Imperial Xamon Army

## Description:

“I hereby submit my body and mind to the glory of the Xamon Empire. His morals are my morals, the Emperor is my father and I am his son, a tool of the Fatherland to be molded into a machine of death. I do not know pain, I do not know fear, I will grind my enemies into dust beneath my boot, and all who would challenge the empire will taste the bite of my bayonet. Freedom and War!”

* Imperial War Creed

The Imperial Army is a large army of billions of xamon troops and auxiliary races. The army is divided into regiments recruited by the archdukes and margraves of their planets, taking their name from the planet from which they hail. The army was radically reformed following the Fall of the Confederacy and Rise of the Empire, with the primary reforms dealing with training, organization, and doctrine.

The Xamon Imperial Army is also renowned for its usage of gauss weapons, as they were one of the first to adopt it as their standard issue rifle for all of their troops, whereas before they were only primarily used as a heavy weapon or designated exclusively for special units.

## History:

“Go my brothers! Forward to victory! Leave none alive, kill them all!”

* Emperor Renevvā Grachtvardun I

Founded in 7047 CE with the founding of the Xamon Empire, the Imperial Army drew its first soldiers from the ranks of the SUKA, the paramilitary and political organization that Grachtvardun and his comrades used to found the empire and resist karis occupation.

Most of SUKA was made up of veterans of the Confederate Army as well as the Confederates, the military police of the Periphery, the fringe worlds of xamon space. Following the formation of the Imperial Army, xamon men from across the entirety of xamon space began enlisting, reaching over one billion in size in just a week.

The xamon forces armed themselves with a combination of new and old gear. The factories heaved with life as hundreds of millions of volumetric tons of PZ-18 gas were created, as well as sparked with the manufacture of hundreds of millions of gauss rifles. Many of the troops were armed with the old but reliable Grauven .72, a staple of xamon military might for centuries. However, Grachtvardun demanded that a new standard issue rifle be introduced to eventually phase out the G.72, so he put his designers to work in creating the Dreiz-Grauven, an advanced semi-automatic gauss weapon that would grow to be adored by its users in the wars to come.

The Imperial Army’s first true test was to beat back the joint ures-karis army that had invaded Xama, the xamon homeworld and the capital of the new empire. Though they were relatively inexperienced, their sheer ferocity and fanaticism took the karis and Ures soldiers by surprise, eventually beating them off the planet with their overwhelming numbers. With each passing battle the Imperial Army grew in effectiveness, adopting new doctrine and tactics that better allowed them to fight the karis, who they correctly perceived would be their enemy for centuries to come.

In order to gather even more manpower, Grachtvardun and his Chief of Warfare Lewehr Sārden issued the Consolidation Act, which targeted the Xamon Empire’s alien populations. Zuroks and gorgarians were recruited and conscripted en masse to supplement the xamon forces, arming them with distinctive armor and weapons in order to differentiate them from their xamon comrades. The Consolidation Act was also a political maneuver, it rationalized that if the three main species of the Xamon Empire fought and died with each other, they would form a trans-species bond of comradery that would spill into the civilian sector, ensuring the continued loyalty to the empire.

Grachtvardun and Sārden assumed correctly, as the zurok and gorgarian forces exhibited excellent cooperation and skill when fighting alongside the xamon soldiers in battle, primarily in the Battle of Kori, where zurok and xamon soldiers managed to fight and utterly destroy a karis army that was nearly three times their size.

The Second Xamo-Karis War would go on to shape much of the culture of the XIA. Unlike the Confederate Army, which was disciplined but also tried to refrain from unnecessary killing and death, the Imperial Army grew to be fanatical and bloodthirsty. The words of “Freedom and War” permeated the consciousness of all the soldiers fighting in the great army, and they continue to use it as their rallying cry to this day. The xamon began to be even more reckless with their usage of gas and frontal melee charges under heavy fire, an effective but costly tactic that has barely evolved since then.

The xamon faced their greatest challenge since the Second Xamo-Karis War with the Galactic Union War, originally serving as a naval supplement to the faltering NRR Grand Navy, eventually involving themselves in earnest when the Union began to push into their territory, valiantly defending against them during the Invasion of Meneldez. After the bloodbath at Meneldez, the xamon threw in their infantry support for the NRR, launching joint invasions alongside them and the gorgons.

