Week 42: Downtime, Part 1
Fyrstorm
Gun Waifu Extraordinaire
- Location
- 'Straya
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Part One:
As usual, cleanup operations have the council's full support. There's little to report here besides the annoyance of dredging up seventy-odd kaiju corpses from Puget Sound.
Tacit's repairs are, as assessed previously, very low maintenance. By comparison, the Hlin's generator is a lot more work. Still, both of them are fairly easy to deal with, and it's not long at all before both are in peak condition once again.
Tacit Ronin fully repaired!
Hlin Barrier generator repaired!
Though the ART has been cleared for (minor) use by the public, NPPDC staff are still wary of the effects its hybridisation could have on Ashley, and continue with standard medical treatment instead. In a stroke of good luck, she's continuing to recover-- but, as the doctors continue to repeat, there's still next to no way she's going to get back in a jaeger anytime soon, even when she inevitably wakes up. And they're certain that she will wake up eventually.
Ashley's doing well, but keep in mind she's still in a coma, and has, like, one and a half limbs rather than the usual four. You'll need some sort of replacement, be they cloned limbs (freaky kaiju hybridisation optional), mechanical prostheses, or a combination of the two.
Meanwhile, the J-tech labs set to work on two different projects. First of these is some sort of control system for Tacit Ronin's Solid Fuel Boosters. Somehow, something goes wrong with this, and the result is an emergency cutoff system that can be described as "shoddy" at best. Sure, it'll blow off the fuel tanks-- but it's just as likely to blow them up instead.
Upgrade available for Augment (Solid-Fuel Thrusters): SFT Prototype Cutoff Switch
+200 Resources
-- SFT Prototype Cutoff Switch (Shoddy): When Sound Breaker is active, you may shut it down before their normal deactivation point as a Free Action. In addition, roll a 1d10. On a 7 or lower, the Thrusters explode, inflicting 3d5 Fire to a random Body location.
It didn't make sense for you to not get a result here-- not without your research teams looking unusually incompetent-- so I gave you something that explodes! Yay!
Though the results of the first project have... questionable usefulness, J-tech tries to continue onto the second. This one-- the goal of which is reverse-engineering Jagdhund's Machine Cannon, so that a replacement or upgraded version could be later produced-- actually goes surprisingly well! Of course, this is mainly due to the fact that Jagdhund wholeheartedly agrees to participate, and figuratively shoves all her data on the gun into their hands. The M-9914, also known as the M-99 Model 14 Large Scale Machine-Operated Variable/Rapid-Fire Cannon is a basic but reliable gun, with very few moving parts for its size and a tough casing to protect from trauma. The weapon is capable of using multiple firing modes, and uses a simple 100-round drum magazine mounted on the top to provide ammunition. Overall, it's both a versatile and relatively inexpensive firearm, thanks to its basic design. Blueprints are available shortly.
New Jaeger Weapon available: M-9914 Machine Cannon!
M-9914 Machine Cannon
875 Resources
Carried Two-handed Ranged Weapon
(Rifle, Magazine)
Attack Dice: 1d10+1/2x 1d10/3x 1d10-1
Armour Penetration: 0
Damage Type: Impact
Damage Bonus: 2
Range: 15/25/30
Reload: 1
Special:
Any time the M-9914 is fired, chose the firing mode: Semi-Auto, Burst, or Fully Automatic. The M-9914 may be loaded with specialty ammunition:
- Assault Rounds: As above.
- AP Rounds: Damage Bonus to 1, Armour Penetration to 2. Deals +1 Damage for the purposes of Armour Durability.
Requires 3+ Dex
With the issue of power seemingly ever-present, Breach Research looks for ways to improve the Breachgate without just upping the energy input. Through intense examination of their data, and several experiments, they come up with a report detailing some possibilities for enhancements that shouldn't use that much extra power.
