Approved Ranged Weapon VNX-02 "Tartarus Lance"

[VesperWorks]

VNX-02 "Tartarus Lance"​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To submit a rare, ultra-heavy ship-mounted siege weapon capable of plasma-charged shaped-charge delivery for use in capital ship engagements and planetary bombardment.
Image Source: MidJourney
Canon Link: N/A
Permissions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Vantablast Industries (Subsidiary of VesperWorks)
Affiliation: Vantablast Industries, VesperWorks, Project Vesper, Serina Calis, Atramentum
Market Status: Closed-Market
Model: VNX-02 "Tartarus Lance"
Modularity: No
Production: Semi-Unique
Material:

• Durasteel: The main structural frame of the Tartarus Lance is composed of starship-grade durasteel, used in laminated segments layered around the turret housing, induction core, and loading systems. This material forms the sacrificial outer armor, absorbing shrapnel, micrometeoroid impacts, and directional recoil torsion. Its cost-efficiency allows for modular repair in the field while still providing excellent baseline resistance to pressure shearing, battlefield debris, and overpressure shock.
• Agrinium: Surrounding the energy conduits, targeting relays, and induction chamber, agrinium sheeting provides high-end protection against plasma backwash and residual electromagnetic radiation. This shielding also prevents ionized particles from damaging nearby systems and reduces the weapon's electromagnetic signature by dampening plasma bloom feedback, which would otherwise interfere with the ship's internal sensors and power grid during Overcharge conditions.
• Phrik: Chosen for its legendary resistance to energy weapons and heat distortion, phrik is used to line the entire interior of the Tartarus Lance's main barrel. This phrik-laced sheath protects the rifling structure from the sustained plasma wash produced when each VNP-series round is fired. The phrik's unique resistance to molecular degradation under extreme temperatures allows it to survive hundreds of plasma discharges without fracturing—making it the only viable material to channel molten-metal forming warheads without catastrophic failure.
• Neutronium Alloy (Shock Bracing and Structural Pistons): Used only in the core shock-absorbing piston assemblies, neutronium alloy is a hyper-dense metal capable of absorbing the devastating recoil that follows a Tartarus Lance firing cycle. It forms the reinforced mounting lattice that connects the turret assembly to the capital ship's superstructure, allowing the cannon to fire without buckling or tearing free. Without neutronium reinforcement, the weapon would rip itself out of the hull after one or two discharges.
• Plasteel: Used for non-critical surfaces and hatches that require regular access or field repair, plasteel offers a lightweight, easily-replaced covering for vent towers, sensor access ports, and cable housings. Though not suited to direct impact, plasteel allows for rapid on-site servicing during field conditions and prevents magnetic field bleed from interacting with nearby hull plating or external crew gear.
• Thermoguard Gel: To prevent chamber failure and barrel warping, a micro-lattice network of thermoguard gel tubing is embedded directly beneath the phrik-lined bore and throughout the induction array. This coolant is cycled after each shot through multi-stage thermal vents, absorbing post-firing temperatures of several thousand degrees Celsius and venting them safely. The gel can be overdrawn for emergency cooling, though doing so risks destabilizing the coolant's viscosity and melting the intake lattice during repeated Overfire sequences.
• Fiberplast: All internal fire-control electronics, barrel alignment servos, and plasma ignition systems are encased in fiberplast conduits, offering high resistance to EMP, ionic interference, and battlefield radiation surges. These systems operate under low-signal redundancy, allowing the cannon to continue operating even if portions of the primary command network are lost—ensuring that a final shot can be fired even as the ship begins to fail.
• Alusteel (Loading Rack, Ammunition Cradles, and Gantry Arms): Alusteel is used for the modular skeletal framework that supports the immense Tartarus shells during transfer from the ship's internal magazines to the breach. Lightweight and impact-resistant, alusteel is employed where weight-saving must not compromise load-bearing capacity. It allows the shell cranes and magnetic intake guides to operate with smooth movement, while still surviving battlefield vibrations and power surges during combat reloads.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Plasma-Charged Slugthrower (Shaped-Charge Siege Cannon)
Size: Humongous
Weight: Extreme
Ammunition Type: Plasma-Charged High-Explosive Shaped Charge Rounds
Ammunition Capacity: Tiny (2–4 shells per engagement; single-shell reloads)
Effective Range: Battlefield
Rate of Fire: Very Low
Damage Output: Extreme
Recoil: Extreme

