NationStates Jolt Archive

After six months of gathering the necessary materials, researching the technology implicated, and assembling the final product, Perimeter Defense's Gamma Labs - Arms Sector, has completed the Pride of Rigella, a high-end ultrasonic blade made of pure B-80 fullerene. A small but powerful module inside the handle vibrates the blade at extremely high frequencies, causing both powerful cutting strength and high temperatures at cutting point. It needs no batteries, for the device is charged by piezoelectrics in the handle that gain power through kinetic swaying of the blade. The blade itself is harder than diamond and sharpened to a monomolecular edge. Finally, the whole assembly is relatively light, at just 674 grams for the four-foot model.

The Pride of Rigella is perfect for public executions! The very sharp cutting action combined with the cauterizing effect of high-temperature friction allows for a clean decapitation or other similar killing blows. It can also be used as a combat knife for the user, its lightweight construction being easy to store on the body. As it pierces body armor and can even slice a tank barrel with some effort, the Pride of Rigella has good military uses.

Engraved in expensive and very strong ferro-polymer lettering along the blade are the words "Ad Majorem Rigella Gloriam," which means "For Rigella's Greater Glory." The hilt is studded with sapphires and yellow diamonds, and the handle is reinforced with carbon nanotubes. While these effects may be aesthetically pleasing, more importantly they are extremely tough material buckles that strengthen the construction of the sword.

The Pride of Rigella is an excellent gift to national leaders and spouses alike! Now available at the GammaTech store, it is produced in quantities of 25 per cycle. Cost of each is $750,000 - a bargain considering the materials involved!

National Leader: Clean cut! Bah, we want it messy!
Salesperson: Ah, well....you can turn off the vibration if you want...that will disable cauterizing the main veins and...well...
National Leader And the warm blood shall flow from the stumps of our enemies, YES!

On behalf of the government of Nuevo Nihongo I would like to order twenty of these swords, if it is possible to alter the writing on the blade...

It will require an extra cost of $1,000 per sword, totaling +$20,000. The final cost will be $15,020,000. Please specify the new writing.

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We would like to order 50 of these swords, with altered writing on our purchase, to Barronia's motto, "A Mari Usque ad Mare".

We should also like to enquire as to the shape of the sword, so that we may look into it's service on the dress uniforms of our higher military staff.

From The Desk of The High General

I would like to personally order 12 of these magnificent swords for myself and my advisers. Expect more orders in the future. Money will be wired upon order confirmation.

Sincerely,
Samuel Oron

To High General - Aurum Domus:

Total cost will be $9 million. Order confirmed for Aurum Doman High General and respective advisors. Are there any requests for changes in the sword structure?

<close session>
To the Island Empire of Barronia
Subtotal cost will be $37.5 million, plus $1000x$50=$50,000 for the changing of engravings to "A Mari Usque ad Mare." Total cost is $37.55 million.

As to the shape of the sword, it is perfectly straight until the 3.5 foot mark, at which point it enters a very minor curve until the endpoint of its four feet.

If you wish to make a variation on the shape, you must cancel this order and wait until the next cycle (in one week) for changes to take place. No additional cost will be necessary.

Thank you for your patronage.

<close session>

***NEW WARRANTY INFORMATION
Gamma Labs has tested the Pride of Rigella under simulated wear-and-tear conditions, both synthetically and with real-world elements. The final median predicted lifespan of a Pride of Rigella Ceremonial Blade is 1,380 years. Therefore, if the blade is not returned within this time period, it will be assumed that it is in perfect working condition.

The ultrasonic generator is intended to outlast the blade itself; however, the piezoelectric rechargers shall only be effective for 300 years. These can be replaced for free at any time, except if damage is proven to have been caused by sources outside of normal wear and tear.

Repairs within the 1,380 year lifespan can be done for a cost dependent on labor and cost of parts. Outside of the lifespan, repairs are free.

