Solas Tempus DB - User contributions [en]

Tal Ravis

2022-08-16T03:08:00Z

T0l: /* Ships - Series CX "Scimitar" Border Worlds Light Fighter */

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravis, Tal}}
{{Character Box
|image=Talprofile.png
|player=t0l
|fullname=Tal Yahalom "Underscore" Ravis
|altname=Underscore
|race=Human
|gender=Marine
|haircolor=Black
|eyecolor=Brown
|height=5'9"
|weight=157 lbs
|age=30
|dob=798 A.S.
|universe=Discovery Freelancer
|birthplace=Planet Manhattan, New York System
|occ=1st Asymmetric Warfare Development Group, Solas Tempus Special Services
|org=Solas Tempus
|rank=Lieutenant
|figure=Marine-y
|status=Approved
|setting=Blazing Umbra
}}
[[Tal Ravis | Tal Yahalom Ravis]], also known as Underscore or Snoopy, is a Sirius-born Freelancer who arrived in the Schatten system via splice. Formerly an interceptor squadron leader in the esteemed Gas Miners Guild paramilitary division, he found work with Solas Tempus as a fighter pilot, although he later became a [[Temporal Operative]] before being transferred to Special Services following the destruction of Blazing Umbra station. Perhaps SPECCOM's most controversial officer, he is infamous for his role in the ''Pereh'' incident and subsequent rescue of Admiral Lance Thomas.

==Skillset==
Tal is well-trained and versed in the art of killing people and breaking things. An exceptional marksman, having qualified expert with rifles and machine guns according to SPECCOM standards, with emphasis on speed, accuracy, and silence. Master of squad and fireteam-level tactics. Reasonably competent pilot on the side, with a knowledge of CR and GMG paramilitary guerilla warfare practices.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Attribute
!Value
!Additional Notes
!Category/Ranking
|-
|Health
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What the fuck happened to your face, dude?"
|1/C
|-
|Agility
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - High speed, low drag.
|1/B
|-
|Dexterity
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
| - Dynamically operates select-fire weapons in non-linear asymmetric environments.
|1/A
|-
|Strength
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░
| - Carried a 30-pound machine gun for a living.
|1/C
|-
|Melee
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
|1/D
|-
|Ranged
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Calls the automatic and wide-beam settings "family mode".
|1/A
|-
|Leadership
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - Terminal Lance.
|1/C
|-
|Observation
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - If he was any better, he'd have been Recon.
|1/B
|-
|Self-control
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░
| - Keeps it 3 hundred.
|1/B
|-
|Charisma
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "Tal, do you ever shut the fuck up?" -[[William Foulke]]
|1/D
|-
|Piloting
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Top Gun.
|1/A
|}

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Tal was born on August 6th, 798 A.S. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district on Planet Manhattan, to a family of relatively poor blue-collar workers. Of the three Ravis children – Hudson, Xavier, and himself – he was the least successful, nearly failing out of grade school twice with a terrible disciplinary record filled with absences, disruptions, and tardies. He also showed no talent or interest in the arts, spending most of his free time playing in the streets with his friends. Later on, he helped form a small street gang with a handful of his friends, lurking in alleyways at night, waiting for unsuspecting targets to rob, managing to snag several thousand credits worth of jewelry and other valuables.

Young Ravis soon found out that this new gang lifestyle was volatile and unsustainable, as an LPI crackdown on crime ended in the arrests of all of the gang but him and two others. Lucky enough to avoid the cops, he quickly sought an alternative to life on the streets, and after graduating from high school, he turned to the Liberty Marine Corps, hoping that perhaps he'd be able to start anew or die trying in a blaze of glory. His parents, who were vehemently against the Rheinland war at the time, were intensely disappointed in his decision to enlist in what they saw as a pointless, unjustified war, and so Tal grew more and more distant from his family, moving out of their small apartment and purchasing a Scimitar-class light fighter, which he nicknamed Cruel Summer after the season in which he shipped out.

===Service History===
Tal Ravis proved to be a rather mediocre Marine, taking up a four-year enlistment contract to become a gunner in a machine gun section. Promised action by his recruiter, he was disappointed when his enlistment consisted of little more than carrying a thirty-pound general-purpose machine gun around and occasionally shooting at pirates, slavers, or Rheinland embargo runners. While LAHAAT machine gun teams were lauded for their ability to manipulate the automatically-targeting, sensor-directed weapons within ships to great effect, he felt that he was fighting a war he didn’t sign up the fight–one against slavery and drugs, rather than the Rheinlanders. He has two 6-month deployments, one aboard the Yukon and another aboard the Mississippi under his belt, during which he boarded several hundred transports with his MEU. It should be noted that while he did fire upon and kill several Outcast slavers, thus earning a Combat Action Ribbon, he did not fire upon a military target as part of any official conflict.

While waiting for his opportunity to stack dozens upon dozens of Kraut bodies in front of his MG, he did manage to qualify expert with the standard-issue rifle of the time, Ageira's "Backblast" tachyon rifle, and also graduated from EVA school. Sadly, his enlistment contract ended before he could fulfill his dream of indiscriminately slaughtering scores of Rheinlanders or Gallics, and he chose to seperate from the military at the age of 22 instead of reenlisting, mostly due to his lack of motivation. The influence of the Corps on him, however, never went away, as shown in his fighting style, spirit, and aesthetics, since his [[Solas Tempus]] combat outfit is derived directly from the Marine BDU.

The Corps was where he first acquired the nickname "Underscore", where, in an attempt to make a commemorative tally mark on the side of helmet after his first kill, he accidentally had his helmet facing visor-up, thus resulting in a mark that looked more like an underscore than anything else.

===Later Career===
Once out of the Corps, Tal quickly realized that he needed a means to provide for himself, eventually taking up a stable job flying freight for Ageira Technologies for two years until his adventurous spirit came back. With a sudden craving for more thrills in his life, he quit working for Ageira and applied to join the Liberty Police, the same organization that jailed all of his closest friends just five years ago. It was here that, over the course of a few months, he discovered that he had anger management issues, eventually deeming himself unfit for duty in the LPI. From here, he resigned and went his own way, using some of his pay to buy a basic model Sabre fighter in order to start his own mercenary company.

Named "Haven Tactical Security", he and an associate mostly flew low-level escort missions, failing to make much of an impact or name for themselves. Eventually, his associate departed from the endeavor, taking with him most of the company's assets and leaving Tal to his own devices.

Undeterred, he turned to the then-Colonial Republic for work, where he was hired as a fighter pilot. Preferring the Nyx multirole superiority fighter, he was pushed through an accelerated pilot training pipeline and was eventually assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron, operating mainly in the Taus. He flew constant combat sorties against the Outcasts from the Carrier Hades in Tau-39 under the callsign "Snoopy", until he realized that the flashy lifestyle of a fighter pilot wasn't really for him. Stress, injuries, and trauma stemming from frequent combat with some of the best combat pilots in Sirius was rapidly getting to his head, and after a friendly fire incident in which he accidentally shot down a friendly Pytho bomber, he took his leave from the CR.

Life after the CR was sketchy, as he seemed to be unable to find legitimate work anywhere. His veteran status in the Libertonian Military put off many employers as the war with Rheinland was becoming increasingly unpopular, and so he simply roamed around Sirius, taking small jobs wherever he went. During this time, he became involved with the Junker Marauders, helping to erect and maintain Beaumont Spire briefly until he disappeared from Sirius for a month. It wasn't until much later down the line that Tal reappeared, this time working for the resurgent Core, having apparently undergone a journey of self-reflection and discovery. It is suspected during this away time that he completed Liberty Security Force Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group (SAD/SOG) indoctrination as well as a cursory deployment to the frontlines of combat on Leeds in order to train Bretonian rebels, although he dispels any such rumors.

Following the Core's successful capture of Yaren and Planet Nauru, Tal was part of a contingent of mercenaries sent to reinforce Core assets on Nauru, starting off with just a week-long search-and-destroy mission aimed at stomping out any remaining Corsair presence on the planet. The length of the mission grew and grew, until it was a full-on six-month garrison mission at a Core forward operating base. It was here that he survived the Great Ion Storm of 822, lucky enough to have received supplies from a transport just days before the storm hit Sirius. For the rest of the month, his garrison was on high alert, wary of any potential Corsair raids aiming to take advantage of the lack of communications between the base and Core command, although no attack ever came. It wasn't even known at the time if Nauru even had an appreciable Corsair presence planetside, and he never fired a shot in anger at anyone during his contract.

After Nauru, Tal found himself with a fair amount of money, and was willing to settle down somewhere a bit more stable for the long haul. After some milling about as a Freelance pilot, Tal found freight work with the GMG, after meeting Guildmaster Keiji Namura. Gradually, he became more and more part of the Guild, and was eventually absorbed into the GMG's esteemed Paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on Gas Miner Ogashawa, he flew sorties in a Karasu heavy fighter dubbed the Silver Bullet, after the ship's distinctive appearance and an aerial ramming attack incident in which he speared and disabled a pirate Waran bomber using the Karasu's distincive, sharp nose at high speeds.

Unfortunately, the original Silver Bullet was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots, the first time he'd been shot down since his time in the Colonial Republic. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a Hatchet destroyer, which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wilde forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries to his legs related to the ejection.

He took two major leaves of absence from his duties in the Guild, one to participate in a Blood Dragon ground offensive on Planet Tomioka, where he was wounded five times over the course of a 2-week long campaign in which he led mercenary forces against elite, battle-hardened veterans of the Kusari Naval Forces. During this time, he racked up at least 30 confirmed kills with his carbine, fighting day and night for control of the rear fuselage and engine of a downed Blood Dragon battleship, the Mount Fuji. Officially, he was never there, as he operated under the alias "Daniel Recker" to preserve his neutral Freelance reputation in Kusari.

The next leave of absence involved his associate, Komachi Kurosawa, and a temple on Nauru, which they investigated to no avail after Tal accidentally disrupted the temple's structural integrity using a large detcord oval charge, collapsing it on themselves once they were inside. After a while, they freed themselves from their stone coffin, although their search was ultimately fruitless. However, working later for the Core, Tal managed to retrieve an ancient artifact from a Zoner digsite, and planned on contacting Kurosawa for another investigation prior to being spliced out of Sirius.

In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Gas Miner Ogashawa.

Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned to fly in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force, nicknamed Geyer squadron. The 2ID will be stationed on Ogashawa for the forseeable future, although now without Tal at the helm.

===Saving Guildmaster Namura===
In early 824 A.S., Keiji Namura mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving most of the Guild puzzled as to his whereabouts. Tal Ravis and the 2nd Interceptor Division were tasked with the initial combat search-and-rescue operations as Ogashawa was closest to the Guildmaster's last-known location, although their preliminary search yielded nothing. Efforts are being made to allocate more resources into finding Keiji Namura, with the 2nd Interceptor Division poised to play a central part in finding the former Guildmaster.

While on the search for Guildmaster Keiji Namura, he stumbled across a "rogue jump hole" inside one of the nebulas, likely created by the then-recent detonation of an NEMP bomb in the system by a gang of Outcasts. Unknowingly, the rift was actually a [[splice]], and as he moved to fly past it, it slurped him up and spat him out in orbit of the [[Blazing Umbra Station|Blazing Umbra station]], where he was intercepted by patrolling fighters and eventually forced to land on the station.

===Solas Tempus Service===
Shortly after being intercepted, he was acquianted with the station and Admiral [[Lance Thomas]], who convinced Tal to sign a contract with [[Solas Tempus]] in exchange for a guarantee that he would be allowed safe passage back to Sirius should such an opportunity arise. For over five months, he'd serve as a fighter pilot, starship captain, and [[Temporal Operative|temporal operative]].

One of his first missions was to fly top cover for a wormhole test, which resulted in the party being engaged by several hostile fighters. He was ultimately able to dispatch the hostiles with some assistance from system security. Later, he engaged Romulan warbirds in his Karasu as part of a larger operation conducted against a listening post in the system. Since then, he has fought against all manners of enemies in space, from Nomads to an Imperial fleet. His starship, the Steamrunner-class assault frigate USS Bonhomme Richard, was effectively employed against a Nomad invasion fleet and was key in repelling the attack, at the cost of the ship and 80 of its crew. Notable among his fighter achievements is the incident when he dueled two elite TIE Interceptor pilots in [[Soteria]]'s atmosphere in his Karasu and won, taking considerable damage in return. After the reorganization of Schatten's forces, he was given command of the Sigma interceptor wing, stationed on [[Blazing Umbra Station]].[[File:Assault.png|thumb|right|Tal dressed in combat gear during a station power outage.]]

His service was not exclusively in flight, and he has fought on the ground numerous times. He acquired an M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle for personal use early on in his service, using it on two occasions to stop the alternate personality Shinra and to clear [[The Derelict]] with his boarding party. He was present during the Romulan listening post boarding mission, using the prototype DRX-23 beam rifle to kill several guards. He would also become one of [[Solas Tempus]] R&D's chief testers, providing input on the DRX-24 program before it was ullmately cancelled. The weapon was used once to great effect inside the station's amphitheater, with Tal racking up a considerable kill count before getting wounded by a tesla cannon.

More recently, he accompanied [[William Foulke]] and Four-Seven to a mysterious temple, having been sucked into the center of the sun by a shockwave generated by a reaction caused by William's artifact. There, after Tal accidentally ransacked someone's vacation home, they uncovered the secret behind the artifact, which acted as the key to a gate between realities. The trio returned to [[Blazing Umbra]] unharmed, although Tal did make an attempt to desert [[Solas Tempus]] in order to return home to the GMG.

Following the first mission to the Temple, Tal was almost the victim of a Nomad infection, having been ambushed in his room by an incubi that was lurking in the station's vents. Thanks to action by his AI, he was able to break free of the psychological hold it had on him and killed it using his suppressed PDW.
[[File:Talrailgun.png|400px|thumb|left|Tal loading another round into the breech of an experimental Mark 1 railgun.]]
He was once again present during the second expedition to the Temple, accompanying Admiral Thomas, Commander Yasei, and Will. There, they met the owners of the temple, who explained their predicament to the party after they were ambushed by the secret organization Onyx. Tal killed several with his SCAR-H CQC carbine before using it as a makeshift melee weapon by throwing it at a charging operative, allowing him to gain the upper hand and get his knife out.

During the psionic field incidents, he was called to assist in controlling riots on Umbral Shipyard, where he and a security team were eventually able to pacify the crowds. Moving to the residential district, they were again ambushed by Onyx agents, fighting it out briefly before gaining the upper hand and clearing them from the shipyards. Following this, Tal noticed a shuttle depart from the shipyards, heading to the gas giant Schatten IV. Notifying Will, the pair took a shuttle and conducted a series of scans of the planet's atmosphere, returning to Blazing Umbra to process the new information before participating in the raiding party that ultimately destroyed the Onyx installation, getting shot in the chest in the process and losing both his armor plate and his trusty FWG-5 pistol, losing another one of the few objects he kept from his time in Sirius.

He later participated in the hunt for and boarding of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Stardust, after CAP pilot [[Alema]] was abducted by marauding Imperial forces. Onboard the Stardust, he led a squad of 12 marines, along with assistance from [[Dalton Stone]] and the [[Type II Combat Systems Computer]]'s new android body, as part of Alpha squad, distracting Imperial marines long enough for a second team to find and extract [[Alema]]. The Stardust was destroyed in the confrontation, after both squads successfully evacuated. His squad suffered one wounded and five dead in the assault.

===Loose Ends===
Tal returned to Sirius in September of 2381, by means of the [[Janus Station]] supergate, taking with him his Liberator and both remaining Sirian firearms. Upon arrival, he was detected by Buffalo Base, which deployed several fighters to intercept. After unsuccessfully attempting to down the nimble light fighter, a Scylla destroyer was dispatched from the Philadelphia Debris Field to engage, using 4 cruise missiles to destroy Tal's Liberator. His pod was tractored into the cargo hold, and the Scylla made for Rochester base in an attempt to sell off the "cop" to the Maltese as a slave.

Naturally, he escaped by hijacking a freighter docked on the destroyer, killing 5 men with his pod door, 3 with his PDW, 9 with a captured laser pistol, and 3 with a commandeered flechette rifle in the process. Once he was home free, he escaped north to the Colorado system, and onto Kepler, where his calf wound, caused by a frangible depleted uranium flechette round, was treated by the Zoners on Ames Research Station.

Over the next 9 months, Tal journeyed to Sigma 19, where he found out that Namura's Guildmaster council was disbanded and taken over by the Yukari family, a group of settlers raised on Planet Honshu and Miura. In their purge of "spacers", personnel who were foreign-born or born and raised on the various gas miners in Sigma space, Tal and his squadron were discharged and disbanded. Sent home to Manhattan, Tal began to dig deeper into the new Guild leadership, until he found that the then-current Guildmaster had deposed Namura's temporary replacement by means of assassination, using an elaborate cover story to mask her tracks. With this knowledge in mind, Tal set out to track down Namura's whereabouts, despite the fact that he'd been missing for months by then, and eventually got lead that he was being moved from one Outcast base to another, having been ambushed, captured, and forced into slavery in the far Omicron systems.

In Tau-23, he intercepted the Outcast freighter carrying a full hold of slaves, using the superior firepower of [i]Cruel Summer[/i], his customized Scimitar light fighter, to disable the ship. He then boarded it and killed the crew using a reproduction M1 Garand firing .30-06 high-explosive incendiary rounds, pocketing a gold chain and a relic trophy handgun along the way. He was shot once by a pistol round, although it failed to penetrate his body armor and he quickly dispatched the foe, eventually rescuing Namura and towing the crippled freighter to Java station, where the slaves were picked up by IMG miners.

With Namura freed, Tal accompanied him to Sigma-59, where they confronted the incumbent Guildmaster, Kara Yukari, with the assistance of the resurgent 2nd Interceptor Division which had refounded under independent Iejima station's flag. In the ensuing battle, Tal killed Kara Yukari and her associates on Niigata Star City with his Garand, ending the brief GMG civil war and forcing the rest of the Yukari family into hiding. For the next two months, he roamed Sirius, digging the remaining Yukari family members out of hiding and executing them under Keiji Namura's direct orders. After tying up the final loose end, he was allowed to retire from the GMG with a significant sum of money, as well as the Guildmaster's blessings, but not before the Yukari family and Outcasts had actually put a bounty on his head. On his way back to Manhattan from Gas Miner Ogashawa, he took a stop at Barrier Gate Station, where he was jumped by a band of Outcasts and unlawful mercenaries. Shot 3 times with frangible flechettes and with his fighter heavily damaged despite taking out one of the hostile fighters, Tal conducted an emergency recall back to Blazing Umbra, where he was rescued and treated of his wounds.

===Return to Blazing Umbra===
Ultimately, due to circumstances back in Sirius, he opted to return to Schatten while under fire during an ambush by Outcast hunters. After the pursuing ships were dispatched and driven away by station security forces, Tal was reinstated into [[TEMPCOM]] and resumed service with Solas Tempus. He was present during the capture of [[Nimbus Station]] and the destruction of Blazing Umbra station, after the latter of which he was recruited into SPECCOM and assigned to Cell #4783, callsign Dagger, tasked primarily with kill or capture mission. Here, he conducted numerous raids and operations against Onyx or suspected Onyx assets and affiliates, garnering a reputation for effectiveness and his unofficial “no prisoners” policy. Over a two year deployment period, he was offered a battlefield commission and eventually was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Command of Cell #4783 was passed to him on June 9, 2382, and he continued to serve as section leader until early 2384, when the cell was reassigned to Nimbus Station as part of their deployment cycle.

===Pereh Incident===
During a major Onyx assault on Schatten, Tal assumed command of the experimental Pereh missile carrier, a small frigate carrying twelve highly-destructive variable-yield ALR-X missiles. In utilizing these missiles, he was able to destroy several enemy capital ships, including a Super Star Destroyer, and rout the attacking forces, but damaged or destroyed several Solas Tempus facilities and ships in the process. With an overall combined casualty count well into the hundreds of thousands during this one brief engagement, Tal was immediately suspended from service, pending trial. Knowing that life imprisonment or exile awaited him, he enlisted the aide of Nine to rescue Admiral Lance Thomas, who’d gone missing after the attack, from a secret holding facility, and in doing so, revealed a conspiracy in which an imposter Admiral Sal D’Amico was revealed to have replaced the true one during a temporal incursion.

Following the incident, Tal was granted a pardon and allowed to resume service after extensive psychological evaluations and counseling.

===Infinity Wave===
In early 2384, Tal, acting as a representative of SPECCOM, accompanied a team of elite temporal operatives on a mission to stop an [[Infinity Wave|infinity wave]] from destroying the timeline. Deploying from the Lilith, the team’s mission is to prevent Onyx from destroying Sol with a trilithium device, and to recover any data they could as to the origins of the device. Eventually succeeding in their mission, Tal returned to Nimbus, where the station was soon contacted by [[Starbase Pandora]] and brought back to the present.

==Clothing and Equipment==
Tal's combat attire consists of and is built around the [[Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor]] system. In combat, he wears all three layers, along with the "platehead" helmet, and has a customized chest rig for use with the Type 21.

Tal's normal shirt consists of a custom [[Blue Team]] synthetic long-sleeved combat shirt incorporating Ageira Technologies' proprietary synthetic fabric, the same kind found in the ubiquitous Libertonian Marine BDU, along with a flexible nano-composite armor layer derived from that of the [[Class 1D Body Armor]]. The shirt is flame-resistant and incredibly durable, owing to the treatment of the fabric and the armor padding underneath. Adding an armor layer was a recent modification by him, after sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds onboard the VSD Stardust, and while it reduces user comfort and adds some weight to the shirt, the added degree of extremity protection (shoulders and arms) from hostile fire more than makes up for it.

Previously, he had a wide variety of different camouflage-colored shirts in his wardrobe, although he has since standardized them to plain black sleeves with a gray-ish chest. This matches [[Solas Tempus Uniform]] regulations, as well as provides a decent degree of camouflage in most environments. However, he does keep a few shirts in flat white for the snowy, mountainous regions of Soteria, should he ever fight there.

As a heritage item, originally authorized by the Libertonian Marine Corps as a tradition that he carried over to his service with [[Solas Tempus]], Tal wears two IR black-on-white 50-star US flag patches, one on each sleeve. These have the side effect of acting as an identification method, as they glow brightly when viewed through night vision equipment, although they may lead to misunderstandings with those more familiar with the 2000s-era United States.

Tal’s gloves of choice are specialized tan Gas Miners Guild pilot gloves, which feature a flame-resistant Nomex construction along with aluminized carbon-x layers on the palm to reduce heat transfer. The inside of the fingers and part of the upper palm are covered in Keratan leather for a better grip when piloting a fighter, as well as providing a small degree of abrasion protection. Along the knuckle is a molded polycarbonate handguard, covered in a layer of digital leather, perfect for clocking someone in the face.

For legwear, Tal has several pairs of “assault pants”, which were originally envisioned as a low-profile, no-compromise, dedicated assault uniform pant for [[Solas Tempus]] [[Temporal Operatives]]. These are typically aggressively cut for maximum mobility, with padded waistbands for a snug fit and stretchable knee and lower back panels for comfort. These pants have 10 pockets along the legs and buttocks, along with cutouts on the knees for use with removable lightweight kneepads. They incorporate the same synthetic fabric and nano-composite armor layer as his combat shirt.

Similar to his shirts, he previously had a large wardrobes of specialized camouflage pants like these, before switching to a standard black color to comply with [[Solas Tempus]] regulations. For snowy areas, he has a single pair of plain white combat pants.

Unlike most of the pilots in his squadron, he wore a pair of tan Ageira Technologies Light Assault Boots when in the cockpit of his interceptor, just in case he’d ever be separated from his ship and forced to survive on some desolate planet in the Sigma systems. Weighing little more than 14 ounces, they provide plush shock absorption and ventilation thanks to the synthetic outsole, midsole, and upper ankle materials, along with a set of lockable rugged nylon laces.

Complying with Blue Team regulations, he wears a [[Solas Tempus]] [[communicator]] on his left wrist, usually facing inwards for easy access while holding a rifle.

He keeps a pair of gold-framed aviators on him while he’s on the station, solely to make shitty jokes around [[William Foulke]] and put them on to act all smug afterwards.

==Weapons==
Following Tal's acquisition of [[Siegfried]], he found that her deployed combat form drained too much of his own energy to allow him to operate heavy weaponry, including the Ithaca 37, Mateba Autorevolver, and Mark 1 and Mark 2 railguns. His largest weapon in-inventory is the 6x28mm Caseless Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, and he is currently exploring alternate firepower options.

