Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[flabort]

Military Design:
Tremor Bombs: (0)
SLOTH: (1) Flabort

Hope Design:
Blue Whale: (1) Flabort
Lunar City: (0)
Usrsa Maximus: (0)
Watchtower: (0)

[flabort]

Because nobody in the discord likes eachother's ideas, here's a design that's less absured than the Whale, less militaristic than the goddamn batman or an upscaled death laser for shooting down rockets, and has (slightly) better grammar than Lunar Light.
The Dreamstate
A new craze has been spreading throughout Mereth. Using CAT cables and a miniaturized computer based on the ORACLE framework, anybody who can afford one (and most Merethians can) can experience a digital landscape, a virtual world, even while in their sleep. A number of programs are available with preset scenarios, and the games which can be played with this system can have physics not based in reality, but the main draw is that the adaptive nature of the ORACLE-based computer powering this is that it allows for new scenarios and more rewarding challenges to be created on the fly as a player progresses. This technology, and the idea of using a computer for fun is still extremely new (It's 7 years before the invention of videogames in the rest of the world), but it's rapidly gaining popularity, as citizens share the scenarios created by their Dreamstates with each other on recently developed computer chips called "cartridges".

One of the most popular scenarios is a relaxing beach trip, with a court for a game recently seen in the Tokyo Olympics called Volleyball, an ICE cream dispensary, and as many or as few other patrons as the user desires, with the Dreamstate adapting the situation to maximize fun and comfort. Another popular one features the rearing of a fantastic pet, which if one questioned it's biology one would see it's quite unlikely, but Dreamstate users enjoy it. A third base scenario distributed by the sellers of Dreamstates basically boils down to propoganda, with the user being put into the shoes of a Bear trooper fighting against an endless tide of Aramatites, demons, and whatever else the Dreamstate pulls from their subconscious, allowing them to literally fight their fears and win.

The military doesn't see much use in this, except for the possible training of soldiers, but with how unrealistic the scenarios can become after multiple uses, especially if a player is especially bad or especially good at overcoming the challenges presented by the Dreamstate, the idea that soldiers would learn anything useful from this is unlikely to come to fruition, but the primary purpose, to entertain, relax, and distract from the horrors of war, is more than enough for Dreamstates to be sold to military personnel as well.

Military Design:
Tremor Bombs: (0)
SLOTH: (1) Flabort

Hope Design:
Blue Whale: (0)
Lunar City: (0)
Usrsa Maximus: (0)
Watchtower: (0)
Dreamstate: (1) Flabort

[TricMagic]

Rewrite is below the Tornado. Still on this page though. Leaving this for looking, if anyone wants to.

Spoiler: Retired, See Below (click to show/hide)

LEO Space Station Aurora, & LOTTO: Long-range Orbital Targeting of Terra Operations

The LOTTO is a revision to our current model of combat. Normally, we use mortars, but they are not the best for dealing with ground targets, nor do they have the same range as the Red Skies they use. So we built a LEO Space Station in Orbit. The LEO Space Station Aurora is equipped with laser turrets and modified Blizzards capable of operating in space(and built on the station) for defense and offense against Aratam operations to reach the moon. Moreover, it uses the new LOTTO to track Aratam movements across the Theaters, and sends the data back down to Oracle for processing. This also allows for it's true purpose, high accuracy ICE Rams dropped from orbit on targets.

To state, the ICE Ram is a simple piece of steel filled with a huge amount of ICE in it's warhead, with Tereshkova Effect Wings to guide it to it's target. If it's own force doesn't take out the target, the ICE warhead most certainly will put an end to it and the surrounding area. It's reentry speed and simplicity also render it near impossible to stop. And the Tereshkova Effect Wings allow it to follow it's target should it try to escape, for up to a mile or more.

Meanwhile, the Modified Blizzards are carried up in pieces to the Space Station by Starknights. They've been modified to survival in space, and their fans have been removed in exchange for two turbojet nozzles fueled by GOFAST. They also now use a TALON turret on top, in addition to their usual loadout. It's space, so air resistance isn't an issue, nor do we need as much fuel to keep ourselves up, being weightless. This also means we can reduce the ore cost, though that is offset by the remodeling to still remain the same. We will need a name for this model.

