Rach

Made By: RaptorZefier

The Rach

Summary

The Rach are arguably one of the greatest thieves in the universe. Bred into their very nature is a love for infiltration, theft, and speed. To them they are the dashing thieves of the day of yore, and the universe is a treasure room waiting to be plundered. Each Rach individual practices the art of theft, sleight of hand and stealth from the time of birth instinctively. It's not only a part of their culture but the defining centerpiece of it. Despite this, the Rach have strong bonds and are fiercely loyal to those they perceive as friends and allies. Despite their innate cowardice and 'flight over fight' philosophy they can be fierce opponents that in times of great need will stand against their foes as bravely as any warrior race. It is not their strength, but their cunning, guile and speed that defines the Rach. Unfortunately it was this they took with them into the abyss when they disappeared.

Biology

Rach Biology is curious. They are very thin creatures, standing on two legs with three-toed feet and having four fingered hands. They have reptilian like mouths lined with sharp teeth made for rending flesh, being a predatory race by nature. Their arms have two joints, an elbow and a 'secondary elbow', making their arms extremely flexible. They have green scales that are covered in colored blotches. When camouflaged these blotches expand to cover the Rach's entire body and take the color of their surroundings to create a chameleon-like camouflaged appearance. Their backs are lined in leaf-like apendeges which are grown and shed through the Rach's life. These appendages are purely for camo among plants.

Rach live roughly as long as the average human. 100 Being the venerable age for them. They reproduce sexually between a male and female. The female laying 1 - 4 eggs which have an incubation period of 7-8 months. Rach have very keen eyesight, and their brains are remarkably advanced. Rach don't have a particularly higher IQ then most other races, the increased brain size is primarily for helping with camouflage control and body management. Rach have an incredibly advanced nervous system, so sensitive that they can detect even movements in the air. It allows them to better judge and control their own movements when sneaking.

Culture

The Rach have a very curious lifestyle. They grew up as small predators on their home planet, primarily egg thieves and hunters of small game. They lived in tight-knit family groups and often pooled food together, so all in a family were guaranteed a good meal so long as most of the group had success hunting. Egg theft was their primary method of getting food, eggs of various creatures on their home planet were very nutritious and very plentiful given no creature on their home planet gave live birth. That being said the art of sneaking into another creatures nest, and making away with eggs became the centerpiece of their survival.

Theft played a huge part in their development as they became more intelligent. Tribes had long mastered the art of stealing from animals and got to the business of stealing from one another. Rach history is a littered mess of wars and political tensions starting and being settled over petty theft. Wars were also not fought in the traditional way other races would see it. Rach saw war not as marching armies across a field, but harassment, hit-and-run tactics and abuse of superior mobility. Territorial lines were meaningless to the Rach because entire armies consisted of fast moving stealthy Rach troops and bikes (Which the Rach quickly learned to love) which simply ignored territory lines with various flanking maneuvers. War was almost more like a positional battle, whoever had the best flanking positioning being the victor. It skewered their vision on how wars should be fought, and cost them later.

The industrial age of the Rach brought vehicles to the forefront along with machines. Rach were so obsessed with stealth that they had actually invented cloaking technology prior to space faring ships. Bikes were the favored vehicle of the Rach, they were fast, agile, flexible, and generally everything the Rach loved. Even in their latest stages Rach Bikes were still the primary vehicle of both the Rach civilian and military composition. Upon entering space, the Rach quickly discovered the presence of other sentient races and were thrilled. This was their dream come true, a universe filled with various races to steal from and all sorts of wondrous sights to see.

Initial Rach relations with aliens was rocky at best and neigh catastrophically close to war at worst. It took them a while to grasp the concept that other sentient beings didn't appreciate their theft, and for a time many Rach simply became pirates or broke off from the Rach government to continue their theft without the fear of political backlash. In that time, the Rach had a very bad reputation. Their economy however, had boomed in very short order due to the influx of goods from various species. The Rach empire quickly became -very- rich indeed and started a two-fold campaign. One was to improve relations with other races so as to avoid war, the other was to spread their empire in a mass campaign to reach out to the stars.

It was at this point the Rach ran into their first couple hostile races, which would soon join the Warlord faction. The Rach weren't sure what to make of them at first. The Rach weren't strangers to war but to obliterate species for any reason was unheard of. The Rach had a simple policy, 'Let live to steal from another day', to them destroying another species was destroying an avenue of theft that should never happen. The Rach saw these hostile races as targets then, when other races began to stand up to them. To help influence wars they would harass and pirate supply lines to death. Making away with massive amounts of valuable goods and spice. They effectively destroyed these empires from the inside, who were unable to support their wars when their supply lines were being ravaged.

They ran into some species, that were not so easy to pirate from. One of mention is the Margan, their almost psychotic level of paranoia making them all but impossible to sneak up on even for the Rach's incredibly gifted stealth. Upon seeing threats like the Margan, the Rach as a collective, decided to join the Peacekeeper faction. A faction dedicated to the protection of weaker races, by many races working together as a greater whole. The Rach made many allies, but also made their greatest foe. The Zaretians.

The war went poorly once they'd gained the ire of the Zaretians by attempting to interrupt a diplomatic meeting between the Margan and Zaretians. The Margan had stifled the Rach's attempt, and in doing so earned an alliance with the Zaretians and turned the Zaretian empire on the Rach. What happened next happened quickly, the Zaretians pulling together their war fleets and charging into Rach territory with overwhelming force. This was the first and last time the Rach had fought a straightforward war. Their harassment and theft tactics had done well to hurt the Zaretian supply lines but ultimately didn't stop the massive empire from crushing through the Rach's relatively weak defenses. They went from Rach world to Rach world, finding generators they used to cloak their home planet. Once all were destroyed, the Zaretians came down on the Rach homeworld with unparalleled fury and zeal. However, all they found were the scant few who refused to leave their homes, the majority of the Rach empire. . . Foreseeing their doom approaching, had called an emergency evacuation.

Using secreted and untested technology, the Rach opened a rift in the universe into a warp. Where their entire empire had left, leaving behind ruins and many many valuables. They all knew the Zaretians would rampage over their territory and there was no hope in stopping it as they were. So they ran, to lick their wounds, and re-evaluate their views on war. The Margan followed them into the warp, and neither race was seen or heard from again.

Despite this, Rach traditions are well known. To them theft was not an illegal thing to be stamped out, but a thrill to be enjoyed that all Rach must know and live by. From birth the Rach are obsessed with stealing, often from their own parents in order to practice for their adult life where the skill would be most used. This was even a popular greeting among the Rach, where two Rach in mid-conversation would suddenly pull out items that they had stolen from the individual they were talking to during the conversation. The two Rach would then laugh and hand the items back. This was the equivalent of a handshake to the Rach. Obviously this didn't go over so well with other species and quickly became a Rach to Rach only tradition after joining the peacekeepers.

The Rach don't have a strict religious code. Most believe in whatever they like, however all Rach have a concept of some sort of god called 'The Invisible One' who watches over them. This god exemplars everything there is to be Rach, for he is so stealthy that there is not much known of him for certain. There is a holiday in his name, "The Great Heist" is a Rach-empire-wide festival to the Invisible One, dedicated to a myth where he supposedly stole the stars from Spode and all other gods. Before they could strike him down in anger, he placed them back in the sky, but had repositioned them ever so lightly to mask a great gift to his people that only the bold and most cunning could ever find. The festivities usually involved a days off for all Rach, mass celebration and feasting, and a great contest to see who could make the greatest heist.

The Rach had another belief that was bizarre to the rest of the galaxy. That was that the Rach hated confinement. In Rach nature to be confined meant you had been captured in your theft and had failed, leaving you to brood in failure. Some Rach considered it a fate worse then death. This was so extreme that they often didn't lock up prisoners of war. In fact when the Zaretian invasion came to the home-world they were stunned to find many prisoners of war simply wandering the streets of the Rach empire. The Rach hated confinement so much that rather then confining prisoners, they would rather simply keep an eye on them 24-7 and follow them at all times over keeping them locked up. To the Rach, being a prisoner was a horrible thing, and they simply couldn't keep prisoners.

There had been a massive cultural change in the Rach prior to their disappearance. They'd started to show signs of honor and loyalty, kinsman-ship to their allies. They began showing traits of sacrifice, courage and respect for their given allies and often came to aid them in battles. It was an unprecedented change probably tied back to their close family bonds in some manner. Either way, they quickly began to show understanding of other races and became hesitant at showing their thieving ways to them. This was, of course, interrupted by the Zaretian attack when the Rach were forced into a full retreat.

