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[Chiefwaffles]

Combat Report: Winter 1964

The war is going fine. Mostly. They're still closer to MAGMA than we are to their capital. Our Firestorm is extraordinarily useful, even if damaging to soldiers' eardrums. Not much happened in space as neither side had the capability (Aratam doesn't even transport things in space still) to intercept the others' transports, and neither side can affect the ground from orbit.


Intrigue

Perform a deep dive into ORACLE's databanks, looking for more out-of-place files or corrupted data (possibly attempting to... de-corrupt the data?)

A small team of trustworthy and skilled ORACLE technicians is quickly assembled, and sent to work. ORACLE-A is pretty much entirely housed inside its main and original chamber in MAGMA. Most of the work is done there. But the Nodes are most than just places where we get ORACLE-A output, they can have some remnant data left over in temporary databanks worth looking over.

It of course takes the whole season to really go through the data. What we found is a lack of information. If ORACLE-A had anything to do with the unauthorized Firestorm, then there's no way it could have flushed every single Databank of every single reference. Sure, it could hide all the important stuff. Wipe enough evidence so we would never find the remnants unless we knew exactly what we were looking for.
But we found nothing. Not a single trace document or fragment of one that can be connected with the Firestorm incident. While ORACLE-A could still potentially have been behind the Firestorm, it's extremely strange that they would have one document as uncorrupted and readable as the one we found is, and yet not a single trace of anything ever that could be connected with the incident.

In the time given we tried scrounging the local databank storage areas where the document was found originally to restore the data to a degree. No luck. The document is corrupted, but the corruption must have happened outside of ORACLE-A's "knowledge".

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 2/3 (2/2 Oil, 0/0 Ore Imported)
Space Transport Capacity: 1/2 (1/1 Magmatite Imported) (+1 STC from Aratam's ANGEL Project)
Resources: 4 Ore, 3 Oil, 2 Magmatite

Moon Region Rating: 2
Moon Resources: 1 Magmatite (Succesfully imported Moon Resources are included in "Resources" as well)

Weapons

• ME-CLAW-63: A Magmagel-using laser gun. Bit unwieldy for regular soldiers, but easy to carry (and can be duel-wielded) by Bear soldiers. Uses Magmagel canisters inserted into the barrel to fire. Has a beam mode and pulse mode, with the beam capable of cutting unarmored people in half. Can easily melt through current Aratamite infantry armor, though not instantly. Damage is precise; it can do a lot of damage in very small areas -- it's best used against vital organs. Beam mode, when concentrated on the exact same spot of a Tank/heavy armor for a few seconds, can melt through the armor and damage whatever's directly behind it. Has a(n unused) port to pump in/out Magmagel for continuous use. Terrific accuracy at any range, though damage scales with distance (making it Long-ranged). Comes with 3x scope for sniping.
  [Cheap] 2 Ore, 1 Oil, 2 Magmatite
• ME-GWS-63 'TALON': A variant of the ME-CLAW-63 with expanded Magmagel tanks and capacitor arrays, that works on a controlled overload. Takes 5 seconds to charge a laser pulse which turns everything in its path to plasma, then a large chunk of its target to plasma. Needs a 30 second cooldown period between shots, and has an extensive STABIL-ICE cooling system. If cooling is damaged or overheated otherwise, weapon explodes violently. Can shoot 10 times before recharge (which can be done in-field by external connection or by using its host's power supply) Very heavy, and currently only fit for deployment as the primary weapon of a Grizzly.
  [Expensive] 3 Ore, 1 Oil, 4 Magmatite
• UF-MRL-40 'SARUKH': The Sarukh is a multiple rocket launcher, which fires rockets one meter long to deliver 6kg warheads at a maximum range of 12000 meters. The rockets have impressive destructive power, compared to shells they do not need thick metal casings, so most of the weight of the rocket is either warhead or propellant. The rockets are launched electrically off of rails, and the rails are in a 4x2 array. The rockets can be fired all at once, but it takes about four minutes to reload the whole launcher, so the sustained rate of fire is not better than regular artillery. However, a rocket array is extremely light compared to a cannon, and can move very quickly, firing all at once and retreating before fire is returned from the enemy. Accuracy is poor compared to shells; to reliably hit a single target with a volley they should be used within 8km. Currently available as a truck trailer.
  [Cheap] 1 Ore, 3 Oil
  
  • ICE Rocket: A rocket for the Sarukh equipped with an ICE non-explosive warhead. Instant lethalities within 5m, very high fatalities within 10m, serious injuries (and occasional fatality) along with (usually temporary) vehicle non-operation to 50m. The cold dissipates quickly outdoors.
• ICE Thrower: A 20m-ranged pressurized ICE thrower that can rapidly cool an area in front of the operator to (eventually) lethal levels or outright kill/severely harm those directly hit by ICE. The ICE doesn't naturally react until roughly 10m out from the barrel, though it can hit other things in its way and react with whatever it hits. Prolonged use is discouraged, due to close proximity with ICE and ICE-affected areas being very dangerous even with the extensive insulation operators wear.
  [Cheap] 2 Ore, 3 Oil
• ME-MO-62 "Nameless Death": A large mortar that uses rocket-propelled ammunition to give it a more than respectable range, with the ability for ICE or HE warheads. Its advantage lies in its versatility and ease-of-use: it can be mounted on Bear Armor's rear mount, deployed on the ground, and an automatic version exists for mounting on the Grizzly. Though the infantry version is somewhat hard to use without Bear Armor. Bear Troopers can fire their rear-mounted mortar at any time, without deployment, using a button on the suit's arm, though they have to aim through their posture, and the mortar has to be manually reloaded by another person. Grizzly mech versions are fired via the CAT interface, but are harder to aim and the CAT interface can't do anything other than "fire".
  [Cheap] 2 Ore
• ME-AEM-63 'Shrike': A 100kg missile with a 15kg ICE/HE warhead. Its associated "Birdbrain" computing pod allows for real-time target detection/analyzing, giving pilots a simple holographic reticule overlay in the cockpit and allowing effective tracking of any kind of target. Its warhead can be adjusted in real time by the computer for optimum damage against the selected target (air-bursting,  shaped charge, etc.) and it has high-res sensors with a relatively-thin viewing angle to find targets. On-board missile computer is simple and enacts out orders given by Birdbrain pre-launch, but can wirelessly receive new orders/communicate intel. Not specifically long-range.
  [Cheap] 2 Ore, 2 Oil
• ME-LDT-64 'RAILS': Large heavy infantry-deployed useless autonomous Ravenmind CLAW turret. Lasts for an hour off of tiny GOFAST tank and generator, less if CLAW is used a decent amount. Overheats for 5-10m after CLAW firing, heavily throttling rate of fire and processing power. Cannot detect infantry targets or intercept enemy bombardment projectiles, just low-flying planes it's useless against. Radio allows medium-range communication of intel with other RAILS and field commanders/ORACLE, but no useful intel is produced and too many RAILS in a smallish area will overwhelm processor with data, bottlecapping it. Covered in thin COMBAT plating.
  [Cheap] 4 Ore, 2 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Armor

