Tempest
Storm of the Force
Meteor Mega-Cannon
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Siege weapons of varying types, sizes and effectiveness have been a feature of war from earliest times to the present. The movement into space and the role of orbital bombardments has not changed the fact that sometimes one just needs a massive cannon to blow stuff up!
On the rim planet of Tygara, the cultures which lived here were acquainted with gunpowder when visitors from offworld arrived. Siege cannons and rockets had been a feature of Qadiri and Xioquo warfare for generations, but sometimes there were outliers.
An independent Qadiri city state known as Aksuma was famous for its circuit of triple high stone walls, moats and towers. For centuries this city had resisted the attempts by Amikaron to conquer them, the power of Krolis to vassalize them, and the Xio to plunder them. For over six hundred years the city had endured nine sieges and resisted them all. No one could pierce the walls, and the sheltered harbour allowed warships to refit out of the elements.
Finally, the Xio decided to put together their strength and conquer this thorn in their side. The Council of Ten, resolved much more than usual, put together a combined fleet, army and siege works to finally conquer Aksuma.
It was at this moment that a strange visitor arrived before the gates of the Underealm. A Qadiri from Aksuma who offered information to trade. Normally the Xio might have just seized such a bold and stupid visitor, but they heard her out. This Qadiri, daughter of a former city leader was named Vorbana Jai Aksuma, and she offered designs for a new and terrible cannon. This weapon was monstrous, so large that at first many of the Xio doubted it could be made. However, with Vorbana's aid a new form of casting and pressing was developed to make a massive cannon with a barrel ten metres long and with a calibre of over a metre.
This massive cannon was moved into position. The defenders of Aksuma unwisely were over confident and made no attempt to interrupt the sapping works. When the massive weapon was first fired though it shook the wall to the core. Though the massive cannon could only fire once an hour it was supplemented with lighter guns which prevented repairs and nibbled at the edges.
In two weeks, the famous walls of Aksuma had a channel blasted through them and an onslaught gained the victory and sacked the city. Vorbana's fate is unknown, perhaps betrayed by the Xio, perhaps moving on, but her cannon was retained but never used again. It was still in the Underealm when Firemane invaded and deposed the Council eighty years later….
Fast forward to the present and Firemane considered the need for a powerful ground-based siege artillery. Though it did have the Inferno, it was decided that a new weapon was needed. The designers therefore looked back to Vorbana's guns for inspiration, something not all Qadiri were especially pleased about!
The result was the Meteor, for so the old gun had been called for its tremendous power. This weapon, though terribly slow and hard to manoeuvre had a range unmatched by terrestrial weapons and a devastating power capable of levelling almost anything it struck. Though not greatly suited for battlefields, it was best used on static defences which could be blasted to rubble. To protect this weapon a deflector shield and quad lasers were added, but it requires support from both air and ground assets to prevent it being targeted and taken out.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a devastating siege cannon capable of shattering defences, cities and people.
- Image Source: Here.
- Canon Link: Somewhat similar to these. And based on this monster.
- Permissions: I can use Firemane stuff as mentioned in the sub because I passed ownership to
Siobhan Kerrigan
but retained the right to utilise it. - Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Firemane.
- Affiliation: Firemane, Tygara.
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Meteor-1
- Modularity: Weapon can be mounted on tracks or repulsorlifts, or as a stationary turret.
- Production: Semi-Unique
- Material: Durasteel, electronic components.
- Classification: Siege Cannon
- Size: Extremely Large
- Weight: Extremely Heavy
- Ammunition Type: Explosive shells
- Ammunition Capacity: Average
- Effective Range: Extreme
- Rate of Fire: Very Low
- Damage Output: Extreme
- Recoil: Very High
- Massive artillery piece which can fire shells effectively up to 50km, with a maximum range of 75km.
- Fires a variety of shells from a barrel with a width of over a metre wide and 40 metres long. The shells weigh up to 10 tonnes and can pierce several metres of durasteel, duracrete or rock.
- Protected by deflector shields and 6 quad lasers built into the housing of the casing.
- The shells are somewhat guided and shielded to prevent easy interception.
- Slow firing rate dictated by the extreme heat stress on the barrel.