Undermarket

The undermarket is arguably one of the most important features of Rach economy. It is not one singular building but a set of government run in unison with Thief Cartel organizations through the Rach empire. With theft of various kinds being legalized in Rach society the Undermarket is responsible for regulating and examining stolen materials through the Rach empire and monitoring transactions involving them. That being said it is both a trade depot and black market of sorts rolled into one. The Undermarkets are usually large, donut shaped buildings usually based underground where it can probably house the vast amount of goods and people going through its halls at any time.

That being said, countless Rach commerce at the Undermarket every day, bringing their stolen goods from across the stars here to turn into monetary income and bring officially into the Rach empire. The Rach empire does its major check on stolen goods here, legality of the stolen goods which to other cultures may sound unusual, but to Rach it's a fairly simple procedure. It involves background checks on various items to make sure they did not belong to an allied empire or one the Rach are currently in careful diplomatic situations, in which case the Undermarket will return the item.

When stolen from enemies, artifacts from lesser planets or so on, the item will then go on the Undermarket where anyone can bid on the item, or it can be bought out by the Thief Cartels for trade purposes. Most Rach affiliated with a Thief Cartel simply sell their stolen items through the Undermarket to their own Cartel who will then further trade the item elsewhere, hence the basis of the richness of the Rach Economy.

The Undermarket is split into three parts.

The Upper Market

The Upper Market is the uppermost level of the Undermarket. Ultimately low-quality, common items are sold here. Stolen trinkets, foods, toys, lesser weapons, all come here to more or less be traded for low profit. It's arguably the most active of the markets and, arguably has the most junk around. Many Rach think they've stolen something of incredible worth only to find the item is common in other alien circles, thus resulting in a low profit in the Undermarket and thus being delegated to the Upper Market. That being said the place has low interest by businesses and Thief Cartels, usually private market owners and bargainers are the ones of any interest here looking to make small profit on reselling the items.

The Middle Market

The Middle Market is for items of more valuable worth then the Upper Market, but not of monetary worth for the Lower Market. The Middle Market is commonly where more valuable artifacts and tech historically and scientifically will go to be bought by businesses who could find use for them. Shipments from stolen freighters also are a common sight here due to the large payloads where Thief Cartels can take interest. While not usually as busy as the Upper Market its still remarkably cluttered in the middle market, and all sorts of exotic items from around the universe gather here. It has a much higher interest level to Thief Cartels and repeated turn ins here can impress a Thief Cartel enough to extend membership.

The Lower Market

This is the lowest level of the Undermarket, is where the most valuable artifacts and stolen items are brought. While the least busy it is also the place involving the most security and often has the most background checks. The items here are of extreme value and usually even the Rach Empire themselves take interest in items going through here as often technology brought here is ground-breaking enough to forward the Rach's own tech as an empire. Items are usually of extreme historical, monetary or scientific value. Many Rach thieves dream of stealing something worthy of landing in the Lower Market, setting them for lives, ensuring that most of the thief cartels will take interest in them and so on. It is the great Rach dream in a sense.

Thief Cartels

The Thief Cartels act as the fallback government and core basis of the Rach Empire. Thief Cartels originally started as thief organizations through the ancient Rach empire, and grew over time into commanding powers controlling various business sectors and being responsible for regulation and distribution of stolen goods outside of the Undermarket. They house countless Rach who are loyal to their respective Cartel, and inter-cartel competition isn't uncommon. As such, the cartels are a driving and influential force in Rach society.

Thief Cartels are run by 'Thief Princes', leaders of the Cartels who oversee everything that happens in the Cartel. Ranks of the members within the Cartels are delegated by the Thief Prince and the advisers and overseers that make up his cabinet, and often the Thief Princes have a big stake in the political scene of the Rach empire. The way a Rach becomes a thief prince is through more or less elections of a thief prince council and its cartel members, ensuring that unlike the emperorship, it is not based on blood but on Rach being the most clever and charismatic, ensuring a good leadership.

That being said, most Rach businesses belong to a Cartel, and Cartels are responsible for production of goods and technology in many different area. The most common way for technology advancement in a cartel is by reverse engineering alien tech, as such there's big business in getting artifacts and technology to the cartels.

Competition between Cartels varies, some cartels interact on a form of friendly competition, while others have been known to get violent with one another when competing for goods on the frontier, there have been known battles between Cartels over particularly valuable cargo shipments, making convoy protection work a big business in the Cartels. 'When among thieves, expect thieves' as they say. . .

Military

The Rach military is somewhat poorly organized due to a lack of war experience. They have no real 'power' troops, instead depending on mobility, stealth and surprise to defeat enemies. That being said, the Rach have no true power to overwhelm their foes with. Instead they strike from the shadows, and flank them from the sides, weakening them to the point where the force has no choice but to turn away. Unfortunately, this has proven ineffective against more durable foes like the Margan and Zaretians.

Pre-Norsus

---

These are vehicles and infantry common to the Rach military pre-Norsus conflict. They saw action in Norsus but ultimately were inferior and thus most all of these designs are now in limited use, if any.

Infantry

A Zaretian being shot in the head by a Rach soldier during their forward advance into Rach territory.

Rach Soldier

The standard Rach Soldier is a good show of the Rach's love of light weapons. Rather then being equipped with a single rifle they're outfitted with two hand mounted 'Ghost 34' energy blasters. With the double jointed arms of the Rach they can fire these weapons at surprising angles. This is often used while ambushing an enemy or while flanking an enemy, so they can easily fire at the enemy while running. They are very lightly armored to improve mobility, at the cost of actual protection given most small arms fire can pierce the armor. They're outfitted with basic cloaking devices as well, this helps to compensate for the overall weakness of Rach infantry by giving them the ability to stealth entire squads into unexpected parts of enemy lines to cause a sneak attack.

They're also fond of setting up enemies for traps. Luring an enemy into a charge while another squad flanks around behind and unstealth, creating a pincer maneuver that can be deadly for enemies caught in the crossfire. This means it is very rare for the enemy to not be caught in a disadvantageous position, let alone having the Rach at a disadvantage. The Rach attempted to outweigh the death toll caused by light armor with swift hit-and-run tactics and stealth. However when the Zaretians put pressure onto their front their flanking tactics became useless and ultimately they began loosing soldiers en' mass.

A Margan Heavy Gunner about to be executed unwittingly by Rach Special Ops. The source of this image is unknown.

Rach Special Ops

The Rach were the stealthiest race in the known galaxy. They were naturally methodically sneaky, and had the greatest stealth technology the universe ever knew. With this combination, their special ops were arguably the most elite of the galaxy. Having far more advanced stealth technology then the common soldier, the Special Ops teams could easily get into any enemy position unnoticed to assassinate key targets. They were often equipped with bionic enhancements to their body structure, had jump jets fastened to their legs, were lightly armored, and were equipped with two electrically charged 'Zeus Blades', Rach Special Ops blades which not only paralyzed foes and easily cut through armor, but furthermore somehow negated all sound. Making it the perfect silent killing weapon.

The special ops training for the Rach was intense, to other races it would seem a ludicrously high skill bar to meet. The stealth capabilities needed to pass training would almost seem unnatural to other races, only because none could reach the bar the Rach had set for only themselves. That being said no other race has passed Rach Special Ops training. Despite these advantages, and despite a good service record in both Margan and Zaretian campaigns, the Special Ops still fell short. Due to the intensity of Zaretian and Margan attacks, the Ops forces often were forced to move through places involving high artillery shelling and combat. More often then not Ops were killed by unfortunate Artillery Shells or stray shots from a battle while attempting to sneak around. In short, the battlefields became too intense for Ops to be properly effective.

One of the Rach Skyborn landing upon the rear flanks of a Zaretian squad and eviscerating two members on landing.

Rach Skyborn

The Rach Skyborn are special born Rach. They lived in worlds with harsh terrain, or no terrain at all in fact being gas planets. In such environments rocket packs were not uncommon sources of travel and these Rach not only learned to love the speed of the jump back but live by it. Over generations certain Rach in foreign worlds developed an incredible aptitude for jump packing and hovering. These were the Skyborn as they called themselves, legions of Rach who had learned to truly fly. Some say their addiction to theft waned to the addiction for flight and the thrill of adrenaline. Upon the Zaretian offensive the Skyborn offered their services as a military element to the Rach Empire.

