Unit Name: GR3-Y "Fox" All-Purpose Mass-Production Mecha
Function
A mass-produced mecha that can be quickly and easily adapted to a variety of mission roles, it is the mainstay grunt of the Lion Empire. Highly manouverable and powerfully armed, it easily outclasses (almost) everything the F.A.P. has to offer.
Armor
Duranium Composite Armor.
Although its armor is incredibly thin, it is made of a metal compound created by freezing ordinary metals to absolute zero (the point at which molecular bounds cease to exist) and combining these metals into one super-metal (called "Duranium"), capable of insane levels of durability. Though this offers the GR3-Y total protection from small-arms fire and the various environmental dangers one may encounter, in mecha combat, it typically relies on its beam shield for most of its defense.
Weapons
- Beam Sabre: The standard melee weapon for the GR3-Y. It projects a magnetic field that is filled with pure photonic energy. It runs on an internal battery which allows for one minute, twenty three seconds of continuous use. Melts and cuts right through almost any armor. Though Lion beam sabres have higher power ratings than those wielded by F.A.P. members, this doesn't matter much in actual combat as they will cut through armor as quickly as any other.
- Beam Rifle: Standard issue beam rifle. Is powered by a power cell which holds enough energy 10 shots. Capable of eliminating most mecha in one shot. A popular desperation tactic employed by veteran GR3-Y pilots is to manually charge all the power of the power cell into one, massive "buster shot", which can outright vaporize even a military frigate. This usually results with a crispy, burnt-out beam rifle as well, so it is used only in emergencies against extraordinary enemies.
- Beam Shield: Standard issue anti-beam weaponry shield. Draws its power directly from the mech, guaranteeing constant protection as long as the shield is not overloaded (which would result in an inert and totally helpless mech). Projects a powerful positive magnetic field which repels the weaker positive field projected by beam rifles and sabres. Without the containing magnetic field, the highly charged photons then simply fizzle and dispel in all directions, rendering beam shots and slashes useless.
- Mega Beam Rifle: A higher-rated beam rifle that is made for sniping and long range combat. Is essentially a much larger beam rifle that fires more powerful shots. Is powered by a large power cell which holds enough energy for 5 shots. Usually employed by sniper teams (what few of them there are), fire-support teams, or anti-warship teams. They lose the "buster shot" ability, but are so powerful that such an ability is unneccessary anyways. Can vaporize several mechs at once, and even battleships don't stand a chance of still moving after being hit by this weapon.
- Hyper Beam Cannon: A recent development designed after several encounters with the ENIS. Designed as the be-all, end-all of beam weaponry, this massive weapon can be wielded only in space (as its weight would be enough to snap that arm right off the GR3-Y wielding it under gravity. However, this is not much of a limitation, as its power-rating is so ludicrously high that it can defeat the forces of gravity and re-entry and attack units on the surface)). Is powered by a massive power cell which holds enough energy for three shots. As large as a frigate, it requires four GR3-Y units to operate it (one for fire control, one for spotting, and two for stabilization before and after firing). Fires a massive beam that can engulf a cruiser. One hit from this and its all over.
- Needle Rifle: One of the very few solid-state ammo based weapons the GR3-Y is capable of equipping. Fires monomolecular needles than can pierce right through all but the thickest of armors. Has 2-round burst and full-auto options. Clips hold 130 shots. Designed for use by infiltration and recon teams (which needed a weapon that wasn't as ostentatious as the bright, loud, intense beam rifles), it is totally silent and produces little recoil. Its needles can penetrate armor very easily, but they won't do any damage to a mech unless they hit something vital. Wielders of these weapons are taught how to identify cockpits and engine compartments and to aim at those. One needle can bisect an unfortunate pilot or turn an engine into scrap.
History
When it started its massive campaign of manifest destiny, the Lion Empire's armies consisted of the mighty super-robot corps, and a vast assortment of conventional tanks and planes. While these armies were initially very effective, the large number of fronts that began to open up grew exponentially as the Lions expanded outwards. Supers, no longer able to be concentrated on one front, were split and spread thin across the galaxy. Even seemingly minimal damage, such as the loss of an arm or a cave-in on the chest could take months to repair on a super. Since super-robots formed the backbone of the Lion Empire, losing even one would be a massive blow, yet they were sent constantly into more and more missions. Against the powerful defenses of planets ready for war and wanting vengeance for the loss of their colonies and citizens, this constant action would eventually overwhelm any army.
The need for an infiltration unit became clear. A unit that could enter undetected into an enemy system, gather intelligence on its strategic assets, and undermine its defenses. This unit was the GR3-Y Mark I. This design allowed the Lions to attack worlds with significantly reduced defenses, their power stripped away by guerilla raids made by expert stealth teams. The GR3-Y was eventually shoehorned into other roles as well (thanks mostly due to the egregious losses suffered by ordinary conventional units), from territory defense to supporting convetional forces. The design, even though it was made for stealthy wetwork, was shown to be equally effective at frontine combat thanks to its speed, slim profile, and its powerful, upscaled weapons.
Eventually, this weapon was seen as so effective, that a newer, more generalized version was made: the Mark II. Designed to be a jack-of-all trades, the mass-produced unit could still perform its old deep infiltration roles (even more effectivly now that it was equipped with a thermoptic camo "skirt") but also found itself quickly replacing old conventional units and becoming the main support force of the Lion Empire.
A Note on Effectiveness
Compared to the CF-06 of the F.A.P. the GR3-Y is far ahead in terms of technology. Its lithe, skinny profile, coupled with insane manouverability make it dificult to hit. Its standard beams weapons are capable of far more destruction than the solid-state weapons of the "Cannon Fodder" grunt. In fact, one would be inclined to think that the CF-06 would be slaughtered by the GR3-Y in every situation. Not so. The CF-06 has two key advantages over the GR3-Y. The first is that of Earth's technology.
Whereas most of the universe has, at this point in time, accelerated to full beam-weaponry usage, Earth is only just developing this technology, and also lacks the resources to properly equip its units with these weapons, instead opting for much cheaper solid state weapons. This has turned out to be a decided advantage for the CF-06 against the GR3-Y, as the Fox was developed for fighting with and against beam weapons, and has very little armor as a result. The solid-state weapons employed by the CF-06 ignore the beam shields (the primary defense of the GR3-Y) totally. In fact, woe be to any pilot foolish enough to activate a beam shield against bullets, as, rather than protect the mech, it would actually accelerate the already considerable velocity of the hot lead heading at it, thanks to the strong positive magnetic field. F.A.P. units equipped with beam weapons however, must either overload the shield or get a good shot past the shield and on the unit itself (no small task).
The other advantage of the CF-06 is the skillset of common GR3-Y pilots: since beam weapons are so difficult to use against units equipped with beam shields, rather than learn how to snipe and hit the whatever little is exposed behind the shield, GR3-Y pilots instead tend to rush into melee combat, sabre drawn and simply go around the shield. This has led to a preference among GR3-Y pilots for melee as opposed to ranged combat (hence the lack of sniper and fire-support teams). Therefore, if they can put up a decent barrage, most CF-06 pilots can down enemy GR3-Ys before they get within range.
These two advantages can put these two radically different units on somewhat even footing, and from here it depends on the skill of the individual pilots.
Variants
Pending Custom unit for noland in the first chapter of ENIS.
