Weapons of the United States of Orion

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Magister Militum
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Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

The Armed Forces of the USO are a mighty force. Charged with maintaining Orioner territorial sovereignty, protecting U.S. interests, and providing the ability to strike at hostile belligerents across not only the Milky Way, but also the vast wilderness that are the satellite galaxies. In order to provide the best possible defensive and offensive capabilities to the United States, the AF-USO makes use of a wide variety of weaponry, equipment, starships, and military doctrines to be at it's peak. From the simple G.I. rifle, to the Star Navy's dreadnoughts, to the Army's planetary control vehicles, the various military assets used by the USO can be found here.

NOTE: Weapons, starships, military doctrines, et al used exlusively by American client states, puppets, etc. will have their names in italics.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

M105 Mod 1 Gladius Powered Battle Armor


"Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be frank; the modern battlefield is a fucking dangerous place. You've got artillery and energy weapons that can make the Sun jealous being thrown around like cheap firecrackers, black hole and implosion bombs that can kill you in ways you didn't even know were possible, superluminal processing tactical computers that can kill you before you realize it, and Maker knows what else. Luckily for you, you've got one thing that'll save your sorry asses most of the time. Laced with superconducting fibers, high capacity battlescreens, the latest in computer and sensor technologies, and a full medic suite, this will let you survive hundreds of time more punishment than you could with other models. Say hello to the Gladius.”

-AUSO Training Intelligence Orion to New Recruits

Despite the vast increases in offensive weapon systems offered by the technological singularity and the Second Renaissance, the modern soldier has never become obsolete. Indeed, similar advances in defensive technology have resulted in the soldier being able to not only survive in the modern battlespace, but also excel in it. For the Army of the United States of Orion and the United States Marine Corps, the M105 Mod 1 Gladius Powered Battle Armor, one of the many suits of powered armor in the Orion inventory, is the principal tool that allows for G.I.'s and Marines to take part in the warfare of the 69th Century and come out on top against their foes.

The United States of Orion and its predecessor, the United States of America, have had a long and intimate affair with powered armor. Utilizing advancements made in nanotechnology, powered exoskeletons and magnetorheological fluid-based body armor, the Future Force Warrior Project would yield the first (primitive) suit of battle armor in 2032. While not technically true powered armor, at least in comparison to its successors, the Future Force Warrior would set the stage for much more ambitious projects. Subsequent advancements would eventually refine the battle armor concept, and by the 2050's, The Army and Marine Corps would begin to make widespread use of battle armor, resulting in the formation of the first battle armored formation, the 1st Armored Infantry Division. As the United States expanded into space and the galaxy, the push for better and more powerful suits of battle armor continued, especially as the Army pushed to maintain a qualitative superiority over their numerically superior opponents. Personal shields, and later their more powerful cousin, the battlescreen, first made their appearance in Orion battlesuits, as did counter-gravity engines and phase fields. By modern times, the United States Armed Forces boasted a well-developed force of battle armor, but found that several models, most notably the M102A4 Black Knight, were no longer up to par. In response, the Army would commission a new line of battle armor, one that would fill the void between fullerene-based muscle suits and the hulking personal dreadnoughts. The end result would be the Gladius family of battle armors, with the M105 being the epitome of the design.

As with all battle armor, the Gladius is designed to provide the maximum amount of protection possible for its occupant. To that end, the first layer of defense the Gladius' makes use of is its high-capacity battlescreen. Allowing the battle armor to withstand hundreds of times more punishment that it could by itself, the battlescreen is rated to withstand high-end triple digit kiloton-level yields before being forced to entered a brief recycle mode. As with all battlescreens, the model of the Gladius part dissipates, part radiates, and part absorbs incoming energy, allowing for some of that energy to be channeled back into the battlescreen. In terms of its physical defenses, the Gladius incorporates multiple defensive layers in its design. First and foremost is the Gladius' external composite armor plating. A mix of various high strength materials, the armor plating is extremely resistant to damage and is further reinforced via the addition of superconducting fibers in order to aid in heat dissipation. While not a part of the standard loadout, the armor plating can be further reinforced via the application of a layer of blisterskin, an ablative polymer that is extremely resistant to thermal and kinetic energy (such material is also applied on tank treads as well). Below the armor plating is a sandwich of combat 'gel', which serves not only as a foundation for the armor plates, but also acts as an anti-spall liner and can stop energy bolts and kinetic penetrators dead in their tracks in the event of an armor breach. Below the combat gel lays the battle armor's carbon nanotube musculature and its endurasteel framework, as well as other vital components that are encased in a armored cocoon. Finally, in the innermost padded interior of the Gladius is the soldier, who wears a bodysuit that allows the soldier to integrate himself into the armor's systems. As with virtually all surface combatants, the Gladius features a dedicated point defense suite to eliminate incoming ordnance and kinetic penetrators.

Of course, protection isn't the only objective of the Gladius. The battle armor's internal framework and carbon nanotube musculature, the latter of which is installed in triplicate for redundancy and monitored by a dedicated subprocessor, allows for vastly increased strength and stamina, as well as significantly reducing a soldier's level of exertion. For rapid mobility and speed, essential for all infantry lacking aerospace or mechanized travel, the Gladius features a reactionless drive with a few kilograms of engine mass. Inertial dampeners and electromagnetic tethers also negate the extreme recoil prevalent in modern infantry and support-scale weapons. As with all types of powered armor, the Gladius is fully sealed and rated for CBRN, nanological, sonic, and many other types of warfare thanks to, among other things, its filtration and overpressure systems. The Gladius is capable of limited self-healing capabilities that, when combined with on the field patch jobs, can allow a battle armored soldier on the front lines to deal with minor damage. More serious and thorough damage, however, can only be repaired at maintenance shops. Hygiene and nutritional features can allow a soldier to stay fully dressed for day, if not weeks, if necessary (although endurance will tend to limit the overall time spent inside).

