🚧 This article is a work in progress; It is currently not approved as canon.

Leone is a custom, variable-mode, aero/spacy starfighter built on the Hoplite-class chassis. It is owned by Yukari Freeman.

Leone was a gift from some of the Miharu Clan sisters to Yukari, who had served the clan (officially and otherwise) for many years. Leone and its parts were bought with Yukari's money; the sisters constructed and refurbished her.

Leone has sturdy Durenium and Durandium armor, aetheric weapons and missile interdiction capability. She also features a self-repair capability for fixing herself on-the-fly.

• Aero/Spacy fighter/interceptor
• High-speed courier-transport

Leone retains the same shape as the original Hoplite, with its swept wings, engines in the legs/feet, large “intakes” at the front, long fuselage and see-through canopy. It harkens to designs of a different era, before the advent of modern power armor and mecha. Instead of being painted, her skin is treated to turn the metal a dark, matte grey. However, she has green “suns” painted on the tops and bottoms of her wings.

Leone has a short, rounded turret between her aft extendable maneuvering fins, and she carries a rifle along her ventral fuselage (between her legs, the sisters said). Her long, pointed nose spears through space and sky. In Soldier mode, the “eyes” of the head glow a faint green.

Leone's interior keeps a “retro” (and cramped) look of multiple switches, levers, pedals and a main flight stick. She has no HUD above her instrument panel – itself a throwback to aeronautical vessels. It also has clocks and dials measuring things such as pitch, yaw and altitude.

Leone requires a linked helmet, and it prefers SPINE, which it received from the Mindy armors.

The pilot chair is padded black leather. The seat parts along its central y-axis to reveal the “toilet” system.

The silver-shafted, brown-handled flight stick – made of the some of the titanium carbide from the Mindy frames – takes up the end of the right armrest. The main trigger fires the “forearm” weapons. The stick's hat works the aft turret; pressing it down manually fires the turret. The three buttons below the hat switch the forearm weapons from blade, SMG and beam. The thumb button fires the aether rifle. The middle-finger trigger releases countermeasures.

The throttle bar takes up the left armrest. It has a maximum travel of 12 centimeters, from zero to 100 percent throttle. Depressing the starboard-facing thumb button shifts Leone between Spacy and Aero Fighter submodes, which in turn changes the resistance the throttle bar has against being pushed (more for Aero, less for Spacy).

Mental command is the only way to transform the fighter between Soldier, Intermediate and Fighter modes.

Leone started life as a WickedArms Corporation-built Ki-V1, Production Block 1,140, constructed in YE 24. It lasted in active service for about four months with a fighter squadron in the Star Army of Yamatai's First Expeditionary Fleet before it was retired.

Its pilot, a Shoi Kumitamo Ruby, scored 28 kills and took minimal damage in 17 missions during the Second Draconian War.

The fighter was sold to a group of Kennewes mercs and, according to its aging computer, poorly modified to work for humans. The humans rode it hard for a decade, its durability owing to its Zesuaium frame. Almost every part of the fighter was at some point damaged and repaired, or replaced, except the frame.

In YE 34, the end of Rok'Veru Offensive meant a shifting of priorities back toward purging the Nepleslian Reds from Kennewes. The fighter was sold for badly needed cash to indepednents (pirates), who quickly met their end during an attempt to slash a passing Yamataian convoy. That convoy alerted the Second Chance Salvage Corporation of the salvage. The company promptly collected it and marked it as “NMX War” materiel.

When Miharu Tori and her sister Kinu received the salvage, almost all of the vessel's systems were disabled or beyond repair. The original computer functioned well and easily ported into a modern system where, with their sister Suzume's help, they were able to determine what they could use. With the rest of the salvage they'd bought with Yukari's money, they set to work.

After three months, the sisters test-flew Leone around the Yamatai Star System. They quickly realized the vessel was a “ridiculously (if expertly) overengineered hot-rod, pushing the bounds of decency and the law.” So Hinoto said.

They knew they'd succeeded. Some time after Yukari graduated from SAINT training in YE 38, Leone was gifted to her.

• Class: Ki-V1
• Type: Custom Variable-Configuration Fighter
• Designers: WickedArms Corporation, Miharu Light Industries
• Manufacturer: Miharu Light Industries
• Fielded by: Yukari Freeman

Crew: 1

Maximum Capacity: There are accommodations for 1 person. Two people might fit aboard in an emergency, but the vessel would be extremely cramped.