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Plasma-Charged Shaped-Charge Warhead Delivery System:
  The Tartarus Lance fires custom-engineered VNP-series rounds—supermassive shells with a plasma-infused core and a hollow cone high-explosive liner that produces a jet of molten metal upon impact. The plasma core serves a dual function: destabilizing shield harmonics at the moment of contact, and superheating the shaped charge's jet stream, amplifying penetration through the Neumann effect. This allows each round to bypass armor and deliver catastrophic spall and internal trauma, even in ships designed to withstand traditional munitions..
• Neumann Jet Formation Architecture:
  Unlike conventional explosive rounds, the Tartarus Lance is built specifically to exploit the Neumann effect: a principle where shaped charges create a focused jet of molten metal capable of exceeding Mach 10 and piercing meters of hardened armor. The internal breech includes microsecond-precise induction aligners to stabilize the projectile and ensure perfect cone collapse at the moment of detonation, even at interstellar ranges. This is not just a slug—it's a hyper-dense armor-breaching lance, physically liquefying bulkheads, bulk plating, and reinforced compartments.
• Magnetic Induction and Stabilization Coils:
  Each firing cycle engages a bank of magnetic induction rails that line the interior of the phrik barrel. These coils accelerate the shell and stabilize its rotation mid-flight, maintaining angular consistency and trajectory accuracy over vast distances. The induction grid also keeps the plasma sheath coherent during flight, preventing the energy envelope from dissipating before impact. These coils are so powerful that they require pulse-dampeners and cooling buffers after every shot.
• Plasma Overcore Sheath and Shield Disruption Field:
  Upon ignition, each VNP round is surrounded by a superheated plasma envelope, generated via integrated capacitor banks in the firing chamber. This sheath acts as a shield disruptor, destabilizing conventional energy shields on contact by overloading emitter harmonics and creating a localized field overload. While the Tartarus Lance cannot fully penetrate shields alone, it prepares the target for immediate hull penetration by forcing flicker, collapse, or gap-creation in active defenses.
• Failsafe Plasma Purge System:
  Due to the catastrophic risk of plasma backflow or chamber vent failure, the Tartarus Lance includes an automated plasma purge system. If internal temperatures exceed safe levels or a charge fails to exit the barrel within 1.2 seconds of ignition, a plasma siphon valve opens, channeling volatile material through side-mounted vent towers and out the rear purge shunts. While this feature may damage surrounding hull plating, it prevents full-core detonation, saving the vessel from instant destruction.
• Overpressure Ejection Pistons (Emergency Recoil Dispersal):
  Firing the Tartarus Lance unleashes apocalyptic recoil, mitigated by a matrix of inertial dampeners and neutronium-braced piston arms. In the event that the main recoil housing fails, secondary ejection pistons can extend from the turret's lower flanks, embedding into the hull itself and bracing the barrel like a siege ram. This system allows for one final shot, even if the turret cradle has been compromised—though it is known among gunnery officers as "the executioner's draw."
• Capacitor-Staged Charge Cycle with Visual Overload Signature:
  The Lance features a staged capacitor bank that builds charge in visible, glowing arcs across the barrel's exterior—serving both as a warning and as a symbol. This visual signature has become legendary among both allies and enemies: a rolling pulse of light, crawling from the turret's core to its muzzle, ending in a howling resonance as the shell enters the barrel. It takes nearly thirty seconds to reach full charge, during which the weapon is immobile, vulnerable, and unmistakable.
• Fleetlink™ Deep Strike Integration:
  The Tartarus Lance is fully compatible with Fleetlink™ tactical systems, allowing it to receive and execute long-range firing solutions from remote drones, targeting relays, or orbital scouts. This feature enables the Lance to function in multi-vector annihilation tactics, particularly during planetary sieges or dreadnought duels, where strike coordination is vital. It also includes an auto-scrub fallback that resets its targeting solution if signal integrity is lost—ensuring the round won't be wasted on corrupted data.
• Sacrificial Loading Gantry with Plasma-Buffer Cradle:
  Each round is loaded manually via a semi-automated alusteel gantry system. This cradle includes a plasma buffer field, which insulates the round during loading and helps regulate ambient heat inside the cannon chamber. While the system is slow—often taking up to 3 minutes per shell—it ensures the structural integrity of the round, and allows loading crews to monitor for fuse defects or plasma chamber instability before breach lock.

