About the size of a large bowling-ball, the Tool/Hand Intelligent Natural Grasping Manipulator (THING) is a large mechanical hand, able to form a wide variety of different forms - using structol to form skin and hardlight to form ligament with physical “bones”. When not in use, the THING compacts neatly into a ball.

Using a combination of integrated hard-light and gravitational control, the five-point manipulator is a multi-function “hand”, able to form a wide variety of different tools and perform differing functions. Conventionally, the manipulator is stored in a spherical ball, with all of its components housed inside. Many of its functions require the use of a structol substrate.

It is designed primarily either to be mounted to a frame or to be used by a starship or other platform and is deeply limited in independence, lacking an internal power-source and instead using a capacitor system. To this end, the THING relies on external sighting from another unit to be an effective weapon at range, having only limited sensors itself.

Using a combination of hard-light, gravitational manipulation and structol, the THING is a programmable mass-producable hand able to create a wide variety of different items. The unit contains a number of capacitors, internal storage banks, plasma resevoirs, antimatter bottles and other systems and can either be linked via hardlight connection to be powered by a parent body (a frame or autocomp) or it can serve semi-autonomously as a weapons pod.

These items subsist of various plasma, antimatter, gravity and fusion tools and weapons as well as specialized fittings and support components for other devices, allowing the THING to serve as a specialist hardpoint The THING itself is composed of four classes of parts: (Fingers, Knuckles, Palms, Ball) and depending on their programmed arrangements, different tools an equipment can be formed from these common components.

While quite physically weak and underpowered, the THING can be used to great effect in conjunction with another platform. Often, it is wrapped in an armored gauntlet for extra protection, though in this state it is unable to transform. As such, the “gloves must come off” so to speak to get the most out of it.

• Size: 64 centimetres in diameter in compact form
• Mass: 60 kilograms
• Armor: Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel, SP6 (relies primarily on external defense)
• Endurance:
  • Extended hovering flight, levitation
  • Limited to around three shots or a three second burst if operating independently
  • Requires recharge from external source for prolonged firefight, either by docking or via wireless exchange

Forming the bulk of the THING, the core hosuing contains a hardlight based beam-drive system which is used to create tendons, rebar and casting structures – a raw structol resevoir to cast as 'flesh' and Structol solenoid transmission systems and hardlight beam conduits serve as a means to exchange particles and plasma. A gravitational centrifuge capable of lifting an object about the weight of a person with an acceleration of 9G - making it an an ideal anti-personnel weapon either by moving people (smashing them into walls at high speed to crush them akin to a long drop) or by moving many person sized objects at high speed akin to shrapnel or sand-blasting.

This high performance centrifuge is used to anchor the THING to its parent system - a frame or other similar device.

Finger Doing most of the work, fingers are tube shaped devices with a centrifuge at either end. Each contains a Each contains a different arrangement of phyliaus doresu quasicrystals and an LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator. By re-arranging them, fingers can form a wide variety of different tools relating to the use of plasma or positrons and can also serve as the carpals and meta carpals of a hand.

Larger fingers emphasize velocity with railgun characteristics - containing a LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger. Smaller fingers emphasises cohesion, closer to plasma weapons and cutting tools. Contain a molecular applicator. Contained inside the larger fingers, extruded outward telescopically when needed.

Working to absorb impact or recoil, knuckles are moving protective buffers. They also contain a high output gellatine capacitor and are re-enforced, with an exterior able to create a high output electrical discharge (serving as the 'firing pin' or 'hammer' in many plasma eapon arrangements). Like the core housing, the knuckles each contain a gravitational centrifuge and can be used to manipulate objects in three dimensions.

Palms contain self-updating structol interlocks – a sort of self-morphing hardpoint allowing the palm to act as a mounting contact, communicating electronically with weapons while exchanging plasma, positrons and electricity - alongside handling any cooling requirements. Like the other components, it too contains a gravitational centrifuge.

Essentially a synthetic 'flesh' acting as a self-healing motherboard, mounting chassis, musculature, nervous-system, circulatory system, filtration systems and synthetic smart skin, giving units performance and characteristics similar to organisms without being organic in its construction.

