recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Mechanocratic International

## Introduction

The **Mechanocratic International**, shortened to **MechIntern** and infrequently called the **Fifth International** (referring to the prior four socialist internationals), is a mutual cooperation and military alliance between mechanocratic countries in the Alternative Canon.

Founded in 2155, shortly after the establishment of the Tandi-Nama Accord, MechIntern consists of Mechanocratic Russia, the United European Mechanocracy and the United Dominion of Asian Peoples. It also incorporates, and seats representatives from, other extant socialist entities with ties to the Mechanocratic Ideology, notably the Cazadores and PROMEK. Most executive decisions in the alliance, however, are made by the 'big three', a triumvirate seating the leaders of its three main powers – Mecharussian Grand Curatrix Elena Trotskaya, European General Secretary Karel Anděl and Asian Premier Rong Dazhao.
Tandi-Nama Accord

The Tandi-Nama accord is an intergovernmental military alliance in the altcanon. The main bulk of its founding treaty was drawn up by McKenzy Tandi and Ilia C. Nama, giving the alliance its name. Its founding members were Ardavia, Britain, the New Frenco Empire and Luna, with the Unified States of South America joining the alliance several months later.

Founded in 2155 shortly after the loss of the majority of the European Federation to the United European Mechanocracy, core elements of its founding treaty were designed to contain the spread of mechanocracy and mechanocratic influence worldwide.

A number of defensive articles exist in the TN Treaty; the most significant of these is Article One, which any member-state can use to activate the Accord's collective defense protocols in the event of being attacked. Article Two merely triggers consultation between member-states, and can likewise be activated by any member.
Sixteen July Pact

*"You must surely know, Judicator, of the ongoing conflict between the Mechanocracy and Singaporean terrorists in the east."*

*"I figured. I also figure that **you're** their ringleader..."*

*"No. It is merely that the rebels and I share a common interest, and cooperate with each other as a result. It just so happens that that interest coincides with yours..."*

~ Pandemonium introduces Alain to the Pact

## Overview

The **Sixteen July Pact** is the name given to the Altcanon coalition between Pandemonium's Raiders, the Russian Mafia and the Singaporean Federative Republic of Vodorazdel and Primorskiy to bring down the Mecharussian state. The three factions, along with Sidh Judicator Alain, are, on the surface, united by a common hatred of Elena Trotskaya. Pandemonium, however, successfully manipulated the Pact to facilitate the pursuit of his real agenda - turn his nemesis over to his benefactor, the *"consumer of planes"* who had been pursuing an alien artefact referred to as 'the machine king'.

The Pact's name comes from the planned date of her demise: the 16th of July, 2152. After the attack failed and all of its leaders killed (except Alain), the Pact was all but dissolved.

## Notable appearances

* The Pact appears for the first and last time in *A Blood Debt*.
Pandemonium

*"I do not have a name, because names are for friends. One name that I have heard being tossed about as of late is 'Foxy', but I do not like that name. Foxes are craven beings. They eternally hide in the shadows and wait for the storm to pass. I do not. I am the clouds that sustain the storm. Where I step, I command and bend to my will chaos itself."*

~ Pandemonium introduces himself to Alain.

## Introduction

**Pandemonium** is an ork and the leader of the wasteland raider outfit known simply as 'Pandemonium's Raiders'. Thought to have been killed in 2134 by the Chthonian Elena Trotskaya during the Salvagings, he survived the Battle of Bezymianny Fortress that marked the end of the massive military campaign launched by the Mecharussian Armed Forces against him. Since then, he has remained in hiding, having made a vow to destroy Trotskaya for ending his nearly-successful bid to take over the world. In addition to being an incredibly-intelligent leader, elusive and physically-strong warrior, he is a very powerful psyker.

In the Alternative Canon, he and his raiders make a resurgence by exploiting the volatility of Russo-Synkom relations and, alongside Singaporean warlords Kristijan Zivkovic, Wahyu Sukanto and Sophie Bu, engineering a full-scale war between the Mecharussian Armed Forces and the irredentist Singaporean Federative Republic of Vodorazdel and Primorskiy.

## Personality

By every account a product of the failures of a nominally-democratic America, Pandemonium is a die-hard anarchist who would love for nothing more than to obliterate every single government on the planet. That, he believes, would allow for humans to experience true liberty, free from what he perceives as the oppressive grip of a ruling-class that will never truly be accountable to the majority irrespective of what democratic measures are implemented.

Chaotic in not just political outlook but his wider personality as well, Pandemonium's schemes are exceptionally difficult to predict and very often completely change on the fly, with every eventuality possible - a pragmatic necessity when functioning in a totalitarian state such as the Mechanocracy, with an omnipresent surveillance system and powerful security services with his head at the very summit of their kill-lists.

## Notable Appearances

* Though he receives several passing mentions in both canons, his first proper appearance in person is in the Altcanon RP *A Blood Debt*.

