Variable Defense Pods

[Fred]

KFY W2903 Variable Defense Pods

The Type-29 fleet program called for a streamlining of the Star Army's current fleets in adjustment to the method of warfare observed in the last couple of years. Greater emphasis was placed on Strategic Pool ship classes such as the Nozomi-class scoutships and the Sakura-class gunships for longer ranged missions away from the command core of a fleet raised a concern over a cheap and efficient way to provide the smaller vessels with more staying power as they were placed in situation with less support. The same could be said for civilian spaceframes that needed defensive systems of their own, but that it was undesirable to mount military grade weaponry.

The 'Variable Defense Pods', based on the Od-series of Starship Orbital Support Drones, allowed a relatively cheap way of changing the mission loadout of a vessel without giving existant Star Army vessels (both military and civilian) a need for an exhaustive overhaul while diversifying their capabilities.

These series of 'defensive pods' come in three varieties - similarly to their more offensive-oriented weapon pod counterparts : Point shield generator pods, which would serve to cover gaps in shielding or to add a second layer of protection over a vulnerable section of a vessel; Shield Augmentation pods, whom would serve to reinforce shield strength and effectiveness to insure the ship's shields would be able to survive harder hits; and Ablative Armor Repair pods, whom would repair the ship's ablative armor layer to cope for what hits did get through.

The pods otherwise function just like the variable weapon pods : they are generated the same way, displatched to float around a vessel and adjust their position to react to threat or damage sustained.

The Variable Defense Pods are one of the new defensive systems that are to be a part of the new Type-29 Nekovalkyrja Escort (tentatively dubbed Kochou-class at the moment) that I currently am designing. It's an unapplied idea for variable pods that can be used easily and is based on existing technology (the SOSDs, which are cool and don't seem to be of much use).

While the defensive pods do leave Star Army vessels without their usual short-to-medium range weaponry, they should be able to increase their staying power a lot more. It does leave them without an effective way to destroy smaller units such as power armors, but, I felt this could only benefit the players of Power Armor pilots, whom would have a much more solid role in future engagements.

 

[Karma Mechanic]

Kotori, I'd just like to make mention that a majority of the tech that is used in the SARP were designed during it's "Dark Hour" when it battled other sub-fourms when it was at Aynee.

The primary use of the things created were "Win and Not lose." Thus explaining the thermodynamic viloating metals, the space/time raping weaponry and the general "Basic laws of science" ignoring everything else.

Looks like someone finally came out and told the story plain. Even with that said though, I don't think the majority of people would agree to something like a reset.
*looks at Reset Button in glass case*
Anyway, the shield part seems to be the major debate at this point. So we have a few options then...

A. Let the physics raping continue on the basis of precedent (what normally seems to happen here).

B. Discard the shielding portion of the technology.

C. Devise some shield (or something similar) that doesn't grossly violate physics.

D. Everyone does the Hamster Dance.

But can we all agree that at least the armour variant of the system is acceptable, and at least that should be approved? (I would hate to see a good tech go to waste because it was proposed with a tech that was in dispute.)

 

[Fred]

*Shrugs* Some oldbies (no offense meant) would just come by and sing the same song "If it's not broken, then don't fix it, blah blah blah..." I'm weary of butting my head on the same problems, so, I am growing a lot more inclined to just go along with things as they are because I'm tired of wasting my breath on arguments I'd have no chance of making an impression on.

The Mindy bays have forcefields over them. The shuttles have their own CFS system as well as the Mindy armors (though the Mindy armors just recently gained shielding of their own - in secret). There are several use of energy fields that go beyond the suggested shielding technology in the proposed application here.

If it were me, assuming I wasn't the one whom had proposed the VDP... I'd have probably said that it was science fiction and not to go anal over it having a discrepancy (not to mention I don't ~really~ understand the why behind Vesper's argument, but that's another matter altogether).

*cough*A*cough*

 

[DocTomoe]

I would go with C and D please.

I think that a second (or even a third) shield system would be ideal. I have two shield systems in mind that would work perfectly, unfortunately for the Star Army Of Yamatai, they are not getting my ideas in those regards at this given time.