Following the end of the Union War, the xamon faced relative prosperity for the next two hundred years, though they were eventually once again thrust into another galactic wide war in the form of the Syrus Empire, another invading power from the Andromeda Galaxy in 732 AUA. The xamon suffered greatly from the syrus invasion, severely weakening them after several of their worlds were lost and later reclaimed during the 12 year conflict. Though the effects of that weakening would deeply affect them in the centuries to come.

In 750 AUA, the army would be tested by the newly formed Crescent Army, a new special forces unit created by the Second Karis Empire to retake their lost worlds of Kori and Shivelle. The xamon army, though they fought valiantly, were eventually outmatched by the new and bizarre tactics of the Crescent Army, who were more than prepared to deal with them.

Following the xamon’s defeat in the Third Xamo-Karis War in 753 AUA, the Imperial Army underwent significant change to address the stagnation that had since hindered the growth of the XIA. A new section of the army was created to complement the standard stormtroopers, that being the Raiders. Imperial Raiders are essentially a rapid insertion and assault force, meant to carry out highly mobile and surgical strikes with assault rifles and sabers.

The creation of the Raiders created a rivalry between them and the regular stormtroopers, who regarded the Raiders as pretentious and elitist because of their high risk missions. The Raiders were used to great effect in a series of conflicts, including the decisive Thelldom Campaign and later the Fourth Xamo-Karis War in 766 AUA. The Raiders were instrumental to their success against the karis, who were not prepared to deal with an aggressive and highly mobile strike force.

Following the end of the Xamo-Karis Wars and the coming of the Spravac Empire’s conquest of the galaxy, the xamon armies would be tested once again, this time by their own people. Following the end of the Second Spravac-Galactic War, the xamon withdrew from the Coalition due to their moral neutrality and increased pressure from the zyyntoreans to end their millenia old institution of slavery. Unwilling to make this change, the empire was plunged into civil war between the Imperial Crown and the Vondrak Empire, a criminal syndicate and paramilitary that was entirely embedded within the galactic slaving industry, an industry that the xamon were key contributors to.

Though they outnumbered the Vondraks, their key knowledge of xamon tactics and their soldiers’ fanatical loyalty to the Vondrak Dynasty led to the war collapsing into stalemate, with the Vondraks eventually ending the war in a truce leading to nearly a third of the empire being placed under their control. With the empire currently in ruins, the Imperial Army began to exact more control until the war with the Vondraks was finished, with the Imperial General Staff promising that they would not rest until the Vondraks were annihilated.

## Recruitment and Training:

“You all are weak! How do you expect to carry the empire to victory when you can’t even begin to work as a team during a simple training exercise?! Don’t worry, I’ll fix you all! On your faces, move those gelatinous bodies!”

* Instructor Commissar Telvisch Köllmann disciplining his recruits

Recruitment is supervised by the local nobility. During peacetime or low-level wars, service is voluntary but highly encouraged by the Imperial Government for the benefits that it provides. During wartime, conscription of able bodied males is mandatory, and attempting to avoid conscription can result in a fine and then being put through military training anyway, during which the trainers will be instructed to heavily target and scrutinize the delinquent. Benefits for serving in the military include monthly stipends of upwards of five thousand Reiksmon, free housing if required, and free education following the conclusion of service. Commissioned Officers are typically volunteers from either military academies or regular colleges and universities that provide an Imperial Officer Training Program (IOTP).

Imperial Army training is a grueling and abusive process. As some of the most disciplined and dutiful soldiers in the galaxy, that behavior is beaten into them during their 14 week long training. Xamon boot camp begins immediately with shouting, drill sergeants known as Instructor Commissars emerge from barracks like a school of sharks out for blood, streaming the recruits into the barracks to immediately begin training, beginning with uniform issue and frequent shouting.

Instructor Commissars are permitted to do whatever is necessary to ensure obedience and proficiency in all things. They are permitted to beat, discriminate, and degrade their recruits, only barred from sexual assault and beating until unconsciousness due to complaints from xamon families after their sons started exhibiting psychological damage during or after boot camp.