STRENGTHS

• Neumann Effect Devastation — The Spear of Internal Collapse:
  At the heart of the Tartarus Lance's lethality is its use of the Neumann effect, producing a focused jet of molten metal upon impact that can punch through capital-grade armor plating, durasteel bulkheads, and compartmentalized inner hulls with a singular, armor-obliterating thrust. Unlike other cannons that crater or fracture hulls, the Tartarus Lance pierces—creating clean, deep penetrations that reach command bridges, reactors, and core systems. This allows a single shot to neutralize entire sections of a vessel without requiring sustained fire.
• Extreme Damage to Internal Structure — The Shipkiller's Signature:
  When a Tartarus round penetrates a hull, the shaped charge not only burns through armor but injects plasma and molten shrapnel into a ship's interior. The result is widespread spall, depressurization, and cascading system failure across decks. Turbolift shafts rupture. Grav-plates short. Fire control decks implode. Even if the ship survives, its ability to fight is crippled—creating ideal conditions for follow-up strikes or precision boarding. The damage isn't just physical; it rips the heart out of combat systems and leaves the ship bleeding from within.
• Shield-Disrupting Plasma Envelope — The Breachmaker's Edge:
  Each round is encased in a high-energy plasma sheath that destabilizes local shield harmonics on contact. This unique trait allows the Tartarus Lance to soften or overload shield nodes without needing prior ion support, bypassing one of the biggest hurdles in traditional kinetic weaponry. While not a full shield-breaker, the plasma envelope widens shield impact radii, causing structural fields to buckle, flicker, or collapse outright—leaving hulls vulnerable to the main charge. In short, it opens the door before it punches through the wall.
• Psychological and Strategic Impact — A Weapon That Changes Battles by Existing:
  The Tartarus Lance is more than a cannon—it is a strategic deterrent, a psychological weapon, and a narrative tool of fear. Entire enemy fleets adjust formation upon detecting a Lance charging. Officers reconsider direct engagements. Lesser ships flee its targeting arc without firing. The visual signature of its capacitors glowing hot, the howl of its charge cycle, and the destruction that follows leave an imprint on every sensor feed and holorecord. Its use is rare—but its presence alone is a declaration of finality.
• Unstoppable Once Fired — No Defense, Only Aftermath:
  Unlike missiles, drones, or turbolasers, the Tartarus Lance is a direct fire kinetic-plasma hybrid that is nigh impossible to be jammed, sliced, diverted, or prematurely intercepted. Once the round leaves the barrel, it is coming, and nearly no amount of maneuvering will save you if you are in its line. Ships have turned away from battle just to avoid being seen by the Lance's targeting system. And if a shot lands, there are no second chances—only damage control, escape pods, and silence.
• Fleetlink™ Targeting Integration — Coordinated Extermination:
  Compatible with the VesperWorks Fleetlink™ targeting architecture, the Tartarus Lance can be fired based on data from long-range scouts, orbital relays, stealth drones, or sister vessels. This turns it into a long-arm executioner, capable of delivering precise armor-penetrating fire even when the ship itself is not in direct line-of-sight. Used in concert with ambush tactics or fleet killbox formations, the Lance allows commanders to eliminate critical targets from relative safety—a sniper shot with the force of a mountain.
• Ritualized Crew Discipline — Operated with Religious Precision:
  The rarity, danger, and complexity of the Tartarus Lance has fostered a culture of highly trained gun crews who treat each firing like a sacrament. Ritualized checks, multi-voice confirmations, and emergency override drills ensure that the weapon is rarely mishandled or wasted. This makes it more than just powerful—it is reliable, even in the chaos of battle. Crew coordination is so tight that the Lance can be operated through redundancy protocols, even after command systems fail or officers are lost.
• Dreadnought-Class Compatibility — A Crown for a Warship:
  The Tartarus Lance is not just a weapon—it is a status symbol. Ships capable of fielding one must be structurally reinforced, power-rich, and purpose-built, making them natural flagships or siege anchors. Its installation transforms a capital ship into a tactical center of gravity, drawing resources, protection, and strategic weight. Its presence alone reshapes formations, positioning it not only as a gun—but as a gravitational singularity of fleet doctrine.

