Ketteract Drive Thrusters

Ketteract Drive Thrusters, not to be confused with Ketteract Engines, is a simultaneous propulsion and mechanical drive system utilized by nearly all modern Battle Suits. The system is designed around a Type A Laniakea Reactor utilizing the superheated material of the antimatter reaction to power both the drive and propulsion systems. In essence, the drive system manipulates the extreme heat and pressure produced by the reactor to generate mechanical energy and movement for Battle Suits to operate before it is ejected through any number of exhaust ports. These exhaust ports, effectively thrusters, fulfill every role required of a propulsion system, ranging from primary engines to maneuvering and attitude control thrusters. While the Ketteract Drive Thrusters can sustain a Battle Suit for an extended period of time, operational intervals depend on the specific model. Should deployment exceed a Battle Suit's expected sortie duration, the onboard computer will detect an insufficient amount of fuel remaining and disable the propulsion system in order to ensure the frame is still capable of locomotion. In this case, the Laniakea Reactor's remaining antimatter supply becomes the limiting factor of deployment. While such a scenario is relatively trivial during terrestrial operations, it's a death sentence in exoatmospheric battlespaces. As a result, naval engagements are based around rotating shifts of Battle Suit squads, minimizing the chance of an improperly supplied Battle Suit drifting helplessly in a combat area. This drive-propulsion system enables rank and file Battle Suits to perform extreme maneuvers in exoatmospheric engagements. Artificial limiters are required to prevent Battle Suits from exceeding 10 g's of force for the safety of their pilots. However, augmented humans who can withstand higher G-forces have been known to disable such limiters, giving them a considerable edge in combat with accounts claiming some Feather Frames exceeded 29 g's in combat during the First Solar War. On the other hand, Ketteract Engines are the primary engines of capital ships. As there is no need for an elaborate drive system, all superheated material is funneled directly to propulsion, creating what is essentially a thermal antimatter engine.

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