During the first weeks, the recruits are continuously worked out and beaten. Falling out of platoon runs or cadence calisthenics is met with individual workouts and beatings. Recruits are often pt’d until they pass out, after which they are woken up by shouting and cold water splashed on their faces. Particularly problematic recruits, those that are seen as weak or are rebellious, are treated even more harshly, usually with constant beration, sleep deprivation from near constant night watch duty, and in extreme cases; water boarding or whippings.

In the fifth week, the Instructors relent only slightly, reserving themselves from beatings and instead focusing on training value. It is during the fifth, sixth, and seventh week that the recruits begin combat training exercises and marksmanship. In order to lower stress from the Instructor Commissars, they are handed over to more friendly but strict instructors that teach them their basic movement tactics and offensive actions.

During the eighth week, trainees will begin their first field training exercise, where they will use simulated ammunition against OpFor, usually in the form of veteran soldiers or groups of Instructor Commissars. After the end of the first FTX on the ninth week, the recruits will endure another week of constant stress and hazing, this time on a simulated trench network to habituate them to the hardships of trench warfare and mass infantry charges.

On the tenth and eleventh week, the recruit platoons will coalesce with each other to form their respective companies, which they will remain with for the remainder of their military careers. During the final three weeks, the recruits will embark on their second FTX and the concluding Crucible, which is designed as a final three day test that will push each recruit to their mental and physical limits.

Commissioned Officers will undergo a much more different process. During their tenure at their school or academy, they will conduct their regular studies alongside IOTP training, during which they will embark on three FTXs per year and conduct bi-monthly training. The intensity of each of these schools varies by individuality, the most intense of these are the Imperial War Academy and the Teutoric Military Institute, both of which start their freshmen off with a rigorous system known as Vosk Year, during which they will experience an environment much akin to the first weeks of enlisted boot camp, however this time the instructors are upperclassmen supervised by retired Instructor Commissars or Senior Commissioned Officers. Before their senior year, the candidates officers must attend War Camp, a month-long FTX program that will test their knowledge and leadership capabilities in order to prepare them for commissioning.

Following commissioning and graduation, fresh 2nd Lieutenants will then attend their training school based on their desired role within the Imperial Army. The many branches include Stormtrooper Regiments, Armored Corps, Field Artillery, Chemical Warfare Corps, Aviation, Special Forces, Shadow Operations Group, Raider Corps, Engineering Regiment, Ordnance Corps, Cyberwarfare, Communications, Judicial, Regimental Commissariat, Imperialist Battalions, and the Regimental Adjutant Staff.

Training for the Xama Guard and the Raiders is an entirely different story. Xama Guard are an extremely tight knit clique of elite soldiers that have to fill a series of prerequisites before they’re even considered for candidacy. Candidates must be over six feet in height, from Xama, have at least a 90 out of 100 on all infantry skills, allowing them to wear the Infantry Proficiency Medal. They must score a 100 out of 100 on their Advanced Military Skills Test, a written test that all recruits fill out before choosing their MOS.

Following their successful recruitment, Xama Guard recruits are put through a six month long training and enhancement process. Since Xama Guardsmen are genetically and cybernetically enhanced, they must maintain consistent physical fitness and mental fortitude. Guard Cadre will ruthlessly torment recruits, often waking them up in the middle of the night and beating them senseless before suddenly disappearing. Recruits will endure constant torture in order to harden them, and minor cybernetic and biological enhancements such as muscle enhancers, biomechanical ligaments, and bone hardeners are applied without anesthetic.

Over the course of the training, they will be trained with all manner of weapons, any deficiencies are quickly and violently corrected, ensuring that Xama Guardsmen become pain ignorant killing machines, conditioning them to violence and the worst atrocities of warfare to ensure they are psychologically prepared.

Recruitment for the Raiders is a similar process, however they do not have as many prerequisites in order to begin training. Raider candidates must successfully max out the Raider Candidacy Physical Fitness Exam (R-PFE). The R-PFE consists of a 5 mile ruck in full kit, an obstacle course including barbed wire crawls, rappelling, rope ladders, hill crawls, and a mud crawl underneath live machine gun fire. After the obstacle course the candidate must complete 3 minutes of 100 push-ups, 40 knee-tucks, and a 3 mile run.

