Post by Xavier Burnside on Oct 9, 2008 7:53:41 GMT -6
In the five hundred and fifty uncharted years between now and Rebirth, technology has developed in a number of remarkable ways. Below are some of these technological marvels that members of this forum will need to understand.
Heads-Up Combat Display (HUCD): The Heads-Up Combat Display is a remarkable piece of technology; for those familiar with the Shadowrun world, it would appear to be very similar to an "enhanced-reality" headset- but it is more than that. The HUCD is a miniature computer system that gathers sensory data from its environment- including the user's passive quantum output (brainwaves), body temperature, blood toxicity, and other essential data- and relays this information to its user. With a small, inexpensive modification to a firearm, the HUCD is able to read the weapon's trajectory, energy status, and other statistics; Hunters' HUCD units are linked to the Guild's Office of Occurrances to enable the user to confirm completed contracts, and take new ones, in the field. Three varieties of HUCD exist: the single-eye, full-band, and full-head variants. Single-eye HUCD's are designed to offer minimal interference with the user's natural senses- particularly eyesight- but can only display a certain amount of data on its screen. The Mark II variant relays its additional data into the user's brain in the form of limited quantum output. Full-band units display information in the form of a visor over the user's eyes, stretching from one edge of the peripheral vision to the other, and are the most commonly-used. Full-head displays are just that- a full helmet for the user to wear, displaying information as could be found on a computer's screen, and are designed for users who are otherwise unable to make full use of their senses, like Ravager pilots.
Cost: 30,000 Credits; 75,000 Credits; 140,000 Credits, for the single-eye, visor, and helmet configurations, respectively.
Ravager Combat Suit: Ravager Combat Suits resemble "personal mecha" of certain twentieth- and twenty-first century science fiction. They stand twelve feet tall and weigh eight tons each- and are tremendously expensive to manufacture. The cost and weight are well worth the firepower, however- Ravager suits have a pair of U-211 rotary cannons mounted on their right arm appendage, and an XF-70 flamethrower and GF-4 missile launcher on their right. Though cumbersome to use at first, skilled Ravager pilots can cross terrain at speeds much greater than infantry or other armor units. Ravager units rarely leave the hands of the military, as civilians are explicitly prohibited from owning or operating them, and Hunters can rarely afford the exorbitant price tag.
Cost: 2,500,000 Credits. Guild/military-restricted.
Stims: A variety of stimulants- some short-term, and some long-term- are available on civilian markets. Those available to civilians are generally low-grade, and provide only a short-term boost to mental or physical performance, but are relatively inexpensive. Tier-two stimulants are made available by civilian prescription, and to military and Vigilance Body personnel. These stims are designed to give the user a major spike in ability- whether memory, perception, speed, strength, endurance, or even the user's pain threshold- or to give the user a more subtle edge over a longer duration of time. Tier-three stims are for Hunters' Guild use only, and can tamper with the user's genetic coding to, essentially, mutate them to their intended performance levels. A number of extremely powerful- but extremely dangerous- stimulants are available through black market dealers... but more than a few uses of such high-powered substances can kill the user- or worse, drive them insane and turn them into Revenants, troglodyte-like creatures that seek only blood.
Hydrogen Intake Core Charger (HICC): The hydrogen intake core charger is a small device that, as its name suggests, absorbs hydrogen atoms from the atmosphere and uses them to replenish a photon core's supply of particles to be energized and discharged. They are small devices which can be easily plugged into weapons, vehicles, or any other device powered by photon cores or cells.
Cost: 12,000 Credits, give or take.
Most vehicles, unless used for space or atmospheric travel, use electromagnets as their source of power; on the topic of space and atmospheric craft...
SHIPS
-AU-7 "Headhunter": The AU-7 is a superiority fighter, designed for optimal speed, firepower, evasion, and defensive capabilities. It is a mid-sized craft, similar in size to the F-15, and resembles a wedge in its hull structure. Standard armaments on the Headhunter include a pair of fire-linked U-211 rotary cannons, and a UM-48 modular missile launcher. The Headhunter seats two= a pilot and a co-pilot or passenger- in a long, narrow cockpit situated at the three-quarters-aftward mark. Three sublight engines propel it through real-time travel, and a (relatively) large Chakra-class warp drive provides it equally-effective means to travel independently from planet to planet, or star system to star system.
Cost: 1,000,000 Credits, give or take.