## Trivia

* Pandemonium is inspired by Gul'dan, a powerful warlock from the *Warcraft* universe, as well as the Joker from the *Batman* franchise.
6V24 Drakon

## Introduction

The **Gryazev-Shipunov 6V24 Drakon** Gatling laser is a type of squad automatic weapon that uses powerful laser blasts instead of bullets, in service with the Mecharussian Armed Forces from the 2140s onwards. It fights alongside the older PZ machine gun in infantry squads and as an antipersonnel weapon on armoured vehicles, serving as an intermediate between the PZ and the GShGm heavy chaingun.

Designed to replace the PZ shortly before the Second Russo-European War as an answer to newer suits of powered armour deployed by the Frenkish Imperial Vanguard Corps, the Drakon surpasses its predecessor in terms of firepower and accuracy. Each laser impact creates a small concussive plasma burst, inflicting heavy damage on sensitive, unprotected subsystems and carving through unarmoured infantry like butter.

## Notable Users and Uses

* Before it is replaced by a GShGm and later a TBP, Persey's pet spider-drone wields a Drakon on its hull.
* A Drakon is seen mounted onto an old UAZ-469 jeep in *To Struggle in the Way of Allah*.
Burnsap

Burnsap is a shrub native to the arid plains of Scatach Prime, it's most notable feature being it's poisonous and extremely irritating sap that lends it it's name.

Growing to roughly 4 meters in height, burnsap has thick, waxy leaves typical of plants in hot and arid climates. Every part of the plant contains potent toxins that cause severe irritation and blistering upon skin contact, to the point where simply touching the plant or even standing underneath it in rain will cause burns. Burning the burnsap wood will yield similar results via exposure to smoke, eye contact leading to extreme pain and temporary blindness with possible permanent damage, smoke inhalation likewise being extremely unpleasant and potentially lethal. In this respect, burnsap is very similar to Terran manchineel.

Despite being highly toxic to most Terran lifeforms, some native and introduced off-world creatures are largely immune to burnsap's effects. The local species of pantheraptor, for example, seem to be well-adapted against burnsap, capable of prowling the shrublands with no ill effect owing to their thick, leathery skin. Since pantheraptors aren't native to Scatach, the local variety likely being a genetically-altered form introduced sometime in the past, it is unclear to what degree this resilience is natural or whether it is a deliberately-engineered adaptation.
Safe zones

Safe zones are cities, towns or other communities under the formal protection of the Baltic Union government. They are usually well-fortified and large enough to field at least a battalion-strength force of men trained to Tier Two (i.e., professional military) standards.

The safe zones have their origins in the immediate post-Great War period, when the Baltic States militaries took control of areas with functional fallout shelters or comparable facilities of vital importance. These areas were designated "safe zones" under military protection, refugees with valuable skills being accepted and provided shelter and food in them. Granted, this protection wasn't extended to just any civilian out of pragmatic concerns, the very finite resources being reserved exclusively for those who possessed valuable skills that would be necessary to rebuild in the post-war world.

After the war, during the Colonel era, safe zones were redefined as areas capable of providing enough valuable resources and/or manpower to warrant full military protection.

Presently, the "safe zone" status is extended to any settlement capable of providing a battalion-strength force, or within the immediate area of operation of a battalion produced by such a settlement. Lesser settlements that acknowledge the authority of the Baltic Union government, but aren't awarded a safe-zone status, are still granted military protection, but are not eligible to delegate their candidates to government elections on their own, instead having to seek patronage of the nearest safe-zone government.
LSVX

The **LSVX** is a stealthy, laser-based sniper weapon designed by General Elena Trotskaya and based upon the technology used by the sophisticated LP-84 Koush laser pistol designed for use by the wasteland raider clans in 2084. The letters 'LSVX' are hypothesised to translate to 'Laser Sniper Rifle - Experimental', but in actuality it does not stand for anything, being a codename used by Trotskaya to help hide the schematic for the weapon from those who would want to steal it.

Until the LSVX entered service with the Special Purpose Guard Brigade in 2155 under the GRAU designation **6V50**, Trotskaya crafted only four working weapons: the first is kept in her huge personal armoury beneath her residence, the second was given to Atalanta, the third was gifted to Hadrian Kelly as a token of appreciation for his role in helping defeat the Sixteen July Pact in 2152, and Alfa Group marksman Aristarkh Kramar received the fourth during the Flight of the *Polunochnaya*.

## Notable users and uses

* The LSVX is first seen in *A Blood Debt* and is used by Kelly.
Gordon Kravchenko

*"I've been surrounded by war for no less than my whole life, and I can tell you this. War is not pretty, and it ain't glorious. It's fucking horrifying. The least I owe to every hapless bastard under my command is a war that is slightly less horrifying."*

~ Kravchenko, on war.

## Introduction

**Gordon Kravchenko** is the supreme commander of the Mecharussian Red Army. A talented general, he is known for his pacifistic outlook toward warfare and is keen to prevent absurd losses in combat. This often puts him at loggerheads with other commanding officers in the MAF, most particularly General Elena Trotskaya.

