No offense intended. But there's a sweet spot on the sliding scale of realism, and most of the interest checks I usually see skew too far to the realism end for me.
2
likes
9 yrs ago
Can't describe how quickly I go from excited to sad when a mecha premise turns out to be realism wankery.
That does raise the question of how big the Oberth reactor normally is?
Pretty good sized. Big enough that smaller machines usually run on fusion instead. The capacitors are a bigger factor than the size of the reactor itself, but for all intents and purposes they can be counted as the same unit due to the most common layout. Considering the size of an average Orbital at ~20m, but the Fortuna at 16.8, gives about a 6m clearance for its height. Taking into account everything in its torso I'd guesstimate that an Oberth reactor isn't usually any smaller than 4m tall at the usual scale.
<Snipped quote by Krayzikk>
Yeah, no surprise there. It is speced for reconnaissance, stealth-ops and target designation; not frontline combat. I expect there to be plenty of running, hiding and poking things in the back with high-velocity explosive metal sticks.
Okay, just wanted to make sure you had forewarning. I'd have felt bad if you didn't. You're all set.
Interested, just not 100% sure about having the time.
Name: Fox
Gender: Male
Age: Physically in his early 20s, chronologically older, exact age unknown
Appearance: Standing on the short side of average at 5' 9", Fox has a lithe but well muscled classical figure. Of note, Fox bears two, technically three, sets of unobtrusive cybernetics. First is an artificial set of vocal cords, capable of producing a vast range of voices. Second is a series of wireless sensors built into his hands capable of translating ASL to text or speech. Both parts of his body bear faint scars from their surgical implantation.
Backstory:
In 244 SA, after over two years of investigation, the paramilitary company Outer-Orbital Legion was charged with extortion, bribery, human trafficking, and tax evasion. They did not come quietly. It was only after a six month system wide fleet hunt, the combined effort of multiple organizations, both national and independent, that the Legion would be brought to justice.
After the first couple of engagements, it was quickly discovered that not all of the Legion's soldiers were there of their own will. And so, over the course of the six month fleet hunt, the joint task force did it's best to save as many of them as they could. Fox was among the rescued slaves.
During the post-operation clean-up, the I was the UN Social Worker assigned to piece together Fox's story. In terms of official records, Fox did not exist. No birth certificate, school records, or DNA match at any official institution. Unless someone had gone to significant lengths to scrub his identity from the system, he had born and raised outside of civilized space. The further I dug, the more and more the latter seemed to be true.
When questioned about his combat experience, Fox was happy to supply as much information as he could. The young man had spent his teens fighting for various groups of pirates or outlaws before he had ended up in the Legion; typically having been pressed or sold into each subsequent group. Corroborating Fox's stories with after-action and civilian news reports, We were able to place some of his earliest engagements at nearly a decade prior.
However, when it came to his early life Fox clammed up completely, stating that couldn't remember anything from that far back. When pressed further, The young man admitted he had a few hazy memories of his life before the battlefield, but he simply stated that they were, and I quote: "Nothing good." After that he refused to say any more on the topic. Given everything else I'd dug up so far, I decided it would be best to not push the topic further.
After all was said and done, we still had to figure out what to do with him. At the time, Fox had many of the skills of a highly trained soldier and a total lack of understanding of "normal" life. A dangerous mix. It was eventually decided to see about rehabilitating him. He was sent to an out of the way earth-side retreat center with a therapist and a UN Marine Vet to ride herd on him in case things got out of hand.
Six months later when I went to check in on him, a much more put together Fox adamantly stated that he was going join the crew of the Pandora as an Orbital pilot. When I asked him why, he said it was both an opportunity for him to put his skills to use and to start his life over again.
Since then, Fox has thrown himself at this goal, working hard these past four years to achieve it, without getting into any trouble for the most part. (Though I did hear about the ritual initiation hazing from some Marines that went rather sideways) While I haven't seen much of Fox lately, I do believe he has integrated into normal society enough to serve on this mission, and should the worst come to pass, his skills and experience will prove invaluable to the Pandora and Pyxis. See Dr. Holland's psych report or Fox's Orbital training records for more details.
~ Eva Strikler
Personality:
At a cursory introduction Fox is quiet sort of fellow, seemingly more interested in listening than he is in talking. Though once you've read his file, it quickly become obvious that this is a finely honed survival instinct from having spent most of his life being treated as less than human by others. Several years of therapy have helped to take the fanatical edge off of it, but certain habits die hard.
Still, Fox has taken to his new freedom with gusto, sometimes to the point of chafing against against authority figures, especially when he thinks they're wrong. By no means does this make him a loose cannon, he simply values direct experience more than any constructed system of authority. So long as he has a level-headed and veteran senior officer, I don't believe this will be of any real issue.
Once I finally got him to open up a bit, Fox developed a dry, acerbic and rather dark sense of humor, a typical coping mechanism for those who have suffered any kind of serious trauma. He has also had moments of pure childlike joy before almost sheepishly slipping back behind his mask. Presumably, this is on account of some horrific mess of a childhood, which brings me to the one rather broad point of issue.
Fox is completely unwilling to discuss the early years of his life. If you want to know, he's perfectly willing to share the horrible things he's seen or been forced to do on the battlefield, much like a sinner confessing to a priest. But the moment you ask him about his life before that, Fox clams up immediately, offering only silence or one of a handful of vague cookie-cutter answers.
On a similar note, Fox has an, as of yet, unexplained aversion to talking unless genuinely necessary. What I have been able to piece together is that this is connected to his artificial vocal cords. During his initial medical examination, it was determined that his bio-synthetic vocal cords were well over a decade old, placing their implantation before his battlefield days. What little I have been able to glean from Fox on the topic is that their implantation was not due to some accident or illness, but a deliberate action and one almost certainly made against his will.
Despite his issues, Fox has proven to driven and committed to the project. In the not quite five years since we first met, Fox has pieced together a new life for himself, and made enormous strides in improving his mental health. I can wholeheartedly recommend Fox as a member of this expedition.
~ Dr. Holland
Skills and Flaws: + Having spent much of his life being the only one looking after his own well-being, Fox is an experienced jack-of-all-trades survivalist. In particular, since his recovery, he has received proper training in field medicine, Orbital maintenance, and wilderness survival.
+ Through a combination of luck and skill, Fox has survived nearly a decade of regular combat as an exo-frame pilot and cannon fodder for pirate raids, giving him a level of experience many will find hard to match.
- Years of self reliance have left Fox stubbornly independent to a fault, often resulting in him tackling tasks alone that any normal person would ask for help with.
- On a similar note, Fox is slow to trust others, and almost completely unwilling to open up twice should his trust be betrayed the first time.
Equipment: - S&W 5mm gauss pistol: Built as mil-spec service weapon designed for void & boarding actions; though it works just as well planetside. 30 round capacity. - utility knife / multi-tool - PDA
Model Number: IPS-XF-MMR-002 - Inter-Planetary Shipping's second generation multi-role maritime exo-frame, AKA "The Jack"; Fox has dubbed his personal unit as "Outrider".
Role: Originally designed as a multi-purpose space worthy civilian exo-frame, Fox's "Jack" has been so heavily modified that it's almost unrecognizable. With all of it's modifications, the Outrider serves as a reconnaissance, stealth-ops and target designation unit.
Appearance: Clocking at a mere 6.5 meters tall, the Jack is tiny by most Orbital standards, so much so that it's technically categorized as an "Exo-Frame" despite running on and being built around the same technologies as it's Orbital cousins. Fox's Outrider has a low profile backpack which houses it's comms suite and carries the reconnaissance drones when not in use.
Systems: While the original Frame had nothing that was particularly noteworthy, Fox's Outrider bears a fair number of specialized add-ons, most of which is from Pantheon Aerospace Engineering.
- Hermes-class communications suite: In addition to an increased comms range over standard equipment, the Her-Comm Suite also has a command & control node and an electronic warfare system.
- Half a dozen Raven-class reconnaissance drones.