-CK-2 "Arbiter": The CK-2 Arbiter is a lightweight interceptor originally designed for the Colonial Air-Space Defense Force and Vigilance Body for hunting down and overwhelming illegally-modified vessels or Yrrh'im Vajir'daa craft. Though smaller fore-to-aft than the Headhunter, Arbiters are considerably taller than the superiority fighter, and is less-heavily armored. The hull of an Arbiter is largely swept back behind the cockpit, and resembles in some regards a shark or other predatory aquatic life, with a slim wing on its starboard and aft sides, and a stabilizing "fin" above the cokcpit. A chin-mounted U-211 rotary cannon, a pair wing-mounted UM-48 modular missile launchers, and a ventrally-mounted UM-70 cluster missile launcher make up the Arbiter's warmaking equipment; two Banshee sublight engines power the craft in realtime travel, and an overclocked Chakra-class warp drive provides the Arbiter with considerable interstellar travel capabilities.
Cost: 850,000 Credits, give or take.
DV-30 "Thunder": The DV-30 Thunder is the Colonial Regulars' most commonly-employed fighter-bomber. Their appearance is semi-cylindrical in nature, but tapers to an edge for increased aerodynamics. A pair of long, narrow wings sweep from the "point" of the Thunder- the cockpit- to its aft end, which contains its payload of warheads as well as its Relentless-class sublight engines. In terms of armaments, the Thunder possesses little in the way of air-combat offensive weapons, and is equipped with a pair of Peacekeeper automated plasma cannons- one on its port and one on its starboard wing- but its payload bay can hold up to eight Mjolnir nuclear warheads. Thunder-II models are equipped with a manually-aimed Peacekeeper mounted dorsally, and seats a gunner as well as a pilot and copilot.
Cost 750,000 Credits, give or take.
PK-4 "Judicator": The PK-4 Judicator forms the backbone of the Colonial Regulars' Air-Space Defense Force as its primary air-to-air and air-to-ground fighter craft. Its body is slender and tubular in shape, with a pair of swept-back wings mounted dorsally for stability and control. The forward quarter of the Judicator's main hull makes up the two-pilot cockpit, while a Banshee real-time engine and miniature Chakra drive fills the aft half of its hull. A U-211 rotary cannon is mounted on the underside of each wing, and are angled to intersect fire at seventy meters beyond the cockpit. The Judicator is unique in the fact that it also uses an U-217 eletromagnetically-powered gauss cannon for atmospheric and space combat, located at the vessel's "chin."
Cost: 800,000 Credits, give or take.
Heads-Up Combat Display (HUCD): The Heads-Up Combat Display is a remarkable piece of technology; for those familiar with the Shadowrun world, it would appear to be very similar to an "enhanced-reality" headset- but it is more than that. The HUCD is a miniature computer system that gathers sensory data from its environment- including the user's passive quantum output (brainwaves), body temperature, blood toxicity, and other essential data- and relays this information to its user. With a small, inexpensive modification to a firearm, the HUCD is able to read the weapon's trajectory, energy status, and other statistics; Hunters' HUCD units are linked to the Guild's Office of Occurrances to enable the user to confirm completed contracts, and take new ones, in the field. Three varieties of HUCD exist: the single-eye, full-band, and full-head variants. Single-eye HUCD's are designed to offer minimal interference with the user's natural senses- particularly eyesight- but can only display a certain amount of data on its screen. The Mark II variant relays its additional data into the user's brain in the form of limited quantum output. Full-band units display information in the form of a visor over the user's eyes, stretching from one edge of the peripheral vision to the other, and are the most commonly-used. Full-head displays are just that- a full helmet for the user to wear, displaying information as could be found on a computer's screen, and are designed for users who are otherwise unable to make full use of their senses, like Ravager pilots.
Cost: 30,000 Credits; 75,000 Credits; 140,000 Credits, for the single-eye, visor, and helmet configurations, respectively.
Ravager Combat Suit: Ravager Combat Suits resemble "personal mecha" of certain twentieth- and twenty-first century science fiction. They stand twelve feet tall and weigh eight tons each- and are tremendously expensive to manufacture. The cost and weight are well worth the firepower, however- Ravager suits have a pair of U-211 rotary cannons mounted on their right arm appendage, and an XF-70 flamethrower and GF-4 missile launcher on their right. Though cumbersome to use at first, skilled Ravager pilots can cross terrain at speeds much greater than infantry or other armor units. Ravager units rarely leave the hands of the military, as civilians are explicitly prohibited from owning or operating them, and Hunters can rarely afford the exorbitant price tag.
Cost: 2,500,000 Credits. Guild/military-restricted.
