The Scourge are neuro-parasitic lifeforms that can utterly dominate an unfortunate host, bending its life to their will. They thrive on the conquest and absorption of other races, their very mode of existence as potent a threat as their formidable armies. They are the galaxy's ultimate predators. Their breathtaking assimilation of the central planets, including Earth itself, has made them the primary threat to the very existence of mankind. Although generally on the defensive during the Reconquest, their deadly counter-offensive proves they will seize any opportunity for attack. Their constructs are as aggressive as they are shockingly lethal, but violent death at the hands of their potent weaponry is nothing compared to the dread of being taken alive. Outside a host, a Scourge isn't much to look at: wispy, boneless creatures, frail in the extreme.
The Scourge are masters of planetary invasion - their entire system is geared towards it. Their dropships are strictly one-way transports, deploying from low orbit in freefall and only capable of sustained flight at relatively low altitudes. Scourge vehicles have a living pure Scourge pilot, suspended within the depths of the machine in a tar-like nutrient soup. This frail, wispy creature is permanently bonded to the machine, giving its movements an unsettlingly organic quality. Captured human hosts make up the bulk of Scourge infantry, known as Warriors. They continue to make use of structures and systems created by humanity, making them particularly effective usurpers. As easy to kill as ordinary men, Scourge Warriors are generally equipped with Plasma Rifles, and due to their parasitic infestation have decelerated aging.
Scourge naval power is vast: thousands upon thousands of ships ranging from silent infiltrators to vast super-dreadnoughts - the largest vessels to ever be encountered by mankind. Fleets are ever-shifting entities, making it difficult for strategists to discern enemy shipping patterns. In general, the aliens keep a heavy garrison in conquered systems, ensuring a hard, bloody fight whenever a new front is opened. As defenders, the Scourge never commit too many ships to one theatre, leaving another largely undefended.
A priority objective of Reconquest Phase 1 was to identify the Scourge leadership mechanism. In the build-up to the Battle for Earth, the activities of Scourge super-dreadnoughts were analyzed, confirming they were the nexus of staggering volumes of communiques to lesser forces, on the ground and in orbit. The current thinking is that whatever passes for Scourge leadership lives aboard these mighty, rarely-seen vessels. Although the physical nature of a leadership caste is still unknown - the effect of removing it from play is. The first wave of UCM ships was able to destroy the Scourge super-dreadnought dubbed Dark Puppeteer, suffering grievous losses. The result was an uncoordinated response to the invasion that followed, allowing the UCM to gain a foothold on the surface.
Scourge weaponry is highly advanced and spectacularly destructive. Their entire ethos demands lightning speed, intense shock, and merciless aggression. The Scourge do not know retreat, they either conquer or die trying. Utilizing a biomechanical exoskeleton, many Scourge vehicles are virtually impervious to small arms fire and far exceed the strength of Colonial equivalents. Most Scourge are equipped with advanced Compound Ocular Systems, these bizarre scanners resemble baleful eyes. Favouring Plasma weapons over mankind's less civilized projectiles, the vast majority of vehicles and units are equipped with Cannons, Rifles, or Hoses.
The alien Scourge arrived on Earth with very little warning some 160 years previous. Within hours they had overwhelmed humanity’s defences and were well on their way to enslaving all of mankind with Scourge parasites implanted into their brains.
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