- Loki-class stealth suite: A four part suite, the Loki system includes color-changing smart paint, an optical refraction field generator, an emissions control unit and multi-spectrum sensor baffling.
- Artemis-class multi-spectrum laser designator. (attached to the rifle)
- Boston Dynamics' 1-to-1 dynamic control system: Allows the pilot to control their mech as an extension of their own body while still maintaining the option for a traditional twin stick & pedal piloting system.
Weapons: - Aquilian Armories "Bolt-Thrower" Anti-materiel rail rifle: Featuring a compact bullpup design, the Bolt-Thrower fires 30 mm armor-piercing explosive saber darts. Despite it's destructive potential, the Bolt-Thrower can prove tricky to use. Direct hits against main armor plating, while visually impressive, tend lack the raw force to punch all the way through. On the other hand, limb hits often go clean through, the explosive charge not detonating in time to do any real damage. Semi-Automatic Only.
- Bushido Engineering's Tanto beam-edged saber: Among the more unique beam swords, Bushido Engineering makes use of an advanced ion field polarization technique to "stream" the sword's energy beam down the edge of it's blade. The end result creates a beam saber with half the power draw, and no loss in cutting power. Their primary drawback is the physical blade itself. Most pilots simply don't find the added power efficiency worth the hassle of a physical blade. 3 meters long, the Tanto was built as a knife for standard orbitals, but in the hands of Fox's Outrider, it's a two-handed sword.
- Two IPS point defense light beam vulans: Effectively useless against proper orbitals, though they can be used against smaller, more lightly armored targets. The Outrider has one mounted on the back of each of it's forearms.
Manufacturing History: In 224 SA, Inter-Planetary Shipping released their XF-MMR-002 aka "The Jack". Intended as a highly adaptable civilian workhorse, the Jack was an instant success thanks to it's simplistic, rugged, and modular design. Quickly becoming commonplace, the Jack saw the creation of a multitude of specialized upgrade kits, for everything from mining to search & rescue. Of course, that's not all it ended up being used for.
Quickly finding it's way into the hands of mercenaries, pirates and paramilitary organizations, the Jack proved to be unexpectedly adaptable to a combat role. Small enough to have a better thrust-to-weight ratio than most proper Orbitals but large enough to still carry weaponry capable of damaging their larger cousins. Relying speed and numbers, combat-modded Jacks quickly became a scourge of the outer system shipping lanes and isolated locales.
Weaknesses: Strength and durability. Even with military grade plating, other upgrades and a rugged construction; at it's core the Jack is still a civilian craft. A clean hit from a weapon that only a true Orbital could tank will heavily damage even the most well armored of Jacks, potentially even crippling or killing the exo-frame. And in a melee fight against a true Orbital, a Jack has to rely on it's smaller size and higher agility to win; being incapable of winning a direct contest of strength.
Nothing worries me here, but a model that small would definitely be running a scaled down Oberth reactor rather than a full size version. Wouldn't change anything for its own purposes, but it just wouldn't be pumping out as much juice as the larger ones.
Feel free to move him to the character tab. Before you do, though, I do want to warn you that the Outrider could stand to have some issues when it comes to combat encounters when they start. If you want to stick with it you're welcome to, but I wanted to give you the heads up.
The knight's lips curled back in a snarl of hatred entirely unfeigned. No psychological warfare, no tactic to bolster his own morale, only a singular distaste for the man before him. No, for the monster; whatever the man had been in life, whatever he could have been as he was, he had chosen to be a monster entirely independent of his new state. Unforgivable. Nicomede would grant, if pushed, that perhaps his condition wasn't his fault. Reon recognized it.
But in this instant he didn't care.
The finer points of the morality and the ethics of vampirism were entirely irrelevant compared to the fact that Damon Cal had become a monster by actions, and at the end of the day Mayon decreed that monsters were to be stopped. Innocents were to be protected. And that was for a Knight to do. There was a natural time to die, for a man to meet his maker. And when that day came he would face it with a courage that no man too afraid to die could ever match.
And that was why Damon Cal held no fear for Nicomede. For his speed, his strength, his unholy longevity he was a coward and no Knight would ever be killed by a coward. Mayon, his own movements spoke of it! No, supernatural or not there was no match for simple skill. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Efficiency trumps speed every time.
"I don't care who you are. I'll happily settle for dead."
Nicomede flowed forward opposite the direction of Fleuri's swing, going towards and slightly past the other knight at a rapid clip. If the vampire attempted to flee away from the swing he would be driven straight into Nicomede's waiting arms, and if he fell back he surrendered the initiative. If he caught the strike, well, that was fine too.
Because his spada was whipping out from the opposite direction to slice the muscles behind the vampire's knee. He would regenerate, sure; but he would be out the use of his back, and thus stabilizing, leg for at least a moment. More than enough time to continue to follow up.
While I call it a new draft, the only things changed were in the mech portion. I also made a summary of the changes.
Removed the following lines:
- Weapons: "Radiant Wave Shielding: The variable right arms are capable of releasing a wave of their energy as a shield, at a rate of 1% of total reserve power per 5 seconds." - S.A.T.A.N. Specs: "Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the RADIANCE arm at a rate of 3% of total energy reserves per second. These more lightweight shields are not as strong as those of the METATRON armament but make up for it with a much lower energy cost, allowing them to have almost no drain on the Unit's power reserves when not actively defending it."
Altered these lines: - "Power consumption is a large problem when the arms, wings, or shields run out of energy canisters." to "Power consumption is a large problem when the arms and/or wings run out of energy canisters." - "There are only three instances of the METATRON armaments. (Including the one on it upon the Pandora's launch) If all three are discarded in the field, they will have to be recovered or re-made entirely to be replaced, and nobody outside of Pluto knows how to make them as well as the originals." to "There are only two (2) instances of the METATRON armaments. (Including the one on it upon the Pandora's launch) If both are discarded in the field, they will have to be recovered or re-made entirely to be replaced, and nobody outside of Pluto knows how to make them as well as the originals." - "While capable of blocking almost any attack, in most cases, continuous and/or strong enough energy or physical-based weapons are capable of disabling the Radiant Wave Shield, and by extension, the "Right Arm of God" itself temporarily." to While capable of blocking many energy weapons, in most cases, continuous and/or strong enough energy-based weapons are capable of disabling the Particle Energy shields of the METATRON." - "The Metatron OS includes predictive analysis of data captured from sensors built into the enhanced armor to allow for very fast reactions by the pilot." to "The Metatron OS precludes the predictive analysis of data of the S.A.T.A.N., instead allowing for an aim-assisting program for use with optional ranged weapons." - "The FLAME right arm weapon is capable of not only emitting 2.5x the energy of the RADIANCE arm, but is capable of holding twice the number of energy tanks needed to fire at full power, allowing for a total output of 225% that of the S.A.T.A.N. system before needing to be reloaded. The downside of this is that it can only fire at full power twice on its own energy without recharging, as this will drop the Unit's power reserves by 35% of its full reserves each time." to "The FLAME right arm weapon is capable of not only emitting 2x the energy of the RADIANCE arm, but is capable of holding twice the number of energy tanks needed to fire at full power, allowing for a total output of many times that of the S.A.T.A.N. system before needing to be reloaded. The downside of this is that it can only fire at full power twice on its own energy without recharging, as this will drop the Unit's power reserves by 45% of its full reserves each time." - " Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the FLAME arm at a rate of 5% of total energy reserves per second. While rail-based weapons are not affected by this, energy based weapons have their power vastly reduced or even eliminated before contact with the actual armor of the Unit. Due to the limitations of the OS these shields only function while the Unit is at or above 75% of its total power reserves." to "Particle Energy Shields. While rail-based weapons are not affected by this, energy based weapons have their power vastly reduced or even eliminated before contact with the actual armor of the Unit. Due to the limitations of the OS these shields only function while the Unit is at or above 75% of its total power reserves." - "The FLAME arm is capable of extending to three times its normal length, though while doing so cannot use an energy canister, so output is limited to either less than maximum power or to the use of overall power reserves to fire." to "The FLAME arm is capable of extending to two times its normal length, though while doing so cannot use an energy canister, so output is limited to either less than maximum power or to the use of overall power reserves to fire." - "The Abbadon OS includes an even greater predictive analysis engine than that of the Metatron to compensate for the fewer but more powerful sensors of the Unit's main body." to "The Abbadon OS includes a powerful predictive analysis that the Metatron lacks to compensate for the few but powerful sensors of the Unit's main body." - "This arm is able to hold twenty-five (25) energy canisters capable of allowing the arm to fire at full power once each." to "This arm is able to hold ten (10) energy canisters capable of allowing the arm to fire at full power once each."
