Definition and Classification
Within the shattered territories of the former Endless Unity, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) represent the final argument of interstellar warfare—tools capable of rendering entire continents uninhabitable or extinguishing billions in moments. The primary categories include antimatter-based weaponry, nuclear and thermonuclear devices, mass-radiation weapons, high-powered neural sterilization arrays, and emergent mass-nanite dispersal systems. These weapons exist in perpetual tension with the dominant military doctrine of concealment warfare, creating a battlefield where detection often proves more lethal than deployment.
Detection Technologies and Principles
The defining characteristic of WMDs in planetside operations is their near-universal detectability. Even low-power nuclear weapons, such as the standard Type-I @Atomic Grenade, betray themselves through radiological sensors that monitor subtle decay signatures—advanced quantum cascade detectors analyze atmospheric ionization patterns and trace radioactive isotope decay chains that persist even in shielded containment. These sensors operate by detecting the minute Cherenkov radiation flashes and neutrino flux generated by fissionable materials, making concealed transport functionally impossible against any force with orbital surveillance.
Antimatter-based weaponry proves even more vulnerable to detection. Electrological sensors identify the anomalous electromagnetic signatures of antiproton or antihydrogen containment fields—these create distinctive inverse charge patterns that stand out starkly against normal matter backgrounds. The sensors exploit the quantum electrodynamic properties of antimatter storage, where even the most stable magnetic containment generates telltale vacuum polarization effects that propagate at superluminal velocities through the subspace manifold. Comprehensive mass-anomaly scanners provide final confirmation, flagging the negative mass signatures of antimatter warheads as they distort local gravitational fields.
Extremely powerful neural weapons can be detected only by TORS scanners, as objects of anomalous mass-energy density. Their ease of detection is exponentially proportional to the power of the weapon, but no clear 'detection threshold' exists.
The @Industrial Multiscanner contains basic radiological and electrological sensors that are capable of detecting nuclear-based, antimatter-based, and mass-based anomalies, albeit at relatively close ranges. In practice, more dedicated sensor equipment is used to reliably detect WMDs from a larger and safer distance.
Mass-nanite dispersal systems, by comparison, are almost impossible to detect - but this factor is offset by the relatively meagre threat they present to personnel wearing energy-shielded, military-grade exosuits, and the feasibility of containing these nanites via energy barrier projectors. However, should containment fail, mass nanoscale machines may pose a critical threat to civilian life and industry on a planet-wide scale.
Concealment Warfare Paradigm
The brutal logic of concealment warfare dictates that WMD detection triggers immediate elimination. A nuclear warhead or antimatter device appearing on sensor screens invites instantaneous orbital strikes or intercontinental artillery bombardment within seconds. This reality renders WMDs nearly obsolete in standard planetside engagements—any soldier carrying such a device essentially paints a target on their position visible to every battlesuit, drone, and satellite in the hemisphere.
Void warfare between starships employs antimatter weapons with abandon, as the vacuum environment already guarantees detection and provides no cover, thereby eliminating any drawback to the use of massively powerful weapons. Planetside, however, commanders reserve WMDs for only the most critical operations where the risk of detection is outweighed by strategic necessity.
Military Applications: Annihilator Doctrine
Elite formations known as Annihilator Squadrons represent the exception that proves the rule. These specialized spec-ops units operate under strict conditions that permit WMD deployment. Most commonly, they function beneath an umbrella of void supremacy—friendly starships in high orbit that can suppress enemy sensor networks and intercept retaliatory strikes before they reach the Annihilators' position.
Alternatively, Annihilator Squadrons operate as deep-crust saboteurs, conducting operations in tunnel networks hundreds or thousands of kilometers beneath planetary surfaces. The sheer depth and geological mass provides natural protection against orbital bombardment, as any strike powerful enough to reach them would also devastate friendly infrastructure and civilian populations above. These subterranean missions target critical infrastructure: biomanufactory cores, gravitic reactor control systems, or atmospheric processing plants where conventional weapons cannot penetrate the defensive layers.
Civilian Prohibitions and Strategic Context
Outside active warzones, WMDs face universal prohibition across all successor states. The Endless Unity's surviving infrastructure includes automated defense networks designed to detect and neutralize radiological or antimatter signatures within minutes, while planetary shield generators can isolate and contain detonations if interception fails. Local authorities maintain rapid-response annihilator teams on standby, and Requisitions Offices track high-energy materials with draconian thoroughness.
These mechanisms function effectively in stable sectors, but the Great Schism's chaos exposed their limitations. Saboteurs exploiting administrative breakdowns have successfully deployed WMDs in population centers, and the concentration of civilian life in continent-scaled arcologies means a single device can kill billions.
Historical Precedent: War of the Chosen
The War of the Chosen demonstrated both the horror and strategic utility of WMDs at their extreme. The Providence's infiltrators carried out countless deep-strike operations across Unity-held sectors, using nuclear and antimatter devices to vaporize biomanufactories, collapse underground cities, and irradiate atmospheric processors. These attacks caused billions of casualties behind front lines and forced Unity to divert massive resources to internal security.
In the war's final years, the Unity turned the tactic against the Providence during the famous Operation Nemesis. Coordinated mass-sabotage using antimatter charges planted by Surveyor-class agents destroyed vast void-habitats, industrial ringworlds, and planetary capitals across hundreds of star-systems simultaneously. This catastrophic blow shattered Providence logistics and morale, allowing the Unity's battlefleets to advance rapidly into devastated territories.
Strategic Implications
The existence of WMDs adds a dimension of existential dread to every conflict. Commanders must balance the tactical advantage of annihilator squadrons against the risk of detection and counter-strike. The weapons transform planetary assaults into games of cat-and-mouse where sensor superiority matters more than troop numbers. They force defensive thinking to focus on detection depth rather than fortification strength, and make every civilian population center a potential target.
In the current age of the Great Schism, where centralized authority has fractured and automated defense networks are half-functional across many sectors, the threat of WMD deployment has increased dramatically. Any faction gaining temporary sensor superiority could theoretically execute a decapitating strike against rival leadership, making the weapons both the ultimate deterrent and the ultimate temptation in a galaxy where control is measured in lives lost and cities preserved.