyl is an aggressive commander, preferring to throw as many troops as possible at his enemy to gain ground. He is known for using heavy assault troops, such as Pyre-Tech Infantry, as well as many tanks and mechs. He is not to be ignored though, as his natural Asanian physiology allows him to change his mind on a whim, pulling assault forces back to be replaced with whatever the situation calls for.

He commonly commands from near the frontlines, sometimes going so far as to actually participate in combat itself, as he is still a deadly warrior. He is, at all times, protected by a 4-man team of Pyre-Tech Infantry units, designated his personal guard. These Infantry units are more heavily trained then regular units, and will follow Datyl's orders to a whim, even going so far as to shoot themselves if he so much as hinted at it. They are heavily trained in combat against mechanical forces, such as tanks, and are almost always able to find the weak point on a vehicle within seconds of seeing it.

Navora(1)

 * "'She, is sufficient." - Trysulen.


 * "Confusing, to put it simply. I like her, but...I don't at the same time." - Vorust Karus, Sauran slave.


 * "The universe would be a happier place if everyone just stopped fighting the Syndicate. Then we'd all be under the same rules, and we'd be good." - Navora.

Navora is a feministic cloned Asanian of the Pyre-Tech company, one of the few clones as well as one of the few feministic Asanians in the massive company. She is the only one that is both a clone as well as feministic, and she is also the only one to be raised to the position of Glaive Lord, or, in her self-labelled case, a Glaive Maiden. She is a clone of Trysulen, a Glaive Master of Pyre-Tech and one of the most important Asanian members in the Syndicate. She is treated much differently then most Asanians, being attributed to more of a princess then a deadly warrior.

Biography
Navora was originally commissioned from Trysulen's mind, who, due to his own mindset, acted more like a king or lord of the middle ages then an advanced killing machine. This nature only reinforced itself when he began to think of his his dynasty would continue. Due to being mutated like most Pyre-Tech soldiers for strength and speed, his birthing organ had to be removed and as such he has never actually spawned, and he never will. Realizing this, he immediately requested for a cloned version of himself to be made as a heir to his position.

The subject was a success, however, the Asanian cloned began to see itself as more of a she then a he. Despite this being a common mutation, Trysulen was absolutely furious with the result. Setting impossibly high standards for the young Asanian who was pre-purchased by Pyre-Tech, she was put through horrendous training, spending nearly four days straight each session to simply equate to the standard he had given. Trysulen himself was a monster, an Asanian of immense size and physical strength. Navora on the other hand, was small and lithe, her speed, agility, and skill being more of an asset then pure strength.

Due to her less then average strength and astounding agility, she personally commissioned creation of two Glaive swords for herself, both of them only about half as large as a normal. These weapons were originally called useless by her peers, but they were quickly silenced as she turned into a deadly storm of blades, scything down everything in her path with absolute precision and skill. Only then did Trysulen allow himself to be pleased with the result. He had taken a mistake, and fixed it, and as such his dynasty would remain strong.

Navora is a strangely happy Asanian, her cloned persona not having all of the Asanian-centric influence forced into it when she was younger. Simply being trained instead of ranted at, her mind was allowed to form itself into its own idea of a persona. She is happy at the worst of times, and only gets serious when she is in an immediate battle. Her cheery personality grinds on the annoyance of most other Asanians, but they begrudgingly accept the Glaive Maiden's theatrics.

Nature, surprisingly enough, is one of Navoras favourite topics. She loves trees and flowers, and even has her own small biosphere on the Pyre-tech station she was made and lives at. She loves nature and everything it has to do with, the beauty of it leaves her breathless and she can spend entire days simply walking around in the biosphere, looking and feeling all of the plants she had ordered to herself. She also loves water, as most Asanians, and loves the feel of the liquid against her skin.

An interesting fact is that Navora did not have the constant propaganda forced into her when she was young, and as such harbours no hatred for any other species. In fact, she would rather learn and talk with aliens instead of killing them, however she must follow her orders, and even if she doesn't want to she will. However, somewhat awkwardly, she will simply stop and ask her opponents questions, simply wanting to learn more before her troops come in and they must be killed.