The Gladius is controlled via a direct neural interface between the soldier and the central hyperspatial-processing computer. A seamless synchronization between the wearer's actions and the armor's response allows the soldier to control the battle armor as if it was an extension of his/her own body, while the powerful tactical computer, which processes tactical information at superluminal speeds, can allow for augmented responses that border on precognition. Given enough time, the armor's computer is capable of predicting the soldier's intended action before the soldier himself is fully aware of what action he will take. The computer core also controls the pair of tactical drones that can be deployed by the battle armor. While the computer is not sapient in any sense of the word, especially in comparison to its much more powerful war droid and shipbrain siblings, the average soldier would be hard pressed to discern any sort of difference. Indeed, the bond between the soldier and his armor's computer can grow to be very strong; stories of soldiers demanding that the computer systems of their damaged battlesuits be transferred to their replacement armor are common in the Army and Marine Corps, as noted by many military psychologists.

The health and well-being of the soldier on the battlefield is monitored by a dedicated medical subprocessor (the 'autodoc' as it is referred to by troops) via the sensor feeds in the soldier's bodysuit, which constantly provides updated information on the soldier's vitals to the central computer and, by extension, the soldier. Wounds and lacerations are immediately treated via a variety of methods, such as medical nanite serums and the application of temporary synthskin. A virtual cocktail of stimulants and combat drugs, each with their own specific use, can be delivered into the soldier's bloodstream on demand. Among the various effects the combat stims can provide include painkillers, sensory enhancement, lowered reaction time, increasing pain threshold, the speeding up of neural processes, etc. The combat stims, like all legal drugs, are non-habit forming and have no permanent side effects. In the event of fatal injuries, the autodoc is capable to transferring the soldier's consciousness to a storage device for retrieval, or, if available, to a military mainframe.

Being one of the major leaders in electronics, the U.S. military has outfitted the Gladius with an extensive sensor, EW, and datalink suite. A 360 degree holographic visual feed provides a soldier with an extensive hyperspectral view of his surroundings thanks to the armor's sensor suite. The Joint Tactical Information Datalink System, which links the Gladius with virtually every Orion military unit in the area in order to share information, further enhances the tactical information available, as the system can link a squad and their drones (and the entire fighting force) into one cohesive fighting unit. In addition, the JTIDS can allow for pinpoint fire support from nearby units, such as armor or orbiting warships. A EW suite further bolsters the survivability of the Gladius via its potent mix of ECM and ECCM. The M105 also features both a cloaking device and phase field for more subtle operations. All of this is powered by a personal-grade fusion reactor and a series of high-capacity batteries as a back up power source.

A well designed suit of battle armor, the easy to modify nature of the M105 Mod 1 has resulted in many variants of the armor for use within the Army and Marine Corps. The Mod 2 Vigilance, the reconnaissance variant of the Gladius, is built around an extremely powerful sensor array (so much so that it could be used as a weapon against soft targets) and cloaking device, while the Mod 3 Hellhound, the squad support version of the Gladius, fills the gap between the standard soldier and the sheer firepower and durability of dreadnoughts (arguably mini combat walkers in function) via its integral weapon hardpoints, which can support various types of weapons, such as heavy repeaters, nuclear micro-missile pods, heavy powerguns, and M/AM breacher-type missiles, to name a few. And, then, of course, there is the Mod 4 Centurion, the command variant that features expanded communication and datalink control systems and a much more powerful tactical computer. Regardless of the type, the M105 Gladius has already proven itself in the various skirmishes and conflicts that have led up the Third Pan-Galactic War, and has become a favorite among soldiers in Orion and her various client states. The Gladius will undoubtedly continue to serve as the primary battle armor for infantry in the U.S. for decades to come.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:15 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Sic Semper Tyrannis-Class Superdreadnought


Chinese Admiral Bo Jin Cheng could already taste victory. His fleet, the 359th Superiority Fleet, had chased the Orionian 97th Fleet for dozens of light years now, as the pitiful Orionian battle fleet retreated from the vicious pounding it received from Chinese fortifications and the guns of Cheng's fleet. Now they had nowhere else to go, as two of his fleet's detached battlegroups, the 1597th Interdiction and the 703rd Superiority, outflanked the USSN fleet and caught it in a classic pincer formation between the bulk of Jin's fleet and the forward elements of his fleet. They would not die in some final blaze of glory as the Orion commander surely would have wanted, but instead would be strangled into oblivion in a star system of minor importance.

“Give me a sitrep,” barked the Admiral in the fleet operations center as he glanced at the tactical screens and real-time holoprojectors that dominated the room.

“Our fleet has regrouped itself for the final push,” responded the shipbrain in charge of the Admiral's dreadnought, the CUS Huáng Dì. “We have cut off all escape routes and are now in position to activate superluminal jammerfields within a few minutes. The Orionian fleet has suffered considerable attrition from its fighting retreat, particularly its ships of the wall. It is unlikely that they will survive the final engagement.

Cheng smiled broadly at the last part. The repulsion and destruction of an Orionian fleet all by himself would definitely bolster his career, which, in turn, would entail a possible promotion. Group Admiral Bo Jin Cheng was starting to sound quite nice right now.

“Load the missile tubes and prep our guns for the final push; they have no where else to go.”

On cue, the main guns of the fleet swiveled into position while massive anti-ship missiles, their deadly cargo of neutronium/anti-neutronium ready to unleash hell upon their victims, were loaded into their mass driver tubes. As starfighters and gunboats surged toward the crippled Orionian fleet to pick off the weaker stragglers, Cheng's armada of warships made its final dive into the Orionian formation, ready to unleash the full brunt of their weapons once in range. It would have been a perfect battle had it not been for the massive hyperspatial distortion being picked up by the Huáng Dì's sensors.

“Sir,” responded one of the sensor officers, “comm-scan is picking up a massive distortion in hyperspace surging right toward us.”