## Notable appearances

* Kravchenko appears in *To Struggle in the Way of Allah* as one of the primary antagonists.
Lucille

> *"Is her name Lucille? Did she just turn nine?"*
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> -Rachel Enns, moments before murdering Lucille's pimp
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## Introduction

***Lucille*** is a short story in Tales from the Frencoverse centering around Rachel Enns' days as a World City vigilante, set in the undercity in about 2145. *Lucille* serves as an introduction vessel for the character, detailing Enns' unsociable and violent tendencies to perceived injustices that surround her as she invades a small brothel housing a child prostitute.

## Plot Summary

The story opens with Enns relocating her clothes in a legitimately-operated brothel, waking her prostitute in the process. Enns overpays her with a hundred-credit piece before departing, relocating her weapon (a monstrous Judge shotgun, purchased from an arms dealer just prior to the night) she had thrown in the dumpster before entering the establishment. It is revealed that she enjoys these establishments, as she can satisfy her sexual lust without having to rely on charisma (which she lacks).

Enns recounts how she spends her days; training, having sex with hookers, and watching vigilante films, while at night, she plots, getting very little sleep in the process. She finds her mark; a tiny brothel housing a single child prostitute named "Lucille". After casually hanging outside the brothel, waiting for a moment to strike, she rebuffs the pimp's sexual advances, telling him she's gay. When she determines the time is right, she confronts the pimp over Lucille. After shrugging off his threats, she squeezes off a shotgun shell into his stomach, mortally wounding him.

After kicking the door in, she kills the bouncer and proceeds upstairs, to where a Lieutenant of the Harlem Citizen's Watch is being serviced by Lucille. After blasting her way through the door to the bedroom, the two exchange fire, the Lieutenant's hand being blown off and Rachel taking a bullet to the chest (saved by her bulletproof liquid kevlar vest). Lucille, naked and crying in the corner, watches as Rachel executes the boss in front of her, sending blood and brain matter in all directions. Rachel awkwardly apologizes before hearing police chatter bringing them to her location, prompting her to escape.

## Trivia

* The shootout scene in the story is a close, *close* match to the climax of Taxi Driver (spoilers) with a few key differences.
* True enough to her earlier word, she uses no more than the five shotshells in the Judge's cylinder (one to kill the pimp, one to kill the bouncer, one to blow the bedroom door open, one to wound the boss, and one to finish him off).
Pan-Terran Imperium

The **Pan-Terran Imperium** is an intergalactic hyperpower that encompasses tens of thousands of star systems (including tiny holdings outside of the Milky Way) and various alien races on top of it's human majority (the Ornandee, Seldik Hiveminds, and Zang'Tzk being the most notable). Although originally a military alliance of Earth's nations, it soon became a state of it's own. Considered the successor of the New Frenco Empire (who held almost all power in the organization, de facto if not always de jure), it also functions in a similar manner, being ruled in an authoritarian manner by an elite few and sporting an individualistic culture. The PTI's capital world is Earth.

Though once regarded the most powerful entity in the galaxy, a long series of various failures and setbacks in the mid-2200s allowed its chief rival, the Mechanocracy of Mankind, to eventually overtake it in power and relevance. The peak of this degradation was in 2271, where Mechanocratic fleets invaded Sol following Evgeniy Trotsky's defection to the PTI. This crippled the Imperium's military power. However, by 2300, the PTI is experiencing a rapid resurgence (attributed mostly to Joseph Hightower's return and the subsequent restructuring of the government and military buildup), and is well on it's way to return to it's previous state of unmatched strength and power.

wip
Patrick Luciano

> *"What the hell is this? You know who I am, tough guy? Know who you're dealin' with? I'm Patrick fuckin' Luciano! Maybe you heard a' me? Did my boys with the lasah guns not give it away?"*
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> *"And I am tired of your attitude, Mister Suit-and-Tie. You gonna give me what I need, or do I need to ask your little android floozy?"*
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> *"You...hehe, I like you already. I sees us gettin' along just fine..."*
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> -Patrick Luciano meets Private Detective Jonathon Rollins, 2152 (MC)
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## Introduction

**Patrick "The Rotter" Luciano** is a ghoul mobster and boss of the so-called Frenkish Mafia. Being born well before the start and subsequent end of the Great War, he is one of the oldest living people in the Solar System, and has spent nearly all of it locked into the trade of a mafioso, supposedly being the bastard child of an Irish mob boss' daughter and a low-ranking Italian gangster. Legend even has it that his surname "Luciano" indicates he is of the lineage of legendary American mafia boss "Lucky" Luciano, via an unknown bastard child of the original Luciano, though this has never been proven.

An extremely powerful criminal mastermind, he is among the most resourceful of his type within the Solar System, as, in his own words (in reference to the rise of the warlord Pandemonium, who was only really known as a hugely successful criminal in the western world), he "runs thousands and thousands of rackets and contraband runners. Exclusion zone, Europa...it don' matter. I've been runnin' it all since Pandemonium was still shittin' in his goddamn mutie diapers." He has been rumored to have many connections, from the world's many industries and organizations to New Rome itself. Many of his government contacts are reasonably high-ranking members of the government, most of which being bribed members of the Imperial Council, and as such, he has often been pegged as one of the most "difficult men to take down". His loyal android bodyguard and companion, Kat-E, was a gift from one such Councillor, and his Psionic Exhibitor a gift from another. However, one of his more unlikely allies is Imperial intelligence boss Jane Smyth, who often relies on Luciano for information in return for "lettin' me keep all my nice things and not givin' me the noose."

