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[Sarrak]

(3) [OUR] (SCV) <Deliverance> Gen A.1.0: eS, Dgr, NUKE9.13, Sarrak
(3) [OUR] (SAC) <Wrath> Gen A.1.0: eS, Dgr, NUKE9.13, Sarrak

[Talion]

(4) [OUR] (SCV) <Deliverance> Gen A.1.0: eS, Dgr, NUKE9.13, Sarrak, Talion
(4) [OUR] (SAC) <Wrath> Gen A.1.0: eS, Dgr, NUKE9.13, Sarrak, Talion

[dgr11897]

Located in the backpack is the machine's power source, be it a bunch of batteries or a fusion reactor, If it is using a fusion reactor then the reactor will typically also be used for propulsion.

Are you saying that the power source can be swapped out between battery and fusion reactor mode? Also, what's the scale of this mech?

Yeah, it needs some work, what i was trying to say was that even though we don't have the tech do make a fusion reactor small enough now, we probably will eventually. The mech is just small enough to fit in most corridors in a spaceship, the major ones anyway.

[Draignean]

[OUR] (SCV) <Deliverance> Gen A.1.0
[Time: 3 Progress: 4 Cost: 5]
The 'Deliverance' class designs are begun with methodical intent. There is no rushing what it is going to become, no more than there is rushing a larva, but there is great precision in every structural component and every crew quarter. Waste is nearly nonexistent, and it shouldn't be long until [We] can begin launching the first assembly packets into orbit.

Deliverance: 0/14 [3] |  35T + 100O  + 150M + 50E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 5]
The Deliverance is a creation of specialized purpose, crafted with great skill. Her support structure is a thing of gaps and buttresses, sparing material wherever possible and giving no care to armor. She's designed to be strong enough to move without breaking and to withstand the expected rigors of space, and for that her peculiar structure is more than adequate for. Her two mounts, ventral and dorsal, are primarily for point defense and represent a minimal credible threat.

Her power comes from the sheer numbers she can carry. She has six fighter bays, three to a side, and each bay carries four launch rails. Each launch rail is capable of loading a fighter and launching in the space of about twelve seconds, give or  take a bit depending on the fighter in question. Altogether, that allows her to deploy her entire expected fighter complement in less than a minute. Her hangars are fully equipped for repairs and refits for her craft, should they support it, and she has built in support to carry recovery shuttles to tow back damaged fighters.

She's extremely susceptible to damage of any kind, and even a weak but precise strike to her exposed vitals can cripple her. She is equipped with a dead-man's switch, to be activated either when the ship is critically damaged or when she's been disabled and will likely be boarded. This switch detonates a nuclear charge within the Deliverance, but prior to that it attempts to launch and reassign any of its remaining fighters to any other nearby Deliverance class vessels to replenish their depleted wings.

[OUR] (SCV) <Deliverance> Gen A.1.0 (Destroyer): | 200T 300O 1000M 300E 35S | Large for a destroyer, the Deliverance is a carrier first, second, and third. Structurally, she's designed to be material sparing and primarily focus on creating space for her fighter bays and subsystems- rather than giving much thought to her combat longevity and endurance. She's not gunned up for a straight fight, but she's an excellent carrier for her class.
Specs:
2 Small Hardpoints
6 Medium Hangars
Built in Queen's Glory
Built in Queen's Will
Built in Boredrive
Built in suicide Nuke.
85 Capacity
+120 Power



[OUR] (SAC) <Wrath> Gen A.1.0
[Time: 4 Progress: 4 Cost: 5]
The Wrath coming together is not so much the fruit of a laborious design process as it is the culmination of an idea. The curve of its frame, the labyrinth of its inner passages, the endless threads of its power system, each blossoms into reality at the inspired pace of an artist working in their favored medium.

Wrath: 0/19 [3] |  70T + 150O  + 450M + 200E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 5]
The inspiration that guided the creation of the Wrath is apparent in its every aspect. So much more than the sum of its parts, the Wrath is a single vessel capable of being outfitted for nearly any combat mission. Her structure is designed for war, her inner passages networking with a redundancy that allows traversal to nearly every part of the ship even after massive damage has been taken. Her power system, likewise, is capable of re-routing around damaged sections through a plethora of additional pathways. The air-evacuation system is compartmentalized in the same manner, and can be channeled as reaction mass during emergency situations. While there's plenty of room to up-armor her hull, her native armor is formidable, interlocking around the central hull to double-sheet the integrated core systems, and providing solid protection.

