The Threader Ultralight is a lightweight and compact hoverbike made by Galactic Horizon in YE 40 as a smaller cousin to the Redback ATV. It is cheap and light enough to be carried around by an individual when in storage mode.
The Threader Ultralight was designed to function as a speedy and highly manoeuvrable scout/patrol vehicle that folds down into a more compact form for ease of transport. It is powered by two Galactic Horizon energy cores that run in tandem to provide the ion thrusters and hover skids with enough power to keep it going for up to 72 hours at a time.
The Threader Ultralight is capable of traversal over bodies of liquid with no penalties to manoeuvrability or speed and is even capable of flight in a zero-gravity environment. It runs purely off of an electrical charge and can be folded up into a backpack-sized form-factor for ease of transport.
In YE 40 Galactic Horizon decided that while their Redback ATV was a great vehicle it needed a smaller variant that could be carried around by a single person during their scouting assignments – so the Threader Ultralight was born in the form of a small hoverbike that can be folded up into an even smaller backpack form-factor for ease of transport and deployment.
The Threader Ultralight has a simplistic and slim design consisting of a motorcycle-style seat section that houses the main systems of the vehicle and a shielded handle that sits on either side of the front section and allows for the pilot to control thrust and breaking.
Two pedals stick out the back of the Threader Ultralight and have the vehicle’s main source of thrust mounted to them, a small windshield is located on the front to minimize air-resistance caused by the user’s profile, and two arms - each ending in a small fin that projects outwards at a 90° angle - stick out of the vehicle's front.
In Backpack Mode, the arms of the Threader Ultralight pivot 180° backward to reduce the bulk of the vehicle and the pedals pull themselves in close to the body; additionally, two shoulder straps are deployed from either side of the seat so that the Threader may be easily worn on the back as if it were a backpack.
The Threader Ultralight can fly up to 3 meters (9.84 feet) from a surface in a 1G environment 3)
See Damage Rating (Version 3) for an explanation of the damage system.
The Threader Ultralight has a single seat that is shaped to seat the pilot in a “motorcycle” stance where they lean forward into the handlebars with each foot resting atop one of the pedal thrusters. A series of basic info-screens are available for the pilot and should sit in their peripheral vision as long as they are looking forwards with a hand on each handle. These handles have a throttle and a break that controls the corresponding pedal thruster on that same side; lastly, a low ARTC windshield protects the user’s face from oncoming debris.
Two small steps sit at the back of the seat, allowing a second person to jump on as a passenger.
The Threader Ultralight’s onboard systems consist of navigation, automatic compensators, a digital HUD, the aforementioned info-screens, and the twin Heavy Power Cores that run in tandem. Navigation systems operate on satellite data if available or on previously-gathered planetary surface data; this data is primarily used to estimate the terrain more so than for directions, which can simply be calculated by inputting the end coordinates and the approach style.4)
The automatic compensator is designed to quickly calculate the appropriate thrust required to cancel the Threader's inertia when needing to turn or slow; along with controlling inertia management it also prevents the Threader from rolling when performing aggressive movements, similar to a car's locking differential system but with hover skids. This compensation system can be manually switched off if the pilot so desires but will be turned back on next time the vehicle’s power is cycled.
The digital HUD is a small screen the pilot can refer to for information on power output, damage statistics, system functionality, and navigation. It can also be projected through a pilot’s helmet or mindware should either of them be equipped with HUD functionality.
The twin power cores run at almost 100% efficiency allowing for maximum distance and output. They can be recharged by any other power source.
Two shoe-box-sized compartments are hidden underneath the Threader’s seat; one contains the vehicle’s removable black box/sensor suite, while the other can be filled with whatever supplies fit inside it – generally enough rations to keep a person going for a week along with a small weapon and some other items.
Below is a list of equipment that comes standard with the Threader Ultralight.
The Threader Ultralight contains a butchered version of the FourSight Helmet's communication and sensor equipment in a removable module that can run for 5 hours before needing a recharge, thus making it capable of satellite- (if available), peer-to-peer relay-, and standard radio-based (1LY range) communication.
RiPPS pod: A parachute pod that can be mounted to the rear of the Threader's chassis 150ks
Solar Charger: A solar charging station that mounts to the back of the seat and harnesses the sun's energy to charge the Threader's power cores 150ks
Spot Light: A high-powered spot light that can mount to the front of the Threader 20ks
Saddle Bags: A variety of different-sized saddle bags that can be mounted to the Threader 10-30ks