Ammonite

Ferrite:	16500
Bioptics:	15500
Crystal:	100

As a protracted benefit to pooling the resources and research on different mecha designs, various free enterprise groups have at different times sought to reappropriate some of Star Factories' designs for their own purposes. The Ammonite is theoretically a close relative of the Hoplite mecha, but practically this is not so.

Piggybacking off of the enthusiasts' community for the Hoplite, a group of engineers decided to conduct a series of tests on its shielding technology. A reverse-engineering of these shielding technologies revealed that much of the kinetic energy that was absorbed from the shielding could be redirected to different systems of the mecha. With the Hoplite, this energy "inefficiency" was often more of a benefit, because it could be redirected to other Hoplites attached to it.

The course of action was to redirect this energy runoff back into its weapons systems. Favoring projectile weapons, the kinetic energy can be overcharged with most rail guns to create an even more deadly armament. The side-effect of this is that it has to sustain a large amount of energy over time in order to deliver what is, in most cases, a coup de grace to the enemy mecha.

In general, this is only realistic for the highest level Ammonites.

In combat environments, a high level Ammonite is a fantastic late-game wild card. Often able to take three or so mecha on by itself, it can quickly dispatch one with a triple overcharge, hit the second with a crit-kill, and hold out against the other one with its shielding. This dependency should not be over-exploited though, for in the off-chance that the kinetic dampeners are targeted or damaged, the overcharge function is rendered useless.

The Ammonite is a high-risk, high-reward offensive mecha for those pilots that enjoy living on the edge. Use with caution.

Legendary Pilots

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  Sheila Retherford

  Lieutenant Junior Grade. The alpha female of clan Zeon, known to her brothers as Big Mama" She sends her Ammonites into battle with pride and confidence knowing they will achieve victory because everyone knows, "When you're good to mama, mama's good to you".

• 

  Brian Kelley

  Some commanders believe that a leader of warriors should be the ultimate warrior: a paragon of bravado and physical strength. Brian Kelley takes a different approach by quietly gathering intelligence and assessing weaknesses to determine his strategy. His favorite mecha is customized for this style of warfare - Kelley's own Ammonite is a precise and devastating sniper equipped specifically to find and exploit the gaps in enemy formations opened by the rest of his squadron. Any opponent who thinks himself safe behind multiple ranks of Heavy or Huge mecha is fatally underestimating the capabilities of such an Ammonite.

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  Skywise

  "The best offense is a good defense." That is the philosophy that Skywise lives by, and for him no mecha represents this better than the Ammonite. At the controls of his Ammonite "Treestump", The combination of its exceptional capacity to weather incoming fire, a flexible weapons loadout allowing for easy and effective customization, and advanced targeting and tracking systems, Skywise has earned multiple top placements in a variety of tournaments"

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  Billy (Thunder-Bolt) Kayne--The consummate lone-wolf, Billy has no ties to any faction. He works for the highest bidder and has on many occasions, battled against the very people who payed him in the past. He is probably best known for fighting off pirates on Yomi Reefs. After a "Run-in" with Titus, he in his crippled Ammonite, managed to fight off 20 pirates and escape with his life and loot intact.