A module system is used to build the Aurora in orbit. Many parts to form a greater whole. This also means we can create dock areas for the Starknights and eventually the Blizzard Remodels, with an air pressurization system, air-removal system, and opening bay area, for small docks capable of holding 4 to 6 Spacecraft. We're thinking 3-4 Blizzard Remodels for each dock, with room for Starknights to land.

As for how we transmit the data to Oracle, and get it, there are two different things we can do. Starknights can carry full data packages back down, and receive full updates in the same way. We do have a radio system though, for quicker orders and targeting information. Thankfully, we do not need a full-proof flight plan for Starknights, as the basics are easy to use or put in quickly for the Aurora's current/future position.

As it's a single structure, it will likely always be NE, though it's cost will determine how many more we can create in the future. And the Orbital Theater is a bit different in the first place, as it can see all of the Theaters below with dedicated scanning through multiple wavelengths. That's it's own module though, as is it's ICE Ram launcher bay.

I probably don't need to say I spent a while on the thing though.. Module Space Station has been written.

[Chiefwaffles]

Forgot to include this in the local combat report.

DUC Investigation

Things have been weird recently. Weirder than normal. Yes, even the DUC's version of normal.
So we've asked some questions. Looked around. Hacked into Politely peaked at their classified reports. And wouldn't you know it, they're keeping things from us.

Specifically, they've been receiving direct orders from some... government agency? It's nothing we've ever heard of before, but it looks Merethan at the very least. "Department of Peace", with everything being listed under (oh so cleverly named) the "Peace Project". Even in places they thought secure, they've still covered their tracks. Most of the documents are redacted and censored. But whatever they're doing, they're getting a lot of resources to do so and it looks like technology from the Design Division -- us -- is being funneled into them as well.
There's a lot of other information and entities we don't recognize in the recovered information. Probably only a fraction of the DUC is a part of this conspiracy(?), but it has a lot more tendrils in who knows what.

[andrea]

Lunar Alternative Viable Autarky

The wolrd, the world is in chaos. Nuclear war looms on us and nuclear winter to follow. This is the world we were taught to fear in the most frightening futuristic stories.

Other stories, however, invoked hope, hope for a brighter future, where humanity spreads far and wide among the stars, away from the petty squabbles of old and too big and prosperous to ever again face extintion.

We can still choose which future lies ahead. We have the power to save not just us, but humanity itself. And it starts on our closest neighbor, the moon.

Living off planet is a complex and dangerous thing. We can't certainly explore and inhabit the solar system and beyond in the span of a few months or even years. However, we can take the first steps toward that on our closest neighbour, the moon that shines bright in the night sky. Living in space is a tremendously hard task, so we first need to prove, to ourselves and the world at large, that it can be done. that we can do it, now.

LAVA is our first permanent habitat off planet, meant to be inhabited not by a crew but by settlers living and dying and multiplying in it. The first step in setting it up is using the new excavators we are shipping and their Earth ears to find a suitably large cavern. We theorize that past lava flows could have left huge caverns, already mostly sealed. Furthermore, for those with openings to the outside it is theorized that over time the extremely little water vapour present on the moon could have entered and accumulated in the colder shadowed areas of the cavern, providing a long term source of water.
After finding a place with enough space, water and suitably enclosed, we shall use a tweaked version of instant concrete to seal off a reasonably small branch, cover all the walls, cover openings, build supports. The goal of this will be the creation of a pressurizable cavern able to hold a proper settlement. To aid this effort, a sealed exosuit based on atmospheric diving suits is issued to the crew.

Next step is the pressurization itself. Starting from a small section of the cavern makes it easier, but it is still a lot of air to be produced. There is no nitrogen on the moon and we want to prove a viable self sufficient habitat, so we shall use a low pressure pure oxygen atmosphere, also reducing the chance of leaks. Oxygen for the initial atmosphere is sourced primarily in 2 ways: electrolysis of water, and electrolysis of rocks. While the first is easier, the latter doesn't use a scarce resource and it produces a metallic/silicon slag that can be used to aid construction. After the initial pressurization, the continuing life support is installed. Part of it is reusable scrubbers made by DUC which filter carbon out of the atmosphere, but we will also build hydroponic greenhouses on the surface which will provide food, clean air, and some water cleaning too. Lights and heaters will of course be installed to assure survival during the long lunar night.

All of this is of course power intensive. To supply our power needs, large arrays of solar panels using a new DUC boosted chemistry will be deployed on the surface, coupled with magmatite batteries to hold charge during the lunar night.

