Post by Narrator on May 16, 2010 0:34:38 GMT -5
"Mind is the spell which governs earth and heaven[/font]
Man has a mind with which to plan his safety
Know that, and help thyself…"Matthew ArnoldSelf Propelled Robotic Weapon: Sparrow
Specification [/blockquote] Sparrows stand between two and three stories tall (about ten meters or thirty feet), behemoths built of the same metals as old-world tanks or fighter jets. Although the majority are humanoid, some super-heavy weapons require quadruped frames for firing stability. Their proportions range from humanoid to simian, although their exact shapes vary hugely between makes and models, especially given their highly customisable nature.
The sole purpose of a Sparrow unit is to be an instrument of destruction, and as such they are armed with up to four weapons (see below). Their heavy armour (see below) makes them lumbering and slow on the ground, so their powerful nuclear generators (with the exception of Gevurah-machines, see appendix) must also fuel a series of thrusters. Three sets of engines – one set for forward momentum, one for upwards thrust and one for manoeuvring in the air – keep 90% of Sparrows primarily airborne. Some forgo the extra manoeuvrability and speed for stability, but these slow craft are easy pickings unless supported.
Sparrows can be remotely piloted but this is never as effective as the usual method of having the pilot directly in the cockpit; technically over eighty percent of the work of piloting is done by computers that maintain the balancing, targeting, life support management, overheating monitoring, and other “automatic” functions of the Sparrow, but it may take decades for a pilot to be competently trained. Lyrimony and special plug suits protect them from the extreme g-forces generated by the rapid acceleration, deceleration and change of direction of their highly mobile craft and from the mental fatigue that the exertion can cause.
Behind every single Sparrow unit and pilot is a team of up to a hundred mechanics, electricians and engineers, a specialized team of paramedics and doctors, and dozens of grease monkeys. Each machine costs millions of dollars and some are outfitted with parts that cost billions. Some models can be maintained by a smaller number of staff, but there is no margin for error with such powerful weapons.
HistorySparrows were designed by the Original Phalanx: Galt, Global Munitions, ICARUS and Ahktar United. Their production was kept secret for years – perhaps decades – before they were revealed during the Global Disarmament War. Those early machines have almost all disappeared or been regulated to museums, but their evolved kin are still out on the world’s battlefields. They have made navies, airforces, land based armies, even the concept of an infantry, entirely obsolete. One Sparrow has the potential to wipe out an entire army.
Once the original Sparrows were out, there was no keeping their design a secret and other companies bought or stole the technology, each adding to the destructive potential of the design – Sparrows in all likelihood would have never gotten this advanced if they had been kept to the Original four. Nowadays, every company produces its own Sparrows and parts, although most craft are heterogeneous combinations of parts from many companies.
ControlsSparrows are controlled by three separate systems, each one independent enough that if one fails the remaining two should allow the pilot to reach safety. The finest motor functions are controlled through the plugsuit every pilot must wear – microfilament in the gloves of these suits is connected to the Sparrow and when activated will cause the Sparrow’s hands to copy the movement of its pilot’s.
General commands such as steering and distinct functions like deploying stabilizers, purging spent weapons, or firing any built-in weaponry are managed via varying controls such as buttons, levers, and joysticks. This is simple and can be used even by an untrained pilot but many functions – such as hand-held weaponry and complex flight – are restricted to the other systems.
Reflex actions and cycling between fine motor control and general control is done via a link between the computer and the pilot, facilitated by Lyrimony. This last system controls actions that require immediate reaction: a trained pilot will think dodge left and the computer will be attuned enough to him to translate this into action. This system also allows the pilot to toggle the Fine Motor Emulation of the pilot’s plugsuit. Using the general command scheme and the FME together is difficult to impossible, so pilots must be able to toggle between them in seconds.
Although it sounds disjointed and complicated, a layman watching a good pilot put a Sparrow through its paces would be hard pressed to notice any pauses or gaps caused by the three different systems: they are integrated by practice and smart computing that fills in the gaps.
In short, anybody with some practice can handle a Sparrow to park it, fire its basic weapons, lumber across the ground in it, or steer it into a maintenance bay; complex actions such as reloading require a plugsuit for FME function, and reflex action requires years of training with the machine and / or large amounts of Lyrimony.