After completing the entirety of the R-PFE, the candidates may now begin their training in earnest, which is a 2 month long course.

Though not as harsh as the Xama Guard training camp, Raider School is still brutal. Featuring constant stress from senior Raider Commissars, Raider recruits suffer through sleep deprivation, constant war simulations, and hundreds of simulated and actual combat drops from the signature M17 Transatmospheric Troop Deployment Pod (TTDP), a octagonal pod capable of holding eight Raiders in each, deployed from orbit from specialized frigates and dreadnoughts. In addition to combat drops, Raiders are also trained in hand to hand combat with the signature Eiktrost, a traditional saber originally used by xamon cavalry. After their graduation from Raider School, Raiders are awarded the Raider Seal, a crossed saber and ZG-02 to be worn over their heart at all times.

## Tactics and Doctrine:

“We’re about to make a deadly push into the Starheads’ frontline. I can’t guarantee that all of you will live, but I have faith that you will breathe fire with every step you take. Your bodies will ache, you will be shot, stabbed, your buddies will die next to you, and you will continue to breathe fire! Good to go?!”

* Unknown xamon captain to his company before going over the top of a trench during the Second Xamo-Karis War

The Imperial Army’s doctrine is primarily focused around overwhelming firepower and attritious warfare through trenches, constant mass assaults, and chemical warfare. The primary role of the infantry is to serve as mobile shock troopers that charge headlong into fire to eventually engage in close combat. Infantry charges are coupled with mass bombardment from artillery meant to soften up the enemy while gas attacks are meant to conceal the approach of the infantry while also causing massive casualties. As the infantry charge through the clouds of PZ-18 with their bayonets fixed and their threatening bird-like helmets, the enemy is meant to break from psychological damage.

Artillery is usually fired in a creeping bombardment, with mortars and light field guns firing several loads ahead of the enemy battleline while heavier guns fire directly into it, designed to destroy formations and disorient them.

If artillery is not available, then Sapper Units and Shadow Troopers will be sent in to disrupt enemy lines and communications, ensuring that they are not prepared for the coming stormtrooper assault. Additionally, Xama Guard and Raiders will also be deployed for high risk assaults, with Raiders dropping in from orbit via drop pods containing eight Raiders at a time. Xama Guard deploy in mechanized and airborne assaults, deploying alongside aviation troopers to rain fire down on the enemy.

Armored assaults are composed of a vanguard of heavy tanks and IFVs, meant to charge headlong into fire while infantry eliminate whatever survives, a tactic referred to as Firestorm Assaults, named after the type of tank most commonly deployed for these assaults, which is equipped with a massive front-mounted flamethrower alongside its 95mm gauss cannon.

When conducting warfare efforts, infantry are also instructed on the Laws of War, which is a very lenient set of rules that prohibits the torture of enemy captives and the abuse of occupied civilians. However, the rules do permit killing of civilians and execution of prisoners during active combat, as well as the application of PZ-18 as an execution method for war criminals. When conducting occupation operations, soldiers are permitted under Section 15.B8 of the Trooper Conduct Handbook, to purge an occupied civilian settlement either through expulsion or mass killing if it becomes apparent that they cannot maintain order or it is not logistically feasible.

Because of this conduct, the xamon frequently come under scrutiny from other empires for their perceived cruelty, however the xamon argue that the realities of war do not allow them to be caring or conscious of the feelings of the enemy, armed or not.

The Regimental Commissariat, which has a hand in writing the Trooper Conduct Handbook alongside the Judicial Army Group, also permits them to maintain troop discipline through fear and abuse, allowing them to perform executions for cowardice or supposed treason on the spot. However, Commissars are instructed to use their good judgment, and if any proves to be too overzealous or incompetant, he too can be executed for treason if he wrongfully kills a trooper under his command for an illegitimate reason.

Alongside the regular Stormtrooper Regiments, the Raiders, and Xama Guard are the Imperialists, a specialized garrison and rear echelon infantry force that is composed of criminals, enlisted servicemen with citations of psychological instability and aggression, or volunteer enlisted men. The Imperialists follow their own doctrine and essentially act as the first line of defense against invaders and the occupants of freshly conquered worlds, serving as the primary enforcers of the new government.