Chang glanced over at the comm-scan station. “What kind of distortion?”

“I can't tell, sir. Something is generating massive amounts of jamming and no ship in the fleet...” the dragon-like alien officer's eyes bulged as tens of thousands of missiles appeared on the scanners. “Several thousand missile contacts confirmed!”

“Point defense now!” hollered Cheng as over ten thousand massive, Orion-made Spacebolt-Nike hypermissiles descended upon the Chinese fleet like a horde of infuriated wasps.

Countermissiles sprinted out of their launchers at half the speed of light (and kept accelerating) to reach the enemy missiles, while mass drivers saturated the surrounding space with clouds relativistic shrapnel and light lascannon clusters filled the area with searing energy. Scores of missiles were shot down by the datalinked CIWS batteries, but the size of the volley and the speed at which they arrived proved too much for many warships, as their point defense screens were swamped by the missile swarm. A nearby battleship, overwhelmed by dozens missiles and their penetration aides, succumbed to the onslaught, as its battlescreens, and later its mighty armor belt, were crumpled like cardboard by the immensely powerful conversion warheads of the hypermissiles before the great man 'o war was hulled and left to drift lifelessly in space, its surviving crew huddled in survival shelters and large chunks of its hull mangled into oblivion. The scene repeated itself all throughout the fleet, as heavier warships without sufficient cover were wounded, while lesser warships, such as a nearby destroyer, were merely reduced into rapidly expanding clouds of metal.

Cheng's flagship, being at the heart of the 359th Superiority Fleet and well protected by its escorts, survived without suffering damage, but he could not say the same about the rest of his fleet. The surprise attack gutted many of the formations in the fleet, which had consequently disoriented and weakened them. The fleet was just beginning to regroup and prepare their datalinked PD clusters when thousands of Orionian daggers, all with brilliantly while paint scheme of the 3rd Fleet, the famed 'Great White Fleet', came out of hyperspace right behind the Chinese fleet.

Scanning the fleet's composition, Cheng's spirit plummeted when his scanners picked up the unmistakable profile of the 120 kilometer titan that was the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class. The same warship that could fight whole fleets to a standstill and transform planets into a inferno of molten slag was now ready to plow through Cheng's fleet, now conveniently sandwiched between two Orionian fleets, with pretentious ease.

Perhaps that promotion will be harder to get after all.


The decades that led up to the Third Pan-Galactic War were those filled with political intrigue and regional conflicts, as the various factions involved geared up for the inevitable Great War that would rewrite the galactic balance of power and shatter the unprecedented period of peace that had reigned. The United States of Orion was no exception to this trend, as the Orion government would be forced to intervene in such conflicts as the Indian Civil War and the Orion-Imperium War of 6839. Besides setting the stage for the inevitable pan-galactic war that was to ensue, the various interventions would also highlight the somewhat aging nature of certain elements of the Armed Forces, as well as their less than satisfactory performance. The United States Star Navy in particular would note in the 6840 Naval Analysis that certain elements of its fleet had taken an uncomfortable beating due to various factors, most notably its wall of battle being overstretched (it should be noted, however, that the carrier fleet performed remarkably well). Realizing that a major expansion and modernization of the Navy was needed, the USSN would propose to Congress and President Cornelius Blackstone the New Great White Fleet Initiative, a plan to not only expand the size of the Star Navy but to also create a new generation of warships, with the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class superdreadnought, the proposed successor to the nearly 400 year old Avenger-class, being at the forefront of this new generation of ships.

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it sounds. Emboldened by their successes, the carrier admiral clique immediately challenged the expansion of the number of ships of the wall in the capital ship fleet in favor of more fleet and large carriers, such as the United States-class large carrier. After all, the carrier fleet had proved itself to be highly successful in base strike operations (the Battle of Hajir, where the USSN Task Force 212 annihilated the Hajir Naval Station, is a testament to their success) and force multiplication capabilities, and, as such, many of the carrier admirals began to question the wisdom of building warships such as the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class when ships like the United States-class could fulfill its intended role at a (marginally) lesser price. The wall admirals, however, would reject the Untied States-class, as the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class could provide something another block of supercarriers could not, namely the ability to engage large formations of enemy capital ships, such as 6th Imeprium superdreadnought divisions, and be able to withstand their withering firepower and the ability to crack open fortified planets with ease. The debate continued for days in Congress before a frustrated President Blackstone forced the factions of the Star Navy to compromise. The end result would be that the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class would be given the green light for production, while the carrier admirals would have to settle for a third block of the cheaper and slightly less well armed Zachary Slade-class heavy carrier. However, plans for the Polaris-class guided missile dreadnought would be shelved. It's future secure, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class, alongside its brethren of the New Great White Fleet Initiative, would be rushed into production in order to give the U.S. the edge it needed in the growing political uncertainty of the time.

As with all warships, superdreadnoughts fall within a spectrum that ranges from pure warships, i.e., no troop or fighter carrying capabilities, to hybrid warship/carrier designs, such as superdreadnought-carriers (essentially much more massive and heavily armed battlecarriers). The Sic Semper Tyrannis-class, like many other starships, falls within the middle, or general purpose, spectrum. Hanger bays located in the ventral 'harbor' of the ship allows the SST-class to carry multiple wings of starfighters, gunboats, and support craft, as well as provide some support services to lesser warships via its expansive hangars. In addition, the superdreadnought can transport large Army and Marine Corps formations if necessary, as well as their heaviest equipment, such as the Army's famed Planetary Assault Vehicles. Often being at the heart of naval formations, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class also features extensive C4ISR systems. The massive fleet operations center (FOC), located in the armored heart, or keel, of the ship, allows for fleet commanders to have the most detailed and precise control possible over their fleet, while extensive command and control datalink systems can allow for fleet-wide synchronization of movements and fire control. Indeed, said datalink systems can allow for a fleet to pool its computational power and function as one giant networked battleship, a far safer, if somewhat less effective, alternative to the formation of a fleetmind.