Their work, from initiation to the end of the war were arguably the most effective of the Rach as it covered the greatest weakness of the Rach, the inability to face enemies head on. They ignored advantageous positions of enemies, and forced the enemy to play by their rules, not waiting in the shadows for the proper position. They dual weild weapons, a single 'Eagle 45' laser pistol and a poisoned purple crystal blade stolen from the Margan. They normally landed upon enemy squads and unleashed hell, often catching enemies off guard who had gotten used to the subtle ambush methods of the Rach. They worked incredibly well against the Zaretian and Margan offensives but unfortunately never got to see their true potential before the Rach retreat. Some say the Skyborn Legion would lead the Rach into a new direction of war.

A Rach sniper in a tree aligning his sights for a kill.

Rach Sniper

The Rach Sniper has been a staple for the Rach army for a long time. Like the Special Ops, it is a job which easily capitalizes on all of the Rach talents. They have very steady hands from their experience in stealing, making keeping a sniper gun steady easy. They are silent and stealthy, easily able to get in and out of heavily enemy enforced areas undetected. Essentially some feel they were simply born to be snipers. They're usually equipped lightly, basic survival gear and a Rach EVA-Minotaur Sniper gun.

They found heavy use in the war, often being responsible for taking out generals and commanders during an enemy charge, shattering the chain of command. Unfortunately this was often countered by heavy vehicle use of which Rach had very few non-vehicular answers. Often making overuse of the Sniper a double edged sword.

Vehicles

Rach Raider Bikes harassing heavy Margan armor elements due to their distinct lack of mobility.

Raider Bikes

Rach have a deep love for bikes, especially their raider bikes. As far as they're concerned two wheels will beat four wheels any day, as such the Rach have gone out of their way to find reasons to include lightly armored, fast, and lightly armed vehicles into the army. It's been an awkward fit, however the Raider Bike has proven its usefulness in previous campaigns. Raider Bikes have very lightweight armor, and usually only have either small Wasp-42 cannons outfitted or some small rocket launchers. In either case the point of the Rach bike is to harass the enemy with superior speed and mobility.

Their light armor means any stray shot could easily destroy them, however their speed makes them very difficult targets especially for enemy armor. Infantry is equally rendered practically immobile while the bikes swerve and commit to attack runs repeatedly on infantry. The obvious flaw to the raider bike is terrain, they perform remarkably well and more then show their worth in open terrain or flat areas. However in rough terrain the bike suffers greatly, being unable to properly aim and often being jostled around by rocks and other rough terrain elements. Raider Bikes are only truly worth their weight in large flat areas and roadways. Regardless of this, the Rach swear by them and seem to refuse to remove them from their arsenal.

Rach Heavy Raider Bike running down a Zaretian Soldier.

Heavy Raider Bike

The love for bikes was so strong in the Rach, that (To the befuddlement of many tacticians) they decided to upgrade the Raider Bike. This Heavy Raider Bike, could only be used in campaigns involving a 'medium' threat risk clearance, as it was meant to be somewhat secret. The bike replaces wheels with treads, allowing it for better movement on rough terrain. Its side mounted cannons are capable of a wide pivot, allowing for better aim while flanking an enemy. Furthermore, the Heavy Raider Bike is far more heavily armored and has much better computer sensory systems to improve weapon effectiveness.

It answered many problems as to the bikes lack of durability, inflexibility in rough terrain but sacrificed some of its speed to do so. Furthermore, enemies could still easily take advantage of rough terrain by entrenching themselves in cover, making aiming for them rather difficult. Though the increased firepower of the mounted cannons served to demolish most cover issues. The Heavy Bike saw heavy use both as a harassment vehicle and as a sort of 'tank' for some forces as the armor was strong enough to handle small-arms fire allowing it to disrupt enemy infantry if they weren't properly equipped to handle vehicles. They showed admirable performance in the war but ultimately were unable to stand to the Zaretian's heavy armor assets.

Rach Stealth Tank catching a Citadel Walker by surprise.

Stealth Tank

Along with the Heavy Raider Bike was the Stealth Tank. The Stealth Tank ultimately was the finest in Rach technology for their medium threat management. Stealth Tanks lacked the heavy armor most tanks had, but in return had increased mobility and advanced stealth technology. Stealth tanks were capable of stealthing themselves and going silent just like any average stealth troop. Making for very devastating surprise attacks on enemy vehicular and structure elements. The cannon of the Stealth Tank packs a powerful punch and is easily enough to pierce most heavy armor. Added onto this is the Stealth Tanks versatile speed and movements which allow it to get in and out of danger zones relatively safely. They also have sufficient armor so as not to be taken out by small arms fire, but not enough to really take most anti-tank fire.

The Stealth Tank saw heavy use against Zaretian armor elements, but much like the rest of their arsenal was ultimately destroyed by the sheer force that the Zaretians showed. In the end they simply had no answer to Zaretian direct attacks. Ultimately, and as with many other elements of the Rach, they disappeared along with the Rach into the warp. Never to be seen again.

That is, until the Rach returned.

Post-Norsus

---

After the crushing defeat on Norsus, loosing their home planet to the Warlords, the Rach have had to make sweeping changes over their military, making up for ten years of missing development and time. There is currently a large schism in the Rach military, split between more traditional troops with stealth and speed tactics intact, and Gorach's elite troops that forego tradition.

Infantry

Rach Trooper

"They can hurt us now?! That's not fair!" -- Margan Melee Trooper after being shot by a Rach Trooper

Lined up Rach Troopers

The Rach Trooper took over the previous Rach Soldier's area post-norsus. With updated technology and military design the Rach trooper is superior to its pre-norsus counterpart in almost every way. Kertak had personally overseen the sweeping change over the Rach and produced the Trooper. Kertak had made a very specific change in completely removing stealth tech from the Rach Trooper, unlike its previous counterpart the Rach Trooper cannot stealth. Instead, they were outfitted with light yet effective armor, the design and some tech partially stolen from the IAE. This gives the trooper unparalleled mobility, easily earning its place as one of the most mobile infantry forces in the universe fully capable of almost disregarding terrain and being capable of flanking manuvers and quick feints that most commanders wouldn't think possible.

In place if the Rach Soldier's light dual pistols it also traded off with a new blaster rifle which the Rach have dubbed, 'The Siren Rifle'. This is due to the fact it's much louder then the dual Rach pistols, stealth not being a priority any longer. However this allows for The Siren Rifle to pack a far superior punch and is more then capable of going toe to toe with modern weaponry despite its lightweight design. It fires a concentrated laser blaster shot that is capable of easily punching holes through infantry. The true masterwork of the Rach Trooper is however not this but the advanced communication systems built into its helmet.

The Rach have noticed that they -can- hold the line with their traditional tactics, but it requires being more aggressive then defensive, using harassment, feints and ambushes to bully an enemy into a defensive position, then to go in for a killing blow when a weakness presents itself. That being said communication has become top priority, thus the headpiece of the Trooper is outfitted with a holo map display on the inside along with a remarkably good radio communication system allowing the Rach to orchestrate very complex joint attacks between troops.

Post-Norsus the Rach Trooper has completely taken over the role of the standard soldier due to its superiority and the old soldiers have gone out of use.

Rach Warpdiver

"Rach have proven you don't need stealth for your enemies to have never seen you coming. They're true masters of Ambush and Suprise" -- Luminarian Soldier

Warpdivers leaving the warp and firing on enemy lines.

The Warpdiver is the pinnacle of the new Rach tech post norsus. Utilizing their now legendary Warp tech the Warpdiver, as its name suggests, dives through the warp allowing it to achieve short ranged 'blinks' across the battlefield by shifting into the warp, then shifting out again into realspace. This allows the Warpdiver unparalleled ambushing tactics far beyond what even the Rach had previously been capable of. However they went ahead and made the Warpdiver even deadlier, not having to worry about speed or stealth they gave the Warpdiver not only heavy armor but heavy weapons, powerful phase blasters which fires a distruptive concentrated high energy wave which is more then capable of melting through vehicle and infantry shielding and armor in a large radius.

This makes the Warpdiver excel at both anti infantry and anti vehiciular attacks, the downside is the weapon has a long cooldown period of anywhere to a minute to a few minutes, along with a charge up timer of a few seconds. This makes the weapon have a distinct delay, however Warpdivers have found a unique trick around this, charging up their weapon -prior- to entering the warp, allowing them to fire the moment they step out. It makes the attack perfectly unpredictable and devastating. The cooldown to stepping back into the warp is relatively long, a whole minute, enough for them to be taken out.