His nickname stems from one of his rivals earlier in the 22nd century. "It don't matter what the fuck you do, Rotting Luciano does just that; while you're workin' hard for your payday, he just sits there and fuckin' rots with his fat stacks."

## Trivia

* Patrick Luciano is based on a myriad of sources, both fictional and nonfiction. Most of the nonfictional sources are based on classic suit-wearing gangster types from the early 20th century (to fit the NFE's Legacyist theme), while one of the fictional sources include Prince Xizor from the Star Wars EU. Both are extremely powerful crimelords with extensive ties to their respective governments (Luciano to the NFE, Xizor to the Galactic Empire), and both have loyal female "droid" bodyguards.
Cryonic soda

## Introduction

**Cryonic soda** is a Mecharussian-developed chemical. Normally coming in the form of an iridescent white powder, it is a temperature-retentive thickening agent frequently applied to liquid nitrogen and liquid helium, allowing them to retain their chill for up to ten minutes at a time before boiling away. It is frequently referred to as 'reverse-napalm' for this similarity to true napalm, which thickens when gasoline is applied to it.

Cryonic soda was developed in the early 2140s, at first as an efficient coolant for spaceship engines and fusion reactors, but the scientists at Solstheimmetall Research Bureau were quick to realise the prototype chemical's potential as a weapon. Its primary application in warfare is in anti-vehicle munitions intended to lock up the working parts of tanks and light mechwalkers; these munitions can come in the form of 30-millimetre warheads fired from grenade launchers, or small, orange-sized sticky bombs (colloquially referred to as 'cryo-poppers'). It can also be used to deadly effect against infantry, the supercooled liquid causing near-instant frostbite and hypothermia on contact with organic tissue; to this end, a type of flamethrower-esque weapon nicknamed the 'cryothrower' was developed as a supplement to the O-39 plasmathrower during World War IV.

## Notable appearances

Cryonic soda appears at least twice in the Frencoverse.

* In *A Blood Debt*, Elena Trotskaya uses a custom-made cryo grenade fired from the underslung grenade launcher of her PP-2T Tiran to knock out a machine gun post during the ambush scene.
* In *The Fourteenth Chthonian*, Atalanta attempts to use cryo-poppers to disable Fred Harrigan, to little effect against the ork.
RIP-25

> *"Our commandos have guns that go through Sidh power armour like jokes through the Grand Curatrix. The penguin-fuckers stand the same chance as a herd of drunk sheep do in a fight with an enraged wendigo."*
> ~ Special Purpose Guard Brigade Colonel Svyatoslav Yazov, prior to battling Commonwealth troops during World War IV (AC).
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## Introduction

The **RIP-25** (translates to **Handheld Ion Repeater**), sometimes called the **RIP-T**, is a firearm in service with the Mecharussian Armed Forces from early 2152 onwards in both the Alternative and Main Canon. Being considered the pinnacle of infantry-based plasma/ion weaponry, it sees active service for many, *many* years after its introduction, being observed in action as late as the 2270s in the Main Canon. Initially, like its predecessor the AVP, it is only seen in action with elite troops, particularly the Spetsnaz and the Novaya Chthonians, but by the apex of World War IV and the Third Russo-European War it is in general military usage.

The RIP-25 is known for being highly adaptable, able to accommodate many different weapon attachments and coming with many plasma concentration settings. This allows it to be a powerful workhorse of the Mecharussian armies and later those of the Mechanocracy of Mankind. More importantly, it fulfils the requirements for a standardised arsenal as stipulated by the Trotskaya Reforms, cheapening manufacture and making logistics a far easier undertaking.

The unmatched versatility of the RIP-25 is not its only perk, however. Even when firing in standard mode, a single ion bolt is more powerful than even the sniper-mode of the original AVP, cutting through powered armour with ease - the sniping mode of the RIP-25 is equivalent in power to a 23-millimetre cannon. At the time of its introduction, it was widely accepted amongst the Mecharussian brass to be a superior weapon system to anything that the West could possibly field.

## Notable appearances

* RIP-25s first appear in *PTFS in Chaos* under the name RIP-T: they are used by Colonel Victor Golovkin and the Alfa Group.
* They appear in *A Blood Debt*, again in the use of the Alfas.
* They are extremely commonplace in *Flight of the Polunochnaya* - every Spetsnaz and Chernydrakon trooper aboard the MSS *Polunochnaya* is armed with at least one of its variants.
J9-75

*"Do you honestly believe you're even remotely a match for me? I am the herald of a new generation of perfect soldiers. **YOU** are merely a glorified, barely-sentient pile of mutated flesh in equally-ostentatious body armour."*

~ J-Nine, during a chance encounter with a Vanguard Control Corps soldier.