• Standard Uniform: A plain blue featureless uniform. The blue's mild enough that it doesn't really stick out.
• ME-PA-59 'Bear Armour': "Infantry" armor based off of the now-obsolete Tiger suit. Boasts full body coverage, albeit with fairly frequent gaps in the joints; the breastplate/taces can block rifle bullets at nearly all ranges and most of the armor can stop pistol bullets at point black. It has insulating fur inner lining. Armor plating is semi-manually removed from the outside through a series of switches to enter/exit/perform maintenance. Lasts 8 hours of consistent high-power use, and charge is monitored by a dial in the helmet. Embarking/disembarking from the outside takes about 30 seconds, and disembarking without assistance takes a few minutes. It stands at [~7 ft/~2m] tall, and uses a smallish bulletproof glass visor for limited visibility. Pilots boast slightly increased speed and slightly decreased agility (but same strength) over regular unarmored individuals while in the Armour, twice the strength of average soldiers, and have their skin dyed blue from the Electrogel. Has mounts for a WALK-TALK and larger ICE Thrower tank, and a velcro strip in the helmet for maximum pilot comfort. Contains advanced shock/recoil-dampening capabilities in gauntlets. Fit with Magmagel, and equipped with a charging port that can finish charging in one minute.
  Equipped with COMBAT plating.
  [Cheap] 4 Ore, 2 Oil, 1 Magmatite
• "Drop Bear" Armor: A suit of Bear Armor with two relatively large fuel tanks attached to the back, with nozzles places around the suit. Can launch a Bear Trooper high into the air 50 meters forward, where they land with a noticeable (albeit minor) shockwave and no harm to themselves. Single-use, and prohibits use of heavy weaponry and especially the ICE Thrower.
  [Expensive] 4 Ore, 3+1 Oil, 1 Magmatite
• ME-MAS-62 'Grizzly Armor' v2: A ~4m-tall mechanized combat suit, based vaguely on Bear Armor. Heavy COMBAT plating covering the chest - where the pilot resides nearly integrated in the armor connected via a Cerebral Action Translator looking at a fiberscope connected to the head - protects the pilot, and that COMBAT plating is covered by further Mangalloy plating to protect more effectively against small arms. Faster than most/all soldiers, but still relatively slow in vehicle standards. Pilot has basic sense of "touch" from the suit, allowing for a good degree of coordination. Can generally tank a single Hydra cannon shell with no internal damage -- just a moderately-sized patch of damaged COMBAT plating. A second shell in the same spot would pierce front armor and embed itself in the back, potentially causing internal damage (most notably severing of Electrogel conduits to some motors), and a third shell - also in the same spot - would destroy the suit. Has 8 hr of charge using Rechargeable Electrogel, and a backup battery providing another 8 hr of charge but that has to spend time charging the Electrogel while not moving. Can equip any vehicle-suited or heavy weapon held by Mereth, an upscaled Bear Shield, or a 6-rocket Sarukh pod in either(/both) of its two arm modules. Fit with Magmagel, and a charging port that allows charging in five minutes. Charge monitored by dials in the cockpit. "Ursine Vision" system has 4 television cameras relayed to the pilot in the cockpit (who can choose to ignore them in favor of the fiberscope) as well as a dedicated Handler at the nearest ORACLE-A node, who points out important things, gives tactical advice, and relays intelligence to ORACLE-A. Cameras are obvious targets and delicate, but not essential to operation.
  Equipped with COMBAT Plating.
  [Expensive] 6 Ore, 3 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Spacecraft

• ME-STS-64 'Starknight': A larger completely unarmored variant of the Skyranger designed for space and lunar travel. A Turbopumped-GOFAST rocket combustion engine powers multiple thruster nozzles all over the craft, all with good vectoring, allows for very good manueverability, speed, and fuel efficiency. It can land and take off form/into space just using landing gear on its bottom and can hover, though that's not recommended due to fuel usage concerns. ICE-cooling and ablative plating allows for relatively-low-maintenance atmospheric re-entry. Power provided by engines during burns and auxiliary GOFAST generators in other times. Panoramic electric display screen replaces window in cockpit, showing large amounts of data derived by the Birdbrain-based "Swallow" guidance system. A cramped pressurized crew compartment allows for a maximum crew of 6 for up to 2 weeks on its life support, with integrated CAT stations leading into a central Datalink conduit for every crewmember. Much larger unpressurized cargo hold has 2 HAUNTERs and 4 SERFs, and 2 GOFAST generators (used to power the craft or anything else). Has covered ports on outside of hull and on inside of cargo bay to connect Datalink conduits to, for uploading/downloading information and flight plans with ORACLE-A and letting the crew control any plugged-in remote controlled robot using the craft's integrated CAT stations. Rest of cargo hold has enough space for about half a dissembled Excavator. Requires a comprehensive flight plan from ORACLE-A via Datalink wires for orbital navigation. Equipped with radio.
  +1 STU, +1 Moon Region Rating
  [Very Expensive 5 Ore, 5 Oil
• ME-ORMA-64 'Firestorm': Based on the Blizzard, extremely sleek obsidian black & bronze chassis with damascus steel-like details. Blizzard-style wings are placed further to the back, but are much stubbier and feel like an extension of the chassis. Covered in COMBAT plating, with the cockpit canopy having a COMBAT plating shutter. Powered by the "Ravenmind" Combat Assistive Computer which can give likely enemy flight patterns, analyze and target all enemies, assist in flight and manuevers, communicate with other Ravenminds and ORACLE-A over radio, and give every possible piece of pertinent information to the pilot via the 4-color canopy HUD (where most information is conveyed rather than through physical instruments). Ravenmind controls CLAWs by default, and can control TALON and/or flight systems if allowed. Combat is still very possible when shutters are closed thanks to Ravenmind-provided data. A slightly downscaled nose TALON with minor gimballing can fire to a small cone of fire at the front (air-cooled for poor rate of fire, ICE-cooled for better RoF at cost of re-entry/Mach 3 speed capability before refueling), and two CLAW "bubbles" on the sides with interior mirror gimballing can fire practically anywhere short of 90 degrees in any direction. 4 hours of oxygen and 8 MREs are provided, allowing for extra-atmosphere operations. Full docking with crew, fuel, power, Datalink, and life support 2-way transfer can be made by docking the top of the craft with other spacecraft. Transports like the Starknight can refuel the Firestorm in orbit and transport it to places like the moon, allowing for full orbital fighter operations. Powered by a single multimodal GOFAST-M rocket engine with a primary thruster and powerful RCS thrusters all along the craft. STABIL-ICE cooling and ablative plating for re-entry and Mach 3 speeds, though a max of 5 minutes at Mach 3 is allowed before maintenance will be required to do it again. Mach 2 cruising speeds, Medium range.
  [Very Expensive] 6 Ore, 4 Oil, 4 Magmatite

Air Vehicles

• ME-LRMA-60 "Blizzard": A two-engine jet "Long-Range Multi-Role-Aircraft" based off of the Lightning Streak that uses a 4 "X"-shaped wing configuration via the "Tereshkova Effect" for slightly increased aerodynamics, improved redundancy, and greatly improved coolness. Its two aT-J60gi ICE "freezing stovepipe" ramjet engines allows it to be a fair bit faster than the Lightning Streak. Has one large GOFAST tank and a small STABIL-ICE tank allowing for Long range. Equipped with a single 15° rudimentary CLAW turret integrated with Birdbrain (and a small amount of Magmagel "ammo"), and 8 Shrike missiles.
  [Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil, 1 Magmatite
• ME-EAP-63 "Skyranger": A two-multimodal-propulsion-unit suborbital transport craft. With four wings. It can propel itself out of the atmosphere and "fall" towards its destination at extremely fast speeds, making it a practical fireball (the heat of which is mostly countered through ICE circulation cooling). It can hold a full Bear squad or the equivalent weight in cargo/personnel, and using its suborbital travel method it can arrive anywhere on the continent in ~30 minutes. Its landing is extremely obvious and it requires heavy maintenance, and unless handling very light loads it has to take the long way back home, not using suborbital travel. Uses Magmagel-powered fans mostly in the atmosphere, and Magmatite-GOFAST Rockets/Ramjets at higher speeds and to get sufficient suborbital velocity. Has a CLAW hardpoint that cannot be used if suborbital travel is expected.
  [Very Expensive] 6 Ore, 2 Oil, 3 Magmatite

