U4gcm Minotaur
Statistics & Performance
Class	OSO-M1-1A
Type	General Combat Mecha
Designer	Sky Guard
Manufacturer	Sky Guard
Production	Mass
Cost (if sold)	40,000KS
Crew
Min	1
Optimal	1
Max	1
Emergency	1
Dimensions
Mecha
Height	12.2 meters
Width	4.1 meters
Vehicle
Height	2.8 meters
Width	3.3 meters
Length	9.5 meters gun forward
Mass
Total	35 metric tons
Propulsion & Range
Ground
Walking	40 Km/h
Running	97 Km/h
Skimming	140 Km/h
Tank Mode
Favorable terrain	110 Km/h
Unfavorable terrain	75 Km/h
Air
Atmo.	Mach 1
Vacuum	.15c
Damage Capacity
Base Tier	8
Armour	Medium
Shield Tier	8

The Minotaur is the OSO's new variable ground combat mecha. The Minotaur is an easier to use mecha, as it uses both a harness that supports and copies the movements of the user as well as reads thoughts for controlling the mecha's onboard systems, thrusters and flight.

It was heavily redesigned in YE 40.

The Minotaur is a general combat mecha, intended for use on the ground or in space as heavily armored units, analogous to tanks, but with better maneuverability. It is also heavily armed, designed to pose a threat to both small or medium starships as well as fighters. It is vulnerable when in the air, so it is most often used in low flight or ground skating.

The Minotaur is a heavily armed combat centric mecha. Its control systems are designed with rookies in mind, with voice and thought activation for functions such as thrusters, sensors, and displays. It is not as maneuverable when in flight compared to other mechas.

The Minotaur is capable of transforming from a tank mode into a mecha mode, and vice versa. In tank mode it lays down, its arms and legs rotating to allow the tracks to contact the ground. In this configuration, it looks somewhat like an H. The main gun on the back is the main turret in this form.

The Minotaur was designed in YE 39 to serve as the mainstay of OSO ground mechanized forces. It was deemed necessary since the U-1 Production Model Variable Mecha was better suited to air and space superiority than to extended ground combat, due to its light armor. And so, the Minotaur was developed. More durable, easy to repair and simpler to construct than the U-1, it was easily able to be made inside freespacer automanufactories.

In YE 40 it received an extensive redesign from the Exodus Fleet.

The Minotaur is a far cry from its predecessor, the U-1. It is blockier, more visibly “tanky” than it, and contrasts heavily with the sleek lines of the U-1. It is quite clearly designed with only combat effectiveness, and not aesthetics in mind, and somewhat resembles a giant in a suit of boxy armor.

Its head resembles that of a human wearing a helmet, albeit an extremely blocky one, and its eyes are a polygonal imitation of human eyes that glow blue when the machine is activated. The arms look less like a sophisticated machine and more like someone wearing cardboard boxes with a bit of shaping work done on them, and the autocannons in the forearms are mounted inside another armor block. The legs take a similar style, and the torso is blocky as well, with the center of the chest bulging out slightly to support and protect the cockpit, which is located inside.

It has treads on the back of each arm and leg. The tracks are separated by a section of limbs, such as upper and lower arms, or calves section and ankle section.

After an update to the Minotaur was put in place in YE 40, the appearance of the craft changed greatly. The blocky exterior was refined into a more streamlined shape, with more angled armor to deflect incoming fire, and the rear of the craft was redesigned to reduce the profile in tank mode.

In mecha mode, the appearance has similarly been refined. Many extraneous physical features were removed, or integrated into the craft itself.

The interior of the Minotaur is fairly spacious, with a semi-reclined seat to hold the pilot in place. There are harnesses for the arms and legs that are linked to a system that slaves the movements of the Minotaur's limbs to them, making it easier to pilot for rookies. There is a helmet with a mind to machine control system for thrusters, sensors and other systems that cannot be accessed while in the harness. There are four displays, two on the left and right that show views to either side of the mecha, one main screen that shows the front view, and a small display above the main one that shows a rear view.

For control in tank mode, or when advanced limb control is not nessecary, there is a set of two joysticks, one of which slides forwards and backward as a throttle for arial control when the harness is not in use. In addition to this, there are two pedals, for use in tank mode or mech mode. They control the treads in tank mode and feet in mech mode.