Possible Breachgate Enhancement Options:
- Distance efficiency could be increased with the addition of "rest-stops"-- sections where the Breach reconnects to reality along the journey. It seems part of the energy drain comes from the strain of long-distance travel outside of normal space-time, and a point where it's allowed to intersect could reduce some of the strain.
- While we don't know how the kaiju masters have done it, a genetic lock to only allow entry/exit of earth life could be useful, especially if the rest-stop idea is used (kaiju can't break in).
- Breach interior seems very hostile - no atmosphere, high radiation/temperature. Kaiju resist with their natural armour, our tech with protective shielding/life support. For unshielded entry, an artificial tunnel could be inserted into one of the Breachgates. Wormhole environment would be repulsed by the tunnel's systems, allows safe passage without protective gear.
- RE: tunnels. Some sort of airlock system at regular points in case of unexpected system shutoff/tunnel breach? Wormhole lifeboat may be possible - uncertain.
- Electromagnetic field used in Breachgate can make 'floor' already-- explore? EM walls/roof could be less expensive, but higher risk in result of shutoff/failure.
First up on the conventional research teams' plate is the Hlin. As this battle has shown, it's a very useful machine, but its shield needs some better endurance in the field. A set of replacement parts for the high-temperature sections and an increase in coolant seem to be some promising ways to do this.
New Upgrade/Variant available for Hlin!
- Enhanced Hlin:
Costs 7000 Resources, or +1000 Resources to upgrade a pre-existing Hlin.
Increase Barrier Shield Dispersal to 4, and Integrity to 12.
The first time the Barrier Shield Collapses, it may be raised again after 2 rounds, activating anew. During these two rounds, the Hlin may not move at all, but is still capable of using its Emergency PD Guns. After this first replacement, any further collapses of the shield cannot be reactivated until it is repaired as normal.
By 'costs 7000 Resources', that's for a Hlin that starts with these things. And having Dispersal=Power isn't quite as over-powered as you might think, since it means that the Hlin can only bleed off one attack a turn, and-- as we saw-- it'll easily be facing multiple attacks during its operation. But it's still good.
Next on the conventional research team's list is a new torpedo variant-- a 'sonic torpedo', as it's called. Now, the fact is that something like this kind of already exists; ultrasonic vibrations can be used to cut through metal via cavitation. All the team needs to do is scale this up, and the end result is rather nasty for anything on the receiving end-- or within about a hundred metres of the impact. About the only disadvantage is that the advanced mechanisms of the new weapons limits them to limited production, and priority's given to naval vessels.
New weapon available to Aquatic Conventional Units: Oceanus-44 Au-Cav Torpedo!
- Oceanus-44 Au-Cav Torpedo: 1d10 Fire/Ice damage. +1 Damage. Range 15/-/25, Hits on 5+. Radius 1. Two Shots Only. Cauterizes Wounds. Benefits from Arges to +1, Benefits from Brontes. May only be fired against targets in the water.
These can be used by the Gunboats, Murasames, Morays (if you ever build any Morays), or anything else you build for water use alone. Au-Cav stands for Aural Cavitation.
Acting in conjuncture with this is hopes for an underwater equivalent to the Arges system-- which is not very effective in this area, due to being a laser targeting system designed for above-ground use. Thanks to a collaboration between three of the council members, a solution is devised; a group of large, powerful sonobuoys that can triangulate a kaiju's location and allow more accurate firing. With this basic concept set up, the engineers and researchers set to work making a functional version. The end result is termed the Brontes Acoustic-Targeting Network, and fills the role rather nicely. However, that's not to say it's without flaws. For one, the buoys that Brontes relies on are incapable of moving after deployment, and a limited number can be carried into battle. They're rather large, and so require the scout autogyros to remove most of their other equipment to carry them. Finally, the Brontes buoys are... not the longest-ranged in the area they cover. But with a little improvement, they'll be worth it.
New System for Scout Autogyros: Brontes Acoustic-Targeting Network!