The Imperialists frequently abuse their power and are even encouraged to do so, subduing the populace through fear mongering and death in order to get rebellious populations in line. They are often disliked by the other members of the army for their crude behavior and brutish tendencies, often seen as washed up failures by the other branches due to their status as failed boot camp washouts and draft dodgers.

## Organization:

“The only time the enemy will see our backs is when we’re dead.”

* Imperial Army Proverb

The most common organizational unit of the Xamon Imperial Army is the regiment, which serves as a brotherhood of sorts between soldiers to ensure maximum cooperation. Regiments are then organized into brigades, divisions, corps, armies, and finally fronts. Beneath regiments are companies, platoons and squads. The following chart shows the organization of the Imperial Army from the squad to front level;

All formations above the platoon level are also commanded by Commissars, much like Instructor Commissars, these officers are in charge of maintaining morale and troop discipline. As such, they are permitted to beat their underlings and are permitted to execute those that they deem treasonous. Becoming a member of the Commissariat is an extremely difficult process, requiring years of field experience and exemplary service. It is possible for both enlisted and commissioned officers to achieve the rank of Commissar, though it is more common for enlisted officers to because of their experience in the field in comparison to commissioned officers.

The Imperial Army is divided into several distinct branches. The bulk of the army is made up of the Stormtrooper Regiments, serving as the primary infantry and backbone of the army. The Armored Corps is composed of the Imperial Army’s tanks, APCs, IFVs, and is in charge of maintenance and repairs. Field Artillery is in charge of maintaining the Empire’s vast array of artillery batteries, including self-propelled and air-dropped equipment. In addition, they are in charge of maintaining ordnance and transportation of shells. The Chemical Warfare Corps is primarily in charge of manufacturing and deploying the chief chemical weapon known as PZ-18, a core component of xamon warfare. The Aviation Branch is the most elite of the branches, only allowing commissioned officers to serve, and is composed of the army’s fleet of gunships, airborne troopers, and drones.

The Special Forces Group is made up of the Raider Corps, PsyOps, and the Xama Guard, the premier special forces groups that serve as rapid assault units that succeed where the regular stormtroopers fail. The Shadow Operations Group is composed of the Shadow Troopers, who are equipped with stealth tech and silenced weapons, designed to go behind enemy lines and disrupt communications, command, and supplies. The Engineering Regiment is responsible for the creation of bridges, fortifications, repair of gear and equipment, and includes the specialist Sapper Corps, who work alongside the special forces units to destroy enemy fortifications and buildings. Ordnance Corpsmen are in charge of supply, delivering ammunition, armor repairs, and technical expertise to the battlefield. The Cyberwarfare Group is tasked with intercepting enemy communications, hacking terminals, and dealing with artificial intelligence. Specialists within the Cyberwarfare Group, referred to as Tech Troopers, serve alongside the infantry, disrupting enemy vehicles through hacking and deploying EMP grenades, as well as intercepting enemy drone attacks and even turning them against their original owners. The Communication Regiment is in charge of maintaining secure channels of communication between units, enlisted Communication Specialists also serve as radio operators and jammer specialists.

The Judicial Army Group is in charge of court marshals, war crime trials, as well as determining the rules of engagement for the entire army. The Regimental Commissariat is the branch of the Commissars, in charge of training and deploying them. Imperialist Battalions are the military police and supplementary infantry forces meant for protecting worlds and serving as reserves in times of crisis. Regimental Adjutant Staff members serve as assistants to high ranking senior officers, including enlisted personnel.

The Raider Corps, though it is called a corps, is not the size of a corps. It originally started as a corps, hence the reason for its name, but it is actually tens of millions of soldiers, approximately 15 Fronts, with all of its servicemen serving as elite career soldiers. The officer staff of the Raider Corps is led by a unique general rank known as the Raider Dracon of the Corps, a commissioned officer who is in charge of the entire Raider Corps, determining their insertion points and doctrine for specific operations.

## Equipment:

“They may not have the best gear, but the xamon army is still one of the deadliest armies I’ve ever had to face.”

