PROTECTORATE ARMOURIES PLASMA GUN PGM-13 "DRAGON FIRE"

The PGM-13 DRAGON FIRE represents the latest in condensed plasma weapon systems. The PGM-13 employs an advanced micro fusion reactor and a revolutionary beam amplifier to deliver lethal blasts of plasma to the Protectorate's enemies.

Combining both explosive power and high temperature plasma, unprotected organic matter caught in the beam's path is instantly destroyed as is non-energised metal. Against the fighting vehicles and troopers of the Empire Polaris the PGM-13 is a robust, reliable and devastating piece of Protectorate hardware.

Protectorate troops affectionately refer to the PGM-13 as the LIQUEFIER

<< IMPERIAL STAR DATE 2319-J-9 >>

This is Captain Unrith of the Falcon Class Freighter, Perseus. Our mission was one of exploration, our destination the U-91A system in the Fringe galaxy, only we never arrived there. Four days ago we were forced to make an emergency release from hyper-speed when our fusion reactor failed.

Since that time our navigators have scoured every star chart on the ship trying to find out where we are, but without luck. We didn't come out of the hyper-jump cleanly and do not know where we are. All our transmissions go unanswered. We can receive nothing. The ship is so far away from any colonised system that it could take months for any messages to reach us.

By the time you listen to this it could already be years old. It is a dead part of space where our ship now floats, endless black all around us with only the faintest flicker of stars out of reach light years away. The engineers cannot get the ship's reactor working. The malfunction is irreversible but still they work at it. None have slept since the accident. Our secondary energy module will run out in two days.

We cannot tell if anyone is receiving this transmission. There will be no more messages from us as we cannot spare the power to send even just one more. Our only chance is to shut down everything but the most basic life support systems and hope that somebody finds us before it is too late. If you are somewhere out there listening to this, know that we, the crew of the dying ship Perseus, tried to the end.

THE BATTLE OF BLAUD

The small red planet of Blaud is located at the far end of Protectorate controlled space, many light years from the closest settled system. A partly savage frontier world, Blaud is the religious centre of the war god Khorai whose cult is spread throughout Protectorate space. When the Empire tried to invade Blaud it faced incredibly resilient resistance from the Blaudites who fought off vastly superior numbers and the Empire was forced to dedicate more troops to its conquest.

the aggressors who had violated the sacred planet. In total the Empire tried to seize Blaud thirty times but each invasion was driven off by the stout Blaudites and the fanatics of Khorai. Now Blaud is little more than a wasteland, its entire surface marked with craters and the wreckage of thousands of battles. Before the war, Blaud had been a minor member of the Protectorate Pact, but now it is a major base for the Protectorate Star Fleet.

THE REBELLION

In the early 46th century the Protectorate was, for the first time, able to launch a counter-attack. For decades special Advisors had operated secretly on the captured worlds, organising resistance to Empire control. In 4522 the rebellion against the Empire started.

On hundreds of worlds the populations rose up and fought the Empire with the aid of Protectorate forces and armies of mercenary fighters. The Empire was forced to fight on many military fronts at the same time and their invasion forces were brought back to counter these new threats.

With the Empire's forces pinned down the Protectorate launched a cunning raid into Empire space. Thousands of drones were sent deep into the systems of the Empire where they deployed a network of hyper-space beacons. Then, using these beacons. Protectorate commandos were able to penetrate deep into Empire territory where they inflicted massive ' damage to poorly defended worlds, destroying key strategic targets and crippling the Empire's military might.