Water Wars Weapons

## About

Seeking to secure a victory in the Water Wars, the gang sought desperately to develop new military technologies. Inspired by a video online of someone building a water balloon cannon, Jacob approached James with a request to develop the technology. From there a huge focus of the Water Wars was on researching new technology and applying it in the field of combat, prepping them to secure a victory in the Senior Water Wars. Matt was eventually contracted to help construct and develop new weapons, and he would earn the nickname of Dr. Frankenstein for his efforts.

## MK I

The MK I water cannon was essentially a water balloon mortar. It's design was taken from a video online on building said device, and Jacob believed having such a weapon would give them an advantage in the Water Wars. James and Jacob constructed the weapon in a single afternoon in the garage, and upon successfully test firing the weapon erupted into laughter. The initial fire of the MK I wasn't anything special, but the next day Jacob began tinkering with the pressure valve and pressure chamber, fixing a leak and allowing the cannon to hold up to 60 psi of pressure. This test fire shot a water balloon literally over the horizon and into the adjacent neighborhood.

Wanting a field application, the platoon planned out an assassination on Erich, now a member of the notorious Checker Gang. They received intel that Erich was attending a library game night, and so they set up an ambush outside. They were able to successfully drench all of Checker Gang, however they failed to hit them with an actual water balloon, instead showering them with water.

The MK I operates by filling the bottom pipe with pressure, up to 60 psi. A valve is then used to connect the pressure chamber to the barrel of the cannon, and when the valve is turned the pressure is released through the barrel. This sudden burst of pressure typically pops the balloon in the chamber, which is why the barrel is also filled with water. Up to 3 balloons can be stored in the barrel at one time, and as long as the barrel is filled with water the pressure will not pop them. This also results in a shower of water being fired along with the balloon projectiles, which served as inspiration for future weapons.

Because the MK I was basically stolen from online sources, other teams were able to replicate it. The team *Zero Dark Squirty* in the Senior Water Wars found these blueprints online and recreated the MK I themselves, and they believed that this weapon was the pinnacle of power. The platoon, however, realized that the weapon could be optimized, and likened the MK I to a musket in comparison with their current technology.

## MK II

The MK II, also known as the Candy Cane or the trench gun, was the second iteration of Water Wars weaponry. It improved upon the design of the MK I, solving various issues and allowing the weapon to become portable. The MK I was essentially a mortar, and it had to be placed on the ground and charged on location. The MK I struggled to hold a charge, as air would leak from where the valve stem was implemented. It was also difficult to aim the MK I because you were launching projectiles in an arc, and the MK II was designed to address those issues.

The first issue addressed was its portability; the MK II could hold a charge and be carried anywhere pre-loaded. The valve stem was more carefully installed in this iteration of firepower, and was triple sealed with Flex Spray. Because it didn't leak air it could be pumped to 60 psi in a safe location and then carried around by its wielder. This weapon also ditched the idea of firing projectiles, and instead focused on maximizing its water spray. A cap would be introduced to hold water in the barrel, and the cap would be removed to fire the weapon. The MK II changed the base pressure chamber from the MK I into a curved design, allowing it to be longer and hold more pressure (up to 100 psi). The MK II was also much easier to hold with the curved pressure chamber (whose curve earned it the nickname Candy Cane), and it resembled a gun more than a mortar. Because of this new design it became one of the most common weapons used in the Water Wars. Several copies of the MK II were made, and it remained a reliable weapon that saw use throughout the entirety of the conflict, even with the development of future technology.

## MK II-B: The Behemoth

The Behemoth was a modified version of the classic MK II cannon, officially classified as the MK II-B. The Behemoth was crafted during the Future Water Wars, and was made using the same basic design as the MK II. The Behemoth was characterized by a much larger pressure chamber, one capable of holding up to 160 psi. The barrel of the Behemoth was also much larger than the traditional barrel of the MK II, allowing for a larger plume of water. While this is also correlated with a smaller range, the huge increase in pressure allowed it to cover the same distance as the MK II with a larger water volume.

While a powerful weapon, using the Behemoth was risky due to its insane kickback. Many fingers and shoulders were damaged by the Behemoth, and while it was an amazing weapon it was really only used on a few occasions in the Future Water Wars.

