HK-36
The Iron Lord Protector (Neutral Good)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a Fighter Drone model for use by ARGH naval forces
- Image Source: DeviantArt, a piece called Shane the Cybernetic Dragon by MetaDragonArt, link here
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Sourcefyre Crystals, Flamer, RC-2, Abregado Combat Shields
- Manufacturer: Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers
- Model: Mechanized Autonomous Combat Unit- Fighter Drone- Wyverns
- Affiliation: Closed-Market, GA, Firemane, ARGH, Metal Lords
- Production: Minor
- Material: Durasteel hull, Sourcefyre core with Quadranium casing, Transparisteel if it contains a cockpit, duranium claws, wing-shaped armored s-foils with stabilizers
- Classification: Drone/Droid Starfighter
- Length: 12.5 meters
- Width: 2.9 meters
- Height: 7.9 meters
- Armament: Average, 2 laser cannons, 1 RC-2 minigun, tail mounted light Sourcefyre flasher cannon, Duranium claws, mouth-mounted Flamer
- Defenses: Average (Low with combat shields deactivated) Durasteel hull and Abregado Combat Shield
- Squadron Count: 12
- Maneuverability Rating: High (Very Low with S-foil wings destroyed)
- Speed Rating: High
- Hyperdrive Class: Average: 2
- AE-CM 1
- S-foil and stabilization wings
- Modular cockpit
- Standard Abregado starfighter sensors and trackers suite
- Build-In Communication
- Magnetic Anchors
- Combat Shield- equipped with Abregado Combat shield the drones can take an equivalent to 6 shots from standard starfighter weaponry before being deactivated, it also protects them against electrical and ionic damage.
- Versatile Weaponry- While not the most devastating load out among starfighters out there, the guns installed on these drones provide them with multiple options when engaging their enemies. Their 2 standard laser cannons are mounted at the shoulders and used to gun down lightly armored targets like other starfighters, the RC-2 shattergun minigun extends from underbelly as a turret and is used mostly for attacking more heavily armored targets like heavy starfighters or ground targets, their Flamer and Claws are used mostly on ground when the drone lands to support infantry, and the Flasher on its prehensile tail is used mostly as a rear gun.
- Sourcefyre Flasher- on the tip of its prehensile tail sits a Sourcefyre crystal like a scorpion's stinger. This crystal is a firing mechanism for weapon called "Flasher" or "Flash Gun", it is a variant of beam weapon designed by Abregado that excites the crystal into rapidly releasing very short bursts of beam, flashing the energy streams for less than a second. While in flight these beam flashes look like highly elongated multicolored laser bolts and do not deal more damage than a standard laser cannon. However, since they are mounted on flexible prehensile tail, they have a greater degree of swiveling than a standard laser cannon, making it easier to aim at moving targets with them. The tail can also be wrapped around to face the front of the drone and function as an overhead laser cannon.
- Magnetic Anchors- these drones have magnetic anchors in their claws and tips of their wings, allowing them to stay attached to the hull of other ships or vertical metal surfaces.
- Expendable- mass manufactured with low costs these drones are highly expendable, usually deployed in multiple squadrons to utilize their numbers to their advantage.
- Fast and Agile- lacking in proper armor these drone starfighters make up for it with their speed and maneuverability, however their agility in flight is greately impaired when their wings are destroyed or damaged, as that is where their stabilizators are located.
- Chaff- fitted with AE-CM1 rear-facing chaff launcher on their under-belly the drones have a degree of protection against missiles and energy bolts the chaff provides, however that is limited as anything bigger than a standard laser bolt would be less affected by the chaff.
- Modularity- the drone could be outfitted with a cockpit and flight controls, turning him more into a mechanized starfighter rather than purely autonomous droid-fighter
- Light Hull- the durasteel plating of the drone is rather light to keep the machine quicker, with a good portion of its defenses relaying on the combat shields, once those are down it shouldn't be too hard for a standard starfighter to burn through the drone and destroy it.
- S-foil Wings Weakness- the S-foil wings are a rather large and rather vulnerable part of the machine, with majority of its maneuverability relaying on them, they could be damaged or destroy with only one or two standard starfighter laser bolts.
- Explosive- the Sourcefyre crystal at the drone's core and its tail is very explosive once damage, the explosion would be similar to a starfighter reactor exploding and destroy the drone in the process.
- Drone- just like their ground counterparts, the Drone Infantry, these drone-starfighters have low intelligence, to the point being more animalistic than most droids. As such it is not hard to outmaneuver one of them as they would fly and attack in specific repeated patterns, relaying more on their numbers than fighting capability of a single fighter. Even as squadrons their maneuvers would have a clear pattern to them.
- Electromagnetic Weakness- while the Combat Shields systems absorb electrical and ionic attacks, they cannot hold out against more than just one Electromagnetic attack like EMP pulses as counter-acting takes too much energy. As such, more than one EMP pulse will deactivate them.
- Average Weaponry- while their weaponry is versatile, it is not overly powerful with the strongest gun component being the RC-2 minigun capable of tearing away at more armored targets over time. This is because the weapons had to be designed to function both as a starfighter and a ground vehicle, never really committing to either.
- Reliance on Pilots- one way to counteract the drone's stupidity is to have another more intelligent being, like a droid or an organic pilot, control it. However, this is very rarely done as pilots employed by ARGH or the Metal Lords usually choose more stable and armored vehicles, but without a pilot these drones are rather hindered.
- Limited Ground Versatility- when on the ground the drone has to rely on its Flamer system, claws, the prehensile Sourcefyre tail, and shoulder laser cannons. However while the arsenal does give them some options the weak armor does not stand too long against higher grade weaponry or even barrages of personal blasters.