As a result, the Rach have gotten tricky with using Warpdivers by employing multiple tactics. First of all is that the Warpdivers do not have to step all the way through the warp, only to fire do they have to do this. (As the gun interferes with Warp stability and can cause the portal to shut on them) That being said Rach Warpdivers will sometimes 'peek' through the portal first to see if there's an ambush waiting for them, only committing fully to the attack when they're sure they're safe. A second thing Warpdivers do is, when sending through a squad only a select few will actually discharge their weapons on key targets, while others hold their fire and blast enemies that try to ambush them. This helps them ensure an escape while still doing considerable damage to an enemy force.

The Warpdiver, ultimately, has proven a logistics nightmare for traditional tactics. Artillery, command and armor assets can't be counted as safe in the rear of a formation anymore thanks to the Warpdivers remarkable blinking abilities. This forces commanders to dedicate quite a bit of infantry to defending it unlike pre-Norsus flanking attacks which could be warded off with minimal infantry assets, weakening their front, or worse sometimes even moving their precious assets to the center of a formation, spreading infantry thin and making them vulnerable to being broken by overwhelming strikes of Rach Troopers.

The Warpdiver has quickly become the pride of the post-Norsus Rach infantry and has shown the Rach are more then capable of adapting to the new rules of war.

Rach Skyborn MKII

Rach Skyborn taking to the skies.

"Skyborn! We return to the skies!" -- Skyborn Legion

The Skyborn weren't far behind when the military had it's massive change, already at the forefront of combat the Skyborn were quick to take their old spot back as the primary air assault combatants. However, this time they were fully endorsed by the military and received the best of new equipment and weaponry. The stolen Margan daggers were switched out with traditional Rach charged electrical blades used by ops, and the Eagle pistol switched with a custom "Skyborn Rifle", built for the high speeds and quick combat that Skyborn love so much. Skyborn numbers have grown in the pass few years and the legion finds its ranks bolstering with recruits.

Skyborn tactics haven't changed much, but they're far more in unison with the new Rach tactics then old ones. They time their landings with Warpdiver warp ins or Trooper pushes, creating distractions or crushing key infantry divisions with their landings to make a brutal one two punch, sometimes all three elements are thrown at the same time to completely overwhelm enemy formations. The Skyborn MkII armor is more robust then its old counterpart and holds far more diving power, allowing them to crush enemies under their feet even more effectively, and with far more surprising bursts of speed and power.

Ultimately, the Skyborn Legion is the perfect example of the Post-Norsus Rach military, fast, strong, but not without that Rach flair.

Rach Standard Soldiers

Rach Standard Soldiers defending a city block on their homeworld of Norsus during the great Rach Homeworld conflict.

"Stand your ground!" -- Commander Nero

Within the warp, the newly appointed Emperor, Gorach, had immediately got to work taking a second look at the Rach military. He saw their defeat to the Zaretians as a lesson to be learned and a mistake not to be made twice. That being said he personally oversaw the training and equipment layout of the new 'Standard Soldier' as he called them. These soldiers have been outfitted with the finest in Rach technology. They wear medium to heavy armor, powered, stripped of stealth capabilities and much more restrictive on movement then the normal Rach light armor. It even covers the sensitive leaf-like organs on their backs. In this way it strips the Rach of all of their stealth and mobility advantages in order to stand on an even battle ground with enemy troops in a straight up fight.

Most Rach Soldiers who volunteered for the initiative became uncomfortable with the changes and many requests had to be met by Gorach to keep up morale. First of all the initiative has gone to a slow start, Gorach wanted these troops to be the standard but the old Rach Soldier layout still vastly outnumbers the Standard Soldiers, though those numbers are thinning seeing the results of the Standard Soldier's work. Another demand was that squads had to be accompanied by holo droids, new automated droids capable of making illusionary copies of Rach soldiers on the battlefield to make a force appear bigger then it seemed and to give false targets. Under this cover the Rach felt more secure and as if they had not completely abandoned their stealthy ways.

Gorach's gambit to change the military to primarily field Standard Soldiers and other heavy weaponry so as to be able to hold lines is currently in testing in the Great Homeworld Conflict. By all means it so far is proving greatly effective, most enemies even in a superior force are thrown off by the combination of Rach holding their ground and being backed up by raiding parties of faster stealthier squads. Making a 'hammer and anvil' type tactic where faster troops break an enemy formation and extinguish key targets while the Standard troops advance and clean out the rest with brute force. It's proving an effective and deadly combination. Their old enemies the Margan have been completely thrown off by this change of tactics and it's shown remarkable effectiveness against Margan lines who are used to spreading themselves thin to catch raiders, making their lines easy to break with the Rach's new found brute force.

The trade off of stealth and speed is seen in full effect in the Standard Soldier's layout. Its armor as mentioned above is heavier, reinforced to withstand much greater blows and powered so as to give the Rach remarkable physical strength and endurance. Their weapon, the 'Catalyst Rifle', is capable of discharging a powerful energy burst that far exceeds the firepower of the old Rach Soldiers, allowing them to overwhelm enemy shielding and armor. They're also equipped with small grenade launchers to deal with vehicles and furthermore are equipped with re breathers to deal with gas and biological based weaponry.

Their numbers are small but are steadily growing. Emperor Gorach believes the combination of these troops and the traditional Rach troops will bring out the Rach empire's true ferocity and military prowess that they have never been able to show before. Even the Margan are inclined to agree that such a sweeping military change could be catastrophic for anti-Rach operations within the Warlord alignment.

Rach Crook

"Calm down calm down, you didn't misplace those supplies. This is just your first time fighting the Rach isn't it?" -- Margan speaking to an IAE logistics official post-Norsus.

Rach Crook escaping the clutches of Asanian pursuers after absconding with a bag full of Asanian goods.

Rach Crooks only recently have become an 'official' part of the Rach military. Crooks are a part of the Rach military but at the same time non-combatants normally. As their name implies, their sole purpose is to steal from the enemy, that being said most Rach Crooks aren't soldiers at all but instead burglars and thieves who want to make a living doing what they love, but at the same time serve their empire without spilling blood. As many Rach used the Ops core as an outlet for their stealth desires, an alternative was opened in the form of the Crook, an entity that works side by side but not in unison with the standing military forces.

During major conflicts Crooks are often deployed by their own corps, the 'Rach Thieves Corps', who are specialists in the art of stealth and theft. While they never take a life their impact on the battlefield is evident quickly enough as most often these crooks are responsible for the disappearance of the greater majority of enemy supplies, ammo and weapons. Sometimes if Crooks are successful enough they can lock down entire battlefields by simply taking so much from a poorly prepared enemy that they simply find themselves at a lack of supplies an ammo.

The Crooks often are light, almost never wearing anything then basic lightly powered armor to enhance stealth and movement, optic goggles for battlefield and friendly/foe optical displays, and a small dagger or pistol for self defense should they find themselves cornered with no alternative. However their only unique piece of equipment is a wrist watch standard to Rach Thieves Corps crooks. The watch itself can tell time, but it's more primary function is as a 'panic button'. The watch injects the Crook with adrenaline and stims, giving the Crook unparalleled senses and a remarkable burst of speed. Contrary to popular belief it does nothing for the physical strength of the Rach, however it does allow them to make quick escapes before enemies can normally react properly. Some say Rach in this state can even dodge enemy fire, though obviously this comes down to the skill and luck of the individual. However given perception is slowed in such a state, it's not an impossibility. Once used the Watch has a timer on it, with a rough estimate of how long the Rach has until the dose runs out and ticks down, based on dosage amount.

Given addictive properties and the harm overuse can do to the Rach body however, it's only to be used in emergencies.

The coloration of Crooks are usually black, Rach using their natural skin camo to appear black rather then their normal, brighter greens and blues due to it being far easier to sneak around in. Many Crooks spend so much time with the coloration it simply becomes the 'natural' or 'base' color that they are. Regardless, Crooks are a common or, depending on how sharp your eyes are, rare sight on any battlefield.

Vehicles

Rach Stinger

Rach Stinger flanking Asanian troops.

"I've realized something about Rach. . . They were infants to war when we fought them, they never fought a real war before, the only conflicts they've faced were poking at eachother from shadows and stealing things. . . They've learned that their forces need firepower now, and that . . . Worries me." -- Archon Chapel

The Rach Stinger is the newest and ironically the first support air asset the Rach have created. However after seeing the effectiveness of gunships in other races it didn't take long for the Rach to come up with thier own unique twist. The Stinger is the answer to this, a fast aircraft capable of remarkable speed and packing an overwhelming amount of firepower. It has two missile pods on either side, able to unleash large payloads of rocket fire while cannon assets on either side of the cockpit can help unleash further explosive firepower. The combined might of these two weapons make short work of clustered infantry and vehicles alike.