[[File:Mark15new.png|375px|thumb|Tal’s Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, fitted with target detector, scout light, 2.5-10x variable optic, and offset red dot.]]
===Mark 15 Mod. 2 Adaptive Combat Rifle===
{{Quote|It always comes down to the infantryman and his rifle.|Unknown}}
The '''[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System]]''' is a compact, magazine-fed, open bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated select-fire rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. While similar in design to the [[PDW-30/C]], the Mark 15, or the XV-15, is a rifle originally produced by Ageira Technologies that was adopted for service with select [[TACCOM]] and SPECCOM personnel in early 2384.

[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System | Would you like to know more?]]

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 rifle program, Solas Tempus began issuing modifications for existing stocks of Mark 15 rifles as a stopgap solution to a perceived need for a long range-oriented battle rifle system, due to the system's high-velocity ammunition and ergonomics. Chief among these were new, longer barrels with lengths between 14.5 inches and 22 inches, extending effective range by several hundred meters depending on barrel length. A new type of open-tipped match ammunition was introduced parallel to the modifications, which offers better performance at more extreme ranges.

Tal was first issued the 20-inch experimental barrel, with provisions for a quick-detach suppressor with a length of roughly 7 inches. Realizing that his assignment on Nimbus would rarely see a situation in which he'd need to use a highly accurized long-range rifle for it's intended purpose, he dialed back the barrel length once his initial evaluation period had ended, to a more CQC-manageable [[SPECCOM]]-standard length of 14.5 inches. For optics, he utilizes a quick-detach cantilever scope mount with a stripped down 1-8x low-power variable optic. A pair of backup iron sights allow him to stay in the fight if the scope is damaged beyond use.

The optic is hooked up to a dual pressure pad switch, which also serves as a transmitter for the combination IR illuminator and target detector. A miniaturized ultrasound scanner is built into the scope, which projects forwards in a 90-degree arc and picks out moving targets from a still background out to 200 meters. The range of the scanner typically varies based on environment, and in tight, confined spaces with significant clutter, range is reduced below 20 meters. The IR illuminator provides target illumination, a laser designator, and a visible aiming laser, with a small exographic sensor array attached to the left side. Similar to the TR-240 kit, this significantly miniaturized version has a much shorter range than the full device, but can still pick out targets hiding behind cover or waiting in ambush and relay their approximate position to the operator, at the cost of visual clutter and mental fatigue after prolonged use.

Attached to the underbarrel is a bipod. With a standard magazine capacity of 40 rounds and an automatic fire mode, Tal's Mark 15 can easily act as a light support weapon in a pinch.

[[Image:FWG5.png|right|296px|thumb|Tal's custom "Featherweight" FWG-5 laser pistol with a micro red dot sight and compact weaponlight. Note the backup iron sights that co-witness through the optic.]]
===Detroit Munitions FWG-5===
The '''Detroit Munitions FWG-5 "Featherweight"''' ('''F'''ree-electron '''W'''eapon, '''G'''eneral-purpose, Mark '''5''' Mod. 0) is a customized laser pistol produced in limited quantities by the Detroit Munitions arms company, based off of the successful FWG-series of directed energy weapons. Owing to its name, the 5-model is a traditional free-electron laser that focuses amplified light in order to damage targets via heating materials to melting temperatures, though as with all traditional laser weaponry, the effective range and firepower are affected wildly by environmental conditions. Nonetheless, it remains a popular duty and carry weapon, especially in the Edge Worlds amongst Freelancers looking for a lightweight, if not long, sidearm that is highly effective at close ranges.

The FWG series is notable for their reinforced polymer frames, capable of withstanding heat from the prolonged discharge of a directed energy weapon without any deformations and allowing for a much lighter weapon overall. While normally plated entirely in a decorative nickel alloy, the Featherweight model has removed most of the coating aside from some essential accents to reduce weight, an overall theme mimicked in modifications such as the indentations along the upper around non-critical components. A modified removable "double-stacked" heatsink unit, accessible and vented to open air via a traditional release button on the grip, provides a 40% weight reduction over the stock heatsink while retaining 90% cooling efficiency. Power for the actual laser is provided via a small, highly-efficient power cell in the rear of the weapon, which can be accessed and replaced by pressing two recessed push-buttons on the sides. Overall, the Featherweight model is lighter, better balanced, and more pointable than the stock FWG-5, though slightly less durable and heat-efficient.

Fire control is manipulated via a recessed knob located forward of the trigger guard, which allows visible/non-visible, continuous beam or pulse, and rate of fire control from 200 to 1200 RPM. There is no manual safety, with Detroit Munitions opting for a trigger safety that only actuates off of a specific, firm finger movement. Depressing the safety lever "activates" the weapon, while depressing the trigger gives the command to fire.

Tal's personal example is equipped with an additional beam-focusing diode, a compact weaponlight, and a slide-mounted closed-emitter LED reflex collimator sight, commonly referred to by both him and members of his team as a "Roland Special".

==Ships - Series CX "Scimitar" Border Worlds Light Fighter==
[[File:Scimitar.png|right|300px|thumb|Tal's Scimitar fighter, Cruel Summer, on Barrier Gate Station. Content edited for unclass media.]]
{{Quote|It may be classified as a light fighter, but there is nothing light about this ship. |Border Worlds Shipyards Advertisement}}
Tal's original tool of destruction is a Series CX Scimitar light fighter named Cruel Summer, bought secondhand from a dealer on Planet Los Angeles. Following his return from Sirius, he has replaced the written-off Karasu fighter with the more versatile Scimitar.

It has provisions for five weapons and one cruise disruptor or missile launcher, with eleven hardpoint pylons under the wings and fuselage for mounting external or auxiliary weapons. Like most other Freelancer fighters, it has provisions for a mine dropper and all-aspect countermeasure systems.

Envisioned as a sturdy multirole fighter designed for taking on the rigors of unexplored deep space, the Scimitar proves adept at most mission types, from exploration to close air support. While classified as a light fighter, it's more akin in size, armor, and power rating to a heavy fighter, with armament to match: 5 forward-facing guns, compared to 3 or 4 for most other light fighters. It accommodates the Class 6 weapon doctrine well - energy-hungry weapons with medium-high refire rates doing disproportionately high damage when compared to other weaponry.

It has two large inverted wings, canted 45-degrees forwards, with intakes for the single engine at the roots. The wings house electronics, pylons, and two lift fan ducts, which blow air in support of the modified VTOL system. There is one high-efficiency plasma engine mounted at the rear of the craft, feeding off of refined H-Fuel. The engine exhaust nozzle is tipped with a 3D thrust vectoring nozzle with a maximum range of movement of +-35 degrees in any direction, while the nose is tipped with recessed 360 degree maneuvering thrusters in order to achieve and sustain angles of attack of up to 76.39 degrees. Additionally, the engine is capable of pitching down up to -105 degrees, in accordance with the VTOL system's requirements. There are no vertical or horizontal stabilizers, and the craft relies on small thruster nozzles to compensate.

Cruel Summer is registered in Liberty as POI998 with the serial number 14-009, and the ship has been with Tal for over 7 years now, facing extensive modification along the way. The first of his distinctive modifications involved caging off a section of the cargo bay for re-purposing as a living area, featuring a small metal cot, a folding table attached to the wall, and storage drawers underneath the bed. A small bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink is placed across the small hall, which leads back up to the cockpit. These modifications were necessary considering that Tal grew more and more distant from his family prior to and during his enlistment, and as such he had nowhere to stay during downtime.

The second of the modifications were two navigation lights, one red and one green, placed on the wingtips of his ship. These help to alert other ships of his presence and lower the risk of collision.

The third of his modifications involved getting a lift fan installed and hooked up to his ship's stock engine, allowing him to conduct vertical takeoffs and landings. While completely unnecessary with the inclusion of stock vertical thrusters, he purchased the modifications anyways to better distinguish himself. This VTOL system was used once on Planet Nauru, where the jet exhaust from his engine kicked up sand hard enough that it chipped paint off of a nearby parked Anki freighter.

The last of his modifications so far are mainly cosmetic, as he got his stock engine swapped out for an HN-series light fighter plasma engine. The new engine's longer exhaust proves to be a hazard when used in conjunction with VTOL mode, as it has been shown to melt some older-model launchpads on Manhattan.

Cruel Summer prior to refit was armed with 4 Garand VI tachyon cannons and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator pulse cannons, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay. The shield array, which remains unchanged, is tougher than most light fighter or even heavy fighter shields, with a Class 10 molecular-type array that repulses projectiles by manipulating magnetic forces.

In mid-2384, Cruel Summer was modified to become Solas Tempus R&D's own first Low Atmosphere Testbed Vehicle (LATV). Given the designation Mark C-X, the ship was given a facelift, receiving a new, larger wing kit, moving nose strakes, prominent leading-edge extensions, and a slight fuselage extension. The original engine was replaced with a smaller, more efficient plasma impulse engine designed for high-performance light shuttles, losing the VTOL system in the process. Onboard living arrangements and most of the cargo bay was replaced with a large ammunition storage compartment, fitted with blowout panels in event of cookoff, and the gimbal-mount hardpoints were replaced with fixed weaponry. Two Type XI [[phaser]] emitters are embedded in the wing roots, while a quartet of experimental Mark 23 high-velocity 25mm cannons (derived from the [[Mark 22 Heavy Machine Gun]]) were mounted behind the nosecone, within the extended fuselage. The original aim of the project was to test modifications for more efficient in-atmosphere performance, increasing the maximum sustained angle-of-attack from 76 degrees to roughly 87 degrees.

Considered a success, Cruel Summer was given a new, novel weapons loadout for testing, relying on heavyweight 25mm depleted-uranium projectiles fired by it's four Mark 23 cannons to bypass enemy shields entirely and hit crucial components. The concept revolved mostly around fast-paced, close-in in-atmosphere combat, where the complex, delicate small craft used by most of Solas Tempus' adversaries could easily be disabled by crippling flight control surfaces, internal power, or engines. Each cannon was capable of an electronically-boosted cyclic rate of fire of 1,500 RPM, and the array is arranged to stagger-fire in pairs to maximize target saturation. The high throw-weight of the cannons, coupled with the high combined rate of fire, were designed to maximize damage in the short engagement windows present in high-altitude dogfights between aerospace fighters.

To extend range, a warp-capable jump ring that can attach to the fighter is in the works.

===General Characteristics (Mark C-X Scimitar-Class High-Alpha Modification)===
*'''Crew:''' 1
*'''Length:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Wingspan:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Height:''' 16 ft (4.88 m)
*'''Wing area:''' 410 ft² (38 m²)
*'''Airfoil:''' Root: NACA 65A005 mod., Tip: NACA 65A003.5 mod.
*'''Empty Weight:''' 22,600 lb (10,251 kg)
*'''Loaded Weight:''' 38,500 lb (17,463 kg)
*'''Maximum Takeoff Weight:''' ~100,000 lb (45,359 kg)
*'''Powerplant:''' 1x Light Shuttle-Class Plasma Impulse Engine
===Performance===
*'''Maximum Speed:''' In excess of Warp 0.6
*'''Range:''' ∞ (pilot-limited)
*'''Service Ceiling:''' ∞
*'''Rate of Climb:''' 78,740 ft/min (400 m/s) in Atmosphere
*'''Wing Loading:''' 55.121 lb/ft² (269.124 kg/m²)
*'''Thrust to Weight:''' in excess of 3.5 (full combat load) in Atmosphere
*'''Maximum g-load:''' +25.0 g
===Armament===
*'''Guns:'''
**4x Type IX Phaser Emitters

*'''Auxiliary Hardpoints:''' 11 total: 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of up to 45,000 lb (20,411 kg) of stores
*'''Missiles:'''
**Any combination of up to 70 microtorpedoes in external pods

*'''Mine Droppers'''
**1x MX-17A Nuclear Mine Dropper with 50 modified Transphasic mines

*'''Others'''
**1x Ageira Technologies SUU-15A/A "Fortress" All-Aspect Chaff Launcher System (6 Launchers) OR
**1x AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 Electronic Countermeasure Pod OR
**1x Fighter Light Cloaking Device OR
**1x targeting pod
**Up to 7x 480 U.S. gal (1800 L) H-Fuel tanks

===Avionics===
*Ageria Technologies AN/APG-98A Advanced Cargo Scanner system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-166 self-protection jammer pod OR Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-203(V)12 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALE-50 or Deep Space Engineering AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALR-89(V)6 Radar Warning Receiver
*Ageira Technologies MIDS Datalink Transceiver
*Ageira Technologies SM-e2 Class 10 "Advanced Barrier" Molecular Shield Array
*Type VIII Armor Upgrade

Tal Ravis

2022-08-16T02:27:59Z

T0l:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravis, Tal}}
{{Character Box
|image=Talprofile.png
|player=t0l
|fullname=Tal Yahalom "Underscore" Ravis
|altname=Underscore
|race=Human
|gender=Marine
|haircolor=Black
|eyecolor=Brown
|height=5'9"
|weight=157 lbs
|age=30
|dob=798 A.S.
|universe=Discovery Freelancer
|birthplace=Planet Manhattan, New York System
|occ=1st Asymmetric Warfare Development Group, Solas Tempus Special Services
|org=Solas Tempus
|rank=Lieutenant
|figure=Marine-y
|status=Approved
|setting=Blazing Umbra
}}
[[Tal Ravis | Tal Yahalom Ravis]], also known as Underscore or Snoopy, is a Sirius-born Freelancer who arrived in the Schatten system via splice. Formerly an interceptor squadron leader in the esteemed Gas Miners Guild paramilitary division, he found work with Solas Tempus as a fighter pilot, although he later became a [[Temporal Operative]] before being transferred to Special Services following the destruction of Blazing Umbra station. Perhaps SPECCOM's most controversial officer, he is infamous for his role in the ''Pereh'' incident and subsequent rescue of Admiral Lance Thomas.

==Skillset==
Tal is well-trained and versed in the art of killing people and breaking things. An exceptional marksman, having qualified expert with rifles and machine guns according to SPECCOM standards, with emphasis on speed, accuracy, and silence. Master of squad and fireteam-level tactics. Reasonably competent pilot on the side, with a knowledge of CR and GMG paramilitary guerilla warfare practices.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Attribute
!Value
!Additional Notes
!Category/Ranking
|-
|Health
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What the fuck happened to your face, dude?"
|1/C
|-
|Agility
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - High speed, low drag.
|1/B
|-
|Dexterity
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
| - Dynamically operates select-fire weapons in non-linear asymmetric environments.
|1/A
|-
|Strength
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░
| - Carried a 30-pound machine gun for a living.
|1/C
|-
|Melee
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
|1/D
|-
|Ranged
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Calls the automatic and wide-beam settings "family mode".
|1/A
|-
|Leadership
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - Terminal Lance.
|1/C
|-
|Observation
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - If he was any better, he'd have been Recon.
|1/B
|-
|Self-control
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░
| - Keeps it 3 hundred.
|1/B
|-
|Charisma
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "Tal, do you ever shut the fuck up?" -[[William Foulke]]
|1/D
|-
|Piloting
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Top Gun.
|1/A
|}

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Tal was born on August 6th, 798 A.S. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district on Planet Manhattan, to a family of relatively poor blue-collar workers. Of the three Ravis children – Hudson, Xavier, and himself – he was the least successful, nearly failing out of grade school twice with a terrible disciplinary record filled with absences, disruptions, and tardies. He also showed no talent or interest in the arts, spending most of his free time playing in the streets with his friends. Later on, he helped form a small street gang with a handful of his friends, lurking in alleyways at night, waiting for unsuspecting targets to rob, managing to snag several thousand credits worth of jewelry and other valuables.

Young Ravis soon found out that this new gang lifestyle was volatile and unsustainable, as an LPI crackdown on crime ended in the arrests of all of the gang but him and two others. Lucky enough to avoid the cops, he quickly sought an alternative to life on the streets, and after graduating from high school, he turned to the Liberty Marine Corps, hoping that perhaps he'd be able to start anew or die trying in a blaze of glory. His parents, who were vehemently against the Rheinland war at the time, were intensely disappointed in his decision to enlist in what they saw as a pointless, unjustified war, and so Tal grew more and more distant from his family, moving out of their small apartment and purchasing a Scimitar-class light fighter, which he nicknamed Cruel Summer after the season in which he shipped out.

===Service History===
Tal Ravis proved to be a rather mediocre Marine, taking up a four-year enlistment contract to become a gunner in a machine gun section. Promised action by his recruiter, he was disappointed when his enlistment consisted of little more than carrying a thirty-pound general-purpose machine gun around and occasionally shooting at pirates, slavers, or Rheinland embargo runners. While LAHAAT machine gun teams were lauded for their ability to manipulate the automatically-targeting, sensor-directed weapons within ships to great effect, he felt that he was fighting a war he didn’t sign up the fight–one against slavery and drugs, rather than the Rheinlanders. He has two 6-month deployments, one aboard the Yukon and another aboard the Mississippi under his belt, during which he boarded several hundred transports with his MEU. It should be noted that while he did fire upon and kill several Outcast slavers, thus earning a Combat Action Ribbon, he did not fire upon a military target as part of any official conflict.

While waiting for his opportunity to stack dozens upon dozens of Kraut bodies in front of his MG, he did manage to qualify expert with the standard-issue rifle of the time, Ageira's "Backblast" tachyon rifle, and also graduated from EVA school. Sadly, his enlistment contract ended before he could fulfill his dream of indiscriminately slaughtering scores of Rheinlanders or Gallics, and he chose to seperate from the military at the age of 22 instead of reenlisting, mostly due to his lack of motivation. The influence of the Corps on him, however, never went away, as shown in his fighting style, spirit, and aesthetics, since his [[Solas Tempus]] combat outfit is derived directly from the Marine BDU.

The Corps was where he first acquired the nickname "Underscore", where, in an attempt to make a commemorative tally mark on the side of helmet after his first kill, he accidentally had his helmet facing visor-up, thus resulting in a mark that looked more like an underscore than anything else.

===Later Career===
Once out of the Corps, Tal quickly realized that he needed a means to provide for himself, eventually taking up a stable job flying freight for Ageira Technologies for two years until his adventurous spirit came back. With a sudden craving for more thrills in his life, he quit working for Ageira and applied to join the Liberty Police, the same organization that jailed all of his closest friends just five years ago. It was here that, over the course of a few months, he discovered that he had anger management issues, eventually deeming himself unfit for duty in the LPI. From here, he resigned and went his own way, using some of his pay to buy a basic model Sabre fighter in order to start his own mercenary company.

Named "Haven Tactical Security", he and an associate mostly flew low-level escort missions, failing to make much of an impact or name for themselves. Eventually, his associate departed from the endeavor, taking with him most of the company's assets and leaving Tal to his own devices.

Undeterred, he turned to the then-Colonial Republic for work, where he was hired as a fighter pilot. Preferring the Nyx multirole superiority fighter, he was pushed through an accelerated pilot training pipeline and was eventually assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron, operating mainly in the Taus. He flew constant combat sorties against the Outcasts from the Carrier Hades in Tau-39 under the callsign "Snoopy", until he realized that the flashy lifestyle of a fighter pilot wasn't really for him. Stress, injuries, and trauma stemming from frequent combat with some of the best combat pilots in Sirius was rapidly getting to his head, and after a friendly fire incident in which he accidentally shot down a friendly Pytho bomber, he took his leave from the CR.

Life after the CR was sketchy, as he seemed to be unable to find legitimate work anywhere. His veteran status in the Libertonian Military put off many employers as the war with Rheinland was becoming increasingly unpopular, and so he simply roamed around Sirius, taking small jobs wherever he went. During this time, he became involved with the Junker Marauders, helping to erect and maintain Beaumont Spire briefly until he disappeared from Sirius for a month. It wasn't until much later down the line that Tal reappeared, this time working for the resurgent Core, having apparently undergone a journey of self-reflection and discovery. It is suspected during this away time that he completed Liberty Security Force Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group (SAD/SOG) indoctrination as well as a cursory deployment to the frontlines of combat on Leeds in order to train Bretonian rebels, although he dispels any such rumors.

Following the Core's successful capture of Yaren and Planet Nauru, Tal was part of a contingent of mercenaries sent to reinforce Core assets on Nauru, starting off with just a week-long search-and-destroy mission aimed at stomping out any remaining Corsair presence on the planet. The length of the mission grew and grew, until it was a full-on six-month garrison mission at a Core forward operating base. It was here that he survived the Great Ion Storm of 822, lucky enough to have received supplies from a transport just days before the storm hit Sirius. For the rest of the month, his garrison was on high alert, wary of any potential Corsair raids aiming to take advantage of the lack of communications between the base and Core command, although no attack ever came. It wasn't even known at the time if Nauru even had an appreciable Corsair presence planetside, and he never fired a shot in anger at anyone during his contract.

After Nauru, Tal found himself with a fair amount of money, and was willing to settle down somewhere a bit more stable for the long haul. After some milling about as a Freelance pilot, Tal found freight work with the GMG, after meeting Guildmaster Keiji Namura. Gradually, he became more and more part of the Guild, and was eventually absorbed into the GMG's esteemed Paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on Gas Miner Ogashawa, he flew sorties in a Karasu heavy fighter dubbed the Silver Bullet, after the ship's distinctive appearance and an aerial ramming attack incident in which he speared and disabled a pirate Waran bomber using the Karasu's distincive, sharp nose at high speeds.

Unfortunately, the original Silver Bullet was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots, the first time he'd been shot down since his time in the Colonial Republic. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a Hatchet destroyer, which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wilde forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries to his legs related to the ejection.

He took two major leaves of absence from his duties in the Guild, one to participate in a Blood Dragon ground offensive on Planet Tomioka, where he was wounded five times over the course of a 2-week long campaign in which he led mercenary forces against elite, battle-hardened veterans of the Kusari Naval Forces. During this time, he racked up at least 30 confirmed kills with his carbine, fighting day and night for control of the rear fuselage and engine of a downed Blood Dragon battleship, the Mount Fuji. Officially, he was never there, as he operated under the alias "Daniel Recker" to preserve his neutral Freelance reputation in Kusari.

The next leave of absence involved his associate, Komachi Kurosawa, and a temple on Nauru, which they investigated to no avail after Tal accidentally disrupted the temple's structural integrity using a large detcord oval charge, collapsing it on themselves once they were inside. After a while, they freed themselves from their stone coffin, although their search was ultimately fruitless. However, working later for the Core, Tal managed to retrieve an ancient artifact from a Zoner digsite, and planned on contacting Kurosawa for another investigation prior to being spliced out of Sirius.

In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Gas Miner Ogashawa.

Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned to fly in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force, nicknamed Geyer squadron. The 2ID will be stationed on Ogashawa for the forseeable future, although now without Tal at the helm.

===Saving Guildmaster Namura===
In early 824 A.S., Keiji Namura mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving most of the Guild puzzled as to his whereabouts. Tal Ravis and the 2nd Interceptor Division were tasked with the initial combat search-and-rescue operations as Ogashawa was closest to the Guildmaster's last-known location, although their preliminary search yielded nothing. Efforts are being made to allocate more resources into finding Keiji Namura, with the 2nd Interceptor Division poised to play a central part in finding the former Guildmaster.

While on the search for Guildmaster Keiji Namura, he stumbled across a "rogue jump hole" inside one of the nebulas, likely created by the then-recent detonation of an NEMP bomb in the system by a gang of Outcasts. Unknowingly, the rift was actually a [[splice]], and as he moved to fly past it, it slurped him up and spat him out in orbit of the [[Blazing Umbra Station|Blazing Umbra station]], where he was intercepted by patrolling fighters and eventually forced to land on the station.

===Solas Tempus Service===
Shortly after being intercepted, he was acquianted with the station and Admiral [[Lance Thomas]], who convinced Tal to sign a contract with [[Solas Tempus]] in exchange for a guarantee that he would be allowed safe passage back to Sirius should such an opportunity arise. For over five months, he'd serve as a fighter pilot, starship captain, and [[Temporal Operative|temporal operative]].

One of his first missions was to fly top cover for a wormhole test, which resulted in the party being engaged by several hostile fighters. He was ultimately able to dispatch the hostiles with some assistance from system security. Later, he engaged Romulan warbirds in his Karasu as part of a larger operation conducted against a listening post in the system. Since then, he has fought against all manners of enemies in space, from Nomads to an Imperial fleet. His starship, the Steamrunner-class assault frigate USS Bonhomme Richard, was effectively employed against a Nomad invasion fleet and was key in repelling the attack, at the cost of the ship and 80 of its crew. Notable among his fighter achievements is the incident when he dueled two elite TIE Interceptor pilots in [[Soteria]]'s atmosphere in his Karasu and won, taking considerable damage in return. After the reorganization of Schatten's forces, he was given command of the Sigma interceptor wing, stationed on [[Blazing Umbra Station]].[[File:Assault.png|thumb|right|Tal dressed in combat gear during a station power outage.]]