*Begins to take part in option D* <(' '<) ^( ' ' )^ (>' ')>

 

[Doshii Jun]

If it were me, assuming I wasn't the one whom had proposed the VDP... I'd have probably said that it was science fiction and not to go anal over it having a discrepancy (not to mention I don't ~really~ understand the why behind Vesper's argument, but that's another matter altogether).

Word. I don't get how beams of energy just bends around things inside another universe ala Kenichi Sonoda's Exaxxion; luckily, I understand energy shields, so I go with that. And let's be frank -- energy shields just make more goddamn sense. But nevermind that right now. The tech is sound, so far as canon is concerned, and ships like the Nozomi, which can get aced by enough power armor, could probably use something like this.

 

[Karma Mechanic]

...and ships like the Nozomi, which can get aced by enough power armor, could probably use something like this.

Doshii, I don't think you've read the description on the Nozomi class lately. If you had read it lately you might have remembered that every Nozomi can realease upto 36 of the VWP we've made reference to in this thread. Each of those weapon pods can be set to use a "Transphasic Beam", which is said to be capable of firing 3 times a second, which means a total of 108 shots per second from the Nozomi's weapon pods alone. Additionally, these "Transphasic Beam" shots are listed as being both "Very precise", and "Shield-penetrating", and there damage potential lists them as being Moderate to Heavy, which I assume means for there primary listed target(which is anti-starship). Not to mention the fact that the range on the "Transphasic beam" is 6 times that of anything a Mindy carries, and 240 times what is listed as the practical range for an SMX Power Armour main weapon. So basicly one Nozomi "scout" could pwn an entire fleet of Power Armour.

 

[Doshii Jun]

So basicly one Nozomi "scout" could pwn an entire fleet of Power Armour.

Maybe. Assuming the ship was battle-ready and primed for such an attack, I'm right with you.

But I wouldn't underestimate the armors, or their pilots, so harshly.

 

[Fred]

Variable pods aren't exactly what you could call indestructible. Sure, pods meant to be behind shields or to create shields are less succeptible to damage. However, it would come as no surprise that a concentrated assault could very well occasionally destroy one of the defense pods. A well organised group of Mindy/Kylie/Lamia armors with the right missile payload (anti-wormhole/shield missiles) could still manage to do some good damage : it's just that instead of facing one protective layer, they face several.

 

[Cora]

What Vesper was saying, which I shall try and translate using my non physics skilled mind to do so, is:

The general means a star ship in the SARP uses to protect itself is by using their Hyperspace engines to Warp space/time around them to "deflect" incoming energy. In otherwords, the ship's hyperspace engines need to be activated and kept a just the right frequency otherwise the warp bubble, which doubles as the engine field of effect and the ship's shielding with collapse.

Additonally, if the VDPs are ment to enhance the feild they will only do so in their spesfic area, since they, all though being in sinq, are not in proper alignment, thus shifting part of the hyperspace bubble, causing the occupants to actualy feel the warpage of the ship.

Also that kind of bubble warping, would also have dire results on the actual ship hull. When, while a part of the vessel is safe inside the hyperspace medium, the parts that are extended beyond it, by means of the VDP's realignment of the field, could be serously damaged, or even broken off, due to the differences in the constants the two parts of the ships are experiencing.

Now, I'm finished talking, and I hope I managed to translate the content of Vesper's post into something people without a Physics degree can understand.

 

[Doshii Jun]

(All that translated physics stuff)

I get it, actually, at least more than before. Soooo ... how do SA ships get damaged at all by the first bubble, then? Might as well have this question answered so we can all hear it.

 

[Vesper]

Do you mean initially (i.e. Before the secondary generators go online)? They are not damaged because the ship lies at the center of the field, where the negative warpage and the positive warpage in front of it result in near zero space-time warpage. This region varies in size depending on the degree of warpage the CFD is causing, the higher it is (thus the faster it is going or the more resilient its form as shield is) the smaller the safe region.

When the secondary generators activate the "shapeâ€

 

[Fred]

Meh... I'm still not sure how a field system already designed to warp itself on whim to project aether would be so susceptible to this... but I'll go along.

Vesper, your argument about having the defensive pods shields come close to the ship's shield bubble would cause the same kind of BAD THING(TM) that crossing the streams with the proton packs from Ghostbusters would do?

That would rule out the Shield Augmentation Pod... but, wouldn't the Point Defense Shield pods be able to still function closer to the ship? Like, inside the safe zone?