## Introduction

**Jian 9-75**, shortened to **J9-75** (which in turn is shortened to **J-Nine**), is a Jian-class hypersoldier in the service of the United Dominion of Asian Peoples, and particularly its leader, General Secretary Rong Da Zhao. Fabricated in 2148, J-Nine is fabricated from synth technology acquired from 'courser' prototypes manufactured by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before the nuclear apocalypse of 2077 and also from Mecharussian cybernetics tech.

J-Nine's weapon of choice is a magnetic field manipulator, the technology for which was procured from an autopsy of deceased Chthonian soldier Circe, killed by Frenkish Colonel Fred Harrigan during the Ten Years' War. He also carries on his person a PP-2T Tiran heavy plasma pistol bearing a dragon's head flash hider, a custom-manufactured gift to his boss by General Elena Trotskaya which he passed down to his bodyguard.

## Personality

Belligerent, sadistic and exceptionally arrogant, J-Nine genuinely believes that he is the template for the ultimate in soldiering technology - in spite of the fact that he possesses neither the technological sophistication nor expertise of the Chthonians from whom his technology is based. Notwithstanding this, however, nobody has yet been able to prove his hubristic assertions wrong: he boasts a personal kill-count of as many as 30 Imperial Intelligence Agency operatives sent to assassinate Premier Rong in addition to several personal enemies of his boss both outside and within the ruling party's inner circle.

## Notable appearances

* The creator of J-Nine claims to have introduced him to the Frencoverse as one of Rong's bodyguards in the same icebreaker RP where Rong himself makes his debut. He also appears prominently outside of the Frencoverse in the *LittleBigPlanet* mini-series 'Fifth Winter'.

## Trivia

* Like his boss Rong, J-Nine was created by the brother of the Mecharussian canon's author and lifted (with his permission) for use in the Frencoverse.
6B51-T heavy assault armour

*"Keep yer head down kiddo, 'coz things are about to get **reeeeeeal** fuckin' ugly!"*

~ Kommersant to Deimos.

## Introduction

The **6B51-T heavy assault armour**, more commonly known as the **Third Generation** heavy assault armour, is a suit of heavy powered armour designed for the Mecharussian Armed Forces. Adopting elements from the bulkier 6B47-T heavy assault armour and blending them together with those from light mechs, the 6B51-T is far stronger than standard armour at the cost of being slightly slower and larger.

## Characteristics

With the help of overlapping 20-millimetre durasteel trauma plates and reactive armour designed to defeat explosives, a heavy assault trooper wearing this armour is almost invulnerable to conventional infantry attack, deflecting bullets of almost any size short of autocannon-calibre and beyond. As a result, the Mecharussian HAT is a terrifying spectacle on the battlefield, easily capable of mowing down vast numbers of enemy infantry with his GShGm heavy chaingun and sweeping up the rest with a blast from an O-39 fusion flamethrower. One core weakness of the HAT, however, is vulnerability to plasma attack: even the AVP, set to launcher mode, has been shown to beat a HAT with a single well-aimed blast.

The powered helmet that the 6B51-T possesses is a modification of the 6B35 powered helmet, outfitted with the same respirator, tactical heads-up display, inbuilt voice amplification and translation software, and sonar pulse projector as its lighter counterpart. The location of the power source is the same as well - built into the back of the helmet.

An interesting way in which the 6B51-T differs from previous models of HA armour is that the weapons, rather than being carried by the trooper, are linked up to the wrists. Not only does this allow the trooper to carry an extra heavy weapon, literally doubling his firepower, it also frees up his hands for other uses. A more unusual loadout seen in action is a plasma torch mounted onto the left wrist hardpoint, a stormhammer in the trooper's hands and a back-mounted jump jet. Such a deadly close combat loadout is very rarely encountered, however, being almost exclusively used by the Black Coats' heavy assault units.
Magellanic Race

The Magellanic Race was an intelligent spacefaring civilization, originating somewhere in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which reached its peak several million years ago before largely disappearing within a relatively short space of time. At its height, it is believed to have controlled portions of every galaxy within the Local Group, and it is thought to have been the only civilization of its scale in the nearby galactic neighbourhood to date. Its fate remains unknown.

The Magellanic Race supposedly had vaguely-defined ties to Shinji Sakahara.

## Technology

Due to their being capable of travelling intergalactic distances, they are hypothesized to have had access to a method of FTL travel and communication thousands of years ahead of the understanding of any known civilization, capable of travelling orders of magnitude faster and anything currently known. This is due to the fact that in order to sustain an intergalactic civilizationns, they must have been able to communicate across intergalactic distances very quickly; any known technology would take hundreds of years to send a message even to the nearest galaxies and thousands to send any vessel.

They are believed to have been responsible for seeding life on planets and moons and for terraforming them, eventually constructing 'genesis devices' capable of performing both tasks extremely quickly as well as constructing unmanned ships to carry and deploy them autonomously.