His service was not exclusively in flight, and he has fought on the ground numerous times. He acquired an M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle for personal use early on in his service, using it on two occasions to stop the alternate personality Shinra and to clear [[The Derelict]] with his boarding party. He was present during the Romulan listening post boarding mission, using the prototype DRX-23 beam rifle to kill several guards. He would also become one of [[Solas Tempus]] R&D's chief testers, providing input on the DRX-24 program before it was ullmately cancelled. The weapon was used once to great effect inside the station's amphitheater, with Tal racking up a considerable kill count before getting wounded by a tesla cannon.

More recently, he accompanied [[William Foulke]] and Four-Seven to a mysterious temple, having been sucked into the center of the sun by a shockwave generated by a reaction caused by William's artifact. There, after Tal accidentally ransacked someone's vacation home, they uncovered the secret behind the artifact, which acted as the key to a gate between realities. The trio returned to [[Blazing Umbra]] unharmed, although Tal did make an attempt to desert [[Solas Tempus]] in order to return home to the GMG.

Following the first mission to the Temple, Tal was almost the victim of a Nomad infection, having been ambushed in his room by an incubi that was lurking in the station's vents. Thanks to action by his AI, he was able to break free of the psychological hold it had on him and killed it using his suppressed PDW.
[[File:Talrailgun.png|400px|thumb|left|Tal loading another round into the breech of an experimental Mark 1 railgun.]]
He was once again present during the second expedition to the Temple, accompanying Admiral Thomas, Commander Yasei, and Will. There, they met the owners of the temple, who explained their predicament to the party after they were ambushed by the secret organization Onyx. Tal killed several with his SCAR-H CQC carbine before using it as a makeshift melee weapon by throwing it at a charging operative, allowing him to gain the upper hand and get his knife out.

During the psionic field incidents, he was called to assist in controlling riots on Umbral Shipyard, where he and a security team were eventually able to pacify the crowds. Moving to the residential district, they were again ambushed by Onyx agents, fighting it out briefly before gaining the upper hand and clearing them from the shipyards. Following this, Tal noticed a shuttle depart from the shipyards, heading to the gas giant Schatten IV. Notifying Will, the pair took a shuttle and conducted a series of scans of the planet's atmosphere, returning to Blazing Umbra to process the new information before participating in the raiding party that ultimately destroyed the Onyx installation, getting shot in the chest in the process and losing both his armor plate and his trusty FWG-5 pistol, losing another one of the few objects he kept from his time in Sirius.

He later participated in the hunt for and boarding of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Stardust, after CAP pilot [[Alema]] was abducted by marauding Imperial forces. Onboard the Stardust, he led a squad of 12 marines, along with assistance from [[Dalton Stone]] and the [[Type II Combat Systems Computer]]'s new android body, as part of Alpha squad, distracting Imperial marines long enough for a second team to find and extract [[Alema]]. The Stardust was destroyed in the confrontation, after both squads successfully evacuated. His squad suffered one wounded and five dead in the assault.

===Loose Ends===
Tal returned to Sirius in September of 2381, by means of the [[Janus Station]] supergate, taking with him his Liberator and both remaining Sirian firearms. Upon arrival, he was detected by Buffalo Base, which deployed several fighters to intercept. After unsuccessfully attempting to down the nimble light fighter, a Scylla destroyer was dispatched from the Philadelphia Debris Field to engage, using 4 cruise missiles to destroy Tal's Liberator. His pod was tractored into the cargo hold, and the Scylla made for Rochester base in an attempt to sell off the "cop" to the Maltese as a slave.

Naturally, he escaped by hijacking a freighter docked on the destroyer, killing 5 men with his pod door, 3 with his PDW, 9 with a captured laser pistol, and 3 with a commandeered flechette rifle in the process. Once he was home free, he escaped north to the Colorado system, and onto Kepler, where his calf wound, caused by a frangible depleted uranium flechette round, was treated by the Zoners on Ames Research Station.

Over the next 9 months, Tal journeyed to Sigma 19, where he found out that Namura's Guildmaster council was disbanded and taken over by the Yukari family, a group of settlers raised on Planet Honshu and Miura. In their purge of "spacers", personnel who were foreign-born or born and raised on the various gas miners in Sigma space, Tal and his squadron were discharged and disbanded. Sent home to Manhattan, Tal began to dig deeper into the new Guild leadership, until he found that the then-current Guildmaster had deposed Namura's temporary replacement by means of assassination, using an elaborate cover story to mask her tracks. With this knowledge in mind, Tal set out to track down Namura's whereabouts, despite the fact that he'd been missing for months by then, and eventually got lead that he was being moved from one Outcast base to another, having been ambushed, captured, and forced into slavery in the far Omicron systems.

In Tau-23, he intercepted the Outcast freighter carrying a full hold of slaves, using the superior firepower of [i]Cruel Summer[/i], his customized Scimitar light fighter, to disable the ship. He then boarded it and killed the crew using a reproduction M1 Garand firing .30-06 high-explosive incendiary rounds, pocketing a gold chain and a relic trophy handgun along the way. He was shot once by a pistol round, although it failed to penetrate his body armor and he quickly dispatched the foe, eventually rescuing Namura and towing the crippled freighter to Java station, where the slaves were picked up by IMG miners.

With Namura freed, Tal accompanied him to Sigma-59, where they confronted the incumbent Guildmaster, Kara Yukari, with the assistance of the resurgent 2nd Interceptor Division which had refounded under independent Iejima station's flag. In the ensuing battle, Tal killed Kara Yukari and her associates on Niigata Star City with his Garand, ending the brief GMG civil war and forcing the rest of the Yukari family into hiding. For the next two months, he roamed Sirius, digging the remaining Yukari family members out of hiding and executing them under Keiji Namura's direct orders. After tying up the final loose end, he was allowed to retire from the GMG with a significant sum of money, as well as the Guildmaster's blessings, but not before the Yukari family and Outcasts had actually put a bounty on his head. On his way back to Manhattan from Gas Miner Ogashawa, he took a stop at Barrier Gate Station, where he was jumped by a band of Outcasts and unlawful mercenaries. Shot 3 times with frangible flechettes and with his fighter heavily damaged despite taking out one of the hostile fighters, Tal conducted an emergency recall back to Blazing Umbra, where he was rescued and treated of his wounds.

===Return to Blazing Umbra===
Ultimately, due to circumstances back in Sirius, he opted to return to Schatten while under fire during an ambush by Outcast hunters. After the pursuing ships were dispatched and driven away by station security forces, Tal was reinstated into [[TEMPCOM]] and resumed service with Solas Tempus. He was present during the capture of [[Nimbus Station]] and the destruction of Blazing Umbra station, after the latter of which he was recruited into SPECCOM and assigned to Cell #4783, callsign Dagger, tasked primarily with kill or capture mission. Here, he conducted numerous raids and operations against Onyx or suspected Onyx assets and affiliates, garnering a reputation for effectiveness and his unofficial “no prisoners” policy. Over a two year deployment period, he was offered a battlefield commission and eventually was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Command of Cell #4783 was passed to him on June 9, 2382, and he continued to serve as section leader until early 2384, when the cell was reassigned to Nimbus Station as part of their deployment cycle.

===Pereh Incident===
During a major Onyx assault on Schatten, Tal assumed command of the experimental Pereh missile carrier, a small frigate carrying twelve highly-destructive variable-yield ALR-X missiles. In utilizing these missiles, he was able to destroy several enemy capital ships, including a Super Star Destroyer, and rout the attacking forces, but damaged or destroyed several Solas Tempus facilities and ships in the process. With an overall combined casualty count well into the hundreds of thousands during this one brief engagement, Tal was immediately suspended from service, pending trial. Knowing that life imprisonment or exile awaited him, he enlisted the aide of Nine to rescue Admiral Lance Thomas, who’d gone missing after the attack, from a secret holding facility, and in doing so, revealed a conspiracy in which an imposter Admiral Sal D’Amico was revealed to have replaced the true one during a temporal incursion.

Following the incident, Tal was granted a pardon and allowed to resume service after extensive psychological evaluations and counseling.

===Infinity Wave===
In early 2384, Tal, acting as a representative of SPECCOM, accompanied a team of elite temporal operatives on a mission to stop an [[Infinity Wave|infinity wave]] from destroying the timeline. Deploying from the Lilith, the team’s mission is to prevent Onyx from destroying Sol with a trilithium device, and to recover any data they could as to the origins of the device. Eventually succeeding in their mission, Tal returned to Nimbus, where the station was soon contacted by [[Starbase Pandora]] and brought back to the present.

==Clothing and Equipment==
Tal's combat attire consists of and is built around the [[Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor]] system. In combat, he wears all three layers, along with the "platehead" helmet, and has a customized chest rig for use with the Type 21.

Tal's normal shirt consists of a custom [[Blue Team]] synthetic long-sleeved combat shirt incorporating Ageira Technologies' proprietary synthetic fabric, the same kind found in the ubiquitous Libertonian Marine BDU, along with a flexible nano-composite armor layer derived from that of the [[Class 1D Body Armor]]. The shirt is flame-resistant and incredibly durable, owing to the treatment of the fabric and the armor padding underneath. Adding an armor layer was a recent modification by him, after sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds onboard the VSD Stardust, and while it reduces user comfort and adds some weight to the shirt, the added degree of extremity protection (shoulders and arms) from hostile fire more than makes up for it.

Previously, he had a wide variety of different camouflage-colored shirts in his wardrobe, although he has since standardized them to plain black sleeves with a gray-ish chest. This matches [[Solas Tempus Uniform]] regulations, as well as provides a decent degree of camouflage in most environments. However, he does keep a few shirts in flat white for the snowy, mountainous regions of Soteria, should he ever fight there.

As a heritage item, originally authorized by the Libertonian Marine Corps as a tradition that he carried over to his service with [[Solas Tempus]], Tal wears two IR black-on-white 50-star US flag patches, one on each sleeve. These have the side effect of acting as an identification method, as they glow brightly when viewed through night vision equipment, although they may lead to misunderstandings with those more familiar with the 2000s-era United States.

Tal’s gloves of choice are specialized tan Gas Miners Guild pilot gloves, which feature a flame-resistant Nomex construction along with aluminized carbon-x layers on the palm to reduce heat transfer. The inside of the fingers and part of the upper palm are covered in Keratan leather for a better grip when piloting a fighter, as well as providing a small degree of abrasion protection. Along the knuckle is a molded polycarbonate handguard, covered in a layer of digital leather, perfect for clocking someone in the face.

For legwear, Tal has several pairs of “assault pants”, which were originally envisioned as a low-profile, no-compromise, dedicated assault uniform pant for [[Solas Tempus]] [[Temporal Operatives]]. These are typically aggressively cut for maximum mobility, with padded waistbands for a snug fit and stretchable knee and lower back panels for comfort. These pants have 10 pockets along the legs and buttocks, along with cutouts on the knees for use with removable lightweight kneepads. They incorporate the same synthetic fabric and nano-composite armor layer as his combat shirt.

Similar to his shirts, he previously had a large wardrobes of specialized camouflage pants like these, before switching to a standard black color to comply with [[Solas Tempus]] regulations. For snowy areas, he has a single pair of plain white combat pants.

Unlike most of the pilots in his squadron, he wore a pair of tan Ageira Technologies Light Assault Boots when in the cockpit of his interceptor, just in case he’d ever be separated from his ship and forced to survive on some desolate planet in the Sigma systems. Weighing little more than 14 ounces, they provide plush shock absorption and ventilation thanks to the synthetic outsole, midsole, and upper ankle materials, along with a set of lockable rugged nylon laces.

Complying with Blue Team regulations, he wears a [[Solas Tempus]] [[communicator]] on his left wrist, usually facing inwards for easy access while holding a rifle.

He keeps a pair of gold-framed aviators on him while he’s on the station, solely to make shitty jokes around [[William Foulke]] and put them on to act all smug afterwards.

==Weapons==
Following Tal's acquisition of [[Siegfried]], he found that her deployed combat form drained too much of his own energy to allow him to operate heavy weaponry, including the Ithaca 37, Mateba Autorevolver, and Mark 1 and Mark 2 railguns. His largest weapon in-inventory is the 6x28mm Caseless Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, and he is currently exploring alternate firepower options.

[[File:Mark15new.png|375px|thumb|Tal’s Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, fitted with target detector, scout light, 2.5-10x variable optic, and offset red dot.]]
===Mark 15 Mod. 2 Adaptive Combat Rifle===
{{Quote|It always comes down to the infantryman and his rifle.|Unknown}}
The '''[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System]]''' is a compact, magazine-fed, open bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated select-fire rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. While similar in design to the [[PDW-30/C]], the Mark 15, or the XV-15, is a rifle originally produced by Ageira Technologies that was adopted for service with select [[TACCOM]] and SPECCOM personnel in early 2384.

[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System | Would you like to know more?]]

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 rifle program, Solas Tempus began issuing modifications for existing stocks of Mark 15 rifles as a stopgap solution to a perceived need for a long range-oriented battle rifle system, due to the system's high-velocity ammunition and ergonomics. Chief among these were new, longer barrels with lengths between 14.5 inches and 22 inches, extending effective range by several hundred meters depending on barrel length. A new type of open-tipped match ammunition was introduced parallel to the modifications, which offers better performance at more extreme ranges.

Tal was first issued the 20-inch experimental barrel, with provisions for a quick-detach suppressor with a length of roughly 7 inches. Realizing that his assignment on Nimbus would rarely see a situation in which he'd need to use a highly accurized long-range rifle for it's intended purpose, he dialed back the barrel length once his initial evaluation period had ended, to a more CQC-manageable [[SPECCOM]]-standard length of 14.5 inches. For optics, he utilizes a quick-detach cantilever scope mount with a stripped down 1-8x low-power variable optic. A pair of backup iron sights allow him to stay in the fight if the scope is damaged beyond use.

The optic is hooked up to a dual pressure pad switch, which also serves as a transmitter for the combination IR illuminator and target detector. A miniaturized ultrasound scanner is built into the scope, which projects forwards in a 90-degree arc and picks out moving targets from a still background out to 200 meters. The range of the scanner typically varies based on environment, and in tight, confined spaces with significant clutter, range is reduced below 20 meters. The IR illuminator provides target illumination, a laser designator, and a visible aiming laser, with a small exographic sensor array attached to the left side. Similar to the TR-240 kit, this significantly miniaturized version has a much shorter range than the full device, but can still pick out targets hiding behind cover or waiting in ambush and relay their approximate position to the operator, at the cost of visual clutter and mental fatigue after prolonged use.

Attached to the underbarrel is a bipod. With a standard magazine capacity of 40 rounds and an automatic fire mode, Tal's Mark 15 can easily act as a light support weapon in a pinch.

[[Image:FWG5.png|right|296px|thumb|Tal's custom "Featherweight" FWG-5 laser pistol with a micro red dot sight and compact weaponlight. Note the backup iron sights that co-witness through the optic.]]
===Detroit Munitions FWG-5===
The '''Detroit Munitions FWG-5 "Featherweight"''' ('''F'''ree-electron '''W'''eapon, '''G'''eneral-purpose, Mark '''5''' Mod. 0) is a customized laser pistol produced in limited quantities by the Detroit Munitions arms company, based off of the successful FWG-series of directed energy weapons. Owing to its name, the 5-model is a traditional free-electron laser that focuses amplified light in order to damage targets via heating materials to melting temperatures, though as with all traditional laser weaponry, the effective range and firepower are affected wildly by environmental conditions. Nonetheless, it remains a popular duty and carry weapon, especially in the Edge Worlds amongst Freelancers looking for a lightweight, if not long, sidearm that is highly effective at close ranges.

The FWG series is notable for their reinforced polymer frames, capable of withstanding heat from the prolonged discharge of a directed energy weapon without any deformations and allowing for a much lighter weapon overall. While normally plated entirely in a decorative nickel alloy, the Featherweight model has removed most of the coating aside from some essential accents to reduce weight, an overall theme mimicked in modifications such as the indentations along the upper around non-critical components. A modified removable "double-stacked" heatsink unit, accessible and vented to open air via a traditional release button on the grip, provides a 40% weight reduction over the stock heatsink while retaining 90% cooling efficiency. Power for the actual laser is provided via a small, highly-efficient power cell in the rear of the weapon, which can be accessed and replaced by pressing two recessed push-buttons on the sides. Overall, the Featherweight model is lighter, better balanced, and more pointable than the stock FWG-5, though slightly less durable and heat-efficient.

Fire control is manipulated via a recessed knob located forward of the trigger guard, which allows visible/non-visible, continuous beam or pulse, and rate of fire control from 200 to 1200 RPM. There is no manual safety, with Detroit Munitions opting for a trigger safety that only actuates off of a specific, firm finger movement. Depressing the safety lever "activates" the weapon, while depressing the trigger gives the command to fire.

Tal's personal example is equipped with an additional beam-focusing diode, a compact weaponlight, and a slide-mounted closed-emitter LED reflex collimator sight, commonly referred to by both him and members of his team as a "Roland Special".

==Ships - Series CX "Scimitar" Border Worlds Light Fighter==
[[File:Scimitar.png|right|300px|thumb|Tal's Scimitar fighter, Cruel Summer, on Barrier Gate Station. Content edited for unclass media.]]
{{Quote|It may be classified as a light fighter, but there is nothing light about this ship. |Border Worlds Shipyards Advertisement}}
Tal's original tool of destruction is a Series CX Scimitar light fighter named Cruel Summer, bought secondhand from a dealer on Planet Los Angeles by Tal shortly after he graduated from boot camp. Following his return from Sirius, he has replaced the "lost" Karasu fighter with the more versatile Scimitar.

It has provisions for five weapons and one cruise disruptor or missile launcher, with eleven hardpoint pylons under the wings and fuselage for mounting external or auxiliary weapons. Like most other Freelancer fighters, it has provisions for a mine dropper and all-aspect countermeasure systems.

Envisioned as a sturdy multirole fighter designed for taking on the rigors of unexplored deep space, the Scimitar proves adept at most mission types, from exploration to close air support. While classified as a light fighter, it's more akin in size, armor, and power rating to a heavy fighter, with armament to match: 5 forward-facing guns, compared to 3 or 4 for most other light fighters. It accommodates the Class 6 weapon doctrine well - energy-hungry weapons with medium-high refire rates doing disproportionately high damage when compared to other weaponry.

It has two large inverted wings, canted 45-degrees forwards, with intakes for the single engine at the roots. The wings house electronics, pylons, and two lift fan ducts, which blow air in support of the modified VTOL system. There is one high-efficiency plasma engine mounted at the rear of the craft, feeding off of refined H-Fuel. The engine exhaust nozzle is tipped with a 3D thrust vectoring nozzle with a maximum range of movement of +-35 degrees in any direction, while the nose is tipped with recessed 360 degree maneuvering thrusters in order to achieve and sustain angles of attack of up to 76.39 degrees. Additionally, the engine is capable of pitching down up to -105 degrees, in accordance with the VTOL system's requirements. There are no vertical or horizontal stabilizers, and the craft relies on small thruster nozzles to compensate.

Cruel Summer is registered in Liberty as POI998 with the serial number 14-009, and the ship has been with Tal for over 7 years now, facing extensive modification along the way. The first of his distinctive modifications involved caging off a section of the cargo bay for re-purposing as a living area, featuring a small metal cot, a folding table attached to the wall, and storage drawers underneath the bed. A small bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink is placed across the small hall, which leads back up to the cockpit. These modifications were necessary considering that Tal grew more and more distant from his family prior to and during his enlistment, and as such he had nowhere to stay during downtime.

The second of the modifications were two navigation lights, one red and one green, placed on the wingtips of his ship. These help to alert other ships of his presence and lower the risk of collision.

The third of his modifications involved getting a lift fan installed and hooked up to his ship's stock engine, allowing him to conduct vertical takeoffs and landings. While completely unnecessary with the inclusion of stock vertical thrusters, he purchased the modifications anyways to better distinguish himself. This VTOL system was used once on Planet Nauru, where the jet exhaust from his engine kicked up sand hard enough that it chipped paint off of a nearby parked Anki freighter.

The last of his modifications so far are mainly cosmetic, as he got his stock engine swapped out for an HN-series light fighter plasma engine. The new engine's longer exhaust proves to be a hazard when used in conjunction with VTOL mode, as it has been shown to melt some older-model launchpads on Manhattan.

Cruel Summer prior to refit was armed with 4 Garand VI tachyon cannons and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator pulse cannons, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay. The shield array, which remains unchanged, is tougher than most light fighter or even heavy fighter shields, with a Class 10 molecular-type array that repulses projectiles by manipulating magnetic forces.

In mid-2384, Cruel Summer was modified to become Solas Tempus R&D's own first High Alpha Research Vessel (HARV). Given the designation Mark C-X, the ship was given a facelift, receiving a new, larger wing kit, moving nose strakes, prominent leading-edge extensions, and a slight fuselage extension. The original engine was replaced with a smaller, more efficient plasma impulse engine designed for high-performance light shuttles, losing the VTOL system in the process. Onboard living arrangements and most of the cargo bay was replaced with a large ammunition storage compartment, fitted with blowout panels in event of cookoff, and the gimbal-mount hardpoints were replaced with fixed weaponry. Two Type XI [[phaser]] emitters are embedded in the wing roots, while a quartet of experimental Mark 23 high-velocity 25mm cannons (derived from the [[Mark 22 Heavy Machine Gun]]) were mounted behind the nosecone, within the extended fuselage. The original aim of the project was to test modifications for more efficient in-atmosphere performance, increasing the maximum sustained angle-of-attack from 76 degrees to roughly 87 degrees.

Considered a success, Cruel Summer was given a new, novel weapons loadout, relying on heavyweight 25mm depleted-uranium projectiles fired by it's four Mark 23 cannons to bypass enemy shields entirely and hit crucial components. This concept revolves mostly around fast-paced, close-in in-atmosphere combat, where the complex, delicate small craft used by most of Solas Tempus' adversaries can easily be disabled by crippling flight control surfaces, internal power, or engines. Each cannon is capable of an electronically-boosted cyclic rate of fire of 1,500 RPM, and the array is arranged to stagger-fire in pairs to maximize target saturation. The high throw-weight of the cannons, coupled with the high combined rate of fire, are designed to maximize damage in the short engagement windows present in high-altitude dogfights between aerospace fighters. A pair of Type IX phaser emitters embedded into the wing roots serve as a backup weapon.

To extend range, a warp-capable jump ring that can attach to the fighter is in the works.

===General Characteristics (Mark C-X Scimitar-Class High Alpha Research Vessel)===
*'''Crew:''' 1
*'''Length:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Wingspan:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Height:''' 16 ft (4.88 m)
*'''Wing area:''' 410 ft² (38 m²)
*'''Airfoil:''' Root: NACA 65A005 mod., Tip: NACA 65A003.5 mod.
*'''Empty Weight:''' 22,600 lb (10,251 kg)
*'''Loaded Weight:''' 38,500 lb (17,463 kg)
*'''Maximum Takeoff Weight:''' ~100,000 lb (45,359 kg)
*'''Powerplant:''' 1x Light Shuttle-Class Plasma Impulse Engine
===Performance===
*'''Maximum Speed:''' In excess of Warp 0.6
*'''Range:''' ∞ (pilot-limited)
*'''Service Ceiling:''' ∞
*'''Rate of Climb:''' 78,740 ft/min (400 m/s) in Atmosphere
*'''Wing Loading:''' 55.121 lb/ft² (269.124 kg/m²)
*'''Thrust to Weight:''' in excess of 3.5 (full combat load) in Atmosphere
*'''Maximum g-load:''' +25.0 g
===Armament===
*'''Guns:'''
**2x Type IX Phaser Emitters
**4x Mark 23 25mm High-Velocity Revolver Cannons

*'''Auxiliary Hardpoints:''' 11 total: 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of up to 45,000 lb (20,411 kg) of stores
*'''Missiles:'''
**Any combination of up to 70 microtorpedoes

*'''Mine Droppers'''
**1x MX-17A Nuclear Mine Dropper with 50 reloads

*'''Others'''
**1x Ageira Technologies SUU-15A/A "Fortress" All-Aspect Chaff Launcher System (6 Launchers) OR
**1x AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 Electronic Countermeasure Pod OR
**1x Fighter Light Cloaking Device OR
**1x LANTERN or SNIPER targeting pod
**Up to 7x 480 U.S. gal (1800 L) H-Fuel tanks

===Avionics===
*Ageria Technologies AN/APG-98A Advanced Cargo Scanner system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-166 self-protection jammer pod OR Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-203(V)12 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALE-50 or Deep Space Engineering AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALR-89(V)6 Radar Warning Receiver
*Ageira Technologies MIDS Datalink Transceiver
*Ageira Technologies SM-e2 Class 10 "Advanced Barrier" Molecular Shield Array
*Type VIII Armor Upgrade

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T23:41:06Z

T0l:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779), STV}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=Archer-class-starship.jpg
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|status=Active
|aff=Solas Tempus
|co=[[Tal Ravis]]
|ai=[[Sylvie Yamada]]
|class=Archer Class Starship
|quote="I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
}}
The STV ''Bonhomme Richard'' (TOV-61779) is a heavily-modified ''Archer''-class starship intended to perform surgical strikes, interdictions, and infiltration/extraction of assets as part of the secretive Special Services branch. Captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and named after his previous command, the Steamrunner-class attack frigate [[USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)]], she is the second [[Solas Tempus]] vessel to bear the name.