* Viacota Gai Zelem on the Imperial Army

The Xamon Imperial Army has a vast and diverse arsenal and several uniforms and equipment. Starting with the standard uniform of active combat, the Storm Battle Armor is characterized by a black carbon fiber chestplate stapled into a synthetic fiber frame. The chestplate is segmented to allow for maximum flexibility, and is fastened over the Duty Uniform through a series of straps over the shoulders and around the waist. The shoulders are made of the same armor material, connected to the chestplate through the same fiber straps. Paired with the armor is the characteristic bird helmet of the Xamon Empire, a base Schtossbrost (Steel Helmet) is recognized by its wide skirt which tapers over the neck to protect the wearer from shrapnel. The bird mask functions like a visor, attached to the sides of the Schtossbrost by a set of hinges that fastens via an electromagnet on the mouthpiece of the helmet. Once locked in, the helmet provides a heads up display, with a flip-down sight over the left and right eyes that allows the wearer to see in infrared when necessary. The powerful filtration system is protected by an internal plasma vent, vaporizing dangerous chemicals and gases such as PZ-18, Chlorine, and even spravac gases.

Raiders and Xama Guard wear a different suit known as the Battle Carapace, a unique set of red and grey armor that is composed of a composite of hardened ceramic designed for heat dispersal and a personal energy shield.

Next are the duty uniforms, which are made up of the Tasisch, the Seuk, and the Grann. Meant for warm weather service, the Duty Tasisch is characterized by a synthetic fiber and cotton short sleeved blouse, colored in the brown and black “Battle Camouflage Pattern”. The trousers start flared outward, meant to be baggy and tucked into a pair of leather steel-toed boots. The trousers contain six different cargo pockets. Standard dress also requires the Tasisch blouse to be tucked into the trousers, with the wearer’s name sewed onto the right breast while the branch is sewed over the left side. The Tasisch is worn underneath Battle Armor in warm weather conditions. However, when out of combat, the Tasisch is worn for daily operations and protocol, worn after Morning Formation concludes until Lights Out at sundown.

The Seuk is characterized by its synthetic fiber blouse lined with thick wool. Meant for poor weather, the Seuk is also worn underneath the Battle Armor. Colored in the same BCP, the blouse is not tucked into the trousers unlike the Tasisch, instead it is characterized by a long coat that reaches down to the ankles, along with an optional fur-lined cape that is meant to reach the ground for snow or heavy rain.

The Duty Grann, recognizable by its distinct grey coloration, is identical to the Duty Tasisch. Meant for urban or trench warfare, the Grann is always worn by Imperial Special Forces and urban Stormtrooper Regiments. The Grann’s biggest difference in comparison to the Tasish is that the blouse is meant to be untucked, allowing for more ventilation when under the stress of combat.

For formal occasions, the xamon wear a variety of dress uniforms, including the Dress Greens and the Dress Blacks. Dress Green is the standard dress uniform of Morning Formation and Formal Ceremonies. Dress Greens are characterized by a dark forest green blouse with gold trim worn with a pair of black trousers and corframs. The collar is made of tanned leather, meant to be turned outward so that it frames the neck. The blouse has eight brass buttons, each bearing the Imperial Seal, which must all be buttoned. The Dress Greens are also to be worn with a pair of black leather gloves, which are worn when outside and the sun is out. Awards and ribbons are worn over the left chest pocket.

Characterized by an all black overcoat with silver trim along the seams, the Dress Blacks are meant for parades, funerals, and weddings. The overcoat is worn over the same trousers worn with Dress Greens, however this time they are tucked into a pair of knee high leather boots. The overcoat’s collar is splayed outward, displaying the rank of the wearer through brass pins fastened to the collar. The Blacks, unlike the Greens, which does not have a dress cover, is worn with a visored black and silver dress cover, with the center of the cover’s hat brass displaying the Imperial Seal. Like Dress Greens, any awards and medals appropriate for parades are worn over the left chest pocket.

