Silverback

The Silverback was first conceived in YE 30 by Psychopomp LLC and manufacturing and production soon started on the first prototypes. The suit is a long-range mobile artillery suit with high defensive capabilities and low mobility compared to similar frames of the time.

Research into creating an artillery platform that could be mounted onto and used by a single soldier was started in YE 30 at the behest of Kristen Romanov. The first functioning prototypes were displayed during the defense of a Psychopomp research facility during Operation: Ice Breaker. They were used in both the above and below ground actions and since then were also field-tested by the NPS. During these tests, a severe flaw was found in suits need for a large power supply that standard options could not provide while remaining at a reasonable size. With this, a breakthrough was made in YE 38 when a team was able to miniaturize a fusion reactor at the cost of its longevity and durability. The new prototype was put into testing privately until the current model was finally completed and fully functional.

The Silverback is exclusively produced by Psychopomp LLC and has been on the market since the year YE 43. It is a specialized powered armor with a focus on long range artillery and heavy armor. It is suitable in most battlefields and is a centerpiece of the Psychopomp ground forces. Although it functions as a power armor its firepower, armor, and size classify it more as a light mech.

The Silverback is used to help supplement the small size of Psychopomp's fighting force by creating a system that can be operated by a single person that has the ability to take out HVTs from a distance without the need to spread forces too thin. The suit allows for defensive hardpoints to be created rapidly while also not sacrificing a strong offense. The suits become high threats themselves with enough armor to take quite the punishing.

The helmet of the Silverback is ovular in shape, being detached from the rest of the armor by resting on the user. Its outer casing is composed of thick Zesuaium plating. This is to include the visor, a small plate of tinted transparent Zesuaium that fits firmly below the outer armor and interior frame.

The torso of the armor is angled and curved to form a round body type. Most of the suit's armor is concentrated on the stomach of the armor and upper chest and collar. This sleek design is what gives the Silverback it’s name, resembling the physical form of a gorilla. The most predominant feature being the suit’s stomach, as that is where the armor is at its thickest.

Separated by only a small gap, the shoulders of the armor are almost completely cylindrical in shape. This creates a large set of broad shoulders for the armor to support its two massive rail guns. Just off the end of the shoulders, each arm of the armor is fitted with an armored plate. The plate spans from just under the shoulder piece to the back of the hand. The arms of the suit themselves are also heavily armored, giving them the appearance of being stiff and rigid. Each hand is pieced with the rest of the arm, being fixed and moved in tangent with the forearms of the suit. Appearing incapable of moving on their own and reliant on the forearms to direct them. Movement on the horizontal axis is conducted by manipulating the shoulder joint to slide along a track while a similar function is done at the elbow along the vertical axis. This is the only form of movement the arm joints provide.

The legs of the armor are massive, having extremely thick armor plating covering from the thighs down to the suit’s knees. The lower legs being disconnected by restrictive joints, as the calves protrude out quite noticeably from both the sides and back of the lower leg. The knee joints are allowed mobility due to the armor not being fully connected at it and instead employing a layered design to allow for movement. The boots of the suit are shaped ‘cubic’ and slim down further as it reaches the ‘toes’ of the armor.

The Silverback provides high defensive and offensive capabilities that put it on class with some small craft in terms of fire power and the defense of some of the mid to light mecha on the market. It also provides superior range capabilities to any competing armors and even mechs while still maintaining a high fire rate and long operation time even under high duress. Its hardened systems also allow the suit to continue functioning even after suffering damage that would put other suits out of commission.

The Silverback is a very expensive piece of equipment that uses several hard to work with materials so both the production and repair of the suit can take a long time, costs a lot, and requires specialist. To add onto this it's mobility is grievously low and coupled with large blind spots for the weapon systems, its lack of flexible elbow joints leaves it vulnerable to close range combat.

Ion Thrusters

The suit makes use of several ion thrusters to allow it to maneuver in space. Although the thrusters are not very powerful they do allow the suit to not be defenseless in the vacuum of space or in atmosphere and if given enough time can reach a decent top speed. The suit can also hover to attain a higher ground speed however this is not recommended outside of entering or exiting orbit since it puts a strain on the thrusters.

• Ground Speed (Running): Mach .02 (~15 MPH)
• Ground Speed (Hovering): Mach .5 (~384 MPH)
• Max. Atmospheric Speed: .006c
• Max. Sublight: .0112c

DRv3 Tier:

• Hull: Tier 6
• Shields: Tier 6

The user gets in and out through the neck area by dropping in to a harness placed within the armor that after the users genetic print is confirmed will conform to the user.

Nano-muscles

The Silverback improves the reaction time and strength of the pilot by lining the insides of the suit with nano-muscles. These muscles are composed of many strands of nano-chains that contract upon receiving an electric shock of the correct frequency or from pressure sensors embedded in various points. These nano-muscles contract and retract faster than organic muscles based on the signals received by MEME interface, and thus increase the strength and agility of the user by a wide margin. The nano-muscle layer lines the inner areas of the powered armor and expands to conform to the pilot to prevent sliding or air pockets inside the suit. With this however due to the sheer weight, size, and lack of many joints on the Silverback's top speed and flexibility are limited making it clunky and slow to untrained users.

A Lonite Hull on a Tungsten Nanotube Frame

The armor is consists of several layers of Lonite¹⁾ separated by ballistic nylon on top of a frame made of tungsten. This structure allows for breached layers to be detached for easy replacement with new ones to help cut repair costs. This also provides much better armor than most standard PAs at the cost of weight and costly materials.