Stims: A variety of stimulants- some short-term, and some long-term- are available on civilian markets. Those available to civilians are generally low-grade, and provide only a short-term boost to mental or physical performance, but are relatively inexpensive. Tier-two stimulants are made available by civilian prescription, and to military and Vigilance Body personnel. These stims are designed to give the user a major spike in ability- whether memory, perception, speed, strength, endurance, or even the user's pain threshold- or to give the user a more subtle edge over a longer duration of time. Tier-three stims are for Hunters' Guild use only, and can tamper with the user's genetic coding to, essentially, mutate them to their intended performance levels. A number of extremely powerful- but extremely dangerous- stimulants are available through black market dealers... but more than a few uses of such high-powered substances can kill the user- or worse, drive them insane and turn them into Revenants, troglodyte-like creatures that seek only blood.
Hydrogen Intake Core Charger (HICC): The hydrogen intake core charger is a small device that, as its name suggests, absorbs hydrogen atoms from the atmosphere and uses them to replenish a photon core's supply of particles to be energized and discharged. They are small devices which can be easily plugged into weapons, vehicles, or any other device powered by photon cores or cells.
Cost: 12,000 Credits, give or take.
Most vehicles, unless used for space or atmospheric travel, use electromagnets as their source of power; on the topic of space and atmospheric craft...
SHIPS
-AU-7 "Headhunter": The AU-7 is a superiority fighter, designed for optimal speed, firepower, evasion, and defensive capabilities. It is a mid-sized craft, similar in size to the F-15, and resembles a wedge in its hull structure. Standard armaments on the Headhunter include a pair of fire-linked U-211 rotary cannons, and a UM-48 modular missile launcher. The Headhunter seats two= a pilot and a co-pilot or passenger- in a long, narrow cockpit situated at the three-quarters-aftward mark. Three sublight engines propel it through real-time travel, and a (relatively) large Chakra-class warp drive provides it equally-effective means to travel independently from planet to planet, or star system to star system.
Cost: 1,000,000 Credits, give or take.
-CK-2 "Arbiter": The CK-2 Arbiter is a lightweight interceptor originally designed for the Colonial Air-Space Defense Force and Vigilance Body for hunting down and overwhelming illegally-modified vessels or Yrrh'im Vajir'daa craft. Though smaller fore-to-aft than the Headhunter, Arbiters are considerably taller than the superiority fighter, and is less-heavily armored. The hull of an Arbiter is largely swept back behind the cockpit, and resembles in some regards a shark or other predatory aquatic life, with a slim wing on its starboard and aft sides, and a stabilizing "fin" above the cokcpit. A chin-mounted U-211 rotary cannon, a pair wing-mounted UM-48 modular missile launchers, and a ventrally-mounted UM-70 cluster missile launcher make up the Arbiter's warmaking equipment; two Banshee sublight engines power the craft in realtime travel, and an overclocked Chakra-class warp drive provides the Arbiter with considerable interstellar travel capabilities.
Cost: 850,000 Credits, give or take.
DV-30 "Thunder": The DV-30 Thunder is the Colonial Regulars' most commonly-employed fighter-bomber. Their appearance is semi-cylindrical in nature, but tapers to an edge for increased aerodynamics. A pair of long, narrow wings sweep from the "point" of the Thunder- the cockpit- to its aft end, which contains its payload of warheads as well as its Relentless-class sublight engines. In terms of armaments, the Thunder possesses little in the way of air-combat offensive weapons, and is equipped with a pair of Peacekeeper automated plasma cannons- one on its port and one on its starboard wing- but its payload bay can hold up to eight Mjolnir nuclear warheads. Thunder-II models are equipped with a manually-aimed Peacekeeper mounted dorsally, and seats a gunner as well as a pilot and copilot.
Cost 750,000 Credits, give or take.
PK-4 "Judicator": The PK-4 Judicator forms the backbone of the Colonial Regulars' Air-Space Defense Force as its primary air-to-air and air-to-ground fighter craft. Its body is slender and tubular in shape, with a pair of swept-back wings mounted dorsally for stability and control. The forward quarter of the Judicator's main hull makes up the two-pilot cockpit, while a Banshee real-time engine and miniature Chakra drive fills the aft half of its hull. A U-211 rotary cannon is mounted on the underside of each wing, and are angled to intersect fire at seventy meters beyond the cockpit. The Judicator is unique in the fact that it also uses an U-217 eletromagnetically-powered gauss cannon for atmospheric and space combat, located at the vessel's "chin."
Cost: 800,000 Credits, give or take.