Essentially turning the undersides of the fingers themselves into gripping surfaces, granular jamming transitions (the point at which grains go from acting as either a semi-liquid or a solid based on 'lubrication' by surrounding positive pressure – becoming solid when the system is a vacuum) are used.

In simple terms, the tip of the fingers are cushioned. When resting against an object, they will conform to the shape of it. When pressure is removed from the cushioned 'pocket', the conforming shape locks its granular shape, becoming very stiff. This allows it to pick up objects that ordinarily would be very difficult and tedious to move, even for human hands. It also enhances grip of the system over surfaces, making it ideal for climbing and grappling. In a sense, it could be thought of as being similar to the way insects and other creatures cling to surfaces.

A network of electrical exchange systems, circuits and physical tendons, beam drive hardlight network of variable tensile hardness cables which drive and power the hand, while providing a structure of the structol substrate to form over. Importantly, beam-drive can also serve as a “casting” system – a sort of mold to which structol is poured into, similar to injection molding techniques.

The THING can form a wide variety of different tools depending on its individual layout. As it is is programmable, many modes and functions are yet to be discovered and device drivers may be issued to units in the field, adding additional functionality later on in their opeational lifespan.

The bread and butter of the THING, manipulators are simply hands of varying types, using different arrangements of fingers and other elements. These manipulators may be coated with structol, uncoated or may even have armored panels added in specialist applications for additional proection (such as use with a frame).

Note each is shown in a naked configuration for the sake of understanding the physical layout of the components: Coating, appearance, supplemental and other components may vary.

The standard active operating configuration, the coated hand is designed for maximum grip, strength and functional stability by using the beam drive and substrate in uniform. See Hard Light IRI Beam Drive System.

Lacking the coating of structol, the uncoated hand is able to reach into small spaces or apply high compresion force in very small areas to remove or cut metals. It is also able to perform many complex manipulation tasks human-like hands are simply unable to, wrapping fingers in radial arrangements to form claws, acting akin to chopsticks and a wide variety of other modes.

Without extruding the inner finger at all from the outer-finger, this simplified manipulator is designed to withstand a directed exlposion, using large gaps and minimal cross-section making it ideal for bomb disposal tasks.

Used to conduct precise repairs for cutting and sealing jobs or the repair of internal componnts, this multi-array molecular applicator is able to work in concert via the solenoid accelerator to speed up cutting and sealing task.

Importantly, speed can be traded off for accuracy for specialist tasks, making it a great generalized repair tool. In this sense, it can be thought of as a soldering-iron on steroids which is able to secure most forms of matter which are able to withstand high temperatures (metals, ceramics, rubber, synthetics, rock, etc) which are caused by the molecular fusion when bonding or fission when splitting.

See Molecular Applicator

With fingers extruded as high impact pnumatic hooks, the grappling harpoon is launched gravitationally on a tether. It is designed to puncture and penetrate the hulls or exteriors of objects: the fingers extruding outward to bite and maintain grip from the inside.

In this way, the parent unit is able to maintain grip or issue plasma inside a target after physical penetration, cooking it from the inside as a weapon. In spite of this, its primary purpose is not as a weapon but for specialised stabilized firing operations which require a high degree of precision.

Modelled after the Sourcian hand, the symmetrical manipulator has two index fingers, two thumbs and one middle finger. It is able to grasp with two pairs of fingers (index and thumb independently or thumb/thumb index/index) allowing for a wide variety of very complex manipulation tasks. It particularly excels in crushing tasks.

The THING is able to form a wide variety of complex offennsive tools including close combat weapons, projectile weapons and specialist weapons. Note these are revealed or “naked” configurations, with military or combat grade versions usually being covered by their respective structol substrate - often more closely resembling conventional energy weapons.

Ammunition is severely limited to the storage capacity of the THING unless a physical connection to a power source or beam transfer is available via either hard-light beam-wire or common Lorath external energy exchange technology standards. Without wireless exchange, the THING must redock with a power-source of some sort after only a small number of shots, lasting only a few seconds - severely limiting the range of the THING.

Note each is shown in a naked configuration for the sake of understanding the physical layout of the components: Coating, appearance, supplemental and other components may vary.