The Empire would like to order 1000 of these swords with the engraving changed to For Services To The Empire as these would be given to high ranking officers who have served for a long time.

To the Island Empire of Barronia
Subtotal cost will be $37.5 million, plus $1000x$50=$50,000 for the changing of engravings to "A Mari Usque ad Mare." Total cost is $37.55 million.

As to the shape of the sword, it is perfectly straight until the 3.5 meter mark, at which point it enters a very minor curve until the endpoint of its four meters.

If you wish to make a variation on the shape, you must cancel this order and wait until the next cycle (in one week) for changes to take place. No additional cost will be necessary.

Thank you for your patronage.

<close session>

This is satisfactory. The money will be wired immediately.

From The Desk of the High General

Our standard sword is in the mameluke style so if that is possible we would like the swords from here to be the same style. We are willing to wait if it is going to take longer.

To Katislov:
Subtotal cost will be $750 million + $1000x$1000=$1 million (engrave change) and total cost will be $751 million. Each sword's engraving has been changed to "For Services To The Empire." Please wait two months for every sword to come into your possession. You may pay $100 million a week until everything is in order. Thank you for your patronage.

<close session>

To Barronia:
Thank you for your patronage. Swords will be delivered in one week.

<close session>

To (AD) Samuel Oron
Twelve swords shall take another week to generate. No additional charges.

<close session>

Question based on conflicting lengths- you state a four foot model in your first post...then in a later post you describe a 4 meter length model.

Four meters worth of sword is excessive and I hope that you merely inadvertantly transposed the lengths.

I would like the sword and it's blade in a specific shape and length (http://jodysamson.com/images/swords/2-11-05/longkora1.jpg), and thus will cancel my first order and resubmit.

I wish to purchase twenty swords in the shape above with the shown quillions and skull. The words should be "Gholgoth Minor" "Blood, Honor, Service"

Over all length is : 45 inches
Blade length is :32 inches

Indeed, that was a misprint on our part. The typist involved has been summarily given a good spanking. Four feet is the correct length.

The specifications have been sent to Gamma Labs. Expect your order delivered within the week. Total cost is $15,020,000, with an additional $40,000 for new ornaments on the handle made of tungsten carbide and tempered platinum, and woven with dense spider silk-based filaments.

Thank you for your patronage.

[OOC: Wow, four metres. That is one hell of a long sword! Or should I say, sharp, pointy spear.]

OOC: Shoulda done it in public and charged a viewers fee LOL...;)

IC: Money is being wire transfered to you as I write. Many praises for your exquisite wormanship and excellent customer service!

Indeed. The Zakuvian Empire had, for a while, dealt with inept armourers that boasted well, but offered tangibly little. Thusfar, I've seen only high remarks regarding the craftsmanship of your artificers, so the Munitorum has requisitioned the Credits to purchase a decent 'test-sample' of your weapons. Twenty of these swords will be sufficient. At your rate, which is conveniently analogous to the Imperial Credit, that should come to fifteen million Credits.

The sum of which will be wired to your treasury upon receiving the final products. The Munitorum also wishes to extend notice that payment will only be fully debited once Mechanicum adepts affirm that all products are in working order; a down payment of 7.5 million Credits will be offered, the rest of which will be awarded upon the completion of the previous requirements. If the products are deemed unacceptable by the Mechanicum, all products will be returned, as will our payment forthwith.

The Senatorum War Council has every hope that our nations will become economically agreeable, and will consider your nation with a much higher priority if we should ever require military contractors.

(ADDENDUM FROM MECHANICUM TECH-ADEPT GORJEQ)
While we are sure that great pride is taken in the construction of your weapons, my order has a number of questions that we would wish to be addressed, in order to help us in giving the Munitorum it's assurances. Our first is regarding the military applications of the blade. We have made made advances in 'vibro-blade' technologies, but have found our efforts to be futile in the elements of stealth. Do your blade's vibrating components make noise while in use (i.e., activation noise, noise while engaged in combat, deactivation noise, etc.)?

