Vaikan military tactics

The Vaikan military tactics are the fighting styles used by the Federal Legion.
==Doctrine==
===Ground battles===
A Vaikan will wear flexible plated armor cloaked in a basic forcefield that reduces the impact of enemy fire. Vaikan will also wear a hard helmet with a clear visor along with ear protection. Lighter units such as assassins will not wear armor, sacrificing defense for speed and attack power. Heavier units will wear heavier armor sacrificing their speed for defense. As a result, heavier units will often attack a greater distances than lighter units.
During battle, the basic approach is to ambush the enemy rather than straightforward charging. Vaikan are most vulnerable at a distance, so typically, they will always try to close in on their enemies and finish them off with a melee weapon. While at their vulnerable distance, they will resort to the cover system and hiding in trenches using ranged weapons to defend themselves until they get close. If the Vaikan are overwhelmed at any point, they will not hesitate to retreat from the battlefield. However, they will return shortly after in an attempt to flank the enemy using the same approach as before.
Artillery weapons are never heavy as their only purpose is to keep the enemy occupied until they can get close. However, one will frequently see vehicles and mechs in a Vaikan army. Mechs are the expendable units sent first into the frontline to save on Vaikan lives.
===Space battles===
Battles in space will involve a similar approach as on the ground. When an enemy force enters a solar system, they will usually have slowed down to at least the speed of light as using an FTL engine inside a system is dangerous with the risk of colliding with a large celestial object. The Vaikan will have two major attack areas - the outer reaches of a solar system and within it - the outer ones will concentrate themselves at the enemy's predicted entering point while the inner ones will proceed to flanking.
When attacking a solar system, the Vaikan will approach at odd angles in an attempt to reach the desired battleground planet. Other forces will hide themselves within the inner parts of the solar system to flank the enemy should they decide to close in on the battleground planet taking cover within the planet's atmosphere.
However, they are unable to rely on the cover system as frequently. Stealth in space is considered impossible, so ambushes must be well-planned in advance. However, Vaikan ships can still hide within the atmosphere of other planets particularly gas giants.
Vaikan prefer to fight their battles within solar systems as interstellar space is not suited for their style of combat. While this does give them a major disadvantage of not being able to intercept forces before their arrival in solar systems, the Vaikan are able to compensate by being able to effectively ambush their enemies by taking cover near planets and asteroids, something incredibly difficult to manage while in space. The surprising maneuverability of a Vaikan ship makes up for this drawback.
To take down near-impenetrable ships such as dreadnoughts, the Vaikan send infiltrator units aboard to sabotage their shields, engines, weapons and anything else they can to lower the enemy's defenses. To carry out such operations, spur of the moment planning and improvisation is required, so only the most experienced units are ever sent aboard.
==Fighting styles==
These fighting methods are used more commonly by soldier and infiltrator class units. Some units are hybrids, but the majority of Legion members specialize in one form of combat.
===Close combat===
One of the primary reasons melee weapons are still used by the Vaikan is that such weapons can bypass enemy barriers and shields which are primarily designed to repel projectiles. As a result, Vaikan melee weapons were specifically designed to kill opponents in one strike. Engaging in sparring is risky as that leaves them more open to attack. However, sparring is necessary if the opponent is able to deflect the melee weapon with their own.
*Sternum jab- This technique relies on jabbing a sword through the opponent's sternum and into the neck with a sharp weapon. A Vaikan can survive a horizontal stab wound easily, but jabbing upwards into the sternum is lethal to them, and is therefore more effective even against other species. However, this tactic is rather ineffective against shorter species but is more useful against larger and taller opponents.
*Neck strike - A move that can be performed with either a blunt or sharp weapon. When struck with a sharp weapon, the opponent's head will usually be removed, and a blunt weapon is just as effective as it strikes a vital body area.
*Skull crush - A blunt weapon is used to perform this move. The user slams their weapon onto the top of the opponent's skull to destroy the brain. Highly effective against shorter opponents, but ineffective against larger, taller opponents.
*Shock strike - Should a Vaikan ever be disarmed from both their melee and ranged weapons, they can use their natural electrical abilities to stun their opponent.
*Jugular stab - Daggers are primarily used to carry out this maneuver by light units such as an assassin. It is quite similar to the sternum thrust, except because a dagger is smaller, it is instead thrusted through the neck.
*Silent slice - Used by assassins. The user will sneak up behind the enemy to grasp the opponent covering their mouth to prevent them from making loud noises that could potentially alert nearby enemies to the user's position. After covering the mouth, the user will proceed to slit the opponent's throat, killing them silently. The silent slice is impractical on the battlefield, so this method is unique to infiltrators.
===Long distance combat===
*Cover system - The Vaikan rely on hiding behind crates, inside trenches and other obstacles on the battlefield to protect themselves from enemy fire. This is an effective tactic as they can go from cover to cover approaching their enemy. Being in cover allows for their light weapons to cool down.
*Sniping - If a Vaikan cannot get close due to a certain enemy, a sniper will be able to take out the enemy at a distance.
Category:Tactics
Category:Articles by User:Krayfish