The real strange thing about the Stinger that sets it apart is it's incapable of actually remaining still unlike most gunships, completely incapable of hovering in place. Instead, it's skilled at jarring straight dives and circular strafes, making it a difficult target. For Rach this is of no concern, they've always been used to shooting in motion, and have no need to line up sights by hovering in place. That being said Rach stinger pilots are regarded for being almost unnaturally accurate despite being in constant motion and furthermore giving the Stinger a terrifying reputation as a remarkable air support asset that only the Rach can really handle.

It's filled a great void in the Rach military that's been lacking for a long time, and has easily carried its weight in evening the odds against the Rach's enemies.

Rach Missile Tank

Rach Missile Tank laying down support fire.

"It feels, different, seeing the enemies cowering in cover instead of us. Different, but, not bad." -- Rach Trooper

The Missile Tank was made in specific response to the lack of power the Rach had against large enemy vehicles like the ACF of the IAE. Rach, knowing they'd probably never make something ungainly and big to counter these large assets, made something more practical for the expressed purpose of countering them and stumbled upon an amazing all around artillery. The Rach Missile Tank is the prime example of this. It sacrificed the mobility many Rach vehicles have for its remarkable payload of firepower. Two massive missile pods holding hundreds of missiles which it is more then capable of raining down on enemies from a very long distance.

What makes it truly terrifying, however, is not just its remarkable firepower but it's combination with Rach stealth tech. Rach ambushes have never been more deadly as Missile Tanks wait stealthed, perfectly undetectable in key spots, and during engagements appear out of nowhere to unleash incredible artillery support. It's plenty capable of causing entire enemy infantry troops and vehicle divisions to simply vanish under a rain of missile ordinance and is one of the sole factors in giving Rach the ability to hold a line. Combined with the other harassment and ambush options of its other troops the addition of the Missile Tank it makes for a punishing offensive combination that usually ends battles very quickly, one way or another.

Rach Raider MKII

A Rach Raider MKII zipping along a planet's surface.

"It wouldn't be the Rach without bikes, but removing the wheels? That's a new one. Makes the things way more dangerous." -- Zaretian Soldier

The Rach got a full shot of the shortcomings of their Raider Bikes in the Norsus conflict. It was less then useless, unable to handle the clustered urban environment and unable to deal with the piles of wreckage and debris. The Raider Bike was little more then a sitting target more often then not easy for any enemy to pick off. The Rach, upon seeing this, retired the old bike designs of the Raiders in favor of a much more versatile design. The Rach Raider MKII, the pinnacle of the Rach's new military experience culminating into one design.

The Raider MKII, still light and fast, has traded in its wheels for hover capabilities, increasing its mobility and disregarding terrain aspects the MKI fell victim too constantly. The bike still has two cannons but next to them hold two high caliber machine guns capable of tearing through infantry while also unleashing punishing piercing cannon blasts on light vehicular assets. The MK II's unparalleled mobility and versatility has made it key in one factor on the battlefield, punishing enemy flanking maneuvers. The Raider MKII is often able to muscle out any other kind of hover bike or light raiding vehicle fielded by enemies and also quickly down just about any flanking infantry squads, absolutely denying enemies the ability to do any flanking or raiding maneuvers of their own and forcing the enemy into a straight fight.

Even in that scenario, the Raider MKII is more then capable of keeping up with and supporting infantry by making quick strikes at enemy troops and mowing down swaths of infantry before turning away before enemies can fire back. They make for excellent distrupters and are key in controlling the flow of the battlefield. Allowing the Rach to dictate the flow of a battle with commanding mobility and firepower.

Rach Hellbat X23

The Rach Hellbat doing a strafing run within a red dust cloud.

"There's playing with fire, then there's playing with completely impossible alien tech you don't understand." -- Archon Chora

"We don't. . . Really know how it works, but we know it works! That's what's important!" -- Rach Engineer

The Rach Hellbat X23 is the 23rd attempt and only successful attempt at replicating technology from a race of energy beings encountered in the Warp, simply known as "The X". Cliche implications of the name aside, the Hellbat is the new standard fighter of the Rach fleets and has come to be known as one of the strangest things in the galaxy. The Rach mastered the art of replicating the technology that makes a Hellbat, but they don't understand any of the science that goes into it, and as such have been unable to replicate the weapon systems, energy production systems or thruster systems in any other vehicle, though they're still trying hard to really grasp what makes everything work together. They simply took the blueprints of an alien craft, and remade it in a similar design repeatedly until it worked. . . Though they don't understand how.

The Hellbat's primary strength is it's energy generators, the only thing that surpasses most other ships in the known galaxy. It produces an outrageous energy output, allowing the Rach to be more then capable of not having to sacrifice speed or stealth while still having substantial firepower in the Hellbat, something the Rach only dreamed they could do with the rest of their military. Aside from Stealth capabilities the Hellbat is on par with most other fighter craft in the galaxy. Its thrusters are incredibly fast but generally it's only capable of going slighty faster then the old thief craft, what makes it odd is the strange red coloration of a fairly unknown energy. It leaves no exhaust and the light has been known to let off very little excess energy, making it fairly hard to detect with energy scanners despite its impressive output.

Its weapons though, are the most bizarre of the craft. Four rods on the craft emit a very strange purple and white energy, taking a few moments to charge up before unleashing a remarkably powerful ball of a white unknown energy which is capable of overloading shields and punching holes through armor. Biomass hit by the energy is incinerated and the matter making them up simply vanishes. That being said theories as to what the weapon actually -is- come up often, some think its anti-matter, others some sort of pulsar weapon, though Emperor Gorach has gone on record saying "We don't have a goddamn clue." Ultimately however the weapon isn't that much more effective then standard weapons on fighters, it just works in a very bizarre and mysterious manner.

Needless to say the Hellbat is a very controversial piece of machinery. No one's certain how it works or how dangerous it is, and the way it makes bio-mass simply vanish is alarming. There have been petitions for the Rach to use more stable and standard technology to make a new fighter while decommissioning the dangerous Hellbats. These petitions have fallen short however, given it's one of the few things capable of gapping the 10 year technology deficit the Rach went into after being absent from the galaxy for so long.

Needless to say the Hellbat is one of the most terrifying fighters in the sky, not because of it being particularly dangerous, but because of it being one of the few things no one in the galaxy understands.

Rach Phantom Tank

"O-OH GOD I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW IT COULD DO THAT!" -- Rach Phantom Tank Pilot

The Rach Phantom Tank serves as the new heavy armor asset of the Rach army, the old stealth tank's purposes being split between the Phantom Tank and light tanks. The Phantom Tank sacrifices the mobility of the old Stealth Tank, in favor of more firepower while still retaining its remarkable stealth capabilities. That being said while not being nearly as mobile as its predecessor it makes up for it by having plenty of armor to withstand heavy blows and packing enough firepower to go toe to toe with enemy heavy armor assets.

The only shortcoming of the Phantom Tank are the Rach themselves, the concept of not running after unstealthing is alien to them, and the idea of a vehicle that can actually withstand blows is unheard of. It's easy enough for a Rach to ambush someone with the Phantom Tank, but the Rach pilots have a habit of becoming confused afterwards, as instinct and history tells them it's time to feint or strafe away from enemy targets, not charge in and break their line. However Phantom pilots are becoming more and more bold and the effectiveness of the tank cannot be ignored.

In combination with Warpdiver strikes, Skyborn landings and Troop strafing strikes the Tank can be an absolutely overwhelming force, forcing an enemy commander to take into account so many dangers from so many directions it makes it extremely hard to discern a proper counter move.

The Phantom has certainly found its home as the new Main Battle Tank of the Rach empire.

Rach Ops

"I think the collective response to the Rach redoing their special ops was along the lines of 'Oh shit'." -- Zaretian Soldier

Rach Ops experienced a massive overhaul post-Norsus by Ops head Kertak. Many of its problems stemmed from lack of organization and over-saturation. The bar for the old Ops was set too low, and just about any Rach could qualify given the innate abilities of the Rach even if by other race's standards the bar seemed lubriciously high. However, the new ops has not only a much higher bar, making the ops-to-soldier ratio far more 'normal', but it has been chopped up into various classifications differing from the normal based on role, then various ranks within that role.

Rach Assassins

Rach Assassins are classified into 'Shade', 'Shadowborn' and 'Nightmare' classes. This role is basically to kill important figures in enemy armies to seed confusion and slow response times to the Rach's blindingly fast maneuvers. In the past the Ops were thought to be exclusively assassins but this 'role' has brought to light that this is but one asset of the Rach ops arsenal. Rach Assassins are spoken of with some terror universe-wide. They're notorious for being -very good- at their jobs, and often reminding the universe that while the Rach are thieves, they also can put to skills just as well in a way that ends lives.

