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Appendix - The Other Side, A Brief Look at Project;Knight
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For almost a century, Vanadís Armaments, an in-house subsidiary of TSU, was the primary manufacturer of all the organisation's ground-based heavy weapons; particularly threaded armoured vehicles and APCs.
When the First War broke out in Ta412, TSU could no longer afford to go with the cheapest provider. They needed a counter for Abhiales’s mecha, and they needed it fast.
It was not Vanadís that found this counter or developed the MBT that would become TSU's primary fighter in the third year of the war (based on the design of the first Casnel); however, they would be commissioned to mass-produce this MBT, one of the most populous mechs in history. This deal was exceptionally lucrative, and Vanadís felt safe in their position as TSU's primary armour provider.
However, with the First War over, TSU returned to its roots of simply going to the most cost-effective bidder, none other than Bailey Mechanics. Bailey's thinly veiled arms dealings to both sides no longer mattered in the face of TSU victory. With their monopoly over Abhailen mining rights, they could produce machinery at a rate and price Vanadís could never hope to match. Along with sales of their Abrams tank declining in the space age and mech revolution, Vanadís's director was in a desperate situation.
In what some call a bold yet fantastic move, the Director held a conference with TSU higher-ups and played on two factors. One, that Bailey, an Abhailen company, could not be trusted with the manufacturer of the next Casnels and generation of Vijiak frame - and two - that Vanadís, with its long-standing track record, could do it better and for less.
TSU agreed to the director’s proposal that Bailey and Vanadís create a small number of next-generation prototype Casnels using the new Gen-3 frames. And so the race began.
Vanadís's director claims he got the vision for Project; Knight from watching his son play with an assortment of toy knights of various kinds. Their familiarity, heroic nature to a child, and recognisable silhouettes all struck him as noteworthy. Moreover, the little figures appeared like tin men, similar to the metal giants of mechs; this was the clincher.
Some might say this is unlikely, considering the director's son was thirty-five at the estimated time. What's more likely the reason is an internal memo decreeing that this time, Vanadís would win the marketing competition too and not allow the likes of Bailey to 'out-woo' the higher-ups with superior pitches and advertising.
Whatever the true origins, it was undeniable that Project; Knight made for a memorable product. The trio of prototypes were modelled after Timbrce knights. Some liberties were taken, such as a circular instead of a square shield, but from the helmet's shape down to the calabar fencing blade - The general aesthetic was successfully conveyed. Moreover, the close-quarters nature of this Casnels intended to emphasise Vanadís's Gen 3 Vijiak frame. More flexible and manoeuvrable than anything that had come before, capable of allowing an almost humanoid level of finesse in the hands of a skilled pilot.
This was far from Vanadís's only innovation. The knight's shield reflected the company's wealth of experience, creating a honeycomb-layering-grid™. This worked by having the outer layer be goibhniu and the shield’s core spine, but every layer in between is a complex weave of lesser defensive plates - allowing for the shield to dissipate the heat of an incoming energy blast and to compress without snapping when faced with a physical blow - all while being far cheaper to replace if damaged and using less goibhniu than a fully or composite shield would.
This also led to the second-generation Calabar blade. By the third year of the First War, Calabar blades had become increasingly outdated, as Diamond-Processing-Companies (DCP) Arc-staff proved durable and more destructive.
Vanadís changed the Calabar’s design by giving a Goibhniu support column for the blade’s shaft. Cheaper than trying to give the giant chainsaw individual goibhniu teeth, while allowing it a far firmer core. This innovation not only increased the survivability of Calabar blades but additionally allowed for shorter, thinner and generally more refined blades, as emphasised by each knight’s standards rapier Calabar blade, the at the time most delicate mech blade ever to be greenlighted for combat use.
All told, Project;Knight was proving a glowing success. From the steller new Gen-3 frame to a cost-saving but more durable than ever heat dissipating shield and precision pointed blades, Vanadís had managed to get ahead of schedule by a significant margin, moving into their new testing facility with three test pilots before its habitation dome could even be completed. For ranged weapons, Vanadís planned to give each of the three machines a unique loadout to illustrate further their incredible strides in innovation, determination and ability to keep up in a world that needed fewer ground-based tanks.
