Equipment of the Gods: Bishop Arsenal – Pt.2

October 27th, 2042:
Equipment of the Gods: Bishop Arsenal - Part 2
By: Clint Westeel
In this part I'm going to explore the history of some more equipment typically used by a Consortium Bishop during any given mission, as well as for their most used weapons. I have included below such timelines for the Consortium Mind Communicator, the Medical Utility Visual Implant, the Consortium Energy Assault Rifle, the Kinetic Assault Rifle, and finally the various Consortium Issue Containment Units.
The Consortium Mind Communicator (C.M.C.)
October 1st, 2030 - The first ever prototype of the original Mind Communicator was showcased to an audience of thousands at the annual Science and Technology Conference in Beijing, China. This prototype was developed by the Obsidian Weapons and Research Corporation, and was originally intended to "steal the thoughts" of anyone wearing one - making it the perfect interrogation tool for law enforcement and military use.
January 16th, 2031 - After a long and expensive bidding war, Worldview Industries managed to purchase the patent for the technology. Dr. David Schelter, Worldview C.E.O., then vowed to the world that the incredible mind communicator technology would never be used for its originally intended purpose or for any purpose that would prove detrimental to the well being of anyone, anywhere.
March 21st, 2033 - With the formation of the Consortium only a year prior, the very first Consortium Mind Communicator was officially unveiled to the world. After two years of top secret development led by Worldview Industries, the Consortium suddenly had a tool which allowed its officers to speak with each other without actually saying a word. Version 1.0 was able to transmit thought into a monotone variation of the speaker's voice, and at a range of about 1,000 km.
September 12th, 2035 - Version 2.0 of the C.M.C. was implemented and with it came a significant size reduction and the inclusion of the Emotive Processor. The processor, working in tandem with a standard issue Consortium Medical/Utility Visual Implant (M.U.V.I.), allows the C.M.C. to transmit near-perfect human speech from one wearer to another, including the artificial generation of emotives such as crying and laughter. Also with version 2.0 came a substantial breakthrough in range capability -increasing its range to nearly 400,000 km (the distance of the Moon).
Medical Utility Visual Implant (M.U.V.I.)
July 13th, 2031 - Plans for the M.U.V.I. and its use in the Consortium were released by Dr. David Schelter and his team. He described it as a temporary micro-computer they planned to implant within every Consortium officer; one that constantly monitors their well being, projects a custom built HUD, and seamlessly interfaces with other equipment such as the Consortium Mind Communicator and weapon MUVI-ID grips. This release did not include any understanding of how the device was made, who helped make it, nor even how it physically works. Dr. Schelter has cited security concerns as the reason for this; not wanting any future enemies to have an understanding of what he calls "the data processor or nerve center of all functioning Consortium officers." No further information has since ever been leaked or released.
January 22nd, 2033 - Controversy arose when a little known journalist-turned infamous anti-Consortium figurehead made a blog post. Malcolm Thomas wrote a post regarding the M.U.V.I. and how he believed it to be a mind control device allowing the Consortium King physical control over its operatives. The post caught fire with the public but then was unsurprisingly ignored by both the Consortium and the Global Senate.
The Consortium Energy Assault Rifle (C.E.A.R.) 
June 12th, 2031 – What is now being dubbed the C.E.A.R.’s grandfather; the Chard Sonic Rifle (v1.0) hit the market. Developed by Chard Labs, the rifle was initially intended to be the next generation of sonic weaponry, and Chard Labs hoped to sell it worldwide as an alternative to the far less advanced Sonic Rifle equivalent. Almost immediately the rifle drew the attention of Dr. David Schelter.
November 3rd, 2032 - An updated variant of the Chard Labs’ Sonic Rifle (v2.0) was presented by Alannah Boyle to the Consortium King and Queen. The most noticeable additions were the remote fusion compulsator and MUVI-ID grip and firing system. The compulsator allows for a Consortium Bishop to remotely power the weapon using utility energy stored in their P.C.U., and the MUVI-ID grip and firing system makes it impossible for anyone not wearing a Consortium issue M.U.V.I. (Medical Utility Visual Implant) to fire the weapon. This version of the rifle quickly became the standard weapon used in what was, at the time, a fully non-lethal Bishop arsenal.
