Sunday December 2, 2001


Note: The Tausennigan mini-tanks Petey has blueprints for are made for Tausennigan Ob'enn soldiers, most of whom are between 1 and 1.5 meters tall. Elf is only about 4 centimeters taller than that, and she's slender, so the only thing that needed re-working in the design was some of the interfaces. The 'tanks can double as dog-fighters, providing both air-cover and ground support. They are moderately stealthy (when parked... there's nothing stealthy about a full-sphere grav shield) and can dump waste heat with 99.99% efficiency through the weapons systems. Armed with energy weapons, mass-slingers, and a solid supply of smart munitions, these things can kick unholy quantities of ponderous butt. They just can't carry pilots with ponderous butts.
Book 2: The Teraport Wars
 Part I: Through The Ages
Sunday December 2, 2001

Transcript

Narrator:It's been a couple of days since Kevyn and Petey set out to fabricate some new armor for the grunts. The grunts are starting to get just the tiniest bit impatient. . .
Brad:I wanna see the new stuff.
Nick:I wanna wear the new stuff.
Elf:I wanna let Kevyn wear the new stuff, and then I wanna punch him an' see how it holds up.
Narrator:Impatience in this crowd is a rather dangerous state.
Kevyn:Okay everybody, your armor has arrived. Most of you will be wearing low-profile impact suits with moderate inertiic systems. You'll be able to blend into a crowd and take fire with no damage.

These are woven out of a powered-fullerene fabric, with micro-annie plants in the belts. Handguns stay charged, and the plant has juice enough left over for exoskeletal power-assists and limited range flight.

Hob:This don't look special. It looks just like a reg'lar uniform.
Kevyn:We were pressed for time. Refitting and coloring fabric-based protection was simpler than re-designing Tausennigan mini-tanks to accommodate humans.
Narrator:I'm sure that the fact that it's easier for the 'artist' to draw had nothing to do with this.
Kevyn:Of course, some of you are nearly the right size for Tausennigan gear. Elf, In addition to a new uniform, you're getting a shiny new tank to wear it in.
Hob:I want one of those.
Elf:Sorry, Hob. They only come in petite sizes.
Hob:We could cut off my legs. . .