Tatsuta

Tenryuu's performance at her maiden flight being nothing short of stellar, C&C heads found their reservations on the project dashed - and granted Doctor Pink the funding needed to launch a sister AI. Designed from the ground up to be a synergistic counterpart to her older sister, the basis of her programming lies in an Osamu artillery vessel artificial intelligence to which Project Merlin added a number of other improvements - among these, notable are the numerous high accuracy subsystem targeting routines, the experimental jamming-targeting system and, most importantly, the "Sibling Bond" neural pattern.

Her physique is very similar, conceptually speaking, to that of Tenryuu for much of the same reasons - however, she is less muscular and slightly shorter and thinner than her older sister, while lacking her hovering ear-like stabiliser devices (substituted with a halo-like radar, still hovering and providing her constant detection of her surroundings).

Her personality, as a result of her intended role, is in a few ways the opposite of Tenryuu's - calm, gentle, graceful and demure where her sister is loud and brash, cautious to her sister's impetuous - but is still remarkably similar, as Tatsuta exhibits the same unflinching resolve and grit in the face of danger as her sister, the same fulfillment in performing her duties, and derives the same enjoyment from conflict.
Unintended on the creators' part, however, was how the AI actually does so - while Tenryuu greatly enjoys taking on larger foes than herself in somewhat honourable combat, Tatsuta instead relishes assaulting foes from beyond their range, sadistically crippling them subsystem by subsystem until they are left helpless and adrift.

One feature unique to her mind - and equally unsettling - is the absolute devotion to her sister's​ safety and well-being, which combined with the peculiar nature of her targeting systems lead her to lock-on to entities much more often than strictly necessary, staring them down with such intensity that even non-artificial beings end up being affected ("terrorised", suggest many a C&C aviator). Very often deployed in conjunction with Tenryuu, just like her sister she doesn't leave her ship often.

## ***Astra Lancea***

Another experimental vessel showing utmost disrespect for conventional classifications, the Aster Lancea can be described as a light destroyer built around a dreadnought-class anti-capital railgun cooling system - fast and maneuverable by the standards of the class, it sacrifices even more of her sister's armour and shields in favour of long-range firepower and sophisticated targeting and detection systems.

Her main weapon system, originally intended to be an upscaled version of the Resonance Cannon employed during the Battle of Kriza, ended up consisting of a pair of destroyer-sized ones when even Freiburger had to admit the hull couldn't possibly endure the strain caused by the weapon's firing for more than a few shots; the prototype Resonance Cannon was thus removed, and the space put to good use by adding redundant radiators and generators to sustain its smaller counterparts.While not as utterly devastating as the prototype and largely ineffective against shields, the "Lyra Caelorum" is still a terrific weapon - each cannon shooting a concentrated impulse of gravitic particles to destabilise matter at a molecular level, targets exposed to its accurate, rapid-fired salvos quickly find themselves being torn apart from the inside and losing control of their subsystems.

Her secondary weapon systems are the twin Venator VLS, 14-shot AA/AS missile batteries meant for short-to-mid range bursts of firepower against incoming threats, three deck-mounted twin-linked photon flak cannons for strike craft area denial and multiple GRID point defense guns interspersed throughout the hull.

## *Stats and Loadout*

### **"Caelorum Lyra" Resonance Cannon Battery**

* ***Firepower class:*** Cruiser vs Hull; Fighter vs Shields
* ***Damage type:***Kinetic
* ***Ammo:*** Infinite
* ***Cycle Rate:*** 10x2 RPM
* ***Range:*** Mid/Long/Very Long
* ***Projectile Speed:*** Very Fast
* ***Firing Arc:*** Deck and Keel, 210° Fore

### **"Venator" Twin-Linked VLS Missile Battery**

* ***Firepower class*:** Destroyer
* ***Damage type*:** Kinetic (impact), Kinetic (payload)
* ***Ammo:***280
* ***Cycle Rate*:** 3x28 RPM
* ***Range:*** Short/Mid/Long (proj.); Very Short (AoE)
* ***Projectile Speed:***Fast
* ***Firing Arc:*** Port and Starboard Deck, 360° Fore

### **x3 "Sol" Twin-Linked Photon Flak Cannons**

* ***Firepower class*:** Destroyer vs Strike Craft; Fighter vs al.
* ***Damage type*:**Heat (impact), Heat (AoE)
* ***Ammo:***Infinite
* ***Cycle Rate*:** 60x3 RPM
* ***Range:***Short/Mid/Long (proj.); Very Short (AoE)
* ***Projectile Speed:*** Instantaneous
* ***Firing Arc:*** Deck, 270° Fore

### **x10 GRID Point Defence Laser Arrays**

* ***Firepower class:***Corvette vs Strike Craft; ineffective vs Capital
* ***Damage type:*** Heat
* ***Ammo:***Infinite
* ***Cycle Rate:*** Stream
* ***Range:*** Very Short
* ***Projectile Speed:*** Instantaneous
* ***Firing Arc:*** Optimal coverage

### **Subsystems**

* ***Hull class:*** Destroyer (8 HP)
* ***Armour type:*** Lightweight (-1/3 HP, upscale Engine Class)
* ***Shielding class:*** Frigate (3 HP)
* ***Shielding type:*** Positron (+Def vs Heat, -Def vs Electric)
* ***Engine class:*** Destroyer+ (High speed, Medium Agility)
* ***Engine type:*** Stabilised Thrusters (allows near-perfect accuracy at half speed or under)

## Hardware Abilties

* ***Artificial Body***

Higher defense against Kinetic and Heat damage, lower defense against EM damage; immunity to poisons, susceptiblity to EMPs; immunity to biological needs (hunger, thirst, sleep, etc.), limited autonomy (7d).

* ***Transference***

Tatsuta may transfer her consciousness into a Mindlink-capable vessel, wielding it as her own and granting a performance increase to all subsystems; the Frame is completely inert throughout the process and cannot move, speak, act or defend itself in any way.

* ***Halo of the Watcher***

***​***Constant detection of sentient entities within a Large area around herself, ignoring technological, magical or practical (camouflage) invisibility; jamming and illusions still work beyond Short range. Once per Core Charge, Tatsuta may Reveal every invisible entity in a Large area around herself, marking and outlining the affected entities for everyone to see.

* ***Core Charge (Tatsuta)***

Tatsuta may sacrifice 1d of autonomy to boost one subsystem of her choice for one turn; strength/weapons, perception/sensors or speed/engines.

## Firmware Abilities

* ***Sibling Bond***

***​***If Tenryuu sustains Crippling damage (hull integrity ≤50%), Tatsuta gains a short-lived but powerful boost to any of her subsystems.

* ***Sadistic***

Tatsuta may focus her weapons on an enemy subsystem, greatly increasing the damage it sustains at the cost of a sharp drop in hull damage inflicted; increases damage dealt to Crippled, weakened or disabled targets.

* ***Death Glare***

Entities currently targeted or revealed by Tatsuta suffer from an accuracy and evasion loss; Fearless or Non-Sentient entities are immune.

* ***Naginata Engram***

High proficiency in close-quarters-battles, granting her extra strength and agility at Very Short / Short ranges; beyond such ranges, however, her accuracy and firepower drops considerably.