Galang

*“Okay, I’m on a promontory overlooking the extee site...no sign of activity yet in the central compound....looking for Delmar and his infil team to make final approach...ah, there he is! Closer than I figured he’d be! Damned better chameleonware than I thought....looks like he jumped the outer security without any problems...Now we’ll get a look-see what Vesparii Corp‘s got under wraps all the way out here.*

*Oh bugger...several, no, dozens of big crawlers coming up out of the ground all around him...Looks like Delmar’s walked right into the middle of Big-Ass Bug Central...got him completely surrounded...Several of them turning my way....Sorry, Del, you’re on your own, ol’chum...I’m getting out of here as fast as I can. I’ll let ‘em know you won’t be back for tea.”*

*----Voice recorder transcript of Vicenne ‘the Vulture’ Albonez, corporate mercenary, from his overwatch assignment of an attempted corp-ops raid on the facilities of Vesparii Corporation.*

## EcoS-K-72 Galang Exo-Warmount

aka ‘Tibicene’

The Fringe Tribe known as Clan Vespa is not yet known for its Warmounts, the nascent tribe
 choosing to focus on its microrobotics and nanotechnology as its stock and trade, and establishing itself in the Shemarrian Star Nation before branching out to include Warmounts in their organization. Queen-Matriarch Kusunoki Masako isn’t a large robotic designer anyways, but recognizes their prominent role in the Shemarrian society she wishes to join, so she’s already approached Tribes like the Horrorwoods and Blood Riders to trade for existing insectoid warmount designs like the Shredwing and the Pyrolyte. She also has not discouraged her tribemembers from their own work, if they should chose to pursue it, on possible future Vespa warmount designs.

It was one of these personal research projects, carried out by a Swarmy-converted (and Shemarrian-liberated) exoskeleton design engineer using tentative plans for a heavy hazardous-environment work suit she was working on, that yielded the EcoS-K-72.

### Description

The EcoS-K-72 resembles a giant cicada nymph; a hunchbacked, six-legged, bug-eyed heavily-armored insect with large digging claws in front and undeveloped wingcases on its back. In the EcoS-K-72’s case, however, the bug eyes are lasers, the forelimbs can be fitted with tool arms and weapons modules, and the wing cases are accessory system pods.

The EcoS-K-72 is arguably more of a power armor (itself an anomaly among the animal-inclined Shemarrian tribes) than a traditional riding warmount, with the rider actually sitting inside the armored carapace. However, the fact that the Galang can operate as an autonomous AI even without a pilot in it moves it towards the classification of Warmount.

Because Clan Vespa was concentrating on Kusunoki Masako’s nanotechnology and insect microbots, the EcoS-K-72 was first manufactured by the Horrorwoods Tribe, who helped develop it, and was first deployed by them (Clan Vespa has been credited towards future tech-transfers between the two tribes). The power armor configuration and versatility of the design has endeared it to the more vulnerable (i.e., those not full conversion cyborgs) NeShemar of the Horrorwoods. The EcoS-K-72 has appeared in smaller numbers in the ranks of Clan Vespa, pending the establishment of a Warmount tradition in that tribe. While not all the winged Vespas like the close and uncomfortable confines of the EcoS-K-72, they do recognize the need on occasion for the extra armored protection. As armored spacesuits, they proved invaluable in outfitting Clan Vespa’s spacefleet on the farside of their origin Earth’s Moon and circum-terra orbit.

## Abilities

Note that the EcoS-K-72 is designed with smaller-statured human-based NeShemar in mind, rather than larger EShemar.

### Tunneling

The Galang is built for digging and moving underground. If leaving a passable tunnel behind it isn’t necessary, the Galang can burrow at 12 ft per melee through sand, 6 ft per melee through soft soils, 3 ft per melee through solid rock.

### Special Systems

#### Molecular Adhesion Pads

Allow the Warmount to anchor itself securely to various surfaces and even walk up walls.

### Weapons Systems

#### Eye Lasers (2)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Standard robotic eye lasers, common in the Shemarrian arsenal.

#### Forelimb Hardpoints (2)

 Damage

Each forelimb mounts a powerful curved vibroblade for digging and cutting metal (but also good for evisceration), while concealed behind it in the thick, heavily-armored forelimb is a concealed hardpoint compatible with any standard cyborg forearm weapon or mining ‘borg attachment.

