The Model 31 Ō-yoroi is a ground combat, single-occupancy mech created by Saiga Psychogenetics in YE 31.

M31 Ō-yoroi

The production of the Hatamoto personal armor system occurred as a direct result of the onset of the Second Mishhuvurthyar War. Having been in-design for several years, the outbreak of conflict within Yamataian space and loss of Tatiana, the Saiga family’s main base of operations, prompted Saiga Psychogenetics to put its current single-occupancy combat armor draft into production. With the assistance of The Center for Science Enrichment and Information Acquisition, an extraterritorial entity, the first Hatamoto is planned for completion in the Fall of YE 31.

Because of its designation as ō-yoroi, or “great armor,” only the most prestigious, skilled, and wealthy fighters within the Saiga House Guard are permitted to pilot the Hatamoto. Recently, some of the mechs have been put into service with SP Labs security forces, much to the chagrin of the Saiga samurai who earned the right to pilot the armor through seniority and skill.

Unlike comparable units produced by other organizations, the Hatamoto was designed exclusively for ground-based combat, lacking the ability to fly, hover, or operate independent of footing in a zero-gravity environment (it is, however, still sealed from vacuums and fluid intrusion). Thusly, non-bipedal travel is limited without extra equipment. The only secondary propulsion systems aboard the Hatamoto are jump-assist boosters and sub-marine drive filters. It is also equipped with magnetization generators for use on starship hulls.

The Hatamoto is intended to be deployed in support of infantry formations and has already been integrated into the organizational tables for select Saiga House Guard units. Although future planning includes measures for simultaneous deployment with troops landing without the threat of enemy fire, the suit’s main method of entry into its area of operations is by way of orbital drop from vessels such as the YSV Tsukuyomi. When fully integrated into the House Guard, the Hatamoto will provide valuable anti-armor and mech capabilities to the lightly-equipped common soldiers guarding Saiga family holdings and fighting against the Mishhuvurthyar. Because of the freedom allowed to high-ranking samurai within the House Guard, the fighters are free to arrange transport and enter enemy-occupied territory alone and fight against foes worthy of their skill and martial prowess.

Hatamoto unit production includes two equipped weapons: the Model 31 Anti-material Mass Driver and the Model 31 Ion Resonance Katana. The Mass Driver is a long, heavy weapon that draws from the suit’s internal power supply for general use (but can still function on a more limited basis if disconnected). By electronically accelerating a chosen amount of particles from the attached matter container, the weapon can reach out for extreme distances with pinpoint accuracy. Variable amounts of matter can be chosen for acceleration, giving the weapon a wide range of stopping power; the more matter is used, the slower the weapon can be fired.

The Hatamoto’s Ion Resonance Katana, on the other hand, is a wildly powerful melee weapon that was designed to rend material bonds at the ionic level. Powered by its own reactor within the hilt, the Katana is unwieldy to use when activated. Because of the violent process involved when the blade contacts targeted matter, a great amount of control must be exerted by the armor’s pilot. And depending on the consistency and atomic makeup of materials that contact the Katana, the impact may elicit anything from a quiet, metallic song to a cacophonous thunderclap with blinding, deafening, and scorching effects. The usefulness of the Katana is due in large part to the Hatamoto’s extreme agility for a unit of its size, but is limited to the skill and finesse of its wielder.

Organization: Saiga House Guard, Saiga Psychogenetics Type: Direct action ground combat mech Class: Sp.M31a.v1 Designer: Saiga Psychogenetics Manufacturer: Saiga Psychogenetics; CSEIA Production: Limited procution; purpose-built Crew: One Saiga House Samurai or SP Labs security officer Height: About 5.2 meters (17 feet) Maximum overland speed: 120 kph

See Damage Rating (Version 3) for an explanation of the damage system.

Hull: 22 SP (Armor Scale) Shields: 18 SP (Threshold 4)

Model 31 Anti-material Mass Driver:

• Range: 11 km
• Damage Rating (Personal/Armor): 4-5/1-4

Model 31 Ion Resonance Katana:

• Range: melee
• Damage Rating (Ship): 1

Poorly-drawn concept art.