Quote:‘Stingray’ hardsuit.

A type of powered armour based upon the hardsuits of the Knight Sabers, from the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA, originally designed by Jet Jaguar. These differ from normal Fenspace powered armours in that they are first and foremost intended as spacecraft, rather than for combat.

The design was developed by Jet while she lived on Earth, originally at the request of her partner, Sierra. Based upon Knight Saber hardsuit plans featured in the Whole Fenspace Catalogue, the plans were heavily modified to construct a spaceworthy design, trading off some of the original Saber-suit’s agility. It took Jet the best part of a year to build Sierra’s suit from the ground up, while living in Los Angeles.

Jet received several requests from Fen interested in buying a hardsuit or at least licensing the design. Surprised, and not really interested in building them and tying herself to a workbench, Jet instead stripped her working plans of proprietary parts like engines, then placed her edited plans and testing logs online, releasing them under an open-source hardware license for interested Fen to build themselves. A small community slowly coalesced around a core of builders, sharing ideas, suggestions, improvements and suggested parts suppliers, eventually forming the “Stingray Project” to properly administer the design.

The project’s governing committee aims to release hardware updates annually and software updates every six months. Production plans and onboard software are licensed under the LGPL, and are distributed as a single combined package. Any builder is theoretically capable of contributing something new to the project, provided they’ve tested their plans and the design meets committee approval. Jet herself is the least ‘active’ of the project committee, but still contributes occasional updates or ideas, along with some advice on flight, navigation and a quick guide on not smashing things you just want to pick up.

It takes anyone reasonably competent about six months or so to get something spaceworthy. A skillful gearhead can have one inside a few weeks if not faster. Some are also be built for a fee by professional builders. Any professionally-built suit is required to include a copy of all relevant design documentation.

The project aims to replace all proprietary components with open-sourced designs. There are still significant gaps in the plans... most notably the suit’s engines and a number of critical subsystems still have to be purchased from specialised sources. The design package includes details of a number of different component sellers.

is provided in three different variations. The original version, written by Jet for Sierra’s suit, is recommended solely for those using older ‘danetech for the hardsuit computers. In general, it can charitably be described as ‘crude but functional’. Version 2 is much improved reliability wise, being maintained by a more experienced programmer, though is still feature incomplete. Version 3 is an unstable testing version, with a number of new features, though with a tendency to crash, right before the wearer does. All versions include at least a WFC-derived Expert System to help the wearer fly, navigation and radio software.

Steganovich Steelwear in Crystal Tokyo is one of the most popular builders, providing mainly to Senshi. It takes about three months between order and measuring, and delivery of the final suit.

Naturally... although the original Saber designs are exclusively female, male-adapted plans are included in the package.

Attributes:

Bespoke build: Designed specifically to fit one person and one person alone. Only that person(or an identical twin) can ever wear the suit without a serious rebuild. If anyone else tries to wear it, at best won’t fit and at worst will break bones.

Ave Machina: Hardsuits require regular maintenance, prefereably from the builder. The suit’s software must be updated, structural elements have to be checked for fatigue, actuators have to be lubricated and properly adjusted. Ignoring this for too long increases the risk of a malfunction ranging from the irritating, to potentially deadly.

It’s flight Jim, but not as we know it: Despite the expert system fitted, piloting one of these suits is not for the faint of heart. It’s still very easy for an inexperienced or easily disorientated pilot to get into trouble.

Open-Sourced: Where possible, Licensed under the Lesser General Public License. Some elements still incomplete. Some features not exactly easy to use, and the software is still a bit buggy. But if you don’t like it, you have the plans to change it.

Common Quirks:

Eighties hair: After removing their helmet, no matter what hairstyle the wearer had when they put the helmet on, it will be changed to something teleported in from the 1980’s. Mullets and perms all around.

Voice of a Saber: For some reason, any transmission broadcast by hardssuit will sound like a member of the BGC cast. Usually this is one of the Knight Sabers but Aya Hisakawa, Maruo Tomoko and Toshio Furukawa are also notable represented, among others.

Well heeled: No Stingray suits are built with a flexible ankle joint, to save ankles from hammed up landings and collisions. Walking in them is a lot like walking in high-heeled boots... which can be a hilarious challenge for those not used to wearing heels.

Open-Sourced Quirks: Stingray hardsuits tend to accumulate quirks from designers, the further removed the particular plans being used are from the official distribution.

Data:

Base Hull: Knight Saber-type hardsuit.
Height: Wearers + ~20cm
Wingspan: 150-200cm retractable

Drive type:
Pair of reactionless thrusters mounted in the heels.
Manouevering jets fitted to the wings.
Drive Rating: Max velocity 400kph at Sea Level. (.1c in space)
Mass: Between 60 and 90 kilogrammes, plus wearer.

Owner: Stingray Committee
Launched: 2018 onwards

Life Support: 2-3 days.
Armament: None as standard.
Comm’s: Usually customised by the owner.
Crew: Wearer only.

Purpose: Personal space and atmospheric flight.

Roughrider Type:

Rumours that Jet and Sierra are working on setting up a production of a number of suits for the Roughriders since they joined up with that faction, remain just that. If such a suit did exist, it would likely be fitted with an advanced set of comm’s, ECM and sensors, have a far more capable ES and be painted in a very stealthy black. If they did exist, they would likely include a number of onboard weapons, and be designed to fit in drop tubes aboard the Tough Love.

Each would still need to be manufactured bespoke for it’s wearer. They would be unlikely to ever be sold, due to the requirements of the LGPL license, and a number of ‘confidential’ components which might be fitted from a number of non-existant confidential sources.

Quote:Who else is on the Stingray committee, I don't know.

M Fnord Wrote:The Soviet MARS marine units use hardsuits of similar design - and obviously the same inspiration - but the capabilities and production are very different. For one thing, the VVS suits aren't bespoke; most of the components are mass-produced and interchangeable (on the theory that since MARS units are intended to be combat units, replacement of damaged gear needs to be paramount). MARS hardsuits also aren't space-independent, they have limited maneuvering capability but can't travel distance like the Stingray design. Also, the armor plating in VVS hardsuits is Battle Inconel, a not quite as 'tankable' alloy[1]. They also remove some of the odder quirks from the source material - like high heels. (Because really?)

[1] Used in the hulls of VVS combat aerospacecraft, Battle Inconel is a nickel alloy that is light and can suck up heat and some forms of kinetic energy like woah. Not quite as tough as battlesteel, though; it wears pretty quickly.