__TOC__

== General Characteristics ==

[[File:Defiant bridge.jpg|thumb|Redesigned Archer-class bridge layout]]
; Dimensions : 45 by 22.5 by 9 meters
; Crew Capacity : 1 Minimum / 10 Maximum
; Power Source : Deuterium Fusion Reactors (3) Matter / Antimatter Reactor
; Propulsion : [[Impulse Drive]] [[Dimensional Fold Drive]] [[Warp Drive]] Jump Point Generator
; Cruising Speed : Warp 4.1 / Fold 6.1
; Maximum Speed : Warp 7.95 / Fold 9.28, reduced to Warp 7 / Fold 8.5 with external stores
; Emergency Speed : Warp 8.51 for 30 Minutes / Fold 9.689 for 12 minutes, reduced to Warp 7.59 / Fold 9 for 10 minutes with external stores

== Offensive Systems ==
* 3 Type XII [[Phaser]] Emitters (2 Fore, 1 Aft)
* 1 MagLev Autoloader Torpedo Tube (Fore)
* 1 Torpedo Tube (Aft)
* 2 External Pylons

The primary armament aboard the ''Bonhomme Richard'' is the forward torpedo tube, which has been equipped with a novel octagonal magnetic-levitation autoloading mechanism to allow for either the rapid firing of eight torpedoes or continuous fire at a slower rate. Two crew quarters have been removed from the port side of Deck 2 to accommodate the internal magazine and feeding system, and the two forward torpedo tubes have been consolidated into one. In the event that the system experiences a malfunction or loses power, a manual mechanism for reloading is provided. When operating normally, the autoloader-assisted single-tube launcher is capable of matching the rate of fire of four standard torpedo tubes, albeit with a limited capacity.

Two additional magazines for mission-peculiar munitions holding up to five specialist torpedoes each are located near the aft torpedo tube, which is typically reserved for this role.

''Bonhomme Richard'' is fitted with an extra Type XII phaser emitter located on the hull, facing aft.

With the cramped nature of the ''Archer''-class exacerbated by the addition of the autoloader, designers added two recessed pylons underneath the saucer, one on each side, for mounting mission-specific equipment. Aside from sensor, jammer, and scientific pods, the pylons can be used to mount weapons, including torpedo launchers, phaser cannons, or up to two ALR-1 missiles with a penalty to maximum speed.

== Defensive Systems ==
* Holographic Hull Markings
* Deflector Shields
* [[Phasing Cloak|Phasing Cloak]]

== Auxiliary Systems ==
* Docking Rings (2 P/S)
* [[Master Systems AI]] with Holographic Interface as well as XIA Body and [[Mark I Humanoid Android Body]]
* [[Teufel Probes]] (17)
* [[Mark 1 Venture Transport]]

[[Category:Space Vessels]]

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T23:00:48Z

T0l:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779), STV}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=Archer-class-starship.jpg
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|status=Active
|aff=Solas Tempus
|co=[[Tal Ravis]]
|ai=[[Sylvie Yamada]]
|class=Archer Class Starship
|quote="I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
}}

The STV ''Bonhomme Richard'' (TOV-61779) is a heavily-modified ''Archer''-class starship intended to perform surgical strikes, interdictions, and infiltration/extraction of assets as part of the secretive Special Services branch. Captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and named after his previous command, the Steamrunner-class attack frigate [[USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)]], she is the second [[Solas Tempus]] vessel to bear the name.

__TOC__

== General Characteristics ==

[[File:Defiant bridge.jpg|thumb|Redesigned Archer-class bridge layout]]
; Dimensions : 45 by 22.5 by 9 meters
; Crew Capacity : 1 Minimum / 10 Maximum
; Power Source : Deuterium Fusion Reactors (3) Matter / Antimatter Reactor
; Propulsion : [[Impulse Drive]] [[Dimensional Fold Drive]] [[Warp Drive]] Jump Point Generator
; Cruising Speed : Warp 4.1 / Fold 6.1
; Maximum Speed : Warp 7.95 / Fold 9.28, reduced to Warp 7 / Fold 8.5 with external stores
; Emergency Speed : Warp 8.51 for 30 Minutes / Fold 9.689 for 12 minutes, reduced to Warp 7.59 / Fold 9 for 10 minutes with external stores

== Offensive Systems ==
* 3 Type XII [[Phaser]] Emitters (2 Fore, 1 Aft)
* 1 MagLev Autoloader Torpedo Tube (Fore)
* 1 Torpedo Tube (Aft)
* 2 External Pylons

The primary armament aboard the ''Bonhomme Richard'' is the forward torpedo tube, which has been equipped with a novel octagonal magnetic-levitation autoloading mechanism to allow for either the rapid firing of eight torpedoes or continuous fire at a slower rate. Two crew quarters have been removed from the port side of Deck 2 to accommodate the internal magazine and feeding system, and the two forward torpedo tubes have been consolidated into one. In the event that the system experiences a malfunction or loses power, a manual mechanism for reloading is provided. When operating normally, the autoloader-assisted single-tube launcher is capable of matching the rate of fire of four standard torpedo tubes, albeit with a limited capacity.

Two additional magazines for mission-peculiar munitions holding up to five specialist torpedoes each are located near the aft torpedo tube, which is typically reserved for this role.

''Bonhomme Richard'' is fitted with an extra Type XII phaser emitter located on the hull, facing aft.

With the cramped nature of the ''Archer''-class exacerbated by the addition of the autoloader, designers added two recessed pylons underneath the saucer, one on each side, for mounting mission-specific equipment. Aside from sensor, jammer, and scientific pods, the pylons can be used to mount weapons, including torpedo launchers, phaser cannons, or up to two ALR-1 missiles with a penalty to maximum speed.

== Defensive Systems ==
* Holographic Hull Markings
* Deflector Shields
* [[Phasing Cloak|Phasing Cloak]]

== Auxiliary Systems ==
* Docking Rings (2 P/S)
* [[Master Systems AI]] with Holographic Interface as well as XIA Body and [[Mark I Humanoid Android Body]]
* [[Teufel Probes]] (17)
* [[Mark 1 Venture Transport]]

[[Category:Space Vessels]]

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T06:46:14Z

T0l: /* Offensive Systems */

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779), STV}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=Archer-class-starship.jpg
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|status=Active
|aff=Solas Tempus
|co=[[Tal Ravis]]
|ai=[[Sylvie Yamada]]
|class=Archer Class Starship
|quote="I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
}}Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779) is a heavily-modified Archer-class starship intended to perform surgical strikes, interdictions, and infiltration/extraction of assets as part of the secretive Special Services branch. Captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and named after his previous command, the Steamrunner-class attack frigate [[USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)]], she is the second [[Solas Tempus]] vessel to bear the name.

__TOC__

== General Characteristics ==
[[File:Defiant bridge.jpg|thumb|Redesigned Archer-class bridge layout]]

; Dimensions : 45 by 22.5 by 9 meters
; Crew Capacity : 1 Minimum / 10 Maximum
; Power Source : Deuterium Fusion Reactors (3) Matter / Antimatter Reactor
; Propulsion : [[Impulse Drive]] [[Dimensional Fold Drive]] [[Warp Drive]] Jump Point Generator
; Cruising Speed : Warp 4.1 / Fold 6.1
; Maximum Speed : Warp 7.95 / Fold 9.28, reduced to Warp 7 / Fold 8.5 with external stores
; Emergency Speed : Warp 8.51 for 30 Minutes / Fold 9.689 for 12 minutes, reduced to Warp 7.59 / Fold 9 for 10 minutes with external stores

== Offensive Systems ==
* 3 Type XII [[Phaser]] Emitters (2 Fore, 1 Aft)
* 1 MagLev Autoloader Torpedo Tube (Fore)
* 1 Torpedo Tube (Aft)
* 2 External Pylons

The primary armament aboard the Bonhomme Richard is the forward torpedo tube, which has been equipped with a novel octagonal magnetic-levitation autoloading mechanism to allow for either the rapid firing of eight torpedoes or continuous fire at a slower rate. Two crew quarters have been removed from the port side of Deck 2 to accommodate the internal magazine and feeding system, and the two forward torpedo tubes have been consolidated into one. In the event that the system experiences a malfunction or loses power, a manual mechanism for reloading is provided. When operating normally, the autoloader-assisted single-tube launcher is capable of matching the rate of fire of four standard torpedo tubes.

Two additional magazines for mission-peculiar munitions holding up to five specialist torpedoes each are located near the aft torpedo tube, which is typically reserved for this role.

Bonhomme Richard is fitted with an extra Type XII phaser emitter located on the hull, facing aft.

With the cramped nature of the Archer-class exacerbated by the addition of the autoloader, designers added two recessed pylons underneath the saucer, one on each side, for mounting mission-specific equipment. Aside from sensor, jammer, and scientific pods, the pylons can be used to mount weapons, including torpedo launchers, phaser cannons, or up to two ALR-1 Ravis missiles, at a penalty to maximum speed.

== Defensive Systems ==
* Holographic Hull Markings
* Deflector Shields
* [[Phasing Cloak|Phasing Cloak]]

== Auxiliary Systems ==
* Docking Rings (2 P/S)
* [[Master Systems AI]] with Holographic Interface as well as XIA Body and [[Mark I Humanoid Android Body]]
* [[Teufel Probes]] (17)
* [[Mark 1 Venture Transport]]

[[Category:Space Vessels]]

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T06:43:47Z

T0l:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779), STV}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=Archer-class-starship.jpg
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|status=Active
|aff=Solas Tempus
|co=[[Tal Ravis]]
|ai=[[Sylvie Yamada]]
|class=Archer Class Starship
|quote="I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
}}Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779) is a heavily-modified Archer-class starship intended to perform surgical strikes, interdictions, and infiltration/extraction of assets as part of the secretive Special Services branch. Captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and named after his previous command, the Steamrunner-class attack frigate [[USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)]], she is the second [[Solas Tempus]] vessel to bear the name.

__TOC__

== General Characteristics ==
[[File:Defiant bridge.jpg|thumb|Redesigned Archer-class bridge layout]]

; Dimensions : 45 by 22.5 by 9 meters
; Crew Capacity : 1 Minimum / 10 Maximum
; Power Source : Deuterium Fusion Reactors (3) Matter / Antimatter Reactor
; Propulsion : [[Impulse Drive]] [[Dimensional Fold Drive]] [[Warp Drive]] Jump Point Generator
; Cruising Speed : Warp 4.1 / Fold 6.1
; Maximum Speed : Warp 7.95 / Fold 9.28, reduced to Warp 7 / Fold 8.5 with external stores
; Emergency Speed : Warp 8.51 for 30 Minutes / Fold 9.689 for 12 minutes, reduced to Warp 7.59 / Fold 9 for 10 minutes with external stores

== Offensive Systems ==
* 4 Type XII Phaser Arrays (2 Fore, 2 Aft)
* 1 MagLev Autoloader Torpedo Tube (Fore)
* 1 Torpedo Tube (Aft)
* 2 External Pylons

The primary armament aboard the Bonhomme Richard is the forward torpedo tube, which has been equipped with a novel octagonal magnetic-levitation autoloading mechanism to allow for either the rapid firing of eight torpedoes or continuous fire at a slower rate. Two crew quarters have been removed from the port side of Deck 2 to accommodate the internal magazine and feeding system, and the two forward torpedo tubes have been consolidated into one. In the event that the system experiences a malfunction or loses power, a manual mechanism for reloading is provided. When operating normally, the autoloader-assisted single-tube launcher is capable of matching the rate of fire of four standard torpedo tubes.

Two additional magazines for mission-peculiar munitions holding up to five specialist torpedoes each are located near the aft torpedo tube, which is typically reserved for this role.

Bonhomme Richard is fitted with four standard Type XII phaser arrays in place of the two phaser emitters, sporting one on top of and underneath the saucer facing forwards, and one on top of and underneath the hull facing aft.

With the cramped nature of the Archer-class exacerbated by the addition of the autoloader, designers added two recessed pylons underneath the saucer, one on each side, for mounting mission-specific equipment. Aside from sensor, jammer, and scientific pods, the pylons can be used to mount weapons, including torpedo launchers, phaser cannons, or up to two ALR-1 Ravis missiles, at a penalty to maximum speed.

== Defensive Systems ==
* Holographic Hull Markings
* Deflector Shields
* [[Phasing Cloak|Phasing Cloak]]

== Auxiliary Systems ==
* Docking Rings (2 P/S)
* Master Systems AI with Holographic Interface as well as XIA Body and Mark I Humanoid Android Body
* Teufel Probes (17)
* Mark 1 Venture Transport

[[Category:Space Vessels]]

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T06:11:30Z

T0l:

STV Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779)

2022-08-01T06:06:11Z

T0l:

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779), STV}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=Archer-class-starship.jpg
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|status=Active
|aff=Solas Tempus
|co=[[Tal Ravis]]
|ai=[[Sylvie Yamada]]
|class=Archer Class Starship
}}Bonhomme Richard (TOV-61779) is a heavily-modified Archer-class starship intended to perform surgical strikes, interdictions, and infiltration/extraction of assets as part of the secretive Special Services branch. Captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and named after his previous command, the Steamrunner-class attack frigate [[USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)]], she is the second [[Solas Tempus]] vessel to bear the name.

== Modifications ==
; Mission Variable Pod Connections : Hardpoints have been added on either side of the primary warp nacelles to allow the ship to carry 2 [[ALR-1 Ravis Missiles]] on the warp pylons.
: Carrying of mission variable pods is also possible to expand the ship capabilities for sensors, electronic warfare, fuel capacity, or other additional capabilities.
: Maximum speed is reduced to Warp 7 / Fold 8.5 while pods are carried.
: Emergency speed is reduced to Warp 7.59 / Fold 9 for 10 Minutes while pods are carried.
; Rapid Photon Torpedo Autoloader : The forward photon torpedo tube has been modified with an 8-Torpedo autoloader, which provides rapid firing of 8 photon torpedoes before the magazine must reload.
; Increased Photon Capacity : Two of the crew quarters have been removed from the port side of deck 2 to allow for additional photon torpedo warhead storage and maglev feeds to load variable warheads into the autoloader on Deck 1.
; Standard Crew Reduced : Standard crew is reduced to 6 + AI

[[Category:Space Vessels]]

USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)

2022-08-01T00:15:34Z

T0l: /* Service History */

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonhomme Richard, USS (NCC-61779)}}
{{Notice|Declared a total loss in 2381 after battle with the Nomad's in the Schatten Star System.}}
{{Ship Stats
|image=steamrunnerfore.jpg
|class=Steamrunner Class Starship
|name=Bonhomme Richard
|co= [[Tal Ravis]]
|xo=Commander Karel Durand
|quote="I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way." - John Paul Jones, Letter to Le Ray de Chaumont (16 November 1778), as quoted in The Naval History of the United States (1890) by Willis John Abbot, p. 82.
|aff=Solas Tempus, Missing or Destroyed
}}
Designed for combat and bearing the namesake of John [[Paul Jones]]' famous frigate, the USS Bonhomme Richard was originally commissioned as a vessel of the line for the ongoing Dominion War, however she never saw service in that capacity. Equipped as an assault frigate, the ship had little to do by the time her construction was finished in 2377, as the war had ended in 2375. As such, the ship was transferred to [[Solas Tempus]] under the [[Kappa Protocol]].

Now reentering [[Solas Tempus]] service in lieu of new threats, the Bonhomme Richard is captained by [[Tal Ravis]] and carries a wide variety of auxiliary craft in order to effectively project force and conduct planetary assaults and landings.

==General Statistics==
[[File:Steamrunner-bridge.jpg|thumb|The Bonhomme Richard's bridge.]]
; Dimensions : 303 x 224.2 x 48 meters
; Crew Compliment : 200+ (36 Officers, 164 Enlisted, over 234 Marines temporarily in 47 shuttles)
; Power Source : Matter/Antimatter Reactor Fusion Reactors
; Propulsion : [[Warp Drive]] [[Impulse Drive]]
; Cruising Speed : Warp 7 / Fold 7.12
; Flank Speed : Warp 9.991 / Fold 8(For 12 Hours)
; War Emergency Speed : Warp 9.999 / Fold 8.5 (For 1 Hour)
; Deck Plans : [[:File:steamrunner-plans.pdf|Steam Runner Deck Plans]]

==Offensive Systems==
* 8 Type XII [[Phaser]] Arrays
* 6 Torpedo Launchers (4 Fore, 2 Aft)

==Defensive Systems==
* 4 Phalanx [[Phaser]] Point Defense System (2 below, 2 above on saucer)
* 2 Ram Micro Torpedo Point Defense System (1 below, 1 above on saucer)
* Deflector Shields
* Ablative Armor
* [[Phasing Cloak]]
* [[Energy Signature Modification System]]

== Special Modifications ==
In addition to the refit by [[Solas Tempus]] according to the [[Refit Guidelines]], the vessel's interior has been significantly altered to allow for two 61-cell vertical launch systems under the saucer, facing downwards, for a total of 122 lower-yield tactical guided munitions.

==Auxiliary Craft==
[[File:HELLBRINGER.png|thumb|right|The Type 6 shuttle Hellbringer, serial no. 63103-63.]]
* 1 [[Arwing Class Fighter]]
* 1 Type-31 Exoatmospheric Multi-role Fighter "Seraph"
* 1 "Roadrunner"
[[File:KODIAK.png|thumb|right|The Type 6 shuttle Kodiak, serial no. 63107-63.]]
* 1 T-65 X-Wing Starfighter
* 1 T-493-HF/I "Karasu" Heavy Fighter "Silver Bullet II"
* 5 [[Peregrine Class Fighters]]
* 10 [[Type 11 Shuttle Craft]]
* 12 [[Type 6 Shuttle Craft]]
* 4 [[Type 7 Shuttle Craft]]
* 10 [[Type 9 Shuttle Craft]]
* 1 [[Danube Class Runabout]]

== Combat Air Patrol ==
* Pilot [[Alema]]
* Pilot [[Unit 1247]]
* Pilot [[Orn'Ornomee]]

== Service History ==
* Commissioned in 2374
* Construction completed in 2377
* Assigned, on special request, to [[Solas Tempus]] via contract in accordance with the [[Temporal Reconciliations]] in 2378
* [[Solas Tempus]] refit the vessel for Temporal Operations in 2378.
* In accordance with the [[Kappa Protocol]], the vessel was moved to [[Schatten Star System]] in 2379.
* Under authority of Admiral [[Lance Thomas]], assigned to [[Tal Ravis]] in 2381 after activation of the [[Kappa Protocol]]
* Destroyed after a prolonged engagement in the Schatten System in late 2381.

[[Category:Missing or Destroyed]]

USS Bonhomme Richard (NCC-61779)

2022-07-31T21:38:21Z

T0l:

Mark 1 Railgun

2021-03-14T05:06:39Z

T0l:

The Mark 1 Mod. 0 "Railgun", known formally as the '''Mark 1 Special Applications Anti-Armor Weapon''' ('''SAAAW''') and referred to colloquially as the "Saw" or "The Left Hand of God" is a prototype man-portable, shoulder-fired anti-materiel weapon that propels heavy saboted projectiles at hypersonic velocities.

==Design==

Measuring in at 1.26 meters in length and weighing nearly 30 pounds, the weapon is far too unwieldy for regular infantry use. As such, it is issued on a team-by-team basis, with one member of the team designated as the operator with two other people designated as ammo bearers and/or assistant gunners. There are two major components of the Mark 1, the weapon, which consists of the capacitor and trigger assembly, break-action, and smart scope, and the rail assembly, which is one large piece that is removable from the weapon.

The capacitor assembly starts at the end of the trigger guard and extends through the fuze box and protrudes slightly underneath the rail assembly. The fuze box, marked clearly by a yellow caution sign, has one switch on it to reset the circuit breakers, as they must be reset after each round. The trigger itself is a two-stage design, and, providing that the capacitors are active, a short pull will feed power to the rails and the targeting laser, allowing for rapid target acquisition, and a full, long pull will fire the weapon. There is a short 1-second charging time for the capacitors once the trigger is depressed, however, which cannot be bypassed with a long pull. Located above the trigger is a manual safety switch, which blocks the trigger and power from the capacitors.

The break-action loading ramp is opened by an ambidextrous switch located underneath it. There is a small, rifled barrel inside, where the round is inserted. The small charge on the end of the saboted slug is fired from the open bolt, which must be manually cycled by means of a charging handle on the right hand side of the weapon.

The scope sits on top of the break-action ramp and is coupled to both a rangefinder and targeting laser, automatically compensating for distance. The laser shines blue by default, although the colors are changeable. The charge progress is displayed in the scope lens.

The rail set is removable from the main weapon, allowing for easier transport as it is over half of the weapon's overall length. To remove it, there is a clamp on the right side of the weapon that can be pulled upwards and around to the top of the weapon, thus unlocking the rails. Removal is as simple as sliding the rail assembly out of the weapon, and putting it back together is the exact opposite procedure.

The latest iteration, the Mark 1 Mod. 1, builds off of operational feedback from [[Blue Team]] agents in the field, reducing the overall weight of the weapon from 30 pounds to about 25 pounds. Additionally, racking the bolt back and forth now resets the fuze box and charges the weapon, allowing for faster follow-up shots. There are plans to create smaller sets of rails for confined spaces, as well as different types of ammunition.

==Ammunition==
The newest version of standard ammunition used in the Mk. 1 is a 12.7mm cup-saboted ferro-nickel alloy slug with a depleted uranium core and a slug length of roughly 120mm, crimped into a shortened 12.7mm case with a small amount of propellant. When the weapon is fired from the open bolt, the small charge propels the projectile into the rails, where it is rapidly accelerated to upwards of Mach 10. This design function technically disqualifies the Mk. 1 from being classified as a railgun, although it is still referred to as one for brevity's sake.

==Operation==
To set it up from the travelling carry position, the operator must first remove both the weapon and the rails from their bags and put them together. Next, the safety selector must be switched off and the fuse box should be switched to the READY position. One round should then be loaded, and the bolt should be pulled back. Before firing, the operator must check their side areas to ensure nobody will be caught by the side blast. Once the sides are secure, the shooter should declare that the side blast area is secure, and then both the gunner and the assistant gunner should announce the firing by both yelling "railgun" in succession. Then, the weapon is clear to fire.

==Mark X Light Support Weapon==

The Mark X Light Support Weapon Kit has recently been introduced as an add-on kit for all Mark 1 Railguns as a set of shortened rails shipped with a new ambidextrous-loading breech system designed to accept 5x15mm railgun rounds, which can be added on to any existing Mark 1 railgun to effectively turn it from a special-applications weapon into a squad-level support weapon firing at a cyclic rate of fire of about 900 rounds per minute.

It is relatively lighter than the M240 ST, at about 15 pounds loaded, while retaining ammo and magazine commonality with the more common [[Mark IX Railgun|Mark IX railgun]]. Additionally, the breech internals can easily be swapped for a normal Mark 1's in the field, allowing it to fire anti-armor rounds against hardened targets should the battlespace shift in a way that requires such a weapon. It can feed from either 250-round Mark IX magazines or specially-devised magnetic field-assisted 1000-round soft ammo packs.

Despite the shortened rail length, the weapon is still extremely accurate out beyond the range of the Mark IX, allowing it to act as both a designated marksman rifle and a machine gun, using accurate semi-automatic fire at long ranges and cyclic automatic fire at closer ranges for suppressive effects.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Sylvie Yamada

2021-03-14T05:06:05Z

T0l: housekeeping

Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor

2020-06-24T22:57:55Z

T0l:

[[File:RISFull.png|300px|thumb|A demonstration model of a full set of Block 2 MRIS armor. Note the "skirt"-style garment worn around the waist: this is intended to protect the wearer from airburst and wide-beam munitions.]]
'''Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor''', also known as '''RIS''' armor or the '''MRIS''' system, is an advanced type of lightweight, flexible modular unpowered body armor.

