John Locke
V U L K A N
- Intent: To submit an advanced personal shield system
- Image Source: marvel.com
- Canon Link: N/a
- Permissions: N/a
- Primary Source:
- Manufacturer: Locke and Key Mechanics
- Affiliation: Company Name: Locke and Key Mechanics
- Model: Kavacha Shield
- Modularity: No
- Production: Semi-Unique (A single small unit, squad, or squadron)
- Material: Shield Emitters, Electronics
- Is able to deploy multiple shield types as detailed below
- Has three phases of shielding as detailed below
- Full body Shield
- Hemispherical Shield
- Buckler Shields
- Is able to adapt to enemy attacks, activating the needed type of shield to protect the user.
- Multiple shield modes: The Kavacha has multiple modes for its shield allowing it to deploy the best shield for any situation, energy or physical.
- Combined Shield: The Kavacha is capable of projecting a combined energy and physical shield when required.
- Duban Shield: Once of Locke and Key’s signature technologies, the EM shield provides a capable defence against plasma type weapons.
- Point Defense: The Kavacha is capable of generating smaller shields which can appear in the path of incoming attacks. Up to 6 shields can be created, split amongst 3 types of shield, allowing the Kavacha the maximum utility.
- Toolbox: Although the Kavacha shield has multiple types of shield available, mostly only one can be used at a time. The most common form of the shield is the hemispherical mode, which is similar to the Zeidrich upon which it is based, allowing only the creation of one shield at a time. In this mode the Kavacha is capable of deploying either energy shields or a physical shield, it is incapable of projecting both shields at once. In order to switch from one type of shield to another, the Kavacha must first drop and then be reactivated.
- Specialised: The specialised shields, energy and physical, are unable to block damage of the type they are not built for. Energy attacks will slip right past a physical shield while physical attacks will go right through the energy shield. Switching up attack types will render the shield's specialised functions a liability.
- Panoramic Shield: When deployed the Ziedrich creates a hemispherical shield in the direction the user gestures in. This hemispherical shield does not provide full-body coverage and an attack from behind will not be blocked.
- Choose the right time: Although, like the Ziedrich, the Kacacha is capable of combining it's physical and energy shields doing so only provides 30 seconds of protection, after which the shield is offline for 5 minutes (or a time encompassing 4 posts) which the emitters reset due to a power overload. Everything about the shield builds on this requirement to make a tactical choice of when to deploy it or one of its special functions.
- Point Defense: Although the point defence does allow for a variety of shields to be activated at any time, with an increased efficiency it does come with its own drawback. The shield can very easily be overwhelmed, and given the smaller size of the buckler shields, a rapid-fire weapon could place it’s shots faster than the shield is able to compensate. While the point defence mode is more energy-efficient, the constant state of being on does drain the power provided to the Kavacha.
Just as the Phalanx Testudo was Locke and Key’s ultimate ship-based shield, the Kavacha was their ultimate in personal shielding technology, drawing on many of the same concepts as the Testudo. Why waste energy on large shields, when smaller shields could be called into and out of existence to counter threats with much less energy expenditure and allowing for a more capable response to a situation. Of course, that is not always what is needed and unlike its predecessor, the Kavacha shield had a much wider variety of options.
Full Body
Your standard shield covering your whole body, this is the most energy inefficient mode of the shield and has access to the least type of shielding. Only basic energy and physical shields along with the radiation and environmental shielding. This mode is not designed for full-on combat, although it can be used as such, but rather designed to protect the user from attacks that come from any direction, or an environmental hazard such as radiation. While the energy and physical shields do have alternate modes, the environmental and radiation shields do not and are only available as full-body shields given the spread-out nature of the threats that they protect against.
Hemispherical Shield
Much like the Ziedrich shield that it was based the Kavacha shield is capable of generating hemispherical shields to block enemy attacks. It is here the system’s variety really comes into its own, activating the variety of shields available to the system. Attacks are no longer just blocked but can be reflected or absorbed. Shields can be activated with a gesture, or with a command.
Buckler shields
The Primary difference between the Kavacha shield and its predecessor is in the form of the smaller ‘buckler shields’ it is able to form. These bucklers can form and travel anywhere around the user, and the system is able to form 6 shields at a time, each generated shield may be one of 3 active types. In order to replace a type of shield all shield of that type must be shut down and the next emitters charged, a process that can take roughly a second, but can leave the user vulnerable if exploited by a knowledgable individual.
The Buckler shields can be activated to hold a specific position, for example, a shield engaged over your wrist or arm, however, their primary use is in a point defence system. The Kecacha can generate a buckler shield in the path of an attack, collapsing and reforming it as needed. Each emitter takes a second to recharge, allowing the shield to be overwhelmed in point defence mode.
The point defence mode does come with significant advantages, although it doesn’t make the shield any stronger, it does make it considerably more efficient allowing the shield to last longer. Unlike the other shield types, the point defence mode allows the shield to react to each specific threat with a specific shield to counter it, allowing for increased survival on the battlefield.