Finally, an archive of important cultural pieces will be shipped there: books, movies, music and photos, the memory of Earth and human civilization, to endure forever.

It is a significant project and at first it will probably only be a sealed branch of a larger cavern, with space for a few buildings and a capacity of a couple hundred people. But what is most important, it will be able to mine its own water, create its own oxygen, grow its own food and have access to materials. As it keeps growing, more areas can be reclaimed for more people at accelerating pace. It will prove that it can be done, that there can be life beyond Earth, and that life will be humans.

No matter how dire things get down here, no matter what happens with the warring nations or the doom that might fall on our planet. In the darkest hour, everyone will still be able to point up at the moon and say: there is a city there, where our brothers and sister live. They hold our past and our future and will carry on the torch of humanity no matter what happens. And a day, we might join them and escape from this failing world.

[andrea]

Reality Anchored N-ship

Robots are cool and all, but the improved efforts of our enemies make operations vastly more difficult. It is clear that, for the victory in this war, we will need to expand our presence in the N-realm. being unable to retrieve anything is very limiting, and we need to send through sturdier stuff.

GATE opens a door which can be traversed one way. It is theorized that for travel to be bidirectional, we need to open a door from the other side as well, meaning a second GATE. Meaning,  a large vehicle entering the N-scape.
The N-ship is derived from the old burrowers chassis, smaller in size than the excavator and made to fit within the Existing GATE aperture. It is completely sealed, it hosts a GATE around its body and is covered by mechanically actuated cats 'o nine tails, which should provide protection from close encouters. In terms of weapons it also attempts to use an harpoon gun, which shoots retrievable harpoons linked to the ship by cable, and a pair of HAUNTERS.

Of course, thrusters are added to facilitate movement in the N-space.

The GATE has a twin purpose. First of all, it allows return to the material realm, a task for which ORACLE isn't required because the material realm doesn't need to be "locked" and modified like the N-scape does. The second task is maintaining local reality, generating a reasonable enough environment to allow survival of biological beings. This effect, especially if contact with ORACLE is lost, is limited in range, but would still cover the inside of the ship with just the "pilot" and the on board computer.

The pilot is a volunteer specifically trained in biology and physics, linked to GATE and the excavator with a limited CAT link. The volunteer is constantly fed pictures and sounds from Earth to help him maintain reality.

This device will allow us to finally extend a proper, powerful miltary presence in the N-scape able to assert our dominion in that theater.

[TricMagic]

Revision: The Tornado Air/Space Craft

It's been a long time since we introduced the Blizzards, and they still perform well. With recent advancements however, we have the capability to introduce a new line of craft, the Tornado Class.

The Tornodo still uses the Tereshkova Effect in it's wing scheme, but it's cockpit has been trimmed down, an air seal has been added to maintain pressure, along with a Recycler/oxygen mask system mounted into the CAT helmet. It's Birdbrain based guidance has been upgraded, and it uses three turbojet nozzles for flight in atmosphere located in the back of the fuselage. This renders it's flight ability far above the current model, being capable of amazing turns and Aileron Rolls, along with any other roll you'd care to name, like Barrel Rolls. All thanks to being able to effect the output of each engine with the proper programs.

Other than that, it's equipped with CLAW turrets like the normal Blizzard is, one for each wing, and a single TALON mounted into the forefront of the machine. This is in addition to it's ability to carry up to 6 Shrike Missiles. Along with the standard by now ICE Cooling.

It's design is rather awe inspiring, with simple lines. Moreover, if we don't load any missiles and cover the TALON and CLAWs, we can add Blast Plating to it. For this Aircraft is in fact capable of reaching Orbit, and once reequipped at a space station, capable of fighting in Orbit.

In Short, the Tornado is a Long Distance Air/Space Craft, depending on where it's deployed. And insanely maneuverable and fast. Certainly faster than anything else in the air, other than Spaceknights and Skyrangers re-entering Orbit.

Space Station rewrite coming shortly, maybe.

[Madman198237]

So far, Andrea's proposal is undoubtedly closest to something I'd like to do. I'd prefer it to be phrased as a plan, where we do all the engineering now in this design, but send the pieces up piecemeal so we don't have to pay some massive cost for it.

