Approved Ranged Weapon Caeculus-type MK2 HVC

[Ethanael Halscott]

Caeculus Hypervelocity Cannon, MK2​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a new modernized variant of the Caeculus
• Image Source: N/A
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: Caeculus MKI

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Primo Victorian Enterprise
• Affiliation: Primo Victorian Enterprise, Dosuunian Commonwealth
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: PHVC-MC56-MK2 “Caeculus”
• Modularity: Yes
  
  • Twin Mounted
  • Enclosed Single
  • Open Single Base Ring Mount
  • Open Single Pedestal Mount
• Production: Minor
• Material:
  
  • Phrik Alloy (barrel)
  • Agrinium Plating (internal barrel lining)
  • Neuranium Reinforced Breech Components
  • Desh-Terenthium (ammunition feed system)
  • Alusteel Framework
  • Laminanium Conductive Coils (electromagnetic exciter disk)
  • Electrum and Ardanium Composite (exciter disk conductivity)
  • Hydraulic Dampeners (recoil mitigation)
  • Animated Metal Sealant (shock absorption)
  • Quantum Fiber Optics (targeting data)
  • Baffleweave Shielding (electronics protection)
  • Anti-Ion Mesh Lining
  • Titanium-Durasteel Composite (outer casing)
  • CeramiSteel Heat Sinks
  • Boreas Crystal Infusion (heat management)
  • Plastoid Insulation (environmental protection)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Rail/Coil/Gauss
• Size: Average
• Weight: Average
• Ammunition Type: Specialized Slug Ammunition, Baradium-Depleted 12.7cm or 13cm shells.
• Ammunition Capacity: Low
• Effective Range: Battlefield
• Rate of Fire: Average
• Damage Output: High
• Recoil: Low

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Versatile Ammunition Loadout: The Caeculus is compatible with a wide range of specialized shells, allowing for adaptability across multiple combat scenarios. Supported shell types include:
• Armor-Piercing Composite Rigid (APCR) Shells – Precision rounds designed to bypass reinforced armor and breach critical systems.
• Thermite-Packed Shells – Intense heat-melting rounds that sustain molten damage within enemy vessels.
• High-Explosive (HE) Shells – Powerful concussive rounds with significant blast radius for structural damage or soft target suppression.
• Seismic Shells – Shockwave-based shells designed to destabilize formations and cripple enemy escort ships.
• Ion-Disruption Shells – Specialized rounds that emit electromagnetic pulses to disable electronic systems and shields.
• EMP Shells – Releases an area-wide EMP on detonation to scramble enemy sensors and targeting systems.
• Ball Bearing Shells – Kinetic shrapnel dispersal rounds ideal for anti-personnel or starfighter suppression.
• Plasma Shells – Encapsulated plasma rounds designed to melt through armor and cause sustained internal system damage.
• Incendiary Shells – Thermite-infused rounds that create fire zones and prolonged heat damage for area denial.
• Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) Shells – Fin-stabilized, high-velocity penetrators designed for precision strikes on key ship systems.
• Heuristic Data Processing System: The Caeculus integrates an advanced heuristic processing core that allows the weapon to adapt its targeting algorithms in real time. By analyzing movement patterns, projectile trajectories, and combat variables, the system improves accuracy over time and compensates for evasive maneuvers.
• Fast-Tracking Servo Motors: Equipped with high-speed servo systems and gyro-stabilizers, the Caeculus can quickly acquire and track fast-moving targets such as starfighters and missile barrages.
• Electromagnetic Exciter Disk Propulsion: EM Exciter Disks amplify projectile velocity, ensuring exceptional kinetic force at long ranges while maximizing armor-piercing capabilities.
• Recoil Mitigation System: The Caeculus features a recoil-absorbing shock frame that disperses kinetic backlash across hydraulic dampeners, drastically reducing the impact on the vessel’s stability. This system minimizes cannon displacement during rapid fire, preserving accuracy and improving firing cadence.
• Anti-Ion Mesh Lining: Internal electronics and targeting systems are shielded by anti-ion mesh to minimize disruption from enemy EMP or ion-based attacks.
• Modular Ammunition Loading System: The Caeculus features a streamlined breech and feed system that enables rapid switching between shell types during active engagements.

