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Approved Tech Marrab-series Synthetic Soldier

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Major Faction

Gir Quee

Directorate Officer
Gir Quee
Character Bio
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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
  • Intent:To provide a synthetic soldier designed specifically to perform well underwater as well as on land
  • Image Source: here
  • Canon Link: N/A
  • Permissions: N/A
  • Primary Source: here
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
SPECIAL FEATURES
  • Mon Calamari Replicas: Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers are designed to appear as typical mon calamari at a casual inspection. A key element of this is the use of a Soma series Droid Chassis, which is then covered in artificial torulus series artificial muscles to as servo-motors and then covered in synthflesh, much like their direct predecessor, the synthdroid. Through the use of waterweave internal plating, Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers have fairly good buoyancy and underwater stability in most environments, which combined with their finned extremeties, allows them to swim much like mon calamari they are modelled after. Aside from making these synthetic soldiers easier to interact with organics (especially for civilians), it also enables them to utilize existing weapons, armor, and other equipment originally designed for organic use.
  • Variable Appearance: Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers use basic synthdroid construction, meaning that it takes only little effort to sculpt or dye the synthflesh to make it look like a variety of mon calamari. Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers typically possess randomized appearance traits to make them look like more organic units on the battlefield, those purchasers can specify certain physical appearances if desired. However, their actual appearance as organics is not perfect, falling somewhat between the low-end Synthdroids and high-end HRDs. Most people can tell their true nature just from looks after spending around ten minutes with them, though frequently the droid's simple personality gives them away long before that.
  • Variable Personality: While only capable of having simple personalities because of the robust nature of their droid brain, Marrabs can be programmed with a variety of personalities that can be summed up in one word such as “dutiful”, “wary”, “aggressive”, etc. This means that while they're not particularly intelligent or creative fighters, they are not universally predictable either.
  • Subdermal Armor: While a Marrab appears to be a normal mon calamari on the outside, they actually have two layers of quantum fiber right underneath their synthflesh. Certain areas also have small waterweave plates to mimic cartilage of the native mon calamari and to provide buoyancy, but they also have a tertiary role of providing some armor protection to the droid. This is fairly minor protection that does not provide significant protection against most direct fire weapons, but it is useful for absorbing shrapnel, richocets, and low-tech melee weapons like daggers or clubs. This provides them with a minor edge in durablility compared to the average mon calamari body.
  • Hi-sense Enhanced Eyes: Marrab series Synthetic soldiers use off the shelf Hi-sense Enhanced Eyes originally intended for cyborgs as photo-receptors. These provide the Marrab with slightly better than average baseline vision than a typical human, along with a limited ability to see in the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, which is especially useful when fighting in the depths of an ocean.
  • Underwater Drive: Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers have small underwater drives in the form of miniaturized turbofans located in the heel of each foot. Combined with the biomimetic swimming action of the musculoskeletal, these drives allow the Marrab series to effectively swim underwater faster than most organic, aquatic bipedal species. However, using the turbofans does create a louder acoustic signature, which limits their effective use when the droid is trying to stealthy move while underwater.
  • Nagnol Gas Reservoirs: Where most humanoids would have their lungs, the Marrab series has a pair of reservoirs which contain Nagnol gas. This allows the droids to expel a cloud of the gas for several meters around them, helping them to be obscured briefly from visual view and sensors for several seconds. This is often used to help lose pursuers underwater or when transitioning between water and land operations.
STRENGTHS
  • Bane of the Depths: Marrabs are designed to conduct warfare not only on land, but undersea as well. To that end, Marrabs are exceptionally capable swimmers thanks to biomimetic movements, the inclusion of underwater drives, and waterweave implants. Combat programming for Marrabs includes an intimate understanding of working in an underwater environment, including underwater currents, terrain features, three dimensional combat, underwater acoustics, and the use of fauna and flora to their advantage. This allows Marrabs to turn elements of the environment itself into offensive advantages while melting away into terrain when attacked.
  • Tough: Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers are typically more capable physically than the average human soldier thanks to their artificial skeletons and synthetic muscle system. While less powerful than that of many other battle droids, a Marrab's strength, endurance, and speed runs on the upper end of the human spectrum, though they are noticeably faster underwater than even mon calamari. Additionally, the built-in subdermal armor in the form of quantum fiber and waterweave provides good protection against the sonic weapons prevalent in underwater combat.
  • Defense in Principle: Marrab series Synthetic Soldiers are unusual in that they use synthetic, biologically based systems to effectively recreate a single living organism. Unlike most droids, the artificial muscles, organoform circuitry, bio-computer based brain, and hydro-glycerol fuel cells makes Marrabs highly resistant to the original banes of battle droids: Ion/EMP weapons and hacking attempts. )
WEAKNESSES
  • Limited Intelligence: Marrabs are artificial constructs made primarily to conduct war. Unsurprisingly then, they are not very adaptable to other situations nor do they possess an understanding of a variety of topics that might come into play during a conflict such as different cultural or societal norms or the operation of basic technologies. Marrab’s relatively simplistic personalities also make them less suited for changing social environments compared to organic soldiers.
  • Between Worlds: Marrabs are amphibian droids, combining elements of both purely land based and aquatic droids. However, Marrabs rarely have the full physical performance of that dedicated droid type in its chosen environment. Aquatic droids aren’t necessarily constrained by a bipedal form, and thus can take on more agile, hydrodynamic forms and often sport specialized sensors like sonar (which Marrabs do not have). On land, Marrabs’s webbed, mon calamari-like feet make them slightly slower and awkward that most similarly sized battle droids, and the same organic mimicking of mon calamari ergonomics also makes their use of some galactic standard more difficult or even impossible.
  • Environmentally Prone: The same artificially organic components that allow Marrabs to bypass to many of the common pitfalls of droids also makes them vulnerable to hazards that don't typically effect droids, such as radiation, contact with certain chemical substances, and certain diseases.
DESCRIPTION
With a relatively large constituent of mon calamari working in Lucerne Labs, it came as little surprise that combined with the company’s more egalitarian product planning process, that a group of the engineers would eventually collaborate to build a synthetic soldier to help eventually liberate their devastated homeworld of Dac from the heels of the Sith Empire. To that end, the Marrab series Synthetic Soldier utilizes much of the same hardware and programming used by other synthetic soldiers like the Hoplite or Myrmidon series, but with obvious modifications for aquatic use. To that end, the Marrab mimics the mon calamari form, and builds off a mon calamari’s natural aquatic abilities by incorporating a pair of underwater drives in the heel of each foot, making the Marrab reasonably swift underwater. Programming with a knowledge of underwater combat and environment further makes this a capable amphibian battle droid. While it does not appear that the liberation of Marrab will occur any time soon, the project members of the Marrab series Synthetic Soldier are content for the moment to use experience gained from this new droid in other engagements to make a more refined model that will eventually free their homeworld.