#### Wingcase Modules (2)

What look like undeveloped nymph wings on the back are really modular pods that be fitted with weapons, sensors, or special propulsion systems.

##### Monstrex Weapons Modules

Any of the ‘standard’ Monstrex-style weapons modules can be fitted.

##### Hornet Launcher

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Queen-Matriarch Kusunoki was beside herself with joy when she discovered the Shemarrians already had an insectile missile system in the form of their own copies of the Northern Gun NMX-18 Stinger Anti-Flyer Mine (see Rifts Merc Ops, pg. 97-98 ), with projectiles that are almost exactly identical to the robotic Stinger flyer-warheads released by that weapon. The Shemarrian projectiles, however, have slightly better range and endurance, and can be deployed against ground targets as well. The Clan Vespa Queen-Matriarch has decided that future Clan equipment should make use of the Shemarrian-model Stingers, starting with the EcoS-K-72.

##### MicroMissile Launcher

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

A knockoff of a weapon the details of which were passed along to Clan Vespa; the microelectronic guidance systems of these 20mm missiles were well within Queen-Matriarch Kusunoki technological capabilities to reproduce.

* (Pattern-2a) 4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
* (Pattern-2b) 6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
* (Pattern-2c) (Incendiary) 2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees

Bonuses:

(20mm Format) (All Patterns) (+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, Infra-Red Sensing Chip.

##### Flamethrower

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Barbecue time.

##### Chemical Sprayer

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Usable for applying paint, tracer chemicals, pesticides, defoliants, and anti-personnel aerosols.

##### Buzzer-Launcher

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Another weapon passed along to Clan Vespa, the Buzzer-Launcher is a copy of an imported Russian design). The Vespa version uses ceramic and light alloy discs that, either by accident or deliberate design, give off a very audible high-pitched shrieking or buzzing noise when fired, and, thanks to Doctor Kusunoki’s expertise with microsystems, each disc has a sensor and guidance system, allowing for greater accuracy.

Bonus: +1 to strike

##### “Gum Gun”

 Damage
 Payload

This option takes up two forearm spaces and consists of a high-pressure sprayer/applicator and two storage bottles. The “Gum Gun” applies/squirts a super-strong epoxy adhesive that can be used to cement MDC materials together, or make temporary patches. Used in quantity, the epoxy can be used to build up an MDC barrier. As a weapon, the Gum Gun can be used to capture opponents with an entangle.

Each application covers about five square feet,. To completely cover a human-sized target, the attacker must roll a 12 or better on the strike roll, otherwise only a limb is glommed. Anyone caught in the goo must have a supernatural or robotic PS of 30 or better to break free; otherwise they are stuck until the goo is somehow removed.

The epoxy sets within seconds, and can be used underwater. However, the sprayed epoxy needs 1d4 hours to properly cure, at which point it attains its maximum strength. Once the two tanks are emptied, the twin bottles, which are sold and attached together as a pair, can be quickly exchanged for fresh ones in one melee action, like changing an e-clip. For larger jobs, the Galang can be fitted with a backpack tank holding additional chemicals.

Weight: 60 lbs for a single forearm sprayer, 200 lbs for the backpack tank.

MDC : 25 for sprayer, 30 for tank.

Epoxy has 2d4 MDC per application, but hardens to 2d6 +1 MDC after curing for 1d4 hours

##### Net Launcher

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Automatic grenade-launcher-style weapon that fires shells that explode out into expanding nets.

* (Standard Net) Heavy high-tensile strength megadamage steel cable net; takes 2d4 melee actions/attacks to untangle self (half that for creatures with supernatural PS of 30 or higher)...in the meantime, the victim CANNOT strike or parry, is -2 to dodge, and reduce speed by 90%
* (Slicer Net) As above, except that every melee the target spends struggling and trying to get out, they take 1d4 MD from the various hooks and razor-lines. In addition to usual penalties, takes an additional -2 to dodge from the pain. This is NEVER issued to police forces.
* (Shock Net) As above, except that each melee entangled, the target takes electrical shock damage. At mild current levels, this can be annoying and distracting, but can also stun the victim...higher levels of voltage can toast the entrapped target and damage them severely, if not kill them outright....

2d6 SDC per melee/shock pulse, plus beings must roll versus non-lethal poison (16 or better) or be stunned /knocked out for 1d4 melees. Cyborgs have a 40% chance of having their systems overloaded and being immobilized for 1d4 melees, plus a 40% chance of electrical systems/accessories such as sensors or weapons knocked out for 1d4+2 melees. Power Armor fare somewhat better, having only a 10% chance of losing electrical systems or peripherals for 1d4 melees.