April 17th, 2038 - With growing global support for the Consortium and with an ever increasing list of dangerous enemies, the King felt it time to upgrade the Sonic Rifle with a more lethal firing mode. This decision came to light following the shocking murder of Bishop Two during the Hong Kong Commerce Center Massacre. After several months working together, Alannah Boyle and the Consortium King released plans for an entirely new weapon system – the Consortium Energy Assault Rifle (C.E.A.R.). This new rifle introduced a far more powerful sonic pulse and a brand new secondary fire component: proton energy bolts. Using an experimental proton accelerator and a plasma-based superconductor, the C.E.A.R. can fire proton bolts at varying levels of concentration and can potentially cause severe energy burns in addition to brutally incapacitating targets.
June 11th, 2039 – One final upgrade to the C.E.A.R. was released. The e-mat muzzle, hydro recoil mitigator, and pulse support stock were incorporated with the intention of increasing the rifle’s overall accuracy, as well as decreasing its weight and P.C.U. storage requirements.
The Kinetic Assault Rifle (K.A.R.)
November 5th, 2038 - The first version of the Kinetic Assault Rifle was introduced by Strommon Industries and was intended solely for purchase and use by the newly commissioned Orbital Authorities. Considered the new frontier of crime, orbit required a modern police force with the most modern of weaponry. The K.A.R. uses containment unit ammo clips which can store and continuously output a wide variety of ammunition types without ever overheating or the need for a reload.
January 20th, 2039 - After the death of Bishop Two at the hands of the Long Dragon Syndicate, the Consortium found themselves up against a dangerous adversary the likes of which had no qualms using high levels of violence to achieve their goals. To combat this, along with a more-lethal upgrade to their Consortium Energy Assault Rifle, a slightly retailored Kinetic Assault Rifle was thus purchased from Strommon and added to the Consortium Bishop arsenal. A far more lethal weapon than anything previously utilized by the Consortium, the K.A.R. is best used when Utility Energy is at a premium and/or to expel almost any type of collected ammunition. Many critics believe the K.A.R. was adopted by the Consortium in order to better combat the personal energy shield technology used and improved upon by the Long Dragon Syndicate.
July 19th, 2040 - After over a year of successful operations with the Consortium, the K.A.R. underwent a final makeover and a new version was released by a joint Worldview/Strommon team of scientists (V. 2.0). With the addition of a more powerful recoil mitigator and a state of the art multi-type propelled grenade launcher, the K.A.R. unquestionably became the ultimate multi-purpose weapon for Consortium Bishop use.
Consortium Issue Containment Units
July 6th, 2023 - The infamous Wilson Energy Converter was revealed to the world on this day. After years of production hell and swiftly dwindling enthusiasm, Dr. Alexei Wilson realized that with the use of the newly developed Statman optical chip he could successfully transfer inorganic matter to and from what he drolly dubbed an "electronic shoe closet." Worldview Industries C.E.O., Dr. David Schelter, took a special interest in the project and Dr. Wilson never had to worry about funding again.
February 25th, 2032 - Worldview Industries unveiled the first ever practical application of the Wilson Energy Converter in the form of a Personal Containment Unit (P.C.U.). This was developed solely for the Consortium's use and is capable of storing weapons and equipment in electronic form, as well as houses a nearly limitless supply of micro-nanites for healing and repairing. A Consortium Bishop can reproduce items from within the P.C.U. through the use of special conductors on their hands. The P.C.U. was also developed in tandem with the Consortium's Battle Utility Suit and attaches to the back of the suit while weighing only 15.3 kilograms. Consortium Bishops are taught to master a balance between collected Utility Energy (used to power weapons, medical nanites and equipment) and Storage Energy (used to store any physical non-organic items within the P.C.U.).
January 27th, 2037 - Worldview Industries, in cooperation with the recently founded Wilson Converter Research Co., unveiled the obvious next step in containment unit technology: the Cargo Containment Unit (C.C.U.). Simply put, the C.C.U. is a larger and more industrialized version of the P.C.U. and the technology was most notably adopted by transport and storage companies the world over. The C.C.U. is capable of digitally storing several hundred tons of inorganic material and accomplishes this while only occupying 25 Cu. Ft. of space.
December 1st, 2040 - Perhaps the greatest achievement so far in containment technology was unveiled to the world. Dr. Wilson and his son Matthew Wilson had been working on a prototype for several years and, thanks in-part to research performed by the bio-tech company ReDo, managed to successfully transfer the body of a deceased ape into and out of a containment unit. This new unit was unsurprisingly called an Organic Containment Unit (or Medical Containment Unit in some circles) and at present time can only store organic matter, that is to say no longer living matter - though it is expected with only a few more years' research that the safe storage and digital transportation of the living will become possible.