Naturally, direct actions against enemy fleets is the primary mission of the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class. To that end, the 120 kilometer long triangular bulk of the SST-class is studded with thousands of weapon emplacements of varying power. The Sic Semper Tyrannis-classes primary batteries are centered around a series of independent capital-grade powergun and naval Gauss rifle batteries spread throughout strategic locations on the hull, as well as the warship's hypermissiles. The powerguns in particular are capable of reducing worlds to molten slag and vaporizing small planetoids, while the fantastic velocities and range of the Gauss rifles, coupled with their ability to use a wide assortment of munitions, makes them highly effective anti-ship weapons. At long to medium ranges, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-classes multiband laser cannons, hellbore-pattern plasma lances, particle cannons (heavy and light), and ion cannons come into play. Often grouped together in multipurpose weapon batteries (except for the plasma lances due to their bulky nature), the secondaries are geared for engaging a wide variety of targets and are aided in their endeavor via anti-capital ship torpedo launch tube and lighter rotary fed missile pods. For close range engagements, the tertiaries, which include the short ranged but immensely powerful atomic disintegrator and gravity guns make sure that any starship that is foolish enough to stray too close to the SST-class pays dearly for it. Finally, the ship's numerous CIWS clusters, a mix of laser cannons, countermissiles, and light Gauss rifles, protect the warship from missiles, starfighters and gunboats, and other small threats.

In terms of defenses, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class features a wide variety of defensive features. Primary, secondary, and tertiary battlescreens shield the warship from the copious amount of firepower unleashed during major engagements, while its thick and resilient monomolecular hull of superconductive adamantium can withstand and spread massive amounts of energy on its own. In the event of a hull breach or bleeding of energy toward the ship's innards, a system of energy sinks bleeds off excess energy into hyperspace, as well as providing a form a defense against hyperspace or displacement-based weaponry, which can bypass external defenses completely. In order to further increase its survivability, a non-essential structural integrity field increases the strength and integrity of the hull and allows it to withstand extreme stresses. As with all warships, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class features self-healing capabilities to deal with relatively light or moderate damage. In addition, the SST-class features an extensive EW suite to confuse and jam enemy sensors, as well as a cloaking device.

In order to propel its massive bulk, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class utilizes a series of General Electric CIE-1500 reactionless engines, all spread out in armored engine rooms buried deep in the ship (as there is no need for them to be mounted externally). Superluminal travel is handled by three different types of FTL systems. An Antares Translight Solutions hyperdrive motivator acts as the primary form of faster than light travel, while a standard subspace warp drive acts as a back up drive. For instant travel, the ship also makes uses of a space-fold jump drive, which provides instantaneous travel to any destination. Said jump drive, while undeniably fast, is limited, however, by the sheer amounts of energy needed to complete a jump, the calculations that need to be crunched, and its practical range, which prevents the SST-class from simply making one massvie jump across the galaxy. As with all warships, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class is fully capable of using military-grade Galactic Gates for rapid response across the Milky Way and those areas of the satellite galaxies that have been linked to the network. All of this is powered by a small number of Deneb Consolidated Industries Mk. LXX primary conversion furnaces, as well as a large number of smaller, secondary conversion furnaces spread throughout critical locations of the ship and many massive capacitor banks. Such a warship would have a crew numbering well into the upper millions if not for the automation systems the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class features. A U.S. Robotics and Cybernetics Type Alpha positronic computer core acts as the shipbrain and aids in the coordination of the multiple Type Beta 'slave' AI's that handle specific duties and the hundreds of non-sapient automaton computers (located in critical areas for redundancy) and robots that aid the living crew in maintaining the SST-class. All this helps in bringing down the crew levels to a few thousand during peacetime (not including marines or starfighter crew)

As of 6850, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class is seeing increasing use within the USSN, although it will still take time before it becomes the principal general purpose superdreadnought in use. However, the conversion to a total wartime economy by the USO has certainly given the Star Navy a massive boost in its fleet construction program, as ships of the SST-class, such as the USS Bulwark and USS Impervious, are being churned out at record speed from the great fortified megayards of Deneb Consolidated and those of the Star Navy, such as the Manhattan Naval Shipyards. Only time will tell if the noble monster that is the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class will turn the tide of the Third Pan-Galactic War in favor of the United States and the United Nations as a whole.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:49 am, edited 12 times in total.
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Military Assets: United Stellar States of America

Post by Ford Prefect »

Oh, this looks new. I found myself amused at the presence of Tannhauser warheads; Tannhauser was a favourite word of mine to apply to random concepts. :) However, there was something I spotted which I think is pretty bad:
At 120 kilometers in length, the Sic Semper Tyrannis-class is the largest warship (with the exception of the battlemoon fleet)
That one statement in brackets makes the rest of the article, in particular all the 'whoa whoa whoa it's an SST-class!' stuff look ridiculous. It's the largest warship in the navy ... except for those other ones which are actually hugely larger, but ignore those please, and be in awe of this one. You mention that these ships represent the 'iconic power and majesty' of the USSN ... except that they don't. I know I used fleets of battle planetoids myself, but The Logical World was much sillier* than TEG.

You present the Sic Semper Tyrannus class (which is an awesome name, by the way), as being at the pinnacle of space going warship technology. It is referred to as mighty, and a huge point on contention which split the military industrial complex in two as competing warfare ideologies attempted to win over Congress to their side. However, if the smallest of your battlemoons is as big as I think it is, and even if it's smaller, it makes the Sic Semper Tyrannus look like a drop in the bucket. A sephrical ship with a radius of only two hundred and fifty kilometres would dwarf an SST, andi t just gets worse if the radius increases. Something like this wouldn't even be considered a big deal, because there's actually bigger.

