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Description
Technology Profile: Lasers and Superlasers

Human use of the laser predates recorded history, with some historians arguing that they were invented prior to the Ash Winter. A primitive, simple technology, lasers are considered one of the signs of a civilized society, and any society that cannot produce simple lasers are considered uncivilized by the galactic community. Lasers have a multitude of uses, and most lasers are used for precise measurements. Even the poorest Imperial peasant has a laser measure, a necessity for working wood, metal and stone. Lasers are also used by low-tech worlds to communicate between orbital and planetside installations, as they are the cheapest, reliable form of light-speed communication.

However, the most commonly perceived use of the laser is as a weapon. Laser weapons were once the battlefield weapon, and were used to great effect by the Solar Federation and the Martian Technocracy during their wars. Reliable, durable, and - most importantly - cheap, the laser rifle was, and remains, humanity's ally. Laser rifles are easy to operate; in fact, even children can use them, and they often do. All a user has to do is point the red dot sight at the intended target, and pull a trigger. With no recoil, gravity or wind to account for, an Imperial lord can quickly raise an army from his peasants so long as he has enough laser rifles. Because of their simplicity and low cost, laser rifles are the most common weapon in the galaxy, found predominantly in the hands of civilians: private homeowners, Imperial levies, and police forces. In fact, it is rumored that there are more laser rifles in the Milky Way than there are humans. However, lasers have low power output compared to modern weapons such as blasters and phasers. Because lasers do heat damage, the development of modern heat-resistant materials has rendered the laser rifle largely obsolete on the battlefield. In fact, power output is so low that the standard laser rifle cannot melt through infantry body armor unless used in large numbers.

Lasers are found in military use in very limited circumstances, where their disadvantages have been mitigated in some way or another. The most common use for lasers is on shipboard point defense systems. Drones and missiles are often lightly armored and shielded, if they are shielded at all, and a starship reactor can provide more than enough power for high-powered laser point defense systems. Lasers provide lightspeed defense against incoming fire, much more quickly than other weapons such as blasters. While these systems are too weak to melt capital ship armor or do any significant damage to capital ship shields, they do enough damage to shoot down most drones and missiles. The exception are bomber drones, such as the Imperial Gemnon-wing bomber drone, which are often heavily shielded for their size; these require heavier firepower.

Some civilizations prefer lasers for one reason or another. The Citizens' Alliance Navy has pursued laser development further than other galactic civilizations, owing to their preference for simple, tried-and-true technology. Alliance laser systems are surprisingly powerful and fire rapidly, capable of competing with Imperial blasters and Federation shipboard phasers. Alliance engineers have developed laser systems to give them much greater power output than most galactic models. The Alliance mounts lasers on their gunships, allowing them to destroy large numbers of incoming drones and missiles so they can safely deliver their payload of Alliance Marines deep within an enemy ship. Larger lasers are mounted down the spine of Alliance destroyers and cruisers, functioning similarly to Consortium spinal coilguns. These laser cannons can provide devastating firepower to an Alliance fleet, which is sorely needed due to the Alliance Navy's general inferiority compared to its opponents. While Alliance laser cannons are powerful, they do require a moment to charge up, glowing bright red as they do so. After firing, they also need some time to cool down. This reduces the effectiveness of laser cannons, but a dozen Alliance destroyers firing their laser cannons at once at a target can bring down even the larger battleships.

The Solarian Community also prefers lasers, primarily because their culture believes that lasers are more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly. Solarian lasers are weaker than their Alliance counterparts, but still carry a considerable payload. The advantage the Solarians have over their opponents is that their lasers can fire very rapidly, and from extreme ranges. The Solarians have perfected laser crystal harmonization, allowing their lasers to stay coherent for much greater ranges. This allows the Solarians to fight from distances where light lag is significant; where other galactic powers may be forced to close in, the Solarians can fight several astronomical units away. This allows the Solarians to strike first in most engagements, and to run away before their enemies can retaliate effectively.

