X Series

The X-series of robotic armors (or "mechas") are The General's main assault units. They form the backbone of his military, and are used both as siege weapons and suppression agents. Built for ungrounded superiority, more powerful than soldiers and tanks, they are the primary threat to Rebel CopTech units. They are primarily featured in Hellgate 2 Part III and the Hellgate Gaiden.

History
The X series was developed as a response to the main weakness of previous armored mechs, which was an inabiliy to attack large targets whilist still defending themselves. A previous attempt at reconciling this led to the production two separate lines of machines: the Z-series and the MEPs. The Z-Series acted as the main bulk to swarm and obliterate designated targets, while MEPs often flew escort for the Z-Units to protect them from enemy mechs (such as Mimics). This however presented a series of new problems of its own, such as dividing up resources to produce two separate sets of armored infantry as well as two entirely separate training programs.

The X series solves the primary problem by being able to both efficiently damage large targets and defend themselves against similar enemy units. While not armed with the same heavy artillery weaponry as the Z series are, the X-Units more than make up for it with their speed and overall versatility, having a number of combat applications outside of siege including acting as enforcers or suppression for a world's Occupational Forces.

Attributes
X-series units are large humanoid mechas armed with a blaster, a sword, or both (depending on the specific model). X series swords are always solid metal, as opposed to the Mimic energy swords, which makes them more reliable in combat. The cockpit is located in the torso of the mecha, so removing the head does not incapacitate the unit. Contrarily to CopTechs, which are piloted through motion capture technology, X mechas utilize more standard controls which require extensive training to be used properly. The X series currently consists of three models:

X-1
In Hellgate 2 Part III, X-1 units are the primary shocktroopers of the X series. They are described as darkly-colored, and two variations exist - a close-quarters unit armed with a sword (Saber-class) and a long-range unit armed with a plasma launcher (Blaster-class). This division resulted from both a belief that dedication to a particular style of combat would provide a deadlier threat when mixed with other specialists of the opposite and same type, as well as making use of the exisitng separate training programs and noting the similarities between them (long range sieges and close quarters combat). However, as a result of this division, they are less versatile than Rebel CopTechs on an individual basis, though their weaponry is more powerful.

X-1 units are powerful enough to equally match and maybe outmatch an enemy CopTech, though thanks to the magic amplification of Mimics, spellcasters (especially those specialized in ice magic, which is highly effective against all of The General's technology) can turn this around. Though it has been shown that a non-magical Mimic pilot is capable of eliminating a solitary X-1 provided the pilot in question has sufficient skill.

In The Hellgate Gaiden, X-1s make their appearance in Red Earth, along with the rest of the X-Series. Due to the timeline placement, X-1s are already being phased out in favor of their direct successor, the X-2, which returns to the idea of a unit armed with both distance and melee capabilities. SDM has confirmed that this will be the same fate of the X-1s in Hellgate 2 Part IV.

X-2
The X-2s are far more powerful versions of X-1s piloted by the elite of The General's forces, as of Hellgate 2 Part III. Unlike X-1s, they can be identified by their more violet coloration and are always armed with both a sword and a blaster. Their movement and reaction speed are by far superior to X-1s and to most Mimics, allowing them to unleash devastating combination attacks. Their weapons are more advanced versions of the X-1's, and because their pilots are more seasoned, they utilize more advanced tactics. In addition, all X-2 units are equipped with a Manual Overdrive, which supercharges their systems with electricity and momentarily boosts their speed and power dramatically, much like the Automatic Overdrive most other machines of The General's are equipped with. However, being able to call on the Overdrive willingly comes at a cost: It can only be activated once before requiring a recharge, so most pilots use it sparingly.

X-2 armors are advanced enough to be virtually impenetrable to all attacks, to the point that even the effect of ice-based attacks is drastically reduced. Occasionally they are apparently either inserted into or act as leaders of X-1 Squadrons. An appearance of a full X-2 Squadron usually warrants an immediate tactical retreat. Described as the "dreads of the battlefield" alongside Pacifiers, X-2 units are feared by RAG and most often suggested better to flee than fight.

In the Hellgate Gaiden and Hellgate 2 Part IV, X-2s will slowly replace their predecessors as the primary active unit as the X-Series. While this will lead to less experienced pilots controlling them, they will still maintain their devastating speed and power, ensuring that they still remain a deadly force.

X-3
The X-3 is an even more advanced version of the X-2. Colored fully black, only a handful have been shown.

In Hellgate 2 Part III, only four prototypes are in existence. Developed and first used on Icarthya, their armor was advanced enough to be completely impenetrable by anything F Squadron could throw at them (including ice-based attacks) and their normal speed was comparable to an X-2 using Manual Overdrive. The speeds are such that, in fact, it may be impossible for a normal human to use it adequately, without possibly some sort of neural modification (something of which The General could easily provide).

In The Hellgate Gaiden, X-3s have already entered into limited production, being piloted only by the most skilled of The General's forces, essentially replacing the X-2's former role. However, their power is fully demonstrated to completely outclass their predecessor, even without Overdrive, as a sole squadron was capable of nearly destroying the PWM mark III, at the time carrying both Kizeki Corp. and some of the most advanced technology the Rebellion had. Comparatively, the PWM mark III was capable of eliminating entire X-2 Squadrons with little trouble.

Weaknesses and Flaws
X units share the weakness to ice found in all of The General's technology, but only X-1s are affected by it significantly. In the case of X-2s, ice is virtually the only way to damage them at all.

X-1s are slightly less versatile than CopTechs due to their use of only one weapon.

Design and Influence
The X-Series can easily be said to be influenced by many similar robotic armors found throughout the mecha genre of Japanese anime and manga. This is made only more obvious with the use of mechanical swords, something that would be considered impractical in real life. More speficially, the X-Series seems to take its cues from the Knightmare Frames of Code Geass fame (though not nearly to the same degree as the MEP Units (the Mercy in particular)), something SDM is a known fan of. This is demonstrated in the reported size of the machines in comparison to their pilots, and is made especially clear through certain units armed with mechanical sabers and others armed with more practical weaponry, mirroring the X-1 split. However, the division of Saber-class and Blaster-class X-1s are more even, while in Code Geass, sword-wielding units were much more rare and usually reserved for nobility.

Appearances

 * Hellgate 2 Part III
 * The Hellgate Gaiden

Trivia

 * The X-Series, or more specifically the X-1s (from which the rest of the X-Series was derived) were named from another of SDM's creations, though there they were robotic soldiers.
 * Interestingly, the original X-1s were the second iteration of the machines, with the first group simply known as "X-Troopers."