We would never get to see these weapons…
In Ta418, a small force of remnant Abhilein-Revoultionary-Forces attacked the in-construction base, easily defeating its guards and stealing all three prototypes. It's believed this mission was headed by The Sly Fox, The Scarlet Scourge, and The Bane of Konepei—three people soon named among the newly dubbed Rememberence's ‘Five Great Aces’ in the following months.
The loss was monumental. The base was destroyed, and the prototypes were gone. It is said the Director at the company headquarters nearly had a coronary. With the Remembrance Incident about to break out, there was simply no time for a do-over, Project;Knight was shelved, and Vanadís left in disgrace.
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Based on its test model, we may be able to get an idea of what Project;Knight’s weapons might have looked like.
In late Ta414, the Cheval De Troy brought aboard a heavily damaged customised Abileein Vijiak Heavy. The mech's colour scheme and even pieces of mostly decorative additional armour gave the machine the vague look of a holy knight, a paladin of sorts.
This mech was left in storage for some time, but it was given to Vanadís for retrofitting alongside the Gen-3 project. Its rudimentary existing modifications were possibly another inspiration for the team, and they certainly leaned into it with the retrofit. In general, the Vijiak Heavy is considered the best Vijiak made using a Gen-1 frame, as its sheer strength allows it to have a ridiculous amount of weapons and spare armour. Along with changing the joints for more flexible ones and replacing the armour to modern standards - Vanadís would also use the tentatively named 'Paladin' to test their new weapons.
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The newly created Gen-2 Calabar blades were first used by Paladin, a long sword form factor for this Alpha model. Likewise, the same honeycomb goibhnui shield tech was first tested here with a somewhat smaller, teardrop-shaped shield. And the final weapon a lance.
A lance had never been deployed for any Vijaik in recorded history. Yet, using a lightweight internal composite and a thin goibhnui finish combined with the sheer strength of the Vijiak Heavy, the 004-Spiker was created. The spiker doubled as a ranged weapon thanks to three indents that could fire short energy bursts. Although far weaker than a conventional Vijiak rifle, the rapid-fire bursts had something of an SMG effect, and the lance itself could be used as both a shield and bludgeon. Moreover, the lance was designed as a last resort close-range projectile; the cannons could rotate backwards and launch the lance forwards with a powerful spin, in effect turning it into a massive drill, before being retracted via a physical cable.
This utterly esoteric weapon perhaps shows the lengths Vanadís prepared to go in order to show every possible facet they could come up with. In practice, the ordinance the prototypes would have received might have been more reserved; the fact the drill mechanisms of the spiker required firing a laser burst back at the wielder surely made it far too complex for the average pilot - nonetheless, we can imagine the prototypes would have had similarly multipurpose, experimental weapons.
The Paladin was not at the same facility as the attack and thus spared from the heist. It would be deployed once during the Remembrance incident; however, its pilot [redaced] would turn rouge, destroying their own escort and defecting to the enemy. This, in effect, meant all four mechs, even the testbed Paladin, had ended up in the hands of the enemy.
For some years after this, Vanadís Armaments were downsized. As an internal company, they had little choice in the matter; this was until the TSU-s - IAFS conflict.
This war would see it come to light that Bailey Mechanics not only dealt weapons to both sides but were possibly the primary sponsors of IAFS. Meanwhile, DCP’s Diamond Fortress, while proving successful at low orbital bombardment (its intended function), was shown to be inadequate and expensive at putting down any rebel force that possessed Vijiaks.
With the war ending in TSU-s's destruction and the loss of the Grand-Weapon, TSU turned once more to Vanadís with a new plan, a resuscitation of Project;Knight.
Sent to one of the now disbanded TSU-s bases on Bhiale's moon, a production line was set up to scavenge goibhniu of the destroyed Grand-Weapon and convert it into a new line of Mass-Production Casnels. Not since the Casnel-Ground-Type would a Casnel be issued on this scale; it was to be Vanadís's last chance at redemption.
