Database and Lore

The Italx Mark 2 Class Attack Battleship

*Spoilers if you haven't read past Gabatrix: The First Peace arc* “The Aksren clan battleship is nothing more than a scourge against the UHN. They simply keep coming, and the UHN can barely repel them,” Fleet Admiral Annika, 2349 AD. What was designed as a replacement to the Italx Mark 1, the Mark 2 battleship would serve as the pinnacle of Aksren clan design. It is the best in combative prowess and being cheap enough to be built in excessive numbers. For the Itrean clan, its long history of producing warships is easily reflected upon the Italx. It is more than capable of destroying UHN warships and being an equal against its other clan counterparts. For the clan, if the Italx isn’t able to do its job, then the solution can be relatively simple, build many of them. Design  The Italx Mark 2 is a simple series of improvements over the original Mark 1. While the Aksren clan enjoyed the Mark 1 and Mark 2 battleships, there was much pressure in their military to produce a warship that could form the standard backbone of their forces. The Mark 2 did enjoy some success but was easily muted when it went against the T’rintar clan Italq Mark 2 counterpart. The Aksren took pride in wanting a successful warship. The T’rintar Italq Mark 2 battleship was generally seen as not only an equal but slightly better than the Aksren battleship. The Aksren were well aware of this and decided to return to the drawing board in 2339. They decided to look at what needed to be fixed and what was working. Most Itrean historians have generally reached a consensus. Most of the reasons place blame on more poorly trained Aksren crews and lesser adjuncts that command them. Being always used in the offensive role also places them against the odds of T’rintar defenses. At the same time, the Shal’rein always proved to be stubborn in battle. According to some sources, the Aksren have taken this in regard and either dismissed the claim or simply tried to find other solutions. There is no doubt that the similarities between the earlier Italq and Italx battleships are very close. This was because the vessel was initially created and designed by the same person. While the Itrean Civil War would occur, much of the original improvements were shoveled into the upcoming Mark 2. Of course, as the Mark 3s would be introduced, the two variants would see enormous differences between clan species. What could be improved was the design itself. The Mark 2 does introduce a number of slight improvements. For one, much like the Italq Mark 2, the ventral VLS launcher would replace the ventral bridge. The bridge would then be moved to the bow section. This allowed the ships to carry and deploy additional missiles. The particle beam cannon, however, would be removed. Additional improvements were made internally with better sealable bulkheads, living conditions, and alterations to equipment. A better higher velocity railgun was also incorporated. In all aspects, the ship looks exceptionally similar to the Mark 2 that many UHN officials didn’t even know about the difference. Once the T’rintar clan alliance was made, it was revealed that this was the Italx Mark 3. History Unlike many of the past Itrean battleships, the Mark 2 was introduced long after the end of the temporary ceasefire in 2339 to 2340. There was nothing to really slow down the Aksren warships’ construction. Many of the other clans didn’t even notice the subtle changes to the warship as it became the main staple of Aksren clan fleets. According to some reports, one Aksren crewmember commented that “the only difference between the Mark 1 and Mark 2 was that my table was moved to the wall instead of near my bunk.” The Aksren clan seemed rather pleased with the Italx Mark 2 that they would usher huge orders of them. The Mark 2 would take a few years but would become one of the more widely produced battleships in the clan. Unlike the T’rintar clan that had varied designs and the Shal’rein that seemed more intent on building larger ships, the Aksren wanted a string of Italxs to fulfill their fleets. The philosophy was one that is often reflected in their past warship designs. If it works, then build a lot of them. If one has a hard time winning a battle, then have a lot of battleships to overwhelm and beat the enemy. The Aksren clan industry has more than its share of strength in building an enormous fleet that the Italx Mark 2 would be seen everywhere. By 2348, the Mark 2 would consist of almost two-thirds of the forward fleet. It’s no surprise that the UHN looked upon the Italx Mark 2 class battleship with much fear. The ships are more than a match against the Magellan class battleship and can be barely beaten by the Nelson Class Battleship. Even if many battles were fought against a few of them, the Aksren simply kept up these small-scale battles. Over Cipra, the Italx was seen everywhere. Every time an effort was made to try to destroy one, the battleship would pull back and let the other warships provide counterfire. The sheer use of numbers against the inflicted casualties proved that the Aksren clan couldn’t be stopped. Only the alliance with the T’rintar clan saved humanity against these ships. The offensive capability of the Aksren ships are ones that the T’rintar clan are fully aware of. They had already introduced the vastly improved Italq Mark 3 class battleship. At the same time, the Aksren have also just introduced the Italx Mark 3 that makes incredible changes to the Mark 2. While it will take time, the Mark 2 is expected to be seen long until 2354. The UHN is more than expected to encounter more of these warships as time progresses.  * Spoilers if you haven't read past Gabatrix: The Terrorists of Batrice arc* The long pause in battles between the end of 2349 to the beginning of 2350 would come to an end in the mid-year. The Aksren began to resume their aggressive reconnaissance skirmishes against the UHN. The Battle of Mercury and the Battle of Charon both featured the Italx Mark 2 and Mark 3 battleships. There is a stipulation that the Aksren clan might have been rendering assistance to the Nova Pirates as they were both encountered over Charon, the moon of Pluto. From what was gathered, both forces were discovered separately and destroyed. Salvaged databanks from the Nova Pirates indicate that a “meeting place” had been made on this location, but nothing else occurred since the UHN interfered.