Her weapons systems are good, the mounts fully armored and skirted. Her projected firepower isn't overwhelming for her class, but she'll be able to punch at her own weight without breaking a sweat- particularly with her structural redundancy and her fighter bays. The fighter bays themselves are solid, not as formidable as those of the concurrently designed Deliverance class, but they don't have to be.

Overall, her greatest threats are going to be determined by her loadout. She can become a formidable warship, mount a CIC to become a command vessel, or refit as a long-ranged but tough as nails support vessel, but she can't do all that at once.

[OUR] (SAC) <Wrath> Gen A.1.0 (Cruiser): | 600T 650O 2500M 1050E 70S | A well-designed multi-role cruiser, the Wrath is tough as nails. With space for heavy weapons, fighters, and room under the hood for subsystems, she can run almost any mission and be expected to survive it.
Specs:
8 Small Hardpoints
2 Small Hangars
4 Medium Mounts
2 Large Mounts
Built in Queen's Glory x3
Built in Queen's Will x3
Built in Boredrive
Built in suicide Nuke.
160 Capacity
+360 Power


Revision Phase of Year -5

Resources
Dice: 4
T: 2500 + 2500
O: 7500 + 7500
M: 7500 + 7500
E: 5000 + 5000
S: 500 + 500

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Queen's Will: 4/14 [4] |  125 Transplutonics + 175 Metal + 25 Synthetic | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Queen's Glory: 3/12 [3] |  70 Transplutonics + 100 Organics   | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Wrath: 0/19 [4] |  70T + 150O  + 450M + 200E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Deliverance: 0/14 [3] |  35T + 100O  + 150M + 50E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

[evictedSaint]

I don't think we could have gotten a better design phase, honestly.  The Deliverance rolls out in time for the game to actually start, and the Wrath rolls out two turns after that.

[OUR] (GSD) <Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1

We've increased the speed and precision at which the multiple overlapping Boreholes within the central generator are created.  The gravitational field generated by the distortion of reality is more steeply inclined, and is updated quickly enough that the ship in question is constantly traveling "downhill" instead of crossing the bottom peak.  In addition to increasing the acceleration, the driver can encompass an entire ship to prevent speed drop-off due to scaling.

Conservative estimations propose that base acceleration will be doubled to 14 m/s², with brief bursts of twice that possible during emergencies. 

To put this acceleration into perspective, a ship accelerating at 14 m/s² non-stop will be able to reach 0.1% the speed of light (~300 km/s) in approximately 60 hours.

[dgr11897]

Idea for a design for next turn,

<Belief Engine> Gen A.1.0, writeup version two. Using a new synthetic called psismat (psionic smart material), it harvests and stores psionic energy, it is then capable of releasing and channeling that energy. Currently it can only use that energy in two ways, the first passively running it through the hull, increasing durability at the cost of this lowering the rate at which psionic energy is harvested, in addition to small amounts being used up whenever the hull takes damage, it does this by using the energy to hold the ship together and help dissipate some of the energy of an enemy hit. The other way it can use psionic energy is in a burst, making the ship more resilient, have more power, move faster, and be able to dish out more punishment for a short time, however this put's strain on the ship's systems, and rapidly uses up the stockpile of energy. In the future we could develop new devices and designs that enable us to use different abilities with the psionic energy.  The rate at which Psionic energy regens is determined by the morale of the crew and the number of these devices on the craft. This scales even when the amount of psionic energy "harvested" would theoretically be more than the amount the crew generates, this is due to the fact that psismat amplifies psionic energy, meaning it can get caught in minor loops between engines, however, when this happens crew morale still plays a large role in effectiveness.  In addition psismat itself is a wonder material, theoretically able to do just about anything if we "program" the material right. However, there have been some weird happenings in the tests, with the ships limited intelligent systems, used to manege certain parts of the ship, becoming proactive, and more intelligent, with the ship responding just slightly before any of the crew could punch the commands on several occasions, even correcting a user error at one point. Our best guess as to why this happens is that the psionic energy forms a gestalt mind, a spirit of the ship if you will, this is supported by several other pieces of evidence, though we currently lack the means to interact with the spirit in any way, and currently its power seems limited.

[NUKE9.13]

[OUR] (PGCR) <Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Superconductors)

We have developed improved superconductors that produce a stronger magnetic field. This enables us to contain a more powerful reaction (hotter, higher pressure) within the QG reactor. This, in turn, increases the Q value (ratio of power in to power out) of the reactor, improving output considerably.