Added this line: "The energy wings of the Unit require large amounts of energy, usually supplied by energy canisters similar to the RADIANCE arm. The Unit is able to hold five (5) canisters per wing, allowing for sustained, low-level sub-sonic flight for 22 hours per canister, or hyper-sonic speeds for fifteen (15) minutes per canister. At top speed (Warning: Not for use with a pilot) a canister will last fifty-seven (57) seconds and will not be recoverable. Use of the wings off of the Unit's main power at normal speeds will drain very slowly, but the faster the flight the faster the drain will increase."
Name: Stel Nebula
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Appearance:
Personality: A carefree girl with a live and let live attitude, Stel is only ever serious when she's angry or during a battle between Orbitals. She tends to make jokes often, if not very good ones, and her reliance on music to keep her concentration outside of her mech makes it hard to get a real grasp on her abilities as a whole.
Backstory: Born to the daughter of the original designer for the Angel Units and the son of the man who built from scratch the OS of three Archangels, fate could not have chosen a better pilot for Michael. She was raised on Pluto where she was expected to grow up to be an Orbital designer or mechanic herself, her parents teaching and training her for the job almost since birth. She spent her formative years inside the cockpit of an Angel when not at school, though rarely to pilot as she was more prone to re-purposing or reprogramming, whichever her parents (or their clients) wanted at the time. She listened to music constantly to keep her focused to the point that now she is almost unable to focus at all without it, and she tends towards the rock music her home planet is known for. She would often sneak out of school to train in an Orbital simulator, since she found the idea of not being able to pilot what she was fixing to not make sense. In spite of this, she was only able to pilot a single mech one time before being tested for compatibility with Michael. She only had a few weeks to prepare for departure to the Pandora after the results of her test with Michael, and has spent that time mostly trying to deal with the anxiety of knowing she may never see her friends and family again.
Skills and Flaws: Skills: - Mechanic work: She is capable of both repairing and building many types of machinery if given the tools and materials necessary. She isn't as good as the Plutonian mechanics, but she's always improving. - Computer work: She is able to both write and edit in several of the modern and quite a few extinct programming languages, including the unique language that the Angel Unit OS uses. - Basic combat: She is in shape and knows how to throw a punch. She's also decent with a firearm, though they somewhat scare her when she has to hold one in her own hands. - Art: She is able to draw very well, including but not limited to designs for new machines or improvements to them as diagrams and blueprints. She prefers drawing living creatures, however. - Language: She knows the most common language of each planet from Venus to her home of Pluto, not counting the shared common language of all of them, which she knows as well.
Flaws: - Inexperience piloting: Due to her upbringing she has had very little exposure to actual Orbitals, so her training is entirely simulation based. Combined with the fact that her Orbital is one of a kind and she's had no practice with it other than walking it around on Pluto's surface, she is completely overwhelmed by Michael. - Fear of deep water: She gets scared when she can't see the bottom of a body of water. While the potential creatures that live there fascinate her, the though of meeting one in person terrifies her. - Slight OCD: She has a need for order and symmetry in all things, and dislikes though will tolerate physical contact with another person. You will find her belongings organized specifically and with preference towards the left direction or equality in each direction if you pay close attention. - Terrible at history: She knows very little of history both of her own planet and the others. She also has a hard time grasping important dates or even the general order of events before her lifetime. This bleeds over into her everyday life by making her forget upcoming events very easily as well. - She hates formality with a passion and will likely get in trouble by not properly addressing people. This combines with a dislike of authority for a potentially disastrous mix.
Equipment: - A manual on the coding language that Michael's OS are programmed in, as well as a manual on its design and how to repair it. - A personal pocket multi-tool with a human-sized Divide Dagger as part of it. - Two PDAs capable of interfacing with most wireless technology. They also have built in comms and various scanners. - A grappling hook launcher sturdy enough to hold five times her weight. The hook can be removed from the launcher for manual throwing. - A portable personal computing device, the modern evolution of 20th century laptops.
Orbital:
Model Number: AA-13-LCF "Michael" / "The Right Hand of God" (By its designer)
Role: Variable Combat
Appearance:
Systems: Standard Archangel Systems: All of the Archangel Units are made from various types of carbon nanotubes and graphene; no expense was spared in their development. While there is a layer of each in every part of the Orbitals, and some parts are made of them entirely, the rest is made of tungsten and its alloys. There are also retractable wheels in the feet of the Orbitals that allow for enhanced movement.
Dual-Mode Systems: The METATRON armaments are reinforced with carbyne mesh throughout the armor, whereas on the S.A.T.A.N. system the right hand is covered in a similar mesh. The cockpit of both systems is covered with both carbyne and graphene plates, twice those of the S.A.T.A.N. in the METATRON's cockpit armor. The Dual-Mode System is the ability to attach the METATRON armaments to the S.A.T.A.N.'s base body and the ability to quickly remove it during battle to switch back to the S.A.T.A.N. to go from the role of vanguard to the role of total annihilation of the enemy.
Weapons: - See: Form Specs. - Blast Anchors: Four in front and two in the back, these are high-velocity anchors made of carbon nanotubes that attach themselves to what they hit and can be reeled in or out to allow for quick movement or more stabilization. They can also be used as a weapon. - "Right Hand of God": A set of two different models of the Michael's right arm comprised of sharp psuedo-Divide Dagger fingers and an energy/wave/particle-wave palm capable of reaching extreme heat and releasing raw energy to quickly melt or destroy what it touches. - Divide Dagger: An incredibly sharp and sturdy blade capable of cutting through most materials, especially so when super-heated.
Manufacturing History: Originally designed by a Heavy manufacturer who got too caught up with his own ideas to keep up with the times, the Angel Unit design was sold to the largest (and only, really) manufactory on Pluto where it saw great success as asteroid busters. The design favored controlled, slow flight for vacuum-based maneuvers with projectile anchors built in to allow for more stability on the ground, where-ever that may be. These were eventually improved upon into the Archangel Units, special Orbitals made for individual fields of work rather than the all-around versatility of the Angels. Keeping many aspects of the Angel line, the fourteen Archangel Units were each the pet project of different would-be designers who managed to impress the owners of the Angel Units' licence. The three designers were each promised one Archangel Unit for themselves if they would design five. Each of the three dabbled in the various fields of possible paths for their Orbitals to go down, but the Michael unit itself was designed purely for combat, actually taking ideas from the other 12 completed designs and making them into a complex final product. The largest flaw with the Archangel Units was that their OS were built by eccentrics as bad as the designers of the mechs themselves. Each one rejected countless would-be pilots, the ones specially reserved for their designers even more-so than the others. This eventually led to the Units "Uriel" and "Throne" to become totally AI piloted, and even today only six of the others have pilots. "Michael" itself found its pilot ironically in the form of the original Angel Unit's designer's great-granddaughter, Stel. Despite being built little more than a year ago, it was with open arms that such a powerful Orbital was allowed onto the Pandora.