## Influence

Several older spacefaring races, including the Utan, appear to have incorporated the Magellanic Race or their fabled technological wonders into their religions to some degree; this is likely due to coming into contact with what small remnants of their technology exist.
PTRV-32

The **Anti-Tank Rifle of the Volkovsky System, Pattern 2132**, or **PTRV-32**, is a heavy single-shot anti-materiel cannon chambered for 57x280mm shells. Usually operated by a two-man crew, its prime function in the Mecharussian Armed Forces is to destroy fortifications and medium-to-heavy armoured vehicles, allowing troops to push forward with ease.

The PTRV-32 serves this function well into the 2140s and 50s, until it is ultimately replaced for its original purpose by the much more powerful 125mm 2A52 Burya assault cannon, used for the same role by heavy assault troopers. Even after 2152, it is still used by standard-pattern HATs for a light anti-armour role until the introduction of the RRG-25-7 Smerch rocket grenade launcher into military service as of 2154, when it is phased out wholesale after 22 years of service.

## Notable users and uses

* Alfa Group marksman Nikita Markhov uses one to destroy a Syncretic Combine Strider synth being used by the Singaporean Federative Republic of Vodorazdel and Primorskiy.
Er-7 Kolibri

## Introduction

The **Ermakov Military Systems Manufactory VTOL Pattern 7 *Kolibri*** (Hummingbird), shortened to **Er-7 Kolibri**, is a VTOL dropship in service with the Mecharussian Armed Forces. Commissioned by Grand Curatrix Elena Trotskaya herself as a comprehensive replacement for the older Ka-91 Gus dropship in 2155, the Er-7 would go on (in the Main Canon) to see service in the Third Russo-European War, the Utannic invasion of Sol and (in the Altcanon) the invasion of Jotunheim.

## Features

Nowhere near as heavily-armed as its predecessor, but just as well-protected with a strong energy shield and magnetic armour, the Er-7 is designed to carry exactly ten soldiers in its cargo hold - the composition of a squad in the MAF - as well as its pilot. The twin ion repeaters on the side are controlled by the VTOL's AI system.

The passengers are housed inside of tubular drop pods that can be ejected either by the pilot or by the pod's occupant. This set-up allows the dropship to 'bomb' a landing zone, deploying a full squad in an instant with minimal risk to itself as it immediately flies away into the distance. When in vehicle carrier configuration, it can also deploy a T-150 light hovertank in this way. The Er-7 can also deploy troops the more conventional way should the pod launch systems prove faulty: landing, disembarking its passengers, and taking off again.

Additionally, it is capable of single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) flight and supermanoevrability.
Genetic Manipulation

## Overview

**Genetic manipulation** is the act of manipulating genes of an organism from the interactions and influences of other external organisms (more specifically, human-to-human experimentation) to suit an external purpose. Most of the time — if not all of the time — genetic manipulation is used to organically create (super)soldiers and experiments without the use of artificial products such as augmentation, although it can also be used for civilian roles, such as curing a potential disease down a familial generation, to engineering a new race altogether. Certain nations use genetic manipulation to combat birth defects normally common in human offspring; this is most commonly noted in nations that use artificial wombs and selective genetic trait-induction, such as the New Frenco Empire.

There are two main and standardized methods to genetic manipulation: singular emending, which edits the genes of haploid gametes and/or the zygote itself, and multi-emending, which employs edited DNA and RNA polymerase injected into the bloodstream and lymph nodes of one's body in order to individually edit cells. Multi-emending is noted as extremely painful once the nerve cells are reached, but yields a more quick result from an organism.

A rough form of genetic manipulation is utilized through radiation blasts, which mostly randomizes genetic code in order to strike a potentially benefiting mutation.

[expand with your own nation's info]

## Imperium of Sidhae

Sidh society has perfected various augmentation technologies including genetic manipulation to the level of an art, Sidh geneticists being capable of writing entire genetic codes and creating fully-functional multicellular life.

Most of their creations, however, are merely more subtle alterations or enhancements to existing organisms. For example, countless Terran species have been modified to various degrees as part of terraforming or species introduction projects. Other, commercially cultivated species are altered for improved productivity or useful side-properties (for example, edible cultivars that double as solar cells).

Sidhae also constantly re-engineer and upgrade their own genes as well. The usual method of alteration is nanites, which effectively serve as more efficient forms of retroviruses used in previous generations of gene therapy. The nanite-based alteration is more efficient in that it allows to target specific genes with high precision throughout the body, rewriting one's genome in situ. This often overlaps with nano-augmentation, which involves the use of nanites to generate artificial structures within the body that would otherwise be too complex and/or delicate to implant by conventional surgical means.

Genetic manipulation and other augmentation technologies are so commonplace throughout the Imperium as to have become an intrinsic part of the Sidh identity.
James McKenna

**James Frederic McKenna** (born June 6th, 2092) is the 11th Governor of the Commonwealth as of 2158, having entered his second service term after winning the 2158 election. He is a former General of the LCF, served as TCOMNOR from 2139 to 2150 (and as such, during the entire six-year South American Bush War), and as Governor he most importantly oversaw the Commonwealth's entry into the alliance with the Old World Conglomerate and Luna known as the NSC.