The most infamous laser weapon system still in use is the superlaser, which has been adopted as a weapon of mass destruction by the entire galaxy. The concept behind the superlaser is that several independent laser cannons can focus their heat on one central refracting crystal, combining their firepower into one destructive beam. This considerably increases the power output of a laser weapon system, without requiring any changes to a laser gun's design. The original superlasers were mounted on the Galactic Republic's city destroyers: a superlaser "dish" mounted on the belly of a capital ship, and used to destroy enemy cities with a single shot. These weapons allowed the Republic to conquer their neighbors and establish themselves as the galactic power. City destroyer superlasers would be used by the Republic's successor states, before being phased out of use by the First Empire in favor of the Tick Swarm. Superlasers would remain an archaic weapon throughout history, forgotten by the Second Empire, until being rediscovered by the Rationalist Church during the reign of Ylsanna the Great. Ylsanna's predecessors were weak and, after the Federal Revolution, they had allowed several anti-Emperors to establish themselves in sectors throughout the galaxy. While Ylsanna's father, Arekshav V, succeeded in reducing their holdings to single worlds, the anti-Emperors hid on fortress worlds. These worlds were fortified down to the core, with planetary shields powerful to repel anything short of the entire Imperial Navy bombarding the world at once. Arekshav V managed to bring one anti-Emperor - Marav the Pretender - to justice, but only after launching a major invasion of his fortress world of Rennevkrad Prime. The Empire was victorious, but at the cost of six hundred million dead and injured Imperial troops. Rennevkrad Prime remains a tomb world of the Empire, a reminder of the sacrifices made to secure Imperial rule. Arekshav V died mere weeks after his victory, leaving his daughter with nearly a dozen anti-Emperors challenging her rule.

Ylsanna tasked the Rationalist Church and the Scholastics to forge a weapon powerful enough to bring the rest of the anti-Emperors down. The superlaser was proposed to Ylsanna, with the Rationalist Church promising her that, properly scaled, no planetary shield in the galaxy could withstand power of its magnitude. When asked how large the superlaser must be, the Church replied that the machine would have to be powered by a hypermass reactor as large as a small moon. Unwilling to sacrifice the number of lives her father had in bringing the galaxy back together, Ylsanna approved of the project. The first World Fortress was built in 301,074 AFC, its name being a ruse to trick the anti-Emperors into thinking that the machine was merely an Imperial Navy base. Indeed, World Fortress I was an Imperial Navy base, but it also housed a massive superlaser on its equator. The superlaser was tested in the presence of Ylsanna and the entire Imperial court on the derelict world of Krev V. Krev V was equipped with a planetary shield comparable to those protecting the anti-Emperors. With a single blast, Krev V was destroyed, its debris flung to the far corners of the Krev system. With tears in her eyes, Ylsanna proclaimed that this was a historic moment, and told her entire court: "Fear will keep the systems in line. Fear of this battle station. No one will dare question the Empire now." Her famous words would be engraved above the control room of every World Fortress since, to remind Imperial commanders of their sacred role in maintaining Imperial peace.

The Empire began construction of World Fortresses to bring an end to the anti-Emperors. One by one, their worlds were destroyed by World Fortresses; even those that attempted to surrender were destroyed. Debris from their destroyed worlds were recovered and carved into statues of Ylsanna the Great and each of the Four Saints. These statues surround Ylsanna the Great's tomb on Dondrukovskrad Prime. After putting down the anti-Emperors, Ylsanna the Great went on to reclaim several star systems for the Empire in the Second Federation-Empire War, but her plans to destroy the Federation capital world of Phobetor Prime were foiled by the installation of interdictor stations around the system. These stations disrupted hyperspace travel to Phobetor Prime and any of the Federation's main systems. Ylsanna the Great died before she could end her war with the Federation, and her successor, Arekshav VI, made peace before the Federation deployed their own World Fortresses against the Empire.

