Cosmic Combat#
'no epic combat in space' fuck off
Spoiler
Article contains spoilers: Bk7
In-Void Combat#
Due to the non-physical nature of metavessels, all battles fought within the Void are done on the metaphysical side. In essence, one must destroy the internal reality projected by all dimensional vessels. Though metaphysical warheads and other weaponry are being developed, metaspace weaponry is still a very new field. This makes in-Void combat annoying and costly, so most nations opt to enter realities to do it.
This intersperses inter-reality combat with various grace periods where enemy vessels are forced to travel through empty Void and cannot actually advance their territory despite moving forward. Our metaspace capabilities aren’t advanced enough to build large structures out of metamatter in the metasphere yet. The best we can do is ship existing physical structures with metaphysical anchors — such as a dimensional vessel — into the desired area from a reality. As you can imagine, maintaining a mini reality for a wall isn’t exactly practical, which is why civilization is still ensconced in realities and smaller dimensional bases despite having the capability to expand.
The technology to do these things is currently in development and whoever masters it first will doubtless hold a great advantage over other parties. The ability to directly affect metavessels’ internal realities proposes much potential for Void wars and perhaps even modelling and enhancing dimensional barriers. This technology could also allow people to harm metaphysical beings, which brings up a whole other can of worms when it comes to the Immortals and those pesky restrictions of theirs…
Invacuo Combat#
As one might guess, basic intergalactic transport, communications, and weaponry is well within the purview of civilizations that span realities. Without the light lag we have to deal with (circumvented or completely nonexistent), combat across star systems is made infinitely easier. Unlike in the Void, one can emplace infrastructure and forces just about anywhere.
It’s important to note that battleships were rarely the centrepieces of battles. That honour fell to the metaphysically advanced individuals on either side. Individual warlords capable of cracking a moon with the wave of a hand. Each side brought their share of these overwhelming powers to handle each other whilst the lower forces were tasked with accomplishing the actual goals. An unchecked demigod spelt destined failure for their opponent.
Because of this dynamic, many wars between the more trustworthy parties were simply decided by a clash of their resident powerhouses. This avoided the collateral damage and was a generally cleaner way of resolving issues. It was only when both sides failed to come to a compromise that battle broke out.
Aura Cannons#
These are various firearms and artillery that can concentrate aura from the Void and shoot it out in various shapes to affect the physical world, usually aiming for specific damage types in specialty weapons or the generic combination of thermal and kinetic energy. However, recent models have instead aimed to target metaphysical targets directly, impacting them with force instead. Due to the badly understood nuances of the metasphere, using it purely to affect metaspace is unreliable at best.
EMPS#
Due to discrepancies in the laws of physics and diversity in general, classic electricity isn’t the only energy system in common use. Therefore, the diversity in energy systems is matched by the diversity in energy-negation systems.
Hand to Hand Combat#
Combat was quite standard between individuals of lower calibre. Blades, guns, etc. It was when it came to a fight between those accruing power via metaphysical pathways that things got interesting. The various ways a being can advance themselves in the cosmos often left them with a varied and complex power set, leading to great spectacle. Because of this power diversity, most weaponry designed for such battles are one-offs commissioned by an individual.
Soul-Striking Weaponry#
These are blades that also carry a metaphysical form that moves coterminous to their physical forms. They can scar and damage souls, debilitating their ability to draw in metaphysical energies. Note that it still cannot fully destroy a soul without consent. In baseline beings, this just makes them faint, and is harmless for the most part. In beings infused with metaphysical energies – such as most of high interdimensional society – this can be detrimental to their ability in the rest of a fight. Soul-striking blades are extremely expensive to manufacture and are mostly used by individuals and haven’t been mass produced for any military yet.