Control in tank mode is accomplished by using two pedals to control the two treads, and either of the two joysticks to control the turret. Control of other features, such as shield, engine and other system controls, as well the autocannons or the EMP projectors is relegated to the secondary joystick.

The harness contains shock padding, as does the helmet which is suspended in place, to prevent the pilot from getting whiplash.

In the YE 40 update, it was determined that the numerous control systems had the opposite of the intended effect on rookies, so the exodus fleet engineering teams got to work consolidating all of the control systems into a more unified scheme. After the update, the joysticks were integrated into the arm harnesses, and the leg harnesses were changed so that smaller inputs made the same changes, allowing for less strenuous use during long-term operations.

In mech mode, one joystick is used for throttle control of flight systems, and the other is used for directional control of the main body of the mech. Advanced manual control for systems such as shielding and thrusters, as well as engine output, is still accomplished through the helmet, which now controls the direction that the head and main camera face.

In addition to this, locomotive control was shifted more towards the pedals, with the harnesses only being used to tune and more accurately control the legs of the machine.

Control in tank mode is unchanged, as well as the flight control system.

The Minotaur uses a large number of built-in weapon systems. This reduces the profile of the vehicle, making it more suitable for moving about difficult terrain.

Built into each forearm is an autocannon modified to shoot armor piercing HE rounds, and has an extended ammunition storage, which holds up to 500 rounds.

Stats:

• Damage: Tier 6, Light anti mecha
• Capacity: 500 rounds, armor piercing HE
• ROF: 200 RPM
• Range: 5,000 meters planetary, theoretically unlimited in space

Built into the head, on either side of it, is an EMP projector which is intended to be used at point defense against missiles, and is also useful for disabling power armors by frying their electronics.

Damage: Tier 6, heavy anti armor, shields and electronics only Capacity: Unlimited, focused radio waves ROF: continuous Range: 3,000 meters

On the back of the mecha is a turret mounting a 125mm gauss cannon. When in tank form this is the main turret. However, when in mecha form, the cannon separates from the turret and folds over the shoulder like a recoilless rifle. After each use, it has to fold back into the turret to reload.

Damage: Tier 9, heavy anti mecha Capacity: 200 rounds ROF: 12 RPM continuous, 1 round every 5 seconds Range: 10,000 meters

The Minotaur has multiple hardpoints designed to mount the Kernel Mini Missile System. There are four hardpoints in total. Their locations are as follows;

• 1 hardpoint on either shoulder in mecha mode, on the sides facing left and right in tank mode
• 1 hardpoint on either piece of shin armor in mecha mode, on the rear armor facing up in tank mode

The Minotaur largely uses equipment available to OSO through its various exploits. This makes the vehicle very familiar to those who have worked on OSO equipment already and provides a large amount of cross-compatibility with other equipment.

The Minotaur uses imaging scanners located on its torso, as well as LADAR scanners mounted near the imaging scanners. In its head, it has an optical sensor for optical sensing.

The Minotaur is built out of space-age metals with an inner frame that serves as a skeleton, inspired by the sort used by Origin Industries in their mecha. This provides a stable internal skeleton with an outer armor that provides excellent protection with medium weight.

The Minotaur has life support systems that maintain oxygen balance, humidity, and cockpit pressure. There is also an inertial damping system for the cockpit.

Power is provided by two internal Hyperspace taps. These Hyperspace taps provide unlimited power for the mecha and are located in the upper and lower torso sections.

Propulsion is provided by a Inertialess Drive. This freespacer tech allows the bulky Minotaur to maneuver despite its size and serves to reduce stress on the craft by damping inertia. There are also treads on the rear of its limbs for use in tank mode.

A shield projector in the torso of the craft provides two bubble shields. While there are two shields, they take up the same area of space, and so form a double layer. Each shield is a different type. The first is Gravitic shields, and the second is electromagnetic.

Alex Hart created this article on 2017/03/20 06:08. Edited by ArsenicJohn to meet the guidelines. Approved by Ametheliana on August 10 2017 here. Art by Ark3nd