Weaknesses: - See: Form Specs. - Power consumption is a large problem when the arms and/or wings run out of energy canisters. - It is not as well defended as it is powerful. A single mistake that results in the use of its own weapons against itself will quickly lead to its destruction. - There is no eject function; once you're in it, you're stuck until you can open the cockpit back up. - The cockpit of the METATRON mode requires a special machine to open, meaning it can't be gotten into and out of in the field. - There are only two (2) instances of the METATRON armaments. (Including the one on it upon the Pandora's launch) If both are discarded in the field, they will have to be recovered or re-made entirely to be replaced, and nobody outside of Pluto knows how to make them as well as the originals. - Using an Oberth Reactor to charge them simultaneously, it would take 23.5 hours to charge all of the S.A.T.A.N.'s energy canisters, and an additional 49.75 hours to charge those of the METATRON. - While capable of blocking many energy weapons, in most cases, continuous and/or strong enough energy-based weapons are capable of disabling the Particle Energy shields of the METATRON.
Form Specs: Archangel Unit: Michael - METATRON
WARNING: THE METATRON SYSTEM IS FOR USE ON PLANETS, PLANETOIDS, AND ASTEROIDS ONLY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE IT TO BE USED IN DEEP SPACE, ZERO GRAVITY, OR THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF A NON-HOSTILE SHIP.
A balanced armament that can be equipped to the Unit that provides enhanced armor and a more powerful though less flexible FLAME right arm, this version of Michael is made to fight as a vanguard. While it lacks ranged power of its own, it is able to use standard rail-based weapons with its left arm, and the OS has a dedicated portion for enhancing aim with them. It is also capable of diverting some of its energy to its left arm to allow for beam based weaponry, and while the METATRON armor can protect the Unit while it recharges, the more powerful energy shields will not be available while the Unit is below 75% power reserves while equipped with this armament. While the METATRON armor does have wings of its own, these are mostly meant for gliding and quickly closing distance in a straight line rather than for the quick movements and maneuverability of the S.A.T.A.N. system.
- Specs: - 23.7 meters tall. - The Metatron OS precludes the predictive analysis of data of the S.A.T.A.N., instead allowing for an aim-assisting program for use with optional ranged weapons. - The FLAME right arm weapon is capable of not only emitting 2x the energy of the RADIANCE arm, but is capable of holding twice the number of energy tanks needed to fire at full power, allowing for a total output of many times that of the S.A.T.A.N. system before needing to be reloaded. The downside of this is that it can only fire at full power twice on its own energy without recharging, as this will drop the Unit's power reserves by 45% of its full reserves each time. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - An additional four (4) blast anchors, two in front and two in back, allow for not only additional firepower but for continued maneuverability for the Unit while covered in the heavy METATRON armor. These four anchors are stronger than the standard but have lower rates of retraction. - Particle Energy Shields. While rail-based weapons are not affected by this, energy based weapons have their power vastly reduced or even eliminated before contact with the actual armor of the Unit. Due to the limitations of the OS these shields only function while the Unit is at or above 75% of its total power reserves. - Three Divide Daggers attached the the left arm for close combat without the need of energy or notable extra power. While these are not mobile like that of the S.A.T.A.N. system, they are more sturdy though at the cost of some slashing sharpness and the loss of the heating effect that the S.A.T.A.N. system has. - The FLAME arm is capable of extending to two times its normal length, though while doing so cannot use an energy canister, so output is limited to either less than maximum power or to the use of overall power reserves to fire. - The FLAME arm is unable to fire ranged blasts due to its increased damage output.
Archangel Unit: Michael - S.A.T.A.N (System: Abaddon - Total Annihilation: New-Order)
WARNING: DO NOT ACTIVATE THE RADIANCE WEAPONS SYSTEM UNLESS YOU INTEND TO DESTROY THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE UNIT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TARGET, DO NOT ACTIVATE.
A lightweight frame capable of moving at incredibly high speeds and traversing both atmospheric and space-based environments easily. This is the Michael's true form, and its maneuverability is the highest of the Archangel series, boasting incredible abilities despite its lack of traditional armaments. This is a machine built for one-on-one battle against a fantastic opponent, or against countless lesser units. It is not a stretch to say that this unit alone could defeat hundreds of its Angel Unit predecessors without strain. While its left arm is incapable of using beam based weaponry, it is still capable of firing rail-based weapons and within its arm holds a high-heat Divide Dagger. The RADIANCE arm is a miracle of Plutonian engineering, capable of detaching from the shoulder while connecting with high-density cables that allow it to use rockets to move entirely independently of the body.
Specs: - 4.51 meters tall. - The Abbadon OS includes a powerful predictive analysis that the Metatron lacks to compensate for the few but powerful sensors of the Unit's main body. - The RADIANCE right arm is capable of not only extreme energy output, but can withstand previously unimaginable heat and is capable of directing its energy output as a beam as well as its standard usage as a close-range weapon. It also contains rockets capable of controlling it while detached from the Unit to devastating effect. This arm is able to hold ten (10) energy canisters capable of allowing the arm to fire at full power once each. The RADIANCE arm can also be fired using 15% of the Unit's total power reserves. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - Particle Energy Wings and a sleeker, more aerodynamic design work in tandem to allow for easy and agile flight through both atmosphere and space. These are augmented by physical wings that retract into the back of the Unit while not in use as well as more traditional rocket-based flight for situations of low power. - One super-heated Divide Dagger capable of slashing through most known material is able to be rotated from behind the left arm into the palm to allow for easy use. - Reduced gravity cockpit to allow for the more intense G-forces that the pilot could be enduring due to the Unit's high speed. - The energy wings of the Unit require large amounts of energy, usually supplied by energy canisters similar to the RADIANCE arm. The Unit is able to hold five (5) canisters per wing, allowing for sustained, low-level sub-sonic flight for 22 hours per canister, or hyper-sonic speeds for fifteen (15) minutes per canister. At top speed (Warning: Not for use with a pilot) a canister will last fifty-seven (57) seconds and will not be recoverable. Use of the wings off of the Unit's main power at normal speeds will drain very slowly, but the faster the flight the faster the drain will increase.
It's a little different, and that's probably what's throwing me for a bit of a loop. Looking over the revised version, I think I'm satisfied. Go ahead and and toss her up in the Character tab!
It took a second to suppress the urge to ask about their ranks, as well, though she'd learned the older man's from Konstantin. But she had been working with a more civilian agency before she left, so the impulse was dulled a little already. She didn't know the older man's name, or the name of the... Woman in a mask. Who had sat down a moment ago. And appeared to be spreading a pepper paste on her pizza.
Artemie's eyes widened a little, not at the spice for foods much in excess of that had been her norm her whole life. But at what she felt sure must be an appalling change to the flavor profile. She munched steadily at her own MRE for a moment, she hadn't bothered to check the flavor, and shook Holden's hand in turn.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Cross." She smiled again, relieved that her voice seemed slowly to be coming back to her. "And you, too, Volana. I think I agree with Mr. Konstantin, Colonel. It'd have to be a bit hotter than that for me to notice."
"About the planet..." Artemie hesitated for a second, unsure of whether or not to weigh in. It wasn't common knowledge yet, clearly, but they could see if they looked out the window, couldn't they? This ship probably had windows, right? "... I took a little peek at the data the probe sent back. I wasn't really supposed to, but who was going to argue with me? It was 241, I think? Around then? The data was from five years before that, of course, so it was the data from the first year. The year 229. I think."
"It's..." Again she floundered, trying to articulate what she thought. That the planet was beautiful, simply for being a world no one had ever seen before. That the very fact that anyone could set foot on it was a miracle that she was ecstatic to be apart of, how she was bursting at the seams to take part in those first steps on its surface. How she'd been living her whole life for this moment. That she had given thirty years to be a part of it. But that wasn't really what they were looking for. "I hope you packed sunscreen, Volana. There's a lot of desert. The probe didn't have exact data, but it estimated that it could get too hot for anyone to survive around the equator."
"But there's water. There are rivers, and lakes, though I'm not sure if anything would count as an ocean. And a breathable atmosphere, with real vegetation towards the coast."
The Lunite stopped, a little sheepishly. She was getting carried away, and her voice wasn't thanking her for the exertion just yet. She took a long drink of water.
"I'm sorry to be a bother, but... What's the Colony Module you're talking about?"