PlugsuitsAlthough it is possible to perform very basic functions without one, pilots must wear plugsuits to get the most out of their craft – and to prevent themselves from getting crushed by extreme g-force generated by the speed at which their Sparrows can move. A plugsuit requires, at its most basic, skin-tight gloves run through with FME micro-filaments, equipment to measure and regulate life support, ports for it to connect to the Sparrow mainframe, and respirators or rebreathing technology.
Recently, most plugsuits have come to resemble armour of varying intricacy. Partly this is an affectation passed down from the showdog pilots of the companies, but it also allows a pilot to leave his craft on the battlefield with decreased risk. The heaviest, most cumbersome plugsuits may have removable generators for power shields. Many armour-styled suits are worn as uniforms or status symbols and designer plugsuit inspired fashion is starting to spread through the Aeropoli.
DrugsyncAll pilots must synchronize with their machine to at least some extent to get the most out of it; its limited AI must recognize split second evade and fire commands. Lyrimony is a drug that enhances pilot’s function and clarity while also attuning their minds to their Sparrows’ computers. The more Lyrimony is used, the faster a pilot and machine can become attuned: what would take a year or more on “safe” levels could be achieved in a week with larger doses of the stimulant.
However, it its not without its dangers and Lyrimony poisoning is common in test pilots and pilots who take too much or too often – it can lead to madness and death while never decreasing the ability of the pilot to control their craft. It can set off neurological problems that were otherwise dormant or even nonexistent. Studies into the exact dangers of Lyrimony are rare and underfunded, however, and there is no conclusive evidence that it’s not perfectly safe in measured amounts.
Lyrimony withdrawal is an equally unpublicized phenomenon, primarily because pilots don't normally retire until they're dead. Lyrimony withdrawal symptoms can be treated but actually recovering has been known to kill people. Withdrawal symptoms include moodswings, edgy behaviour, bouts of depression or mania, tenancies towards violence and most commonly an inability to sleep. Both dangers however have recently seen more press coverage with Chihiro Hoshino, Empress-CEO of Hoshino Heavy Industries developing a form of fatal insomnia from her past as a pilot. So too, Aur Soph Ain has been raising awareness of the dangers of poisoning with their Lyrimony research posterchild, the mad pilot Ilsa Maja Walther. They have are also researching withdrawal, partially through recovering addict bio-engineer Miho Riku.
Launch ProcedureStoring, transporting, and launching a Sparrow unit can take hours from complete zero. Most craft are stored upright, hibernating, with auxiliary power sources plugged in to replenish reserves lost during the high-intensity periods of combat or sustained flight.
They are generally held between latticed metal horizontals and between uprights that allow mechanics to easily access higher portions of the machine. Tracks like those used to launch and catch Old World fighters on airplane carriers are common for launching Sparrows directly into the air and / or into combat as well as for catching them when they return to their hangers directly from flight.
Initialising a Sparrow, especially if it must learn a new pilot or select from a roster, can take from minutes to hours depending on processing capacity and how deeply the machine was hibernating. Runways must be cleared for aerial types and removing maintenance lattice and umbilical power cords ranges in difficulty between the technological levels of hangers. Many are locked with security codes, and although a functioning Sparrow can tear through some maintenance lattices, many are sturdy enough to contain unauthorized launches.
Sparrow weapons are too heavy for any number of humans to lift, ranging from handguns the size of small cars to sniper canons like semis; in the field these may be lifted into reach by helicopter, but hangers may also have storage facilities for weapons and ammunition. So too shields and any auxiliary parts; anything that must be connected to the machine’s computers may need extra time to install.
Preparing a pilot may also take some time: they must enter their plugsuits, take their carefully measured Lyrimony – although this can be administered by the machine itself – and connect their plugsuit with their computers and life support systems. A trained team on standby can have a Sparrow ready in five minutes; waking up a deeply hibernated craft in a manual hanger can take many hours.
Transport for Sparrows varies: for short distances it can be most effective to fly the craft directly, but long-distance transport is often cheaper using purpose-built land transport and recommissioned aircraft carriers. Some are dismantled and re-assembled at their end point, often for security reasons.