Commanding Style
Navora has an unorthodox, but effective, fighting style. Rather then simply smashing through enemy positions like most commanders, she instead adopts a practice to conserve lives and incur as little damage to allies. Forming her army into groups, she uses them in surgical strikes, targeting weak points and attacking swiftly to only pull back when the enemy gets prepared. She makes use of Raptors quite often, and most vehicles used by her are either fast attack vehicles or transports. Regular assault tanks aren't of her commanding taste.

Trysulen

 * "'I'm happy to be his, but sometimes he treats me too differently." - Navora.


 * "Oh shit look at that thing! Its huge!" - Luminarian soldier a few moments prior to being severed in half.


 * "Tonight, we dine on their blood! Tomorrow, their homes, and the next day, their worlds!" - Trysulen.

Trysulen is a massive Asanian with a gruff tone and simple ideas. He wants Asanians to be the only thing left in the galaxy, apart from slave races. Simple is his motivation, and he completes his work as a Glaive Master of Pyre-Tech, commanding his soldiers who follow him with unflinching loyalty and destroying his enemies like a god of war.

Biography
Trysulen was, from birth, a large Asanian. When he was a simple Guppy he was abnormally large for his size, and when he came out of the birthing vats he was nearly two feet taller then a regular Asanian, and much more muscular. Obviously standing out in a crowd, he was taken by the government for some tests. Apparently, a normally fatal virus that consumes cells as food for itself had been mutated by his defensive cells, causing them to actually be used as food for his own body. This, coupled with the nutrient rich slurry that the Guppies live in for their short lifetime, resulted in his body growing to immense proportions. Seeing the rewards that could come from using him, Pyre-Tech purchased him before he even had a chance to be given a name, and almost immediately he was thrown into training. His massive size and large girth requiring a custom-built suit just to fit him, and his weapons were commonly crushed by accident if he attempted to use them.

His first chance in the spotlight was when his group was ordered to occupy a desolate lava planet for its resources. His Pyre-Tech attachment aiding a military and mining section, it was rather quite running until the natural inhabitants of the planet realized what the Asanians were preparing to do. Large, dragon-like creatures made of molten rock swarmed over the rapidly being erected compound, murdering Asanians with their diamond hard claws and belching great gouts of flame onto those attempting to fight back. Trysulen's group was rapidly assaulted, their weapons able to damage the beasts but they still lost to the savage monsters. Rapidly grouping together with the surviving Asanians, they made a fighting retreat, attempting to hold the compound with makeshift defenses and pitiful walls. These defenses lasted for only a short time, and they were assailed by the next wave of vicious lava creatures. Trysulen was in their midst, swinging his overly-large power claws and shattering the beasts into fine pieces of dust.

This second attack was defeated, but only six Pyre-Tech units were left behind, and only twenty Asanians overall. They signalled for a pickup, but it would take almost half a day before the Bandits would be able to return and pick them up. They prepared for another attack, knowing the beasts wouldn't wait for them to merely leave their planet. As expected, a third swarm of the beasts returned, and once again set upon the defenders with terrible vigour. They were actually managing to hold them back, until suddenly a massive version of the creatures, a six eyed beast with a large horn and six limbs rose itself up through the ground, being nearly twice the size of a battle tank. It crushed a Pyre-Tech beneath its large rock-like foot, and bellow into the air in challenge. Suddenly, Trysulen dived upon the creatures flank, rapidly pulling himself up and up towards the creatures head. Before it could shake him off, he smashed his claw into its head tearing great chunks out of the beasts hide. It roared, reaching one massive claw up to crush him.

Firing indiscriminately into the exposed area, he blew apart the creatures brain, and held on tightly as it roared in pain and fell to the ground, dead. The smaller creatures had fled with the death of the larger one, and the other Asanians congregated around the massive warrior who was normally a burden due to his size and little agility. He turned towards the great beast, and promptly tore the large horn from its head, taking it as a trophy from his first true opponent.

