Invictus
The Invictus is a massive rumbler skiff that serves as the largest vehicle in the Altean Army's arsenal. Having the maiga consumption of multiple automated factories, its use is carefully rationed out, typically only used when either Erica or Damon are available to fuel it directly.
Shaped vaguely like a galleon without masts, it features a three tiered deck, with clear segments for the prow, the main deck, and the aft in ascending order, with two feet of elevation difference from one tier to the next. The helm is mounted on the elevated rear deck, operated standing with a large wheel, a lever for forward and back tilt, and four foot pedals to dictate movement, one for each of forward, backward, port, and starboard. Stairs leading below decks are placed into the wall of the aft deck on either side of the charge bank running the middle of the skiff. Ladders on either side of the Invictus allow boarding when not in motion. Life vines run the entire length of the ship to power and communicate the steering with the rumble drives. There are two sub decks to facilitate ease of access for repairs and storage of spare parts and ammunition.Power Generation
A huge bank of charges fills the center line of the hold, made of obsidian one meter wide and five meters tall. Excepting some gaps to allow for crew access below decks, it is comprised of some 185 tons of the material shaped by Damon himself to suit the craft's needs. A thin layer of copper surrounds the bank, keeping its energy inside. A charging port is situated next to the helm for continued operation by a powerful shaper. A full charge would take a team of ten traditional chargers over a week of continual charging to achieve, though only Erica and Damon see to the charging of the Invictus, reducing the time to a couple of hours. When not being continually fed maiga, the Invictus has up to three hours of non-strenuous operation in its charge bank.
Propulsion
Eighteen rumble drives line the lower hull of the Invictus, each side having a top row of five and a bottom row of four drives. Each has the power to pulverize bone if operated too close to living things, and has the capacity to damage mechans who stray too close as well. A set of propellers are also mounted to the rear of the Invictus for less strenuous operation in larger bodies of water. Under standard operation, the rumble drives keep the Invictus approximately a meter above ground. Assuming there isn't too much inertia, it is capable of omnidirectional movement. Eight powerful legs unfold from the hull when the Invictus needs to land.
Weapons & Armament
A reinforced battering ram protrudes beneath the prow of the Invictus, extending from the keel. Above deck, the prow houses a five inch howitzer on a depressed deck, allowing the gun a shallow depression angle but a commanding 270° arc. Behind it on a short tower, a quad barreled flak turret commands a full 360° firing arc. Behind that, three more howitzers are arrayed on each side of the skiff, afforded a good 90° arc of fire with good elevation and depression.
Armor and defense
Despite rumbler skiffs typically being made predominantly of wood, the Invictus is also the most heavily armoured rumbler skiff on Tarsis, boasting six inches of altanite alloy plating forming the hull. This is to eliminate the risk of shapers simply bending and twisting the Invictus into destruction. Spare copper plating and welding kits are stowed below decks to patch up the charge bank should it become damaged. Four spare rumble drives are kept in the hold as well to replace any terminally damaged ones on the hull.
Additional & auxiliary systems
A rudimentary matrix maigum is wired into the propulsion systems of the Invictus, tasked with keeping the skiff relatively upright during trying maneuvers.
Class
Designation
AAF (Altean Army Fleet)
Manufacturer
Owner
Owning Organization
Rarity
Unique
Related Technologies
Beam
10m
Length
40m
Height
9m
Weight
1250 t
Speed
max 65 km/h
Complement / Crew
1 pilot, 5 gunners, 5 loaders, 1 below decks maintenance
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