Faction Description: Star Knights

Crusade Marine by ~firecrow78

 O_N here, returned from the grave to post this article! Here's the 'faction blurb' for the Star Knights (Or is it Space Knights? I can't remember which.).

Few in the Imperial Republic of Centaurus are idealized more than the Star Knights. Clad in the legendary Nephilim Powered Armor, they stride across the battlefields of the Republic as giants among men, fighting for Truth and Honor. Armed with their great weapons, they bring swift and terrible justice to the enemies of the Republic, and salvation to its peoples. And yet...

And yet, the truth is decidedly more mercenary. Most Star Knights fight, not for Truth or Honor, but for money and status. The sheer cost of the equipment and augmentation required to become a Star Knight means that even the most idealistic Knights must find a rich patron to serve, which inevitably means the Noble Houses. And the maintenance costs associated with that equipment means that even rich would-be Knights end up working for the houses, even if it is only in a mercenary capacity. It is only in the Church Knight-Guardians that we see any primacy of idealism over mercenary practicality, thanks to the peculiar logistics of creating a Star Knight.

knight rider by ~zeo-x

The legendary Nephilim Powered Armor is perhaps too formidable, requiring its wearers to undergo extensive, and expensive, augmentation. And while the costs can be significantly reduced by the use of mass-cloned genetically augmented humans, the Church's legally enforced monopoly on human cloning and genetic engineering bars this option to the Noble Houses (although a few have "selective mass breeding programs" that tread dangerously close to this proscribed territory), forcing them to use extensive, and expensive, mechanical or biological implants to enhance prospective Knights. The costs of implants prevents those Houses who do not skirt Imperial Law from fully covering the cost of their Knights' gear, ensuring that the House Knights remain more motivated by power than by honor (and thus that the Church Knights are seen as superior in the eyes of the populace).

When the fight without the support of standard military troops, the Star Knights are supported by the Squires, a group of potential Knights (although the costs associated with becoming a Knight mean that not all Squires choose to 'advance') who provide vital support roles on the battlefield.