In addition to the formal dress wear, the army also has two service uniforms meant for day to day work outside of the combat zone; the Service-E and the Service-C. Characterized by a brown wool and cotton fabric, the Enlisted Service Uniform, also known as Service-E’s, is a double breasted jacket worn over a white button up shirt and tucked in black tie. The jacket is decorated with black piping around the collar and cuffs, and the buttons, which all but the top are buttoned in, are colored black as well. The trousers are also brown, tucked into a pair of black leather boots. Service Uniforms are worn for general duty when not in a combat zone, as well as during social ceremonies such as regimental social gatherings or public outings. The Service-E is also worn with a simple brown dress cap and epaulettes displaying the enlisted rank of the wearer, the cap is decorated with the Imperial Seal on the forehead.

An all black and white uniform, the Commissioned Service, or Service-C’s, are worn by Commissioned Officers of the Xamon Imperial Army. The uniform is identical to the Service-E save for the obvious coloration difference. Additionally, to further distinguish themselves, Service-C’s are worn with a leather strap that goes across the right shoulder and fastens at a leather belt worn outside the jacket. The belt brass is silver rather than black, and bears the Imperial Seal along with a pair of laurel leaves, symbolizing the wearer as one of rank. The jacket also has black and silver epaulettes, showing the wearer’s rank and class.

As an officer, the Service-Cs are also worn with a ceremonial shortsaber known as a Trost, which is sheathed in a black leather sheath and worn at the opposite hip of the wearer’s dominant hand. On the other side of the belt is a black leather holster for a standard issue pistol. The cap is also different from the enlisted, this time also including the wearer’s rank above the Imperial Seal for further distinction from the Service-E.

For weaponry, the xamon army is best known for their fielding of standard issue gauss rifles and advanced ballistic weapons. Their standard issue service rifle, the Grauvēn 72, is an advanced semi-automatic blowback operated gauss rifle chambered in 30 caliber OPC, the standard cartridge for xamon gauss weapons. Though the Empire is attempting to phase out the G.72 in favor of the more compact and advanced Dreiz-Grauvēn or the Zoft-Grauvēn assault rifle, the G.72 is still a mainstay of the Imperial Army, as its penetrating power and reliability have allowed to it to persist within the armed forces.

The Dreiz-Grauvēn, the smaller carbine version of the Grauvēn 72, is considered an improvement over its predecessor. Featuring an advancing rotating accelerator, it is capable of firing 140 rounds per minute, nearly quadrupling the firing rate of the G.72. However, it is much harder to maintain due to its more complex design in addition to its lower penetration power, hence why it is more popular with Imperialists and army specialists rather than the mainline stormtroopers.

Officers and special forces equip themselves with the standard issue Zuber .45, a 10mm semi-automatic pistol that is renowned for its accuracy and reliability, almost never jamming due to its short-recoil operation design. The Zuber has since gone on to be immensely popular in the civilian and international sector, with hundreds of thousands of them being adopted by police forces around the galaxy.

The standard issue assault rifle of the Imperial Army, the Zoft-Grauvēn 3002 or ZG-02, is a gas-operated long stroke piston select-fire firearm chambered in .40-09 Splinter Point, a hollow-point rimmed bottleneck cartridge designed for ripping apart flesh and armor in close-combat engagements. The ZG-02 is issued to Raiders and Stormtrooper assault assets, meant to serve as a powerful casualty producing weapon meant to suppress the enemy during frontal assaults.

Xamon flame troopers deploy the handheld Volcano Rifle, a pressurized tube meant to spray out a jetstream of ignited diesel fuel. The liquid fire is designed to destroy fortifications, suppress, and terrify the enemy, allowing other units to pass through without coming under fire.

Often issued to Sapper Specialists and Tech Troopers, the Brute Shotgun is a 10 gauge semi-automatic shotgun that is also capable of chambering and firing slugs. Designed for obliterating close range targets in your tight corridors or trenches, the shotgun is beloved by Sappers for their accuracy and punch.

Along with the Zoft-Grauvēn, the xamon’s other principle machine gun is the Zoft-Lutz SAW. Chambered in 7.62x33mm, an intermediate cartridge, the ZL SAW is often called the “Empire’s Buzzsaw” due to its incredible rate of fire.