[OUR] (PGCR) <Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment)

To reduce the effect of poor morale on the QG reactor, we have developed the Automatic Backup Containment. This is a computer capable of maintaining basic containment on the reaction with minimal psionic assistance. When crew morale drops too low, the ABC kicks in, reducing reactor efficacy, but ensuring that it continues to operate. 'Spare' psionic energy may still be used to modulate the reactor, though its influence is considerably reduced.
((Something like: Morale goes 6->5->4->3->2->1->0, reactor efficacy goes 6->5->4->3->2->2->2))

Psionic Manipulation/Belief Theory

Our work with the PGCR, whilst not flawless, has nevertheless revealed that theoretical models of psionic energy are correct- we can use the psionic potential of the swarm for more than just base communication. Even as we continue to work on the PGCR, we have tasked a group of princesses with expanding the theoretical models of Psionic Manipulation, with the hope that we might incorporate such technology into future devices more easily.
Of particular interest is the power of 'belief'. Based on a somewhat rogue theory, it holds that psionic energy could be used to influence reality on a fundamental level, warping it to conform to the belief of the psionic source. We've asked the princesses to investigate whether this theory has any validity, and how practical it might be to apply if it does.

<Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Borehole Generation): (1) NUKE9.13
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Superconductors): (1) NUKE9.13
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment): (1) NUKE9.13
Psionic Manipulation/Belief Theory: (1) NUKE9.13

[dgr11897]

<Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Borehole Generation): (2) NUKE9.13, dgr
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Superconductors): (2) NUKE9.13, dgr
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment): (2) NUKE9.13, Dgr
Psionic Manipulation/Belief Theory: (1) NUKE9.13

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (GSD) <Queens Will> Gen A.1.2

We adapt the driver's borehole engine to recompile different-facing borehole on the fly, letting us remove the heavy gimbal system needed for changing directions.  Without the gimbal the drivers thrust-to-weight ratio increases.  Additionally, the ability to rapidly change direction will be very helpful for evasive manuevers, plus the increased computation precision eliminates the rotational drift our ships experience from standard Will drives.  Without having to readjust for the drift, the ships trajectory will be smoother and more efficient, increasing the net acceleration in a chosen direction.

[NUKE9.13]

<Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Borehole Generation): (2) NUKE9.13, dgr
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Superconductors): (2) NUKE9.13, dgr
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment): (2) NUKE9.13, Dgr
<Queens Will> Gen A.1.2 (Arbitrary Borehole Directions): (1) NUKE9.13

(I think giving revisions a name beyond their code will make things easier to keep track of)

[evictedSaint]

Good idea.

<Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Borehole Generation): (3) NUKE9.13, dgr, eS
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Superconductors): (3) NUKE9.13, dgr, eS
<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment): (3) NUKE9.13, Dgr, eS
<Queens Will> Gen A.1.2 (Arbitrary Borehole Directions): (3) NUKE9.13, Dgr, eS

[Draignean]

<Queen's Will> Gen A.1.1 (Improved Borehole Generation)
Efficacy: 1
The problem is more... difficult, than anticipated. The bores within the queens will annihilate when created on top of one another, a factor which we exploited to created the exotic decay at the aperture in order to draw our ships forward. However, the fact that it is from this chaos that we draw our work makes it difficult to increase the rate at which new bores can be calculated. While we have made some preliminary steps forward, our efforts have yielded only minor increases in the hypothetical drive's acceleration, improving our acceleration and maximum speed by perhaps 5%, but providing no ability enlarge the field.

<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.1  (Improved Superconductors)
Efficacy: 3
Improving the reactor without increasing its cost is a game of balance, but improving our dedicated superconductive alloys has yielded significant improvements in magnetic bottling, allowing greater energy to be harvested from our captive star. It's estimated that these advances have increased its power generation by as much as a full sixth.

Queen's Glory will generate +140 power.

<Queen’s Glory> Gen A.1.2 (Automatic Backup Containment)
Efficacy: 2
The introduction of an automated failsafe meets with... limited success. On the one hand, it performs well enough to keep the reactor running at around 50% of its best power during critical periods- but its very presence is a seed of nagging doubt in the minds of our workers, and its presence seems to make it more likely that it will be needed.

Queen's Glory Failsafe: | No Cost | A free component that allows reactor control to be shunted to an automated system instead of the psychic link, keeping the reactor functioning at approximately 50% of its best yield. However, the presence of a failsafe instills doubt, making the failsafe more likely to be triggered in the event of high-stress conditions.