Technical Explanations​

Personality: Marrabs only support a fairly simple personality matrix due to their use of the Psykhe Droid Brain. This limited personality also means that the droids are not capable of learning heuristically. To partially compensate for this and make them less predictable, the droid can accept a variety of basic personalities that can typically be summed up in a single word. Some of the most common default personality types from the factory are described as “dutiful”, “wary”, and “aggressive”. All personality see themselves first and foremost as soldiers and warriors, which largely regulates and channels their personality's motivations and methodologies to productive ends.

Skillset: The Psykhe droid brain and its associated personality matrix are designed to support a warrior persona which is enabled by including a competency skillset of basic combat survival skills within the core programming itself. This core programming isn't terribly impressive by itself, but it serves primarily as a contextual junction point for the programming which comes from the three knowledge cartridges that can be inserted into the droid brain itself. These cartridges allow Synthetic Soldiers to be much more adaptable on the battlefield than many of their battle droid peers while making the process user-friendly even to those with limited technical skills. To change cartridge, the droid must be brought offline, the back of head panel accessed, the correct authorization credentials and passcodes entered. The cartridge can then be twisted in or out of the droid brain's adapters. Typically, one cartridge contains all of the information about the organization that the droid belongs to, such as its basic history, chain of command, strategic and tactical doctrines, and specific operations information (friend or foe programming, maps, etc). Another cartridge typically supports the programming to effectively operate a small number of specific weapons(ex. Alliance small arms) or a broad class of associated weapons(such as blaster rifles). Another cartridge is dedicated to effectively using equipment assigned to the droid, typically things like battle armor or tools originally designed for humans or mon calamari, such as the famed mon calamari knight’s shields and lances. Occasionally, this slot is replaced with the knowledge on how to use and maintain a specific type of vehicle. The last slot in the Psykhe droid brain has been hardwired with specific knowledge about conducting warfare underwater including underwater currents, terrain features, three dimensional combat, underwater acoustics, and the use of water-based fauna and flora to their advantage.