*In fact, the first time I got the idea of the Pluto class SHOU was probably the point where TLW lost all integrity as a serious setting, storytelling aside.
FEEL THESE GUNS ARCHWIND THESE ARE THE GUNS OF THE FLESHY MESSIAH THE TOOLS OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION THAT WILL ENACT THE LAW OF MAN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
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Magister Militum
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Re: Military Assets: United Stellar States of America

Post by Magister Militum »

Oh, Ford, you just can't ever seem to give me the benefit of the doubt, do you? :)

Here's the deal. As you can probably tell, there are many elements of TEG (e.g., psychics) that are in flux, and this is one of them. To be honest, battlemoons will probably be cut entirely simply because all their potential uses have already been covered by others, such as SCM's, which would pretty much do everything battlemoons could do (power projection, ultra long-range missions, planetary destruction). The more I thought about it, the more I came to prefer someting like the SST over a battlemoon; a duel between the USS Arsenal of Democracy (that ship will play a role in future stories, by the way) and a British SCM would be more interesting than having a battlemoon come out of nowhere and blow everything to hell with millions of guns. However, since I wasn't totally sure of the battlemoon's fate in TEG, I added that little phrase just in case, and now I'm engaging in a futile attempt to cover my ass since I failed to anticipate how reflective my readers would be regarding that little slip-up.

So long story short, consider any reference to battlemoons to be gone, and consider the SST as being the rightfull king of capital ships.
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

M554A2 Paladin Main Battle Tank


“In ancient times, designers had to choose between armor, firepower, or speed when designing a tank. I say why not have all three?”

- AUSO Lieutenant General Byron Demetrius Devereaux

The Army of the United States of Orion has always been noticeably armor heavy. With AFV's ranging from the nimble and lightly armed M407 Airen light tank to the multi-hundred meter long George Patton-class heavy planetary assault vehicle, the AUSO could never be accused of shunning its armor pool. Combined with the other elements of the Army, the tanks of the relatively small but lavishly equipped (not to mention very heavily armed) U.S. Army could inflict crushing defeats on its numerically superior opponents with speed and sheer firepower. Of course, said victories require the need for a well-designed and modern main battle tank, the principal armored fighting vehicle used in military engagements. For the Army and Marine Corps, as well as the client states of the USO, said tank comes in the form of the M554 Paladin, a highly successful design that has become the well chosen backbone of U.S. armies and garrisons everywhere.

The earliest rumblings for the creation of the Paladin began to emerge soon after it became clear that the M553A6E1 Ortega was reaching the end of its useful life. Even before it was decided that the Ortega had to go, many planners, including the Army Ordnance Corps and the Armor Division of General Motors, were already planning a highly ambitious successor. General Motors in particular, facing fierce competition with Republic Armaments and Deneb Consolidated (the latter known, sometimes infamously, for the production of some of the largest and most powerful vehicles in the Army's inventory), had already begun developing a tank that would not only match the most modern MBT-level designs in use in the Imperial Altamakian Surface Corps and the Brazilian Army, but would also build on the lesson's learned from its predecessor and raise the bar in the the categories of speed, armor, and firepower to new levels. The tank prototype, tentatively classified as the T1590 Paladin, would catch the eye of the Army, and, after the production of the first prototype, was demonstrated to an audience of military officers, VIP's, and politicians at the Black Sands National Proving and Testing Grounds on Marathon. The Paladin proved to be highly successful in its test run, and the Army would approve the construction of the first block of Paladin's from the various GM manufactories. Since then, the Paladin has become the premier main battle tank in use with the Army and Marine Corps, and has come to earn the loving affection of many a tank commanders.

Ever since the creation of the first 'modern' main battle tank by General Motors in 2305, all GM MBT's followed a typical design that consisted of limited indirect fire/over the horizon capability (via missiles or mortars), a primary weapon centered on a single direct-fire gun of maximum possible destructiveness, supporting lateral, or broadside, batteries for use against light AFV's and soft targets, and a datalinked point defense suite. The M554 continues with this pattern through its own weapon loadout. Housed in the main turret, the primary gun of the Paladin consists of a 100mm Gauss cannon. Capable of being loaded with a plethora of munitions, including fusion, tactical antimatter, steel rain (infamously known for its brutal effects against infantry), and hyperkinetic penetrators, the Gauss cannon can accelerate its projectiles to hypervelocity for devastating effect, and, when combined with shell's warhead, can unleash yields well into the megaton range. As with all primary tank guns, be they Gauss canons, powerguns, or hellbore-pattern plasma lances, the Paladin's gun has a truly massive range of hundreds of kilometers, although terrain and other issues will tend to bring combat ranges down considerably. Mounted coaxially with the main gun is a 30mm tribarrel heavy repeater.

For support, the Paladin features twin lateral repeating powergun batteries arranged in casemate-style turrets. Drawing from the main reactor for practically infinite ammo (thus acquiring the nickname of 'infinite repeaters'), the repeating powergun batteries, consisting of two repeating powerguns per battery, are capable of chewing through infantry and light AFV's with ease, as well as finishing off medium AFV's that have been wounded by the main gun or a missile salvo. Indirect fire support is provided by the Paladin's onbaoard misssile cache. Fired from a internally reloadable, multi-shot launcher flush mounted on the main turret, the missiles, which can range in diversity from nuclear anti-air to black hole, can handle a wide assortment of targets, ranging from heavy assault tanks beyond the horizon to hypersonic fighter-bombers. Last but not least is the Paladin's Defensive Fighting Systems Sentinel point defense suite: a series of laser clusters for close-in defense and multiple-shot anti-personnel kinetic penetrator/HE clusters spread throughout the hull for use against infantry.

The defensive systems of the M554 are equally impressive. Composite armor plating and sloped endurasteel provide impressive resistance to enemy weapons fire, while appliqué explosive reactive armor can turn tritanium penetrators into plasma. Naturally, the Paladin also features a high-capacity battlescreen that allows it to withstand far more damage than it could without it. An electronic warfare suite, also produced by Defensive Fighting Systems, provides the commander of an M554 with a wide range of EW warfare options, including jamming, spamming (i.e., flooding enemy sensors with massive amounts of ghost images), and various ECCM techniques. In addition, the Paladin can store, service, and launch up to five tactical drones in the rear of the tank in order to provide support in the form of reconnaissance or dedicated fire support, for example.

