This is the seventh anonymous report analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of one of the Eleven Races. These redacted versions were approved by the Senate for immediate publication, to be read by commanders of each respective race in order that they can review their own vulnerabilities in the face of the unknown external threat that commissioned the studies. In this dispatch we focus on that faction known as the Rebel Confederation: its strengths, its weaknesses, and how best to defeat it in battle.

Overview

Ease Of Command: Beginner
Difficulty To Defeat: High
Playstyle: Mixed

General: The Rebel Confederation broke away from the Core of the Evil Empire and fled to the Echo Cluster, abandoning most of the Dark Matter technology.  They are valiant warriors who rely on personal heroism and individual sacrifice in fighters to provide a low-cost offensive power, and the Rebel Ground Assault is a fearsome weapon indeed. Their fleet follows no standard design, as most are converted freighters and armored transports. It may not be pretty, but it gets the job done.

Identification: You will awaken one morning to discover your homeworld population is suddenly rioting. Expensive factories and mines will be destroyed, and your treasury will be sadly depleted. The blood of your citizens will run in the streets. And the culprit floats serenely overhead, untouched by your orbital defenses: a single aging freighter.

Fleet Composition: The Rush is one of the most powerful fleet carriers in the Echo Cluster, capable of standing in line of battle against any other. For local logistics the Deep Space Scout is an advance on the Medium Freighter; for distant support, the Hyperspace-capable Falcon serves as an efficient pinpoint colonizer and general transport. Minelaying duties are capably undertaken by the Tranquility, and minesweeping can be performed by the designated shieldscratcher the Iron Lady.

Strengths And Weaknesses:

Economic: Initial Rebel expansion is vastly sped by the low-cost Falcon. In times of extreme need, low-grade natives can profitably be over-exploited by using self-RGA to, after over-taxing, forcibly improve their happiness at a cost of colonist and native numbers. To fill carriers, Rebels can also build free fighters in space. These advantages combine to give the Rebels one of the most powerful economic engines in the Echo Cluster.

Military: The Rush is a massive yet inexpensive heavy carrier, capable of standing equally in the line of battle. Smaller vessels are generally too lightweight to reliably join the battle line, but the Rebel Ground Attack mission not only weakens enemy starbase worlds, when combined with Planetary Immunity it actively forces enemy fleets to take the offensive, usually granting Rushes the coveted defensive carrier advantage.

NOTE: Some few Rebel factions have access to a ground combat advantage or an energy field, and others can employ the Command Ship variant of the Iron Lady. However, most Rebel commanders are satisfied with a relatively standard fleet setup.

Key Vulnerabilities:

• The Rebels lack anti-cloaking defenses apart from standard minefields.
• Most Rebel ships, aside from the Rush, have very light hulls; the Rush has a small number of beam weapon emplacements. This makes the Rebels relatively vulnerable to enemy minefields.

Trade and Alliances:

• The Falcon is both inexpensive and extremely valuable as logistics support for other races.
• Free fighter factories can be set up for allies at purely nominal expense
• Rebel Ground Attack can be performed with any vessel flying the Rebel flag — even a freighter. Rebels therefore can perform these services freely for their friends and allies.

Rebels are an economic powerhouse that is also relatively self-sufficient in battle. Those offering cloakers and cloaking defense are frequently courted by Rebel leaders, but every race in the Echo Cluster can benefit from a friendship with this faction.

Summary:

The Rebels, with their Rebel Ground Attack, are deadly enemies in warfare both early and late, even when led by commanders who are not veterans. They are not to be underestimated in any scenario.

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