• Length: 17 meters / 55' (F), 10 meters / 32' (I), n/a (S)
• Width: 11 meters / 35' (F max), 6 meters / 20' (I, S)
• Height: 4 meters / 13' (F), 7 meters / 22' (I), 15 meters / 50' (S)

• Continuum Distortion Drive: 7,000 c / 0.79 ly/h
• Speed (Running, S): 400 kph / 250 mph
• Speed (Flying, S): Mach 1.4 (670 mph / 1072 km/h)
• Speed (Flying, I): Mach 2
• Speed (Flying, F): Mach 35+ aero, 0.335 c spacy
• Range: Interstellar
• Lifespan: Decades
• Refit Cycle: Once every three months, and after every sortie.

• Light Anti-Mecha (Tier 7)
• Armors:
  • Duremium Alloy skin
  • Transparent Durandium bubble cockpit
  • Structol reservoirs for skin
  • Yama-Dura servo components
• Barrier: Two-faced bubble
• Handheld shield: Durandium ellipsoid (medium anti-mecha), with a single-face conformal barrier

Leone is a hodgepodge whose elements more than 15 years of time and across several nations, including the Yamatai Star Empire, the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, the Lorath Matriarchy, The Free State and the Neo-Mishhuvurthyar. It also uses technology from private companies, including Origin Industries Fleet Yards and Miharu Light Industries.

Leone utilizes an Origin "Fate-S" integrated electronics suite. It is located in the nose of the fighter. It is designed to work in tandem with the AIES Setsuna and the SPINE built into the pilot chair.

Leone uses two Origin Inline Aether-to-Plasma Drives, one mounted in each leg. The intakes are extended and mounted to the front sides of the “hips,” but are retracted when not in use. Each is tied into the aether powerplant and the backup plasma reactor.

Leone uses a custom Continuum Distortion Drive constructed from several smaller CFS units. The system is mounted at midships, just forward of the two powerplants.

• 3×2 Modified Ke-M2-W2900 Forearm Weapons
  • Blade mode: Light Anti-Mecha (T7)
  • SMG mode: Medium Anti-Armor (T5)
  • Beam mode: Heavy Anti-Armor (T6)
• 1x Ke-M2-W2910 Forearm Pulse Cannon | Medium Anti-Armor (T5)
• 1x Type 30 Machine Gun | Light Anti-Armor (T4)
• 1x Modified Aether Pod | Heavy Anti-Mecha (T9)

The sisters had:

• Fighter engine parts
• Transparent Durandium windows/windshields
• Large chunk of Durandium starship armor
• Ke-M2-W2910 Forearm Pulse Cannon (standard for Mindy 1H Power Armor)
• A Nepleslian Combined Shields Generator (CPS-04)
• Airbike Jacket
• NMX-captured BW-6 Battle Tank
• A functional shuttle plasma reactor
• Star Army Aether Pod
• Star Army Ke-M2-2A Mindy Power Armor (complete, with weapons)
• Ke-M2-W2906 Shoulder-Fired Missile Pod
• Ke-M2-W2908 Offensive Augmentation Pods
• NMX-captured Mindy M2-2A Power Armor (complete, but weaponless)
• NMX-captured Mindy M2-2A Power Armor (complete, but weaponless)

What still functioned or was repairable on Leone:

• The frame. Can't beat Zesuaium.
• Four of the eight internal missile launchers. Spent of missiles, one dorsal and three ventral launchers worked.
• All servos but those controlling the legs. The computer confirmed that the fighter had not left F Mode for about five years. The servos themselves were common enough to not need updating.
• The microthrusters. The individual, contained units still were used in starships across the known galaxy.

But then, there was what needed updating:

• The ZPE. Years of updates and modifications left it with less than two-thirds of its original energy generation potential.
• All of its weapons. The scalar cannons, along with being outdated, weren't properly maintained. The beamgun pods were long gone. The missile types no longer were common.
• The ADN. A modern PSC was required.
• The engines. The old fusion ramjets no longer had commonly found parts kits, which meant they had to go.
• The CDD. It had long since died from misuse first, then disuse.
• The anti-gravity system. It functioned, but no longer was modern.
• The armor. Somehow, it retained most of its original armor on the dorsal side, but the bottom was a mix of steel, prefab Steenplast sheets and roughly plated Durandium. The computer said the fighter was more of a bomber for its last few years of life.
• The computer. The least of their problems.

Tori, Kinu and Suzume drew up schematics, based in part on Yukari's service record, as to how Leone needed to be in order to survive the Chusa's flying style.

1. She had to be tough. The Chusa flew like an angel from hell. That meant each element needed durability at the top of its priority list.
2. She had to be functional. Somewhat like the Chusa's prototype version of a short-lived modified Hoplite she had owned and lost years ago, Leone had to operate without a lot of complication. System simplicity was needed.
3. She had to be fast. Proper engines should have been the only thing they'd need to buy retail.

