Jets and Gravitics
The name "jets" is a misnomer. In actuality, the famed tribal armor jets are powerful ion thrusters paired with a gravitic subsystem that permits limited flight "jumps." The ion jets port from exhaust points located on the lower back of the Peltast and Hoplite armors and in the heels of the Myrmidon armor. The gravitics include stabilizers that enable the armor's wearer to remain oriented and upright during flight. The DNI interface allows a warrior's physical reflexes to play a role in the speed and agility of jet use.

A biofeedback trigger activates the jets. The location and nature of the particular trigger depends on the warrior's preference, but this is one area in particular that relies on the DNI component of the interface more than phased-sequence macromaneuvers. Once triggered, the armor jets provide thrust until the trigger is "released," at which time the jets deactivate and begin recharging. Cutting thrust is a flight maneuver that has saved the life of many a warrior with a sudden altitude drop to throw off an enemy's aim.

As with many tribal engineering choices, redundancy and durability is prized. It is extremely rare for an armor's jets to be disabled. However, the jets default to an inactive state if the energy reserve falls to below eight percent.

Acclimating to gravity differences between worlds can cause warriors to make mistakes on entering battle on a new world. Typically, faux-grav settings on D-ships are adjusted to allow the warriors to adjust their weapons and armor according to the target world's parameters. An armor's onboard gravitic systems incorporate an adjustment capability keyed to a reading of the local gravity. The armor's performance is then adjusted to account for the gravimetric reading. If the warrior wishes, he can override the system to remain at the same operating level. However, HUD targeting, ground agility, and jetting range can be severely affected by a change in gravity. On lighter worlds, warriors make few adjustments or throttle back jet output to conserve energy. On heavier worlds, the tendency is to increase the power output to keep agility and targeting performance within standard parameters.

Jet components are fairly modular and can be moved from armor to armor relatively easily. Over a recent dinner, Sub-Consul Margales St. Quebocher offered a rather hilarious story she'd heard about a Starwolf prankster who fitted jets to some cows and flew the poor beasts around his holdfast using a remote control. (Remind me to tell it to you in person when next we meet. It's even funnier with the facial expressions St. Quebocher used.)

Table of Contents | The Warharness