Navy

• UFN-CA-41 Catraphract: The Cataphract is a cruiser built to rival Cannala's ships. It is armed with 3x3 150mm gun turrets, each using a fully electrified loading system. Each gun can fire 8 times a minute. It has an armored citadel with 300mm of nickel-steel armor (Heavy), and a torpedo belt. The deck is heavily armored, at 120mm (Light) to defend against plunging fire, plus an extra splinter deck. The turrets are similarly armored. Additionally there are three turrets with two bumblebees on each side of the ship, capable of firing on aircraft or ships. It is powered by oil-burning steam turbines yielding a moderate speed.
  [Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil
  
  • ME-MV-61 "Makeshift": A modification of the Cataphract with shooty-bits and unnecessary "crew livability" components removed.
    Provides 2 TC
• ME-DDG-61 "Chillwind": A Guided Missile Destroyer equipped with a 2x-Bumblebee turret, eight Velociraptors divided amongst both sides of the hulls, all slaved to a 150km aircraft/30km ships radar system. Uses a Mostly Vertical Launch system to house 40 Penguin missile launch tubes - 20 each side - angled 30 degrees down vertically. Crew and equipment requirements mean that only four missiles can be launched and guided at a time. Has a very thin metal hull covered by Pykrete and crisscrossing pipes of STABIL-ICE to keep the Pykrete layer cool and supposedly repair any damage, though it proves ineffective at damage repair and the STABIL-ICE often runs out quickly enough such that a Chillwind's first engagement is usually without any Pykrete armor still intact.
  [Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil

Underground Vehicles

• UT-60 Excavator: A tracked medium-sized heavily-modified tunnel boring machine, most notably using GOFAST-fuel. Can go down to Moderate and Shallow depths, moves at Very Slow speeds while underground and at Moderate speeds aboveground. Possesses limited (but notable) agility underground. Contains space for 6 soldiers and small amounts of equipment of the equivalent amount of cargo in the back, in addition to the 2 crew in its cockpit. Light armor. Equipped with the ME-SM-57 'Earth Ear' for basic subterranean navigation.
  [Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil; Provides 1 Ore.
  
  • ME-CM-56 'Instant Roads': A fast-acting sprayable concrete mixture very useful for reinforcing tunnels when sprayed by trailers hooked to a Burrower. Allows use of Burrower tunnels for logistics.
    Provides 1 TC.
• UT-60-L Excavator-L: Variant of Excavator with 8-hour life support and a 2-person crew cabin designed to remain pressurized outside of Earth's atmosphere. Airtight door can be docked with a temporary inflatable connector.

Other

• GATE/HAUNTER: A large ring-shaped device with surrounding outer transparent chamber of Magmagel that, with assistance of N-Sensitive Volunteer, can create a tear in the fabric of reality (induces insanity if looked at) leading to the "N-Dimension". It must spend time "Locking" coordinates, where Volunteer forces section of the N-Dimension to be stable and known enough to lock it to a position in our dimension where we can enter it. Emerging point in N-Dimension can be up to a mile away from GATE, with instant travel time. Complete ORACLE-A coverage of or very recent Volunteer visit to target area required. 15 minutes required for a lock to an adjacent position, 2 hours for a mile away. SERF-based Datalink-controlled drone equipped with a sword and thrusters piloted by the Volunteer, the "HAUNTER", travels into the N-Dimension where Aratamite astral activity can be located and potentially an attempt can be made to stop or disrupt them. Tear remains open for 15m-1hr depending on how good Volunteer is at keeping the local landscape of the N-Dimension stable, though Volunteer can break the lock prematurely if needed. GATEs have to be constructed on site with premade parts shipped to site beforehand allowing construction in two days. HAUNTERs can not be recovered after deployment, making the design Complex.
  [Very Expensive] 3 Ore, 2 Oil, 4 Magmatite, [Complex]
• GOFAST-Fuel: A special type of more energy-dense and stable fuel. Greatly increases fuel efficiency of anything it's in, doesn't require an oxidizer, and can rarely leak out of compromised containers.
  Adds 1 Oil to cost.
• WALK-TALK: The Wireless Audio Local Kommunicator-Transistor Assistance Lowers Kost Radio. A small hand-held two-way transistor radio..
  [Cheap] 1 Ore
• Electrogel: A very thick blue gel that creates and transmits electrical current corresponding to the amount of pressure applied to it. Comes with the "Electrogel Motor" - a very small motor with embedded Electrogel that works with power corresponding to Electrogel pressure. A patch of Electrogel can last roughly 8 hours when powering its corresponding motor nonstop at max power.
  
  • Rechargeable Electrogel: A variant of Electrogel that can be charged with very precise pressure applied. As a general rule, the time needed to charge is 3x of how long it was used at max power usage.
  • Magmagel: Electrogel enhanced with specially-ground Magmatite that allows very-fast charging.
• UF-SM-57 'Earth Ear' Mk. IV: A set of small attachments to be put on all available sides of a subterranean vehicle. The use of precise vibrations sent through the earth and analyzed by an onboard computer allow for identifying of earth and entities in a 20km area. A basic Cube-contained 3D-projected interface in red and blue shows the layout of the land and distinguishes between earth, buildings, vehicles, and infantry (all allied and enemy). Magnetic disks store gathered data to also be fed back to the ORACLE.
  
  • GASOLINE: The Great Acoustic/Seismic Oil Location Initiative and Extraction device, which fits onto an Earth Ear systems allowing for relative easy surveying of underground oil deposits. Merethan regulation forbids surveying underneath Mereth for alleged safety reasons, meaning oil found as a result of GASOLINE has to be imported using our transport capacity.
    Provides 1 Oil (Import)
• ICE: A chemical that very quickly reacts with the air to massively reduce heat in the surrounding area, often to the point where nearby things are frozen (ones in the epicenter frozen brittle), vehicles disabled or destroyed, and people killed.
  
  • STABIL-ICE: A variant of ICE that relies on an added catalyst to only react when it's above a target temperature, specified during synthesization of the STABIL-ICE. Useful for ice cream and also maybe cooling of machinery and the like. Slowly decays over time in storage, making it unsuitable for anything not expecting routine maintenance.
• C.O.M.B.A.T. Plating: Composite armor plating using a thin manganese layer and a ceramic layer sandwiching a Tungsten-Bronze/Molybdenum-Bronze layer arranged to, in layman's terms, convert kinetic and electric energy into heat. The outer layers easily melt when tanking particularly impactful hits such as coilgun shots and Lvl3 Tesla blasts, but prevent death or (usually) injury in the process.
  Adds +0 Ore to cost. (+1 cost nullified by ME-RID-61 'SERF")
• Cerebral Action Translator A system wherein a series of jacks are implanted into the upper spine and lower brain -- roughly the neck and lower half of the back head, from the outside -- to allow for communication between computers/machinery and the human brain. Use of Electrogel as very-primitive "neurons" allows a bridge between the Electrogel and actual neuron growths, providing a channel to receive input from the neural system and a channel to send information to the neural system. It has low bandwidth, meaning it can't do a  huge number of things at once, but what it does do, it does nearly seamlessly.
• ME-RID-61 'SERF': An unmanned thinner suit derived from Bear Armor, with near-human dexterity and a camera-like head. Remote controlled via cable connection to a pilot elsewhere hooked up via CAT, seeing via a television monitor and hearing via speakers. The SERF-2 version makes it much more skeletal, cheaper, and allows it to compact itself into a small cube-ish square in about 30 minutes and uncompact in about 3 minutes; all autonomously.
  Reduces the cost of COMBAT plating from 1 Ore to 0.