With this victory, he was sent into training as a Glaive Lord, rapidly pushing through the ranks until he reached the extremely difficult rank of Glaive Master. He is an experienced veteran of combat, preferring to utterly annihilate his foes then give any sliver of mercy. His mind is akin to a middle ages King, seeing himself as the lord of his kingdom and its servants. His hierarchy for his troops is similar to this style, and he has even been known to hold great feasts with them simply because he thinks it is wise. His massive Glaive Sword, named Kinferno by himself, is a blade that outmatches even a Diabloians size. Its core was forged from an alloy that was made from the great beasts horn he took, and its body seems to gleam with a red tint. In battle, swings can cause the sword to ignite, torching everything around it and releasing a bestial roar as it cuts through the air. Trysulen has also been apart of an experimental procedure to add mechanical wings to Asanian troops. Although a simple procedure, it allows him to keep up with his commonly used Raptor squads and attack from unforeseen angles.

His mind, being stuck in its middle ages aspect, screamed that he required a heir to his dynasty. Knowing that his birthing organ was removed, he demanded a clone of himself, and nearly a month later, had a heir. However, it turned out that Navora was of a female personality, and as such he did not have a true 'son' to keep his dynasty alive. He is still angry for this fact, but Navora has spent nearly two years trying to prove herself to him, and he has seen and accepted her progress as acceptable.

Commanding Style
Trysulen's commanding style is simple, even for Asanian ideas. His forces land, destroy everything possible, and move towards the objective, destroying everything in their way. He commands from the front lines, destroying his foes with each swing of his flaming blade. Even large calibre weapons harmlessly bounce off of his extremely thick armour, and anything that actually manages to wound him merely angers him more as he continues fighting, ignorant of everything except the most horrific of injuries.

Technomancer Cron
A small and spindly Asanian known for his diplomatic ties and selfish means. His allegiance to any one company is impossible to determine, and yet he insists that he is owned. He does not take an active part in warfare, but prefers to be used as a diplomat of sorts to other races. His powers in -mancy are rarely used as he avoids conflicts, but he has a sharp tongue and can easily beat down an enemy commander in a communication.

Relations
Although the Asanians rarely have diplomacy and politics with other races, their relations with other species are expanding rapdily as they encounter the other species in the Great War. Although aggressive towards nearly all of them, their are a few times when

The Rach

 * "Such disgusting creatures. Running into combat zones basically unarmoured? Are they asking to die? Because I shall surely grant their request." - Anonymous Pyre-Tech Glaive Lord.


 * "Hiding for many years, and you'd expect that they'd have a true army. Instead, they need help taking back one single planet. Pathetic..." - Anonymous Asanian Bandit pilot.


 * "Hide in the shadows. We will come for you when we are done with the true foes." - Datyl Vexen on discussion of Rach with Margan.

Status - At War 

As the Asanians came in during the end of the Norsus conflict, they heavily bogged down retreating Peacekeeper forces and caused immense casualties, many of them being Rach. The Asanians do not fear the Rach, and instead think of them as a nuisance. Their habit of stealing things fits with Asanian ideas quite well, as Asanians themselves are notorious for stealing things such as weapons, armour, and vehicles, however they are less stealthy about it.

The Margan have said that they are going to mostly ignore the Rach, however the Asanians very rarely ignore enemies, and the temptation of managing to replicate and modify the advanced Rach stealth technology has made them prime targets for harvesting fleets.

Luminarians

 * "We found something shorter then Margan." - Anonymous Asanian Crag Gunner during the conflict on Norsus.


 * "If they weren't Peacekeepers I'd let them have my mecha-Guppies just because of what they make." - Technomancer Cron during review of Luminarians.


 * "Keep running, you blue fools. We have all we need here..." - Pyre-Tech soldier as Behemoth battlestation leaves Norsus, guarding captured Luminarian engineer.

Status - At War 

The Luminarians are seen as similar to the Asanians themselves, however in a less psychotic sense. This is mostly due to the tecnology they create, which many Syndicate leaders are hoping to harvest and engineer for themselves. As well, the use of battlestations by another race in such large numbers comes at almost a surprise to them, as the Asanians have yet to find another race who uses as much technolgoy as themselves in conflict.