==History==
MRIS was originally designed for non-combat personnel entering potentially hostile areas, who would not be comfortable with wearing full combat exosuits or otherwise had no need for that degree of protection. Original sets, now referred to as Block 1 MRIS, consisted only of a chestplate with 3 seperate layers of armor.

The elusive [[SPECCOM]] division of the [[Solas Tempus Action Arm]], however, has long since pushed for the introduction of a number of quality-of-life improvements, namely, a force-wide standardization of weaponry, mounting systems, and modularity, with an emphasis on easily interchangeable parts and foresight for upgrade pathways. Some SPECCOM personnel acquired MRIS chestplates, and, owing mostly to the modularity and strength, praised it for it’s many potential applications. Noticing this, SPECCOM began pushing for [[Solas Tempus]] R&D to create a SPECCOM-peculiar variant of the MRIS system. Their efforts have culminated in the development of the Block 2 MRIS system, which is a full set of unpowered, low-visibility body armor tailored specifically to the ever-changing needs of SPECCOM personnel based on their wide variety of mission types.

Since it’s inception, it has seen a number of key changes or improvements. Block 2 modifications allowed for the use of fully interchangeable plates that provide equal amounts of protection across the entire body, while the Block 3 modifications incorporate a [[Class 2D Body Armor|Class 2D body armor]], compatible with light shield arrays, and introduce lighter, lower visibility armor options for different environments. Block 3A augments provide specialized cold weather gear.

==Design==
The armor plates of the MRIS set are designed to be easily and quickly interchangable by personnel in the field to facilitate maximum readiness and mission flexibility for units deployed in strange, asymmetric, or unknown regions. The modularity of the set, plus compatibility with most standardized mounting systems, aftermarket accessories, and field improvisations, allows the end user to customize their armor based on mission need and personal preference. The high degree of freedom offered by both the SPECCOM mission statement and SPECCOM-peculiar kit allow for maximum efficicency and effectiveness in the field.

===Protection===
The MRIS system provides protection by means of interchangeable, removable layers. These typically consist of modular interference-resistant magnetically-connected armor plates, which are hooked up manually to the jumpsuit by means of heavy-duty load-carrying loops. Despite it's low weight and focus on mobility, it provides a high degree of personal protection, especially when the layers are in tandem with one another.

====Primary Layer====
The primary layer is typically the thickest, and is Class 1M-rated at the minimum. These plates are usually rigid, hard SAPI or Shooter's cut armor plates with a spall liner, with the most common variety consisting of a heavy tritanium alloy plate that covers the front and back of the wearer. While tough, the primary armor layer only usually covers the most essential vital organs, the lungs and heart, due to the restrictive weight of larger 1M-rated plates, although in tandem with the two other layers, there is little to nothing that can penetrate a wearer's vital regions.

A chest-mounted light can be attached to the middle of the primary plate, configured for low-light red, IR, strobe, or white light for various mission needs. The MRIS chest rig's straps can be configured to go over the primary layer without difficulty, provided that the wearer adjusts for the thickness of the plate compared to the secondary layer.

=====Low-Visibility Plate Carrier Module=====
An alternate plate carrier modeled off of the LBT-6094 chassis has been introduced with the Block 3 MRIS set, designed specifically for low-visibility or low-risk operations. It is designed to fit Class 1K or 1M SAPI-cut plates of varying size, with removable pockets for optional smaller side plates. The EMAG-resistant magnetic mounting strip system found on the regular primary armor layer can be found on the Low-Vis plate carrier.

====Secondary Layer====
The secondary layer protects most of the chest region, although it's rated lower on the protection scale at Class 1K instead of 1M. It is more flexible than the primary layer, consisting of smaller spaced plates with cuts for maximum mobility and ease of access, and is designed to provide the highest degree of lightweight protection against small arms fire that can be afforded to non-vital areas. Attachment points for Flexible Universal Mounts are located on the secondary layer of armor.

====Tertiary Layer====
Forming the backbone of the MRIS system is the tertiary layer, which, for EVA environments, consists of a fully-sealed, pressurized, fire-retardant, Class 2D-reinforced shield generator-compatible armored jumpsuit made of synthetic cloth and tritanium mesh weave to spoof sensors. Typically, it is in uniform black, with provisions on the chest to mount heavier armored plates. A heavy-duty EVA belt keeps the jumpsuit well-fit, and can accommodate personal shield generator units or ammunition pouches.

The unpressurized Block 3 variant of the tertiary layer is a new SPECCOM Class 2D combat shirt/pant combo with a rigid gunbelt, which had been worn by SPECCOM personnel for years prior to formal introduction. These are made from a similar synthetic cloth and mesh weave, but are lighter, more breathable, and significantly less complex than the jumpsuit. Key provisions include shoulder pouches, adjustable sleeves and wrist cuffs, and backwards compatibility with Class 1D soft armor liners.

=====Cold Weather Protective Outerwear=====
Incorporating operational feedback from SPECCOM units operating in highly-asymmetric environments, development of specialized low-visibility cold weather assault gear was accelerated and eventually produced the CWPO augment to Block 3 armor sets. Now issued as part of interim Block 3A MRIS kits, the CWPO is a set of lightweight, breathable waterproof (hydrophobic) and windproof garments made from slick synthetic material with a specialized soft inner layer. These garments, consisting of a grey jacket and tertiary layer-style assault pants, are typically worn under the armor in cold, wet, and/or windy climates, provided that a pressurized suit is not required. The jacket has two pockets with velcro slabs on the shoulder sleeves, adjustable wrist cuffs, an adjustable hood, and additional pockets on the main body, while the pants are essentially tertiary layer assault pants with a different material and inner layer. Both have the capability to install Class 1D or 2D soft armor layers, although wearers typically forgoe this due to the presence of the inner liner, which produces too tight of a fit when combined with armor.

The Block 3A jacket, which is currently exclusive to SPECCOM personnel, is worn occasionally as a status symbol in low-threat areas such as [[Nimbus Station]].

====Other====
As the plates are worn externally, operators issued MRIS sets typically procure low-profile fabric chest rigs, occasionally with additional soft armor backings for extra protection. These allow operators to easily store and carry auxiliary equipment, backup weapons, and spare reloads. Third-party belts can also be used to store equipment, shield generators, and oxygen tanks, as the MRIS armor is capable of fully pressurizing for use in EVA environments.

With the inception of [[Class 2D Body Armor|Class 2D body armor]], SPECCOM personnel issued MRIS armor have begun modifying the outer layers to incorporate one or more spare power cells, rigging them so that the shield grid is instantly recharged upon failing. These vary wildly in type and effectiveness, and effectiveness can scale with the amount carried. Their bulk limits their potential greatly, however, and most personnel never take more than one or two backup power cells.

==Next Generation Unpowered Armor==
With the advent of more robust armor solutions, namely the [[Class 1Z Advanced Cybernetic Exoskeleton]] and the highly-sophisticated [[Class 2M Nanomaterial Armor]], Solas Tempus R&D working in tandem with SPECCOM began development on so-called "Block 4" upgrades to the aging MRIS system, officially named the "Next Generation Unpowered Armor" program. Consulting with various [[Blue Team|blue team]] units, including the famed [[STMC]], R&D completed development in early 2386, with SPECCOM units being the first to receive the first phase of NGUA consisting of two different primary layers. Both are rated just under Class 1Z levels of protection and incorporate much of the same tritanium composite base materials but with a different synthetic alloy filler in place of any electronic components, although armor coverage has not changed from the limited Block 3 iterations. The first variant is the standard cut, while the second features a sharper "swimmer's" cut intended to allow the wearer more flexibility when operating machinery or weaponry. Both variants also come in an alternate configuration, with small cutouts at mid-level to allow for quickclip loops, along with a large hook-and-loop patch on the front to securely attach aftermarket bags and accessories. These do not compromise the integrity of the armor, and preference is left up to the end user. The back plate is fitted with provisions to accept anything from jump packs to portable drones and various rucksacks, for seamless integration, and the physical armor plates themselves can be removed from the MRIS-pattern housings and put in standard plate carriers.

The second phase, currently in development with some units receiving examples for field testing, consists of upgraded tertiary layers featuring full nanomaterial integration. Designed to be low profile, the nanomaterial underlayer requires very little power at a basic level, allowing for protection higher than the original 1D-spec lower layers with minimal levels of intrusion. Should power in the integrated micro reactors run out, the layers maintain a physical protection rating of around 1D, though wear over time may degrade performance. Unlike the more sophisticated suits of nanomaterial armor, the tertiary layer lacks most of if not all of the more advanced features, although components from both the 3M and 1Z armors are being integrated into the NGAU helmet.

The third phase consists of the NGAU helmet, currently in development. Building from the current MRIS helmet, R&D seeks to elevate the internal components to the same level as that of it's powered counterparts, along with more robust CBRN filter systems. There are also plans for a fourth phase incorporating newer shielding solutions, but R&D is allegedly running into difficulty with integrating them into the current NGAU/MRIS systems.

[[Category:Advanced Armor]]

Tal Ravis

2020-01-24T05:39:39Z

T0l: /* Weapons */

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravis, Tal}}
{{Character Box
|image=Talprofile.png
|player=t0l
|fullname=Tal Yahalom "Underscore" Ravis
|altname=Underscore
|race=Human
|gender=Marine
|haircolor=Black
|eyecolor=Brown
|height=5'9"
|weight=157 lbs
|age=30
|dob=798 A.S.
|universe=Discovery Freelancer
|birthplace=Planet Manhattan, New York System
|occ=1st Asymmetric Warfare Development Group, Solas Tempus Special Services
|org=Solas Tempus
|rank=Lieutenant
|figure=Marine-y
|status=Approved
|setting=Blazing Umbra
}}
{{Quote|Hope is the last thing a man does before he dies.|Tal Ravis}}
[[Tal Ravis | Tal Yahalom Ravis]], also known as Underscore or Snoopy, is a Sirius-born Freelancer who arrived in the Schatten system via splice. Formerly an interceptor squadron leader in the esteemed Gas Miners Guild paramilitary division, he found work with Solas Tempus as a fighter pilot, although he later became a [[Temporal Operative]] before being transferred to Special Services following the destruction of Blazing Umbra station. He is most infamous for his role in the Pereh incident and subsequent rescue of Admiral Lance Thomas. Currently, he leads a fireteam-sized element in the 1st Asymmetric Warfare Development Group.

==Skillset==
Tal is well-trained and versed in the art of killing people and breaking things. An exceptional marksman, having qualified expert with rifles and machine guns according to Libertonian Marine Corps standards, with emphasis on speed, accuracy, and silence. Master of squad and fireteam-level tactics, centered around the Marine Corps doctrine of maneuver and adaptable to most environments. Reasonably competent pilot on the side, with a knowledge of CR and GMG paramilitary guerilla warfare practices.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Attribute
!Value
!Additional Notes
!Category/Ranking
|-
|Health
|█ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What the fuck happened to your face, dude?"
|1/C
|-
|Agility
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - High speed, low drag.
|1/B
|-
|Dexterity
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
| - Dynamically operates select-fire weapons in non-linear asymmetric environments.
|1/A
|-
|Strength
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░
| - Carried a 30-pound machine gun for a living.
|1/C
|-
|Melee
|█ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "What's so hard about swish-swish-stab?"
|1/D
|-
|Ranged
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Calls the automatic and wide-beam settings "family mode".
|1/A
|-
|Leadership
|█ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - Terminal Lance.
|1/C
|-
|Observation
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░
| - If he was any better, he'd have been Recon.
|1/B
|-
|Self-control
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ░ ░
| - Keeps it 3 hundred.
|1/B
|-
|Charisma
|█ █ █ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░
| - "Tal, do you ever shut the fuck up?" -[[William Foulke]]
|1/D
|-
|Piloting
|█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 
| - Top Gun.
|1/A
|}

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Tal was born on August 6th, 798 A.S. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district on Planet Manhattan, to a family of relatively poor blue-collar workers. Of the three Ravis children – Hudson, Xavier, and himself – he was the least successful, nearly failing out of grade school twice with a terrible disciplinary record filled with absences, disruptions, and tardies. He also showed no talent or interest in the arts, spending most of his free time playing in the streets with his friends. Later on, he helped form a small street gang with a handful of his friends, lurking in alleyways at night, waiting for unsuspecting targets to rob, managing to snag several thousand credits worth of jewelry and other valuables.

Young Ravis soon found out that this new gang lifestyle was volatile and unsustainable, as an LPI crackdown on crime ended in the arrests of all of the gang but him and two others. Lucky enough to avoid the cops, he quickly sought an alternative to life on the streets, and after graduating from high school, he turned to the Liberty Marine Corps, hoping that perhaps he'd be able to start anew or die trying in a blaze of glory. His parents, who were vehemently against the Rheinland war at the time, were intensely disappointed in his decision to enlist in what they saw as a pointless, unjustified war, and so Tal grew more and more distant from his family, moving out of their small apartment and purchasing a Scimitar-class light fighter, which he nicknamed Cruel Summer after the season in which he shipped out.

===Service History===
Tal Ravis proved to be a rather mediocre Marine, taking up a four-year enlistment contract to become a gunner in a machine gun section. Promised action by his recruiter, he was disappointed when his enlistment consisted of little more than carrying a thirty-pound general-purpose machine gun around and occasionally shooting at pirates, slavers, or Rheinland embargo runners. While LAHAAT machine gun teams were lauded for their ability to manipulate the automatically-targeting, sensor-directed weapons within ships to great effect, he felt that he was fighting a war he didn’t sign up the fight–one against slavery and drugs, rather than the Rheinlanders. He has two 6-month deployments, one aboard the Yukon and another aboard the Mississippi under his belt, during which he boarded several hundred transports with his MEU. It should be noted that while he did fire upon and kill several Outcast slavers, thus earning a Combat Action Ribbon, he did not fire upon a military target as part of any official conflict.

While waiting for his opportunity to stack dozens upon dozens of Kraut bodies in front of his MG, he did manage to qualify expert with the standard-issue rifle of the time, Ageira's "Backblast" tachyon rifle, and also graduated from EVA school. Sadly, his enlistment contract ended before he could fulfill his dream of indiscriminately slaughtering scores of Rheinlanders or Gallics, and he chose to seperate from the military at the age of 22 instead of reenlisting, mostly due to his lack of motivation. The influence of the Corps on him, however, never went away, as shown in his fighting style, spirit, and aesthetics, since his [[Solas Tempus]] combat outfit is derived directly from the Marine BDU.

The Corps was where he first acquired the nickname "Underscore", where, in an attempt to make a commemorative tally mark on the side of helmet after his first kill, he accidentally had his helmet facing visor-up, thus resulting in a mark that looked more like an underscore than anything else.

===Later Career===
Once out of the Corps, Tal quickly realized that he needed a means to provide for himself, eventually taking up a stable job flying freight for Ageira Technologies for two years until his adventurous spirit came back. With a sudden craving for more thrills in his life, he quit working for Ageira and applied to join the Liberty Police, the same organization that jailed all of his closest friends just five years ago. It was here that, over the course of a few months, he discovered that he had anger management issues, eventually deeming himself unfit for duty in the LPI. From here, he resigned and went his own way, using some of his pay to buy a basic model Sabre fighter in order to start his own mercenary company.

Named "Haven Tactical Security", he and an associate mostly flew low-level escort missions, failing to make much of an impact or name for themselves. Eventually, his associate departed from the endeavor, taking with him most of the company's assets and leaving Tal to his own devices.

Undeterred, he turned to the then-Colonial Republic for work, where he was hired as a fighter pilot. Preferring the Nyx multirole superiority fighter, he was pushed through an accelerated pilot training pipeline and was eventually assigned to the 49th Fighter Squadron, operating mainly in the Taus. He flew constant combat sorties against the Outcasts from the Carrier Hades in Tau-39 under the callsign "Snoopy", until he realized that the flashy lifestyle of a fighter pilot wasn't really for him. Stress, injuries, and trauma stemming from frequent combat with some of the best combat pilots in Sirius was rapidly getting to his head, and after a friendly fire incident in which he accidentally shot down a friendly Pytho bomber, he took his leave from the CR.

Life after the CR was sketchy, as he seemed to be unable to find legitimate work anywhere. His veteran status in the Libertonian Military put off many employers as the war with Rheinland was becoming increasingly unpopular, and so he simply roamed around Sirius, taking small jobs wherever he went. During this time, he became involved with the Junker Marauders, helping to erect and maintain Beaumont Spire briefly until he disappeared from Sirius for a month. It wasn't until much later down the line that Tal reappeared, this time working for the resurgent Core, having apparently undergone a journey of self-reflection and discovery. It is suspected during this away time that he completed Liberty Security Force Special Activities Division/Special Operations Group (SAD/SOG) indoctrination as well as a cursory deployment to the frontlines of combat on Leeds in order to train Bretonian rebels, although he dispels any such rumors.

Following the Core's successful capture of Yaren and Planet Nauru, Tal was part of a contingent of mercenaries sent to reinforce Core assets on Nauru, starting off with just a week-long search-and-destroy mission aimed at stomping out any remaining Corsair presence on the planet. The length of the mission grew and grew, until it was a full-on six-month garrison mission at a Core forward operating base. It was here that he survived the Great Ion Storm of 822, lucky enough to have received supplies from a transport just days before the storm hit Sirius. For the rest of the month, his garrison was on high alert, wary of any potential Corsair raids aiming to take advantage of the lack of communications between the base and Core command, although no attack ever came. It wasn't even known at the time if Nauru even had an appreciable Corsair presence planetside, and he never fired a shot in anger at anyone during his contract.

After Nauru, Tal found himself with a fair amount of money, and was willing to settle down somewhere a bit more stable for the long haul. After some milling about as a Freelance pilot, Tal found freight work with the GMG, after meeting Guildmaster Keiji Namura. Gradually, he became more and more part of the Guild, and was eventually absorbed into the GMG's esteemed Paramilitary division as an interceptor pilot. Stationed on Gas Miner Ogashawa, he flew sorties in a Karasu heavy fighter dubbed the Silver Bullet, after the ship's distinctive appearance and an aerial ramming attack incident in which he speared and disabled a pirate Waran bomber using the Karasu's distincive, sharp nose at high speeds.

Unfortunately, the original Silver Bullet was disabled in a confrontation between Guild forces and Nomad-Infected Kusari Naval Forces pilots, the first time he'd been shot down since his time in the Colonial Republic. While conducting a strafing run on an Isejin-affiliated gunship, his vessel was caught by a full primary battery salvo from a Hatchet destroyer, which erased the entire rear half of the fighter. With no weapons or engine remaining, he coordinated an ejection to avoid capture by Wilde forces and was rescued by Guildmaster Keiji Namura, suffering minor injuries to his legs related to the ejection.

He took two major leaves of absence from his duties in the Guild, one to participate in a Blood Dragon ground offensive on Planet Tomioka, where he was wounded five times over the course of a 2-week long campaign in which he led mercenary forces against elite, battle-hardened veterans of the Kusari Naval Forces. During this time, he racked up at least 30 confirmed kills with his carbine, fighting day and night for control of the rear fuselage and engine of a downed Blood Dragon battleship, the Mount Fuji. Officially, he was never there, as he operated under the alias "Daniel Recker" to preserve his neutral Freelance reputation in Kusari.

The next leave of absence involved his associate, Komachi Kurosawa, and a temple on Nauru, which they investigated to no avail after Tal accidentally disrupted the temple's structural integrity using a large detcord oval charge, collapsing it on themselves once they were inside. After a while, they freed themselves from their stone coffin, although their search was ultimately fruitless. However, working later for the Core, Tal managed to retrieve an ancient artifact from a Zoner digsite, and planned on contacting Kurosawa for another investigation prior to being spliced out of Sirius.

In late-823 A.S., he and the rest of the 2nd Interceptor Division were temporarily reassigned to Iejima Station following a threat from an independent group of Corsair battleship captains, flying T-493-B Kaichous from Iejima. Once two weeks had passed without an attack, he and his squadron were relocated back to Gas Miner Ogashawa.

Tal was later given command of the 2nd Interceptor Division, nicknamed "Dealers in Death", and was reassigned to fly in support of the VWA-BD-Order Anti-Corsair Joint Strike Force, nicknamed Geyer squadron. The 2ID will be stationed on Ogashawa for the forseeable future, although now without Tal at the helm.

===Saving Guildmaster Namura===
In early 824 A.S., Keiji Namura mysteriously disappeared without a trace, leaving most of the Guild puzzled as to his whereabouts. Tal Ravis and the 2nd Interceptor Division were tasked with the initial combat search-and-rescue operations as Ogashawa was closest to the Guildmaster's last-known location, although their preliminary search yielded nothing. Efforts are being made to allocate more resources into finding Keiji Namura, with the 2nd Interceptor Division poised to play a central part in finding the former Guildmaster.

While on the search for Guildmaster Keiji Namura, he stumbled across a "rogue jump hole" inside one of the nebulas, likely created by the then-recent detonation of an NEMP bomb in the system by a gang of Outcasts. Unknowingly, the rift was actually a [[splice]], and as he moved to fly past it, it slurped him up and spat him out in orbit of the [[Blazing Umbra Station|Blazing Umbra station]], where he was intercepted by patrolling fighters and eventually forced to land on the station.

===Solas Tempus Service===
Shortly after being intercepted, he was acquianted with the station and Admiral [[Lance Thomas]], who convinced Tal to sign a contract with [[Solas Tempus]] in exchange for a guarantee that he would be allowed safe passage back to Sirius should such an opportunity arise. For over five months, he'd serve as a fighter pilot, starship captain, and [[Temporal Operative|temporal operative]].

One of his first missions was to fly top cover for a wormhole test, which resulted in the party being engaged by several hostile fighters. He was ultimately able to dispatch the hostiles with some assistance from system security. Later, he engaged Romulan warbirds in his Karasu as part of a larger operation conducted against a listening post in the system. Since then, he has fought against all manners of enemies in space, from Nomads to an Imperial fleet. His starship, the Steamrunner-class assault frigate USS Bonhomme Richard, was effectively employed against a Nomad invasion fleet and was key in repelling the attack, at the cost of the ship and 80 of its crew. Notable among his fighter achievements is the incident when he dueled two elite TIE Interceptor pilots in [[Soteria]]'s atmosphere in his Karasu and won, taking considerable damage in return. After the reorganization of Schatten's forces, he was given command of the Sigma interceptor wing, stationed on [[Blazing Umbra Station]].[[File:Assault.png|thumb|right|Tal dressed in combat gear during a station power outage.]]

His service was not exclusively in flight, and he has fought on the ground numerous times. He acquired an M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle for personal use early on in his service, using it on two occasions to stop the alternate personality Shinra and to clear [[The Derelict]] with his boarding party. He was present during the Romulan listening post boarding mission, using the prototype DRX-23 beam rifle to kill several guards. He would also become one of [[Solas Tempus]] R&D's chief testers, providing input on the DRX-24 program before it was ullmately cancelled. The weapon was used once to great effect inside the station's amphitheater, with Tal racking up a considerable kill count before getting wounded by a tesla cannon.

More recently, he accompanied [[William Foulke]] and Four-Seven to a mysterious temple, having been sucked into the center of the sun by a shockwave generated by a reaction caused by William's artifact. There, after Tal accidentally ransacked someone's vacation home, they uncovered the secret behind the artifact, which acted as the key to a gate between realities. The trio returned to [[Blazing Umbra]] unharmed, although Tal did make an attempt to desert [[Solas Tempus]] in order to return home to the GMG.

Following the first mission to the Temple, Tal was almost the victim of a Nomad infection, having been ambushed in his room by an incubi that was lurking in the station's vents. Thanks to action by his AI, he was able to break free of the psychological hold it had on him and killed it using his suppressed PDW.
[[File:Talrailgun.png|400px|thumb|left|Tal loading another round into the breech of an experimental Mark 1 railgun.]]
He was once again present during the second expedition to the Temple, accompanying Admiral Thomas, Commander Yasei, and Will. There, they met the owners of the temple, who explained their predicament to the party after they were ambushed by the secret organization Onyx. Tal killed several with his SCAR-H CQC carbine before using it as a makeshift melee weapon by throwing it at a charging operative, allowing him to gain the upper hand and get his knife out.

