kg; top speed 3360 kph; booster rockets: 4x 36,200 kg; top speed 6606 kph; maneuvering thrusters: 23, 180° turn time 0.66 seconds;
legs: top ground speed 200 kph
Near the close of CY 40’s HALO Conflict, the rapidly escalating arms race confronted Ivan Eckhart with the limits of his versatile but rather lightly armed XCD-102 Emancipator. The Wehrbund Bavaria and HALO ace set out to design a new personal combat frame adapted to the quickly evolving battlefield. To that end, he sought help from a most unlikely source.Starting with replacement parts stored on Browning’s Black Zone proving ground asteroid, Ivan and Togi assembled a new One-Series XSeed enhanced with technology the Secta had gleaned on their travels. Ivan initially planned to produce an attack XSeed capable of dominating opponents up close while boasting considerable mid-range combat ability. The results of his collaboration surpassed even these lofty ambitions.
Ivan and his collaborator built their basic design around the XCD-104 Eschaton‘s frame. They eschewed the extra set of arms to save weight and opted to forgo the unit’s dynamic camouflage. Instead of the dual three-section heat staves, they designed a novel set of plasma weapons embodying Ivan’s close-mid range attack profile and utilizing borrowed graviton-generating technology.
This combination yielded a plasma scythe mounting dual curved blades more powerful than any prior CF melee weapon and a pair of plasma sickle sidearms. In a masterstroke, the pair incorporated elements of the XCD-101 Ezekiel‘s remote system. Rockets mounted on the scythe and sickles allowed them to be thrown and guided across the battlefield by either the pilot or the onboard A.I. In a nod to the venerable YCF-00 Type 0, the scythe’s rockets could be fired in melee to add extra force to a swing. Ivan duly christened his terrifying creation the XCD-106 Reaper to signal the SOC’s final reckoning.
Overshadowing its stunning array of weapons, the Reaper’s most impressive innovation was the inertial damper system added to supplement its powerful drives. Based on little-understood gravity wave and TC/D concepts, the damper could cancel g-forces below a certain threshold, allowing the pilot to withstand normally lethal acceleration. That acceleration was provided by a set of booster rockets hearkening back to the formidable CCF-017K Kurfürst. When activated, the inertial dampers produced a dual warping effect behind the Reaper which, though normally invisible, left a set of afterimages burned into an observer’s retinas shaped like a pair of demonic wings. The Reaper could then make a blinding burst of speed, closing to mid-range targets so quickly as to mimic teleportation.
Though a trio of rocket-propelled plasma weapons capable of acting as A.I.-guided circular saw blades promised widespread destruction and terror, Ivan deemed his creation’s mid-range attack capabilities insufficient. Taking another page from the Type 0 and the Kurfürst, he installed a pair of EM/flash grenade launchers in the unit’s forearms to facilitate quick exits. As a finishing touch, Ivan scavenged a Grand Dolph machine rifle and added an under-barrel grenade launcher loaded with high-explosive anti-armor rounds. This eclectic weapons loadout enabled the Reaper to rapidly apply and maintain pressure up close while fending off medium-range threats and leaving escape options open. In live combat the XCD-106 unleashed devastation akin to a CF-sized wrecking ball hurled into enemy formations.
This is amazing and wonderful. To see the Kurfürst's design living on and inspiring later generations of mech-designers is wonderful.
You originally said building a mech was to put your stamp on mech evolution. This is absolute proof.
For the rest, I hold that the Systems Overterrestrial Coalition must be destroyed.
I'm delighted this project is providing you with ongoing value. I'm sure John would echo that sentiment.
Brian
Wow. That's one lethal mecha. Scythes? Still very deadly after 6000 years.
It's really fascinating to see the evolution of the various mechs. Gives me some pointers how to go about with my mechs.
xavier
The green plasma scythes make me think of the Protoss Dark Templar from StarCraft.
Whether or not that's where they're from, they're cool.
What I am amused by is the use of an inertial dampener to allow the pilot to survive brief moments of extreme acceleration that would otherwise incapacitate or kill him. I am approaching the same problem and have a different solution.
For the rest, I hold that the Systems Overterrestrial Coalition must be destroyed.
D.J., Xavier — glad you are liking the design. The backer had some great ideas, and I'm happy I could render them appropriately.
You certainly captured my ideas very well last year, and I'm looking forward to working with you again.
You've outdone yourself again, AA!
D.J. – I'll get the three of us conferring tomorrow.
Artanon Studios
Congrats. I really enjoy reading about them. I hope soon Brian will commission you to write an illustrated manual a la Battletech of all the mechs.
xavier