Secondly, and this question is less from the Mechanicum and more from the Munitorum, is it possible to have the blades made without the jewels and impractical embellishments? We understand the need for certain metals for structural support, but sapphires? If at all possible, may they be excised from the construction of the twenty blades at a...reduced cost? Forgive the Munitorum, they do tend to quibble over such material things.

AVE DEUS MECHANICUS - TRANSMISSION ENDS

Gamma Tech labs has a number of service units whose ornaments have been stripped. We have enough of these unused to sell to the Zakuvian War Empire at a reduced cost of $390,000 per unit. We thank Zakuvia for her offers in the matters of military contracts.

Offsetting message from Gamma Labs:

On the matter of stealth and silence, the Pride of Rigella as a ceremonial artifact is intended to be utterly silent. Vibro-combat knives exist within Perimeter Defense as an emergency weapon, but these have no stealth options whatsoever. The Pride of Rigella only has three or so seconds of startup noise that translates to about 40 dB, after which the ultrasonics kick in and the noise can only be heard at a range of 5 cm.

On that matter, it may not be necessary to turn off the ultrasonic components during short breaks in combat; the devices are automatically charged as the unit is moved.

The products have been sent to Nuevo Nihongo, along with a complementary video of the spanked typist.

Supplemental: Each Pride of Rigella package includes the following:

One (1) Pride of Rigella Ceremonial Sword
One (1) Grace of Rigella Offhand Combat Knife (ultrasonic)
Two (2) Scabbards, one for each weapon, auto-cancels vibration

Your blade sounds a lot like our standard assassins blade. Not quite as good but similar.

It's a ceremonial sword. It's clean, shiny, and isn't intended to be a standard-issue armament.

So in other words... TBA's sword has been around longer... is better... and is probably cheaper to make.

So in other words... TBA's sword has been around longer... is better... and is probably cheaper to make.

OOC: How does one have a 'better' ceremonial sword?

OOC: Can you tell me what your point is? I didn't understand the point of TBA's "not quite as good" addend, but I let it go without a note. Are you telling me that anything one sells here is useless in the end because there will always be something better? And whoever has something better should go over here and announce that fact senselessly (because they did not even post a link to their product)?

If so, then I'm going to start laughing at those air superiority fighters being sold all around. Well thought-out as they are, they are inferior to my OMG switchblade fighters with solid state lasers, mach 6.4 pulse detonation engines with electromagnetic stabilizers, and "bounce-off-the-ground" crash protection.

EDIT: Okay, I got carried away there. (wow, took me like two minutes to realize that, huh) Sorry. But while the post is short, I took a little bit of time to research the mechanics of the sword and materials. Give me a break. Sheesh.

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Official Communique to the Government of the Grand Unified Federation of Perimeter Defense

The Kostemetsian Government would like to order one sword, and request that the engraving be changed to a bene placito (from one who has been pleased well). It is an award to one of our most heroic captains.

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James Bovill
Kostemetsian General Secretary and Interim Foreign Minister

To James Bovill of Kostemetsia

The sword has been prepared for delivery. Cost will be $750,000 plus $1,000 for engraving change to a bene placito. This package is inclusive of:

One (1) Pride of Rigella Ceremonial Sword
One (1) Grace of Rigella Offhand Combat Knife (ultrasonic)
Two (2) Scabbards, one for each weapon, auto-cancels vibration

Total cost is therefore $751,000. Delivery is to be expected within two days due to shipping traffic errors. Thank you for your patronage.

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Acknowledged. Payment is being forwarded via the First Kostemetsian Bank. Thank you for fulfilling our order and we hope to do productive business with the Grand Unified Federation of Perimeter Defense in future.

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After reading about the Pride of Rigella, Empress Anastasia II would like to purchase one sword for herself which she will keep in the Imperial Palace as a cherished item. The engraving should be changed to: "Imperiosus Mucro"