During the psionic field incidents, he was called to assist in controlling riots on Umbral Shipyard, where he and a security team were eventually able to pacify the crowds. Moving to the residential district, they were again ambushed by Onyx agents, fighting it out briefly before gaining the upper hand and clearing them from the shipyards. Following this, Tal noticed a shuttle depart from the shipyards, heading to the gas giant Schatten IV. Notifying Will, the pair took a shuttle and conducted a series of scans of the planet's atmosphere, returning to Blazing Umbra to process the new information before participating in the raiding party that ultimately destroyed the Onyx installation, getting shot in the chest in the process and losing both his armor plate and his trusty FWG-5 pistol, losing another one of the few objects he kept from his time in Sirius.

He later participated in the hunt for and boarding of the Victory-class Star Destroyer Stardust, after CAP pilot [[Alema]] was abducted by marauding Imperial forces. Onboard the Stardust, he led a squad of 12 marines, along with assistance from [[Dalton Stone]] and the [[Type II Combat Systems Computer]]'s new android body, as part of Alpha squad, distracting Imperial marines long enough for a second team to find and extract [[Alema]]. The Stardust was destroyed in the confrontation, after both squads successfully evacuated. His squad suffered one wounded and five dead in the assault.

===Loose Ends===
Tal returned to Sirius in September of 2381, by means of the [[Janus Station]] supergate, taking with him his Liberator and both remaining Sirian firearms. Upon arrival, he was detected by Buffalo Base, which deployed several fighters to intercept. After unsuccessfully attempting to down the nimble light fighter, a Scylla destroyer was dispatched from the Philadelphia Debris Field to engage, using 4 cruise missiles to destroy Tal's Liberator. His pod was tractored into the cargo hold, and the Scylla made for Rochester base in an attempt to sell off the "cop" to the Maltese as a slave.

Naturally, he escaped by hijacking a freighter docked on the destroyer, killing 5 men with his pod door, 3 with his PDW, 9 with a captured laser pistol, and 3 with a commandeered flechette rifle in the process. Once he was home free, he escaped north to the Colorado system, and onto Kepler, where his calf wound, caused by a frangible depleted uranium flechette round, was treated by the Zoners on Ames Research Station.

Over the next 9 months, Tal journeyed to Sigma 19, where he found out that Namura's Guildmaster council was disbanded and taken over by the Yukari family, a group of settlers raised on Planet Honshu and Miura. In their purge of "spacers", personnel who were foreign-born or born and raised on the various gas miners in Sigma space, Tal and his squadron were discharged and disbanded. Sent home to Manhattan, Tal began to dig deeper into the new Guild leadership, until he found that the then-current Guildmaster had deposed Namura's temporary replacement by means of assassination, using an elaborate cover story to mask her tracks. With this knowledge in mind, Tal set out to track down Namura's whereabouts, despite the fact that he'd been missing for months by then, and eventually got lead that he was being moved from one Outcast base to another, having been ambushed, captured, and forced into slavery in the far Omicron systems.

In Tau-23, he intercepted the Outcast freighter carrying a full hold of slaves, using the superior firepower of [i]Cruel Summer[/i], his customized Scimitar light fighter, to disable the ship. He then boarded it and killed the crew using a reproduction M1 Garand firing .30-06 high-explosive incendiary rounds, pocketing a gold chain and a relic trophy handgun along the way. He was shot once by a pistol round, although it failed to penetrate his body armor and he quickly dispatched the foe, eventually rescuing Namura and towing the crippled freighter to Java station, where the slaves were picked up by IMG miners.

With Namura freed, Tal accompanied him to Sigma-59, where they confronted the incumbent Guildmaster, Kara Yukari, with the assistance of the resurgent 2nd Interceptor Division which had refounded under independent Iejima station's flag. In the ensuing battle, Tal killed Kara Yukari and her associates on Niigata Star City with his Garand, ending the brief GMG civil war and forcing the rest of the Yukari family into hiding. For the next two months, he roamed Sirius, digging the remaining Yukari family members out of hiding and executing them under Keiji Namura's direct orders. After tying up the final loose end, he was allowed to retire from the GMG with a significant sum of money, as well as the Guildmaster's blessings, but not before the Yukari family and Outcasts had actually put a bounty on his head. On his way back to Manhattan from Gas Miner Ogashawa, he took a stop at Barrier Gate Station, where he was jumped by a band of Outcasts and unlawful mercenaries. Shot 3 times with frangible flechettes and with his fighter heavily damaged despite taking out one of the hostile fighters, Tal conducted an emergency recall back to Blazing Umbra, where he was rescued and treated of his wounds.

===Return to Blazing Umbra===
Ultimately, due to circumstances back in Sirius, he opted to return to Schatten while under fire during an ambush by Outcast hunters. After the pursuing ships were dispatched and driven away by station security forces, Tal was reinstated into [[TEMPCOM]] and resumed service with Solas Tempus. He was present during the capture of [[Nimbus Station]] and the destruction of Blazing Umbra station, after the latter of which he was recruited into SPECCOM and assigned to Cell #4783, callsign Dagger, tasked primarily with kill or capture mission. Here, he conducted numerous raids and operations against Onyx or suspected Onyx assets and affiliates, garnering a reputation for effectiveness and his unofficial “no prisoners” policy. Over a two year deployment period, he was offered a battlefield commission and eventually was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Command of Cell #4783 was passed to him on June 9, 2382, and he continued to serve as section leader until early 2384, when the cell was reassigned to Nimbus Station as part of their deployment cycle.

===Pereh Incident===
During a major Onyx assault on Schatten, Tal assumed command of the experimental Pereh missile carrier, a small frigate carrying twelve highly-destructive variable-yield ALR-X missiles. In utilizing these missiles, he was able to destroy several enemy capital ships, including a Super Star Destroyer, and rout the attacking forces, but damaged or destroyed several Solas Tempus facilities and ships in the process. With an overall combined casualty count well into the hundreds of thousands during this one brief engagement, Tal was immediately suspended from service, pending trial. Knowing that life imprisonment or exile awaited him, he enlisted the aide of Nine to rescue Admiral Lance Thomas, who’d gone missing after the attack, from a secret holding facility, and in doing so, revealed a conspiracy in which an imposter Admiral Sal D’Amico was revealed to have replaced the true one during a temporal incursion.

Following the incident, Tal was granted a pardon and allowed to resume service after extensive psychological evaluations and counseling.

===Infinity Wave===
In early 2384, Tal, acting as a representative of SPECCOM, accompanied a team of elite temporal operatives on a mission to stop an [[Infinity Wave|infinity wave]] from destroying the timeline. Deploying from the Lilith, the team’s mission is to prevent Onyx from destroying Sol with a trilithium device, and to recover any data they could as to the origins of the device. Eventually succeeding in their mission, Tal returned to Nimbus, where the station was soon contacted by [[Starbase Pandora]] and brought back to the present.

==Clothing and Equipment==
Tal's combat attire consists of and is built around the [[Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor]] system. In combat, he wears all three layers, along with the "platehead" helmet, and has a customized chest rig for use with the Type 21.

Tal's normal shirt consists of a custom [[Blue Team]] synthetic long-sleeved combat shirt incorporating Ageira Technologies' proprietary synthetic fabric, the same kind found in the ubiquitous Libertonian Marine BDU, along with a flexible nano-composite armor layer derived from that of the [[Class 1D Body Armor]]. The shirt is flame-resistant and incredibly durable, owing to the treatment of the fabric and the armor padding underneath. Adding an armor layer was a recent modification by him, after sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds onboard the VSD Stardust, and while it reduces user comfort and adds some weight to the shirt, the added degree of extremity protection (shoulders and arms) from hostile fire more than makes up for it.

Previously, he had a wide variety of different camouflage-colored shirts in his wardrobe, although he has since standardized them to plain black sleeves with a gray-ish chest. This matches [[Solas Tempus Uniform]] regulations, as well as provides a decent degree of camouflage in most environments. However, he does keep a few shirts in flat white for the snowy, mountainous regions of Soteria, should he ever fight there.

As a heritage item, originally authorized by the Libertonian Marine Corps as a tradition that he carried over to his service with [[Solas Tempus]], Tal wears two IR black-on-white 50-star US flag patches, one on each sleeve. These have the side effect of acting as an identification method, as they glow brightly when viewed through night vision equipment, although they may lead to misunderstandings with those more familiar with the 2000s-era United States.

Tal’s gloves of choice are specialized tan Gas Miners Guild pilot gloves, which feature a flame-resistant Nomex construction along with aluminized carbon-x layers on the palm to reduce heat transfer. The inside of the fingers and part of the upper palm are covered in Keratan leather for a better grip when piloting a fighter, as well as providing a small degree of abrasion protection. Along the knuckle is a molded polycarbonate handguard, covered in a layer of digital leather, perfect for clocking someone in the face.

For legwear, Tal has several pairs of “assault pants”, which were originally envisioned as a low-profile, no-compromise, dedicated assault uniform pant for [[Solas Tempus]] [[Temporal Operatives]]. These are typically aggressively cut for maximum mobility, with padded waistbands for a snug fit and stretchable knee and lower back panels for comfort. These pants have 10 pockets along the legs and buttocks, along with cutouts on the knees for use with removable lightweight kneepads. They incorporate the same synthetic fabric and nano-composite armor layer as his combat shirt.

Similar to his shirts, he previously had a large wardrobes of specialized camouflage pants like these, before switching to a standard black color to comply with [[Solas Tempus]] regulations. For snowy areas, he has a single pair of plain white combat pants.

Unlike most of the pilots in his squadron, he wore a pair of tan Ageira Technologies Light Assault Boots when in the cockpit of his interceptor, just in case he’d ever be separated from his ship and forced to survive on some desolate planet in the Sigma systems. Weighing little more than 14 ounces, they provide plush shock absorption and ventilation thanks to the synthetic outsole, midsole, and upper ankle materials, along with a set of lockable rugged nylon laces.

Complying with Blue Team regulations, he wears a [[Solas Tempus]] [[communicator]] on his left wrist, usually facing inwards for easy access while holding a rifle.

He keeps a pair of gold-framed aviators on him while he’s on the station, solely to make shitty jokes around [[William Foulke]] and put them on to act all smug afterwards.

==Weapons==
Following Tal's acquisition of [[Siegfried]], he found that her deployed combat form drained too much of his own energy to allow him to operate heavy weaponry, including the Ithaca 37, Mateba Autorevolver, and Mark 1 and Mark 2 railguns. His largest weapon in-inventory is the 6x28mm Caseless Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, and he is currently exploring alternate firepower options.

[[File:Mark15new.png|375px|thumb|Tal’s Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, fitted with target detector, scout light, 2.5-10x variable optic, and offset red dot.]]
===Mark 15 Mod. 2 Adaptive Combat Rifle===
{{Quote|It always comes down to the infantryman and his rifle.|Unknown}}
The '''[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System]]''' is a compact, magazine-fed, open bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated select-fire rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. While similar in design to the [[PDW-30/C]], the Mark 15, or the XV-15, is a rifle originally produced by Ageira Technologies that was adopted for service with select [[TACCOM]] and SPECCOM personnel in early 2384.

[[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System | Would you like to know more?]]

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 rifle program, Solas Tempus began issuing modifications for existing stocks of Mark 15 rifles as a stopgap solution to a perceived need for a long range-oriented battle rifle system, due to the system's high-velocity ammunition and ergonomics. Chief among these were new, longer barrels with lengths between 14.5 inches and 22 inches, extending effective range by several hundred meters depending on barrel length. A new type of open-tipped match ammunition was introduced parallel to the modifications, which offers better performance at more extreme ranges.

Tal was first issued the 20-inch experimental barrel, with provisions for a quick-detach suppressor with a length of roughly 7 inches. Realizing that his assignment on Nimbus would rarely see a situation in which he'd need to use a highly accurized long-range rifle for it's intended purpose, he dialed back the barrel length once his initial evaluation period had ended, to a more CQC-manageable [[SPECCOM]]-standard length of 14.5 inches. For optics, he utilizes a quick-detach cantilever scope mount with a stripped down 1-8x low-power variable optic. A pair of backup iron sights allow him to stay in the fight if the scope is damaged beyond use.

The optic is hooked up to a dual pressure pad switch, which also serves as a transmitter for the combination IR illuminator and target detector. A miniaturized ultrasound scanner is built into the scope, which projects forwards in a 90-degree arc and picks out moving targets from a still background out to 200 meters. The range of the scanner typically varies based on environment, and in tight, confined spaces with significant clutter, range is reduced below 20 meters. The IR illuminator provides target illumination, a laser designator, and a visible aiming laser, with a small exographic sensor array attached to the left side. Similar to the TR-240 kit, this significantly miniaturized version has a much shorter range than the full device, but can still pick out targets hiding behind cover or waiting in ambush and relay their approximate position to the operator, at the cost of visual clutter and mental fatigue after prolonged use.

Attached to the underbarrel is a bipod. With a standard magazine capacity of 40 rounds and an automatic fire mode, Tal's Mark 15 can easily act as a light support weapon in a pinch.

[[Image:FWG5.png|right|296px|thumb|Tal's custom "Featherweight" FWG-5 laser pistol with a micro red dot sight and compact weaponlight. Note the backup iron sights that co-witness through the optic.]]
===Detroit Munitions FWG-5===
The '''Detroit Munitions FWG-5 "Featherweight"''' ('''F'''ree-electron '''W'''eapon, '''G'''eneral-purpose, Mark '''5''' Mod. 0) is a customized laser pistol produced in limited quantities by the Detroit Munitions arms company, based off of the successful FWG-series of directed energy weapons. Owing to its name, the 5-model is a traditional free-electron laser that focuses amplified light in order to damage targets via heating materials to melting temperatures, though as with all traditional laser weaponry, the effective range and firepower are affected wildly by environmental conditions. Nonetheless, it remains a popular duty and carry weapon, especially in the Edge Worlds amongst Freelancers looking for a lightweight, if not long, sidearm that is highly effective at close ranges.

The FWG series is notable for their reinforced polymer frames, capable of withstanding heat from the prolonged discharge of a directed energy weapon without any deformations and allowing for a much lighter weapon overall. While normally plated entirely in a decorative nickel alloy, the Featherweight model has removed most of the coating aside from some essential accents to reduce weight, an overall theme mimicked in modifications such as the indentations along the upper around non-critical components. A modified removable "double-stacked" heatsink unit, accessible and vented to open air via a traditional release button on the grip, provides a 40% weight reduction over the stock heatsink while retaining 90% cooling efficiency. Power for the actual laser is provided via a small, highly-efficient power cell in the rear of the weapon, which can be accessed and replaced by pressing two recessed push-buttons on the sides. Overall, the Featherweight model is lighter, better balanced, and more pointable than the stock FWG-5, though slightly less durable and heat-efficient.

Fire control is manipulated via a recessed knob located forward of the trigger guard, which allows visible/non-visible, continuous beam or pulse, and rate of fire control from 200 to 1200 RPM. There is no manual safety, with Detroit Munitions opting for a trigger safety that only actuates off of a specific, firm finger movement. Depressing the safety lever "activates" the weapon, while depressing the trigger gives the command to fire.

Tal's personal example is equipped with an additional beam-focusing diode, a compact weaponlight, and a slide-mounted closed-emitter LED reflex collimator sight, commonly referred to by both him and members of his team as a "Roland Special".

==Ships - Series CX "Scimitar" Border Worlds Light Fighter==
[[File:Scimitar.png|right|300px|thumb|Tal's Scimitar fighter, Cruel Summer, on Barrier Gate Station. Content edited for unclass media.]]
{{Quote|It may be classified as a light fighter, but there is nothing light about this ship. |Border Worlds Shipyards Advertisement}}
Tal's original tool of destruction is a Series CX Scimitar light fighter named Cruel Summer, bought secondhand from a dealer on Planet Los Angeles by Tal shortly after he graduated from boot camp. Following his return from Sirius, he has replaced the "lost" Karasu fighter with the more versatile Scimitar.

It has provisions for five weapons and one cruise disruptor or missile launcher, with eleven hardpoint pylons under the wings and fuselage for mounting external or auxiliary weapons. Like most other Freelancer fighters, it has provisions for a mine dropper and all-aspect countermeasure systems.

Envisioned as a sturdy multirole fighter designed for taking on the rigors of unexplored deep space, the Scimitar proves adept at most mission types, from exploration to close air support. While classified as a light fighter, it's more akin in size, armor, and power rating to a heavy fighter, with armament to match: 5 forward-facing guns, compared to 3 or 4 for most other light fighters. It accommodates the Class 6 weapon doctrine well - energy-hungry weapons with medium-high refire rates doing disproportionately high damage when compared to other weaponry.

It has two large inverted wings, canted 45-degrees forwards, with intakes for the single engine at the roots. The wings house electronics, pylons, and two lift fan ducts, which blow air in support of the modified VTOL system. There is one high-efficiency plasma engine mounted at the rear of the craft, feeding off of refined H-Fuel. The engine exhaust nozzle is tipped with a 3D thrust vectoring nozzle with a maximum range of movement of +-35 degrees in any direction, while the nose is tipped with recessed 360 degree maneuvering thrusters in order to achieve and sustain angles of attack of up to 76.39 degrees. Additionally, the engine is capable of pitching down up to -105 degrees, in accordance with the VTOL system's requirements. There are no vertical or horizontal stabilizers, and the craft relies on small thruster nozzles to compensate.

Cruel Summer is registered in Liberty as POI998 with the serial number 14-009, and the ship has been with Tal for over 7 years now, facing extensive modification along the way. The first of his distinctive modifications involved caging off a section of the cargo bay for re-purposing as a living area, featuring a small metal cot, a folding table attached to the wall, and storage drawers underneath the bed. A small bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink is placed across the small hall, which leads back up to the cockpit. These modifications were necessary considering that Tal grew more and more distant from his family prior to and during his enlistment, and as such he had nowhere to stay during downtime.

The second of the modifications were two navigation lights, one red and one green, placed on the wingtips of his ship. These help to alert other ships of his presence and lower the risk of collision.

The third of his modifications involved getting a lift fan installed and hooked up to his ship's stock engine, allowing him to conduct vertical takeoffs and landings. While completely unnecessary with the inclusion of stock vertical thrusters, he purchased the modifications anyways to better distinguish himself. This VTOL system was used once on Planet Nauru, where the jet exhaust from his engine kicked up sand hard enough that it chipped paint off of a nearby parked Anki freighter.

The last of his modifications so far are mainly cosmetic, as he got his stock engine swapped out for an HN-series light fighter plasma engine. The new engine's longer exhaust proves to be a hazard when used in conjunction with VTOL mode, as it has been shown to melt some older-model launchpads on Manhattan.

Cruel Summer prior to refit was armed with 4 Garand VI tachyon cannons and 1 CP-L Mark 1 Mod. 0 Advanced Debilitator pulse cannons, with iridium armor struts (Universal, Level VIII) in the cargo bay. The shield array, which remains unchanged, is tougher than most light fighter or even heavy fighter shields, with a Class 10 molecular-type array that repulses projectiles by manipulating magnetic forces.

In mid-2384, Cruel Summer was modified to become Solas Tempus R&D's own first High Alpha Research Vessel (HARV). Given the designation Mark C-X, the ship was given a facelift, receiving a new, larger wing kit, moving nose strakes, prominent leading-edge extensions, and a slight fuselage extension. The original engine was replaced with a smaller, more efficient plasma impulse engine designed for high-performance light shuttles, losing the VTOL system in the process. Onboard living arrangements and most of the cargo bay was replaced with a large ammunition storage compartment, fitted with blowout panels in event of cookoff, and the gimbal-mount hardpoints were replaced with fixed weaponry. Two Type XI [[phaser]] emitters are embedded in the wing roots, while a quartet of experimental Mark 23 high-velocity 25mm cannons (derived from the [[Mark 22 Heavy Machine Gun]]) were mounted behind the nosecone, within the extended fuselage. The original aim of the project was to test modifications for more efficient in-atmosphere performance, increasing the maximum sustained angle-of-attack from 76 degrees to roughly 87 degrees.

Considered a success, Cruel Summer was given a new, novel weapons loadout, relying on heavyweight 25mm depleted-uranium projectiles fired by it's four Mark 23 cannons to bypass enemy shields entirely and hit crucial components. This concept revolves mostly around fast-paced, close-in in-atmosphere combat, where the complex, delicate small craft used by most of Solas Tempus' adversaries can easily be disabled by crippling flight control surfaces, internal power, or engines. Each cannon is capable of an electronically-boosted cyclic rate of fire of 1,500 RPM, and the array is arranged to stagger-fire in pairs to maximize target saturation. The high throw-weight of the cannons, coupled with the high combined rate of fire, are designed to maximize damage in the short engagement windows present in high-altitude dogfights between aerospace fighters. A pair of Type IX phaser emitters embedded into the wing roots serve as a backup weapon.

To extend range, a warp-capable jump ring that can attach to the fighter is in the works.

===General Characteristics (Mark C-X Scimitar-Class High Alpha Research Vessel)===
*'''Crew:''' 1
*'''Length:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Wingspan:''' 40.4 ft (12.3 m)
*'''Height:''' 16 ft (4.88 m)
*'''Wing area:''' 410 ft² (38 m²)
*'''Airfoil:''' Root: NACA 65A005 mod., Tip: NACA 65A003.5 mod.
*'''Empty Weight:''' 22,600 lb (10,251 kg)
*'''Loaded Weight:''' 38,500 lb (17,463 kg)
*'''Maximum Takeoff Weight:''' ~100,000 lb (45,359 kg)
*'''Powerplant:''' 1x Light Shuttle-Class Plasma Impulse Engine
===Performance===
*'''Maximum Speed:''' In excess of Warp 0.6
*'''Range:''' ∞ (pilot-limited)
*'''Service Ceiling:''' ∞
*'''Rate of Climb:''' 78,740 ft/min (400 m/s) in Atmosphere
*'''Wing Loading:''' 55.121 lb/ft² (269.124 kg/m²)
*'''Thrust to Weight:''' in excess of 3.5 (full combat load) in Atmosphere
*'''Maximum g-load:''' +25.0 g
===Armament===
*'''Guns:'''
**2x Type IX Phaser Emitters
**4x Mark 23 25mm High-Velocity Revolver Cannons

*'''Auxiliary Hardpoints:''' 11 total: 2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage pylon stations with a capacity of up to 45,000 lb (20,411 kg) of stores
*'''Missiles:'''
**Any combination of up to 70 microtorpedoes

*'''Mine Droppers'''
**1x MX-17A Nuclear Mine Dropper with 50 reloads

*'''Others'''
**1x Ageira Technologies SUU-15A/A "Fortress" All-Aspect Chaff Launcher System (6 Launchers) OR
**1x AN/ALQ-131 or AN/ALQ-184 Electronic Countermeasure Pod OR
**1x Fighter Light Cloaking Device OR
**1x LANTERN or SNIPER targeting pod
**Up to 7x 480 U.S. gal (1800 L) H-Fuel tanks

===Avionics===
*Ageria Technologies AN/APG-98A Advanced Cargo Scanner system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-166 self-protection jammer pod OR Ageira Technologies AN/ALQ-203(V)12 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALE-50 or Deep Space Engineering AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
*Ageira Technologies AN/ALR-89(V)6 Radar Warning Receiver
*Ageira Technologies MIDS Datalink Transceiver
*Ageira Technologies SM-e2 Class 10 "Advanced Barrier" Molecular Shield Array
*Type VIII Armor Upgrade

File:FWG5.png

2020-01-24T05:37:06Z

T0l:

File:Mark15new.png

2020-01-24T05:35:25Z

T0l:

File:Talprofile.png

2020-01-24T05:33:43Z

T0l:

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2019-03-04T03:41:47Z

T0l:

[[File:MARK15COLLAGE.png|325px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle with third-generation free-floating handguard, ambidextrous lower receiver assembly, short charging handle, and alternate buttstock assembly.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily reconfigured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from conventional 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.
[[File:Rails.png|thumb|right|Mark 15 handguards, from top to bottom: Original production, first-generation "heatshield" handguard with electromagnetic mounting panels, second-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard, third-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard.]]
For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels. The original handguard was an elongated reproduction of the shortened Ageira heatshield for extremely-short-barreled rifles with added electromagnetic mounting surfaces at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. This proved to be fairly heavy and unwieldy when employed in rifle-length configurations, and so Solas Tempus R&D pursued the Ageira lightweight rail design, adopting their own mounting solution to the receiver without a physical example. The second-generation handguard served well in it's intended purpose, though the in-house developed mounting solution was eventually deemed not strong enough for duty use, causing severe loss of zero after prolonged use in rougher field conditions. To remedy this, a heavier, stronger 4-bolt iridium-reinforced mounting system was developed, fitted with an integrated slot for quick-detach sling mounts. Rumors of a fourth-generation one-piece upper receiver are currently floating around the [[TACCOM]] and SPECCOM communities.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:Underscore.png

