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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To sub a starship component for future submissions and role-playing
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link:
Primary Source: N/A
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Visanj T’shkali
Affiliation: Closed-Market
Model: Tezcatlipoca Shield Emitter
Modularity: Yes; scalable to most starship sizes and types under 500m
Production: Limited
Material(s): Alusteel, Titanium, Chromium, Agrinium, Electronics Components
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Tezcatlipoca was designed originally as a secondary shield system for use during hyperspace travel. Where projectile attacks and threats are all but unheard of, hyperspace travel brings a host of concerns which are intrinsic to itself, including passing through ion storms, gravitational strain, quantum fluctuation, time dilation, and more. The Tezcatlipoca was engineered for this sort of risk, using minimal-grade particle shields to protect against basic debris, etc. but maximizing energy shielding for a variety of specialized threats.
Immediately in the research and development process, certain limitations to this technology became apparent: Significant power draw constraints, which require other shield systems to be lowered or taken offline entirely as well as limit the duration of its use. In practice, due to these limitations, the shields are too demanding to be used on larger vessels as the sheer surface area of those ships requires far too much allotment to make them feasible, and even on smaller ships, maximum use is roughly fifteen (15) standard minutes and made even shorter if dealing with intense strain or punishment. Energy absorption mitigates this somewhat, but presented another issue, as unlike molecular shields, the Tezcatlipoca cannot store the immense amount of energy absorbed without posing a serious risk to a ship’s capacitors. Therefore, upon deactivation, this energy is released, dissipating into surrounding space like a mild shockwave, which for a few brief seconds creates an energy spike which negates stealth and makes ships using this system temporarily susceptible to detection and targeting by enemy vessels. Lastly, while they might be extraordinarily resilient against energy weapons in a fight, they offer virtually no protection against projectiles such as missiles, torpedoes, railguns, etc. and will only provide energy protection for a short time before needed to deactivated and time allowed for the system to recharge, making it a poor choice for a primary shield system meant for combat. In a pinch, it’s better than nothing, but a smart Captain wouldn’t count on it in a fight.
Yet, for all these issues, the Tezcatlipoca does provide many interesting and useful advantages. Namely, providing excellent resistance to hyperspace and hyperspace-like effects such as negative energy, multi-axial gravitational strain (incl. that caused by gravity weapons or fields meant to tear a ship apart), quantum fluctuations, and of course, virtually any kind of energy weapon, ray beam, or similar devices. A unique by-product proved to be the presence of a tractor beam shroud-like effect, which while not long-lasting or particularly powerful, would enable evasion – at least for a while – from ships usually classified as cruisers and below! Another benefit is protection from electromagnetic disturbance, ion clouds, EMP fields, etc. including those artificially-generated. Again, while not long in duration, these benefits can mean life or death to crews and ships targeted by such weapons.
This system doesn't replace or supplant normal relativistic shields like those commonly included in hyperdrive systems, but rather provides a notable measure of additional protection against particularly serious threats.
In all, the Tezcatlipoca, which remains deactivated and dormant when not called upon, provides an excellent secondary shield system which – if activated in time, based on sensor detections and early-warning systems built into the system – can offer a ship and its crew a serious defense against select kinds of threats, both artificial and natural, and might just be the factor which decides whether they will live to see the ‘morrow!
Intent: To sub a starship component for future submissions and role-playing
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link:
Primary Source: N/A
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Visanj T’shkali
Affiliation: Closed-Market
Model: Tezcatlipoca Shield Emitter
Modularity: Yes; scalable to most starship sizes and types under 500m
Production: Limited
Material(s): Alusteel, Titanium, Chromium, Agrinium, Electronics Components
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Provides only minimal particle shielding, namely that which is sufficient to protect against debris and other particulates which may be encountered, nothing more serious.
- Offers excellent protection against energy threats, including energy fields, weapons, etc. and absorbs this energy and redirects it to bolster its own protective qualities though not able to store this energy beyond the duration of its use as it may overtax capacitors.
- Protects against various hyperspace-related effects as well as EMP/Ion waves, shielding onboard systems and occupants from these effects for a short period of time.
- Excellent protection against tractor beams, acting with the same effects as a tractor beam shroud, albeit for limited duration, and less efficiency against very large vessels with powerful military-grade tractor beams such as Super-Star Destroyers and Dreadnaughts.
- Can be used in hyperspace and realspace.