WeaponryAs weapons, Sparrows are incomparable. Each may carry up to four weapons: one in each hand and one built into either shoulder for some models. Quadruped superheavies are armed often with only one primary weapon, built in, and rarely with backup firepower.
Handheld ballistics weapons are normally sized-up versions of human weapons: be it a hip-held gatling cannon requiring both the Sparrow’s hands or handguns and even massive sniper rifles. They can discard weapons and pick up new ones if they are to hand, giving them the versatility of infantry. Built-in weapons, pintle-mounted on a Sparrow’s shoulders, tend to be used as backup weaponry.
Sparrows may carry four types of weapon: energy weapons, ballistic weapons, energy melee and “real” melee. Energy weapons fire what is effectively a high-powered burst of laser; ballistic weapons fire solid shells or bullets which may or may not be incendiary; energy melee are high-power super-short-range blades or glaives made out of energy; “real” melee are physical swords or hammers that primarily do crushing or hacking damage.
Gevurah cannons are the single most powerful and expensive weapon in the world and restricted to those faithful to Aur Soph Ain. They can generate many times more power than standard energy weapons and may obliterate light to medium Sparrows in a single blast but are also unwieldy and may as much as halve power reserves. Nuclear generator Sparrows can also use energy cannons to unleash devastating damage but to do damage similar to a Gevurah weapon they would expend almost all of the Sparrow’s reserves, rendering it effectively useless.
DefenceSparrows come with two types of armour: their physical armour, plates of metal and carbon fibre and mineral or ceramic sheets, and a generated “power armour” that pulls directly from the Sparrow’s generator to create a charged field that decreases the velocity of any incoming weapon, blunting its effectiveness. This field can be modulated and focused – say over explosive ammunition or exposed nuclear generators – and switched off entirely.
Most Sparrows use power armour to blunt incoming damage so that their physical armour takes longer to degrade, but some may focus entirely on physical plating and others – specifically super light craft – may rely entirely on hyper dense power armour. Power armour can be disabled by certain types of weaponry, but is designed to recover and many power armours may seem to flicker on camera – they refresh faster than the human eye can pick up, minimizing the chance of being disabled by say EMP blasts.
Sparrows can also forgo one of their handheld weapons in favour of either a physical shield or a power shield: power shields are usually used by defensive support Sparrows to protect less well armoured Sparrows while they reload or prepare to fire and can be expanded to cover large areas, although they will either loose effectiveness or draw exponentially more power from the Sparrow’s generator. Physical shields tend to be favoured by machines that use high-end energy melee weapons to protect them up close to their opponent.
Licensing, Owning and TrainingYou may start piloting a Sparrow any time after your fourteen birthday, but must be sixteen or over to take Lyrimony and eighteen to take it intravenously. To pilot a Sparrow outside of a practice situation you must be 18 and most weapons require licenses that vary from 18-21 in minimum age. Most limits are not stringently enforced outside of populated areas; only if a pilot is obviously too young, breaking the rules, or inside enemy company territory are licenses requested. These are digitally encoded into Sparrows and not terribly difficult to forge.
Sparrows cost millions of dollars to purchase and cost as much again in maintenance over its active life: although Sans-Coulettes and Ain Soph Aur have systems that allows pilots to purchase-loan cheap machines from them, most pilots will not own their craft. Most commonly the Sparrow will belong to the Phalanx company that the pilot works for in the same way as a "company car". Some may be gifted to excellent pilots or purchased by wealthy benefactors, but most individually owned Sparrows are old, salvaged, or obsolete.
It would take about five years to be averagely competent with your machine on safe amounts of Lyrimony, for most standard Sparrows, the same way as it would take a certain period to learn how fire a gun and hit your target most times. Glasslyn superheavies and some less-humanoid craft may take longer to learn. To be truly competent can take upwards of ten years with normal Lyrmiony intake. These machines are not easy to pilot; they require constant practice and a level of mental and physical strength similar to any top fighter. Most pilots are in their thirties before they feel that they have completely mastered their individual machines.[/blockquote][/size]