Rach Shade

"If you know there's Rach Shades on the battlefield, it's a safe bet your squad leader isn't taking a power nap. . . That's what I've learned." -- Repzork Soldier

Rach Shade unstealthing and executing a fleeing IAE soldier.

Rach Shades are the first level and most basic level of the Assassin role. Most old Ops shifted into this area, Shades are quite numerous in any Rach battlefield. Their sole objective is to eliminate isolated enemies such as scouts or stray soldiers, and eliminate squad leaders. While ultimately their efforts are small scale, they still tend to be the defining unit of any Rach battlefield. They quickly blind enemy forces by denying scouting, then seed chaos and disorder by assassinating squad leaders, dissolving the chain of command from the bottom up and making it very difficult for enemy commanders to effectively come up with a static strategy. Commanders dealing with Rach Shades should be very flexible to a consistently changing battlefield.

Rach Shades are armed with advanced Rach Stealth tech, moreso then they use in most every other piece of their daily lives. This allows the Shade to easily maneuver the battlefield undetected and strike anywhere, any time. They're armed with a single electrical energy blade which is the staple weapon of the ops unchanged from the old days. It's known for being a good silent killer, paralyzing enemies with a strong shock to keep them from making too much noise or struggling to much while quickly eviscerating them. These proved extremely effective against Margan, who depend on squad leader chain of command to effectively organize their large numbers.

The Rach Shade is often the mood setter of any given Rach battlefield, these single Rach ops tend to instill the feeling of paranoia, constant fear, grimness and confusion that is usually common in any Rach battle.

Rach Shadowborn

"I envy the Shadowborn in a way, they strike fear into their enemies in a similar way to us. However they don't try." -- Virisus Hunter

Rach Shadowborn cleaving his way through an Asanian Commander's bodyguard to kill the commander.

The Shadowborn are the second level of the Assassin role and the best assassins at the Rach's disposal without being legendary in their own rights. Shadowborn are Rach ops assassins that are simply too skilled at their duty to stay in the Shade rank. Almost every Shadowborn has trained with Ops Lead Kertak's personal training regiment for a time and as such are deadly efficient at their job. They've been noted as, 'The Rach assassin for Rach', being by other races standards the Shades are skilled assassins, but by Rach standards the Shadowborn are skilled assassins.

That being said they're a cut above assassins of the rest of the universe, masters of stealth in a way that can be hard for other races to grasp and agile in an almost unnatural manner. Shadowborn slip through even the tightest defended buildings, halls and battlefields, leaving streams of blood and corpses behind them as they silently and efficiently eviscerate anything that gets between them and a given target. They're often charged with targets of great importance, commanders, politicians, generals, the targets most other races would send assassins after.

Shadowborn are notoriously quiet unlike most jovial Rach, it's hard to get a Shadowborn to talk and when they do they're very short-spoken. Part of the training regiment, they've simply become isolationists and very quiet ones at that. These are Rach who focus solely on their duty, and have sacrificed much of their personal lives to become unseen blades of the Rach empire. As a result of the almost insane training regiment involved in becoming Shadowborn and the notoriously high standards, the Shadowborn are very few in number, but have an almost spotless success rate.

They're most often equipped with the electrified energy blades standard to ops, however they're also given unique chameleon cloaks with reflective cells on them. These cloaks hold many tools such as lockpicks and scanners that the Shadowborn use to infiltrate enemy bases. They also line the outsides of the cloak with light-reflective cells capable of 'rebounding' energy weapon shots, allowing the Shadowborn to deflect energy shots with a wave of the cloak.

As such, when attempting to down a Shadowborn, solid ammunition is advised.

Rach Saboteurs

Rach Saboteurs are specialists in sabotaging enemy lines. They usually use explosives in combination with their stealth to deal unexpected damage to infrastructure or vehicle assets. They're often an expensive menace on the battlefield and home-front alike as they've been known to set back colony development and trade routes with consistent bombings. Some propaganda based empires pass them off as terrorists, while others respect from for the saboteurs they are. However all have to respect the damage a good Saboteur can do.

Rach Specter

" Sabotage, yeah that sounds about right. You know up till now the Rach didn't have anti vehicular infantry? Kinda scary now that they know how to assassinate people in a vehicle along with outside of one." -- Zaretian soldier

Rach Specter catching a Virisus vehicle by surprise.

The Specter is the lowest branch of the sabotage tree. They've become a common sight on battlefields and fill a field desperately needed to be covered by Rach infantry, anti-vehicular support. They field stealth generators as all infantry in the Rach ops do but back that up with maneuverable arm mounted small Rocket Launchers. While they have no lock-on capabilities and are generally short range, making them impractical against air assets, they're absolutely deadly to any ground assets they come across. Tanks, APCs, speeders and the like are all common prey targets to the Specter.

The requirements for stealth to become a Specter aren't as high as other fields, attracting many Rach to become specters and making them very numerous in number. That being said it's become common and practical for Specter squads to back up other infantry and act as a tell-tale one-two punch against enemy ground assets. They've proven great support and an excellent way to cover an area the Rach have been lacking for a very long time.

Rach Wraith

"--Another terrorist bombing from an unknown source occurred today. . ." -- INN-News feed

Rach Wraith, calmly walking away from his work.

The Rach Wraith is the highest tier of Sabotage and is deadly effective at his or her job. Rather then be a presence on the battlefield like the Specter, Wraiths usually are entrenched deep behind enemy lines or, more often, away from battlefields altogether infiltrating enemy worlds and their shipyards or other military facilities. They are experts at both stealth and explosives, and are more then capable of wreaking havoc on enemies and getting away undetected. They often infiltrate worlds, and use what can best be described as terror campaigns to shut down enemies from within. They destroy shipyards, sabotaging large ships before they even leave the docks sometimes making it look like an accident, while other times hitting communication arrays, barracks, ammo stocks, or supply shipments before they even leave the safety of their planet.

That being said, Wraiths are often labeled as terrorists and indeed seem to meet this role pretty well. They're experts at destroying an enemy empire from within and seeding chaos and confusion logistically and in morale. They're also -very- good at re-routing blame, making it look like rebel factions or other races were the source of the explosions. Seeding yet more doubt and confusion among their enemies and all the while avoiding danger and suspicion. The bar to become a Wraith is exceptionally high, and becoming a wraith is a difficult task.

Much like the Shadowborn there are few wraiths, but for how many there are they do their jobs exceptionally well.

Rach Espionage

Rach Espionage is centered around collecting information about enemies. That being said the skill bar required to be in this field is remarkably high for stealth and reasonably low for combat. The reason for this is, ideally, a Rach Espionage expert should never have to fight. There only purpose is to act as spies and collect as much information as they can. This can be from anything as small as troop movements, to as groundbreaking as stealing enemy technology and schematics. While these Rach have almost never fired a shot on the battlefield, they are undeniably some of the most iconic and war-shifting assets of the Rach Ops.

Intel Commando

"Sneak attack? Don't bother, you can't hide anything from the Rach. 'Don't try and prank the prank masters', afterall."

File:Intel Commando.JPG

Intel Commando reporting IAE vehicle movement.

The Rach Intel Commando is the base of the Espionage tree of Ops. It has a very high skill bar for stealth but a very low skill bar for combat. The reason being the commando's purpose is to divine enemy movements and report them back to command. They act as forward scouts but are remarkably good at their job, being backed by Rach stealth tech they can be almost anywhere. They're a common presence on battlefields and are a point of frustration for many enemy commanders. The reason behind this being the difficulty of stopping Intel Commandos and the problems they pose in keeping any sort of tactic from enemy knowledge.

Commanders being fielded against the Rach quickly find it necessary to put high security around -any- command post where important orders are being issued in fear of Intel Commandos infiltrating and learning of any combat plans. Usually troop movements are a lost cause, it's neigh impossible to detect where an Intel commando is on far off ridges and of the like without substantial radar sweeps and thermal imaging. These Commandos alone are the source of the phrase, 'Never try to sneak up on a Rach. They're experts at it, they'll just laugh at you.'

Rach Nightmare

"Who?" -- IAE Commander

Typical Censored photo of a Rach Nightmare.