STRENGTHS

• Versatile Ammunition Loadout: The Caeculus is compatible with a wide variety of specialized shells, including APCR, Thermite, Seismic, Ion-Disruption, and Plasma Shells, ensuring adaptability across multiple combat scenarios. This makes it equally effective against capital ships, starfighters, and ground fortifications.
• Heuristic Data Processing: The Caeculus features an advanced heuristic data processing system that continuously learns and adapts based on targeting data, projectile trajectories, and combat conditions. This allows the weapon to improve accuracy over time and automatically adjust firing angles for moving targets.
• Fast-Tracking Capabilities: Enhanced servo motors and gyro-stabilizers enable the Caeculus to rapidly acquire and engage fast-moving targets, making it especially lethal against starfighters, skirmishers, and strike craft.
• Electromagnetic Exciter Disk Propulsion: The inclusion of exciter disk technology provides extreme projectile velocity, maximizing kinetic impact and improving range.
• Efficient Reload System: The modular ammunition loading system allows operators to rapidly switch shell types, providing immediate adaptability in dynamic combat scenarios.
• Anti-Ion Mesh Lining: Internal systems are insulated with anti-ion mesh, protecting the weapon from EMP and ion-based countermeasures.
• Compact and Lightweight Design: The Caeculus’s adaptable profile allows it to be mounted on fast-attack craft like the Kelly-class PT Boat, making it highly effective in hit-and-run tactics.

WEAKNESSES

• Limited Ammunition Capacity: While versatile, the Caeculus’s ability to rapidly switch shell types comes at the cost of reduced overall ammo storage. Prolonged engagements may force crews to conserve specialized rounds.
• Heat Management Issues: The enhanced velocity from the electromagnetic exciter disks generates substantial heat, requiring frequent cooldown periods during sustained fire. Prolonged use risks overheating and reduced firing efficiency.
• Limited Blast Radius: While the cannon excels in precision strikes, its ammunition (particularly APCR and APDS rounds) focuses heavily on single-target penetration, reducing effectiveness against tightly clustered enemies without proper shell selection.
• Vulnerability in ECM-Heavy Environments: Despite heuristic data processing, intense jamming fields can temporarily disrupt targeting data, impacting precision and reliability.
• Specialized Maintenance Required: Due to its complex tracking system, precise servo mechanisms, and data processing core, the Caeculus requires specialized maintenance crews to ensure peak performance.
• Recoil Compensation Required: The high-velocity nature of the Caeculus generates intense recoil, limiting its ability to fire effectively on vessels without stabilized mounting systems.

DESCRIPTION
The Caeculus-type Hypervelocity Cannon was designed to provide smaller strike craft and fast-attack vessels with firepower comparable to that of much larger warships. Drawing inspiration from mass driver technology used in planetary defense platforms, the Caeculus combines high-impact kinetic projectiles with specialized ammunition to deliver versatile and devastating firepower in a lightweight package.

One of the Caeculus’s most notable innovations is its heuristic data processing system, which continuously refines targeting parameters during combat. By analyzing movement patterns, environmental variables, and heat signatures, the Caeculus can adapt to rapidly changing conditions. This makes it particularly lethal in dogfights or skirmishes, where quick reflexes and adaptability are paramount. Additionally, the cannon’s fast-tracking capabilities allow it to effectively track and neutralize fast-moving craft like interceptors or missile salvos.

While its modular ammunition system ensures flexibility, this advantage comes at a cost. The Caeculus's limited magazine capacity requires careful ammunition management, forcing operators to balance specialized shell use with sustained fire. Furthermore, its reliance on high-energy electromagnetic propulsion can lead to overheating issues during prolonged engagements, necessitating cooldown periods or reduced firing rates in extended battles.

Despite these drawbacks, the Caeculus thrives as a fast, flexible, and highly lethal weapon system. On vessels such as the Kelly-class PT Boat, it excels in asymmetric warfare — ideal for disabling critical systems, crippling capital ship escorts, and overwhelming enemy formations with precision strikes.

With its powerful blend of cutting-edge targeting technology and devastating ammunition versatility, the Caeculus-type Hypervelocity Cannon is a dangerous and adaptable weapon platform, capable of turning smaller patrol vessels into potent threats on the battlefield.

 

[Delsin Shaw]

Limited Ammunition Capacity: While versatile, the Caeculus’s ability to rapidly switch shell types comes at the cost of reduced overall ammo storage. Prolonged engagements may force crews to conserve specialized rounds.

Ammunition Capacity: Average

These two don't really match up? What is the inference of lower overall ammo storage?

Ethanael Halscott

 

[Ethanael Halscott]

I forgot to update it, that's all. Fixed rating.

Delsin Shaw

 

[Delsin Shaw]

Ethanael Halscott

Thank you! Approved.