WEAKNESSES

• Extremely Low Rate of Fire — "One Shot, Then Wait":
  The Tartarus Lance is not built for tempo—it is built for annihilation. Its charge time, thermal stabilization window, and manual reload process combine to create a glacial firing cycle. In practice, this means minutes between shots—a lifetime in the middle of a high-speed engagement. If the shot misses or the target escapes in time, the Lance becomes deadweight, unable to contribute meaningfully until the next cycle completes. Commanders must plan their entire engagement strategy around a single pull of the trigger.
• Exorbitant Recoil — A Weapon That Fights Its Own Ship:
  Every time the Tartarus Lance fires, it releases such catastrophic recoil that the entire ship must prepare in advance: systems brace, inertial compensators spike, and bulkheads groan. Even with neutronium pistons and shock anchoring, ships not specifically designed for the weapon risk turret destabilization, structural stress fractures, or nearby system knockouts. Repeated firings without downtime can misalign hull segments or disable adjacent systems—sometimes causing more damage to the user than the target.
• Only Mountable on the Largest Ships — Strategic Inflexibility:
  Due to its size, power requirements, and hull integration demands, the Tartarus Lance can only be mounted on dreadnoughts, fortified orbital emplacements, or superheavy siege cruisers. This drastically limits its deployment footprint. It cannot be fielded en masse, cannot be hidden in a fleet, and cannot reposition quickly. Once it's installed, the ship effectively becomes a moving artillery platform, requiring escort support and dedicated maneuver doctrine just to survive in standard fleet engagements.
• Thermal Risk and Plasma Instability — Built for Fire, Vulnerable to It:
  Despite its advanced cooling systems, the Tartarus Lance builds up incredible thermal energy during operation. If the Thermoguard gel matrix is compromised, or the failsafe plasma purge system fails to engage during an emergency, the weapon becomes a lethal hazard to its host ship. Possible outcomes include internal plasma chamber rupture, premature ammunition detonation, or magnetic coil meltdown—any of which could result in the total loss of the vessel before it even fires again.
• Plasma Overpressure Signature — Impossible to Conceal Once Charged:
  The Tartarus Lance's capacitor bank emits a massive thermal, electromagnetic, and visual bloom during its 30-second charge cycle. Even through sensor jamming and active stealth, the weapon's signature is visible to any ship within dozens of kilometers, giving enemies ample warning and time to maneuver, deploy flares, or break line-of-sight. Once it begins charging, the Lance becomes a glowing beacon, drawing fire and attention from every ship in range.
• Massive and Complex Ammunition — Each Shell is a Logistics Nightmare:
  The VNP-series rounds used by the Lance are enormous, plasma-unstable, and require specialized gantries, magnetic insulation, and multi-stage handling procedures. Loading even a single shell takes several minutes under ideal conditions. In combat, if a round is dropped, cracked, or improperly charged, it risks a magnetoplasma core breach that could detonate the entire magazine. Resupply is nearly impossible mid-battle, and most ships only carry 2–4 rounds total.
• Terrible Accuracy at Close Range — Designed for Duels and Sieges, Not Skirmishes:
  The Tartarus Lance's range, power, and inertia make it ideal for mid-to-long range bombardment, but at close range, its traversal arc is too slow, its minimum firing safety radius too large, and its targeting system too deliberate. Agile corvettes, strike fighters, or boarding craft can fly within the turret's blind spots and render it functionally inoperable—if not vulnerable to sabotage. The Lance must be protected by point-defense screens at all times or risk being rendered useless by small targets.
• All-or-Nothing Tactical Philosophy — No Room for Mistakes:
  The Tartarus Lance has no versatility. It cannot fire multiple munitions types without complete internal recalibration. It cannot switch targets quickly. It cannot suppress, intimidate, or disable. It either kills its target utterly, or does nothing at all. This means that any tactical error, misfire, or target withdrawal results in catastrophic opportunity loss, and any ship relying on the Lance as its primary weapon must build its entire battle strategy around a single moment—and if that moment fails, so does the ship.

