Approved Submission Ke-D7-M3900 Chiaki Pylon Module + Subsystems

Bumping up after non activity. Needs @Wes to FM Approve as well.

Why does the Chiaki need this?

This is a common part for both the proposed Plumeria and Chiaki upgrades that gives even more parts commonality and thus reduced cost while solving some issues. Thick of it as being a hybrid between the Chiaki and Plumeria's pylon guns, with added functionality. It's called Chiaki because it uses the Chiaki nomenclature to avoid confusion with the Fuji's "S3"-labeled systems. It adds a light fabrication capability (Fabrication Chamber is already approved) to gradually replenish ammunition for its cannons between fights, resolves a speed issue with the Chiaki's Mass Driver Gun (0.05c can't really hit much in the setting), adds thrust vectoring and higher STL speed to the Chiaki, and finally removes the need to store positron ordinance separately by tapping directly into the engines to make positron shots (like the Plumeria's) or electron shots on demand.

It also defines a 300mm round in a way not previously elaborated on.

Please note that the speeds of the rounds, especially the positron and electron ones, are based on existing shots but can be discussed/played with. I tried to base the speed of the 300mm shells on high speed railguns in the setting.

FM approved.

Having looked over the three sub-articles, I have little against the submission. In general, it keeps the spirit of the interchangeable parts between the Chiaki and the Plumeria, which is laudable.

I would advice against the use of a zesuaium tip to the projectiles themselves. Having a monomolecular point as a tip yields extremely little advantage in return for the cost involved - a frivolously inefficient spending of zesuaium. The benefits of such a tip is a drop of water in an ocean.

My bias against aether-to-matter conversion is well known by most. If I had the clout to remove what I consider one of the more unsightly benefits of aether, I would. I obviously don't, but at least I had the comfort of being reasonably able to ignore it since it's only rarely brought up and frequently glossed over. However, the means used to create the ordonnance for this weapon goes a long way into making this more obvious and standardized. I won't deny that it's clever (Toshiro's creations usually are), but that's what alarms me the most; if it's clever now, what is it going to be like later?

@Wes I won't dispute your FM approval, as it's not my province, but on that level I'd like my reservations to be known. Please, be certain.

@Toshiro your clown-nose bumper may be unneccessary. But if you truly do insist on zesuaium-tipped rounds, consider it approved.

The rest can be approved in short order, contingent on feedback from you two.

The Zesuaium tip was there to maintain the armor piercing capabilities of the previous 300mm round used by the Chiaki, to avoid making the replacement weaker than the original. It's pretty much meant to be the same round as the Chiaki has already been using, which lacked an article before, but I didn't want to intrude on previous peoples' work with a retcon and go "yeah, this was used by the Chiaki all this time". I am willing to change this if it's desired, especially if it can be made cheaper without reducing its effectiveness. Thoughts? Can it really be pure Durandium without losing effectiveness? If so, I could happily do that.

Also, should the positrons and electrons still go at 0.99c maximum with the subspace encasing, or should it be reduced to something else? I'm trying to set the speed of the rounds to 0.75c maximum. Something that can still hit targets without being almost light speed. These aren't energy weapons, but still hesitate to downgrade. I would like specific feedback on that.

I don't think anyone but weapons handlers would be wearing the clown nose on their faces.

A monomolecular edge is good to initiate a cut, regardless of the hardness of the material you're going through, but then you're impeded by the wideness of your blade as the edge widens the further you cut. The monomolecular edge starts you on your cut, but then it's your momentum and the muscle/power behind it which lets you keep cutting into the target.

But a mono-molecular edge is exactly that: monomolecular. At its very edge, it's made out of single-molecules so it is slender enough to sneak through the bonds of other molecular and cut them. But monomolecular edges are also made of single molecules... so, they are extremely brittle. Hence the value of zesuaium: a material that can be as wide as a molecule on one of its edges, but it will never lose this edge to entropy.

Zesuaium's value is in its reusability. If the weapon is a one-shot one, then zesuaium is unneccesary. It could be a durandium mono-molecular tip.

But, again, a mono-molecular tip is just that, mono-molecular. It means you create a molecule-deep penetration once your round hits, and then your round largely widens. Considering how your round already travels at a significant fraction of c, the benefit of having a mono-molecular tip is relatively redundant.

Altered the 300mm round page to reflect this change. Requesting the removal of the clown nose bumper from consideration for approval as it is no longer needed.

No problem.

I'd like to ask, since it's not quite clear to me (or a certain point is getting lost to me through the multiple articles): the Chiaki's mass drivers could fire weaker (non-antimatter) projectiles that were ideal for atmospheric combat and switch to a small store of anti-matter rounds for more ship killing power.

Are these weapons still capable of the weaker/atmospheric-friendly shot?

Yes. The normal 300mm rounds replace that atmospheric-compatible AP round outright and serve the same roles. The Subspace-encased Positron shells are like those on the Plumeria and replace the antimatter rounds completely, being made on demand from the engines. This weapon can also fire Subspace-encased Electron shells the same way, in a method intended to attack power infrustructure or other creative uses.

I'm quite opposed to the way this weapon can generate its more powerful ammo, as I've no love for energy-to-matter conversion.

But that's a setting element Wes is fine with. And he was fine with this when he gave FM approval despite what I pointed out (a statement which Wes ignored, so, yeah). As for Toshiro, he's just using a setting element and trying to be clever about it, which I can't condemn.

Seeing how no one spoke in disapproval to this for awhile and asked for more clarifications, I deem this Approved.