- Protects against hyperspace time-dilation as well as other energies normally encountered while traveling in wormholes, hyperspace, etc. such as negative energy, quantum fluctuation, and multi-axial gravitational strains.
- Able to absorb virtually all energy and return it, routing same absorbed energy to reinforce shield effects in a manner similar to molecular shielding, however without the benefit of absorbing kinetic-type damage.
- Offers solid protection against EMP/Ion threats, able to resist all but the very most-powerful attacks.
- Excellent short-term defense against tractor beams emanating from moderate to smaller-sized vessels, such as the kinds often used by pirates or less massive military ships (i.e. cruisers and below).
- Does not protect against serious kinetic damage like particle shields will, neither does it stop projectiles such as missiles, railguns, or the like.
- Does not store absorbed energy like molecular shielding will, and only returns absorbed energy for the duration the shield is activated; once deactivated, all stored energy is released in a mild wave-like effect emanating from the vessel, which can make it easy to be tracked / targeted by energy sensors, thus temporarily negating any stealth effects.
- Initially requires notable power draw, meaning that while active, other shield systems must be suspended or taken offline, opening the vessel to external threats, most especially kinetic damage from projectile weaponry.
- Due to aforementioned power constraints – and even with absorptive-recycling abilities – shields of this type can only be used for brief periods of time, usually not to exceed a quarter standard hour period, and require an interval usually of the same time to recharge for use again.
- Cannot work effectively on ships larger than 500m, due to power constraints which make application to larger ships difficult and burdensome to properly enact; Cannot be fitted for starfighters or small shuttles either, essentially any ship under 20m.
The Tezcatlipoca was designed originally as a secondary shield system for use during hyperspace travel. Where projectile attacks and threats are all but unheard of, hyperspace travel brings a host of concerns which are intrinsic to itself, including passing through ion storms, gravitational strain, quantum fluctuation, time dilation, and more. The Tezcatlipoca was engineered for this sort of risk, using minimal-grade particle shields to protect against basic debris, etc. but maximizing energy shielding for a variety of specialized threats.
Immediately in the research and development process, certain limitations to this technology became apparent: Significant power draw constraints, which require other shield systems to be lowered or taken offline entirely as well as limit the duration of its use. In practice, due to these limitations, the shields are too demanding to be used on larger vessels as the sheer surface area of those ships requires far too much allotment to make them feasible, and even on smaller ships, maximum use is roughly fifteen (15) standard minutes and made even shorter if dealing with intense strain or punishment. Energy absorption mitigates this somewhat, but presented another issue, as unlike molecular shields, the Tezcatlipoca cannot store the immense amount of energy absorbed without posing a serious risk to a ship’s capacitors. Therefore, upon deactivation, this energy is released, dissipating into surrounding space like a mild shockwave, which for a few brief seconds creates an energy spike which negates stealth and makes ships using this system temporarily susceptible to detection and targeting by enemy vessels. Lastly, while they might be extraordinarily resilient against energy weapons in a fight, they offer virtually no protection against projectiles such as missiles, torpedoes, railguns, etc. and will only provide energy protection for a short time before needed to deactivated and time allowed for the system to recharge, making it a poor choice for a primary shield system meant for combat. In a pinch, it’s better than nothing, but a smart Captain wouldn’t count on it in a fight.
Yet, for all these issues, the Tezcatlipoca does provide many interesting and useful advantages. Namely, providing excellent resistance to hyperspace and hyperspace-like effects such as negative energy, multi-axial gravitational strain (incl. that caused by gravity weapons or fields meant to tear a ship apart), quantum fluctuations, and of course, virtually any kind of energy weapon, ray beam, or similar devices. A unique by-product proved to be the presence of a tractor beam shroud-like effect, which while not long-lasting or particularly powerful, would enable evasion – at least for a while – from ships usually classified as cruisers and below! Another benefit is protection from electromagnetic disturbance, ion clouds, EMP fields, etc. including those artificially-generated. Again, while not long in duration, these benefits can mean life or death to crews and ships targeted by such weapons.
This system doesn't replace or supplant normal relativistic shields like those commonly included in hyperdrive systems, but rather provides a notable measure of additional protection against particularly serious threats.
In all, the Tezcatlipoca, which remains deactivated and dormant when not called upon, provides an excellent secondary shield system which – if activated in time, based on sensor detections and early-warning systems built into the system – can offer a ship and its crew a serious defense against select kinds of threats, both artificial and natural, and might just be the factor which decides whether they will live to see the ‘morrow!
