M E A T B A G
= OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION =
Intent: To create a hybrid fighting shield for the Sun Guard.
Image Source: God of War, Kratos’ Guardian Shield. Fextralife Article.
Canon Link: Not Applicable.
Restricted Missions: If Required.
Primary Source: Repurposed Canon Articles.
= PRODUCTION INFORMATION =
Manufacturer: The Golden Company, The Thyrsian Hierarchy. (Select and Contracted Foundries.)
Model: VCS-01 “Aspis” Pattern Combat Shield.
Affiliation: The Golden Company, The Thyrsian Hierarchy, Closed-Market.
Modularity: Yes; Visual Aesthetics.
Production: Limited-Scale Production
Material: Turadium, Manganese Brass, Durasteel, Anti-Ionic Mesh (Faraday Cage) Various Electronic Circuits, Servomotors, Insulating Materials and Components.
= TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS =
Classification: Multipurpose Combat Shield - Gauntlet Mounted.
Protection Type: Active Interception.
Weight: 5.4 Kilograms or 12 Pounds - Average Rating.
Resistances: See List Below;
- Plasmatic and Energy Weapons (Excluding Disruptors): High Rating.
- Kinetic Projectile Weapons: High Rating.
- Sonic Weapons (Including Concussive and Hard Sound.): Low Rating.
- Shrapnel and Melee Weapons (Including Blunt, Piercing and Etc.): Very High Rating.
- Electromagnetic and Ionic Weapons: Low Rating.
- Elemental and Environmental Weapons: Average Rating.
- Lightsaber and Other Plasmatic Weapons (Including Disruptors): Average Rating.
- Retractable Deployment Plates, with Automated Locking Mechanisms.
- Plasma-Filament Edges, with Remote Activation Uplink.
- Manganese Brass (Anti-Corrosion Coating.)
- Magnetic Retraction and Mounting Module.
- Integrated Repulsor Generator.
- Limited Lightsabre Resistance: Through the use of the compound alloy, known to the masses as Turadium, the Thyrsian Aspis was capable of turning aside the remarkable lethality of a Plasmatic blade; with both the connected energy rim and the curved plating itself. This allowed the bearer to effectively combat Sabre-Jockey’s by either parrying their lightsabre with the edge - or forcing them to chip away at the armour plating until it inevitably fails.
- Plasma-Filament Edges: Integrated into the retracting panels of the Thyrsian were several Plasma-Filament generators, that would generate a killing edge similar to the weapons used by the First Order’s Praetorian Guards. In addition to this innate lethality, the Aspis was able to remotely deactivate chosen sections of the plasmatic rim, allowing for the bearer to direct the energy where they wished.
- Retractable Plating: Designed to operate as a gauntlet mounted attachment, the Aspis is capable of retracting; effectively condensing the shield’s curvature and breadth into a singular and portable module. Through a mixture of both a remote signal, or a gauntlet mounted pressure plate, the round shield was able to rapidly snap into action or retracted at the user’s discretion.
- Integrated Repulsor Generator: Combined with the mounted magnetic module, the Aspis was equipped with an integrated Repulsor generator, which allowed the bearer to catapult their shield; much like a mythical figure from some forgotten realm. With the plasmatic edges activated, the shield becomes a deadly projectile when utilized in the confines of close-quarters combat. As the mounting module was equipped with a magnetic field, the Aspis could be returned to it’s bearer - provided they were within the range of a few feet.
- Limited Lightsabre Resistance: While the Turadium offered a limited measure of resistance against the plasmatic edge of a Lightsabre, it was far from perfect in comparison to Phrik and other Lightsabre-resistant materials. Due to the atomic structure and molecular layout of the dense compound alloy, the material is difficult to cut through with the technology “frozen-blaster.” Repeated strikes against a singular section would inevitably see the metal melt under the Lightsabre’s fury, and faster through continuous contact as well.
- Disabling Proximity Pulse: Although the Aspis was equipped with variable insulating materials to protect the device’s electronic and mechanical components, there was a limit to these safeguards. If the measures were defeated, either by a close-proximity detonation or specialized disabling device, the magnetic and plasmatic fields wouldn’t activate; nor would the shield be able to retract. While this would effectively render the Aspis as nothing more than dead-weight, it lacked the various additives that made the portion of armour special.
- Rapid Deployment Mechanisms: Should the Aspis be damaged in one manner or another, the rapid deployment mechanisms could potentially be unable to engage or disengage - leaving the shield awkwardly cocked. As these locking mechanisms were forged from Durasteel, should a plasmatic blade breach the bearer’s defensive guard it would easily disable the device’s locking mechanism(s). While this was dangerous on the battlefield, as it would present a varied gap in the Shield’s defense, it was possible that the ruined shield could act as an effective blunt weapon; deprived of it’s lethal edge and entirely protective graces.
Throughout the ages, the Shield was utilized by primitive warriors from a myriad of martial cultures to protect themselves from harm; either by the arrow or the sword whilst engrossed by the whirlwind of combat. However, as the times changed and gave way to slugthrowers and eventually their plasmatic kin, there was little use to employ such simplistic bulwarks. Instead, like their projectile kindred, they grew and advanced as well; eschewing the density of metal and taking up the protective graces of magnetically-encased plasma. Such advancements prompted an arms race of sorts, as weaponry rose to match and eventually surpass whatever defensive methods were employed.
In respect to the cyclical nature of warfare and technology, the Thyrsian people blended the defensive aspects of the shield and the lethality of a weapon; seeking to master the battlefield as their culture dictates. From this mindset, the Aspis was born. It combined the principles of ancient warfare, where a warrior placed a thick barrier between himself and the enemy, and the technological advancements brought forth by an enlightened, and inherently martial society. Alongside the durable plating that formed the bulk of the shield, it was enhanced further by multiple plasma-filament generators along the exterior circumference, that when activated created an energetic ad killing edge.
The Aspis was capable of recoiling its armoured plating into itself, and reducing its circular size to fit in a gauntlet-mounted module; a process that could be reversed through the activation of an integrated pressure plate. As well as essentially miniaturizing the bulwark, the gauntlet-mounted module was capable of catapulting the shield outwards - acting as an improvised projectile in the heat of combat. To ensure that their device would return, the Thyrsians incorporated a magnetic tether that was specifically encoded to their shield; snapping back onto their forearms) when the pressure plate was activated once again.
Thus, as the cycle threatens to repeat once again, the Thyrsian Sun Guard take up their ancient weapons and refurbish them with a modern flair. With these killing tools in hand, the Scions of the Sun seek to take up their rightful place among the stars, and into annals of history thereafter.