Power for the Paladin is generated by a highly robust fusion reactor, with backup power provided by a bank of anti-proton batteries. While the tank is generally resupplied at a base or supply depot, the high endurance long-range variant of the Paladin, the M554A3, is fitted with a miniature galactic gate to deliver fuel and supplies on the spot. To propel the massive bulk of the Paladin, General Motors made use of the duel tread/counter-gravity generator method of propulsion, the most common for virtually all AFV's. The tank's treads allows the Paladin to handle a wide variety of terrain at impressive speeds, as well as granting it the ability to push itself through the semi-permeable theater battlescreens so often used by armies. The treads are also reinforced though the application of blisterskin, an extremely tough ablative polymer that is resistant to thermal and kinetic energy. The crossing of terrain quickly or the need for high maneuverability is left to the Paladin's gravitic engines, which can propel the bulk of the M554 at an excess of 300 mph, as well as grant it flight capabilities if so desired. Generally speaking, Paladin commanders will use their grav engines in wide-open plains or similar terrain where its speed and maneuverability can be exploited to the fullest, while its crawler mode is made use of when moving through battlescreens or in urban environments, where speed and maneuverability are less effective.

Crewed by three individuals, a commander, gunner, and driver, and aided by an on-board AI, the Paladin is graded to fight in virtually every environment conceivable, from the crushing depths of the seabed of an ocean world to the vacuum of an airless fortress moon. Already having made a name for itself in the Army and Marine Corps of the USO and many of its client states, most notably the Republic of Canis Major, it is only natural that the design has found its way into the inventories of other friendly polities. Both the Empire of Hispanic Nation-States and Israel have made extensive use of the Paladin (the latter having converted it into a near-entirely new design), while at least a few Paladin's have also made their way into corporate and mercenary armies. With several planned updates, the M554 Paladin can continue to look forward to many more years of continued service.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:56 am, edited 7 times in total.
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Re: Military Assets: United Stellar States of America

Post by Ford Prefect »

While it sounds suitably cool, I imagine there would be something of a limitation on the amount of ammunition it would conceivably carry, especially if they opt to swap out the secondary powerguns for autocannons.
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Re: Military Assets: United Stellar States of America

Post by Magister Militum »

Ford Prefect wrote:While it sounds suitably cool, I imagine there would be something of a limitation on the amount of ammunition it would conceivably carry, especially if they opt to swap out the secondary powerguns for autocannons.
True, but MBT's such as the Paladin are much larger than our MBT's and would theoretically be able to carry more ammunition than modern day tanks. Of course, this would all depend on the weapon and munition loadout. As a rule of thumb, a Paladin will only carry two or maybe three types of munitions for a particular mission. Although point-to-point teleporation of ammunition from a on-site supply vehicle or depot would make this point moot...
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Locktin-Boeing B-1050B Crusader Long-Range Heavy Bomber


Time to get back to work.

After our last sortie, we managed to get some much needed time off while GERPAC licked their wounds, but that pretty much evaporated the instant the Germania Pact decided to strike back with a new offensive. Now we were back doing our jobs, nailing targets of opportunity in Pact space in order to deny them the ability to wage war. Such was the case now, as the 1520th Very Heavy Bombardment Group made its way through hyperspace to our newest target, a megashipyard and several nearby industrial plants belonging to the Egyptian Cartel.

“So, how much in the way in property damage do you think we’re going to inflict this time?” Asked my navigator as we prepared to come out of hyperspace.

“Well, it’ll certainty piss off the Egyptians to lose a megayard of that magnitude, and it will most likely screw up the Coalition’s ability to fight in the nearby sectors, so I’m probably going to have to say a shitload.”

Everyone in the cabin chuckled. Ever since the U.S. entered the war, we had been flying sortie after sortie against the nations of the Germania Pact in an attempt to wear down its collective industry. Our particular bomb group was lucky enough to get hold of the Aerospace Forces newest bomber, the B-1050B Crusader, and we were already making good use of it. Communication nodes, SBM launchers, aerospace and fleet bases, Moho mines, you name it and our Crusaders have probably flattened it already.

A few seconds later, our navicomputer informed us of our arrival as we came out of hyperspace out of cloak and made our way towards are targets. “Alright, we’ll deliver our payload to the megayard alongside the first wave. The rest will hit the mines and then pull out,” I said as the datalinked bombers began to coordinate their bombing runs.

As if on cue, the group split up as my wave of bombers headed for the megayard. Once the bombardier let me know that our payload was ready, I gave him the go-ahead to open the bay doors and let loose our cargo. A series of Spacebolt tactical hyperspace missiles loaded with conversion warheads. The missiles were ejected into the cold depths of space before their engines roared to life and they made a quick microjump into hyperspace to close the distance. The systems early-warning and ABM defense network went off like mad by the sudden hyperspace signal they detected and promptly went to work in order to intercept the missiles and the bombers. By then it was too late, though, as the missiles came out of hyperspace and, with the aid of their ECM, evaded the countermissiles and point-defense screen before releasing the full fury of their conversion warhead.

Soon enough, more missiles, including a select few outfitted with black hole warheads, joined the fray, devastating the great shipyards, while more conventional antimatter munitions immolated the mines on a nearby moon. The system was in chaos as first response units scrambled to save what was left of the systems industry, but by then it was far too late. As my bomber and the rest of the first wave prepared to make the jump into hyperspace, my bombers scanners could pick up the devastation and carnage that was unfolding as millions were dead and many more were dying.

Just another day on the job, I mused.