2019-03-04T03:39:14Z

T0l:

File:MARK15COLLAGE.png

2019-03-04T03:38:49Z

T0l:

File:Mark15Mod2.png

2019-03-04T03:32:29Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:Mark15Mod2.png

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2019-03-03T02:56:23Z

T0l:

[[File:Mark15Mod2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle with third-generation free-floating handguard, ambidextrous lower receiver assembly, short charging handle, and alternate buttstock assembly.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily reconfigured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from conventional 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.
[[File:Rails.png|thumb|right|Mark 15 handguards, from top to bottom: Original production, first-generation "heatshield" handguard with electromagnetic mounting panels, second-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard, third-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard.]]
For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels. The original handguard was an elongated reproduction of the shortened Ageira heatshield for extremely-short-barreled rifles with added electromagnetic mounting surfaces at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. This proved to be fairly heavy and unwieldy when employed in rifle-length configurations, and so Solas Tempus R&D pursued the Ageira lightweight rail design, adopting their own mounting solution to the receiver without a physical example. The second-generation handguard served well in it's intended purpose, though the in-house developed mounting solution was eventually deemed not strong enough for duty use, causing severe loss of zero after prolonged use in rougher field conditions. To remedy this, a heavier, stronger 4-bolt iridium-reinforced mounting system was developed, fitted with an integrated slot for quick-detach sling mounts. Rumors of a fourth-generation one-piece upper receiver are currently floating around the [[TACCOM]] and SPECCOM communities.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:Mark15Mod2.png

2019-03-03T02:55:51Z

T0l:

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2019-02-26T22:04:14Z

T0l:

[[File:Xv-15mod2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle with third-generation free-floating handguard, ambidextrous lower receiver assembly, short charging handle, and alternate buttstock assembly.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily reconfigured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from conventional 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.
[[File:Rails.png|thumb|right|Mark 15 handguards, from top to bottom: Original production, first-generation "heatshield" handguard with electromagnetic mounting panels, second-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard, third-generation lightweight mechanically-modular handguard.]]
For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels. The original handguard was an elongated reproduction of the shortened Ageira heatshield for extremely-short-barreled rifles with added electromagnetic mounting surfaces at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. This proved to be fairly heavy and unwieldy when employed in rifle-length configurations, and so Solas Tempus R&D pursued the Ageira lightweight rail design, adopting their own mounting solution to the receiver without a physical example. The second-generation handguard served well in it's intended purpose, though the in-house developed mounting solution was eventually deemed not strong enough for duty use, causing severe loss of zero after prolonged use in rougher field conditions. To remedy this, a heavier, stronger 4-bolt iridium-reinforced mounting system was developed, fitted with an integrated slot for quick-detach sling mounts. Rumors of a fourth-generation one-piece upper receiver are currently floating around the TACCOM and SPECCOM communities.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:Rails.png

2019-02-26T21:50:56Z

T0l:

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2019-01-07T08:51:52Z

T0l:

[[File:Xv-15mod2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle with Block II free-floating handguard, ambidextrous lower receiver assembly, short charging handle, and new buttstock assembly.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from conventional 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2019-01-07T08:51:26Z

T0l:

[[File:Xv15-mod2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Mod. 2 rifle with Block II free-floating handguard, ambidextrous lower receiver assembly, short charging handle, and new buttstock assembly.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from conventional 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:Xv-15mod2.png

2019-01-07T08:49:01Z

T0l:

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-08-27T17:36:50Z

T0l:

[[File:MARK15BLOCK2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, with 14.5-inch barrel, 12.5-inch free-float handguard, and standard flip-up backup sights.]]
The Ageira Technologies Armament Subsystems XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-06-02T06:31:25Z

T0l: /* Ammunition */

[[File:MARK15BLOCK2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, with 14.5-inch barrel, 12.5-inch free-float handguard, and standard flip-up backup sights.]]
The Ageira Technologies XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, most of which are downscaled variations of [[PDW-30/C]] ammunition.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-06-02T06:29:15Z

T0l:

[[File:MARK15BLOCK2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, with 14.5-inch barrel, 12.5-inch free-float handguard, and standard flip-up backup sights.]]
The Ageira Technologies XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, not including TR-240 rounds that are compatible with the Mark 15 platform.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 [[phaser]] rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with [[SPECCOM]] forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-05-12T06:56:34Z

T0l:

[[File:MARK15BLOCK2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, with 14.5-inch barrel, 12.5-inch free-float handguard, and standard flip-up backup sights.]]
The Ageira Technologies XV-15, known in Solas Tempus service as the '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''', is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, electromagnet-assisted radial-delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. Designed as a lightweight weapon geared towards offensive operations, the Mark 15 is highly modular and can be easily configured depending on mission needs.

==History==
The Mark 15 was adopted to replace the aging PDW-30, and is chambered a 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round designed to penetrate modern body armor types. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight when compared to the 7.62x33mm cased-telescoped round, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback action, although the radial-delayed blowback system rotates the bolt as it accelerates the bolt carrier, thus increasing effective bolt carrier mass and reducing felt recoil, as well as improving overall reliability. However, unlike the Mark 30, the Mark 15 feeds from 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor "casket" box magazines. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, not including TR-240 rounds that are compatible with the Mark 15 platform.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 phaser rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with SPECCOM forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:Talxv-15.png

2018-04-25T04:09:31Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:Talxv-15.png

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-04-20T07:17:01Z

T0l:

[[File:MARK15BLOCK2.png|708px|thumb|right|A Mark 15 Block 2 rifle, with 14.5-inch barrel, 12.5-inch free-float handguard, and standard flip-up backup sights.]]
The '''Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System''' is a compact, magazine-fed, closed-bolt, electronic impulse, electromagnet-assisted delayed blowback-operated automatic rifle employing a high-velocity 6mm caseless round. It is a further development of the [[Mark 30 Personal Defense Weapon]], and shares many design aspects with it's predecessor.

==History==
The Mark 15 is a development of the aging Mark 30 PDW chambered in a new 6x28mm high-velocity caseless round developed from the older [[7.62x33mm Caseless|7.62x33mm caseless]] round. Featuring better penetration and similar range at a smaller size and weight, the round was quickly adopted as a replacement in [[Solas Tempus]] service and serves as a ballistic fallback option for new arrivals, special operations personnel, or for targets requiring alternate methods of disposal. Unlike the PDW however, the Mark 15 was designed from the ground up to be an offensive weapon, created with the needs of [[TACCOM]], [[TEMPCOM]], and [[SPECCOM]] in mind.

A series of officially-sanctioned attachments, dubbed the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combatant Modification package (SPECMOD), was devised for the Mark 24 SABER system and is fully compatible with Mark 15 series of rifles.

Following the cancellation of the Mark 24 SABER program, efforts to create a mid-to-long range rifle for more practical applications included creating a longer Mark 15 "DMR" variant, featuring a 24-inch barrel (or 16-inch barrel with suppressor). This variant is currently undergoing final-stage testing and will be issued to appropriate personnel in mid-2384.

==Design==
Like the Mark 30 PDW, the Mark 15 operates on an electronic impulse, delayed-blowback closed-or-open bolt action, feeding from 50-round quadstacked U-bend conveyor box magazines. The advanced primer ignition system uses an electronic impulse to fire the primer very briefly before the bolt actually goes into battery, which normally requires precise timing based on different ammunition types to maximize efficiency. However, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery located in the stock's buffer tube powers an electromagnet as well as the firing pin, which compensates for different recoil forces and ensures perfect operation of the mechanism. The operating system itself reduces recoil forces compared to a regular straight blowback system, and special compensators and buffers in the stock and upper receiver serve to reduce the recoil even further to manageable levels. The weapon has three firing modes: safe, semi, and auto.

For amenities, the Mark 15 features an ambidextrous fire selector, magazine release, and bolt catch, ammunition counter, 6-position adjustable buttstock, and a fully-customizable handguard with 4 modular rail units. The design is fully modular, and can accept a variety of sights, stocks, grips, and other accessories, as well as longer or shorter barrels.

The Mark 15 is entirely made from special stamped temperature-resistant alloys, with most parts made from high-grade polymers and alloys for durability and longevity. The result of this is a rather lightweight platform, at roughly 3 kilograms fully loaded with a 50-round magazine, but also one that is intensely durable and can withstand all types of environments and pressures.

The second generation of Mark 15 rifles, dubbed '''Mark 15 Block 2''', abandons the 50-round stick magazines of Block 1 rifles in favor of a more traditional quad-stacked, conveyor-operated 50-round box magazine. The battery has been relocated behind the bolt in the stock's buffer tube, as the entire system has been simplified and lightened further. This allows for a vertically-shorter weapon, but prolonged firing can damage the battery.

==Ammunition==
[[File:Mk30.png|300px|thumb|right|A cross-section diagram of a '''Mk 30 bullet'''. '''1.''' Tritanium Alloy, '''2.''' Steel Cup, '''3.''' DU Penetrator, '''4.''' Zirconium Powder, '''5.''' HE Mix, '''6.''' Incendiary Mix.]]
There are several main types of ammunition designed specifically for the Mark 15, not including TR-240 rounds that are compatible with the Mark 15 platform.
===Mark 35 Mod. 0 HE-I/AP===
The standard 137-grain boattail 6mm Mark 35 Mod. 0 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing round is composed of incendiary mix, zirconium powder, HE mix, and a depleted uranium penetrator inside a steel cup, all encased in a copper jacket. It is designed to defeat most common forms of body armor and explode inside the target, with a pyrotechnical detonation train instead of a manual fuse that sets off the HE filler and incendiary mix, to ensure maximum effect and terminal ballistic consistency. Fired from a 10.3-inch unsuppressed barrel, the Mk 35 round generates muzzle velocities of over 800 m/s, with an effective range of 900 meters. AP-I/HE rounds are marked with green tips.

The initial impact of the round ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at a very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the depleted uranium penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This will take the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through the armor, increasing lethality. Penetration values for HE-I/AP are quantified as ~65mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, out to ~21mm RHA at 45-degree angle at 1000m..

====Mark 35 Mod. 2 HE-I/AP-C====
A special-purpose variation of the Mark 35 round strictly limited to situational use by Vidant [[Obscura]] agents and [[Temporal Operatives]]. The mild steel cup of the regular Mark 35 is laced with potent Chroniton particles, which, while not harmful to most humanoids, can do serious damage to those beings that exist out of the timeline. Their nature as [[Temporal Weapons]] requires strict oversight of operation and storage. These rounds are designated as Mark 35 Mod. 2 High-Explosive, Incendiary, Armor-Piercing, Chroniton and arae marked with a bright yellow T or V, depending on the department responsible for handling them.

[[File:SLAP.png|350px|thumb|right|Two parts of a '''Mark 31''' HVAP-S round. '''1.''' Cup Sabot, '''2.''' Depleted Uranium Sub-Caliber Penetrator.]]
===Mark 36 Mod. 0 HVAP-S===
A 4.6mm sub-caliber penetrator encased in a cup sabot, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 0 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Sabot round. As the projectile is smaller in diameter and lighter than a conventional round, it is propelled at a higher velocity of roughly 950 m/s when fired out of a 10.3-inch barrel, and the reduced cross section of the penetrator makes it more effective against hard armor. Terminal effects are lessened, although this round is more intended for use against more armored targets such as thin-skinned vehicles or exosuits instead of a standard dismounted infantry unit. HVAP-S rounds are marked with black tips, and weapons firing HVAP-S rounds must have their barrels outfitted with a stellite liner to avoid damaging the rifling with the plastic cup sabot. HVAP penetration is quantified as ~100mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 100m, ~64mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 500m, and ~37mm RHA at 45-degree angle from 1000m.

[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round; this construction is similar to the Mark 37.]]

====Mark 36 Mod. 1 HVAP-S-T====
A specially-designed sabot round with a tracer tail for in-flight monitoring and better impact gauging, designated as the Mark 36 Mod. 1 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing, Saboted, Tracer. Marked with a short white tip over the black tip.

===Mark 37 Long-Range Open-Tipped Match===
Designed for long-range performance, the Mark 37 round is a boat-tailed open-tipped cartridge with significantly longer range than Mark 35 or Mark 36 rounds, intended for use in the longer "DMR" barrels of Generation 2 Mark 15 rifles.

[[File:XV15PhaserUpper.png|505px|thumb|right|A Type 15 full upper receiver assembly.]]
===Type 15 Phaser Full Upper Receiver===
The Mark 15 is shipped with a specialized complete upper receiver assembly which mimics the construction, operation, and effectiveness of the Type 3 phaser rifle. It is a drop-in kit, which utilizes the two-pin upper/lower receiver layout of the Mark 15 platform, although the weapon is wholly contained with the upper receiver and does not require input from the lower aside from the trigger. It utilizes the same miniaturized power cell as a late-2300s Type 3 phaser rifle, and has a standard barrel length of 14.5 inches. The barrel itself has been thinned to fit within a standard carbine-length free-floating Mark 15 handguard with Grade 8 tritanium alloy bolts, but the smaller nature and proximity to a thinner modular handguard results in increased heat transfer and faster heating up of the barrel. Despite the drawbacks, the ease of logistics and comparable power and flexibility to the Type 3 rifle when embedded with standard security forces has made the Type 15 PFU popular with SPECCOM forces.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

File:XV15PhaserUpper.png

2018-04-20T06:57:29Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:XV15PhaserUpper.png

File:XV15PhaserUpper.png

2018-04-20T06:57:04Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:XV15PhaserUpper.png

File:XV15PhaserUpper.png

2018-04-16T18:36:03Z

T0l:

File:XV15phasertal.png

2018-04-16T18:32:53Z

T0l:

File:XV15Duo.png

2018-04-16T18:25:37Z

T0l:

File:MARK15BLOCK2.png

2018-04-10T23:11:27Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:MARK15BLOCK2.png

File:Talxv-15.png

2018-04-10T23:08:57Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:Talxv-15.png

File:Talxv-15.png

2018-04-10T07:23:54Z

T0l: T0l uploaded a new version of File:Talxv-15.png

Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System

2018-04-10T07:01:46Z

T0l:

File:MARK15BLOCK2.png

2018-04-10T06:53:22Z

T0l:

Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor

2018-04-09T07:59:29Z

T0l:

[[File:RISFull.png|300px|thumb|A demonstration model of a full set of Block 2 MRIS armor. Note the "skirt"-style garment worn around the waist: this is intended to protect the wearer from airburst and wide-beam munitions.]]
'''Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor''', also known as '''RIS''' armor or the '''MRIS''' system, is an advanced type of lightweight, flexible modular unpowered body armor.

==History==
MRIS was originally designed for non-combat personnel entering potentially hostile areas, who would not be comfortable with wearing full combat exosuits or otherwise had no need for that degree of protection. Original sets, now referred to as Block 1 MRIS, consisted only of a chestplate with 3 seperate layers of armor.

The elusive [[SPECCOM]] division of the [[Solas Tempus Action Arm]], however, has long since pushed for the introduction of a number of quality-of-life improvements, namely, a force-wide standardization of weaponry, mounting systems, and modularity, with an emphasis on easily interchangeable parts and foresight for upgrade pathways. Some SPECCOM personnel acquired MRIS chestplates, and, owing mostly to the modularity and strength, praised it for it’s many potential applications. Noticing this, SPECCOM began pushing for [[Solas Tempus]] R&D to create a SPECCOM-peculiar variant of the MRIS system. Their efforts have culminated in the development of the Block 2 MRIS system, which is a full set of unpowered, low-visibility body armor tailored specifically to the ever-changing needs of SPECCOM personnel based on their wide variety of mission types.

Since it’s inception, it has seen a number of key changes or improvements. Block 2 modifications allowed for the use of fully interchangeable plates that provide equal amounts of protection across the entire body, while the Block 3 modifications incorporate a [[Class 2D Body Armor|Class 2D body armor]], compatible with light shield arrays, and introduce lighter, lower visibility armor options for different environments. Block 3A augments provide specialized cold weather gear.

==Design==
The armor plates of the MRIS set are designed to be easily and quickly interchangable by personnel in the field to facilitate maximum readiness and mission flexibility for units deployed in strange, asymmetric, or unknown regions. The modularity of the set, plus compatibility with most standardized mounting systems, aftermarket accessories, and field improvisations, allows the end user to customize their armor based on mission need and personal preference. The high degree of freedom offered by both the SPECCOM mission statement and SPECCOM-peculiar kit allow for maximum efficicency and effectiveness in the field.

===Protection===
The MRIS system provides protection by means of interchangeable, removable layers. These typically consist of modular interference-resistant magnetically-connected armor plates, which are hooked up manually to the jumpsuit by means of heavy-duty load-carrying loops. Despite it's low weight and focus on mobility, it provides a high degree of personal protection, especially when the layers are in tandem with one another.

====Primary Layer====
The primary layer is typically the thickest, and is Class 1M-rated at the minimum. These plates are usually rigid, hard SAPI or Shooter's cut armor plates with a spall liner, with the most common variety consisting of a heavy tritanium alloy plate that covers the front and back of the wearer. While tough, the primary armor layer only usually covers the most essential vital organs, the lungs and heart, due to the restrictive weight of larger 1M-rated plates, although in tandem with the two other layers, there is little to nothing that can penetrate a wearer's vital regions.

A chest-mounted light can be attached to the middle of the primary plate, configured for low-light red, IR, strobe, or white light for various mission needs. The MRIS chest rig's straps can be configured to go over the primary layer without difficulty, provided that the wearer adjusts for the thickness of the plate compared to the secondary layer.

=====Low-Visibility Plate Carrier Module=====
An alternate plate carrier modeled off of the LBT-6094 chassis has been introduced with the Block 3 MRIS set, designed specifically for low-visibility or low-risk operations. It is designed to fit Class 1K or 1M SAPI-cut plates of varying size, with removable pockets for optional smaller side plates. The EMAG-resistant magnetic mounting strip system found on the regular primary armor layer can be found on the Low-Vis plate carrier.

====Secondary Layer====
The secondary layer protects most of the chest region, although it's rated lower on the protection scale at Class 1K instead of 1M. It is more flexible than the primary layer, consisting of smaller spaced plates with cuts for maximum mobility and ease of access, and is designed to provide the highest degree of lightweight protection against small arms fire that can be afforded to non-vital areas. Attachment points for Flexible Universal Mounts are located on the secondary layer of armor.

====Tertiary Layer====
Forming the backbone of the MRIS system is the tertiary layer, which, for EVA environments, consists of a fully-sealed, pressurized, fire-retardant, Class 2D-reinforced shield generator-compatible armored jumpsuit made of synthetic cloth and tritanium mesh weave to spoof sensors. Typically, it is in uniform black, with provisions on the chest to mount heavier armored plates. A heavy-duty EVA belt keeps the jumpsuit well-fit, and can accommodate personal shield generator units or ammunition pouches.

The unpressurized Block 3 variant of the tertiary layer is a new SPECCOM Class 2D combat shirt/pant combo with a rigid gunbelt, which had been worn by SPECCOM personnel for years prior to formal introduction. These are made from a similar synthetic cloth and mesh weave, but are lighter, more breathable, and significantly less complex than the jumpsuit. Key provisions include shoulder pouches, adjustable sleeves and wrist cuffs, and backwards compatibility with Class 1D soft armor liners.

=====Cold Weather Protective Outerwear=====
Incorporating operational feedback from SPECCOM units operating in highly-asymmetric environments, development of specialized low-visibility cold weather assault gear was accelerated and eventually produced the CWPO augment to Block 3 armor sets. Now issued as part of interim Block 3A MRIS kits, the CWPO is a set of lightweight, breathable waterproof (hydrophobic) and windproof garments made from slick synthetic material with a specialized soft inner layer. These garments, consisting of a grey jacket and tertiary layer-style assault pants, are typically worn under the armor in cold, wet, and/or windy climates, provided that a pressurized suit is not required. The jacket has two pockets with velcro slabs on the shoulder sleeves, adjustable wrist cuffs, an adjustable hood, and additional pockets on the main body, while the pants are essentially tertiary layer assault pants with a different material and inner layer. Both have the capability to install Class 1D or 2D soft armor layers, although wearers typically forgoe this due to the presence of the inner liner, which produces too tight of a fit when combined with armor.

The Block 3A jacket, which is currently exclusive to SPECCOM personnel, is worn occasionally as a status symbol in low-threat areas such as [[Nimbus Station]].

====Other====
As the plates are worn externally, operators issued MRIS sets typically procure low-profile fabric chest rigs, occasionally with additional soft armor backings for extra protection. These allow operators to easily store and carry auxiliary equipment, backup weapons, and spare reloads. Third-party belts can also be used to store equipment, shield generators, and oxygen tanks, as the MRIS armor is capable of fully pressurizing for use in EVA environments.

With the inception of Class 2D body armor, SPECCOM personnel issued MRIS armor have begun modifying the outer layers to incorporate one or more spare power cells, rigging them so that the shield grid is instantly recharged upon failing. These vary wildly in type and effectiveness, and effectiveness can scale with the amount carried. Their bulk limits their potential greatly, however, and most personnel never take more than one or two backup power cells.

[[Category:Advanced Armor]]

Mark 24 Special Applications Battle Rifle

2018-04-09T07:53:01Z

T0l: /* History */

[[File:SABER1.png|400px|thumb|right|A Mark 24 Mod. 0 in low-visibility colors, fitted with a pair of flip-up backup iron sights and an original 10-round “marksman” magazine.]]
The Mark 24 Mod. 1 Special Applications Battle Rifle, also known as the SABER Weapon System or just the Saber, is a modular air-cooled, gas-operated bullpup battle rifle chambered for electronically-fired 10x45mm cased telescoped ammunition. Intended to fulfill a marksman role between the lighter [[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System]] and the heavy, specialized [[Mark 1 Railgun]], the SABER is beginning to see use in select [[TACCOM]] units.

==History==
Impressed with the effectiveness of the BR55-series battle rifle employed by some [[Solas Tempus]] personnel, Solas Tempus R&D began developing their own interpretation of the concept, a high-caliber select-fire rifle employing a new, novel cartridge. During the development phase, the requirements and testing parameters were constantly changed, clouding the program’s original goal to produce a battle rifle and instead producing a weapon more similar to a light anti-materiel rifle. Nonetheless, impressed with the weapon’s performance, the weapon was adopted and type-classified as the Mark 24 Special Applications Battle Rifle in early 2384, filling an anti-infantry/light armor role where the Mark 15 would be inadequate and the much larger Mark 1 would be too powerful.

An accessory package for [[TEMPCOM]] and [[SPECCOM]] units, named the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combat Modification package (SPECMOD), was developed concurrently with the weapon, along with a heavier subsonic projectile for when stealth is paramount. The kit is currently finalizing development and will be issued to select TACCOM and all SPECCOM units.

After an intial testing and evaluation period with combat units, the Mark 24 Mod. 1 variant was devised from operational feedback and replaced most Mark 24 Mod. 0 units then in service.

Utilizing 3 months worth of testing and field expertise, the Mark 24 program was cancelled under the pretense that the rifle was overweight, over-complicated, and overpowered for general infantry applications. A project is in the works to bring the Mark 24's special purpose 10x45mm cased-telescoped cartridge to a larger, semi-fixed automatic rifle platform.

==Design==
Externally and internally, the weapon resembles and borrows significantly from a Tavor X95 assault rifle with an elongated handguard and wider barrel. Unusually for Solas Tempus-produced arms, the weapon is arranged with the magazine behind the trigger group in a bullpup configuration, reducing overall length when compared to traditional layouts. The SABER feeds from 15 or 20-round detachable box magazines, each fitted with a large, exaggerated rubberized baseplate for ease of access when stored in pouches or other load-bearing equipment. The ejection port can be rearranged with minimal tools to accommodate both right and left-handed shooters, and sports a large dust cover to prevent unwanted foreign objects from entering the receiver. An adjustable cheek riser sits above the ejection port, behind a long rail with space for large high-power optics. Protruding from the stock are several raised bumps, each containing a pin that can be removed with a pointed object for easy disassembly.