Description
Technology Profile: Lasers and Superlasers

Human use of the laser predates recorded history, with some historians arguing that they were invented prior to the Ash Winter. A primitive, simple technology, lasers are considered one of the signs of a civilized society, and any society that cannot produce simple lasers are considered uncivilized by the galactic community. Lasers have a multitude of uses, and most lasers are used for precise measurements. Even the poorest Imperial peasant has a laser measure, a necessity for working wood, metal and stone. Lasers are also used by low-tech worlds to communicate between orbital and planetside installations, as they are the cheapest, reliable form of light-speed communication.

However, the most commonly perceived use of the laser is as a weapon. Laser weapons were once the battlefield weapon, and were used to great effect by the Solar Federation and the Martian Technocracy during their wars. Reliable, durable, and - most importantly - cheap, the laser rifle was, and remains, humanity's ally. Laser rifles are easy to operate; in fact, even children can use them, and they often do. All a user has to do is point the red dot sight at the intended target, and pull a trigger. With no recoil, gravity or wind to account for, an Imperial lord can quickly raise an army from his peasants so long as he has enough laser rifles. Because of their simplicity and low cost, laser rifles are the most common weapon in the galaxy, found predominantly in the hands of civilians: private homeowners, Imperial levies, and police forces. In fact, it is rumored that there are more laser rifles in the Milky Way than there are humans. However, lasers have low power output compared to modern weapons such as blasters and phasers. Because lasers do heat damage, the development of modern heat-resistant materials has rendered the laser rifle largely obsolete on the battlefield. In fact, power output is so low that the standard laser rifle cannot melt through infantry body armor unless used in large numbers.

Lasers are found in military use in very limited circumstances, where their disadvantages have been mitigated in some way or another. The most common use for lasers is on shipboard point defense systems. Drones and missiles are often lightly armored and shielded, if they are shielded at all, and a starship reactor can provide more than enough power for high-powered laser point defense systems. Lasers provide lightspeed defense against incoming fire, much more quickly than other weapons such as blasters. While these systems are too weak to melt capital ship armor or do any significant damage to capital ship shields, they do enough damage to shoot down most drones and missiles. The exception are bomber drones, such as the Imperial Gemnon-wing bomber drone, which are often heavily shielded for their size; these require heavier firepower.

Some civilizations prefer lasers for one reason or another. The Citizens' Alliance Navy has pursued laser development further than other galactic civilizations, owing to their preference for simple, tried-and-true technology. Alliance laser systems are surprisingly powerful and fire rapidly, capable of competing with Imperial blasters and Federation shipboard phasers. Alliance engineers have developed laser systems to give them much greater power output than most galactic models. The Alliance mounts lasers on their gunships, allowing them to destroy large numbers of incoming drones and missiles so they can safely deliver their payload of Alliance Marines deep within an enemy ship. Larger lasers are mounted down the spine of Alliance destroyers and cruisers, functioning similarly to Consortium spinal coilguns. These laser cannons can provide devastating firepower to an Alliance fleet, which is sorely needed due to the Alliance Navy's general inferiority compared to its opponents. While Alliance laser cannons are powerful, they do require a moment to charge up, glowing bright red as they do so. After firing, they also need some time to cool down. This reduces the effectiveness of laser cannons, but a dozen Alliance destroyers firing their laser cannons at once at a target can bring down even the larger battleships.

The Solarian Community also prefers lasers, primarily because their culture believes that lasers are more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly. Solarian lasers are weaker than their Alliance counterparts, but still carry a considerable payload. The advantage the Solarians have over their opponents is that their lasers can fire very rapidly, and from extreme ranges. The Solarians have perfected laser crystal harmonization, allowing their lasers to stay coherent for much greater ranges. This allows the Solarians to fight from distances where light lag is significant; where other galactic powers may be forced to close in, the Solarians can fight several astronomical units away. This allows the Solarians to strike first in most engagements, and to run away before their enemies can retaliate effectively.

