[hider=Shell:The Shrike][table=bordered][row][/row][row][cell=active][center][h1][b]The Shrike[/b][/h1][/center][/cell][/row][/table][table][row][/row][row][cell] [b]HEIGHT:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][indent]Twelve and a half Meters[/indent] [b]WEIGHT CLASS:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][indent]Medium[/indent] [b]SPEED:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][indent]Medium[/indent] [b]ROLE:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][indent]All-Rounder; original design intentions as a combined arms support Shell[/indent][/cell][cell][quote][center][img]https://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/16/77/80/76/shrike10.png[/img] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/center][indent][b]DESCRIPTION:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][i]The Shrike[/i] is a modified first generation G.U. S-86 Shell designed by the fledgling Grand Union at the advent of the Nation Fall. In its inception, the future of warfare was uncertain and the Shell's original run suffered from a lack of future-proofing. The S-86 was designed as a Combined Arms support Shell, meant to work in tandem with traditional infantry and support teams in prolonged confrontations. The original S-86 carried a single Rifle and a mounted Howitzer, stood on bipedal legs and supported minimal boosters, and sported immense armor for its size at the time. This gave it a reputation as a durable machine meant for static defenses, where it excelled in prolonged wars of attrition but suffered in skirmishing conflicts with faster Shells or enemy forces that could outmaneuver it. It gained a loving reputation amongst those who fought alongside it as a 'Trooper', a stalwart machine of the line. The iconic and unique design quirk of the S-86 is the Entrenching Arms. The S-86's arms and hands are capable of locking joints and magnetically fusing the bulky armor plates of the fingers into singular solid mass spikes. This gives it incredible strength and durability in its arms, and made it highly effective in situations where hasty defensive positions needed to be established for Infantry. It could, with ease and haste, dig suitable trenchworks or otherwise build barriers of earth. In the rare situations of the S-86 being in position to assault an enemy fortification, no walls, bunkers, or enemy Shells could withstand the strikes of its reinforced arms. The [i]Shrike[/i] resembles this original machine in Chassis and Entrenching Arms alone. It has been, over the decades since its inception, heavily retrofit to be a capable modern warfare machine. Its armaments have been replaced with highly weight efficient energy based options, a laser rifle and energy shield giving it immense versatility while keeping the weight low. Its reliance on a Shell Pistol as a sidearm reduces its offensive capabilities, but only further lowered the initial weight issue of the S-86 base design. A modern Gravity Matrix is housed within its incredibly armored hull, only further reducing the machine's mobility handicap and rendering a balanced and well-rounded Shell. The immense Howitzer cannon has been replaced by a Gatling cannon, completing the arsenal of sheer versatility of the [i]Shrike[/i]. Despite all these modifications and upgrades, the [i]Shrike[/i] still suffers from design flaws of its early inception as a Shell. There simply isn't room in the head for highly advanced Fire Control Systems, meaning that the pilot has to rely on personal skill even more than the average pilot to make shots land on swiftly moving targets. In spite of the immense armor, the reduced weight keeps it more mobile than one would anticipate of its archaic designs and allow it to brawl with larger, heavier, Shells-- but it cannot mount Boosters in respectable quantities and is capable only of very limited bursts of speed or flight, meaning that dedicated skirmishing Shells can still outmaneuver it in prolonged conflicts. The [i]Shrike[/i]'s ultimate flaw, however, is that to make room for modern Generator equipment room within the Shell had to be made; the cockpit has no ejection capabilities, and the Radiators can struggle to keep up with constant use of the energy equipment. in short, the [i]Shrike[/i] is a versatile Shell who's flaws render it sub-optimal in high intensity engagements that last longer than its Heat Sinks against opponents who can escape its immediate threat range. Its energy based equipment and incredibly durable construction render it perfect for prolonged expeditions without maintenance and give it respectable ranged firepower, while the rest of its kit gives it shockingly brutal close range power. [/indent] [indent][indent][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/indent][/indent][/indent] [indent][b]ARMANANTS & EQUIPMENT:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][b]Primary Armaments[/b]: Shoulder Mounted Gatling Cannon, Murakumo “Susanoo” Series Laser Rifle. The [i]Shrike’s[/i] shoulder mounted gatling cannon is a powerful weapon requiring time to kneel and deploy. The variant equipped on the archaic Shell possesses an immense rate of fire, but lacks in spread control and is impossible to use for anything besides suppression beyond medium ranges. The laser rifle is a salvaged Murakumo variant rifle traditionally paired with highly advanced fire control systems for their automated Shell forces; rather than the traditional hail of laser fire, this “Susanoo” series laser rifle consolidates its charge into a slower firing yet devastating singular beam of energy. [b]Secondary Armaments[/b]: Pistol, Energy Shield, Reinforced Entrenching Arms (Nicknamed [i]Shrike's Talons[/i]) The pistol carried by the [i]Shrike[/i] is a variant sporting a higher rate of fire than traditional Shell sidearms, but otherwise is par for the course when it comes to the usually unassuming backup weapon category. The energy shield is a somewhat older variant, but still markedly more up to date than the Shell’s chassis. Located in the [i]Shrike’s[/i] left arm, this shield forms a full body energy barrier that can be maneuvered with ease by the left arm. Generates more heat than the latest, cutting edge, energy shields. Its appearance on the archaic Shell usually catches opponents utterly off guard.[/indent] [indent][indent][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/indent][/indent][/indent] [indent][b]OTHER:[/b] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][hider=Full inspirational image for the Shrike] [img]https://i73.servimg.com/u/f73/16/77/80/76/inspir10.jpg[/img] [/hider][/indent] [indent][indent][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/indent][/indent][/indent][color=2e2c2c].................................................................................................................................................[/color][/quote] [/cell][/row][/table][/hider]