Although both impressed and somewhat liking the Luminarians, it is merely due to the technology, and the Syndicate is fully willing to exterminate the entire Luminarian species just to steal the technology they have.

The Diabloian Empire

 * "Idea : Tank plated with Diabloian heads. We'd be impenetrable!" - Anonymous Asanian Engineer.


 * "Pyre-Tech, Diabloians, Red Rose Dynasty, why is everything red so vicious?" - Anonymous Asanian Linebreaker.


 * "I prefer Diabloian with a side of hot peppers. Gives the wings a nice kick." - Anonymous Asanian Infantry.

Status - At War 

The Asanians see the Diabloians as warriors, strong willed and strong of body. These characteristics are lost on them though, as despite this they see the Diabloians as little of a threat as the Delani are right now. The Asanians are spread over multiple fronts, and thus are not able to spend much time in actually focusing their might on the Diabloians, which might prove disastrous if they decide to push against the Syndicate.

With the death of the Delani, some more attention has been diverted towards the Diabloians. With more knowledge on the so-called 'head of the Peacekeepers' the Asanians wish to lay them low as they did with the Delani. Morale for the Peacekeepers would surely crack and fall apart if the warriors of the universe were cut down without remorse or pity, and as such they are planning to begin an offensive against these red warriors. More aggressive attacks have been launched into Diabloian space, and threat of another large assault against them has labelled the Asanians a major threat to the Peacekeepers.

Delani Republic

 * "If all the Peacekeepers are this weak then the Margan need to be more aggressive." - Anonymous Asanian Crag Gunner.


 * "Delani Republics genocide? Nothing new. Actually took less time then quoted." - Technomancer Cron during review of Delani.


 * "We are done here." - Datyl Vexen shortly after information that Delani have been crippled beyond recovery.

Status - Exterminated 

The Delani were one of the first Peacekeepers encountered by the Syndicate, and thus suffered the hardest hit from the Asanians. Unprepared for such a massive assault, the Asanians rapidly pushed their forces through meagre blockades and obliterated nearly ten Delani held worlds before a stable defense could be initiated. This defense was insufficient however, and was rapidly brushed aside by the Asanians unstoppable assault. Fearing for their empire, the Delani Colonial Defence Administration declared a state of emergency, pulling all forces back to the inner worlds and leaving the outer colonies to their own defense.

Despite Diabloian and Sauran interference, the Syndicates assault was utterly devastating to the Delani Republic. After the first blockade was destroyed, many planets fell, and the Delani forces were scattered. Without being able to manage a cohesive defense, the Asanians proceeded to systematically wipe out the Delani, destroying many Delani held planets and leaving the civilization in shambles. The Republic was destroyed, and the few Delani remnants left were scattered. It would take many centuries to rebuild, and as the Asanians saw the Delani as no longer a threat, they ignored the survivors and focused on some of the more difficult opponents.

Kastalian Survivors

 * "I can see the dust on their species." - Technomancer Cron during review of Kastalians.


 * "Lotta meat on those thin bones..." - Anonymous Asanian Flashback.


 * "For some reason I feel I'm hurting myself when I kill one." - Anonymous Serenia Overlord pilot.

Status - At War 

The Kastalians are a large thorn in the Syndicates side, being always where they don't want them and fighting with extreme skill and fury. However, they don't have the numbers to engage for prolonged periods of time, and a such are a limited threat to the Asanians. Perhaps the greatest issue the Asanians have is being unable to chase down or corner them. Few things are this adept at escaping their enemies, and Asanians absolutely hate them for it. Their work in the Peacekeepers and their constant interruption of conflicts have put them at a high point of interest, yet the Asanians are still unable to figure out how to catch them.

Karahotdoum Empire

 * "Vicious, like us. Skilled in combat, like us. Unintelligent beasts, not like us." - Anonymous Asanian CommTech.


 * "And they call us the savages?" - Datyl Vexen in response to inquiries about Karahotdoum.


 * "I don't like fez's. Don't taste good." - Anonymous Asanian Resect.