In the altcanon, he steps down as Governor in 2158 after seeing the nation through WWIV, and retires to a secluded location in the countryside of South America.

## Personal History

### Early Life and Career

Born in 2092 as part of the first generation born after the bombs fell, McKenna studied at the Commonwealth University, where his achievements earned him a place at the Pandora Academy of Military Science, from where he graduated as part of the class of 2115. Offered a commission in the LCF, he enlisted as a Second Lieutenant the same year. A talented officer and leader of men, McKenna rose rapidly through the ranks, reaching the rank of Brigadier at the extremely young age of 41. At the age of 47 in late 2139, McKenna (a Lieutenant General at the time) was assigned as TCOMNOR, a role in which he would stay until his retirement from the CAF in 2150 and entry into politics.

### South American Bush War

-The Torch Order, otherwise known as General Order 137
Serving as theater commander through the entirety of the Bush War between 2141 and 2147, McKenna has been criticized for his actions in combating the Cazadore guerrilla movement, most notably Operation Torch, which authorized CSOCOM to launch operations across the border in order to find and destroy guerrilla bases in USSA territory supporting raids into the Commonwealth. While this strained relations with the USSA, it has also been cited as one of the primary reasons the CAF managed to eventually suppress the insurgency.

### Political Career

Having retired from the CAF in 2150, McKenna begun a career in politics, successfully running for Governor in 2152. As Governor, McKenna oversaw the 2153 Army reforms, was one of the driving forces behind the Commonwealth entry into the NSC, and introduced several legislative reforms (including healthcare and social service reforms) that led to him being reelected by a landslide majority in 2158.

In the altcanon, McKenna leads the Commonwealth into a similar geopolitical alliance, in particular the Tandi-Nama Accord. In 2158, he retires after WWIV, and leads a secluded life until his death.

## Trivia

* McKenna is a conglomeration of several characters the author has previously invented, along with some aspects of Aleksandr Kerensky of the BattleTech franchise.
* While officers reaching general officer rank at the ages of 30 and below in wartime are not unheard of, McKenna is notable for having achieved that rank at a mere 41 years of age during peacetime.
Combination Z

**Combination Z** is the name of the special armour used by the FV355 and FV605 main battle tanks. It is a descendant of late 20th-century Chobham special armour, and was originally invented for the FV305 project in 2084.

Combination Z consists of tiles of nanotube-reinforced ceramic (the specific material being classified) inside a depleted uranium matrix sandwiched between titanium-alloy plates. Combination Z tiles are housed inside armour cavities, alongside NERA arrays (perforated rubber between steel plates) that serve to trigger and destabilize penetrators (be they shaped charges, EFP's or KEP's) before they reach the actual armour arrays.

With a rough mass efficiency of 4 against KEP, Combination Z requires significantly more armour mass and volume to protect against threats compared to durasteel constructions like the T-100. However, it remains in use owing to the fact that the composition and creation of durasteel is unavailable to Ardavian engineers.
Earth

*"This is our world, xeno, and we shall die to protect it from your like!"*

~ Grand Curatrix Elena Trotskaya to Utannic General Vaasi Idris. (Quite ironically, almost a hundred years later, it is Trotskaya who eventually destroys the planet herself.)

## Overview

**Earth**, sometimes called **Terra** or **Sol III**, is a medium-sized temperate terra planet in the Sol system. Divided between the constituent nations that make up the human race, it later (in the Main Canon) becomes the capital world of the Pan-Terran Imperium until, in 2271, it is destroyed by a Mechanocratic *Chernabog*-class hyperdreadnought - controlled by Supreme Leader Elena Trotskaya and used in a fit of bloodthirsty rage upon learning that her son, Evgeniy Trotsky, defected to the Imperium.

## Characteristics

Earth is 6,378 kilometres in equatorial radius and has a surface gravity of exactly 1 g (or 9.8 metres per second/32 feet per second). Its climate varies wildly depending on location - a typical characteristic of terra-class planets. Scarred by almost incessant warfare and especially by the nuclear apocalypse of 2077 and the Utannic invasion of Sol, much of the planet is heavily irradiated through liberal deployment of nuclear weapons in the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries. This has had a profound effect on the biosphere, most extant wildlife on Earth having been mutated by the intense radiation. After the Great War, Earth's appearance from outer space drastically changed, with the once blue oceans now considerably darker, and the land visibly barren, with the exception of the bright green overgrowth dominating the central North American continent. After Trotskaya's attack in 2271, Earth is completely unrecognizable, being nothing more than an uninhabitable rock with deep, visible cracks, revealing the magma below.

Human activity has also all but exhausted much of Earth's resources, especially its hydrocarbon supplies. While Mechanocratic Russia, one of the planet's superpowers, has all but solved that problem by switching to nuclear fusion power and synthesising its own hydrocarbons through the process of 'hyperfossilising' organic matter, Earth's own resource stocks (or lack thereof) has necessitated that the nations of humanity expand into the rest of the Solar System. The New Frenco Empire, for instance, has colonised most of the Martian surface and the asteroid belt, while the Mechanocracy maintains unilateral control over the Jupiter planetary system.

