NationStates Jolt Archive

"The test of the first Dante class weapon is ready to begin, sir."
"Excellent."
General O'Neill and Lt. Andrew Greenston made their way to the observation deck of the STSS Supernova, currently in a lazy orbit around what by all appearances was a standard mining facility in the asteroid belt. However, the asteroid they were orbiting had in fact been completely hollowed by mining, and had since been converted to a top-secret research facility. Currently it was one of several homes to the doomsday research being conducted, developing weapons codenamed Dante class.

A small craft exited the hangar on the surface, and proceeded to make its way to a large asteroid a fair distance away The small craft stopped about halfway between the two asteroids. The Supernova's com system began to emit a small whine, like an aircraft engine spinning up to power.
General O'Neill frowned,
"Is that really necessary?"
"Oh, I thought you'd like it. Jackson, deactivate the sound effects. We're just about ready sir."

"Weapon in place, final firing permission is requested sir."
"Fire away!"
"Firing..."

A small red spot appeared on the surface of the asteroid. In an eyeblink it grew to a blinding brightness. The asteroid began moving, molten rock pouring out of the wound. Its structural integrity compromised, the spin of the asteroid began flying it apart.
"Shut that down! I didn't want you to blow it up!"
"Deactivating weapon..."

"Hmm. Impressive, but I'm sure our current weapons could have accomplished that."
"That much, yes sir. However, that was on this weapons lowest power setting. It would have no trouble at all carving through the crust of a major rocky planet. And it can be easily modified to fire an anti-particle beam instead of a particle beam, increasing it's destructiveness immensly."
"Interesting. Can we fit these to our ships?"
"Unfortunatly not sir, the power requirements are far too enormous. This has an entire fusion reactor to itself, and the circuits burn out to easily. It can't be fired again."
"Couldn't you use superconductors?"
"Yes, we can make repeated fire versions, but they will still have to be stand-alone devices."
"Hmm. Keep me updated. Now I have to move on, there are several other hidden asteroids around here, and they all have guns to show off."

http://aa.1asphost.com/AllyG/dante1.JPG
Weapon One, Dante Class

"What's the next weapon to be tested?"
"The slipstream core launcher sir."
"What does that do?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. The slipstream core is usually used aboard our ships to allow access to the slipstream, an additional dimension that's integrally intertwined with our own, an extension of reality. The slipstream is a place where quantum connections are visible as cords, especially the large and strong connections like those between huge concentrations of matter such as planets or suns. "
"Uh-huh..?"
"Yes. In disatrous occasions, a last-ditch attempt can be made to save the ship by dumping the slipstream core when it becomes unstable. Released from containment, it quickly destabilises further and opens an temporary slipstream portal that swallows everything within the radius of effect."
"Doesn't that suck in the ship too?"
"No sir, standard dumping procedures mostly ensure that it is launched to a safe distance before it detonates."
"And I assume this weapon is intended to incapacitate the enemy fleet by sucking into the slipstream?"
"Indeed. If their ships are equipped with slipstream technology, they should be able to escape the slipstream, suffering only a little damage. But they will still be taken far from the battle. However, if they have no slipstream technology, they may be trapped for weeks, or even years. Their escape would only be possible in the event they were in the same place as another ship was entering or exiting the slipstream as the window opened."
"Oo-kay. So let's see it then."
"We've actually gone as far to build a basic ship design around it. The main weapon is of course the slipstream core launcher, but it also has twin gamma-ray laser cannons and a pair of medium calibur anti-matter slug launcher, as well as PDLs. It's preparing to fire now sir..."
They looked out at what appeared to be empty space. A sudden flaring of blue/white light, emitted from the unstable slipstream core illuminated the dark ship, about one hundred and fifty metres in diameter. The core travelled abut five kilometres towards a grouping of old, unpressurised hulks. The light flared up like a nuclear explosion, and the hulls underwent a brief spaghettification as they were sucked in. A moment later and space returned to its usual uneventful black. General O'Neill rubbed his eyes and blinked.
"Well, that was certainly effective, if blinding..."

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SgDtAkgWolShq*TQ7w*d4JoxMyFY3RqPfNG*0uGa5Y9eob7d3lBWKNPqH!0CLF*AP6fBgn1XZBMhx3PstGHvenisSbIedjV1tku Mlnl020!l7Je*ER9TTQ/sfire0.gif?dc=4675484521817125966
Slipstream Core Launcher, Weapon Two Dante Class

"Finally sir, the third weapon is ready. It has four heavy grasers, any one of which can easily take out a capital ship under a kilometre long, and one uber-heavy graser, which can put a dent in a planet."
"Nice. Remind me again why we need weapons that can kill a planet?"
"Erm, we don't."
"Excellent...Mwahahahahaha!"
"Eh, sir?"
"...hahahahaha-What?"
"Nevermind."

http://aa.1asphost.com/AllyG/dante3.JPG