Operation Plans

• MARIA: Set up a mining outpost with Starknight landing pads surrounding an unpressurized warehouse with space for ores, oxygen, and fuel that has underground docks for lunar Excavators. Resupplies Excavators and facilities transport of humans into Excavators for piloting. Two humans per Excavator accompanied by a SERF mine in underground tunnels and bring the ore back to the warehouse for transport to Earth.
  Potentially Provides 1 Ore OR [/color=darkred]1 Magmatite[/color]
  Lunar Operation, No cost, Unique, Takes up 1 Region

Infrastructure

• Division of Unusual Chemistry: A fully funded department & lab under the Design Division specializing in more unusual chemistry.
• M.A.G.M.A.: A giant borehole made and maintained using Excavators, Bear Armour, Earth Ears, and many more instances of our tech. Uses ad-hoc STABIL-ICE cooling systems fitted onto Bear Armour and excavators to maintain suitable temperatures. The deepest borehole in the world, and brings up notable amounts of ore from existing land.
  Provides +1 Ore
• ORACLE-A: A microprocessor-based STABIL-ICE-cooled supercomputer with >100 MB of RAM and >1,000 MB of storage space using magnetic disks, and relatively blazing fast speeds using a generally advanced CPU with other cores handling peripheral tasks. Input is primarily via keyboards, and output is via vector-drawn screen graphics. When given adequate intelligence regarding known enemy activity in an area, the ORACLE-A can compile a prediction of future enemy activity over a set time period up to a week. However, we must have really good intelligence in an area for the best predictions, and the ORACLE-A can only handle a relatively few areas at a time (that must be chosen in advance by humans) due to processing power limitations. Despite this, its predictions are (when given adequate intelligence) very effective.
• H.O.P.E.: A laundry list of things very useful for doing things in orbit, the moon, and potentially beyond.
  
  • Solaris System: Magmatite-enhanced solar panels with attached good energy storage and 20% solar cell efficiency.
    Costs 1 Magmatite to add to a design.
  • Nanoseal Concrete: Variant of Instant Roads; material once applied slowly moves to create airproof seals. Requires multiple applications between waiting for it to clump together into sealed bits. Repairs nano breaches (micrometeroids or smaller), but bigger breaches require re-application. Must be sprayed on a medium/framework, e.g. bricks made from regolith. May cause cancer.
  • Ursa Polaris: A space power suit. Based off of Bear armor, but with much less armor and plating and DUC-provided fabric wherever it can go. Not too outwardly big (especially compared to Bear armor) and doesn't hurt agility. Provides 3 hours of air (8 hours of power), and can be tethered with an optional oxygen connection. Troublesome to get in/out off without assistance.
  • B.R.E.A.T.H. Module that regulates atmosphere in a closed environment, ensuring optimum oxygen/nitrogen mix. Recycles CO2 to good but not perfect efficiency, and can electrolyze water for more oxygen. Recycle of waste to recover most (not all) water and nutrients useful for plants.
  • F.I.G. Simple hydroponics system module growing plants with nutrients from BREATH and water, in addition to long-lasting rations from Earth. Hydroponics currently is not recommended to sustain humans independently, but to supplement rations.
  • Zephyr Modular airlock with own atmosphere tanks, solar panels, electronics, and sensors. Can be shipped in parts or as a whole (fits nicely as main cargo of a Starknight). Contains two lockers for Polaris suits.
  • A.L.W.V. Ambiguous Lunar Wheeled Vehicle, a smallish flat bed battery-powered vehicle with good suspension and 8 wheels. Can fit an inflatable pressurized "cabin" to fit driver and 6 passengers, a cargo hold, a towing system, storage+laying for cables and conduits of all types, tanks for liquid/gaseous substances, etc..
    [Cheap] 3 Ore, 1 Magmatite
  Provides +1 Region Rating

• Embassy "Vast Underground Forenian Embassy": An extensive and mildly luxurious underground Forenian embassy dug underneath around the center of Mereth using improvements in excavation technology designed 100% solely for civilian use and definitely nothing else.

The Design Phase of Winter 1964 has begun.

[TricMagic]

ME-ODS-64 'Kinetic Impactor Large Launcher System for Accurate Termination (KILLSAT)
The KILLSAT is what happens when you stick a Ravenmind and a bundle of tungsten sticks into space, then throw them like a bunch of darts at things that have annoyed you on the surface.

The KILLSAT itself is a simple construction, a pair of folding solar panel wings bolted to a Ravenmind and its communications array, capable of talking to every other KILLSAT on the same side of the planet as itself and capable of communicating with Merethan command stations on the surface. The Ravenmind is optimized for accurate target acquisition and firing based on data from ground-side Ravenminds, triangulation with other KILLSATs, or directives from the ORACLE command center. KILLSAT shots can only be fired with redundant confirmation orders---the general command staff, the KILLSAT operations director, and the ground commander nearest the intended impact zone.

Each KILLSAT is launched with two tungsten projectiles with a conical point, cylindrical middle, and bulging tail. This shape keeps the projectile aligned during its descent through the atmosphere, while the bulge's extra size and shielding keep the (relatively) delicate electronics and GOFAST fuel inside safe from reentry heating. The whole projectile is covered in the Starknight's ablative coating, with tungsten fins at the back controlled by the heavily-shielded Birdbrain, reprogrammed and optimized for getting the target from A to B, where A is the launching spacecraft and B is a point on the surface of the Earth that we want to stop existing. The Birdbrain is in constant communication with its KILLSAT control station so the Ravenmind can accurately guide the projectile through the atmosphere, powered by a few Magmagel batteries for the roughly fifteen-minute drop through the atmosphere. Also in the tail is a gimballed GOFAST rocket motor capable of providing the projectile with a deorbit boost and also controlling its path until the air thickens enough for the fins to be useful.

One of the two projectiles detach from the satellite when a shoot order is received, deorbit, fall through the atmosphere under fin control, and then slam into the ground at incredibly high speed, exploding on impact and causing an immense amount of fairly localized and non-nuclear destruction. Accuracy is high due to the Ravenmind's and Birdbrain's capabilities as well as humanity's collective experience at the ancient art of throwing sharpened sticks at your enemies.

The system can also be used for attacking targets in space, but the limited delta-V and limited control in space means that other systems will probably be better for the task, unless the target is blind and/or immobile. Starknights can be used to rearm satellites that have launched their complement of kinetic impactors, allowing the system to be reused without the expense of completely disposable satellites.

Anybody want to throw chunks of metal at our enemies? We might be able to hit the Meteor with one of these....or just throw many of them in a saturation barrage to ensure a kill. A single hit will be enough, it's just a matter of getting the shots close enough to hit it.

I'm just going to bring this back up. GPS should be possible, which means these things being fairly cheap to send up, and very useful when sent down. General Area should prove just fine.

I would suggest actually using a modified version of the Ravenmind though. Preferable one capable of Orbit to Ground Calculations. And the range to communicate with the ground.

[Madman198237]

ME-ODS-64 'Kinetic Impactor Large Launcher System for Accurate Termination’ (KILLSAT)
The KILLSAT is what happens when you stick a Ravenmind and a bundle of tungsten sticks into space, then throw them like a bunch of darts at things that have annoyed you on the surface.

