AP-FILE #6317: PROJECT "BALLISTA"

[Tenacity]

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Incoming Transmission

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Source: APM Research Vessel Ailuros
Comm ID: Damien Mekal
Encryption: APM Standard

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Establishing Feed

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Following the completion of Dr. Strauss' expedition to planet Nauru, which revealed more than we ever could have hoped for regarding the alien society that once lived there, I've begun the next phase of Research & Development for the Core. WIth the Azurite reactor system onboard the Ailuros fully operational, and powered by IRG power cells procured from the Ingenuus Research Group, this ship is measuring far above its class in terms of power output and sustainability. The gunboat-class point defense turrets we have equipped, currently, hardly draw upon the power we're generating, and given that we operate almost exclusively in extremely hostile space surrounded by alien and terrorist entities wishing to prevent our progression, I think it is past time we upgrade our combat capabilities.

Newly recovered technology from the ancient manufacturing facility on Nauru has provided us with a plethora of equipment to reverse-engineer, but my interests lie in the unrecovered anti-orbital defense weapon that led to the downfall of the Naurian civilization. While the weapon itself has not been found, we know from the database files recovered by Dr. Strauss and her team that it was based largely on antimatter-based tunneling devices used by the Naurians to expand their subterranean habitats. Many such devices, some in pristine condition, have been recovered from the manufacturing facility at the excavation site and brought to Invicta Research Complex for reverse-engineering.

These devices are fairly simple, though masterfully constructed by the ancient Naurians; they utilize steady, focused blasts of antimatter contained within shaped magnetic fields and accelerated by rail coils. The system is quite similar to bomber-grade antimatter cannons, razor-series tachyon-antimatter launchers, and mortar-series antimatter siege guns. Key differences lie in the shaped magnetic field containing the antimatter blast, the efficiency of Naurian antimatter generators, and the charge focusing apparatus that controls dispersion rate.

I've worked with Marcus Greer, my engineer, to begin drawing up initial schematics for the weapon. Given the power requirements for antimatter generation, I believe a maximum of two of these weapons can be powered by our current reactor output. Our remaining three turret hardpoints will be downgraded to traditional APM gunboat-grade point defense batteries for dealing with smaller attackers.

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END TRANSMISSION

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