The most infamous laser weapon system still in use is the superlaser, which has been adopted as a weapon of mass destruction by the entire galaxy. The concept behind the superlaser is that several independent laser cannons can focus their heat on one central refracting crystal, combining their firepower into one destructive beam. This considerably increases the power output of a laser weapon system, without requiring any changes to a laser gun's design. The original superlasers were mounted on the Galactic Republic's city destroyers: a superlaser "dish" mounted on the belly of a capital ship, and used to destroy enemy cities with a single shot. These weapons allowed the Republic to conquer their neighbors and establish themselves as the galactic power. City destroyer superlasers would be used by the Republic's successor states, before being phased out of use by the First Empire in favor of the Tick Swarm. Superlasers would remain an archaic weapon throughout history, forgotten by the Second Empire, until being rediscovered by the Rationalist Church during the reign of Ylsanna the Great. Ylsanna's predecessors were weak and, after the Federal Revolution, they had allowed several anti-Emperors to establish themselves in sectors throughout the galaxy. While Ylsanna's father, Arekshav V, succeeded in reducing their holdings to single worlds, the anti-Emperors hid on fortress worlds. These worlds were fortified down to the core, with planetary shields powerful to repel anything short of the entire Imperial Navy bombarding the world at once. Arekshav V managed to bring one anti-Emperor - Marav the Pretender - to justice, but only after launching a major invasion of his fortress world of Rennevkrad Prime. The Empire was victorious, but at the cost of six hundred million dead and injured Imperial troops. Rennevkrad Prime remains a tomb world of the Empire, a reminder of the sacrifices made to secure Imperial rule. Arekshav V died mere weeks after his victory, leaving his daughter with nearly a dozen anti-Emperors challenging her rule.

Ylsanna tasked the Rationalist Church and the Scholastics to forge a weapon powerful enough to bring the rest of the anti-Emperors down. The superlaser was proposed to Ylsanna, with the Rationalist Church promising her that, properly scaled, no planetary shield in the galaxy could withstand power of its magnitude. When asked how large the superlaser must be, the Church replied that the machine would have to be powered by a hypermass reactor as large as a small moon. Unwilling to sacrifice the number of lives her father had in bringing the galaxy back together, Ylsanna approved of the project. The first World Fortress was built in 301,074 AFC, its name being a ruse to trick the anti-Emperors into thinking that the machine was merely an Imperial Navy base. Indeed, World Fortress I was an Imperial Navy base, but it also housed a massive superlaser on its equator. The superlaser was tested in the presence of Ylsanna and the entire Imperial court on the derelict world of Krev V. Krev V was equipped with a planetary shield comparable to those protecting the anti-Emperors. With a single blast, Krev V was destroyed, its debris flung to the far corners of the Krev system. With tears in her eyes, Ylsanna proclaimed that this was a historic moment, and told her entire court: "Fear will keep the systems in line. Fear of this battle station. No one will dare question the Empire now." Her famous words would be engraved above the control room of every World Fortress since, to remind Imperial commanders of their sacred role in maintaining Imperial peace.

The Empire began construction of World Fortresses to bring an end to the anti-Emperors. One by one, their worlds were destroyed by World Fortresses; even those that attempted to surrender were destroyed. Debris from their destroyed worlds were recovered and carved into statues of Ylsanna the Great and each of the Four Saints. These statues surround Ylsanna the Great's tomb on Dondrukovskrad Prime. After putting down the anti-Emperors, Ylsanna the Great went on to reclaim several star systems for the Empire in the Second Federation-Empire War, but her plans to destroy the Federation capital world of Phobetor Prime were foiled by the installation of interdictor stations around the system. These stations disrupted hyperspace travel to Phobetor Prime and any of the Federation's main systems. Ylsanna the Great died before she could end her war with the Federation, and her successor, Arekshav VI, made peace before the Federation deployed their own World Fortresses against the Empire.