Shiranui

***“[...] The IVA Project, although it lost its only unit, recovered enough intel to show that it doesn’t matter how big a mech is, as long as it cannot move, enemies can swarm its position without much trouble.”***

**-Shin Anui, engineer of Aasha industries explaining the main weakness of mech units during combat situations.-**

## ***Origins***

The **Shiranui** was designed in 2290 after the great incursion into Voice, moments when the Commonwealth high command ordered to disband much of its own army. Certain military officials and commanders who commited and praised General Branicki’s mech strategy still wanted to maintain a small mech force that could preform tasks requiring lighting speed and mobility, capable of plowing through enemy defences and still providing fire support to ground forces. Current mech models utilised by the Commonwealth, like the FC7 and the MK3 couldn’t produce that amount of speed and since no company was going to bother with investing in the shrinking military developments and business, the downgraded military commanders looked to Aasha industries, one of the only companies that were open to invest in military affairs. After Project IVA was shut down and NERU Industries was moved to Thadrakos soil, many of it’s mech technologies, along with their left behind scientists, were bought or stolen then sold to BioSoc Division and other companies who were all more than to happy to part with them due to the military being unintersted and companies developing their own designs.

## **The Prototypes**

During 2298, at the Battle of Thrus-Sanguur, the five prototypes dubbed *“Type Ones”* were highy successful at their combat tasks, even being able to employ the 32nd‘s arrowhead formation with great results. Soon, however, near the end of the battle, multiple members of the psionics department, along with Task Force Ethereal, noticed odd behaviours in the pilot‘s brain pattern and, after much conducted investigation, was deemed as a psionic anomaly soon to become frequent among **Shirauni** Mech pilots. After experimenting with the newly designed "Type Twos" and "Type Threes", a research mission from the Science Council along with Aasha industries began researching on the ”Drift” phenomenon and its “*Drifters*”. As such, the "*Type Fours*", the final version of the **Shiranui**, wouldn't be deployed until later in the 24th century.

## **The Specs**

The specifications of the **Shiranui** are quite impressive for its size. It presents two thrusters on its back, where the bottom of the spine is and can “boost jump“ over obstacles and glide close to ground like surfacing on land as while as flight like conventional fighter craft. Housing also two “sub arms“ to carry extra weapons and another two in the wrist for holding knife like blades. The Shiranui also holds a data-link system which can help coordinate fire and communicate with other Mech units of its kind.

## **Finished Model**

The final model called the type four presented the following specifications:

**Pilot Accommodations:** Two seated piloting system.

**Height:** 19.7m

**Operating System:** XM3.

**General Weapon System (GWS):** type 2.9 SMG, 34mm pistol, type 4 PB blade, type 2 multi-purpose supplemental shield.

**Top Speed:** 56km per hour.

**Model Number:** Type 4C "Shiranui".