The KILLSAT itself is a simple construction, a pair of folding solar panel wings bolted to a modified Ravenmind and its communications array, capable of talking to every other KILLSAT on the same side of the planet as itself and capable of communicating with Merethan command stations on the surface. The Ravenmind is optimized for accurate target acquisition and firing based on data from ground-side Ravenminds, triangulation with other KILLSATs, or directives from the ORACLE command center. KILLSAT shots can only be fired with redundant confirmation orders---the general command staff, the KILLSAT operations director, and the ground commander nearest the intended impact zone.

The modified Ravenmind is specially optimized for orbital mechanics and meteorology---capable of plotting the projectile’s entire flight through space and the atmosphere to the target, close enough that the Birdbrain can make the final necessary corrections to accurately strike the target. Everything about the system is specialized to maximize accuracy through the atmosphere. However, that’s not the only thing this Ravenmind can shoot: Given an orbit and position for another satellite or orbiting spacecraft, the Ravenmind can plot a perfect interception, sending the tungsten penetrator to hit the target at orbital speeds---an impact sure to leave a mark. To aid in this, most KILLSATs are actually placed in retrograde orbits. More difficult to reach as you have to oppose the Earth’s rotation instead of let it aid you, but that’s a very minor concern with the lifting power of Starknights. This makes our satellites capable of shooting at conventionally-orbiting satellites without worrying about getting their projectiles into a sufficiently different orbit to strike targets at fast speeds, while also making them incredibly difficult to intercept unless you can flawlessly target them...which without a powerful computer system to track orbital mechanics, you will never be able to do.

Similarly, the communications setup is revamped to be able to handle the volume of communications necessary to track orbital parameters amongst many satellites…which actually aren’t that bad because they’re just a handful of numbers. However, this communications setup (which is part of a Ravenmind) is capable of handling arbitrarily large numbers of friendly units by sequentially throttling the data transmitted between Ravenminds.

Each KILLSAT is launched with two large tungsten projectiles (as large as will fit in a Starknight’s cargo bay) with a conical point, cylindrical middle, and bulging tail. This shape keeps the projectile aligned during its descent through the atmosphere, while the bulge's extra size and shielding keep the (relatively) delicate electronics and GOFAST fuel inside safe from reentry heating. The whole projectile is covered in the Starknight's ablative coating, with tungsten fins at the back controlled by the heavily-shielded Birdbrain, reprogrammed and optimized for getting the target from A to B, where A is the launching spacecraft and B is a point on the surface of the Earth that we want to stop existing. The Birdbrain is in constant communication with its KILLSAT control station so the Ravenmind can accurately guide the projectile through the atmosphere, powered by a few Magmagel batteries for the roughly fifteen-minute drop through the atmosphere. Also in the tail is a gimballed GOFAST rocket motor capable of deorbiting the projectile and guiding it down through the atmosphere, while also providing additional acceleration and control all the way to the target.

One of the two projectiles detach from the satellite when a shoot order is received, deorbit, fall through the atmosphere, and then slams into the ground at incredibly high speed, exploding on impact and causing an immense amount of fairly localized and non-nuclear destruction. Accuracy is high due to the Ravenmind's and Birdbrain's capabilities as well as humanity's collective experience at the ancient art of throwing sharpened sticks at your enemies.

Starknights can be used to rearm satellites that have launched their complement of kinetic impactors, allowing the system to be reused without the expense of completely disposable satellites. KILLSATs can also be placed in lunar orbit, allowing us to make space a hazardous place for our enemies.

So I started rewriting this and then B12 crashed, and now it's really late. I'll come back to fix things tomorrow...wait sorry that'd actually be later today.

[10ebbor10]

UT-64 Hellbore

The Hellbore is the larger, meaner and more capable cousin of the workhorse Excavator. Designed to operate in hostile environments where the Excavator dare not go, the Hellbore includes a fully functional life support system, complete with B.R.E.A.T.H module, Zephyr and associated Ursa Polaris suits, adapted to the underground conditions. The thickness of the armor has also been improved, to defend against the heat and pressure underground. The Hellbore itself is split into 3 or more sections, an engine/dig section and then a variety of mission specific modular sections.

The engine has been considerably improved. The new hardened and considerably more powerful drill tears through rock and stone with ease, while recessed TALON's provide a very quick solution to any obstacles that the drill may not be able to overcome. As before, power is derived by GOFAST fuel, though auxilary power can be derived from energy extracted from underground pressures using rechargeable electrogel. STABIL-ICE keeps the entire thing cool.

The modular sections hanging after the engine section come in a few varieties, and while they posses some limited autonomy, are generally not intended to
operate along.

The most prominent possible modules are simple cargo modules. An armored section containing either :
- additional STABIL-ICE, Magmagel and GOFAST fuel for increased endurance
- A considerable number of soldiers
- A small number of suits
- A considerable amount of cargo.

For the principle for offense or self defense, a weapons module can also be equipped. This module contains a simple fixed emplacement that can be either fired when on the move above the surface, or in shark mode, with the main bulk of the Hellbore lurking beneath the surface and weapon's module poking just above.

More interesting, though rarer, are the mission specific modules. The first is a carrier for the (yet to be fixed) RAILS system. This module seems nearly identical to a cargo module filled with a RAILS system, but includes a lift to push the module up through the ground like a molesheap. This allows us to deploy rails wherever we want, and protects the majority of the module beneath a layer of dirt.

The last module, and the most important one, is the SERF module. This module (once again a rather simple affair, containing a few SERFS, a small generator and a commlink) allows us to engage destructive underground action without risking the valuable excavator. Proposed plans include collapsing mountainsides, dumping aquifers into the depths to create eruptive mud volcanoes, and creating artificial sinkholes.

[TricMagic]

ME-PA-59 'Bear Armour': "Infantry" armor based off of the now-obsolete Tiger suit. Boasts full body coverage, albeit with fairly frequent gaps in the joints; the breastplate/taces can block rifle bullets at nearly all ranges and most of the armor can stop pistol bullets at point black. It has insulating fur inner lining. Armor plating is semi-manually removed from the outside through a series of switches to enter/exit/perform maintenance. Lasts 8 hours of consistent high-power use, and charge is monitored by a dial in the helmet. Embarking/disembarking from the outside takes about 30 seconds, and disembarking without assistance takes a few minutes. It stands at [~7 ft/~2m] tall, and uses a smallish bulletproof glass visor for limited visibility. Pilots boast slightly increased speed and slightly decreased agility (but same strength) over regular unarmored individuals while in the Armour, twice the strength of average soldiers, and have their skin dyed blue from the Electrogel. Has mounts for a WALK-TALK and larger ICE Thrower tank, and a velcro strip in the helmet for maximum pilot comfort. Contains advanced shock/recoil-dampening capabilities in gauntlets. Fit with Magmagel, and equipped with a charging port that can finish charging in one minute.
Equipped with COMBAT plating.

[Cheap] 4 Ore, 2 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Revision: Bearly Needed Updates

Given that Aratam likes to shoot itself in the foot, we do have time to properly update the Bear Armor. Like the fact we can use uncharged Magmagel as a lightning absorber to better dissipate Arcs. As well as simply better sealing and unsealing of the Trooper inside. Simple rubber seals, taken from our knowledge in the HOPE project. And the Pneumatic System for getting in and out quickly. Mostly by adding them to the plating that needs to be moved so they can open and close themselves at the pilots command.

