Phalanx Soldiers

Standard Kriegsmachines

The Kriegsmachines are large, incredibly advanced soldiers devoted to serving the Emperor of the Phalanx Empire, each with varying classes, ranks, weaponry and mindsets. 

A kriegsmachine is essentially an alien Phalanx pilot encased inside of a protective cybernetic suit, referred to as a "Battlesuit". In each battlesuit is a sophisticated array of life support systems for the Pilot as well as, of course, strong offensive and defensive weaponry. This is all surrounded by thick armour.

Each battlesuit is retrofitted with 3 beta engines for power output (though some may only have 2 alpha engines or 1 omega engine). These engines provide power to both the thruster and to the rest of the components throughout the suit. Armour priority is focused on both the Pilot and the more important internals. A set of 6 multi-purpose lungs allow for both underwater travel and exploration in environments typically considered unfit for life to be in. A gyroscope is fitted into each battlesuit, allowing the Pilot to search for a potentially large source of gravitational change, aiding the engines and the thruster to adjust their output for maximum efficiency. A Geiger counter assists with radiation monitoring; extreme amounts of gamma radiation is harmful to some of the internals.

Kriegsmachines are equipped with force fields to aid in combat and are capable of being toggled by the Pilot. These force fields are controlled and supplied by both the electromagnetic regulator and the engines. The force field is designed to redistribute optical weaponry such as that of lasers or particle guns around the casing to minimise damage and will melt bullets from small arms fire, though sustained heavy fire will breach the force field.

The casing itself is constructed from thick armour made of a composite of combo-steel, duranium and titanium. The outermost layer is comprised of the combo-steel and titanium alloy, while the duranium acts as a frame to hold the suit together and to significantly strengthen the armour. This armour is capable of deflecting artillery shells upwards of 4 inches in calibre and renders the kriegsmachine completely invulnerable to most small arms fire, though it struggles to offer protection against very large explosives or advanced armour penetration.

The main attraction for a kriegsmachine is its primary weapon. Standard kriegsmachines are supplied with a 6-inch calibre chaincannon, belt-fed by a large magazine containing upwards of 250 armour-piercing shells. These cannons are designed for tearing through armoured opponents and sweeping down buildings or breaking through fortifications. A key limitation to their main gun is that they are unable to turn it side to side, meaning that the kriegsmachine must rotate in order to shoot a target that might be behind them. They are, however, capable of aiming both upwards and downwards. For close-quarters protection, kriegsmachines are retrofitted with a close-in-weapons-system (CIWS) to both intercept incoming projectiles and to harm or kill hostiles that get too close. This CIWS may use optical weapons, missiles or regular ammunition. The kriegsmachine may also opt to ram an opponent instead as a melee attack.

Below is a kriegsmachine with a 6ft human for size reference.

Kriegsmachines communicate with one another via a series of tones, beeps and other signals. A kriegsmachine will speak the language relative to the area it is in. For example, a kriegsmachine in France will speak French, and a kriegsmachine on Mars will speak the hypothetical language native for Martians in that area of the planet, etc. The "head" of a kriegsmachine can rotate independently of the body, allowing the soldier to view its surroundings.

Kriegsmachines are often outfitted with a single or pair of large arms that are used to interact easily with the environment. These arms are robust, being stored tightly inside of the suit until they are absolutely needed, as they can become damaged quite easily compared to the rest of the battlesuit. Above is a simplified illustration of this.

A battlesuit is often marked with an insignia on both sides and a unique pattern on both the outside and the inside of the suit to mark the breed of the Pilot, the rank in which it holds and which division it serves for.