<Queens Will> Gen A.1.2 (Arbitrary Borehole Directions):
Efficacy: 2
We are able to remove many of the gimbal components, however the added computational complexity nearly cancels out the benefits. While the drive mass is decreased, we need to perform additional calculations which means bores take longer to form- which counteracts the benefit of not having to shift the gimbal to make a course correction. We succeed in lightening the drive, but not in smoothing the gravity fields or gaining any significant increase in maneuverability.

Queen's Will requires 10 capacity.


Design Phase of Year -4

Resources
Dice: 1
T: 5000 + 2500
O: 15000 + 7500
M: 15000 + 7500
E: 10000 + 5000
S: 1000 + 500

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Queen's Will: 8/14 [4] |  125 Transplutonics + 175 Metal + 25 Synthetic | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Queen's Glory: 6/12 [3] |  70 Transplutonics + 100 Organics   | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Wrath: 4/19 [4] |  70T + 150O  + 450M + 200E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested
Deliverance: 3/14 [3] |  35T + 100O  + 150M + 50E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

[dgr11897]

My idea for our next design.

<Belief Engine> Gen A.1.0, writeup version two. Using a new synthetic called psismat (psionic smart material), it harvests and stores psionic energy, it is then capable of releasing and channeling that energy. Currently it can only use that energy in two ways, the first passively running it through the hull, increasing durability at the cost of this lowering the rate at which psionic energy is harvested, in addition to small amounts being used up whenever the hull takes damage, it does this by using the energy to hold the ship together and help dissipate some of the energy of an enemy hit. The other way it can use psionic energy is in a burst, making the ship more resilient, have more power, move faster, and be able to dish out more punishment for a short time, however this put's strain on the ship's systems, and rapidly uses up the stockpile of energy. In the future we could develop new devices and designs that enable us to use different abilities with the psionic energy.  The rate at which Psionic energy regens is determined by the morale of the crew and the number of these devices on the craft. This scales even when the amount of psionic energy "harvested" would theoretically be more than the amount the crew generates, this is due to the fact that psismat amplifies psionic energy, meaning it can get caught in minor loops between engines, however, when this happens crew morale still plays a large role in effectiveness.  In addition psismat itself is a wonder material, theoretically able to do just about anything if we "program" the material right. However, there have been some weird happenings in the tests, with the ships limited intelligent systems, used to manege certain parts of the ship, becoming proactive, and more intelligent, with the ship responding just slightly before any of the crew could punch the commands on several occasions, even correcting a user error at one point. Our best guess as to why this happens is that the psionic energy forms a gestalt mind, a spirit of the ship if you will, this is supported by several other pieces of evidence, though we currently lack the means to interact with the spirit in any way, and currently its power seems limited.

[evictedSaint]

[OUR] (SF) <Relentless> Gen A.1.0

Our Starfighter the Relentless, Generation A, Version 1.0.

The Relentless is a light starfighter designed to be piloted by Beta Warrior Drones.  The ship features only a token amount of armor (designed more to stop radiation and space debris than actual weapons), and relies instead on speed, numbers, and cheap unit costs in order to compete with enemy starfighters and point defenses.  The armament is likewise relatively light with only two Light Laser Cannons integrated into the hull.  This weapon loadout is designed primarily for countering enemy fighters or hitting unarmored turrets or other installations on enemy ships.  Concentrated fire from multiple Relentless's consists of a more profound threat against larger ships, but this is not the main purpose.  Each laser cannon comes with a single supercapacitor to sustain burst-fire rates, which are slowly recharged from the reactor depending on available power.  The Relentless also features a single "Small" mounting on the underside of the hull, where a single Nuclear Torpedo (not yet designed) can be mounted for strike missions against larger ships.  This torpedo will increase the ships mass significantly, but theoretically should not decrease mobility or speed due to our use of gravitational drivers (as acceleration in gravity is the same regardless of an objects mass). 

Engines consist of 2 Queen's Wills, scaled down accordingly.  This gives the Relentless the ability to perform more complex maneuvers, such as turning while strafing. 

Powerplant consists of a 1 Queen's Glory, scaled down accordingly.  The reactor comes with the ability to disengage safeties for last-resort kamikaze attacks, as well as the ability to initiate manual overload in the rare event the pilot is unable to die fighting instead.