THESEUS System

The inner portion of the armor where the soldier rests is padded by a series of gel-filled cushions. Oxygen is pumped into the helmet from a storage compartment behind where the pilot is situated. The suit can handle any bodily waste produced. A first-aid system is employed in the harness for rapid treatment of non-life-threatening wounds or administration of drugs. There is radiation shieling surrounding the harness and within the helmet to protect against ambient radiation. The harness itself is made to allow the user to be comfortable while using the suit with dampeners and a self-righting mechanism to alleviate the shocks from normal operation and any falls that the suit might suffer. The suit can provide life support in a vacuum for up to 26 hours before oxygen finally runs out.

Ejection Module and Self Destruct Protocol

When critical damage is suffered The onboard AI will eject the pilot and initiate a self-destruct protocol wherein it will scrub all data from the suit and initiate a countdown for the suit to self-destruct. In the case of this failing however, the AI is equipped to cause the ammo stores to self detonate causing major damage to the nearby surroundings.

OnBoard AI

The suit itself has a rudimentary AI, without a programmed personality, that is used to correct the targeting and to manage the various suits functions. This AI can be overwritten temporarily if the connected pilot has a more powerful one present in their system. Outside of this, the onboard AI is able to process basic commands from an outside source to pilot the suit on a return path in the case that the pilot expires and the situation allows for it.

Miniaturized Fusion Reactor

Taking the basis of a Fusion Reactor Psychopomp has attempted to create a more compact version. The reactor functions much the same same as its regular-sized counterparts and can provide the Silverback full functionality despite its heavy energy load requirements. The reactor becomes unstable if used for prolonged periods of time. ²⁾Heavy use of the reactor can lead to it becoming less efficient and unsafe for combat which then requires it to be replaced.

OSaDS Sensor array

The Onboard Status and Detection System relay info about the suit's overall health, ammunition, and system readouts as well as close range sonar detection around the suit to the pilot's OGU Interface.

Encrypted Radio, Laser and Ion Subspace Emitters

The suit makes use of encrypted radio along with laser and ion subspace emitters that emit the ion on frequencies that harden differ them from normal ion radiation so that messages can be sent quickly and undetected by other standardized systems not equipped to pick up ion transmissions.

The Silverbacks Main weapon, the Trident, is a shoulder-mounted Electromagnetic Cannon (EMC) with ammo being stored in the “belly” of the armor with an internal feeding system. The weapon fires 2 specialty types of ordnance along with other generalized options switching between ammo types takes ~6 seconds and has to be done on a reload, ammo cannot be removed once loaded into the cannon. The firing method is a mix of electromagnetic propulsion and gunpowder to achieve rapid acceleration and failover in case one of the mechanisms fails. In order for the Trident to fire the anchors located at the back of the lower legs must be deployed otherwise a failsafe is activated turning off the Trident's interface to the pilot's OGU and shutting down the cannons and targeting computer.

The specialized ordinance itself, as stated previously, comes in two types an anti-armor shell that is a solid shell of Nerimium with a small payload of powder that is ignited upon impact for extra penetration. As for the anti-personnel ammunition, it is a hollow canister filled with powder and Yama-Dura needles that work off of a sensor which can be set to trigger at different ranges from either the target, from its point of origin, or at a specified altitude.

• Location: Handheld, strapped to back when not in use
• Purpose: Anti-Armor, Anti-Small Craft, Anti-Personnel (depending on ammo and mode)
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Ship System (when used in mass)
• Damage: Ranges from Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel to Tier 7, Heavy Anti-Mecha), depending on the ordinance
• Range: Minimum distance of 100m required 200,000m (in line) to 500,000m (artillery mode) in atmosphere, 300,000m(controlled) to infinite(inertia) in space
• Muzzle Velocity: .90c
• Rate of Fire: 2 shells per 6 seconds
• Payload: The drum located under the barrel holds 4 shells while the larger ammunition store can hold a maximum of 140 shells.

• BLUE Anti-Personnel type (MEDUSA) - Tier 3, Heavy Anti-Personnel
• RED Anti-Armor type (ATLAS) - Tier 6 (against shielded targets more devastating against unshielded.)
• GRAY electromagnetic pulse charge - Tier 7 to armor-grade shields ONLY

The Silverback has two weapons configurations that are specifically designed for it, outside of this any weapon that would fit a PA of this size is allowed upon request and some modifications can be made to the suit to accommodate smaller firearms from a class lower.

The Paladin System or “Knight Mode” as some of the soldiers call it is a set of a heavy shield made of layered durandium and ballistic nylon paired with a sword of duremium This set is meant to be used in areas that the LEAR and other energy based systems may be vulnerable, in situations where the shields have failed, or cramped spaces such as hallways as a way to dissuade use of that direction.

• Location: Handheld
• Purpose: Anti-Personnel/Defense
• Dimensions (Sword): 6’/1.8m long sword
• Dimensions (Shield): 2’/0.6m thick x 4’/1.2m wide x 8’/2.4m long/tall
• Damage: Tier 7
• Defense: Tier 5
• Range: 6m

• Psychopomp LEAR

Psychopomp uses this model as part of their PMC for long range suppression and target destruction. It is also used as a defensive unit at high value facilities such as the headquarters or PMC test fields.

Ace created this article on 2021/03/26 15:39.

Approved here.

Art created by BigBann