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Post by whitehind on Jun 5, 2005 12:54:12 GMT -5
The military testing ground is a large facility dedicated to the application of prototype and experimental weapons, vehicles, armour, ships etc. A large area of churned and cratered wasteland, bordered by a high mountain ridge, shows the scars of extensive shelling and bombing. Inside the numerous, reinforced concrete structures there are workshops, firing ranges and medical facilities. The high, perimeter fences are constantly patrolled by armed guards.
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Post by whitehind on Jun 5, 2005 12:55:11 GMT -5
A large, black people carrier with tinted windows rolls to a halt at the main gates and, after the driver shows his identification, the gates open and the car drives on through. The government vehicle parks next to a similar car, with two mammals waiting next to it. The mammals are Burro and Hobbes. Agent Hunter opens the sliding, side door of newly arrived car and gets out, holding it open for professor Simmons.
"We're here, sir" says Hunter, "and your weapon must be in that car [points to the vehicle next to Burro]".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 6, 2005 3:45:41 GMT -5
Simmons looks around, somewhat dispirited.
"Not exactly laboratory conditions, is it?"
He walks towards the armoured car.
"I hope that the Chairman understands, this is the prototype version. It can be a bit, well, temperamental. I really just wanted to demonstrate that the principles were sound. Did you manage to get the crate open?"
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Post by whitehind on Jun 6, 2005 10:34:07 GMT -5
Burro opens the boot of the car and reveals the metal crate; it now has an override panel attached to the palm scanner.
"The chairman knows what he's doing," says Hobbes from behind his reflective visor, "this facility will suffice for your demonstration. We're in one of the most secure compounds on this continent... and if anything goes wrong with your weapon, any damage caused will be safely contained".
Burro shakes his head slightly to himself, detecting slight vibes of animosity in Hobbe's voice. He has always disapproved of his colleague’s attitude towards Toads; its cause has always eluded him. Burro has met and fought mammals that have been more despicable and evil than Toads... where does the hatred for a whole race come from?
"Professor, the tech officer fitted this override,” says Burro, "It just needs your security code".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 7, 2005 3:21:05 GMT -5
"Right, right."
He grinned sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, it's a silly thing, but would you mind turning around? Thank you."
He walks over to the box and places his hand on the palm reader next to the locking mechanism.
"Identify. Professor Simmons. Code G 3 1 0 7 pink."
The locks begin unlocking.
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Post by whitehind on Jun 7, 2005 16:54:41 GMT -5
Burro and Hobbes oblige Simmons and turn their backs while he inputs his code. After a few moments Burro half turns and asks, "Is everything in order?".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 8, 2005 2:25:20 GMT -5
OOC: I nearly wrote Wartmon again.
The box stops half way through unfolding itself. The control panel rotates and reveals a retinal scanner.
"Yes, yes. But it seems that my employers are a little more cautious than I'd realised."
He puts his chin on the cradle and waits while the box runs a scanner over his eyes. The light on the panel turns from red to green. The centre of the box unfolds and the prototype rises up from the centre. It is not an aesthetically pleasing weapon, sort of like a maser rifle that skipped the slim fast and went straight on to McDonalds. Simmons smiled as he picked it up and cradled it in one arm. Along side it was a targeter headset which he also picked up. He turned back to Burro and Hobbes.
"Where do you want to set up?"
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Post by whitehind on Jun 8, 2005 18:25:46 GMT -5
Burro looks over to a nearby bunker; a huge, rectangle of stone sunk into ground.
"Well that's entirely dependant on what sort of test you'd like to perform," says Burro, "But the site administrator has given the full use of the compound. If you're intending on a simple firing test, that building has one of the main ranges inside... erm... what does your weapon actually do?".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 9, 2005 4:03:52 GMT -5
The professor shrugs modestly.
"It’s quite simple really. The gun generates high energy particles -as well as the confinement beam needed to control them- and then hyper accelerates them at the target. The same basic technology is used in heavy engineering all over the U.A.C., though those versions are quite a bit larger and less effective. The destructive yield on this version is about a third again as great as that of a maser rifle. Though it isn't quite as reliable yet."
He grimaces.
"We had a couple of quite unfortunate incidents early on. One poor chap lost an arm. But we're pretty sure it works now."
He looks around the testing ground, and thinks for a moment.
"Basically, I need to demonstrate its power against a variety of standard targets, in such a way that it is easy for the audience to compare it to a standard maser rifle."
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Post by whitehind on Jun 9, 2005 19:32:26 GMT -5
Burro nodded, the Professor made the process sound deceptively simple.
"Well fingers crossed that won't be repeated here," says Burro, "Why don't you set up in that bunker over there and I'll get the site workers to set up some targets... as you say, just objects to compare the effectiveness to the maser rifle; like effect on body armour and starship hull sections, accuracy over various distances".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 10, 2005 3:13:22 GMT -5
"I don't know that it will be necessary to test it against proper warship armour. Oh, I suppose we might as well while we're here. And could someone get me a maser rifle?"
He walks over to the bunker.
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Post by whitehind on Jun 11, 2005 10:52:52 GMT -5
"Well, you can oversee the set-up," says Burro as he walks along side Simmons, "What is the weapon's intended application? Could it be mounted onto a warship?”
Hobbes pulls a standard issue maser rifle from the car, locks it up and then follows the others to the bunker.
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 11, 2005 10:59:13 GMT -5
"Yes, but not one this size. Strictly anti-personnel. Though if we get official blessing there's no reason why we couldn't make a ship mounted version. Might even solve the flux ratio problem for us."
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Post by whitehind on Jun 12, 2005 18:50:26 GMT -5
Burro nods, in mock understanding, and enters the bunker with the others. Inside atrium there is a work team, who approach the group.
"That's the foreman," says Burro as he indicates an approaching, stocky equine worker, "You'd better go over the details with him".
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 13, 2005 3:35:41 GMT -5
Simmons grins as only a toad knows how.
"Good morning!"
He pats the particle rifle.
"We're going to run a demonstration for the U.A.C. chairman later today, so I need you to set up humanoid targets, armoured and unarmoured, at... twenty meter intervals, with all of the usual monitoring equipment. And... different grades of armoured plate? And a variety of force field projectors. Urm... and probably a medical team. Just in case, you know."
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