Progress, using a Skemb Dritshem-style knight as the model, proceeded well. Using techniques from the previous project and data provided by TSU for almost every Casnel and Vijiaks ever produced prior, Vanadís created a cost-effective but powerful new Casnel, one operable by the common pilot. Before long, the first two Alpha models were complete, and eight more Beta models were rapidly behind them.
The long-range weapon, which TSU specifically briefed as needing to be precise, powerful, and ‘repeatable’, did cause some issues. After much debate, a Bailey mechanics design was eventually agreed upon, if begrudgingly.
The design of the ACR-High-Power-Rifle originated from Bailey's own Gen-3 Casnel back in Ta418. More recently, IAFS deployed a single test model (the ACR-Mk5) during the recent conflict. It has proven powerful, robust, and precise. Vanadís set out to dumb it down somewhat, make it friendlier to non-marksman pilots (a rarity at the best of times), and increase the barrel size back to the original model’s, without sacrificing power.
A prototype copying the Mk5, without sniper features, was successfully completed and set to ship alongside seventy-odd processors from DCP to Vanadís’s new moon base headquarters for testing against the Alpha and Beta unit's armour. This shipment, escorted by an elite Seeker squadron, would not arrive successfully. Intersected by a standard Remembrance patrol boat, the supply ship was captured, and the Seekers destroyed. The bespoke processors fell embarrassingly into enemy hands, along with the prototype rifle; this was not too great a detriment. Costly, yes, but the processors could be ordered again, and the gun would soon be replaced by its next iteration as the project neared completion, or so Vanadís thought.
Just two weeks later, during a test flight, the lone Remembrance Corvette and its two mech escort destroyed both Alpha units, one piloted by a noted TSU ace. A day later, this ship would infiltrate the base.
Vanadís's headquarters had come with more than just furniture. The TSU-s base defenders had also stayed as protection against a repeat of seven years ago. Under the command of Major Brunwich, the base had a couple of hundred defenders and fourteen seeker pilots operating the ‘Mleue’ model Vijiak, a specialist mech and one of the only products Vanadís had been commissioned to make in between Project;Knight versions 1 and 2 - Along with a large number of other vehicles and three Abrams model tanks.
The invasion force was small yet remarkable. As a tiny team traversed the base as though it were one of their own, a lone mech faced off against the Seekers, killing four outside the base and a further ten inside the domed habitation zone. This mech was none other than the Paladin, the mech Vanadís had used for testing and that had turned traitor, or so they saw it at least.
The Director is said to have flown into a violent rage at this news, ordering all eight Beta types be deployed against this threat. Advisors cautioning against sending out an incomplete product, piloted by mostly test pilots, fell on deaf ears as the director pointed out the consequences of the enemy stealing their mechs like they had last time.
Meanwhile, Major Brunwhich deployed his troops in mass, attempting to overrun the infiltrators and their little ship, which he had managed to corner inside the base. Using the three Abrams tanks at his disposal and all troops across the base, the major attempted to blow open a hole in the small corvette and blow up its generator, hopefully talking out the Paladin guarding it in the process.
Although TSU-s had already disbanded at this point, some might argue that this small battle was, in fact, the very last ground-based skirmish that TSU-s would ever take part in; it would certainly be the majors' last. Leading a final force of two hundred men, the major in person entered the central area, ready to die if needed, to destroy the corvette. Before he could, the Paladin mech blasted a hole in the dome's ceiling using a stolen rifle.
In the ensuing chaos, many of Brunwhich's men, not in protective gear, were instantly killed by the vacuum of space; meanwhile, the corvette and two mechs, quite literally hanging off it, began to escape. Three of the Beta-type Casnels remained standing and attempted to attack; however, having just cleared the shattered dome’s zenith, the Corvette’s crew activated a short-range remote detonation. In the following instance, explosives placed by the enemy's infiltration team ignited the base generators wholesale. The ensuing explosion killed almost all personnel, including the Director.
In the weeks since the excavation of the Casnels and materials began, however, it has been decided to shut down Vanadís after the loss of its core leadership and most of its staff.
The Casnels will be transferred elsewhere and finished soon. Vanadís's legacy shall live on, as its final product is finished by the work of those who follow in their footsteps.
- An observer.