HK-36
The Iron Lord Protector (Neutral Good)
Images: First image has been taken from a site called Bamboo Garden, it is both a piece and picture by Charissa Brock (link here), second image was found in a blog called Rag Works on Wordpress, it is a stock image of Japanese Woven Samurai Armor used in the blog as reference (link here)
Intent: To kick off the Gados efforts in utilizing the Echani Graphite in armor through less traditional methods in a rather awkward first attempt.
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers
Model: Gados Graphite Reed Armor
Affiliation: Barony of Abregado-Rae, Partially Omega Protectorate (See Production)
Modularity: Can be colored in different schemes
Production: Limited (Prototype status, enough to supply Enough to supply the Iron Company and Militia of Abregado-Rae, any additional production would require a development thread with backing from another manufacturing company, i.e. Omega Corps buying off the design to manufacture the weapon for Protectorate forces)
Material: Echani Graphite, Durasteel Wires and Bolts.
Description: One day HK came to his Gados researches and requested them to make him personal armor out of the Echani Graphite they have started to work with recently. The problem with that was, the Graphite could not be used in traditional armor plates, it could only be spun into cylindrical structures. Many designs have been made, including armor made from a single piece of hollowed graphite, worn like a barrel on straps by the soldier. However, the one design that was favored was a multi-component suit using small cylindrical shafts the Gados called "Graphite Reeds".
And so, that was what the Gados made the armor out of, assorted lengths of these Graphite Reeds attached together into plates by system of Durasteel wires and bolts keeping them together. The Reeds are tied together into three main segments, the Cuirass that covers chest, flanks, and back, the Bib that goes around the neck, protecting the neck, upper shoulders, and upper chest and upper back, the Rectangle Pauldrons that protect shoulders and upper arm areas down to the elbows, the Gauntlets that protect forearms up to the elbows, the hands with fingers, Conical Helmets that protect the head and the neck, and the Kama Skirt that goes around the waist, protecting the leg area, mostly from the sides and back, down to the feet. When HK saw this he slowly placed his palm on his face and just responded with "Good enough. Nice try."
It just looked so primitive and crude to him, like an artifact he would find when visiting an undiscovered planet, not something he wanted to field his soldiers in, but he still gave it a shot.
What the Gados made was basically an effective Flak Armor the soldiers could wear along with lighter suits of armor, wearing this Reed Armor over the light armor.
The Reed Armor has the lightsaber-resistance and durability of the Echani Graphite, properties similar to that of Mandalorian Iron the Graphite has been described as counter-part of. This is especially true when dealing with slashing or blunt damage, caused both by kinetic and energy weaponry. Slashing strikes are stopped on the grouped Graphite Reeds while blunt trauma is absorbed by the flexible Graphite pieces with high breaking point and the multi-component structure.
Another downside of Graphite Fletching was that it is impossible to create flat structures from Echani Graphite. While the Graphene is flat in its original form, it is also flat to the point of being 2-dimenional, and placing its layers on top of each other results in the structure loosing its properties and becoming as fragile as normal graphite while twisting Graphene and cycling it into Echani Graphite only causes its properties to weaken (That is why it is not as durable as steel times 100 but closer to Mandalorian Iron).
However, the biggest drawbacks of the armor is dealing with piercing damage, and the multi-component structure of it.
When the armor deals with piercing damage it deals with the greatest risk of enemy weaponry getting through the armor by going between the Graphite Reeds. This is especially true with lower-caliber weaponry such as knives, the points of blades and light-sabers, blaster bolts, and smaller slugs like slugthrower pellets. Bigger caliber piercing damage can still be stopped and reflected by this armor, like shrapnel from explosive or fragmentation weaponry specifically designed to lash out such damage. While using such weaponry does not mean that the Reed Armor will be automatically ineffective against it, it does mean that it is easiest to get through the armor.
The multiple components that make up the armor make it rather difficult to maintain in a combat scenario. This means that as the battle goes on and the armor deals with damage from enemy weaponry, it can be prone to pieces off it falling off. This is because of the Durasteel wire and bolts that are used to keep the Graphite pieces together. While the wire was the highest quality the Gados could master, it is susceptible to more powerful kinetic strikes, as well as energy damage like the lighsabers. This means that a better shot or an accurate lightsaber strike can sever a portion of the wire and cause the Reeds to loosen and fall off. Effectiveness of the wire being severed differs in locations of the armor, and it requires for multiple wires to be severed in multiple points for larger portions of armor to be lost.
The size of some of the armor's portion, like the large protective shoulderpads and conical helmets, have also brought into question just how effectively it could be used in the field of combat without inhibiting a soldier's mobility and performance. It is a tough but at the same time clumsy and restricting armor, therefore it was recommended for use by heavy soldiers, the types that do not rely on their speed or mobility in combat in the first place.
This armor also isn't air-sealed, gases can and will go between the Reeds that form its structures, and using it in vacuum setting will mean certain death on its own, that is why this armor is advertised as additional armament, a Flak Armor to go over another suit of armor that can provide such protections to the user.
As it stands, it is a bit clumsy and awkward armor that, while achieving the light-saber resistance and great protection against slashes, blunt force, and shrapnel, is cumbersome to wear and it can be by-passed with an accurate stab or shot from a low-caliber weapon. Although the Reeds are not placed as far apart as they are shown in the first picture above, there is a small space between them due to the presence of durasteel wire used to tie them together, it's this space that can be used to bypass the protective layer the Reeds offer. There is also the problem of pieces of the armor falling off should the Durasteel wires that keep it together be cut. Those issues, and its negative impact on mobility, is why this armor is recommended as additional piece of protection rather than used by itself, marketed as a durable flak over-armor to be used by Heavy Infantry.
It's a clumsy but all things considered good start on which the Gados could improve to make, over time, impressive and useful Echani Graphite Armor.
Classification: Flak Armor
Weight: 30 kilograms (based on the weight of Real-Life Japanese O-yoroi armor)
Quality: Comes in ratings between 5 and 7
Other Feature(s): Lack of electronic parts
