Work in progress: Not ready for roleplay

Designed in partnership with the LSDF, C-3000 Mercury-type Defense Pod was especially designed to support and augment the defensive capabilities of larger platforms, such as large tanks, walking tanks, artillery systems, heavy fighters and starships.

Deriving inspiration for existing equipment (namely the Shield Deployment System and NAM's advanced drones, the C-3000 is the beginning of a long venture toward more active defense solutions. The Mercury explores this concept with tighter integration between host platform, software control systems and pilots.

Specifically, it is a direct adaptation of the 12th Lorath maxim of war:

“Protection which does not sit between you and harm is dead-weight”

In this sense, Mercury is designed to always sit between its host and harm.

The system is composed of free-floating nodes in subordination to a parent platform. These nodes can either lock together in their 'Solid' configuration into a free-floating physical shield with energetic defense over a very small area or can be used in their 'Liquid' configuration, becoming a mesh-network, able to form and shape barriers both to defend the parent platform and other units from any angle.

Importantly, the system can use a combination of the two at any given time and the construction of this defense-network is controlled by artificial intelligence: Using the parent platform to identify incoming threats and then automatically adapting the most ideal solution to the problem.

As a secondary feature, the Mercury can also offer close-combat capabilities by ramming objects, crushing objects between nodes and can manipulate objects, similar to the fingertips of a hand.

Importantly, this early version of the technology includes only a capacitor onboard and relies either on direct-docking or microwave induction beam transfer to replenish its energy supplies, which are expended with use.

When not in use, the Mercury System becomes a capacitor and thermal distribution system to its parent platform which they dock with in a honeycomb formation.

• Government: Lorath Matriarchy
• Organization: LSDF
• Classification: Weapons-pod
• Role: Defensive Subordinate Support
• Manufacturers: Lazarus Consortium
• Designing companies: Lorath Matriarchy Armour Works, Lazarus Consortium

• Diameter:
• Thickness:
• Mass: ??????

The Mercury can hover, inertial shift but cannot inertial stop. In motion it often performs corrections. This gives its maneuvering a characteristic zigzag pattern which makes them difficult to hit with ballistic weapons. In flight, nodes act as a clustered swarm with each node supporting the others for more efficient travel and improved maneuverability, like a frictionless chain or wireless net.

Provided one node in the network has access to wireless charging, the group is able to maintain for extended periods. The only exception to this is if an action depletes onboard capacitors faster than recharging is able to keep up with.

Anchor to host: Velocity & vector is relative to host Combined Field system up to .375c in a vacuum (up to 60 seconds max) Independent Overboost assist 'Catchup' (.735c max for 30 seconds)

The Mercury can act as a defensive weapon, offensive weapon or tactical tool.

• Solid (x shield, y hull) + x SP per node?
• Liquid (x shield, y hull)+ x SP per node?

• Ramming attack: Tier 5 or Tier 6, Medium Anti-Armor or Heavy Anti-Armor (: Staff needs to determine which)?