Likewise, the people at DUC have the Climat-ICE, which when powered, creates cold, for lack of a better term. It's effectively a Electric/Oil Air Conditioner. It also doesn't have a size limit, and Climat-ICE doesn't react to air either, just charges. Needless to say, in the Bear Armor, it's kept insulated from electricity, other than what goes into it for air conditioning. It's adjustable too, based on how much goes in.

Ideally, we would also add a simple BREATH system into it. Though that only applies if we can properly seal it to outside conditions. We will strip things from the proposal to keep it Cheap, but some extra Oil and Magmagel should be within range.

As a side note, we now have a way of cooling MAGMA, Climat-ICE consumes electricity, not itself. So more cooling of the lower reaches.

[Madman198237]

ME-AAV-64 'Hailstone'
Based on the Ravenmind computer, the Hailstorm Autonomous Aerial Vehicle is a flying box with four small wings packing a turreted TALON on one end and a Firestorm engine on the other. It is meant to ensure aerial dominance by shooting down everything with immense amounts of blue-ness.

The Ravenmind is modified heavily, to be capable of networking amongst many more Ravenminds than is presently needed for the Firestorm, and also to be capable of true combat flight without external assistance. No pilot, no problems with g-forces or need to carry creature comforts like a chair, or an oxygen system. Everything from launch to landing is entirely automated, regulated by transmitted orders over the very powerful and high-bandwidth radio system (necessary for constant interlinking between many aircraft) and the integrated programming, which is capable of processing an IFF signal and making a decision on whether or not to kill the target.

Hailstone has enough range to match Blizzards though not orbital capability on its own, which corresponds to a much smaller total amount of GOFAST fuel because of the smaller size of the craft, as well as it's more streamlined shape, not needing a cockpit. The Talon's turret is streamlined to disrupt airflow as little as possible, and has just enough traverse to let the computer nail targets without needing to be an exceptional pilot. A network of small RCS thrusters like on the Firestorm allow the Hailstone to work in space, if shipped up to space using a Starknight transport. Solar panels can be bolted to the vehicle to provide Ravenmind power while it waits for hostiles to get close enough to hunt them down with the TALON.

Probably not a great time for an AAV, but hey, it'd work really well in space, and should be Cheap hopefully.

ME-AGV-64 'Weaponized Autonomous Ravenmind Terminating Hostiles On Ground' (WARTHOG)
The RAILS program was intended to bring laser weapons to the ground and make them capable of shooting everything Aratam deploys. The WARTHOG program aims to do exactly what RAILS wanted to do, except better.

So first, we are going to make a Ravenmind capable of meeting most RAILS project goals: Using thermal, radar, visual, every sensor a Ravenmind has at its disposal, identify every target an infantryman might face in the field, and track IFFs to distinguish between friendlies and enemies. Next, engage appropriate targets with the system's weapon. Finally, and outside of RAILS requirements but similar in general to the autopiloting capability of the original Ravenmind, be capable of navigating the vehicle around rough terrain while doing all of the above. Effort is made to keep the size down---the vehicle should be only a bit bigger than a civilian car at most. The system is capable of coordinating with other nearby WARTHOG units to destroy armor that is too heavy for a single vehicle to destroy, however most vehicles coordinate only amongst predetermined groups that will operate in concert with each other. Only vehicles designated as the group "commander" will communicate with other groups, and then only with the commander vehicle in that group to share the sort of general information that the vehicles may find necessary---informing a group commander that a target is passing into its airspace or operations area, etc. Commander vehicle is just a designation that informs the vehicle's Ravenmind how to behave, there are no physical differences between the vehicles. If a commander is destroyed, another vehicle can take its place instantly.

The Ravenmind receives general orders from command via its powerful integrated radio system---go there, destroy targets, go there, drop off infantry, go there, evacuate wounded---and then carries them out using its impressive capabilities.

The vehicle proper capable of moving at very high speed on and off road thanks to a GOFAST engine powering the four large and durable wheels. Handholds and footholds along the sides allow for a few Bear Troopers to ride along, providing aboveground fast transport for soldiers. A double CLAW is mounted to the top of the vehicle and placed under the computer's control, for use against infantry or armored vehicles. It is armored on the same scale as a Bear Trooper, to maintain survivability while keeping weight low enough.

The second variant of the WARTHOG, the WARTHOG Heavy Weapon System, carries a TALON instead of the double CLAW turret, at the expense of not carrying troops (to reduce weight and thus improve the mobility so it can keep up with the faster CLAW-armed WARTHOG).

Finally, the WARTHOG Air Defense System packs a launcher with a Birdbrain and two Shrikes, capable of targeting hostile aircraft or tanks and blasting them with missiles to provide a means for the army to get back at those smug pilots above. It also does not carry troops, again to save weight and maintain mobility.

The WARTHOG is of course usable in space and should fit in a Starknight's cargo bay with no problems, allowing it to be deployed to the Moon if necessary for defense, reconnaissance, or the like.

How about making a do-everything AGV capable of ruining everybody's day equally?

[TricMagic]

Report on KILLSAT Civilian Integration Design, Codename: Star Rail

The KILLSAT is rather simple, being a Sat in Retrograde orbit, with a Rod-Launcher, Storage Bay, Solaris System, and Thrusters, with a modified Ravenmind and needed COMBAT Plating. This is on an attached Civilian design for using the Enemy's Space Elevator.

The Civilian Model has all of the above, except for the Rod-Launcher. Instead, it has imaging, being able to take detailed pictures, and serve as the GPS component, able to act to send messages globally, and track positions of ground GPS units. There isn't much difference, the Ravenmind on them isn't to serve to calculate launch trajectories, but to calculate positioning and serve as the Radio Network for all of our Spacecraft in orbit. Messages come up, go through the needed Sats, and come back down. It is in our proposal to open this ability to allow global communications to the world. Meanwhile, we maintain control of the GPS Positioning System, until the point that Aratam also develops one. The Civilian Models can be launched Cheaply and easily, using their own Space Elevator. And once up there, they can stay up there.

As a Bonus, we can also use their Space Elevator to Launch Starknights more easily, meaning they will be cheaper, requiring less oil, and be able to service these satellites. As well as using the Space Elevator to transport much needed supplies to the moon, and bring more up there for expansion.

[TricMagic]

KILLSAT (1) TricMagic

I'll note that we can likely get them up there. And it gives a number of uses, not least of which is the ability to take down STOPs if needed. Also being able to take down the Meteor without having to even get close to it. They can't see it coming cause it's out of their range. And by the time it enters it, it's only a second or less away from impact.

2+2+2+2, ad nauseam. We just need to keep hitting it. Not to mention the amount of force it will have, it is likely to drain their motors to keep it up. And if it dips to low to the ground, it will fry anyone under it.

Beyond that, it can also hit ships later on, once we actually make an aircraft carrier. Or anything else that needs a quick wiping from existence. It should also give us enough experience to allow us to revisit RAILS.


Revision: Grizzly Railway Model
Given the issue with carrying RAILS around, why not make a model of Grizzly that is a walking RAIL? While we do have to strip most of the weapons for integration of the RAILway System, the added Ravenmind means this Grizzly can still operate, allowing better armor. They are also immune to the Blackwell technique. All the Pilot has to do is operate the Grizzly, and move it wherever it is needed. They integrated CAT also means somewhat simple targeting control, with the Ravenmind doing the rest.

The Grizzly does have one thing, a Talon for when things need to be erased from existence, with Ravenmind/HUD support for aiming..