Status - At War 

The Asanians hold no love for the Karahotdoum. They see them as simplistic and stupid, their tactics simple at best and their weaponry ancient compared to the constantly changing designs. Wanting to fight against them as well as the Diabloians, the Asanians feel they can easily defeat these two prime Peacekeeper races with ease. With the slightest action of the Karahotdoum forces, the Asanians will react swiftly and deadly, shattering the backs of those beasts and leaving them where they did the Delani.

Sauran Solidarity

 * "I think us and the Margan are in a competition as to who can piss off the Sauran more." - Technomancer Cron during review of the Sauran.


 * "Sauran are a species that will yell if you step on grass. Wonder what they think when we burn it." - Anonymous Asanian CommTech.


 * "See this creature? Kill it. A lot." - Datyl Vexen to group of Pyre-Tech soldiers preparing for deployment.

Status - At War 

Saurans are seen as the ultimate threat to their lifestyle. Saurans abhor the way Asanians disregard nature, and Asanians are hateful towards the Saurans ability to seem ignorant of the true issues. Asanians also have a somewhat primal fear of the Saurans, as they share a great similarity to a large carnivorous creature that would hunt in packs, diving into the water in which Asanian ancestors lived and viciously killing them in droves. This, coupled with the Saurans desire to stop the Asanians or change their ways by any means marks them as the ultimate threat. The Asanians are prepared to launch an outright genocide of the Sauran species, with the threat of even Pyre-Tech and Gastan Industries working together to exterminate this danger to the stability of their Syndicate.

With the genocide of the Delani complete, Datyl Vexen, an Asanian commander of extreme prestige, was put in charge of all conflicts against the Sauran. His highly aggressive commanding style will either force the Sauran to submit as they realize their preservation tactics will not work, or they will simply be crushed under his armoured boot. He will leave no survivors, and they will be exterminated by his hand.

The Margan

 * "Margan are aggressive. They come from warp, fighting like savages. They are weak in form, but fanatic in mind, and deadly in battle. They see others as weak, killing all. We seem them as weak, but efficient, and similar to ourselves. They are destroyers from before. We are new, fresh, but they are experienced. Margan might become first diplomatic target by Asanians. Fighting against each other is waste. We both desire same thing. If same thing is end, then both paths will intertwine at point. Margan become first ally to Asanians? Diplomacy required. Suggested. Wanted." - Datyl Vexen's response to Margan message broadcast shortly after skirmish between Asanian and Margan forces.


 * "Body designs strange. Small, but aggressive. Herbivorous, yet hateful. Keeps in groups, yet able to fight independently. How did they become what they are? Don't know, but glad to have them." - Technomancer Cron during creation of Purgator Suits.


 * "I feel safer with them around. We are finally not the only ones." - Anonymous Asanian Infantry.

Status - Allied 

The Margan were originally seen as weak by the Asanians, the first contact with them turning from a support mission into a bitter conflict between the two Warlords. However, as the battle lost steam and both forces moved elsewhere, the Asanians had realized that they had finally found another species with a similar desire to their own. Thus, Asanians proceeded with something they don't normally do. Waiting and watching, observing the Margan from a distance with probes and infiltrators. The Asanians quarrelled on the idea, but only one thing made sense to them : An alliance. Both forces seeked an extremely similar objective, and working together they could achieve it much more easily.

This alliance proposition was jump started when a Diabloian planet that was under siege by the Asanians was unknowingly targeted by the Orion Dynasty of the Margan. The two forces collided, an intelligent Gastan Commander known by the name of Merlas had the chance to speed up the proposition of alliance with the Margan. Thus, making a rather impromptu meeting in the middle of a battlefield, the Asanian awkwardly suggested the current plans of alliance to Archon Chora. The Margan actively agreed however, much to Merlas's delight. Promptly escaping the planets surface as a Diabloian support fleet came in, alliance propositions and trade opportunities promptly exploded from the Syndicate, the Asanians never having a true ally before.

The Margan seemed to be only too willing to entertain the younger races desires. Many discussions were held, and the Margan quickly became seen as an equal by Asanians, who were rather proud that they had managed to do something that helped both their own cause and another equals cause. Companies rapidly scrambled over the chance at designing equipment for the Margan, as well as learning about what the Margan themselves know.