No worries, I was sort of relying on Stel's lack of piloting ability to offset it, but I'll run it over and see what I can do to weaken it.
Thank you. Don't have to overdo it, just tip the scales back a liiiiiittle bit. There's nothing in there that I'd mind getting added back in when upgrades start rolling around, just a touch less from the jump.
That's the most I've written in a long time, but I've got a first draft CS done. Let me know what needs changing. Just now read Artemie and crap we filled the same niche with our pilots. :/
Name: Stel Nebula
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Appearance:
Personality: A carefree girl with a live and let live attitude, Stel is only ever serious when she's angry or during a battle between Orbitals. She tends to make jokes often, if not very good ones, and her reliance on music to keep her concentration outside of her mech makes it hard to get a real grasp on her abilities as a whole.
Backstory: Born to the daughter of the original designer for the Angel Units and the son of the man who built from scratch the OS of three Archangels, fate could not have chosen a better pilot for Michael. She was raised on Pluto where she was expected to grow up to be an Orbital designer or mechanic herself, her parents teaching and training her for the job almost since birth. She spent her formative years inside the cockpit of an Angel when not at school, though rarely to pilot as she was more prone to re-purposing or reprogramming, whichever her parents (or their clients) wanted at the time. She listened to music constantly to keep her focused to the point that now she is almost unable to focus at all without it, and she tends towards the rock music her home planet is known for. She would often sneak out of school to train in an Orbital simulator, since she found the idea of not being able to pilot what she was fixing to not make sense. In spite of this, she was only able to pilot a single mech one time before being tested for compatibility with Michael. She only had a few weeks to prepare for departure to the Pandora after the results of her test with Michael, and has spent that time mostly trying to deal with the anxiety of knowing she may never see her friends and family again.
Skills and Flaws: Skills: - Mechanic work: She is capable of both repairing and building many types of machinery if given the tools and materials necessary. She isn't as good as the Plutonian mechanics, but she's always improving. - Computer work: She is able to both write and edit in several of the modern and quite a few extinct programming languages, including the unique language that the Angel Unit OS uses. - Basic combat: She is in shape and knows how to throw a punch. She's also decent with a firearm, though they somewhat scare her when she has to hold one in her own hands. - Art: She is able to draw very well, including but not limited to designs for new machines or improvements to them as diagrams and blueprints. She prefers drawing living creatures, however. - Language: She knows the most common language of each planet from Venus to her home of Pluto, not counting the shared common language of all of them, which she knows as well.
Flaws: - Inexperience piloting: Due to her upbringing she has had very little exposure to actual Orbitals, so her training is entirely simulation based. Combined with the fact that her Orbital is one of a kind and she's had no practice with it other than walking it around on Pluto's surface, she is completely overwhelmed by Michael. - Fear of deep water: She gets scared when she can't see the bottom of a body of water. While the potential creatures that live there fascinate her, the though of meeting one in person terrifies her. - Slight OCD: She has a need for order and symmetry in all things, and dislikes though will tolerate physical contact with another person. You will find her belongings organized specifically and with preference towards the left direction or equality in each direction if you pay close attention. - Terrible at history: She knows very little of history both of her own planet and the others. She also has a hard time grasping important dates or even the general order of events before her lifetime. This bleeds over into her everyday life by making her forget upcoming events very easily as well. - She hates formality with a passion and will likely get in trouble by not properly addressing people. This combines with a dislike of authority for a potentially disastrous mix.
Equipment: - A manual on the coding language that Michael's OS are programmed in, as well as a manual on its design and how to repair it. - A personal pocket multi-tool with a human-sized Divide Dagger as part of it. - Two PDAs capable of interfacing with most wireless technology. They also have built in comms and various scanners. - A grappling hook launcher sturdy enough to hold five times her weight. The hook can be removed from the launcher for manual throwing. - A portable personal computing device, the modern evolution of 20th century laptops.
Orbital:
Model Number: AA-13-LCF "Michael" / "The Right Hand of God" (By its designer)
Role: Variable Combat
Appearance:
Systems: Standard Archangel Systems: All of the Archangel Units are made from various types of carbon nanotubes and graphene; no expense was spared in their development. While there is a layer of each in every part of the Orbitals, and some parts are made of them entirely, the rest is made of tungsten and its alloys. There are also retractable wheels in the feet of the Orbitals that allow for enhanced movement.
Dual-Mode Systems: The METATRON armaments are reinforced with carbyne mesh throughout the armor, whereas on the S.A.T.A.N. system the right hand is covered in a similar mesh. The cockpit of both systems is covered with both carbyne and graphene plates, twice those of the S.A.T.A.N. in the METATRON's cockpit armor. The Dual-Mode System is the ability to attach the METATRON armaments to the S.A.T.A.N.'s base body and the ability to quickly remove it during battle to switch back to the S.A.T.A.N. to go from the role of vanguard to the role of total annihilation of the enemy.
Weapons: - See: Form Specs. - Blast Anchors: Four in front and two in the back, these are high-velocity anchors made of carbon nanotubes that attach themselves to what they hit and can be reeled in or out to allow for quick movement or more stabilization. They can also be used as a weapon. - "Right Hand of God": A set of two different models of the Michael's right arm comprised of Divide Dagger fingers and an energy/wave/particle-wave palm capable of reaching extreme heat and releasing raw energy to quickly melt or destroy what it touches. - Divide Dagger: An incredibly sharp and sturdy knife capable of cutting through most materials, especially so when super-heated. All Divide Daggers are also capable of high velocity vibration to increase cutting power even further. - Radiant Wave Shielding: The variable right arms are capable of releasing a wave of their energy as a shield, at a rate of 1% of total reserve power per 5 seconds.
Manufacturing History: Originally designed by a Heavy manufacturer who got too caught up with his own ideas to keep up with the times, the Angel Unit design was sold to the largest (and only, really) manufactory on Pluto where it saw great success as asteroid busters. The design favored controlled, slow flight for vacuum-based maneuvers with projectile anchors built in to allow for more stability on the ground, where-ever that may be. These were eventually improved upon into the Archangel Units, special Orbitals made for individual fields of work rather than the all-around versatility of the Angels. Keeping many aspects of the Angel line, the fourteen Archangel Units were each the pet project of different would-be designers who managed to impress the owners of the Angel Units' licence. The three designers were each promised one Archangel Unit for themselves if they would design five. Each of the three dabbled in the various fields of possible paths for their Orbitals to go down, but the Michael unit itself was designed purely for combat, actually taking ideas from the other 12 completed designs and making them into a complex final product. The largest flaw with the Archangel Units was that their OS were built by eccentrics as bad as the designers of the mechs themselves. Each one rejected countless would-be pilots, the ones specially reserved for their designers even more-so than the others. This eventually led to the Units "Uriel" and "Throne" to become totally AI piloted, and even today only six of the others have pilots. "Michael" itself found its pilot ironically in the form of the original Angel Unit's designer's great-granddaughter, Stel. Despite being built little more than a year ago, it was with open arms that such a powerful Orbital was allowed onto the Pandora.
Weaknesses: - See: Form Specs. - Power consumption is a large problem when the arms, wings, or shields run out of energy canisters. - It is not as well defended as it is powerful. A single mistake that results in the use of its own weapons against itself will quickly lead to its destruction. - There is no eject function; once you're in it, you're stuck until you can open the cockpit back up. - The cockpit of the METATRON mode requires a special machine to open, meaning it can't be gotten into and out of in the field. - There are only three instances of the METATRON armaments. (Including the one on it upon the Pandora's launch) If all three are discarded in the field, they will have to be recovered or re-made entirely to be replaced, and nobody outside of Pluto knows how to make them as well as the originals. - Using an Oberth Reactor to charge them simultaneously, it would take 23.5 hours to charge all of the S.A.T.A.N.'s energy canisters, and an additional 49.75 hours to charge those of the METATRON. - While capable of blocking almost any attack, in most cases, continuous and/or strong enough energy or physical-based weapons are capable of disabling the Radiant Wave Shield, and by extension, the "Right Arm of God" itself temporarily.
