Mara D'Lessio Merrill
The Lesser D'Lessio
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
The Merrill-Valkner Caterwaul is a straightforward and effective starship-mounted subsonic 'fence.' It repels curious predators, swarms of hungry insects, and maybe your average stormtrooper. A single emitter is generally placed on the starship's belly, though using more than one emitter can ensure comprehensive coverage. There is no upper limit on the size of vessel that can use Caterwaul emitters. For example, a landed capital ship could easily fix a single emitter to the hull near each foot of its landing gear.
Though the Caterwaul isn't the highest-caliber antipersonnel defense you can mount on a ship, it's silent, nonlethal, low-visibility, often legal, and maybe even deniable. It's a great fit for when you want your ship to stay safe but don't want to attract too much attention. It won't run out of ammunition, it's easy to maintain, and it won't kill everyone if it's aimed wrong. It's just plain user-friendly.
- Intent: A nonlethal but utterly flummoxing sonic emitter that protects landed starships.
- Image Source: N/A
- Canon Link: Sonic emitter
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Merrill-Valkner Systems Engineering (MVSE)
- Model: Caterwaul Sonic Emitter
- Affiliation: Open-market (may be used by any character without asking permission from the manufacturer)
- Modularity: With enough work, in an emergency, you could tighten the emitter aperture and use it as a short-range antipersonnel hard-sound gun. You'd burn out the emitter quickly, and you'd be sacrificing area-of-effect protection.
Production: Minor (large groups of characters (i.e. multiple factions, companies, or groups.))
- Material: Electronics
- Projects an area-of-effect subsonic signal that repels animals. The effective radius of a single emitter is 40 metres over open ground, more than enough to cover most light and medium freighters and any nearby campsite. (Campers should bring appropriate ear protection or active cancellation equipment, provided to customers at a modest fee.) Larger ships should use multiple emitters.
- Wards away animals. Especially determined and intelligent animals (e.g. those motivated by the Force, good bait, rage, or pharmaceuticals) may still reach the vessel's hull but will be uncomfortable and generally unhappy. Sapient species will feel uncomfortable but can press through to reach the ship.
- Not 100% reliable, as noted above. Sapient species and highly motivated intelligent animals may be able to persevere through.
The Merrill-Valkner Caterwaul is a straightforward and effective starship-mounted subsonic 'fence.' It repels curious predators, swarms of hungry insects, and maybe your average stormtrooper. A single emitter is generally placed on the starship's belly, though using more than one emitter can ensure comprehensive coverage. There is no upper limit on the size of vessel that can use Caterwaul emitters. For example, a landed capital ship could easily fix a single emitter to the hull near each foot of its landing gear.
Though the Caterwaul isn't the highest-caliber antipersonnel defense you can mount on a ship, it's silent, nonlethal, low-visibility, often legal, and maybe even deniable. It's a great fit for when you want your ship to stay safe but don't want to attract too much attention. It won't run out of ammunition, it's easy to maintain, and it won't kill everyone if it's aimed wrong. It's just plain user-friendly.