Several lessons came from Kinu's study of the out-of-business company's project — lessons that promised a more efficient use of their salvage.

Aether was the only choice for power generation that guaranteed the yields Tori wanted. However, a backup power source couldn't hurt — one that didn't need aether. They decided on the aether powerplant from the BW-6 for main power, and the plasma reactor for secondary power.

Durandium would suffice only in low-targeted areas, though they had a lot of it. Yama-Dura wasn't an option in the quantity they needed, as the Mindy armors provided only so much, and Yamataium was restricted despite the Chusa's active-duty status. However, Nerimium wasn't, and mixed with Durandium, they'd have solid Duremium Alloy protection. The transparent Durandium would go to the canopy and cockpit refurbishing. The Yama-Dura went to the leading edges of the wings.

To achieve more of the properties of Yama-Dura across a wider surface of the fighter, Kinu came up with idea of using Structol to repair the armor if it suffered damage. Programmed correctly, the structol could flow from the dead missile launchers, after they were transformed into reservoirs.

The Ke-M2-R2901 Inertialess Drive System found on the Mindy worked well for gravity manipulation. Tori planned for two units, one ventrally fore down the keel and one ventrally aft. They could double as landing gear instead of switching to Intermediate Mode.

The thruster clusters did still work. For added maneuverability, Tori used a couple of the gravitic engines from a Mindy to add some pitchy kick. In Aero Fighter submode, the thrusters' power is ratcheted back to safe levels.

Though Tori briefly considered the Lazarus-made Super Phoenix engine, Tori and Kinu knew that fitting in the required powerplant was a nonstarter, and fitting the engines to use a typical Yamataian powerplant was far and away overcomplicated.

That left two options: Origin's time-tested Inline Aether to Plasma Drive, or the THOUGHT-designed Dual Stage Aether Drive. For every advantage one had over the other, the other had its own advantage — compactness against serviceability; raw output versus directional capability; environmental friendliness pitted against stealth.

After careful consideration, and multiple check-ins with their core design values, Tori and Kinu settled on Origin's units, but with a twist — the motor-mounted aether generators would be linked to the central powerplant and the plasma backup, creating an intense power distribution system with a lot of extra juice to burn.

The CDD was shot. Getting a new one was easy, but expensive. Luckily, the Aether Pod came with its own CFS. Using parts from the three Mindy armors, Kinu was positive she could construct a CDD-only unit that would reach a good top speed.

The excess energy created by the designed power system needed to go somewhere. It wasn't a small amount either; dumping it into shields alone would not be enough. But it was a start.

The three Combined Field Systems from the Mindy power armors were taken from the equation after they were used to construct the new CDD. Kinu honed in on the Nepleslian CGS, which required more power but also put up a more stalwart defense. Though a generation behind, Tori determined that NAM Terratech's design was true to its roots — overcharge was practically built in.

Initially, Suzume figured the Chusa would use her bracelet AIES, Setsuna. However, Setsuna was just the AIES quantum entity, not the complete package – of which they had three from their Mindy power armors.

Unlike CFS, combining or re-piecing the electronics suites would not result in “stacked” performance. The BW-6 did not have a fire control suite, and the one pulled from the Hoplite was outdated and difficult to replace. That meant recycling one AIES suite and uprating it, or trying for off-the-shelf goods.

The best-known system series available was the Origin-made "Destiny" AI suite. The model made for fighters, called "Pawn," had most of the desired sensors — Suzume wanted the tachyons — but the computer and fire-control were vastly subpar to Kessaku Systems' IES series. However, the model designed for combat mobile frames, called "Fate-S," was just what they needed.

Though expensive, the team picked one up with Yukari's money. Leone needed only one armor's PSC.

When it came to communication, the Fate-S had only hyperspace, radio and laser. Suzume again went to the Mindy's suite to mate an subspace transceiver to the unit, lending the Chusa a better overall comm system. A handy inclusion — Yamataian IFF codes.

The three Mindy power armors provided plenty of smaller servos that helped restore much of the vessel, and the tank donated several parts too, but the big ones for the legs needed more. Thankfully, they were able to use the Yama-Dura from one of the Mindy armors to fabricate the servos, giving them durability as well as regeneration.

The cockpit was an easy choice — the synthetic insert from one of the Mindy armors made a great chair cover, with a part of another fitted into a harness by Kinu. SPINE also was stripped from the SAoY Mindy and put into the cockpit harness/chair.

Suzume pointed out that the Chusa was a very manual flyer — she used volumetric sticks on Miharu, and the Hoplite was designed to be flown in a similar way. Kinu took up the challenge to refashion, repair and refurbish the cockpit's controls with the spare frame material left from one of the NMX Mindy frames. She would maintain the same two sticks, two pedals, buttons-and-switches system with a free-floating volumetric HUD programmable by the SPINE that could follow the pilot's eyes.