## Notable appearances

* Earth appears in every RP in the Frencoverse - the only location to hold this accolade so far.
9A48 Kerambit

The **Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant (IzhMash) 9A48 Kerambit** is a Mecharussian personal-defence weapon designed for use by SVB and KGB operatives as an easily-concealable firearm. It is a *greatly*-shortened Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifle chambered in 5.45x39mm rounds for high stopping power compared to other weapons of its class, able to be hidden in even a small coat with ease, and can also be fitted with a PBS-4 sound suppressor.

Because of how easy it is to hide one and smuggle it into a restricted area, the Kerambit is one of the few ballistic weapons that are banned wholesale for use by civilians. As a result of both that and its uselessness for general military service (the calibre being too small to penetrate modern body armours), Kerambits are found almost exclusively in SVB and KGB armouries, what few examples fall into civilian hands doing so as a result of agent defections.

## Notable users and uses

* Boris Ivankov, henchman of Mecharussian hitman Vyacheslav Drago, wields a Kerambit as a sidearm. He is observed using it against Alain and Wahyu Sukanto in *A Blood Debt*.
Stormhammer

## Introduction

**Stormhammers** are a type of melee weapon. Originally designed as a powerful and highly destructive mining tool by the Mariposa orks living in eastern Siberia, it has entered service in the Mecharussian Armed Forces as a powerful implement of destruction. Its most notable users in modern times are the Chthonian Akhilles, the Diomedian hypersoldiers and the heavy assault troopers of the three Black units (the Black Dragons, Black Coats and Black Reavers).

A similar weapon known as a thunder hammer exists in the Imperium of Sidhae.

## Function

The stormhammer's beastly destructive power is unleashed through a discharge from an unstable fusion core housed in the hammer's head: the thunderous blast of plasma is akin to a powerful shaped-charge, focused into a deadly cone. Stormhammers have been observed destroying even modern tanks in a single strike, enemy infantry obviously not representing a problem for them. The might of the stormhammer is offset by its considerable bulk, requiring massive physical brawn to even wield, more still to swing it with any measure of lethality. Each hammer-strike also necessitates the fusion core to be replaced and recharged, though modern stormhammer designs come with wireless power transfer modules, allowing independent recharge of the core.

## Trivia

* The stormhammer is based upon the thunder hammer from *Warhammer 40,000*, which is almost identical in function. The weapon's name, however, comes from a dwarven weapon in the *Warcraft* universe, which operates more like a magical hand grenade than a war-hammer.
Aerospace Fighter

**Aerospace fighters** are spacecraft used by the Commonwealth Aerospace Defense Forces, launched from assault carriers and used to provide a forward screen against enemy spacecraft. They are similar to conventional fighter aircraft, but are capable of operating both in atmosphere and in space, which makes them far more versatile. They use fast-pumping dual-chambered fusion engines, instead of the jet or turbine engines usually employed by conventional fighters, which makes them immune to engine stalling. They are also significantly larger and heavier than most conventional fighters (reaching 60-70 meters of length), which overall make them more durable and provides comparatively more space for their loadouts. However, they are much more expensive and perform worse in-atmosphere than conventional fighters, and as a result jet fighters remain in use with groundside units.

Aerospace Fighters use special control gloves and a specialized "neurohelmet" that detects neural impulses to allow for much quicker and more efficient maneuvers compared to traditional control sticks. The neurohelmet also provides a virtual reality display covering the entire cockpit, allowing for a greater amount of information to be displayed. Pilots also wear special suits to protect against the side-effects of high-G maneuvers. Aerospace Fighters normally carry a crew of at least two (pilot and co-pilot/navigator), though the Viper class of ASFs had three crewmembers (pilot, co-pilot/navigator, and gunnery officer).

When tasked with screening against enemy spacecraft, Aerospace Fighters typically carry a loadout of four nuclear-tipped anti-ship missiles in addition to their battery of forward-firing PPCs.
Melee weapons

**Melee weapons** are a type of weaponry that have been designed for the specific purpose of close-quarter combat with an enemy combatant, without the use of projectiles or merely one's fists (with the exception of power fists). Universally employed by almost all societies, until the gradual drift of preference towards ranged weapons during the First Age of Exploration, melee weapons still exist as a form of emergency weapon — or, by certain types of soldiers, their main and primary weapon against lesser and weaker infantry.

## List of melee weapons

Listed below is a comprehensive list of melee weapons that are featured within the Frencoverse, with their appropriate nation of origin.

* 6Kh52 fusion sword (Mechanocracy of Russia)
* Excidium (Mechanocracy of Russia)
* Mark IV Disruptor Sword (Luna)
* Stormhammer (Mechanocracy of Russia)

## Trivia

* Despite melee weapons often being viewed as "primitive" on the battlefield, modern-day melee weapons are crafted to such a degree of strength and versatility, that their effectiveness in trained hands overrides any notion of weakness.
* Certain soldiers have been trained specifically to wield melee weapons, either due to the power that they can deliver, or the general destruction of morale that they often provide.