The Rach Nightmares are the third and top level of the Rach Ops hierarchy and are a handful of the very best stealth operatives the Rach empire has to offer. They can be skilled in Espionage, Sabotage, or Assassination and often have ties to the thief corps as well. Their skills are often vast and their track records always legendary. They're used for the most dangerous of missions and most key of targets. Nightmares became most notorious when one had successfully assassinated a Margan Archon back in the early days of the war. The Nightmares have always been a part of the Rach military, but have been hidden away by their "High threat level" classification, making them deathly secret in nature. Any photos of Nightmares are quickly censored to hide the identity of the Nightmare, and often many red herrings and falsified information is all anyone receives when trying to recover the identity of a Nightmare.

As mentioned earlier, there are only a few Nightmares, Ops Rach so good that they achieved heroic status in their own rights and were promoted to the secretive class of Nightmare. That being said they come from all walks of life, places, and all have their own unique skills. Some are enhanced by cybernetics, others simply have an unparalleled amount of personal skill. They all differ, and are experts in their own fields.

However -all- Nightmares are the best the Rach empire have to offer.

Rach Nightmares

Rach Nightmares are the very best the Rach have to offer. Operatives in the Ops so good at what they do their skills are used far and wide in the most dangerous of jobs. Nightmares identities are closely guarded secrets, and the identities of Nightmares are often something of great debate against the Rach's foes.

Nightmare Nicholas

"Nice fellow, watch your women around him but nice fellow." -- Commander Mezin

"One of the worst things you can do is assume you have Nicholas beat. . . That's when he gets you." -- Nightmare Copaz

"I wonder, who's he more loyal too, Aeveria or us?" -- Nightmare Ares

Nightmare Nicholas chasing a target through the streets of Iliveria.

Full Name: Nicholas Lindson

Specialty: Espionage

Common Tools: Pistol and various gadgets

Nicholas Lindson was born in the Aeveira confederation on the planet Iliveria, belonging to a Rach family that found their home there. Nicholas from a young age obviously picked up the traits any Rach would, enjoying stealth and trickery. He was a smooth talker and found himself easily getting top places in school clubs. After his time in school, however, his family became victims of burglary in an ironic twist of fate. Wanting nothing short of the burglar's being brought to justice, he joined an investigation branch in the Aeveria Security Department and found honest talent in the job. He was very talented at sting operations and his eye for detail made him a spectacular detective. He soon caught the burglars responsible but continued on in the line of work anyway.

He rose through the ranks quickly, moving on from burglars and low class homicide cases to busting major crime lords. He'd proven himself a spectacular agent, capable of infiltrating just about any scenario given to him and with resourcefulness, tact and a silver tongue found himself more then capable of overthrowing just about anything. Of note was an illegal weapons dealer "Jarvis the Cutthroat" who had been not only exporting illegal weaponry but also had his hand in a major pirate ring. Nicholas, after a long and harrowing investigation, had not only found evidence to incarcerate the crime lord but also had him cornered in a rather clever ruse involving turning one of his own secretaries on him. Jarvis was brought in and Nicholas then gained what he called, 'his ticket to the big leagues.' Being after that job, he went on to become a full on spy for Aeveria to infiltrate and gain intel on other species and their actions.

Naturally, he continually performed beautifully at every job given to him despite the now much more official jobs and the great burden of possibly causing a war if failure ensued. This, line of work however, made him realize just how bad a position his home Rach empire was in. The Rach constantly being beaten back by the Zaretians and their emperor having double crossed them. When he heard word of mass evacuations it became too much and he respectfully resigned from his work with Aeveria to help his people. Unfortunately it was far too little far too late, the Rach empire was already planning its escape to the warp. Knowing they may very well need his abilities in such a foreign place, he stuck on with the Rach empire and escaped to the warp.

Ten long years he spent there, it wasn't easy, species living there were incredibly hostile and the Margan had tailed the Rach at every turn. However Nicholas had made it his business to do what was necessary, sabotaging various Margan operations, gaining important intel on movements and honestly learning more about the behavior of the extra-dimensional creatures they were dealing with then many of their scientists had thanks to his espionage talents. It continued like this for some time, until the Rach left the warp back into real space.

Nicholas was all too eager to return to Iliveria and meet with his family and friends again, which he did. He seriously considered returning to Aeveria and indeed offered a hand of working with them whenever possible, given he had down time while the Rach empire re-established itself. He became a Rach Nightmare shortly after entering the warp, his talents proving groundbreaking for the Rach and a true lifesaving. He's an honored Nightmare, being one of the oldest and most experienced. He's commonly called upon when espionage needs to be done, when the Rach feel someone is up to something and it needs to be figured out.

His smooth talking, quick thinking and charisma often allow him to get into just about any facility to find out what needs to be found out. Furthermore, his other talent is his sheer resourcefulness. He's been compared to "McGuyver" in human culture within Aeveria and it's not hard to see why. He can take relatively common tools around him and use them in ways most people wouldn't think possible, making complex tools out of very simple objects. It prompts those who are actually familiar with the Nightmare's talents to remove -everything- from a room he's being held in if at all possible knowing full well even the smallest most inconspicuous object could be turned into a lethal weapon by Nicholas.

He's also known to have a way with women, being a smooth talker and a charismatic individual. A fact that irks some of the Nightmares he works with.

Nightmare Aiska

"You know someone's good at their job when they can sneak up on you without trying. . . And you're a Rach. . . Who's used to everyone sneaking all the time." -- Special Ops Lead Kertak

"I'd say those Aiska preys on tend to have nightmares, but that'd imply they live long enough to dream." -- Nightmare Nicholas

"For when you really, -really- want someone dead. . . And you really, -really- don't care how they die. You call Aiska." -- Nightmare Cruze

Nightmare Aiska leaping upon a Pyre-Tech blade user.

Opinions of other Races

The Rach have since met many races upon their return to the universe. Their opinions on what they've discovered of each race varies greatly.

Peacekeepers

Diabloians

"This is what we should be. I'm ashamed to contact them again, they must think us cowards. . ." -- Emperor Gorach

"The universe must want peace if the Diabloians are on our side. I pity any foe that engages them." -- Commander Nero

" <3 " -- Rach Sniper after being covered by Diabloian elements

The Rach really believe that the torch of head race of the Peacekeepers could not have been passed to a better race. The Diabloians by all rights are something the Rach not only want to be friends with but look up too. They're capable of doing everything the Rach cannot, standing their ground, fighting their enemies on their own terms, and striking fear into them at the same time. The Rach upon returning to the universe have shown great vigor in almost immediately rallying raids on supply lines of races conflicting with Diabloian territory. They look forwards to many joint ventures with the Diabloians in the future.

Luminarians

"I'm glad we met the Luminarians, their weaknesses are our strength and vice versea. We make an excellent team." -- Commander Nero

"The Luminarians are really amazing. Their constructions, their sheer determination, they really are what we should aspire to be." -- Ops Lead Kertak

". . .Hold on let me get my guitar I have an idea." -- Rach Soldier upon seeing a Luminarian Battlestation.

The Luminarians were one of the first to come and assisst the Rach on Norsus. By rights the Rach see the Luminarians on the level of angels. They came out of absolutely nowhere, bringing hope that the peacekeepers were still intact and that they had friends among the stars in their darkest hour. The Rach have been quick to make joint efforts with the Luminarians understanding the power of synergy between their forces as each covers the others weakness. After the Norsus conflict the Rach have big plans for erecting a monument just to the Luminarians appearing from the skies to save them.

Aeveria Confederation

"The Aeveria Confederation, heh, I think they're the perfect proof that there's good still left in this universe." -- Emperor Gorach

"I've never seen a faction who's intelligence has been more spot on, never seen one that's been so organized. I am almost envious." -- Ops Lead Kertak

". . .Think they'll let us join if we get our butts kicked again?" -- Rach Sniper

Aeveria Confederation is a point of grand interest to the Rach. The very concept of multiple races under one banner was the idea behind the Peacekeepers but Aeveria took it to a level they hadn't thought possible. The Rach seriously began to consider making their faction no longer race specific and start allowing themselves to be more like Aeveria after the Norsus conflict resolved. However, due to the Rach lifestyle this was decided to be a bit too difficult, they had enough to worry about. The Rach have a great respect for the organization and intelligence of Aeveria and are greatly looking forwards to working with them.

Karahotduom

"Karahotduom they call themselves? Looks like they know how to get things done around here." -- Emperor Gorach

"I can't stress enough how much we need their help. I don't think I've ever seen a race snap a Zaretian line so fast." -- Kertak

". . .Aziz the Merciless? Why do they call you tha-- OH GOD! ! !" -- Rach Soldier being covered in Zaretian Gore

The Karahotduom were the second race to appear to aid the Rach. Just like with the Luminarians the Rach are eternally grateful and find themselves often helping Karahotduom pushes as best they can. They're intrigued by the ferocity displayed by the Karahoduom especially Aziz the Merciless. The Rach want to get to know them better, and upon discovering the Karahotduom's love of Rugs offer many stolen rugs in friendship. Obviously to any other race this looks silly, but the Rach have learned not to question the universe really.