DESCRIPTION

"And in the black of the final hour, He took flame and iron unto His hand, and said:
'Let there be no fortress, no false crown, no shield of light between Me and vengeance.'
Then did He cast the spear of Tartarus, and lo—
the sky opened, and hell did enter.
And the world was made hollow."

— Unknown Polis Massan Religious Text, Verse XIX, "The Unmaking of Halls"




The Tartarus Lance is not fired.
It is unleashed.

Forged in the armored depths of Vantablast's subterranean yards beneath Polis Massa, the VNX-02 Tartarus Lance was never meant to be a mass-production weapon. It is a singular monstrosity, a cannon that defies the logic of modern warfare by embracing a doctrine long discarded by the galaxy's military minds: one shot, one ruin. Where others field swarm missiles, coil batteries, or synchronized turbolaser volleys, the Lance answers with a single, deliberate, cataclysmic truth: if it still stands after impact, it was never alive to begin with.

It operates not with speed, but with conviction. The cannon fires a plasma-charged, shaped-charge projectile encased in a containment field barely held stable by redundant magnetic loops. At the moment of firing, the internal accelerators hurl the round with the momentum of a falling dreadnought, wrapped in plasma, with a detonator designed to collapse inward and release a Neumann jet—a focused beam of molten metal moving faster than sound, honed to pierce armor as if slicing parchment. Targets aren't destroyed—they are perforated, hollowed, and left gasping through sundered decks and depressurized command centers.

The Tartarus Lance doesn't fight ships. It rewrites their designations mid-sentence, from battleship to wreck, from station to silhouette.

But power this precise comes at a cost. Firing the weapon is a ritual. The barrel must be purged, the capacitor matrix charged across a 30-second cycle that floods the turret with electromagnetic fury, turning it into a beacon visible across the battlespace. Ships must reroute power, seal decks, and brace hulls for the seismic recoil, and even then, the detonation threatens to shear systems apart. Ammunition is finite, volatile, and uniquely irreplaceable. Each shot is a choice—and a risk.

In Serina Calis' Navy, it is called by many names:
The Void-Spear. The Heart of Silence. The First and Final Word.
On enemy records, its designation is often replaced with one word in bold red:
"Flee."

The Lance is not built for duels. It is built for punishment.
It is not fired in the opening salvo. It is fired when the mask is dropped.
It does not negotiate, intimidate, or harry.
It ends things.

On the walls of the Vantablast foundry where the first prototype was assembled, someone inscribed a phrase beneath its cradle. It has since been carved into the internal plating of every ship lucky—or doomed—enough to mount one:

"This is not a weapon. It is the moment the war dies."

 

[Delsin Shaw]

VesperWorks

Approved