When it comes to explosives, the standard issue grenade is the P-29 PZ-18 Gas Grenade. Contained within a pressurized timed explosion, PZ-18 grenades are the mainstay of xamon ordnance. Also able to be launched from the 10 cylinder Multi-Grenade Launcher (MGL), PZ-18 gas is characterized by its terrifying ability to burn through most advanced gas mask filters, as well as interact with the molecules of polymer or glass lenses, causing them to crack and eventually shatter. The effects on the organic body include the melting of the eyes, scorching of the nostrils and mouth, rotting in the gums, and the regurgitation of shrivelled up and melted lungs. In addition to PZ-18 grenades, troopers are also issued standard issue K-5 Fragmentation Grenades.

In order to protect against this, the various patterns of Stossbrost feature plasmic vents to prevent the PZ-18 from entering. The xamon Stossbrost, easily the most recognizable feature of the Xamon Imperial Army, comes in several variations. The base and most widespread is the M6400 Steel Beak, which features the heads up display, infrared vision, and filtering system. The second most popular is the Night Owl Mk I, which features a more threatening visage and a segmented skirt on the back of the neck. Next is the M5616 Stalker, which is a light mask around a nylon and cotton cowl. Meant to be worn by specialists and the Imperialists, this cheaper but tough mask is an ancient but reliable model. Worn by the Raiders, the M89 Hawk Jaw, which was originally only meant for the Xama Guard before it was usurped by the Night Owl, is a compact and threatening design meant to strike fear into the hearts of the wearer’s enemies. Featuring a vocal distortion module designed to make the Raiders sound otherworldly and even demonic, the Hawk Jaw’s plasma vents can also be expelled on command, essentially allowing the Raider to breathe a jet of plasmic fire from his mouth while a new plasmic vent is reformed.

Along with their weapons and armor, xamon field troops are given a Famestag bayonet meant for melee combat and foraging. They are also issued a polypro fabric poncho that can also be constructed into a tent, a serrated entrenchment tool, food rations made from either preserved meat or vegetables, ceramic plated fingerless gloves, and a syringe for injecting morphine. Combat Medics are given a wrist mounted surgical module, complete with a gauze roll, a laser bonesaw, and a syringe.

Sappers are issued the Subbevon claymore, which is a small motion activated box filled with 700 cone shaped metal shards that devastate infantry. Additionally, they are given Mk.4 Tetron explosives, a type of plasmic C-4 that is capable of destroying vehicles, fortifications, and trenches.

Tech Troops are given a unique Cyberdeck capable of hacking into electronic devices and short circuiting them, disrupting enemy electronics. Communication Specialists are issued the HH-JD (Handheld Jamming Device), a small pillar-like device that jams local enemy communications. Additionally, as radio operators, they are given the Kostlon M40B Radio Telephone Pack, a backpack stored radio that is capable of providing communication throughout an entire company.

For all of the branches of the Imperial army, each soldier is issued specialized uniform accessories in the form of pins that they attach to the collars of their uniforms and on the left shoulder. For the Stormtroopers, the insignia is a pair of crossed gauss rifles with a skull in the center. The Armored Corps’ symbol is a M55 Direwolf Heavy Tank over a lightning bolt. The insignia of Field Artillery is a pair of crossed cannons while the Chemical Warfare Corps is a PZ-18 grenade. Aviation specialists wear a pin displaying a pair of wings behind a Volt Hawk fighter.

Special Forces have two insignias; the Xama Guard wear a shield with Xama in the center while the Raiders display a saber crossed with a ZG-02. The Shadow Operations Group insignia is a crescent moon over a hawk skull. The Engineering Regiment displays a flaming blowtorch. The Ordnance Corps shows a pair of cross Zuber pistols. Cyberwarfare’s insignia is a lightning bolt wreathing a bayonet. Communication specialists wear a radio tower surrounded by spears.

The Judicial Army Group symbol is an oil lamp and olive tree, two symbols from xamon folklore symbolizing duty and equal rights under the law. The Regimental Commissars wear a pair of crossed sabers with a peaked cover in the center. Imperialist Battalions are the only ones without an insignia, rather they wear the coat of arms of the planet they are tasked to protect while offensive and occupying forces wear the infantry pin. Regimental Adjutant Staff members wear a shield colored in the gold and green of the Imperial Seal.