Life support is plentiful enough to last a pilot several days.

The ship does not feature a lifepod by explicit design.

[We] will make the [Dead Ones] bleed.
[We] do not surrender [Our] ships.
[We] fight to the last.

Breakdown:
Class: Fighter
Hardpoints: 2 Tiny, 1 Small
Armament: 2 Light Laser Cannons (Built In), 1 Nuclear Torpedo (Optional Mounting)
Armor: Token
Lifepods: None
Generators: 1 Queen's Glory (Scaled Down, Built In, Suicide-Capable)
Engines: 2 Queen's Wills (Scaled Down, Built In)
FTL: None
Length: 22 m
Notes: Expendable.  Cheap.

[NUKE9.13]

Here's a far simpler/cheaper/faster version of the Relentless

[OUR] (SF) <Relentless> Gen A.2.0 (NUKE's proposal)

The Relentless is a light starfighter designed to be piloted by Beta Warrior Drones.  The ship features only a token amount of armor (designed more to stop radiation and space debris than actual weapons), and relies instead on speed, numbers, and cheap unit costs in order to compete with enemy starfighters and point defenses.  The armament is likewise relatively light with only two Light Laser Cannons integrated into the hull.  This weapon loadout is designed primarily for countering enemy fighters or hitting unarmored turrets or other installations on enemy ships.  Concentrated fire from multiple Relentlesses consists of a more profound threat against larger ships, but this is not the main purpose.  Each laser cannon comes with a single supercapacitor to sustain burst-fire rates, which are slowly recharged from the batteries depending on available power.  The Relentless also features a single "Small Missile" mounting on the underside of the hull, where a single Nuclear Torpedo (not yet designed) can be mounted for strike missions against larger ships.  This torpedo will increase the ships mass significantly, but hopefully not excessively so.

Propulsion is provided by two conventional chemical thrusters with thrust vectoring, augmented by several RCS nozzles to provide excellent agility. Though crude, chemical thrusters provide greater acceleration than the Queen's Will can.

Power is provided by several large batteries, which are recharged by the thrusters. A handful of solar panels provide enough power to run life support should the fuel run out.

Life support is plentiful enough to last a pilot several days.

Breakdown:
Class: Fighter
Hardpoints: 2 Tiny, 1 Missile
Armament: 2 Light Laser Cannons (Built In), 1 Nuclear Torpedo (Optional Mounting)
Armor: Token
Lifepods: None
Power: Batteries (Recharged by Thrusters, Built In)
Engines: 2 Conventional Chemical Thrusters (Built In)
FTL: None
Length: 20 m
Notes: Expendable.  Cheap.

E: A design for basic infantry, and designs for an attachment and advanced infantry (not to do now, but to keep in mind, and make Draignean happier for knowing we don't intend to only do boring stuff).

[OUR](GIB) <Takers> Gen A.1.0:
Takers are a Ground Invasion Battalion tasked with quickly taking control of a planet. Consisting of mass-bred Warrior drones, they are lightly armed with conventional firearms and minimal armour, and receive only a few weeks of training before deployment. Their focus is mobility, cost, and numbers, ensuring the rapid expansion of [We] across the galaxy.
To maximise our numerical advantage, Taker deployments involve soldiers crammed together like sardines, with equipment designed to take up as little space as possible- their buggies are flat-packed and their boats inflatable.
-Lightly armed
-Minimal training
-Low cost
-High numbers
-Rapid conquest
-Boring as all getout, but sometimes you just need a quick and dirty solution to a problem.

[OUR](FWP) <Shrine> Gen A.1.0:
A Shrine is a Floating Weapons Platform designed as an all-purpose attachment for [Our] ground forces. It is a large vehicle, powered by a downsized Queen's Glory reactor, and propelled by a Queen's Will drive that lets it hover at arbitrary heights and move in any direction. It resembles a step pyramid, with the bottom half of the QW sphere jutting from the bottom. A trained psion commands each Shrine, with multiple crew members under them.
Shrines may be equipped with a multitude of weapons. It has a single 'small' slot at the top, capable of mounting any 'small' weapon that can be fired in-atmosphere, including a large conventional artillery cannon designed specifically for the Shrine. It also has eight 'tiny' slots, likewise capable of mounting any atmosphere-capable 'tiny' weapons, including smaller conventional artillery cannons and gatling lasers. It has moderately heavy armour (for an in-atmosphere vehicle)
Shrines are decorated with images of the [Gods].
A battalion provided with a complement of Shrines may outfit them to suit their needs; some might have closer-range weaponry and be deployed on the front line, others exactly the opposite.
-Modular armament
-Moderately heavy armour
-Hovers at arbitrary heights. Medium speed (can increase speed when 'diving', as less acceleration needs to be dedicated to staying up)