Description:
Introduction: As ARGH developed and upgraded its forces and time came to support the Metal Lords in their voyages across the stars, so did they designed their first space-faring vessel. Mechanized Autonomous Combat Unit- Fighter Drone, also known as Wyvern Fighter Drone, is a drone starfighter with capability to house a cockpit and be converted into a more traditional although mechanized fighter.
General Description: Based on the ancient designs of Mandalorian Basilisk droids and Mechanical Drakes of Mechanus these drones resemble beasts of legends and fables of old. They have a long serpentine body with two stout legs ending in claws, a long neck on which sits their head of sensor packages and a maw of metal fangs and flamer system. Their wing-like structure function like S-foils and an extra pair of limbs when on the ground, with a pair of laser cannons protruding from their shoulders. Their tails swing like whips and have a glowing Sourcefyre crystal at their tip, another crystal is embedded deep within their belly, their power unit.
Special Features: Some of the drone's special features include a rear facing AE-CM 1 chaff launcher, while meant specifically to be a defense against missiles and homing plasma bolts, this special chaff also provides a temporary layer of protection against low energy bolts, a welcomed addition. The wings of the drones are loaded with stabilizators, functioning as mobile S-Wings to adjust and change position during the drone's flight, granting them a great boost to mobility while active. The drones could also be outfitted with a cockpit on their back and flight controls, able to carry a single passenger, and most importantly, allowing other beings to control them as pilots, a great boon for the low-intelligent machine. The drone's head is covered in Abregado's standard sensor and tracking package, while this is good enough to allow the machines to keep track and accurately engage high speed targets, it's not the most powerful or well developed sensor suite out there. Just like their ground counterparts, the Drone Infantry, Starfighter Drones are equipped with build-in communication, allowing them to send instant messages between the units of their squadrons and other squadrons, increasing their effectiveness when fighting in large numbers. Finally, there are magnetic anchors in their claws to allow them to latch onto metal surfaces, for example hulls of larger ships, so that they could stay attached to them even while the other vessels are moving.
Weaponry: The drones are equipped with a variety of weaponry to give them options when fighting in the void of space and on the ground. Their main guns are the two laser cannons mounted on their shoulders, a standard in starfighter weaponry to be used against quickly moving lightly armored targets. Second in line is their belly mounted RC-2 turret, the shattergun mini gun is a potent piece against other starfighters, however reloading it may take quite some time and its limited angle proves difficult when engaging faster targets, as such it's usually saved for heavily armored ships like heavy starfighters, bombers, gunships, or even corvettes, or for strafing runs against ground targets. The drones also have a rear-facing gun called the Sourcefyre Flasher. Mounted on a prehensile tail which can swivel around to the point of facing front of the drone like a scorpion tail, this weapon consists of a Sourcefyre crystal, installed and excited in such a way to rapidly fire off quick bursts of Sourcefyre beams, these attacks look like flashes of colorful elongated laser beams, and outside of minor incendiary effects on the ground it does not deal more damage than a standard laser cannon. When landing on the ground for combat the drone can rely on its mouth-mounted Flamer to burn infantry and its claws, to tear them apart in melee.
Defenses: The defenses of these drones consist of a light hull and an Abregado Combat Shield. As such, it's mostly reliant on the Combat Shield as the deflector can block up to 6 of equivalent to starfighter standard laser cannon and protects the machine against electric and ionic damage. However it cannot protect against the Electromagnetic attacks like EMP pulses as they are entirely based on magnetic energy, the shields can only absorb one such burst before deactivating.
Other Strengths: Other strengths of these drones include how cheap they are, manufactured by similar means of utilizing 3d printers as in Drone Infantry, allowing for ARGH to manufacture and field them in large numbers without worrying about how many of them survive combat. Just like the Infantry Drones they function better in large numbers, working together as a swarm to overwhelm their enemies while when caught alone the machine is very vulnerable.
Light Hull/Vulnerable Wings: The biggest weakness of these drones are its light hull, making them very vulnerable to damage once their shields are down, an easy prey when caught by enemy alone. This is especially true for their wings, as they are a prominent but lightly armored part of the drone. With the wings destroyed or damaged the drone loses its S-foils and stabilizators, greatly impairing its maneuverability and making them an even easier prey to shoot down during naval engagements.
Drones: Another great weakness of these models is their low intelligence, a trait they share with their ground counterparts, the ARGH Infantry Drones. As such they are rather predictable during combat, often following the same sequences and routines when engaging enemies, patterns smarter pilots and droids could pick up on and use it against them. They also have that signature pause in between carrying out their orders that leaves them vulnerable to enemy attacks.
Other Weaknesses: Other weaknesses include vulnerability to Electromagnetic attacks, as the Abregado Combat Shields do not cancel out effects of magnets entirely, making such weaponry highly effective when it comes to shutting them down or interrupting their systems. The drones are also pretty explosive as sustained damaged to their Sourcefyre crystals will turn them volatile, causing all of their stored energy to explode out at once, damaging if not destroying the drone in the process. While their larger main Sourcefyre crystal is hidden within their bellies, the smaller one functioning as firing mechanism of the tail-mounted Flasher is left out vulnerable and as a clear target for enemy pilots.
Conclusion: In conclusion, these drones are a clear starfighter counterpart of the MACU Infantry Drones used by ARGH. Cheaply manufactured and expendable they rely on being deployed in larger numbers during combat, and although they do have a versatile load out of weaponry on them, they are not the most powerful starfighter weapons out there, and they are further hindered by the machine's low intelligence and weak armor once their shields are down.