Scouts must choose deployment options on launch: K-Busters and Arges, or Brontes
-- Brontes Sonobuoy: One Use Only. May be dropped at any one point along the squadron's movement this turn, as long as that movement was over water. Until the end of the battle, that coordinate contains a Sonobuoy, which may be targeted and destroyed as a separate Conventional Unit. As long as one or more Sonobuoys exist on the battlefield, Brontes is active. Sonobuoys cannot move once deployed.
--- Brontes Acoustic-Targeting Network: 1d10 attack vs. aquatic targets only. Hits on 4s. Radius 10/-/-. Roll separately against all enemies in radius, ignoring cover. On a successful hit, friendly units receive a cumulative +1 bonus for checks to locate/detect the enemy, to a maximum of +3. Additionally, all guided amphibious or aquatic attacks gain a bonus to their roll equal to the number of Brontes hits beyond the first, to a maximum of +2. Unlike Arges, this does not count as bonus Ranged. All bonuses are removed at the end of the round.
Ta da! Arges means 'Bright', so naturally I went with 'Thunderer' for the sonar-based equivalent. Credit and my thanks to @Highwind for the inspiration regarding this system!
In order to continue Metathaumic Experimental research, Neo-Seattle's going to need to get to Japan. And the best way to do that, sans using a rocket, is to go through Alaska, and come down through Russia. However, with the abundance of kaiju, that won't be easy. Thus, Condor Flight's mission is to find a safe route to take up through Alaska.
Detailed results will arrive during the next "Combat End". However, I will say it involves something close to your current Seattle-to-Anchorage route.
The Military Production Facilities churn out their usual units-- though two of the tank squadrons aren't for new tankers, but the old crews who just lost their tanks. Alongside them is the first vessel built by the Dockworks; a second Murasame, this time equipped with the RX-11 railgun!
2 Hellhound Squadrons constructed! 3 Type 100-C squadrons constructed!
1 Murasame-class Type-RX Anti-Kaiju Destroyer constructed!
With little luck at a bio-jaeger control system, the focus switches to getting the flesh down. Unfortunately, that's also hard, but a couple sketches are drawn up-- showing some sort of large nutrient tank and a taffy-puller-like mechanism (presumably for exercising the silicon flesh). There's also lots of questions on the sheet as well, such as 'what does silicon flesh eat/nutrient composition?', 'what use as gene base?', 'shaping musculature?' It's... not much, but it's not nothing at least.
After its showing in the battle, an idea's being thrown around to allow the Murasame-class to use more of its weapons systems at once. However, a inspection of the vessel's current layout and technical specs suggests that it'd need improvements to both its sensors and weapon targeting in order to pull something like that off. However, not much else is done besides that.
Displeased by the poor design of the corrosion shells, more work is done into them, drawing specifically from the venom shown in Kraken's tail. While it doesn't wholly fix the denaturation issue, it does allow the solvent to properly act, and melt away at the silicon-based flesh of kaiju (or the silicon internals of a jaeger). To prevent the warhead from just dissolving itself, a carbon-based ceramic is used in the container.
AAR-01y Prototype Corrosion Shell upgraded to AAR-02 Corrosion Shell!
- 120mm AAR-02 Corrosion Shell: 1d10 Acid damage. -1 Damage. Range 10/20/-, Hits on 5+. Benefits from Arges.
Basically, you've got normal sticky Acid that's actually useful. The damage penalty's still there, though.
All the meanwhile, the city's forges and manufacturing rigs are hard at work, churning out plates of superalloy armour, jointing systems, and intricate electrical components-- enough to arm and armour a jaeger.
15 Jagdarium Superalloy plating constructed! 2 CMP-5 Combat Gauntlets constructed! 2 Destroyer Talons constructed! HVMS limb mod constructed-- +1 free set!
With all the new equipment available, it's time for Neo-Seattle's third and newest jaeger to come to life.
Next up, Phenom Sable's construction! I'll give you guys a bit of space to react/comment/inquire things before we start, but then it'll be giant robot time.
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