Margan Purgator
The first Margan-Asanian alliance unit ever produced, as well as the first design ever specifically for another species, the Purgator is a combination of the Margans fierceness in battle with the Asanians knowledge and skill in technology. The Purgator is a Margan who is heavily covered in armoured plates and advanced electronic systems which both support the heavy suit as well as increasing the users own skill. Mixed with the bionics that most Margan have, this allows them to survive even the most grievous of wounds and continue to dive into the fray.

The Purgator is equipped with two large tanks of promethium on their backs, which are heavily insulated and armoured, making them very difficult to puncture with weapons. Even if a fault is detected, the suit will automatically eject the tank and launch it over thirty meters away, keeping the Margan from being maimed or killed from an exploding fuel tank. These tanks have lines moving along the forearms and ending at the wrists, where two menacing nozzles are placed. When activated with a simple tug of the handle, the liquid flames spew out, coating everything aimed at in a sticky flaming material that burns through skin and armour like it wasn't there. The Purgator also mounts two of the iconic Margan crystals around the snout, but they are mostly for intimidation rather then actual use.

Purgators are the bane of everything using cover, as the sticking flames and swiftness of the Margan despite its heavily armoured suit make it a threat to everything that attempts to stay put. Many foes will flee from the cleansing flames, and the Asanians are sure that the Purgator will quickly become a favourite among many Margan for its fire and armoured elements.

The IAE

 * "Warlords? These? You do not entertain me. These 'Things' are nothing more then overcomplicated bullet magnets. The only thing they have is empire size, and even that is easily dealt with. They will die, either by us or by the other 'True' Warlords." - Technomancer Cron during review with Margan Diplomats on IAE.


 * "WhatnodakkawegofasterKILLTHEMnowaitwhatyesshootmorefasterfasterwhyyourunningsoslowHRRRNNNNGGGG" - Asanian soldier shortly after stealing and eating a high-energy food from an IAE ration pack. Found unconcious shortly afterwards from heart attack.


 * "I wonder what behind those masks..." - Anonymous Hoversuit pilot.

Status - Neutral 

Despite being told by both the IAE themselves and their Margan allies, the Asanians see the IAE as no different from the Peacekeepers. Standing on a different side of the battleline doesn't impress the Asanians, and the IAE had better prove to them that they are truely a Warlord lest they find a foe within their own numbers. The Asanians are also getting aggressive towards them due to their technology, much of which the Asanians would like to acquire as they usually do with other races due to its different designs and functionalities.

As the Asanians have yet to learn of the IAE's use of Saurans in their military or their NAP with them, negotiations are a possibility. As Asanians see alliances and not attacking as the same thing, the NAP can work against the negotiations. However, if the information comes to them that the IAE accepts the Saurans, the Asanians will label them as Warlord traitors and become one of the prime targets for the Asanians, being a true test to their skill and ingenuity against a foe that is larger then itself.

Zaretian Monarchy

 * "Margan say good things about Zaretians. I see no reason to not believe them." - Datyl Vexen in response to Zaretian inquiries.


 * "I see some Zaretians, and they small. Then I see others, and they really tall. What going on?" - Anonymous Asanian Bandit Pilot.


 * "This Rach taste funny. You not do anything to it, right?" - Anonymous Asanian Linebreaker.

Status - Neutral 

Although the Asanians have had only limited encounter with the Zaretians, the Margan diplomats have told them much about the supposed Warlords head. The Zaretians are a massive empire, dwarfing the Syndicate despite its rapidly expanding forces. The Asanians are rather neutral with the Zaretians, liking how they are Warlords and actually act like it, however apart from being on a similar side the Asanians see no particular reason to pursue any actions with the Zaretians.

However, if approached for diplomacy, they might accept something that is drafted up, as they see the Zaretians as a role model for other Warlords, and are somewhat in awe as to the large empire.

Glossary

 * Pool
 * Plural - Used to describe a group of Asanian Guppies.


 * Syndicate
 * "Contraction" - Asanian Syndicate. Shortened form.