One of the many things that the United States Aerospace Forces prides itself is its ability to act as a long-range strategic deterrent to the enemies and rivals of America and her interests. Although it makes use of a variety of instruments to carry out this mission, the USAF often times turns to its reliable and deadly heavy bomber fleet to get the job done. Such is the case of the B-1050B Crusader. Designed with long-range deep penetration and strategic bombardment in mind, the Peacemaker is geared for both orbital and terrestrial strikes against enemy assets, punching deep into enemy space to annihilate enemy infrastructure, industry, and military installations with frightening ease. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The B-1050 was the end result of a contest put out by the Aerospace Forces to create a successor to the venerable B-1025 Reconciler. In particular, the USAF specified that the new bomber would need to be able to carry out very long-range, deep penetration missions with little to no escort cover, as well as more conventional tactical operations, such as carpet bombings. In either case, the bomber would need to be able to reach its targets in a reasonable amount of time, as well as being able to carry out said sorties under enemy fire. Several of the leading aerospace firms immediately replied to the offer and began to design their own heavy bomber in order to win the lucrative contract. Ultimately, the competition was whittled down to General Electric, Locktin-Boeing, Liberty Heavy Industries, Incorporated, and Columbia Aerospace. After an intense fight among them and a hard look at their proposals by the USAF and SAC, the Department of Defense ultimately awarded the contract to the aerospace megacorporation of Locktin-Boeing. This, of course, was somewhat expected; Lockin-Boeing were the producers of many other fighters in use by the Star Navy and Aerospace Forces, such as the extremely successful F/A-260B Corsair transatmospheric strike fighter and F-306D Vindicator heavy space superiority fighter. With the full backing by the Aerospace Forces (particularly Strategic Aerospace Command), the engineers at Locktin-Boeing’s Skunk Works would produce a bomber that would be fittingly nicknamed afterwards as ‘Orion's Sword.’

Easily exceeding the size of the largest American bomber in service, the Crusader, as it became known by its creators, is certainly the biggest interstellar bomber in service with the Aerospace Forces, and for good reason, as few interstellar bombers outside of the USAF are capable of matching the long-range, independent nature of the B-1050. In order to maximize its range, Locktin-Boeing installed the most efficient hyperdrive motivator available, as well as an incredibly powerful computer to calculate the coordinates. For sublight propulsion, the Crusader uses a General Electric YJ90’Colossus’ reactionless engine, while counter-gravity generators mounted near the belly the bomber aid in maneuverability and take-offs/landings near gravity wells. For power, Crusader makes use of a robust United Teledyne conversion furnace. As with all other American military assets, the Crusader is fully connected to the Joint Tactical Information Datalink System (JTIDS) in order to share information and coordinate fire control and movements.

The nature of the Crusader means that proper escorts (at least for long-distance sorties) will often be unavailable. As such, Lockin-Boeing went through many precautions in order to maximize the bombers survivability. First and foremost is the B-1050’s high-capacity battlescreen, which can absorb a punishing amount of firepower should it be necessary. In order to fight back against its aggressors, the Crusader maintains multiple defensive weapon emplacements throughout the bombers hull. Opting for rapid-fire powerguns over the traditional bolter (a super-heavy repeater/miniature rapid-fire mass driver, essentially) and graser, the powergun turrets can lay down an impressive volley of fire, and can fire in a flak setting as well. Since it’s better to not be hit at all, the Crusader features an extensive electronic warfare suite and cloaking device in order to disappear from enemy sensors.

While maintaining an impressive defense system, the more large-scale bombing runs and raids envisioned by the Aerospace Forces would require a dedicated escort fighter. While said fighters, such as the F-505B Star Demon, existed, there would exist occasions in which the use of full-fledged escorts fighters would be impractical (namely, during deep-penetration strikes). To solve it, Locktin-Boeing turned to General Electric and together constructed the F/P-90 Goblin parasite drone fighter. One of the smallest fighters produced in millennia, the Goblin takes the concept of the midget fighter and runs with it. Barely bigger than the average hovercar, the Goblin maintains an impressive armament in the form of four rapid-fire grasers, as well as the ability to mount either an electronic warfare pod, or a pair of Titan-IV space-to-space missiles. With respectable shielding, a crafty droid brain, and two highly powerful ion engines, the Goblin is an invaluable asset for Crusader pilots, who typically will carry multiple fighters for long-distance missions. Said parasite fighters are stored and recharged in the aft section of the bomber, and are deployed and retrieved via the rear bomb bay.

The most important feature of the B-1050, though, is its ordnance capacity. The Crusaders cavernous bomb bays allow for the carrying of a wide assortment of munitions to fit the mission in question. For anti-starship duties, the Crusader can be fitted with weapons such as anti-starship torpedoes or long-range missiles, while strategic strikes on industrial or communication nodes and military marshalling points would warrant armament such as tactical hyperspace missiles fitted with implosion devices or black hole munitions. Additionally, more unconventional ordnance, such as conversion mines and missile pods, can be loaded up should the mission require it. Should carpet bombings or other planetary operations need to be carried out, the B-1050 is more than capable of delivering a truly titanic wave of conventional munitions, flattening even the most entrenched enemy via a punishing wave of guided gravity bombs.

