Spitfire

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After their first encounter with an Ambershard Stalker swarm, the Legionnaires of Galactic Trade concluded that it was time to add a hard hitting mecha with an offensive focus to their arsenal. They designed the Spitfire to complement the sturdy Ammonite and defensive Hoplite they often deploy as escorts for their wide ranging trade missions across the known galaxy.

The engineering team set out to construct a multi-faceted attack platform that features a significant boost to missile weaponry. This design utilizes the standard area-effect capabilities of Missile systems in combination with highly streamlined systems to produce a fast attack unit that can quickly neutralize multiple foes.

The wide area of effect and multiple target engagement capability of missile systems was chosen as a priority in the design, so the Legionnaires enlisted the help of Cogwerk’s premier missile and missile mecha manufacturers, the Trinitarian World Symposium to ensure they could optimize the missile weaponry output. They were very pleased with the results.

While the Symposium team labored to optimize the weapon systems, the Legionnaire engineers focused on the electronics package. They constructed a new A.I. specifically for the Spitfire, the Sagittaire Class A.I. The offensive electronics package for the Sagittaire features a high capacity dual-target mode that allows the pilot to effectively engage several targets simultaneously. At high levels of refinement, target vector analysis boosts the splash damage inherent in many missile systems.

Once the Spitfire’s tracking systems were programmed, the designers added an enhanced efficiency ballistic algorithm to the base design, providing high yield missile guidance. Fully upgraded, this system yields a massive boost to missile damage over an unaided weapon launcher. The tracking system also gives a small surge to projectile weapons, generating solid performance from the Wrecker Shots mounted as factory standard secondary weapons. Fire and Ice weaponry also receive a minor boost to output from the targeting computer. The Sagittaire A.I. can support five custom add-on modules, giving pilots a wide range of options for meeting specific mission requirements.

Legionnaires selected the Cogwerk Stirling Cycle to power the Spitfire. This heavy output power source gives the Spitfire a great deal of speed with a moderate amount of upgrades. The crowning achievement of this power plant are the large power capacitors dedicated to the weapons systems. Double and triple charge overload capacitors are fairly common on many designs and the Spitfire utilizes both with sufficient upgrades.

As a further enhancement, the Stirling’s capacitor system is slaved directly to the Sagittaire A.I., similar to the 100 ton Fext’s design. This cutting-edge feature allows the Spitfire’s power distribution system to charge small secondary capacitors that hold a 1.5X overload in addition to the standard 2X and 3X overload systems. When the primary and secondary capacitors are fired simultaneously, they create a deadly 9X overload salvo more powerful than any other missile mecha can achieve. This blast also enhances the Splash and Fork capabilities carried by many Missile weapons.

For the Chassis of the Spitfire, Legionnaire engineers used a Bishop chassis redesigned with a Niode Matrix core. This yields a lighter frame that will support a generous amount of ports for custom equipment additions. In this case, five. Mounted around the chassis are several shield pods that are a part of the defensive package. Four slots for heavy shielding modules are provided to allow the pilot to customize their shielding as needed.

While the Legionnaires are fully capable of completing prototype testing and combat trials without enlisting outside help, Legionnaire command wanted a thorough shakedown and analysis from an unbiased source, so they invited one of the more successful mercenary clans, the Black Star Bandits to evaluate their newest combat machine. With several Gold Medal wins in Clan Wars contests, the Black Star Bandits were the logical choice for the Legionnaires to test the Spitfire against. After extensive battle testing and several successful ‘Stalker hunts, the Legionnaires put the Spitfire into full production. The data collected by the testing team was invaluable in fine tuning this mecha and the Legionnaire promised to deliver a combat ready models to clans in order to aid them in their fight to contain Gorax’s multi-pronged assault on the galaxy.

Legendary Pilots

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  David McCallum

  As of Today a new legend s being told around the Mecha Galaxy. David McCallum has become renowned as a legendary pilot of the 70 ton Spitfire Class Mecha. Pilot, mercenary, engineer, journalist, con-man, thief. These words and more (including 'loudmouth' and some more that cannot pass censorship) have been used by the mecha community to describe this man. Generally his commanders refer to him as 'The Defendant'... A mediocre pilot at best during his early career, he learned the trade proper under the guidance of the Heroes clan family, advancing to the rank of 'decidedly average' in threat level. However it was with the 'Rise of the Specialists' that he came to the fore, starting in Red Ants for a Gold Medal in the inaugural event, then quickly swapping to the 70 ton bracket where he made a real name for himself. Epic battles with the Bunny Queen brought him to prominence, quickly earning himself a place on the infamous AFF 'Do Not Poke With a Stick' list, second only in his level bracket to the Inferno Ace John Thorson. Things changed with the advent of the Spitfire. Built around a core of three machines (Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster, designated as the 'Battle of Britain Squadron' in honor of an ancient Terra battle), the 'BOB Squad' quickly proved their mettle at his hands in their ability to withstand and dispatch opponents far higher in piloting level. A proponent of the 'Big Wing' tactic, his formation quickly grew to utilize massed waves of Spitfires to overwhelm his enemies. The inherent speed and maneuverability of the Spitfire was enhanced further as he lobbied for, designed or tested new and better equipment for the middleweight mechs at a time when all efforts were focused on the heaviest machines. The time of the 'Classic' Inferno was waning, the dawn if the 'Cruiserweight' Spitfires had risen. Supremely confident in his abilities, there is no need for fanfare or battle cries at the dawn of a new war. Just a simple statement suffices... "Cruisers on the Field."

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  Joey Goldez

  Joey Goldez has tanned in innumerable circuits of the king of the mountain, postulating himself as an elite pilot in the middleweight, and specializing in the category of 70 tons in which he excels piloting the Spitfire, an impressive ballistic platform of great maneuverability and speed in which Joey supposes an opponent to consider.
  
  After a long period as a member of the Death's units of AFF, he joined the Black Star, an alliance in which he began to experience the sweet taste of triumph and with which he has come to control his own Squad, which he leads with an expert eye from the control cover of his favored Spitfire 'MasterBlaster'.