Used in close combat, the beam claw or unified blade is able to extrude either plasma or aether from the fingertips. Importantly, it is designed to either create a single unified long blade or part in order to pin an enemy blade between two claws and then bend the third down to strike the hand of the opponent, moving beyond whatever cross-guard or protective surface the enemy has, with the goal of disabling their close-combat energy weapon.

Firing Modes: blade Output Modes: plasma, aether Maximum Effective Range: 1 meter Maximum Damage Rating: Plasma (Tier 7) , Aether (Tier 8) See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

Emphasising range, the Assault Gun mode of the five-point manipulator places the smaller fingers before the larger fingers with the LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Superchargers in the larger fingers getting better direct power access to fire while the LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator alter the shot humorously after firing, augmenting cohesion. The result is a highly cohesive very fast and very narrow shot with an emphasis on range. It is able to fire either plasma or aether. Probably the most common use. Rotates when firing.

Firing Modes: packet shot, plasma arc Output Modes: plasma, aether Maximum Effective Range: Up to 0.6 AU for Aetheric Discharge Maximum Damage Rating: Plasma (Tier 4, Light Anti-Armor), Aether (Tier 7) See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

Emphasising rate of fire, the Chain Gun mode of the five-point manipulator aligns accelerators and solenoids equally, firing each as often as frequently as it can to create a mid-range hail of weapons-fire, sacrificing range and penetration in the process. Rotates when firing.

Firing Modes: packet shot, arc Output Modes: plasma, aether Maximum Effective Range: Up to 0.6 AU Maximum Damage Rating: Plasma (Tier 4, Light Anti-Armor), Aether (Tier 7) See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

Locating equipment behind the gravitational centrifuge of the five point manipulator, the gravity gun is used to lift, rotate, scale and sheer objects either to manipulate them or to destructive effect.

Firing Modes: Blunt force strikes, barometric trauma, twisting, popping, sheering, stretching, spinning, crushing Maximum Effective Range: 5 meters Maximum Damage Rating: Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel See Basic applications of the gravitational centrifuge

Designed with homing plasma in mind, the scatter-gun is designed to charge up and launch a single shot which then guides in on a target. The larger fingers accelerate the shot to give it the required “escape velocity” , while smaller fingers extract positive charge, the manipulator spinning as it charges. The shot sacrifices range and penetration and takes quite a while to charge. Often, the diameter of the shot is larger than the barrel. While based on the 'Vulcan' weapon system, the homing plasma cannon refines the plasma handling process, as to deliver greater output.

Firing Modes: packet Output Modes: plasma Maximum Effective Range: .3 AU Maximum Damage Rating: Tier 5 See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

Designed to fire a guided shot, the focus gun creates a high density round which is controlled via the plasma wake it leaves behind.

Firing Modes: packet Output Modes: plasma Maximum Effective Range: .3 AU Maximum Damage Rating: Tier 5 See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

The arc gun creates a plasma arc which can smother and surround smaller units, fry electrical systems, strip barriers and inflict severe burns on personnel. While it lacks penetration, damage and range, it has its uses. With controlled discharge parameters, the arc gun can also double as a welding or cutting tool.

Firing Modes: arc Output Modes: plasma, aether Maximum Effective Range: 15,000 KM Maximum Damage Rating: Tier 4, Light Anti-Armor See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

By using the hard-light projector, plasma from the solenoids can be cast which will absorb and deflect electromagnetically sensitive rounds and vaporise small arms fire, the edges of which double as a cutting blade. Gravitational sheering is used to effect also, attempting to direct the shot toward the centre of the barrier where it is most effective or away from whatever is behind it if commanded to do so. Spinning the assembly results in a larger less focused barrier as the RPM increases as well as a loud “banshee-like” screech, similar to a circular saw through soft woods. Generally, it is only able to repel a very small number of shots without a direct connection, quickly exhausting the THING.

Firing Modes: blade Maximum Damage Rating Defense: .8 of Mounted Unit SP Maximum Damage Rating Offense: Tier 7 Maximum Range Offense: 2 Meters Maximum Defense Rating: Threshold Tier 8

See LA-AM-G3800 "Vulcan" Plasma/Aether Solenoid Accelerator & LA-AM-G1800 Solenoid Supercharger

This page was made by Osaka/Osakanone on 2015/08/15 09:30.

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