Here's another Hope proposal, even if I'd much prefer to go to space this is likely a more....militarily beneficial option in the long run. What if we stopped using ORACLE for civilian tasks, and instead used many somewhat-smaller computers? That should allow us to accomplish more things than ORACLE can, even if each unit is substantially less powerful.

Hope Design: Portable Reworked ORACLE Prediction Heuristic Exploitation Terminal (PROPHET)
The PROPHET system is a miniaturized ORACLE-style computer. Instead of granting precious ORACLE time to tasks like international intelligence examination, crime reduction, research, or private projects, people requiring such processing time can instead be given access to a PROPHET. Each PROPHET is about the size of a truck trailer, and uses a feedback-improved version of ORACLE's predictive algorithm capable of running on the smaller PROPHET architecture. Advanced Holocube Displays provide four colors of feedback, which has been painstakingly reworked from ORACLE so that a PROPHET technician can actually understand some of what's going on.

Starting goals for the PROPHET deployment program include establishing efficient enough production of ICE, reduction of crime, and expansion of MAGMA's branching network of tunnels (all warmed by the heat from the depths, even if they're not directly above the deepest parts of the borehole) so that all civilians living in MAGMA do so in safety...and far enough below ground to provide a large amount of safety from even a nuclear detonation. PROPHET units will also take care of industrial operations, freeing ORACLE time, reducing waste, and, most importantly, preventing any chance of a problem of ORACLE having control of any SERF units. International intelligence and diplomatic operations will also be targeted for immediate benefits. With nuclear weapons being deployed in combat, it is essential that our intelligence units know the world's vulnerabilities, and our diplomats know how to keep the world from falling apart. Or, at least from falling apart in a way that's going to cause us problems. Internal intelligence will similarly be targeted, tracking intelligence leaks, crimes, and activities consistent with Astral usage throughout Mereth, to hunt down the BEO's operatives and cripple their operations before they even know they've been detected.

The smaller size and more civilian nature of PROPHET's capabilities allows it to be produced much more readily than the ORACLE supercomputer, and thus its capabilities are available to the populace.

[TricMagic]

Design: LEO Space Station Aurora
Includes Long-range Orbital Targeting of Terra Operations, or LOTTO, for striking in Theaters below with ICE Rams.

The Aurora. Built using Serf-2s with Thruster Packs, Haunters, and Datalinks. Built be making the Space Station come in many Modules, which themselves can be assembled and welded together. Built by all of us to represent safety in Orbit, a National Effort.

The Aurora Space Station is an Infrastructure that has been long coming. By using both Starknights, and more traditional, for Mereth, rocket stages for the larger more important parts, like the Life Support, Command Rooms, Thruster Systems, Energy Generators, and DUC Solar Panel Arrays(Made with Magmatite for better energy conversion of sunlight to electricity), we have slowly, but surely, built something truly impressive.

Being Built in Modules, we can add more as needed in the future. For now, I'll speak of the Highlights.

The Observatory Suite
Probably the most important part. A collection of sensors which can monitor thermal, infrared, UV, and just plain pictures and video, among others. All meant to gather info on the planet below, and pick up movements of Aratam Forces. As well as help predict weather.

 As a side node, we also have the Magnetic Sensors, which are a huge deal, since we can learn ahead of time what Theater those Aratams are planning to mess with. With the other sensors, it will also help us plan around it. Knowing about that Electrostatic Storm would have been helpful in prepping Oracle so it could adapt before the issues popped up.

The Solar Arrays
A little underappreciated, these Solar Arrays are guaranteed by DUC to show 10-20% efficiency in Light to Electricity conversion. This is mostly due to the use of Magmatite in their make-up, to better capture sunlight for conversion, for lack of a better phrase. The Rechargable Magmagel Batteries used can be expected to power the Life Support Systems for three days. In practice, we expect one day unsupplied while under siege, in addition to helping power the Laser Defenses.

The Ram
Pretty damn simple, this thing was sent up by rocket stages. It's meant to hold the ICE Rams. An ICE Ram is a slab of metal about 2 meters long and 1 wide, with Tereshkova Effect wings sliding down the edges in an X pattern. It holds a Birdbrain, and a simple computer for orders, pretty similar to a Shrike. It also holds enough ICE in it's warhead to potentially freeze an entire Mile in Ice. In practice, if the kinetic energy doesn't kill the target, the ICE most certainly will kill it's systems. And the soldiers. And everything even remotely close to it.. And the Air...
 Point is, it's a dam sight to see in action. From a safe distance. It's certainly fast enough. And with GATE use, even the SEEMs won't be able to get their giant Frigate out of the way fast enough for it not to track the thing and adjust. FUN Fact, regular ICE doesn't work in a vacuum, which is what this stuff uses. Carefully... Preferably encased in a ICE Ram so the Kinetic Energy can crack it open and release it all.