Artificial Anatomy: Marrabs derive most of their uniquely hybrid organic and artificial nature by the use of a Psykhe Droid Brain and Soma series Body Chassis. Torulus-series artificial muscles are attached to this frame to act in a matter similar to traditional servo-motors, which in turn are covered by quantum fiber underlay or waterweave plates with synthflesh on top. These basic systems form the basis of the Marrabs appearance and ability to almost serve interchangeably for and among mon calamari warriors. Because they do mimic mon calamari physiology so closely, they are able to use technology that otherwise is only useable by mon calamari such as many of their starship control technologies and cultural weapons. But Marrabs not only emulate typical mon calamari warriors, but actually surpass them in few characteristics, which largely serves to make up for their poorer intellectual ability compared to organic soldiers. This all starts with the use of short-acting hydro-glycolic fuel cells and long-term storage energy crystals. Marrabs appear to drink a watery solution that is actually hydro-glycolic fuel, when then travels down to the 'stomach', which then circulates the fuel through tubing to micro hydro-glycolic fuel cells located across the body which then provide local power to the needed components, whether its artificial muscles or the droid brain. Excess fuel can be converted to electrical charge which is then stored in a pair of energy crystals located in the droid's abdomen. Charge from these crystals can then by cycled through the body by wiring located within the Soma series Droid Chassis skeleton. This is typically used as a back-up or auxiliary system, as the amount of charge that can by moved by this system is relatively small. This can be used to jump-start the droid. Once the droid and its components have power, the droid brain acts much like a human brain, coordinating a variety of actions that are carried out through the organoform circuitry within the Soma series Droid Chassis (much like a human's nervous system) to the needed systems of the droid, such as its internal comlink or muscles. Biomemetically designing the droid in this fashion largely allows it to emulate mon calamari body mechanics and performance. Marrabs do have some differences from mon calamaris and other organics though because of their artificial nature. While limited in creativity and intelligence, the Psykhe droid brain provides it with raw modularity or neural plasticity. Not only can it use different knowledge cartridges, but the brain can fluidly reorganize itself to be better at process information or coordinating physical motion. Likewise, the droids do not possess pain receptors, which allows them to keep fighting despite damages and wounds that normally kill or incapacitate an organic soldier. Aiding in this effort, the quantum fiber underlay and waterweave plates provide additional protection to the droid that people simply don't have. While it pales to the armor inherently worn by most battle droids, this underlay makes the droids less susceptible to damage from typically weaker attacks on the battlefield, such as from shrapnel or simple melee weapons. Using Hi-Sense Enhanced Eyes with improved visual acuity in discriminating between objects as well as resolving images at further distances, along with the ability to see the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums.

Physical Performance: To the typical onlooker, Marrabs appear to have the same physical performance as mon calamari warriors in peak physical condition. The Torulus series muscles are not subject to the typical lactic acid cycle within the body, and thus have a higher endurance. Much like the servo-motors found on other droids, the main limiting endurance factor is the amount of power available to the droid. The artificial muscles and Soma Droid Chassis provide the Marrab with sufficient strength, endurance, and grace to perform at the capability of an exceptional mon calamari athlete on land and in the water. A Marrab can easily perform such tasks as long marches, endurance swims, and diving down kilometers at end under the sea. As their endurance and frame is largely the result of its artificial construction, the droids can also carry and move around slightly more weight than many of their organic counterparts without any loss in physical performance. This may practically manifest itself as carrying an extra weapon, heavier armor, or more ammunition.

Weapons: Unlike most battle droids, the Marrab does not come equipped with any integrated weapons of its own. Instead, its knowledge cartridges and biomimetic design allow it to use a variety of weapons originally designed for humanoids, especially mon calamari. Sonic weapons, blasters, explosives, and half a dozen melee weapons are probably the most commonly equipped weapons used by the Marrab. A subsidiary of Lucerne Labs specifically manufactures the LPD-46 Trident Aqua Rifle to provide the droid with a weapon that is reasonably effective in and out of water.

Defenses: Like most organic soldiers, the most inherent physical defense of a Marrab is simply not getting hit, relying on their size and natural grace to avoid enemy fire or seek cover and/or concealment. However, they do possess a layer of quantum fiber and waterweave plates which provide minor protection against many common threats such as shrapnel, primitive weapons, and glancing weapon strikes. Because of the prevalence of sonic weapons in underwater combat, the chassis of the Marrab was specifically designed to be better able to absorb and disperse sounds through the arrangements of the curvature of its waterweave plates to reflect and disperse waves, while its artificial muscle groups and skeleton were designed to channel destructive vibrations to these same plates for better absorption and radiation. Marrabs often rely on wearing pieces of armor originally designed for wear for mon calamari and other humanoids to provide them with better defense. While these inherent defenses are weaker than the physical defenses of many battledroids, Marrabs are conversely more resistant to the common weakpoints typical of many battledroids. Its chassis and droid brain designs combined with its use of artificial muscles makes it grossly unaffected by area of effect ion and EMP strikes. The use of an organoform circuitry and bio-computer based droid brain also make it unaffected by droid restraining bolts and significantly harder to hack as well as a matter of principle. This does not mean that the droid is immune to such attacks, but it is significantly harder to damage or destroy it through such means. Lastly, the Marrab series has a pair of reservoirs that contain nagnol gas, which the droid can expel around it to briefly produce a haze which can (partially) obscure the droid from visual observation and sensors. This cloud rarely lasts more than half a minute on land or underwater, but is useful when conducting sudden transitions of movement or when the droid uses it as smokescreen while it finds or makes a nearby hiding spot.
 
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