Form Specs: Archangel Unit: Michael - METATRON
WARNING: THE METATRON SYSTEM IS FOR USE ON PLANETS, PLANETOIDS, AND ASTEROIDS ONLY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE IT TO BE USED IN DEEP SPACE, ZERO GRAVITY, OR THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF A NON-HOSTILE SHIP.
A balanced armament that can be equipped to the Unit that provides enhanced armor and a more powerful though less flexible FLAME right arm, this version of Michael is made to fight as a vanguard. While it lacks ranged power of its own, it is able to use standard rail-based weapons with its left arm, and the OS has a dedicated portion for enhancing aim with them. It is also capable of diverting some of its energy to its left arm to allow for beam based weaponry, and while the METATRON armor can protect the Unit while it recharges, the more powerful energy shields will not be available while the Unit is below 75% power reserves while equipped with this armament. While the METATRON armor does have wings of its own, these are mostly meant for gliding and quickly closing distance in a straight line rather than for the quick movements and maneuverability of the S.A.T.A.N. system.
- Specs: - 23.7 meters tall. - The Metatron OS includes predictive analysis of data captured from sensors built into the enhanced armor to allow for very fast reactions by the pilot. - The FLAME right arm weapon is capable of not only emitting 2.5x the energy of the RADIANCE arm, but is capable of holding twice the number of energy tanks needed to fire at full power, allowing for a total output of 225% that of the S.A.T.A.N. system before needing to be reloaded. The downside of this is that it can only fire at full power twice on its own energy without recharging, as this will drop the Unit's power reserves by 35% of its full reserves each time. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - An additional four (4) blast anchors, two in front and two in back, allow for not only additional firepower but for continued maneuverability for the Unit while covered in the heavy METATRON armor. These four anchors are stronger than the standard but have lower rates of retraction. - Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the FLAME arm at a rate of 5% of total energy reserves per second. While rail-based weapons are not affected by this, energy based weapons have their power vastly reduced or even eliminated before contact with the actual armor of the Unit. Due to the limitations of the OS these shields only function while the Unit is at or above 75% of its total power reserves. - Three Divide Daggers attached the the left arm for close combat without the need of energy or extra power. While these are not mobile like that of the S.A.T.A.N. system, they are more sturdy though at the cost of some slashing sharpness and the loss of the heating effect that the S.A.T.A.N. system has. - The FLAME arm is capable of extending to three times its normal length, though while doing so cannot use an energy canister, so output is limited to either less than maximum power or to the use of overall power reserves to fire. - The FLAME arm is unable to fire ranged blasts due to its increased damage output.
Archangel Unit: Michael - S.A.T.A.N (System: Abaddon - Total Annihilation: New-Order)
WARNING: DO NOT ACTIVATE THE RADIANCE WEAPONS SYSTEM UNLESS YOU INTEND TO DESTROY THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE UNIT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TARGET, DO NOT ACTIVATE.
A lightweight frame capable of moving at incredibly high speeds and traversing both atmospheric and space-based environments easily. This is the Michael's true form, and its maneuverability is the highest of the Archangel series, boasting incredible abilities despite its lack of traditional armaments. This is a machine built for one-on-one battle against a fantastic opponent, or against countless lesser units. It is not a stretch to say that this unit alone could defeat hundreds of its Angel Unit predecessors without strain. While its left arm is incapable of using beam based weaponry, it is still capable of firing rail-based weapons and within its arm holds a high-heat Divide Dagger. The RADIANCE arm is a miracle of Plutonian engineering, capable of detaching from the shoulder while connecting with high-density cables that allow it to use rockets to move entirely independently of the body.
Specs: - Incredibly small at 4.51 meters tall. - The Abbadon OS includes an even greater predictive analysis engine than that of the Metatron to compensate for the fewer but more powerful sensors of the Unit's main body. - The RADIANCE right arm is capable of not only extreme energy output, but can withstand previously unimaginable heat and is capable of directing its energy output as a beam as well as its standard usage as a close-range weapon. It also contains rockets capable of controlling it while detached from the Unit to devastating effect. This arm is able to hold twenty-five (25) energy canisters capable of allowing the arm to fire at full power once each. The RADIANCE arm can also be fired using 15% of the Unit's total power reserves. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the RADIANCE arm at a rate of 3% of total energy reserves per second. These more lightweight shields are not as strong as those of the METATRON armament but make up for it with a much lower energy cost, allowing them to have almost no drain on the Unit's power reserves when not actively defending it. - Particle Energy Wings and a sleeker, more aerodynamic design work in tandem to allow for easy and agile flight through both atmosphere and space. These are augmented by physical wings that retract into the back of the Unit while not in use as well as more traditional rocket-based flight for situations of low power. - One super-heated Divide Dagger capable of slashing through most known material is capable of rotation from behind the left arm into the palm to allow for easy use. - Reduced gravity cockpit to allow for the more intense G-forces that the pilot could be enduring due to the Unit's high speed.
Okay! First off, I really love a good form change gimmick and I like the look of this one.
That said, I do think Michael's a little too powerful for the general baseline that's been established. Right now, at least. I fully intend to be letting everyone have the opportunity for upgrades (probably more than once, if we run for long enough) but I do think I would prefer if you reined it in just a little bit for now.
Generally speaking it feels like Michael can do a good bit of everything right now without a lot of drawbacks. Most specifically, though, I would prefer that the predictive aspects of the two forms' OS either get removed, or given a severe enough drawback.
I know that's a really general bit of feedback and I'm happy to talk it over some more with you but I had a hard time figuring out exactly what I'd suggest changing.
@FlappyTheSpybot Let me know as soon as you're done, and I'll give it a read!
The Lunite grimaced at the sound of her own voice. Cryosleep was harmless, and on paper there wasn't really any difference between being under for ten minutes or ten years. Maybe, maybe, if you stayed under for thousands of years you'd start to see some real ill effects. It didn't completely halt you after all, just ground the passage of time to such an infinitesimal rate that no change seemed to have occurred. You would have to stay under for a long time for that to add up.
In practice, however, the body had something to say about occupying the same position for years and years. Her voice grated still, and the word came out in a parody of her usual tone. She took the man across the table from her's hand and shook it firmly, holding up a finger on her other hand to plead his indulgence for just a moment. Artemie took a few long, deep drinks of water and cleared her throat quietly in an effort to clear the sandpaper from her throat. When she spoke again her voice came out clearer and stronger, if not quite normal.
"I'm Artemie Isra," She began again, shaking his hand once more before she released it. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Rude of me not to meet you all before you slept, I know, but I'd been waiting for quite some time. You all are...?"
Artemie took a quick glance around the table, particularly raising her eyebrows a moment at the hot sauce remark. She'd been eating... Never mind. Why did so many of them have prostheses of some kind? Was it a new trend? They weren't uncommon at home, of course, but only when medically necessary. Was it just happenstance that multiple people here needed them, or a factor of their careers? Two of them had clearly had lengthy ones just looking at them, but what about the paler girl? Was it weird that she was a pilot who hadn't undergone any upgrades now?
Suddenly she felt even more out of place. Taking a break outside the flow of time sucked.
That's the most I've written in a long time, but I've got a first draft CS done. Let me know what needs changing. Just now read Artemie and crap we filled the same niche with our pilots. :/
Name: Stel Nebula
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Appearance:
Personality: A carefree girl with a live and let live attitude, Stel is only ever serious when she's angry or during a battle between Orbitals. She tends to make jokes often, if not very good ones, and her reliance on music to keep her concentration outside of her mech makes it hard to get a real grasp on her abilities as a whole.