The Docks
Modules are great, mostly cause we can just slide these pieces together and put in a air-lock system. Takes a while to depressurize re-pressurize, but it works. Each one can hold 4 to 6 Spacecraft. Being a Module, not really an issue connecting them to the Main Areas with walkways. This also includes an Open Docks area, for building stuff like satellites and Cargo Transports in space, and the main overlook for directing the Docks. Very important to the overall Space Station, since this is where supplies and people come in, and new sections start to get built.

Life Support and Command
A basic section, this part is the Life Support systems, supplies, and Command Room. At the moment, it's somewhat superfluous. We can only receive direct commands via the radio, and the rest is Oracle Reports and uplinks/downlinks. Once more begins to occur and we get a proper satellite system up, it will see more use and expansion. Somewhat based of of the Starknights, obviously. That screen is perfect for terminals in the future. The Life Support is a more permanent thing than the Spaceknights though. And it can be upgraded easily as we get better systems.

Laser Defense System
For when all is Lost and without Hope.. The Stars Alight, Blue Mereth's Might!
While a bit silly, this does describe the Aurora's Laser Defenses well. Being a Module Space Station, so long as we have power, we have lasers. And those lasers are very, very accurate in space. Primarily Talons, some Multi-Bank Claw setups. All Turrets with birdbrains commanded from inside the station.

Energy Generation
Also sent up in rocket stages. This is where most of our Magmagel Banks are, as well as the GOFAST Generators. Not mentioned are the multiple turbojet thrusters to keep us up in space, rather than crashing into the atmosphere. With more oil, we can probably hit BEO from LEO. That requires we take the seas however, or find a way to get more oil.


One final note, being a Module System, it is fairly easy to add more to it as we get it. It is our Primary Base in Orbit, and very important to our control in Orbit.
This. All of This. A space station True. And useful for establishing Orbital Control in that theater. Tornado Revision has a way to get up there with this.

[flabort]

Now that's a design.

Sorry for the votebox if you're not ready yet, but I love that design. And we have lots of options to vote on now.

These designs do mean I'm not voting for my own designs any more, but I like them a lot too so I'm leaving them in.

Military Design:
Tremor Bombs: (0)
SLOTH: (0)
Reality Anchored N-ship: (0)
LEO Space Station Aurora: (1) Flabort

Hope Design:
Blue Whale: (0)
Lunar City: (0)
Usrsa Maximus: (0)
Watchtower: (0)
Dreamstate: (0)
Lunar Alternative Viable Autarky: (1) Flabort
PROPHET: (0)

[TricMagic]

Military Design:
Tremor Bombs: (0)
SLOTH: (0)
Reality Anchored N-ship: (0)
LEO Space Station Aurora: (1) Flabort, TricMagic

Hope Design:
Blue Whale: (0)
Lunar City: (0)
Usrsa Maximus: (0)
Watchtower: (0)
Dreamstate: (0)
Lunar Alternative Viable Autarky: (1) Flabort
PROPHET: (0)

Thank you for the Votebox. At the Moment, I'm waiting for Nuke to write-up their HOPE design tomorrow.(Literal Acronym for HOPE)

Do like Prophet though. Kinda Hoping HOPE will increase our region rating though.

[Madman198237]

ME-DNI-64 'Brainwave'
The Brainwave is a CAT-based project that aims to improve the combat capabilities of every soldier in the Merethan military. It makes use of Neurogel, the most recent brainchild of the DUC. It is based off of the primitive Electrogel "neurons", but the DUC has condensed them into a far more efficient volume by improving the structure of the chemical. It's useless for providing power, now, but retains just enough electric potential to act like a neuron when provided with an external power source.

Connecting a patch of the new Neurogel to a section of the temporal lobes allows the transmission of speech without needing the person to actually speak the words. Cutting out the muscle middleman in communication is both relatively simple and improves squad-level reaction times beyond even the best-trained militaries'.