[OUR](PLZGIB) <Priests> Gen A.1.0:
Priests are a Psionic Leader Zealot Ground Invasion Battalion deployed to capture planets too heavily defended for Takers to assault alone, or defend key planets from enemy invasion. They are specially bred Warriors with enhanced psionic potential, are by default armed with laser rifles and psimat-infused armour (to enhance their abilities further), and receive extensive training in the use of psionics (as well as more conventional military tactics). Each battalion is led by a princess on a Royal Shrine- a modified FWP Shrine with a high psimat content, bristling with psionic weaponry.
Priests' abilities start with an almost unbreakable morale, being trained to never surrender- and empowered by their psionic strength to maintain such resolve. Furthermore, they literaly radiate confidence, inspiring lesser hivers around them. They can channel energy into their psimat armour to deflect shots, and ensure those shots that do land do significantly less damage. They can also use their psionic abilities aggressively; lowering enemy morale as they scurry forth, creating brief distortions in reality allowing them to shoot around corners, extracting information directly from the minds of prisoners.
The commanding princess ensures that their tactics are capable of adapting to changing circumstances, and further bolsters morale by her mere presence. She acts as a psionic nexus, redistributing psionic energy from idle soldiers to soldiers in need of additional support. The Royal Shrine itself is staffed by multiple bodyguards, and draws power from the entire battalion, rendering it nigh-invulnerable to all but the most powerful weapons, whilst the psionic weaponry it carries is capable of projecting negative psionic energy over vast distances, breaking the spirits of dozens of enemy soldiers in a single blast.
-Armed with decent weapons and psimat-infused armour
-Highly trained, especially in psionics
-Led by a princess on a Royal Shrine
-Highish cost
-Devastating to enemy infantry. Increases efficacy of friendlies.
-Far more interesting than Takers

E2: My proposal for the Belief Engine:

[OUR] (PRAY) <Belief Engine> Gen A.2.0: (NUKE's Proposal)

Believe it, and so shall it be. The word of the Queens is law, and reality itself bends to obey. The Synthetic material Psimat aids in this endeavour. Acting as both an enhancer and conduit of psionic energy, it can be assembled into a device we are calling a 'Belief Engine', which turns belief into reality.

More technically referred to as a Psionic Redistribution ArraY, the Belief Engine joins the local psionic network like any other member of the hive, absorbing and magnifying the gestalt mind. Whilst it cannot generate psionic energy ex nihilo, it does amplify it- running it through correctly configured psimat circuits parallel to conventional circuits carrying an electrical charge results in the psionic energy being magnified, consuming electricity in the process.

The Belief Engine can do two things with the psionic energy it gathers; it can distribute it to other psi-assisted devices*, or it can perform Psionic Reality Warping. PRW involves emiting the gathered psionic energy according to the beliefs of the crew- that is, the energy is spent warping reality to conform to how the crew thinks it is or should be. Since drones generally believe whatever they are told, said belief tends to be very pure and focused, meaning the effects are noticeable, rather than being diluted to the point of uselessness (as they would be if such a device was used by a more divided species). The result is an overall improvement on the vessel's performance; armour becomes more durable, engines more efficient, weapons more powerful- and suchlike and so forth. The strength of the effects scale with the crew's morale; a highly motivated crew, eager for blood and battle, might improve performance by ~25%, whilst more typically one might see boosts of ~10%.

The Belief Engine is fairly small, and in addition to its 'practical' components, is adorned with images of the [Gods], and crowned with a golden sigil of the Overqueen, the legendary ruler of all Hivers, whose authority was so great that even the [Gods] knelt before her (no image of the Overqueen may be produced (it being an insult to portray her with imperfect materials), so she is represented by a sigil instead). These decorations actually serve a purpose, in that they enhance the power of belief upon which the engine relies. Multiple Belief Engines may be installed on a single vessel to magnify its effects- whilst a single one can cover a large vessel (the effects being transmitted through the psionic network), the effects would be diluted, as an engine can only process so much psionic energy by itself.

*Currently limited to the Queen's Glory reactor. Future devices will be installed with RUNEs (Redistributors of Unconscious Neural Energy) to facilitate the transfer.