It made for an older-looking cockpit, with a lot of small switches, and the two screens above her legs could flip purpose as ordered by SPINE.

Flying wouldn't require a suit, but it would need a helmet, just to be safe with the volumetrics. A clear visor could be added to an airbike-style helmet to assist there.

One positive of the old Hoplite was its robust and reliable life-support system, which Tori decided needed only a refurbishing. It maintained a comfortable cockpit pressure and temperature, and provided about 24 hours of CO2 scrubbing and oxygen replenishment. Instead of the usual catheter system found in Yamataian power armor, the seat and insert of the chair could be “parted” to reveal a suctioning funnel and 1-liter “waste” reservoir.

The one SAoY Mindy provided its two forearm weapons, with a third, more powerful weapon from a Mindy 1H. They also had the two largest weapons available – the Aether Pod and the tank's gun. They also had the functioning missile launchers and two other launcher systems. Lastly, they had the tank's many secondary arms.

• The two forearm weapons weren't enough for primary guns … but Tori had an idea. The NMX Mindys were weaponless, but the shells of the forearm guns remained. If she tore out the tank's 20-megawatt laser, pieced it out, then used other power distribution system parts from the Mindys, she could create the other four weapons she wanted. The team then scrapped the dead scalar cannons, using their hardpoints to mount two, three-weapon emplacements. Tori set them up to fire-link together for a slower firing rate but more power, or fire in order for a very fast ROF. They also kept their mode choices from the Mindy — blade, SMG or beam.

• The 1H cannon Tori mounted to fire backward, with a 15-degree radius in all directions, from right between the engines. “Won't know what hit them,” Tori said.

• The offensive and shoulder-mounted missile pods used different-caliber minimissiles, and the missiles themselves were expensive. They settled on recalibrating the shoulder-mounted launcher in the fourth dorsal spot (two already taken up by Structol reservoirs) for the 18 nodal support bits taken from the Mindy armors, while the offensive pod was mounted after to drop countermeasures instead of missiles.

• The tank's weapons used solid munitions. Leone did not have space for much ammunition, so the team examined their options – a chaingun, a main gun and a mortar launcher. The main gun they discarded. The mortar launcher had no supportable ammunition source. The machine gun had commonly found ammunition, and updating it to a modern Type 30 required minimal tooling. Stripped of manual controls and linked to the fire control system, Tori deduced she could fit about 200 rounds of ammunition more or less below the forward fuselage. Stuck on a descending turret, the weapon could provide suppressive fire during landings, or cover fire during takeoff.

• That left the most potent weapon in the arsenal: the Aether Pod. Tori worked out a way to transform the slim, powerful pod into something the Chusa could hold in Intermediate or Soldier mode. It would not look pretty as rifles go, but it would be aerodynamic. The pod had its own generator, could easily link to the fire control system and packed the best punch. It would be able to fire forward while mounted to the bottom of the fighter, but then could unlock via maglocks from the fighter and be used as a rifle.

Kinu recalled how the Chusa, when operating a power armor, enjoyed the physical shield for offense and defense. As Tori worked on weapons and Suzume worked on electronics, the youngest sister wanted to leave her own mark.

With the armor from the Mindys, along with the Durandium chunk, she started to design an aerodynamic, mountable shield that would stick to the bottom of the rifle during Fighter Mode. That shield then could more solidly maglock to a forearm, where it would act as the rotatable shield the Chusa liked so much on the Daisy.

The major problem came as soon as she'd run the numbers — Durandium, even coated with the Yama-Dura of the Mindys, did not make for a resilient shield. She went back to their salvage pile and considered her options.

• Couldn't use the tank's Zesuaium; they had no way to fashion it.
• More Durandium ruined the benefits of a “lighter” shield.
• There wasn't enough titanium alloy in the Mindys' frames to be any help.

Staring at the stripped down, semi-pieced out armors, Kinu had an inspiration: the Ke-M2-G3600 Conformal Barrier System. With 21 emitters, Kinu bet she could put together a sufficient energy barrier over the now smaller, solid shield, backed by the aether generators from the Mindys. With a shield like that, the Chusa could survive better in Soldier and Intermediate modes.

A little flourish from the three sisters — a typical armored, black leather jacket, but they stylized it with a special picojelly-based paint. They painted a solid green dot in the center of the back, about half as wide as the jacket itself, then drew in silhouetted green wings. “Emerald Angel!” Kinu called it. Her older sisters agreed.

Doshii Jun created this article on 2015/10/25 22:52.