Another extension, to the occipital lobe, allows unprocessed visual data to be transmitted between soldiers. The system basically just directly feeds visual data from one user's occipital lobe to another's, without attempting to make sense of it or do anything except suppress things that exceed a simple mechanical limit on the strength of signals transmitted from the Neurogel to the radio (i.e., no transmitting flashbang detonations). The use of a mental "switch" akin to the experiments in earlier designs allows the soldier to choose what other soldier's view he can see.

By switching the integrated radio to a larger unit working at a much higher frequency, we can give Bear Soldiers the increased power necessary to transmit this much data between each other... over short range only, sadly. Larger vehicles will use more powerful radios so they can communicate over greater distances, and also feed intel to Bear Trooper units, even if the Bears can't respond. Skyrangers will have many more options for toggling feeds and connecting to the long-range systems of Grizzlies, so that they can act as relays and command and control stations. Same deal for actual bases, of course. Neurogel's advanced capabilities make the expanded area of coverage necessary to get audio and visual interaction only a little more invasive (surgery-wise) than the basic CAT procedure. And it itches less.

And here we go again, that darned Madman is proposing the same proposal as he has the last hundred and sixty turns...but seriously upgrading literally every soldier we have can only be a good thing.

[TricMagic]

And once again no. Come back to this when people aren't worried.

Honestly.. Your ideas are things I'll think about, but I'm all for an actual station in the Orbital Theater rather than some Skyranger bomber-recon.. thing. The fact it requires it's own data in the face of ION Cannons to even intercept things in the first place is bad enough, let alone not even being capable of orbit in the first place. Or Sub-orbit either, which means it will never manage to get the data needed from itself.

Station means we can station fighter in orbit, which means we don't have to worry about exit or reentry, as they have a base rather like an aircraft carrier. So no Sea type issues that got us pushed back due to having to launch blizzards from shore.

They don't have orbit this turn, so solidifying our Orbital Theater will help immensely.

[10ebbor10]

For the hope contest, I think we should focuson what people are worried about.

From turn flavor
1) Serf murders people
2) Serfs introduced by  Shutdown of cooling to large parts of MAGMA
3) Crime caused by Shutdown of cooling to large parts of MAGMA
4) An accident caused by criminals stealing ICE
5) Crime in magma

The pattern I detect is that most of the issues focus on lower MAGMA, and specifically the ICE cooling. So, let's solve that.

SHELL : Secure Heat Excluding Lattice Liner (Hope) :

Originally intended as a simple resource extraction system, MAGMA has become the center and capitol of the Merethian nation. While great for symbolism and convenience, there are problems. MAGMA was never intended to be permantly and sustainably habitable, relying instead on plentifull ICE to keep everything cool. This constant reliance on active cooling looms overhead, especially with supplies becoming increasingly scarce.

Enter SHELL, the permanent solution for all your cooling needs. It's new megaproject, a special liner that will be wrapped around the entire city of MAGMA, and each of it's individual subsections. Thanks the hard work of our division of unusual chemistry, the liner is supported by a lattice of electrosensitive PEACE PLATING, an inverted version of COMBAT plating that produces force when exposed to heat.

In practice, the liner works as follows. First, a target temperature is set by exposing the electrosensitive lattice to a correct electric shock. Once this target tempersture is achieved, the force generated by the PEACE plating will seperate the layers of the liner, creating a wafer thin vaccuum. This vaccuum isolstes thedifferent layers from one another, thus preventing heat transmission.

Additional uses case for SHELL have also been explored. SHELL thermoses and mugs have proven extremely popular, as has the combination SHELL freezer, fridge oven. The SHELL bathing suit has failed to become a success, after it was discovered that swimming in lava is not possible, because molten rock remains a rock.

Lastly, SHELL plating can also be used as isolation in remaining above ground dwellings, showing that we totally care and that they're not an afterthought we forgot about for 5 years.

[NUKE9.13]

For the hope contest, I think we should focuson what people are worried about.

I mean, whilst the rules of the contest say "Little to no battlefield utility" (clarified by CW as "Not liable to intensify the war in the public's eye"), it does also say "may advance technology"- we'd be fools to make something that doesn't advance our cause in some way or another. LAVA looks pretty good to me- definitely not military, definitely establishes hope for the future, but also definitely advances our cause by enabling expanded lunar operations.

I'm not sure what to do for our regular design yet, although I'm sure we want to use either our design or revision on something to help defend orbit/the moon.