- Besieger. One of the largest weapons of its type in the galaxy, the Meteor is ideal for pounding enemy defences, cities and landmarks from over the horizon.
- Devastating. When the Meteor strikes, people know it! Not only is the explosion devastating, but it creates a literal shockwave in the air and ground which can knock people and light structures down even when they're not in the blast radius.
- Protected. The Meteor platform is defended with a deflector shield and several quad lasers to protect it from assault, as well as heavy armour plating.
- Slow. The Meteor fires very slowly, usually one shell every 15 minutes. This is to account for the time needed for the targeting to lock on, the massive shell to be loaded, and for the barrel to cool down. This makes it essential for every shot to count.
- Cumbersome. With a top speed of 10km/h, the Meteor is slow indeed to move. Indeed, it is often dropped into battle by a specially converted transport as waiting for it to trundle into position would be a long process.
- Close. The Meteor has a minimum range of nearly a kilometre, meaning that aside from the quad lasers one is perfectly safe standing close by. Unless the Meteor is supported by other forces a tank or walker at close range could easily dismantle the massive device and there would be no way it could escape.
- Countermeasures. Whilst every shell is protected by an energy sheath it is not immune to damage. It is possible that a missile fired with the right skill, timing and power could impact it early. The Meteor also performs very poorly against energy shields; it might knock it down with a hit, but leave the target beneath unharmed for 15 minutes whilst it reloads.
Siege weapons of varying types, sizes and effectiveness have been a feature of war from earliest times to the present. The movement into space and the role of orbital bombardments has not changed the fact that sometimes one just needs a massive cannon to blow stuff up!
On the rim planet of Tygara, the cultures which lived here were acquainted with gunpowder when visitors from offworld arrived. Siege cannons and rockets had been a feature of Qadiri and Xioquo warfare for generations, but sometimes there were outliers.
An independent Qadiri city state known as Aksuma was famous for its circuit of triple high stone walls, moats and towers. For centuries this city had resisted the attempts by Amikaron to conquer them, the power of Krolis to vassalize them, and the Xio to plunder them. For over six hundred years the city had endured nine sieges and resisted them all. No one could pierce the walls, and the sheltered harbour allowed warships to refit out of the elements.
Finally, the Xio decided to put together their strength and conquer this thorn in their side. The Council of Ten, resolved much more than usual, put together a combined fleet, army and siege works to finally conquer Aksuma.
It was at this moment that a strange visitor arrived before the gates of the Underealm. A Qadiri from Aksuma who offered information to trade. Normally the Xio might have just seized such a bold and stupid visitor, but they heard her out. This Qadiri, daughter of a former city leader was named Vorbana Jai Aksuma, and she offered designs for a new and terrible cannon. This weapon was monstrous, so large that at first many of the Xio doubted it could be made. However, with Vorbana's aid a new form of casting and pressing was developed to make a massive cannon with a barrel ten metres long and with a calibre of over a metre.
This massive cannon was moved into position. The defenders of Aksuma unwisely were over confident and made no attempt to interrupt the sapping works. When the massive weapon was first fired though it shook the wall to the core. Though the massive cannon could only fire once an hour it was supplemented with lighter guns which prevented repairs and nibbled at the edges.
In two weeks, the famous walls of Aksuma had a channel blasted through them and an onslaught gained the victory and sacked the city. Vorbana's fate is unknown, perhaps betrayed by the Xio, perhaps moving on, but her cannon was retained but never used again. It was still in the Underealm when Firemane invaded and deposed the Council eighty years later….
Fast forward to the present and Firemane considered the need for a powerful ground-based siege artillery. Though it did have the Inferno, it was decided that a new weapon was needed. The designers therefore looked back to Vorbana's guns for inspiration, something not all Qadiri were especially pleased about!
The result was the Meteor, for so the old gun had been called for its tremendous power. This weapon, though terribly slow and hard to manoeuvre had a range unmatched by terrestrial weapons and a devastating power capable of levelling almost anything it struck. Though not greatly suited for battlefields, it was best used on static defences which could be blasted to rubble. To protect this weapon a deflector shield and quad lasers were added, but it requires support from both air and ground assets to prevent it being targeted and taken out.