Backstory: Born to the daughter of the original designer for the Angel Units and the son of the man who built from scratch the OS of three Archangels, fate could not have chosen a better pilot for Michael. She was raised on Pluto where she was expected to grow up to be an Orbital designer or mechanic herself, her parents teaching and training her for the job almost since birth. She spent her formative years inside the cockpit of an Angel when not at school, though rarely to pilot as she was more prone to re-purposing or reprogramming, whichever her parents (or their clients) wanted at the time. She listened to music constantly to keep her focused to the point that now she is almost unable to focus at all without it, and she tends towards the rock music her home planet is known for. She would often sneak out of school to train in an Orbital simulator, since she found the idea of not being able to pilot what she was fixing to not make sense. In spite of this, she was only able to pilot a single mech one time before being tested for compatibility with Michael. She only had a few weeks to prepare for departure to the Pandora after the results of her test with Michael, and has spent that time mostly trying to deal with the anxiety of knowing she may never see her friends and family again.
Skills and Flaws: Skills: - Mechanic work: She is capable of both repairing and building many types of machinery if given the tools and materials necessary. She isn't as good as the Plutonian mechanics, but she's always improving. - Computer work: She is able to both write and edit in several of the modern and quite a few extinct programming languages, including the unique language that the Angel Unit OS uses. - Basic combat: She is in shape and knows how to throw a punch. She's also decent with a firearm, though they somewhat scare her when she has to hold one in her own hands. - Art: She is able to draw very well, including but not limited to designs for new machines or improvements to them as diagrams and blueprints. She prefers drawing living creatures, however. - Language: She knows the most common language of each planet from Venus to her home of Pluto, not counting the shared common language of all of them, which she knows as well.
Flaws: - Inexperience piloting: Due to her upbringing she has had very little exposure to actual Orbitals, so her training is entirely simulation based. Combined with the fact that her Orbital is one of a kind and she's had no practice with it other than walking it around on Pluto's surface, she is completely overwhelmed by Michael. - Fear of deep water: She gets scared when she can't see the bottom of a body of water. While the potential creatures that live there fascinate her, the though of meeting one in person terrifies her. - Slight OCD: She has a need for order and symmetry in all things, and dislikes though will tolerate physical contact with another person. You will find her belongings organized specifically and with preference towards the left direction or equality in each direction if you pay close attention. - Terrible at history: She knows very little of history both of her own planet and the others. She also has a hard time grasping important dates or even the general order of events before her lifetime. This bleeds over into her everyday life by making her forget upcoming events very easily as well. - She hates formality with a passion and will likely get in trouble by not properly addressing people. This combines with a dislike of authority for a potentially disastrous mix.
Equipment: - A manual on the coding language that Michael's OS are programmed in, as well as a manual on its design and how to repair it. - A personal pocket multi-tool with a human-sized Divide Dagger as part of it. - Two PDAs capable of interfacing with most wireless technology. They also have built in comms and various scanners. - A grappling hook launcher sturdy enough to hold five times her weight. The hook can be removed from the launcher for manual throwing. - A portable personal computing device, the modern evolution of 20th century laptops.
Orbital:
Model Number: AA-13-LCF "Michael" / "The Right Hand of God" (By its designer)
Role: Variable Combat
Appearance:
Systems: Standard Archangel Systems: All of the Archangel Units are made from various types of carbon nanotubes and graphene; no expense was spared in their development. While there is a layer of each in every part of the Orbitals, and some parts are made of them entirely, the rest is made of tungsten and its alloys. There are also retractable wheels in the feet of the Orbitals that allow for enhanced movement.
Dual-Mode Systems: The METATRON armaments are reinforced with carbyne mesh throughout the armor, whereas on the S.A.T.A.N. system the right hand is covered in a similar mesh. The cockpit of both systems is covered with both carbyne and graphene plates, twice those of the S.A.T.A.N. in the METATRON's cockpit armor. The Dual-Mode System is the ability to attach the METATRON armaments to the S.A.T.A.N.'s base body and the ability to quickly remove it during battle to switch back to the S.A.T.A.N. to go from the role of vanguard to the role of total annihilation of the enemy.
Weapons: - See: Form Specs. - Blast Anchors: Four in front and two in the back, these are high-velocity anchors made of carbon nanotubes that attach themselves to what they hit and can be reeled in or out to allow for quick movement or more stabilization. They can also be used as a weapon. - "Right Hand of God": A set of two different models of the Michael's right arm comprised of Divide Dagger fingers and an energy/wave/particle-wave palm capable of reaching extreme heat and releasing raw energy to quickly melt or destroy what it touches. - Divide Dagger: An incredibly sharp and sturdy knife capable of cutting through most materials, especially so when super-heated. All Divide Daggers are also capable of high velocity vibration to increase cutting power even further. - Radiant Wave Shielding: The variable right arms are capable of releasing a wave of their energy as a shield, at a rate of 1% of total reserve power per 5 seconds.
Manufacturing History: Originally designed by a Heavy manufacturer who got too caught up with his own ideas to keep up with the times, the Angel Unit design was sold to the largest (and only, really) manufactory on Pluto where it saw great success as asteroid busters. The design favored controlled, slow flight for vacuum-based maneuvers with projectile anchors built in to allow for more stability on the ground, where-ever that may be. These were eventually improved upon into the Archangel Units, special Orbitals made for individual fields of work rather than the all-around versatility of the Angels. Keeping many aspects of the Angel line, the fourteen Archangel Units were each the pet project of different would-be designers who managed to impress the owners of the Angel Units' licence. The three designers were each promised one Archangel Unit for themselves if they would design five. Each of the three dabbled in the various fields of possible paths for their Orbitals to go down, but the Michael unit itself was designed purely for combat, actually taking ideas from the other 12 completed designs and making them into a complex final product. The largest flaw with the Archangel Units was that their OS were built by eccentrics as bad as the designers of the mechs themselves. Each one rejected countless would-be pilots, the ones specially reserved for their designers even more-so than the others. This eventually led to the Units "Uriel" and "Throne" to become totally AI piloted, and even today only six of the others have pilots. "Michael" itself found its pilot ironically in the form of the original Angel Unit's designer's great-granddaughter, Stel. Despite being built little more than a year ago, it was with open arms that such a powerful Orbital was allowed onto the Pandora.
Weaknesses: - See: Form Specs. - Power consumption is a large problem when the arms, wings, or shields run out of energy canisters. - It is not as well defended as it is powerful. A single mistake that results in the use of its own weapons against itself will quickly lead to its destruction. - There is no eject function; once you're in it, you're stuck until you can open the cockpit back up. - The cockpit of the METATRON mode requires a special machine to open, meaning it can't be gotten into and out of in the field. - There are only three instances of the METATRON armaments. (Including the one on it upon the Pandora's launch) If all three are discarded in the field, they will have to be recovered or re-made entirely to be replaced, and nobody outside of Pluto knows how to make them as well as the originals. - Using an Oberth Reactor to charge them simultaneously, it would take 23.5 hours to charge all of the S.A.T.A.N.'s energy canisters, and an additional 49.75 hours to charge those of the METATRON. - While capable of blocking almost any attack, in most cases, continuous and/or strong enough energy or physical-based weapons are capable of disabling the Radiant Wave Shield, and by extension, the "Right Arm of God" itself temporarily.
Form Specs: Archangel Unit: Michael - METATRON
WARNING: THE METATRON SYSTEM IS FOR USE ON PLANETS, PLANETOIDS, AND ASTEROIDS ONLY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE IT TO BE USED IN DEEP SPACE, ZERO GRAVITY, OR THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF A NON-HOSTILE SHIP.
A balanced armament that can be equipped to the Unit that provides enhanced armor and a more powerful though less flexible FLAME right arm, this version of Michael is made to fight as a vanguard. While it lacks ranged power of its own, it is able to use standard rail-based weapons with its left arm, and the OS has a dedicated portion for enhancing aim with them. It is also capable of diverting some of its energy to its left arm to allow for beam based weaponry, and while the METATRON armor can protect the Unit while it recharges, the more powerful energy shields will not be available while the Unit is below 75% power reserves while equipped with this armament. While the METATRON armor does have wings of its own, these are mostly meant for gliding and quickly closing distance in a straight line rather than for the quick movements and maneuverability of the S.A.T.A.N. system.