E: Taking inspiration from the Tornado suggested by Tric, but rewritten as a design rather than a revision, not requiring a space station but rather 'docking' with Starknights, the Firestorm:

Firestorm:
The Blizzard has served us well for many years. To this day, it remains superior to Aratamite aircraft. But it is beginning to show its age. Besides, there is a new theatre that the Blizzard was never designed for, which may soon be as important as the skies. To this end, we must augment our airforce with a new, superior craft, capable of fighting both in the skies and in orbit- and beyond. The Firestorm is this craft.

The Firestorm does not discard what we have learnt from the Blizzard, but it does represent a significant upgrade in most areas. The body is slightly larger, and has COMBAT plating integrated into the design, greatly enhancing the durability of the craft. It has the same X-shaped wing profile, although the wings are slightly smaller- as the Firestorm is intended to travel at substantially higher speeds, the wings need not be as large, and out of the atmosphere they would be dead weight.
Propulsion is provided by a multimodal rocket engine, which in vacuum functions similarly to the Starknight's engine, but can open air intakes to add reaction mass when in-atmosphere. Like the Starknight, the Firestorm features several small thrusters all across its frame which are used as RCS in space, in addition to the main thruster at the rear of the vehicle (the RCS can be used in-atmosphere for extra agility in emergencies, but generally conventional manoeuvring is preferred). Magmatite-enhanced GOFAST is used to increase fuel efficiency, as in the Skyranger.

For armament, the Firestorm has a (somewhat downsized) TALON integrated into the nose of the craft (angled slightly downwards). In-atmosphere, vents can be opened to allow cold air to flow past the cooling elements, increasing RoF (at the cost of slightly worse aerodynamics).
For smaller confrontations, two CLAWs are provided. These are not mounted in regular turrets, as having such bulky things breaking up the profile of the craft would be a serious problem at extreme speeds. Rather, they are integrated into the body of the craft, one on each side, with only a small bubble breaking up the smooth contours of the exterior. This bubble is a variable lens array that can be used to 'aim' the lasers in almost all directions.
The wings feature optional hardpoints where Shrike missiles can be attached (which must all be used/dumped before reentry, obviously).
A Birdbrain controls these weapons, integration into the craft allowing for slightly improved performance compared to the version retrofitted into the Blizzard.

So far, so standard. However, as mentioned, the Firestorm can function in orbit, to which end the cockpit is completely sealed, and provided with basic life support (oxygen, bottle of water, candy bar). It can even function on the Moon. However, it does not have enough fuel to get to the Moon, nor enough life support. It barely has enough fuel to get itself into orbit.
To this end, the Firestorm is designed to 'dock' with a Starknight. There is a docking system on top of the craft, which can connect the cockpit of the Firestorm to the cabin of a Starknight, allowing the Pilot to move from one to the other. The docking system also connects the navigational/piloting computers, letting the pilot of the Starknight use the thrusters on the Firestorm to aid in the Starknight's manoeuvres- such as initiating a transfer to the Moon. And, of course, extra fuel carried in the hold of the Starknight can be transferred through the docking system into the Firestorm's fuel tanks.
When operating in defence of lunar operations, then, a Firestorm makes its way to orbit under its own power, then docks with a Starknight (HAUNTERs may be used to assist in the docking procedure). The pilot clambers into the cabin of the Starknight, where he spends the duration of the trip to the Moon in... well, more comfort than he'd have in the cockpit of the Firestorm. On arrival in lunar orbit, the pilot clambers back into the now refueled Firestorm (which may have had Shrikes from the Starknight's hold mounted on the wings by HAUNTERs), detaches from the Starknight, and rockets away to deal death unto any Aratamite intruders on our extraterrestrial territory. Once his mission is complete, he rejoins the Starknight, where he can either rest, refuel, & rearm for another mission, or return to Earth orbit, where he can again detach and reenter the atmosphere under his own power.

Speaking of reentry, the bottom of the Firestorm is coated with an ablative, and the entire skin is ICE-cooled like the Skyranger, allowing it to make a single atmospheric reentry relatively unscathed (although it will need maintenance before doing so again).

The Firestorm is intended to serve as an elite aircraft, considerably faster and tougher than the Blizzard, as an orbital fighter (should the need arise), or as a ground-attack craft on the Moon (again, should the need arise).