John Locke
V U L K A N
[SIZE=11pt]OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Intent[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]To design a new component for future submissions by Locke and Key Mechanics[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Image Source:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]DeviantArt[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Canon Link:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Restricted Missions:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Primary Source:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]PRODUCTION INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Manufacturer:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Locke and Key Mechanics[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Model:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Phalanx Shield System[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Affiliation:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Locke and Key Mechanics[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Modularity:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]No[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Production:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Mass Produced[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Material:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Duraplast, Electronic Components, droid brain[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]SPECIAL FEATURES[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=9pt]The ability to redirect energy to reinforce the shields at the point of impact of enemy weapons fire.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=9pt]An assortment of small overlapping shield generator’s spread across the surface of the ship rather than a few large shield generators allowing for a setup that is able to shift and adjust to the circumstances the ship finds itself under.[/SIZE]
- In order to allow the system to react to incoming threats, the designers included a droid brain which is able to respond to threats faster than an organic operator.
[SIZE=11pt]Strengths:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Directable Shields:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Able to redistribute shield energy around a ship.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Automatic Systems:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] System is able to respond to threats in the battlespace around it to automatically deploy energy based on programming input into the system.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Weaknesses:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Vulnerable to damage:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Because the shield emitters are scattered across the hull of the ship they are more vulnerable to suffering major damage when the hull takes any damage. Rather than the standard system where a hit on the shield emitters is needed to take down the shields hull damage now is likely to hit one or more of the small emitters, creating weaknesses in the shield system until the ship can be repaired and new emitters can be installed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Transfer time:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] The shield system only has a finite amount of power, and in order to redistribute it the system must first take power from the shield before deploying it to somewhere else. During this energy transfer, there is a moment where the shields are weaker before they power is re-established.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Deception:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]The system is controlled by a droid brain which operates based on criteria input by a shield operator. Once the programming can be observed the system can be tricked into responding in a predictable manner which will allow the shield system to be taken advantage of. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Size: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]The Phalanx System is most effective on a larger ship, and cannot be used on fighters or any ship smaller than 100m in length. The larger the ship, the more effective the system.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]I just don't have the power: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]The Phlanax system works on the principle of redirected energy, taking energy from one sector of the shields to transfer it to another. But it only has a limited power supply to work with, so in order to reinforce one section, another needs to be weakened. This creates holes in the shields that can be exploted by an enemy. The Phlanax is not meant to be more powerful than a normal shield, just more efficient at reinforcing areas of the hull.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]DESCRIPTION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]When it comes to ship to ship combat, the deflector shield has always sat at the heart of the defensive framework as a way to stand against both the natural dangers of space and supercharged bolts of energy that capital ships were in the habit of throwing around. Critical as it might be shield technology has barely changed since the days of the Old Republic. Shields might have gotten more powerful but they’ve always been created the same way. Large shield emitters that covered large swatches of the surface with a powerful shield. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The basis of the Aegis system was different, instead of using one shield emitter to create the shield it seeded the surface of a ship with multiple smaller shield emitters. While the end result was the same, there were some distinct differences in the creation of the shielding that drove Locke and Key mechanics to develop in this way. Primarily the adaptability of a shield created through this new configuration. Shield energy could now be shunted around to cover the parts of the ship taking fire by stripping it from safe areas of the ship. It is this redirection of energy to the point of impact that lies at the core of the Aegis system. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]An example of how this might work is to transfer power from one side of the ship to the other, creating a stronger set of shields at the cost of weakening the shields on the other side of the ship. This redirection of energy can be more focused, focusing a specific section of the ship to weaken a ramming attack, or at the bow of a ship to increase the effect of the ships own ramming attack. This transmission of energy isn’t an instant process, leaving a moment where the energy is being transferred that can be capitalised on by someone who knows what to watch for and can plan to capitalise on it. The overlapping shields require a special network of conduits running under the surface of the ship to provide the shield emitters with the power they needed. The overlappings network of shields provided by the emitters allowed for a layered defence of ray, particle and concussion shields. Like most shield emitters they could project the shields away from the hull of a ship, although the shields power degrades the further away from the ships surface it went. This layering allows the shield to counter multiple threats, using particle shields over concussion shields to counter projectile threats. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The Phalanx Shield System isn’t just built around the emitters, the second pillar of the system is the installed droid brain responsible for the diversion of the energy to the various shield emitters. In the middle of combat, even the best-intentioned biological operator can’t keep up with the ebb and flow of combat. The superior reactions of a mechanical brain was needed to to be able to redirect the energy optimally and to react to any attacks on the ship. The engineers went back to history, and the tales of the legendary Millenium Falcon for an answer to this problem. In particular, the modifications made to the Superflow IV, in order to allow the ship's systems to be accessed from one console. They realised that it meant that a droid brain could increase the efficiency of a system which it was connected to. However, the engineers were unwilling to allow the droid brain to make decisions in combat by itself. Their reasoning followed the same reasoning which caused the production of the Tie Droid was shut down, a pure droid isn't a match for the insight and quick thinking of a human brain. To that end, they intended the droid brain to be used as a tool to enhance the reactions of the user while ensuring that it can’t react by itself but instead, it only reacts to criteria programmed into it by the ship's crew. The shield operator could program responses based on the ever-changing environment of the battlefield which the droid brain would then proceed to However, once the criteria are uploaded the operators often will fail to update the criteria to responding to the changing battlefield, providing a pattern that a wily combatant can use to their advantage. The system can also fail to adapt to an attack pattern where it is attacked from both sides in time unless a close watch is kept on the programming. In the event of an emergency, the system can be reset, equalizing the shields all over the ship.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The Phalanx system does not make a ships shields more powerful than a standard set of deflector shields. It does, however, provide an advantage in that it allows that shield energy to be distributed in the most efficient manner possible. [/SIZE]