[flabort]

Railway Engine (RAILS 2.0)
Project Railway was, thus far, a failure. But we know what not to do, and what we can do to reverse our mistakes. Given the time allotted, it makes more sense to redesign RAILS from the ground up rather than try and fix or tweak the existing models (meaning design, not revision).

The first mistake was trying to make Ravenminds small enough to be deployed as one-man turrets, carried by one bear, or as it turned out, a whole team. The shear weight of it makes it unlikely to ever be deployed without help. So the new design features a hybrid GOFAST/electric engine underneath the computer, and transmission system, connected to four sets of tank-treads. The treads are rubber, but plated in interlocking COMBAT, with COMBAT covers to protect the gears and wheels within too. With the transmission disengaged, the GOFAST portion of the engine can still act as the generator to provide power to the magmagel capacitor banks. We no longer have illusions of this being a personally deploy-able module, but having it self-propelled allows for only two or three bears being needed to guide the autonomous weapons system, instead of a whole team.

The second major mistake was communications software. Ravenminds broadcast their sensor data wholesale, without any encryption or handshakes. We've improved the radio system with multiple channels, and in keeping with the idea that RAILS would be deployed in cells, the Ravenminds now encrypt data going out of each channel and decrypt data coming into each one. By setting up paired keys, each RAILS should only communicate with one other nearby RAILS on each channel. RAILS also broadcast a handshake signal on a general use encrypted channel, allowing them to connect to overhead Firestorms, but forcing each firestorm to only connect to one or two RAILS at a time, using the system of paired keys to ensure that a Firestorm does not connect to two RAILS that are paired with each other. This should solve any bottleneck issues. We've also given up on miniaturizing the Ravenmind part, so we've included it's full processing power and the user interface, though an authorized user with a key is required to access the interface by a panel in the back.

Third mistake, friendly identification and sensors. The prototype RAILS 1.0 that was capable of recognizing infantry was prone to friendly fire, and subsequent versions were not capable of it. By including one of our more advanced Earthear models into the new version of RAILS, we reduce the issues caused by the sensor suite being close to the ground and make ground target recognition easier. We've also boosted IFF tracking, and include IFF broadcasts on everything we own. Down to every last uniform. We've updated the software so that it shouldn't fire upon anything slow moving without an unrecognized IFF in case of civilians, but it should be able to recognize incoming fire, and even if it can't take down bullets, it should be able to flag anything shooting at it as hostile and target it. It won't be effective at ambushing Aratamites, because unless they bring a tank with an unrecognized IFF or start putting IFFs on their infantry as well, it will just see their infantry as possible civilians until they start shooting at it, but it's an improvement. We also included a larger RADAR array, and a video feed to help identify further off targets, hopefully making it more effective against air targets.

Fourth was underestimating fuel draw and power drain. By making the engine hybrid GOFAST/Electric, we have made it so that if there's an alternative power source, the RAILS can still function. And we have an alternative power source: SOLARIS. The panels of SOLARIS can be deployed or retracted into a COMBAT plated compartment, and while not as effective as the GOFAST generator, should be effective enough to run the vital systems and slowly charge the capacitors between shots.

And the problem of heating was partially solved by including radiators in the bottom of the SOLARIS panels; it's not a fully effective solution, but it is one that requires little maintenance. More radiators to dissipate heat are also included under the bottom, sending it into the cool earth, and a tank of STABIL-ICE is included as well - though this does require refilling from time to time if the RAILS isn't left abandoned. Thirdly and finally, the new RAILS system includes a dense Magmacite alloy heatsink developed by the DUC, capable of storing heat in much the same way that magmagel is capable of storing electricity - it can be stored near indefinitely, slowly bled off by the radiators, or given an electrical charge for a controlled release assisted by a fan to produce a jet of superheated air to vent it rapidly, which doubles as as short ranged and not very aim-able plasma weapon. 

RAILS 2.0 is still designed with a "deploy and forget" mindset, with likely battlefields being seeded with them before hand, so they can interdict and take out any enemy aircraft, artillery fire, and missiles, with less of an emphasis on also being able to handle ground targets than the original design, but more effective at it than the original result. Should supplies of GOFAST and STABIL-ICE be available, they can be used to enhance the RAILS performance with less time between shots and less computational throttling respectively, but neither is strictly needed for it to work. Compromises were made that will likely bring the price up some, but with some clever engineering, the Design Division believes that the new model will just barely be within Cheap, or maybe cost just enough Ore to barely edge into Expensive - which would prevent lunar deployment for the time being, until we can solve the ore deficit, but still make a much more effective autonomous turret than RAILS 1.0

[andrea]

NetShield orbital defence satellite

RAILS had problems. Size, weight, targeting of ground units. However, the work on it definitely wasn't lost, it just needs a different application. What if they could be deployed in a place with clear lines of sight, enemies with very predictable movement, and only required to track and shoot flying objects?

The Netshield satellite is a cigar shaped satellite roughly 4 meters long. A ravenmind resides inside, with duties of attitude control and targeting. At one of the tips of the satellite is an optical CLAW turret, with its associated electrogel battery and some STABIL-ICE cooling. Due to expected long range requires, oversized optics are provided for lower beam divergence
Radiating from the central body of the satellite are SOLARIS solar panels to recharge the batteries, which can be rotated to improve exposure. It uses GOFAST attitude thrusters when it needs to adjust its position.
The craft also has a full ravenstorm sensor array based on our previous designs (Firestorm surely, then possibly this turn's design) optimized for longer ranges, and of course a radio to communicate with each other and on the ground. As for target identification, Our crafts will be equipped with IFF. In addition to that, a registry of known civilian launches is kept updated to be excluded for targeting. Everything else coming up from our island is a target.

The goal of this design is simple: Control of access to space. It gives us a good and cheap weapon platform to shoot down hostile enemy satellites and spacecrafts as they come up. For the sake of cooperation no civilian craft coming up from ANGEL will be shot down even if Aratamite ( although military crafts will). Launches from the rest of the world will also be excluded to the best of our ability, and we explicitly seek cooperation on this. Ballistic missiles however, are targeted for the sake of everybody in case of a full nuclear exchange.

[TricMagic]

Pyramid RAILs. Also Open Top Transport Trucks.

Spoiler: Pyramid Rail (click to show/hide)

Right. Purple is one of it's sections on top of another. Blue is the excess sections from a 2 by 3 meter. Black is the rest of it, in a cross shape. Light blue can be considered excess ports, and connections. Brown is a flat plane at the bottom.
Assuming we put the generators on the brown area, add the Stabil-ICE, and then put the Mirror Claw Turrets on the section at the top and cycle the entire thing so it stays charged and cool.
And now we have a somewhat conical turret, just add armor plating, and carry in the back of a truck. We can also just set them down in places we want to protect.

Grey is an offshoot, and will likely be used to simplify things in production. Also more space, and simple lines for the Pyramid RAIL.

The Main issue the RAILs system faces is 3-fold. Identification, Cooling, and Overload. But we can make the Ravenmid suit our purposes. It is after all, just a bunch of items that need to be packaged.

The Pyramid Design is rather simple. We section off the casing, starting with a 2 by 3 meter collection of blocks. We then move the Bottom-Right and Top-Left to form a cross, with the Top-Right block going on top. The rest is then collected to slope down from the top, like a cylinder.

From here, the bottom plane is used to store the GOFAST Generators, the Magmagel/Electrogel Batteries, and the Stabil-ICE coolant. Moreover, we have 4 sides to use, and so can section off these places for different things. The Bottom-Right and Top-Left serve as the general area we store the GOFAST Generators. The Top-Right is dedicated entirely to a Stabil-ICE coolant system. And the Bottom-Left deals with all the electronics, like a dedicated earth-ear, radio systems of the Ravenmind, and the restrictions and codes for the handshake protocols and information throttling.. It also serves as the area with the Datalink Port for those times it does have access to outside energy sources. Magmagel and Electrogel batteries are found in the GOFAST Sections.