Necraal

"The Necraal? Show them respect, and they will show you it in kind. Show them aggression, well. . ." -- Stealth Commander Chira

"To look into the face of horror and show no fear. I'm proud to call them allies." -- Emperor Gorach

"So, stop, Hammer Time?" -- Rach Soldier to a Necraal Paladin

The Rach have a great respect for the Necraal. First contact being between Stealth Commander Chira who was immediately impressed by the Necraal and seeks to work with them closely in the coming campaign of Norsus. Wheras the Virisus are sowing fear among the Rach, the Necraal seem fearless in the face of it. It's a kind of bravery the Rach wish they had, and due to this they find themselves inspired around the Necraal. Showing sudden determination and fearlessness as Necraal set a real example as to what a fearless warrior should be.

Warlords

Margan

"I've never met a species with more hate and sheer vitriol then the Margan." -- Emperor Gorach

"Purple isn't a color you associate with terror until the Margan have begun invading your territory. Then you can only associate the color purple with death." -- Ops Lead Kertak

"Kids check under their beds for the boogeyman, the boogeyman checks under his bed for Biomatter. . . And all three of them get drenched in napalm by the Margan before being pissed on." -- Rach Sniper

The Margan are the long ancient enemies of the Rach. The Rach have subjected them to countless sneak attacks, raids, and all manner of stealthy tactic. To the point that they are now completely ineffective against the Margan, every Margan knows to look out for Rach sneak attacks now and for all their stealth and guile the Rach are caught more often then they'd like when attempting to ambush Margan. As it stands, the Rach are trying to avoid the Margan and support other peacekeepers, while the Margan have had enough of the cowardice of the Rach the presence of the Red Rose on Norsus is a clear sign that the Margan have one last kick to the pants to deliver to the Rach.

Zaretians

"Zaretians, no respect for the living or the dead." -- Emperor Gorach

"I don't think there's many things more foul then them. . . I can only wonder how we ended up at war." -- Commander Nero

"Eugh, what happened? God I have a nasty taste in my mouth. . ." -- Rach soldier waking up from unconciousness

There's a wild hatred between Zaretians and Rach that goes back for many years now. The Rach have much pent up rage about the loss of their home and show absolutely no mercy to the Zaretians. The Rach show unyielding fury towards the Zaretians and are one of the few races they truly 'hate'. Though there's still much confusion about how they ended up at war, many say the Zaretians just attacked them but there's also a story around that the Rach attempted an assassination of the Zaretian emperor. This story is dismissed by Kertak, however, as he never issued such an order to the Ops.

IAE

"I always hold out hope we can win the war. Yet then I see the vastness of the IAE, and that hope is replaced with dread and the feeling of inevitable defeat." -- Ops Lead Kertak

"Why are they on the Warlord's side?! Don't know know the lunatics they're working with over there!?" -- Commander Nero

"I didn't know Aeveria had an evil twin. . ." -- Rach Sniper

IAE is a point of extreme tension for the Rach. The Vastness and power of the IAE is a point of extreme intimidation to the Rach and their presence on Norsus a looming cloud of defeat over the small ray of hope they had. The superiority of the IAE was made evident in the initial orbital exchange when the Rach fleets attempted to support peacekeeper elements by ambushing the IAE fleets, only to find themselves subject to a crushing counter attack and barely holding the line to back up their allies.

Asanians

"Voracious Appetites, expansive minds, and deadly cunning. Not to mention they've allied with the Margan, we have to worry about these ones." -- Ops Lead Kertak

"Old versus the new. We're old, they're going to kick us to the curb if we don't keep up." -- Commander Nero

"Think they'll show us respect if we eat them first?" -- Commander Mezin

The Asanians showed up at the very end of the Norsus conflict and quickly earned the Rach's respect and fear by aligning with the Margan and absolutely punishing them during their retreat. The Asanians attempts at reverse-engineering their stealth tech is alarming, and cannibalistic tendencies terrifying. The Rach watch with worry to see if the Asanians can actually successfully replicate the Rach stealth tech in a meaningful manner without sacrificing as much as the Rach have too. It might be worth it to let the Asanians improve in the design, then steal it back from them improved.

Virisus

"Nightmares. . ." -- Emperor Gorach

"The Margan are pure hate incarnate, yet, somehow the Virisus neigh surpass it." -- Commander Nero

"They're demons, simple as that. . . We didn't used to believe in demons or a devil, now we do." -- Rach Soldier

The Virisus appearance on Norsus heralded a lot of superstition and fear from the Rach. The brutal unforgiving tactics of the Virisus combined with the whispers of 'Legion' quickly spooked the weary and haggard soldiers of the Rach. That being said, the belief of the Virisus being demons, and their 'Legion' being the very root of all evil pulling the strings even behind the Margan have crept into the Rach society. The Rach in the future look forwards to avoiding the Virisus is at all possible. . .

Biomatter

"Can we go back to the warp now?" -- Rach Sniper

"I can scarcely believe something like this exists. Yet, I suppose it's just another hurdle to overcome in our bid to survive." -- Emperor Gorach

"I don't think they're so bad, one tried to hug me I swear." -- Commander Mezin

Biomatter haven't been faced by the Rach, though plenty of records of them have reached Rach databases. The Rach want to avoid conflict with Biomatter but, at the same time want to help their allies destroy it if possible, knowing it's unlikely Biomatter would simply leave them alone especially with them being under the IAE's thumb. Though, the Rach feel they'd be of little help against Biomatter, being their classic hit and run tactics would be of little use against the endless swarm of Biomatter.

Neutrals

Gronians

"We need to learn from them, not push them away." -- Emperor Gorach

"They're a strong race indeed, but it's best we leave them alone. Getting in their way is. . . Tense. . ." -- Ops Lead Kertak

"They are the best race ever and anyone who disagrees will get 50 lashes." -- Ward, Gronian born Rach

The Rach and Gronians are currently in a very tense spot. The Rach know well of just how xenophobic the Gronians are, and rather strict, contrasting with the mindset of the Rach. They'd learned this early on from stories of other races and very early contacts on Norsus. Gorach is convinced they hold the secret to what the Rach need to fix their military issues, while Kertak would prefer they left them well enough alone, though he knows that's very much impossible. This is due to how close Rach and Gronian territory is, they will -have- to be in contact if they are to be so close, and both are dealing with very much the same foes. As of now the Rach are leaving the Gronians alone and looking more at a truce, however in the future there are plans for diplomacy. Early contact with Lady Calpria went about as well as they could expect, she seems their best bet at any form of diplomacy along with a Gronian-born Rach called Ward. Gorach is looking into both possibilities and pursuing the matter closely.

Nalstros

"Competition." -- Ops Lead Kertak

"The Nalstros came to Norsus looking to pillage, I doubt they realize before long everything they've taken is going to end up back in our hands. Never underestimate the ultimate thieves." -- Commander Nero

"Savage lot, nearly nicked my armor." -- Commander Ward

The Nalstros were first encountered prior to entering the warp, mere space pirates the Rach encountered. There was often competition for loot between the two, Nalstros taking a more direct and violent approach to taking goods while Rach were a more tactful bunch that snuck in and took what they wanted. It wasn't uncommon for the two to cross paths, Nalstros charging a trade ship only to find its contents already pilfered by Rach thieves, or Rach staging a break in only to see the xenophobic Nalstros explode into a ship looting and murdering everything. The opinion of the Nalstros however has seriously dropped during the Norsus conflict when the Nalstros once more appeared and took over the oceans of Norsus along with looting the planet.

Sauran

"Ah these are a friendly bunch, good to see the entire universe doesn't want to kill eachother." -- Commander Nero

"I find Sauran gardens rather soothing to take a walk through, I think I'm going to make vacation trips to Sauran planets to relax." -- Ops Squad Lead Chira

"Hubba hubba" -- Mercenary Harc Purlone

The Sauran, a neutral race are a friendly acquaintance the Rach wish to get to know better post Norsus. The Sauran's love of nature is one that some Rach wish to get to know better, and their peaceful way of life something of interest to them. All in all the Rach feel there's much to learn from the Sauran, and possibly good allies in the future. They also feel a bit responsible for the sudden problems the Sauran have had with the Margan, being the old enemies of the Margan themselves, and are looking for ways to help on that front.

(( The rest is a Work in Progress ))