Akata

Akata
Type	Blade
Place of Origin	Cusorea
Used by	Crescanian Confederacy
In service since	Croiz late iron age

"This right here, boy, this weapon has killed more Croiz than any weapon through history. No greater weapon out there in terms of chopping power, but don't try to block or parry with it. These weapons were made for offense - you'd need a shield for the defense part, but handheld shields are worthless with today's technology. It gives the Crescanian marine motivation to keep on the offensive and never hold back."

The Akata is a Crescanian variation of the falcata or kopis from Earth, where they were commonly found in Greece, Persia, the Middle East and Iberia. Although the latter type of blade was in use in an earlier stage in history on Earth than the former was on the Croiz homeworld Cusorea, the Akata has been in use for far longer, serving in Croiz armies since their late iron age and remaining in use until modern day, today being the standard melee weapon of Crescanian soldiers. The original Akatas were made in iron, but are today made of titanium reinforced with synthetic borazon so as it won't chip if it strikes modern combat armour. The blade is by standard 60 centimetres long and kept in a hard fabric sheath on the soldier's right thigh.

The Akata is a highly traditional weapon among the Croiz, which is why it has remained in use for thousands of years. As well as being a national symbol, it is also considered the "true" weapon of a soldier, while the rifle and the pistol are simply necessary adaptations to the modern times. The blade also serves as a tombstone to a soldier after their death, stuck into the ground where the soldier's cremation ashes have been buried. It is considered tragic for a soldier to be unable to have their Akata serve as their tombstone, and in the same sense, it is considered gravely respect-less and insulting to remove the blade from the ground, and even conflicts with the Crescanian code of honour. And the blade itself is evidently still worthy of respect, as it has already earned a reputation among many of the other galactic empires to be a nasty chopper, even against armoured opponents, the training of Crescanian soldiers allowing them to make precise chops at exposed gaps in an opponent's armour. Due to the nature of the weapon as well as its long history of usage, the Akata has become a national symbol of Crescanian military, and is commonly found in icons or symbols related to Crescanian military.

Although any Crescanian citizen can buy an Akata at any weapon store, the ones of the best quality are reserved for the military and may only be possible to find on the black market, while the ones on the open market are of more traditional style and are mostly made of steel rather than titanium and borazon. This civilian-grade Akata has long been a very popular weapon among criminals and rebels, which has given the public a mixed view on the weapon.