Finally, we add the Claw on top of it all, and connect everything that needs to be connected for the Mirror Gimballing to work. This should solve most of our problems, and the Magmagel will be cycled as needed to continue fire, as will the coolant to the rest of the machine.

It's not complete without actually covering it in COMBAT Plating though. So we do, and we can remove sections on each side to refill the sections when needed. In the style, it looks like a pyramid with a Claw on top.


As for how we transport it... Well, not like we can't make a Truck with a GOFAST engine to transport it. And stick some simple treads on the bottom of a Pyramid RAIL with a Support Chassis. We should also actually have the tech to make a proper transport truck by now already. And of course we also cover the Truck in COMBAT Plating too. Other than transporting the Pyramid RAIL, they can also transport BEAR Troopers and other needed gear. Make sure they are open topped, that way we can also drive a RAIL around with our army. And give all our people IFF bands so the RAIL does not shoot us by mistake. Lots of little details, but the Pyramid is a big focus, though it shouldn't be too difficult to get it right this time.

Note, striking down Aircraft from the sky is not it's job. It's job is to intercept missiles, and maybe take down enemy infantry. And Tanks, but but mostly Missiles and Infantry. MOSTLY MISSILES AA cover is a pretty big deal. And these things can easily be loaded onto ships, or sent off to the moon, where an ALWV can tow it..

KILLSAT (0)
Pyramid RAILs. Also Trucks. (1) TricMagic

Note, still want the KILLSAT. Pyramid RAILs does kinda give us what the RAILs was supposed to do though, and trucks to actually transport it and Bear Troopers. Which means the Heat won't be as much of an issue, since they won't have to march. Cheap Trucks are Cheap.

[Madman198237]

ME-ODS-64 'KILLSAT': (0)
Pyramid RAILS. Also Trucks.: (1) TricMagic
ME-AGV-64 'WARTHOG': (1) Madman

[m1895]

ME-ODS-64 'KILLSAT': (0)
Pyramid RAILS. Also Trucks.: (1) TricMagic
ME-AGV-64 'WARTHOG': (2) Madman, m1895

[TricMagic]

ME-ODS-64 'KILLSAT': (1) TricMagic
Pyramid RAILS. Also Trucks.: (0)
ME-AGV-64 'WARTHOG': (2) Madman, m1895

I'll note that I want the KILLSAT. At the moment, on discord it's planned to go off the AGV for a RAILs revision. While the KILLSAT can likely give the throttle control to do so anyway, and gives us a Kinetic weapon from orbit. It's never not going to be useful, and will likely show it's worth against the meteor due to the number we can deploy. 2+2+2+2+2, keep on and pummel the Meteor into the ground from above. Right now all we can do is make it retreat.

For something different, here is the towing vehicle. Please write up the Modules for it to actually tow.

ATTV
Ambiguous Terrestrial Towing Vehicle

The ATTV. Based off the ALWV, this veichle has 8 wheels, and can attach treads to transverse the desert sands. Other times, the wheels and it's amazing suspension and power allow it to transverse many terrains, from mountains to crossing rivers and water. Mostly due to specific wheel types, DUC even has flotation wheels if needed, and the attached buoy-wheeled trailer.

That's not the impressive part. Sure, it's armored with Combat Plating, and sure, it's cabin makes it an APC. It's the Towing Power that's important.

Effectively, an ATTV can tow just about anything. From a Talon or two, to a Missile Launcher. And of course, the Revamped Pyramid RAILs. All of these come in a simple module trailer, allowing a lot of versatility. We can even tow an addition troop carrier if we want. Though given the ATTV is just Combat Plating, GOFAST Generators, and Electric, there isn't too much point unless we need the transport ability. Also comes with Stabil-ICE cooling to keep out the pesky heat waves.



Pyramid RAIL
Pretty Simple, and already written. It mostly solves the issues in the RAIL, and can be transported easily and detached. Or simply driven around for easy covering fire against missiles. This Module is probably the most important of the three. And also fairly simple. Though not as much as the others.

Spoiler: Pyramid Rail (click to show/hide)

The Main issue the RAILs system faces is 3-fold. Identification, Cooling, and Overload. But we can make the Ravenmind suit our purposes. It is after all, just a bunch of items that need to be packaged.

The Pyramid Design is rather simple. We section off the casing, starting with a 2 by 3 meter collection of blocks. We then move the Bottom-Right and Top-Left to form a cross, with the Top-Right block going on top. The rest is then collected to slope down from the top, like a cylinder.

From here, the bottom plane is used to store the GOFAST Generators, the Magmagel/Electrogel Batteries, and the Stabil-ICE coolant. Moreover, we have 4 sides to use, and so can section off these places for different things. The Bottom-Right and Top-Left serve as the general area we store the GOFAST Generators. The Top-Right is dedicated entirely to a Stabil-ICE coolant system. And the Bottom-Left deals with all the electronics, like a dedicated earth-ear, radio systems of the Ravenmind, and the restrictions and codes for the handshake protocols and information throttling.. It also serves as the area with the Datalink Port for those times it does have access to outside energy sources. Magmagel and Electrogel batteries are found in the GOFAST Sections.

Finally, we add the Claw on top of it all, and connect everything that needs to be connected for the Mirror Gimballing to work. This should solve most of our problems, and the Magmagel will be cycled as needed to continue fire, as will the coolant to the rest of the machine.

It's not complete without actually covering it in COMBAT Plating though. So we do, and we can remove sections on each side to refill the sections when needed. In the style, it looks like a pyramid with a Claw on top.

Rocket Shrike Trailer
This module is also fairly simple. It's a trailer with 4 Shrike Missiles loaded and ready for fire. Can be refilled with a Supply Trailer. Has long range, but only when the target area is predefined. Can target tanks at mid range very easily, and not hit the same one twice if multiple are flying in the area.
Needless to say, it uses a Nameless Death variant, the 'Named Ending'. It can fire Shrikes fairly easily, and comes with the system for basic Bridbrain communication. Doesn't take much to mod it a bit to fire any missile type into long ranges though, and it can preprogram Shrikes to hit the edges of Very Long Range with operator assistance. Ideally, we'd use a Ravenmind that's been stripped down for path programming and targeting.

TALON Trailer
Also fairly simple, it's a Talon, and it has a very good power supply and cooling system loaded into the trailer for recharging on the go. And Cooling. It also has the advantage of being driven around, and rotates on it's base to allow decent arc of fire. Finally a decent way to get them into the field that does not require a Grizzly. Ideally, we'd use a Ravenmind that's been stripped down for targeting to assist the user in operating it. Also cameras.

Supply Trailer
It's here. A trailer that carries any supplies needed. From medical, to missiles.
*I mean, not much to say about it. It's here, can carry ICE for resupply, Missiles for Resupply, just about anything for resupply. If it needs resupplying, the Supply Trailer can be made to do it.*


All trailers can technically be detached, and locked to the ground with attachable bolts in the case of the Rocket Trailer. Otherwise, brakes suffice. As a Bonus, these trailers can also operate via ALVW on the Moon.

[Failbird105]

ME-ODS-64 'KILLSAT': (1) TricMagic
Pyramid RAILS. Also Trucks.: (0)
ME-AGV-64 'WARTHOG': (3) Madman, m1895, Failbird