* (Drug Net) As above, except that the net has microcapsules that break with any struggle, releasing a skin-contact/aerosol drug--Unless the victim has complete environmental protection (sealed off from contamination), they must roll each melee they are entangled against non-lethal toxin, or find themselves succumbing to chemical lethargy; cumulative -20% chance of falling unconscious (for 2d4 minutes), -1 to initiative, -2 Dodge, Strike, Parry, and Roll, -1 APM (in addition to entanglement penalties). This is RARELY issued to police forces if possible lethal drug allergies in suspects are a possibility.
* (Thermite Net) A nasty variant, based on designs brought back from South America (See Rifts South America 2). Same as above, but bursts into flame, doing 4d6 MD for 1d6 melees. This is NEVER issued to police forces.

##### Hydrojets (takes up BOTH hardpoints)

Allows for powered swimming at 30 MPH at the surface, and 40 MPH underwater.

##### Space Maneuvering Thrusters (takes up BOTH hardpoints)

Allows for flying in space at 200 MPH, 15 hours of maneuvering.

##### Jet Thrusters/Wings (takes up BOTH hardpoints)

Allows slow, leisurely, flight at about 300 MPH, maximum altitude of 600 ft.

### Programming

Clan Vespa have installed robotic AIs into the Galang exo, which is then possible to be infected with a low-level Ecotroz sentience (This is automatic with Horrorwoods-destined Galangs, but less common with Clan Vespa-employed Galangs, owing to the uncommon presence of EShemar among the Fringe Tribe’s ranks).

The Galang has an effective I.Q. of 10, and is about as smart as a very well-trained dog or a gifted and very patient monkey.

Galangs are primarily programmed for labor and defense. Typically has the following:

* Language/Literacy: 4 of choice, all at 94%
* Math: Basic 98%
* Radio Basic 94%
* Read Sensory Instruments 94%
* Basic Mechanics 90%
* Basic Electronics 90%
* Masonry 80%
* Carpentry 85%
* Excavation 85%
* Mining 90%
* Recycling 88%
* Trap/Mine Detection 80%
* General Repair & Maintenance 90%
* Salvage 80%
* Prowl 50%
* Climbing 60%
* Navigation: ALW 90%
* Land Navigation 94%
* Movement: Zero Gravity 90%
* EVA 90%
* Pilot Jetpack 90%

If infected, the Ecotroz entity can also pick up one Secondary skill at levels 2, 6, and 12 of experience, though the nature of the Galang intelligence and design is such that it is limited to skill selections from Technical: Language (understanding) and Lore, Espionage (Detect Ambush, Detect Concealment), Mechanical (Automotive Mechanics), Military (Camouflage, Fortification, Trap Construction), Wilderness (Track Humanoids, Track Animals, Hunting, Identify Plants and Fruits, Track and Hunt Sea Animals).

Combat

 Dodge
 Parry
 Auto Dodge
 Roll
 Pull Punch
 Disarm
 Full Punch
 Bite
 Foreblades
 Power Punch (2 attacks)
 Body Block/Tackle

Note: If worn and operated as power armor, use the appropriate training for Basic/Expert possessed by the wearer.

## Ecotroz Fragment

Though initially, Clan Vespa did not have access to the Ecotroz essences, and early Galangs produced directly by the tribe were purely robotic, until Awakened by Tribesmembers from outside Clan Vespa. Even now, only 10% of Clan Vespa Galangs possess Ecotroz essence-fragments, while 100% of Horrorwoods-employed Galangs are so ‘Awakened’). The Ecotroz intelligence fragment inhabiting the ‘bot gives the Galang an aura and behavior more befitting a sentient being than a robot. Galangs have docile, compliant, personalities, working diligently and uncomplainingly at assigned tasks, but if ordered/provoked to fight, they are fearless and relentless.

The Ecotroz fragment does occasionally need sleep/rest...though they only need 2 hours of rest/meditation per 24 hours...they can push this, going without for as many days as they have I.Q. points (most Warmounts, unless otherwise noted, have an effective IQ rating of 8 ), but will have to go dormant for 4d6 hours after such exertion.

Note also that the Ecotroz-possessed ‘bot can infect other bots with the Ecotroz viral-entity, by bite or sustained touch (takes 3 attacks).