- Specs: - 23.7 meters tall. - The Metatron OS includes predictive analysis of data captured from sensors built into the enhanced armor to allow for very fast reactions by the pilot. - The FLAME right arm weapon is capable of not only emitting 2.5x the energy of the RADIANCE arm, but is capable of holding twice the number of energy tanks needed to fire at full power, allowing for a total output of 225% that of the S.A.T.A.N. system before needing to be reloaded. The downside of this is that it can only fire at full power twice on its own energy without recharging, as this will drop the Unit's power reserves by 35% of its full reserves each time. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - An additional four (4) blast anchors, two in front and two in back, allow for not only additional firepower but for continued maneuverability for the Unit while covered in the heavy METATRON armor. These four anchors are stronger than the standard but have lower rates of retraction. - Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the FLAME arm at a rate of 5% of total energy reserves per second. While rail-based weapons are not affected by this, energy based weapons have their power vastly reduced or even eliminated before contact with the actual armor of the Unit. Due to the limitations of the OS these shields only function while the Unit is at or above 75% of its total power reserves. - Three Divide Daggers attached the the left arm for close combat without the need of energy or extra power. While these are not mobile like that of the S.A.T.A.N. system, they are more sturdy though at the cost of some slashing sharpness and the loss of the heating effect that the S.A.T.A.N. system has. - The FLAME arm is capable of extending to three times its normal length, though while doing so cannot use an energy canister, so output is limited to either less than maximum power or to the use of overall power reserves to fire. - The FLAME arm is unable to fire ranged blasts due to its increased damage output.
Archangel Unit: Michael - S.A.T.A.N (System: Abaddon - Total Annihilation: New-Order)
WARNING: DO NOT ACTIVATE THE RADIANCE WEAPONS SYSTEM UNLESS YOU INTEND TO DESTROY THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE UNIT. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A TARGET, DO NOT ACTIVATE.
A lightweight frame capable of moving at incredibly high speeds and traversing both atmospheric and space-based environments easily. This is the Michael's true form, and its maneuverability is the highest of the Archangel series, boasting incredible abilities despite its lack of traditional armaments. This is a machine built for one-on-one battle against a fantastic opponent, or against countless lesser units. It is not a stretch to say that this unit alone could defeat hundreds of its Angel Unit predecessors without strain. While its left arm is incapable of using beam based weaponry, it is still capable of firing rail-based weapons and within its arm holds a high-heat Divide Dagger. The RADIANCE arm is a miracle of Plutonian engineering, capable of detaching from the shoulder while connecting with high-density cables that allow it to use rockets to move entirely independently of the body.
Specs: - Incredibly small at 4.51 meters tall. - The Abbadon OS includes an even greater predictive analysis engine than that of the Metatron to compensate for the fewer but more powerful sensors of the Unit's main body. - The RADIANCE right arm is capable of not only extreme energy output, but can withstand previously unimaginable heat and is capable of directing its energy output as a beam as well as its standard usage as a close-range weapon. It also contains rockets capable of controlling it while detached from the Unit to devastating effect. This arm is able to hold twenty-five (25) energy canisters capable of allowing the arm to fire at full power once each. The RADIANCE arm can also be fired using 15% of the Unit's total power reserves. - The standard six (6) blast anchors of the Archangel Units. - Particle Energy Shields capable of sustaining the destructive power of the RADIANCE arm at a rate of 3% of total energy reserves per second. These more lightweight shields are not as strong as those of the METATRON armament but make up for it with a much lower energy cost, allowing them to have almost no drain on the Unit's power reserves when not actively defending it. - Particle Energy Wings and a sleeker, more aerodynamic design work in tandem to allow for easy and agile flight through both atmosphere and space. These are augmented by physical wings that retract into the back of the Unit while not in use as well as more traditional rocket-based flight for situations of low power. - One super-heated Divide Dagger capable of slashing through most known material is capable of rotation from behind the left arm into the palm to allow for easy use. - Reduced gravity cockpit to allow for the more intense G-forces that the pilot could be enduring due to the Unit's high speed.
No problems with Stel, but the Michael will take a little longer to read through. There's a lot there, and I confess I'm having a hard time keeping it straight in my head. I'll edit in my feedback on Michael (or post it by itself, if someone posts in between) but I didn't want you to think I had forgotten to read it.
The last woman on Earth heard a knock at the door.
Such an old, simple horror story. And it had been on her mind a lot these past decades. As far as anything had been on her mind in that time, to the extent that she had even had a mind. There wasn’t a chance of being the last woman on Earth, and certainly not of being the last woman in the solar system. You could scarcely get a few miles from anyone on Armstrong the city was so populated and Earth’s were much the same. Even the solar system, in its own way, was beginning to get crowded.
But in the void between systems it was easy to be the first, last, and only.
A knock at the door would have been frightening for sure.
But in its own way the solitude had been even more frightening, the knowledge that any word she said wouldn’t be heard for years if it ever was. That even if everything went according to plan there would be eight long years before she heard another voice, then two, then twenty. Twenty two years before a soul came within a lightyear of her. A fear that by the end became crushing even in the deepest subconscious reserved for the hibernating and the near dead that maybe she would never be found at all. That her sleep would never end that her vessel would become her tomb and Voyager would become her own, personal Flying Dutchman.
Artemie Isra, brave explorer, lost to space.
But her solitude was broken by a hiss, instead, as her pod’s lid slid open. The sound barely registered, but the words from the world beyond did. Just a little, slipping through the fog in her mind to tickle at her synapses. Those were voices, real, human voices.
“He… llo?” She managed, then grimaced. Even if her tongue hadn’t been thick with chemicals, her voice was so rusty. It came out in fits and starts, forcing its way through vocal cords long disused. The first stab at opening her eyes was a dismal failure, she closed them again immediately. The second a moment longer, then the third, and fourth, and finally she blinked them open unsteadily.
“Take it easy,” A masked technician said, gently helping her into a seated position. “Taaake it easy. You’ve been out a long time, we had to wake you up slow. Can you understand me?”
Artemie nodded, eyes widening just a fraction as a small, unsteady smile graced her face.
“Good! We’ve been watching your vitals since we started thawing you out, nothing out of the ordinary there. But you’re going to be unsteady. That should wear off within the hour, but don’t be surprised if it takes you a little time, okay?”
She nodded again, not quite trusting her voice, and swung her legs over the side. It had been a while, but she remembered the drill; shower, food, and then ready stations. Just like the Captain was saying over the intercom. The Lunite almost fell when she tried to stand, just barely catching herself with the technician’s help, but her first step was more stable. Then the next, and the next....
“Your gear is in that locker. We moved it off your Orbital after we picked you up. You’ll find your flight suit in there. Holler if you need help, alright?”
“Thank you.” Artemie smiled, ignoring how her voice still sounded. She’d get there. The shower was heavenly. Both of her prior awakenings had allowed her only a brief, cold spray after she awoke and before she settled in for cryo again. This was warm water sluicing over her and washing away the years of ice and darkness, gently scourging it from her bones with each second. She regretted having to cut it short.
Her suit was exactly where she expected it, familiar and freshly cleaned. To her, at least, it could well have been cleaned nearly a decade ago. She pulled it on and zipped it to just under her collarbone, unwilling to again confine her neck so soon, and resolved to find some casual clothes at her first opportunity. None had taken the trip with her.
The first real problem that she encountered was a total lack of familiarity with the ship. Its class hadn’t even existed when she went to sleep the first time, and obviously there had been no chance to tour it (or meet the crew) before it set sail.
Thankfully someone had labeled her way.
MREs, thank God, hadn’t changed in thirty years and neither had mess halls. Uniforms, it seemed, had. The Lunite flight suits she saw mixed in with the other designs had definitely been updated while she was gone and it made her feel a little obvious.
Artemie bit her lip. None of these people were familiar. But that table had three individuals whose bearing and attire said ‘pilot’, so she gingerly picked her way over and sat down at the table with her first bite of MRE in her mouth.
Ghosthands
Plank Sinatra
UltimoScorp
The World