 

[Cora]

It doesn't cause a near total energy conversion like crossing the streams does.

It causes the primary sheild to either warp and damage the ship, or with the secondary safe zones, will actually weaken the shields allowing shots to pierce it.

 

[Fred]

BUMP!

I think it's rather clear that, while having an array of orbiting shield barriers blocking enemy hits would be cool, having it do so with an already existing shield barrier is unfeasible.

The Ablative Armor Repair Variable Pod seemed to get some positive attention though - that one could work.

If we follow the reference of the Ship Orbital Support Drones, other feasible application to the creation of variable pods could include some of these...

I'm personally not in the favor of drones whom would have a limited number of uses due to ammo, so, models like the Ki-Os1 Railgun, Ki-Om1 1500 MM Volley Launcher, Ki-Om2 600 SRM Volley Launcher and the Ki-Om3 100 Proximity Mine Cluster Launcher all don't seem to be good ideas to me.

Having a drone that would produce a White Beam - that's Aether projected beams, really - seems a bit redundant considering the ship can do those itself and the power armros can as well. Ships already have scalar and transphasic weaponry in their variable pods, so, they aren't really worth mentioning.

The Ki-Oa2 ADA Drone (which separates into six parts to hunt down enemy drones) don't seem all that good either : Star Army ships already have several dozen variable pods at their disposition for point defense - having one type that separates to become many smaller bits to do the power armor role seems futile to me. On the other hand, I could see those as a kind of Armor Assisting Drone (I don't know what the acronym means, but it could be close) that would be dispatched to orbit around a Mindy and give support fire that would be better than with the Mindy's usual nodal support drones.

The Ki-Oa1 Subspace Regulator offers some nice possibilities. Not necessarely as strong as the fold interdictor system the Sakura-class gunship comes equipped with, it could play a role in interfering with engine/shield performance of the selected target as well as nullify it's ability to jump into hyperspace. Being able to create that sort of pod to attend to a specific situation could be quite useful. Just 20 000 miles isn't a whole lot though, considering the speed these ships move at...

<center>* * *</center>

Therefore, I would like to reopen discussion in this thread to consider the approval of variable pods whom could assume the following functions :

Ablative Armor Repair Pod
Star Army vessels have an ablative armor which can regenerate, and these devices allow these repairs to progress much more quickly in the middle of a battle.

Power Armor Assisting Drones Carrier Pod
Pod which would be adopted by a power armor AIES system and follow it around once dispatched from the ship. The pod itself would separate into six separate 'mini-drones' which would nonethless hold much more power in them than the usual support drones power armors like the Mindy come equippedwith - I'd estimate the firepower of each being around the Accelerated Plasma Rifle.

Subspace Regulator Pod
Pod which, once activated, would severely limit engine performance in the surrounding 20 000 miles and make the use of hyperspace fold systems impossible unless some counter-measure could be used (like the Sakura's reverse-interdiction field).

 

[Zack]

I suggest that this be approved.

Any questions about effectiveness aside, the tech is sound.

 

[Jatsu]

looks good to me

 

[Fred]

The KFY W2903 Variable Pods have been Approved.

They can act as assault units and fire scalar or transphasic beams like their former counterparts, but also can attend defensive functions such as fixing the host ship's hull armor in the middle of combat, create power armor supporting attack bits or create an anti-wormhole subspace regulator to inhibit use of hyperspace folds in the vicinity.

Armor Repair Pod
Most Star Army vessels have a yamataiaum hull which can regenerate, and these devices allow these repairs to progress much more quickly in the middle of a battle.

Power Armor Assisting Drones Carrier Pod
Pod which would be adopted by a power armor AIES system and follow it around once dispatched from the ship. The pod itself would separate into six separate 'mini-drones' which would nonethless hold much more power in them than the usual support drones power armors like the Mindy come equipped with - I'd estimate the firepower of each being around the Accelerated Plasma Rifle. This would fill the role of smaller SOSD attack bits.

Subspace Regulator Pod
Pod which, once activated, would severely limit engine performance in the surrounding 20 000 miles and make the use of hyperspace fold systems impossible unless some counter-measure could be used (like the Sakura's reverse-interdiction field). Effect of regulator pods is cumulative; 3 pods will generate a field able to cover 60 000 miles.