Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/ILIAD Platform

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The ILIAD Platform is the Syndicate's closest to a cruiser vessel type. This unit is planned to be voiced by

History
"Even the gods cannot escape my wrath."

-ILIAD Gunner

In the darker days of the GVAW, only the strongest of Hawke nations stood free of occupation. Antiva assembled vast legions of security personnel, Arland shattered the very skies with steel and lead, Patrokolos fought in the streets while the aqueducts filled with blood, and Midgar stood alone encased in an artificial cryo-tempest. But what of the rest of the world? Naturally, of course, the militaristic Juntas of the ancient silk trail and the new world stood more than capable in the art of war, but the newly decolonized nations of Dekembe were far from prepared.

The ILIAD Platform was born out of the need for an effective anti-air platform with the ability to bring an end to the brutal Voshkod air campaign against Aquilan-tolerant nations in North Dekembe. After the fall of Medici, the Voshkod launched a campaign against the supply lines of the standing Alliance of Hawke. The traditional major ports and cities were blockaded by Akula hunting packs while the rest of Dekembe was to be bombed to oblivion. Havocs, MiG-29s, Su-27s, Su-25s, and even Kirovs were dispatched over the sea to launch an operation to break the support of the people. Within a week, millions had been displaced by the bombing runs and thousands lay dead. The support lines for necessary materials like food, water, and ammunition grew thin as entire countries backed out of the Alliance of Hawke in fear of Voshkod bombardment.

The Lumeris Syndicate was the first to feel the effects, and quickly took steps to try and rectify the situation. The problem came from the fact that the ports would refuse to trade until the safety of the cities could be guaranteed. Over the new few weeks Syndicate engineers came up with the design for a heavy anti-aircraft battery with the power to bring anything short of a Kirov down with a swift blow. This was the Intelligent Linked-Interface Air Defence platform, or ILIAD, a ship armed with an immense cyclic railgun array. Although the ILIAD is not as flexible or as manoeuvrable as the Hydrofoil, it is far more effective as an anti-aircraft platform and is far cheaper to acquire and maintain.

The design called on the deployed scout drone to attach itself to the target and hold it still until the ILIAD could fire its main weapon. The array cannot be self-directed; the ILIAD has a massive contingent of spotter drones below decks that attach to a prospective target, providing any ILIAD in the combat zone with the opportunity to turn the target (and the drone) into ash. The results were astounding! Entire air wings were brought down in a single salvo. The design was so simple, effective, and cheap that the Syndicate deployed the ILIAD throughout friendly waters. By the time the Voshkod had abandoned its campaign, the ILIAD had become the mainstream naval air defence system for the entire Lumeris Syndicate Security Forces.