The trigger is an unconventional bladed-type design, with a pull much smoother than typical bullpup-style rifles.To make the weapon easier to operate with heavy winter gloves or armored gloves on, the trigger guard has been elongated and extends from the handguard to the base of the pistol grip. Above the trigger is the magazine release, which is fitted with a small “fence”, and the ambidextrous fire selector, with options for safe, semi, and 2-round burst. Mounted behind the fire selector, on all new Mod. 1 models, is a thumb-actuated bolt release lever fit with a fence, which replaces the larger bolt release behind the magazine well. The non-reciprocating charging handle is ambidextrous and can easily be swapped out for a strictly left or right-handed version for compactness. Finally, the elongated handguard features a long underbarrel rail, and houses a free-floating 24-inch match-grade fluted barrel as standard. The preferred muzzle device is a quick-detach 3-pronged multipurpose flash suppressor derived from the FOSSA 5.56, which doubles as a compensator to control muzzle rise during sustained fire.

Internally, the weapon resembles the XV-15 ARS, although it uses a long-stroke gas piston operation system instead of a simpler delayed blowback action. Instead of a firing pin, it utilizes a lithium ion power cell to create an electronic impulse capable of setting off the round’s primer in order to reduce the overall amount of moving parts. The battery is located behind the magazine well and can be replaced quickly with the aid of a round or casing’s rim, and the battery itself can be adjusted to modify the burst fire rate. Newer power cells issued with Mod. 1 variants allow for burst fire output adjustments as well, adjustable from 2 to 5 rounds.

The top and bottom rails are designed to accept all standard Solas Tempus combat optics and accessories, including grips, sensors, and bipods. These rails are removable and replaceable with shorter, lighter lengths depending on mission demands, and additional accessory rails can be added to the sides of the handguard.

When equipped with a standard length 24-inch barrel, the weapon measures in at 34.3 inches long overall, and weighs about 10.5 pounds unloaded.
[[File:A19.png|200px|thumb|right|Cross-section and 3D model of an A19 HVAP round. 1) Cross-section of an A19 round 2) Tritanium alloy slug 3) DU penetrator 4) Copper jacket]]

==Ammunition==
Ammunition for the weapon comes in the form of 10x45mm polymer-cased telescoped rounds, which utilize highly-efficient compacted propellant to produce high performance in a round that is roughly 40% lighter and 12% smaller than a conventional brass-cased round.

===A19 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing===
Standard issue for the SABER is the A19 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing round, a 410-grain tritanium alloy-jacketed projectile with a depleted uranium penetrator and tritanium alloy slug. When fired from a 24-inch unsuppressed barrel, the A19 readily clocks in at just over 1,200 meters per second at the muzzle, and is designed to penetrate heavy modern body armor types and light exosuits. Post-penetration damage is assisted by it’s high velocity and yaw-independant nature, where the round will quickly fragment, yaw, and dump energy into the target regardless of angle of impact.

With armor penetration nearing that of small autocannon rounds, the A19 has a significant recoil impulse when fired by the Mark 24. The unorthodox layout of the rifle does little to help this, although it is compensated somewhat by miniaturized internal recoil dampening systems and the muzzle device. As such, it is still very much a specialist weapon, although lighter loads are being developed to allow less-trained personnel to effectively employ the rifle.
[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round.]]

===A20 High-Impact===
Seeing limited production is the A20 High-Impact round, a 392-grain open-tipped tritanium alloy round based off of an ancient projectile design originally intended for long-range competition target shooting. The small hollow cavity within the nose of the round moves the center of gravity back towards the heavier rear of the bullet, causing the round to travel in a more stable and thus more accurate flight pattern across longer distances. This change in center of gravity also has an added effect of lethality against soft or less-armored targets, as while it doesn't expand like a more conventional hollow-point design, the heavier base of the bullet will still yaw around, tumble, and fragment once it strikes soft tissue. Additionally, the hollow nose cone is prone to breaking off entirely on impact, contributing even further to post-penetration damage. When fired from a standard 24-inch barrel, the slightly lighter A20 round travels at roughly 1300 m/s.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Mark 24 Special Applications Battle Rifle

2018-04-09T07:52:10Z

T0l: /* History */

[[File:SABER1.png|400px|thumb|right|A Mark 24 Mod. 0 in low-visibility colors, fitted with a pair of flip-up backup iron sights and an original 10-round “marksman” magazine.]]
The Mark 24 Mod. 1 Special Applications Battle Rifle, also known as the SABER Weapon System or just the Saber, is a modular air-cooled, gas-operated bullpup battle rifle chambered for electronically-fired 10x45mm cased telescoped ammunition. Intended to fulfill a marksman role between the lighter [[Mark 15 Adaptive Rifle System]] and the heavy, specialized [[Mark 1 Railgun]], the SABER is beginning to see use in select [[TACCOM]] units.

==History==
Impressed with the effectiveness of the BR55-series battle rifle employed by some [[Solas Tempus]] personnel, Solas Tempus R&D began developing their own interpretation of the concept, a high-caliber select-fire rifle employing a new, novel cartridge. During the development phase, the requirements and testing parameters were constantly changed, clouding the program’s original goal to produce a battle rifle and instead producing a weapon more similar to a light anti-materiel rifle. Nonetheless, impressed with the weapon’s performance, the weapon was adopted and type-classified as the Mark 24 Special Applications Battle Rifle in early 2384, filling an anti-infantry/light armor role where the Mark 15 would be inadequate and the much larger Mark 1 would be too powerful.

An accessory package for [[TEMPCOM]] and [[SPECCOM]] units, named the Special-Purpose Enhanced Combat Modification package (SPECMOD), was developed concurrently with the weapon, along with a heavier subsonic projectile for when stealth is paramount. The kit is currently finalizing development and will be issued to select TACCOM and all SPECCOM units.

After an intial testing and evaluation period with combat units, the Mark 24 Mod. 1 variant was devised from operational feedback and is now replacing all Mark 24 Mod. 0 units currently in service. Utilizing 3 months worth of testing and field expertise, the Mark 24 program was cancelled under the pretense that the rifle was overweight, over-complicated, and overpowered for general infantry applications. A project is in the works to bring the Mark 24's special purpose 10x45mm cased-telescoped cartridge to a larger, semi-fixed automatic rifle platform.

==Design==
Externally and internally, the weapon resembles and borrows significantly from a Tavor X95 assault rifle with an elongated handguard and wider barrel. Unusually for Solas Tempus-produced arms, the weapon is arranged with the magazine behind the trigger group in a bullpup configuration, reducing overall length when compared to traditional layouts. The SABER feeds from 15 or 20-round detachable box magazines, each fitted with a large, exaggerated rubberized baseplate for ease of access when stored in pouches or other load-bearing equipment. The ejection port can be rearranged with minimal tools to accommodate both right and left-handed shooters, and sports a large dust cover to prevent unwanted foreign objects from entering the receiver. An adjustable cheek riser sits above the ejection port, behind a long rail with space for large high-power optics. Protruding from the stock are several raised bumps, each containing a pin that can be removed with a pointed object for easy disassembly.

The trigger is an unconventional bladed-type design, with a pull much smoother than typical bullpup-style rifles.To make the weapon easier to operate with heavy winter gloves or armored gloves on, the trigger guard has been elongated and extends from the handguard to the base of the pistol grip. Above the trigger is the magazine release, which is fitted with a small “fence”, and the ambidextrous fire selector, with options for safe, semi, and 2-round burst. Mounted behind the fire selector, on all new Mod. 1 models, is a thumb-actuated bolt release lever fit with a fence, which replaces the larger bolt release behind the magazine well. The non-reciprocating charging handle is ambidextrous and can easily be swapped out for a strictly left or right-handed version for compactness. Finally, the elongated handguard features a long underbarrel rail, and houses a free-floating 24-inch match-grade fluted barrel as standard. The preferred muzzle device is a quick-detach 3-pronged multipurpose flash suppressor derived from the FOSSA 5.56, which doubles as a compensator to control muzzle rise during sustained fire.

Internally, the weapon resembles the XV-15 ARS, although it uses a long-stroke gas piston operation system instead of a simpler delayed blowback action. Instead of a firing pin, it utilizes a lithium ion power cell to create an electronic impulse capable of setting off the round’s primer in order to reduce the overall amount of moving parts. The battery is located behind the magazine well and can be replaced quickly with the aid of a round or casing’s rim, and the battery itself can be adjusted to modify the burst fire rate. Newer power cells issued with Mod. 1 variants allow for burst fire output adjustments as well, adjustable from 2 to 5 rounds.

The top and bottom rails are designed to accept all standard Solas Tempus combat optics and accessories, including grips, sensors, and bipods. These rails are removable and replaceable with shorter, lighter lengths depending on mission demands, and additional accessory rails can be added to the sides of the handguard.

When equipped with a standard length 24-inch barrel, the weapon measures in at 34.3 inches long overall, and weighs about 10.5 pounds unloaded.
[[File:A19.png|200px|thumb|right|Cross-section and 3D model of an A19 HVAP round. 1) Cross-section of an A19 round 2) Tritanium alloy slug 3) DU penetrator 4) Copper jacket]]

==Ammunition==
Ammunition for the weapon comes in the form of 10x45mm polymer-cased telescoped rounds, which utilize highly-efficient compacted propellant to produce high performance in a round that is roughly 40% lighter and 12% smaller than a conventional brass-cased round.

===A19 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing===
Standard issue for the SABER is the A19 High-Velocity Armor-Piercing round, a 410-grain tritanium alloy-jacketed projectile with a depleted uranium penetrator and tritanium alloy slug. When fired from a 24-inch unsuppressed barrel, the A19 readily clocks in at just over 1,200 meters per second at the muzzle, and is designed to penetrate heavy modern body armor types and light exosuits. Post-penetration damage is assisted by it’s high velocity and yaw-independant nature, where the round will quickly fragment, yaw, and dump energy into the target regardless of angle of impact.

With armor penetration nearing that of small autocannon rounds, the A19 has a significant recoil impulse when fired by the Mark 24. The unorthodox layout of the rifle does little to help this, although it is compensated somewhat by miniaturized internal recoil dampening systems and the muzzle device. As such, it is still very much a specialist weapon, although lighter loads are being developed to allow less-trained personnel to effectively employ the rifle.
[[File:OTM.png|250px|thumb|right|Cross-section of an A20 bullet. Note the very distinctive open tip of the round.]]

===A20 High-Impact===
Seeing limited production is the A20 High-Impact round, a 392-grain open-tipped tritanium alloy round based off of an ancient projectile design originally intended for long-range competition target shooting. The small hollow cavity within the nose of the round moves the center of gravity back towards the heavier rear of the bullet, causing the round to travel in a more stable and thus more accurate flight pattern across longer distances. This change in center of gravity also has an added effect of lethality against soft or less-armored targets, as while it doesn't expand like a more conventional hollow-point design, the heavier base of the bullet will still yaw around, tumble, and fragment once it strikes soft tissue. Additionally, the hollow nose cone is prone to breaking off entirely on impact, contributing even further to post-penetration damage. When fired from a standard 24-inch barrel, the slightly lighter A20 round travels at roughly 1300 m/s.

[[Category:Advanced Weaponry]]

Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor

2018-04-09T07:50:40Z

T0l: /* History */

[[File:RISFull.png|300px|thumb|A demonstration model of a full set of Block 2 MRIS armor. Note the "skirt"-style garment worn around the waist: this is intended to protect the wearer from airburst and wide-beam munitions.]]
'''Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor''', also known as '''RIS''' armor or the '''MRIS''' system, is an advanced type of lightweight, flexible modular unpowered body armor. .

==History==
MRIS was originally designed for non-combat personnel entering potentially hostile areas, who would not be comfortable with wearing full combat exosuits or otherwise had no need for that degree of protection. Original sets, now referred to as Block 1 MRIS, consisted only of a chestplate with 3 seperate layers of armor.

The elusive [[SPECCOM]] division of the [[Solas Tempus Action Arm]], however, has long since pushed for the introduction of a number of quality-of-life improvements, namely, a force-wide standardization of weaponry, mounting systems, and modularity, with an emphasis on easily interchangeable parts and foresight for upgrade pathways. Some SPECCOM personnel acquired MRIS chestplates, and, owing mostly to the modularity and strength, praised it for it’s many potential applications. Noticing this, SPECCOM began pushing for [[Solas Tempus]] R&D to create a SPECCOM-peculiar variant of the MRIS system. Their efforts have culminated in the development of the Block 2 MRIS system, which is a full set of unpowered, low-visibility body armor tailored specifically to the ever-changing needs of SPECCOM personnel based on their wide variety of mission types.

Since it’s inception, it has seen a number of key changes or improvements. Block 2 modifications allowed for the use of fully interchangeable plates that provide equal amounts of protection across the entire body, while the Block 3 modifications incorporate a Class 2D body armor, compatible with light shield arrays, and introduce lighter, lower visibility armor options for different environments. Block 3A augments provide specialized cold weather gear.

==Design==
The armor plates of the MRIS set are designed to be easily and quickly interchangable by personnel in the field to facilitate maximum readiness and mission flexibility for units deployed in strange, asymmetric, or unknown regions. The modularity of the set, plus compatibility with most standardized mounting systems, aftermarket accessories, and field improvisations, allows the end user to customize their armor based on mission need and personal preference. The high degree of freedom offered by both the SPECCOM mission statement and SPECCOM-peculiar kit allow for maximum efficicency and effectiveness in the field.

===Protection===
The MRIS system provides protection by means of interchangeable, removable layers. These typically consist of modular interference-resistant magnetically-connected armor plates, which are hooked up manually to the jumpsuit by means of heavy-duty load-carrying loops. Despite it's low weight and focus on mobility, it provides a high degree of personal protection, especially when the layers are in tandem with one another.

====Primary Layer====
The primary layer is typically the thickest, and is Class 1M-rated at the minimum. These plates are usually rigid, hard SAPI or Shooter's cut armor plates with a spall liner, with the most common variety consisting of a heavy tritanium alloy plate that covers the front and back of the wearer. While tough, the primary armor layer only usually covers the most essential vital organs, the lungs and heart, due to the restrictive weight of larger 1M-rated plates, although in tandem with the two other layers, there is little to nothing that can penetrate a wearer's vital regions.

A chest-mounted light can be attached to the middle of the primary plate, configured for low-light red, IR, strobe, or white light for various mission needs. The MRIS chest rig's straps can be configured to go over the primary layer without difficulty, provided that the wearer adjusts for the thickness of the plate compared to the secondary layer.

=====Low-Visibility Plate Carrier Module=====
An alternate plate carrier modeled off of the LBT-6094 chassis has been introduced with the Block 3 MRIS set, designed specifically for low-visibility or low-risk operations. It is designed to fit Class 1K or 1M SAPI-cut plates of varying size, with removable pockets for optional smaller side plates. The EMAG-resistant magnetic mounting strip system found on the regular primary armor layer can be found on the Low-Vis plate carrier.

====Secondary Layer====
The secondary layer protects most of the chest region, although it's rated lower on the protection scale at Class 1K instead of 1M. It is more flexible than the primary layer, consisting of smaller spaced plates with cuts for maximum mobility and ease of access, and is designed to provide the highest degree of lightweight protection against small arms fire that can be afforded to non-vital areas. Attachment points for Flexible Universal Mounts are located on the secondary layer of armor.

====Tertiary Layer====
Forming the backbone of the MRIS system is the tertiary layer, which, for EVA environments, consists of a fully-sealed, pressurized, fire-retardant, Class 2D-reinforced shield generator-compatible armored jumpsuit made of synthetic cloth and tritanium mesh weave to spoof sensors. Typically, it is in uniform black, with provisions on the chest to mount heavier armored plates. A heavy-duty EVA belt keeps the jumpsuit well-fit, and can accommodate personal shield generator units or ammunition pouches.

The unpressurized Block 3 variant of the tertiary layer is a new SPECCOM Class 2D combat shirt/pant combo with a rigid gunbelt, which had been worn by SPECCOM personnel for years prior to formal introduction. These are made from a similar synthetic cloth and mesh weave, but are lighter, more breathable, and significantly less complex than the jumpsuit. Key provisions include shoulder pouches, adjustable sleeves and wrist cuffs, and backwards compatibility with Class 1D soft armor liners.

=====Cold Weather Protective Outerwear=====
Incorporating operational feedback from SPECCOM units operating in highly-asymmetric environments, development of specialized low-visibility cold weather assault gear was accelerated and eventually produced the CWPO augment to Block 3 armor sets. Now issued as part of interim Block 3A MRIS kits, the CWPO is a set of lightweight, breathable waterproof (hydrophobic) and windproof garments made from slick synthetic material with a specialized soft inner layer. These garments, consisting of a grey jacket and tertiary layer-style assault pants, are typically worn under the armor in cold, wet, and/or windy climates, provided that a pressurized suit is not required. The jacket has two pockets with velcro slabs on the shoulder sleeves, adjustable wrist cuffs, an adjustable hood, and additional pockets on the main body, while the pants are essentially tertiary layer assault pants with a different material and inner layer. Both have the capability to install Class 1D or 2D soft armor layers, although wearers typically forgoe this due to the presence of the inner liner, which produces too tight of a fit when combined with armor.

The Block 3A jacket, which is currently exclusive to SPECCOM personnel, is worn occasionally as a status symbol in low-threat areas such as [[Nimbus Station]].

====Other====
As the plates are worn externally, operators issued MRIS sets typically procure low-profile fabric chest rigs, occasionally with additional soft armor backings for extra protection. These allow operators to easily store and carry auxiliary equipment, backup weapons, and spare reloads. Third-party belts can also be used to store equipment, shield generators, and oxygen tanks, as the MRIS armor is capable of fully pressurizing for use in EVA environments.

With the inception of Class 2D body armor, SPECCOM personnel issued MRIS armor have begun modifying the outer layers to incorporate one or more spare power cells, rigging them so that the shield grid is instantly recharged upon failing. These vary wildly in type and effectiveness, and effectiveness can scale with the amount carried. Their bulk limits their potential greatly, however, and most personnel never take more than one or two backup power cells.

[[Category:Advanced Armor]]

Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor

2018-04-09T07:49:42Z

T0l:

[[File:RISFull.png|300px|thumb|A demonstration model of a full set of Block 2 MRIS armor. Note the "skirt"-style garment worn around the waist: this is intended to protect the wearer from airburst and wide-beam munitions.]]
'''Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor''', also known as '''RIS''' armor or the '''MRIS''' system, is an advanced type of lightweight, flexible modular unpowered body armor. .

==History==
MRIS was originally designed for non-combat personnel entering potentially hostile areas, who would not be comfortable with wearing full combat exosuits or otherwise had no need for that degree of protection. Original sets, now referred to as Block 1 MRIS, consisted only of a chestplate with 3 seperate layers of armor.

The elusive SPECCOM division of the Solas Tempus Action Arm, however, has long since pushed for the introduction of a number of quality-of-life improvements, namely, a force-wide standardization of weaponry, mounting systems, and modularity, with an emphasis on easily interchangeable parts and foresight for upgrade pathways. Some SPECCOM personnel acquired MRIS chestplates, and, owing mostly to the modularity and strength, praised it for it’s many potential applications. Noticing this, SPECCOM leader began pushing for Solas Tempus R&D to create a SPECCOM-peculiar variant of the MRIS system. Their efforts have culminated in the development of the Block 2 MRIS system, which is a full set of unpowered, low-visibility body armor tailored specifically to the ever-changing needs of SPECCOM personnel based on their wide variety of mission types.

Since it’s inception, it has seen a number of key changes or improvements. Block 2 modifications allowed for the use of fully interchangeable plates that provide equal amounts of protection across the entire body, while the Block 3 modifications incorporate a Class 2D body armor, compatible with light shield arrays, and introduce lighter, lower visibility armor options for different environments. Block 3A augments provide specialized cold weather gear.

==Design==
The armor plates of the MRIS set are designed to be easily and quickly interchangable by personnel in the field to facilitate maximum readiness and mission flexibility for units deployed in strange, asymmetric, or unknown regions. The modularity of the set, plus compatibility with most standardized mounting systems, aftermarket accessories, and field improvisations, allows the end user to customize their armor based on mission need and personal preference. The high degree of freedom offered by both the SPECCOM mission statement and SPECCOM-peculiar kit allow for maximum efficicency and effectiveness in the field.

===Protection===
The MRIS system provides protection by means of interchangeable, removable layers. These typically consist of modular interference-resistant magnetically-connected armor plates, which are hooked up manually to the jumpsuit by means of heavy-duty load-carrying loops. Despite it's low weight and focus on mobility, it provides a high degree of personal protection, especially when the layers are in tandem with one another.

====Primary Layer====
The primary layer is typically the thickest, and is Class 1M-rated at the minimum. These plates are usually rigid, hard SAPI or Shooter's cut armor plates with a spall liner, with the most common variety consisting of a heavy tritanium alloy plate that covers the front and back of the wearer. While tough, the primary armor layer only usually covers the most essential vital organs, the lungs and heart, due to the restrictive weight of larger 1M-rated plates, although in tandem with the two other layers, there is little to nothing that can penetrate a wearer's vital regions.

A chest-mounted light can be attached to the middle of the primary plate, configured for low-light red, IR, strobe, or white light for various mission needs. The MRIS chest rig's straps can be configured to go over the primary layer without difficulty, provided that the wearer adjusts for the thickness of the plate compared to the secondary layer.

=====Low-Visibility Plate Carrier Module=====
An alternate plate carrier modeled off of the LBT-6094 chassis has been introduced with the Block 3 MRIS set, designed specifically for low-visibility or low-risk operations. It is designed to fit Class 1K or 1M SAPI-cut plates of varying size, with removable pockets for optional smaller side plates. The EMAG-resistant magnetic mounting strip system found on the regular primary armor layer can be found on the Low-Vis plate carrier.

====Secondary Layer====
The secondary layer protects most of the chest region, although it's rated lower on the protection scale at Class 1K instead of 1M. It is more flexible than the primary layer, consisting of smaller spaced plates with cuts for maximum mobility and ease of access, and is designed to provide the highest degree of lightweight protection against small arms fire that can be afforded to non-vital areas. Attachment points for Flexible Universal Mounts are located on the secondary layer of armor.

====Tertiary Layer====
Forming the backbone of the MRIS system is the tertiary layer, which, for EVA environments, consists of a fully-sealed, pressurized, fire-retardant, Class 2D-reinforced shield generator-compatible armored jumpsuit made of synthetic cloth and tritanium mesh weave to spoof sensors. Typically, it is in uniform black, with provisions on the chest to mount heavier armored plates. A heavy-duty EVA belt keeps the jumpsuit well-fit, and can accommodate personal shield generator units or ammunition pouches.

The unpressurized Block 3 variant of the tertiary layer is a new SPECCOM Class 2D combat shirt/pant combo with a rigid gunbelt, which had been worn by SPECCOM personnel for years prior to formal introduction. These are made from a similar synthetic cloth and mesh weave, but are lighter, more breathable, and significantly less complex than the jumpsuit. Key provisions include shoulder pouches, adjustable sleeves and wrist cuffs, and backwards compatibility with Class 1D soft armor liners.

=====Cold Weather Protective Outerwear=====
Incorporating operational feedback from SPECCOM units operating in highly-asymmetric environments, development of specialized low-visibility cold weather assault gear was accelerated and eventually produced the CWPO augment to Block 3 armor sets. Now issued as part of interim Block 3A MRIS kits, the CWPO is a set of lightweight, breathable waterproof (hydrophobic) and windproof garments made from slick synthetic material with a specialized soft inner layer. These garments, consisting of a grey jacket and tertiary layer-style assault pants, are typically worn under the armor in cold, wet, and/or windy climates, provided that a pressurized suit is not required. The jacket has two pockets with velcro slabs on the shoulder sleeves, adjustable wrist cuffs, an adjustable hood, and additional pockets on the main body, while the pants are essentially tertiary layer assault pants with a different material and inner layer. Both have the capability to install Class 1D or 2D soft armor layers, although wearers typically forgoe this due to the presence of the inner liner, which produces too tight of a fit when combined with armor.

The Block 3A jacket, which is currently exclusive to SPECCOM personnel, is worn occasionally as a status symbol in low-threat areas such as Nimbus Station.

====Other====
As the plates are worn externally, operators issued MRIS sets typically procure low-profile fabric chest rigs, occasionally with additional soft armor backings for extra protection. These allow operators to easily store and carry auxiliary equipment, backup weapons, and spare reloads. Third-party belts can also be used to store equipment, shield generators, and oxygen tanks, as the MRIS armor is capable of fully pressurizing for use in EVA environments.

With the inception of Class 2D body armor, SPECCOM personnel issued MRIS armor have begun modifying the outer layers to incorporate one or more spare power cells, rigging them so that the shield grid is instantly recharged upon failing. These vary wildly in type and effectiveness, and effectiveness can scale with the amount carried. Their bulk limits their potential greatly, however, and most personnel never take more than one or two backup power cells.

[[Category:Advanced Armor]]

Modular Reinforced Insulated Sheath Armor

2018-04-09T07:27:06Z

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