Still a relatively new design, the B-1050 has yet to replace the older Reconciler, but that hasn’t stopped engineers from coming up with new variations on the Crusader. In addition to its current configuration, Locktin-Boeing has also developed a strategic reconnaissance version, the RB-1050C, which has recently begun seeing use during the Third Pan-Galactic War. There also exists a special, ultra-stealthy version of the Crusader, the CB-1050D, which takes advantage of the Crusaders speed and range in order to transport Special Forces teams to various hotspots throughout the galaxy. Already making a name for itself in the various Very Heavy Bombardment Groups it is operating out of, the B-1050 Crusader will undoubtedly continue to be one of the Aerospace Forces key tools for decades to come.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Booted Vulture »

You know this one of very few bomber write ups on O1. And its very cool. Though it seems to carry scad loads of equipment. Several turrets, lots of bombs, big ECM/ECCM gear and several UCAVs? I assume its a pretty chunky craft with all that in.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Well, yes, it is a very big bomber; if built in real-life, the Crusader (which would look like a massiveYB-49) would dwarf any other bomber in service in the world. Bear in mind, however, that heavy bombers of the Crusaders magnitute in The Eternal Game are required to be able to carry out very, very long range sorties and deep penetration missions. As such, bombers like the B-1050B need to be massive in size in order to carry their fuel and vital equipment/ordnance. Also remember that electronics such as ECM gear would be miniaturized to the point that they wouldn't take that much room. The fact that the Crusader can't operate from carriers or smaller warships (with the exception of fleet and strategic carriers or superdreadnoughts and their ilk) and often act as patrol craft should give you an idea as to how big the Crusader is.

On a purely OOC side note, the Crusader and its equipment are based on the real-life B-36 Peacekeeper, which had muliple turrets and was a testbed for, among other things, the feasibility of a bomber carrying parasite fighters,such as the XF-85 Goblin.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

How do these bombers fare against capital ships, anywhoo? Or are bombers designed to engage enemy assets that are *not* protected by heavier weapons like capital warships?
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

If they're sporting the right weapons and have support, then they could wreck havoc on captial ships that lack proper escorts and pickets. When they operate onboard carriers and are deployed alongside strikefighters, torpedo bombers, and gunboats, then they could take on even the largest warships and installations. Of course, this is balanced out by the fact that interceptors and ECM can make it hard for bombers to nail the larger warships.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Ford Prefect »

I have to say, I smiled at the Total Annhilation reference in 'Moho mines'. :)
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Booted Vulture »

Ford Prefect wrote:I have to say, I smiled at the Total Annhilation reference in 'Moho mines'. :)
I totally missed that.

Of course, Moho doesn't strictly make sense if we talking about military mines (ie area denial devices that go boom) as it refers to the Mohorovičić discontinuity: the boundary between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere in structural geology.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Ford Prefect »

You're geology is strong, but your kung fu is weak: Magi did not use 'Moho mine' to refer to a explosive. It's in a list of thing they've blow up.
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Booted Vulture »

*face palm* I fail at reading & comprehension
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Re: Military Assets: United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

UPDATE: The first three previous posts have been completely redone. This, of course, was by necessity; the three articles were positively ancient in terms of what they represented.

EDIT: The astute will note that I replaced the briefly used term 'juggernaut' with the original designation of 'superdreadnought' for the SST-class. This is on account of me deciding to revert back to the original term.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Fri Sep 11, 2009 3:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Booted Vulture »

MM, I'm not familiar enough with the old articles to be able to tell the difference but these are very good and comprehensive articles. Although all the equipment in use by the USO seems to be down right perfect. I usually like to write about what often goes wrong with my weapons when I write about them or how they are perceived by the troops that use them. After all, weapons can be technically very good but still pick up a bad rep with its users.

I am struck by the sheer scale of TEG :D 120 km dreadnaughts and 330mm tank guns.

Also i noted the Paladins have armour made out of mithril. What is this material and is it anything like the tolkien version? ie) Do orions armour their tanks in ridiculously precious metals?
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Booted Vulture wrote:MM, I'm not familiar enough with the old articles to be able to tell the difference but these are very good and comprehensive articles. Although all the equipment in use by the USO seems to be down right perfect. I usually like to write about what often goes wrong with my weapons when I write about them or how they are perceived by the troops that use them. After all, weapons can be technically very good but still pick up a bad rep with its users.
Why, thank you, Booted.

I wouldn't say that all of the equipment in use with the Armed Forces is perfect; God knows that the designers have occasionally designed some real POS in their times. But, when you have essentially unlimited wealth and virtually bottomless resources, you can tend to design things as intricate as possible.
I am struck by the sheer scale of TEG :D 120 km dreadnaughts and 330mm tank guns.
Wait until you see some of the stuff I have planned for Gotterdammerung. :mrgreen: :twisted:

I might actually scale back the main gun of the Paladin, since, now that I think about it, a 330 mm gun for a what's essentially a medium-weight vehicle is kinda ridiculous.
Also i noted the Paladins have armour made out of mithril. What is this material and is it anything like the Tolkien version? ie) Do orions armour their tanks in ridiculously precious metals?

Yeah, I've recently had a change of heart and have removed any references to mithril from TEG. In its place, I'm using endurasteel.
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Ford Prefect »

Locktin-Boeing
I'm kind of late to the party here, but just randomly I always looking around. I have suspected it for some time, but it has now been confirmed: Magister Militum is in fact me, from another timespace.
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Well, Per once mentioned that you have essentially become Siege Jr. Isn't the next logical step that I evolve into Ford Prefect Jr? :D

On a more serious note, I already asked you if I could use the name Lockin-Boeing a long time ago, but I'm assuming you forgot. That, and expect a minor clean up of the SST-class and Paladin regarding a few details that I don't like.
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Ford Prefect »

Then what is Siege evolving into?

And now that you mntion it, I do vaguely recall that conversation. That's trip through the Wayback Machine.
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Re: Weapons of the United States of Orion

Post by Magister Militum »

Something I've been noticing and that you probably have to from our conversations on MSN is that TEG is slowly been shifting into a more exotic nature, partly due to my increasing interest in exotic fields such as GUT, magnetic monopoles, etc, to name a few, with some posthumanism/transhumanism thrown in for good measure. You can blame it on both my curiosity and a sudden interest in SId Meier's Alpha Centauri, which had some obscene things going on. While the core nature of TEG will stay the same (I don't see a dramatic shift anytime soon), these little elements will undoubtedly permeate TEG and lead to some interesting applications by its inhabitants. In a way, TEG is kinda mirroring the part TLW took in terms of refinement, although TEG is obviously carrying this in a whole other direction.
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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