## MK III

The MK III was only a mild departure from the MK II, looking to solve issues with the valve that released the pressure chamber. Sometimes the MK II would have issues firing if this valve was opened too slowly, and the valve had a major tendency to get stuck and become incredibly hard to open. Not wanting a misfire or weapons malfunction in the heat of battle, Matt bolted a small PVC handle to the MK II, allowing the valve to be turned more easily. The MK III was used alongside the MK II, but the jutting handle made it slightly more difficult to transport and carry, meaning that it was typically only used if multiple soldiers were being armed or the soldier in question had issues with the MK II's valve. The MK II remained the weapon of choice for most members of the platoon.

Following this original iteration of the MK III, there were several variants constructed and planned. The first alteration was a departure from the classic curved pressure chamber, making it instead a right angle. This changed the aesthetic of the cannon significantly, however it did solve a lot of pressure leak issues that the MK III models were plagued with as they aged. The reason for this swap was because the MK III's were used in the Future Water Wars, and the platoon armed and trained a young group of promising mercenaries to secure victory. Because the MK III's were old, their pressure chambers were leaking and needed to be replaced. This now angular design fixed these issues and gave the MK III's a very distinct look. They were the primary weapon used during this conflict.

## MK IV

The MK IV was a departure from the pressure chamber to barrel design that dominated the first three iterations of water-based weaponry. The concept behind the MK IV was to build a flamethrower in essence; all of the benefits of a hose made portable. The biggest weaknesses of the prior weapons was that they could only be fired once before they had to be reloaded, and reloading was a time intensive process. The cannon had to be re-pressurized and filled with water, and in a quick battle situation it made more sense to switch to a super soaker as opposed to refilling the cannon, putting the platoon on the same playing field as their enemies. The MK IV sought to serve as a way to keep the advantage the cannons gave the squad without sacrificing firepower, and so it would use a pressure tank and a water tank to create a hose that could spray and soak enemies for a prolonged period of time at a greater distance than a traditional water gun.

The initial design for the MK IV was a singular tank for both the water and pressure, pressurized by filling it with water from a hose. When that design ultimate failed, a two-tank system was developed that would use one tank for pressure, and another for water. The original MK IV had a lot of leaks, and found itself unable to unleash a stream of water. While it worked as a concept, it shot a pitiful stream that made the MK IV more effort than it was worth on the battlefield.

## MK IV-S

The MK IV-S was a direct improvement on the MK IV, made even smaller and more compact (S stands for small). The MK IV-S used brass piping to connect the pressure tank with the water tank, allowing it achieve true flamethrower status. Not only that, but the water/pressure leaks were also fixed in this design, making it a usable weapon. The MK IV-S was useful at providing cover fire, as well as clearing the way for the team. It could be fired over the MK V as well, forcing the enemy to take cover to get the wielder of the MK II close enough for a kill shot.

The MK IV-S is made up of two PVC tanks, a smaller one holding pressure and a slightly larger one to hold a large volume of water. The two tanks were connected with brass pipes, with a brass valve in the middle. The valve stem was sealed into the pressure tank, and it could be filled up to 120 psi of pressure. The two tanks were zip-tied to a plastic frame, and then a bike tire was cut in half and used as backpack straps. The water tank had a brass fitting on the bottom of the water tank, and it connected to a hose. A nozzle at the end of the hose could be open or closed to fire the weapon. When it was time to fire, the valve connecting the two tanks was opened, allowing the air in the pressure tank to pressurize the water. The tanks held pressure for a long time, however when the valve was open there was a very minor loss of pressure over a several hour period. Because of this the valve was kept closed until it was time to use the MK IV-S. Once opened, the valve could not be re-shut unless you had completely emptied the weapon, or there would be a loss of pressure. The MK IV-S also had a lot of inscriptions and decals added to it, from printed pictures of the snake girl from *Monster Musume* to cryptic drawings and warnings.

The MK IV-S saw a few uses in the Water Wars. For example, it was the weapon used to chase down Devin during his elimination, and it was taken along for the original gym assassination of Riley. The MK IV-S was kept in the gunship during all operations, but because it was kind of cumbersome it didn't see as many uses as the MK II or MK III.

## MK V

The MK V was developed to deal with the looming threat of *I Got the Squirts*, who had a tendency to rush their opponents with multiple soldiers, armed with water balloons and super soakers. Realizing the weakness of the MK II was the fact that it was a close quarters weapon, they developed the MK V to allow them to close the gap between them and their enemies.

The MK V was made up of a PVC frame, and that frame was then wrapped with multiple layers of saran wrap to make it water proof. A rope handle was then added, and the MK V became a functional shield. The MK V itself was huge, measuring 6.5' by 5' to make sure it could cover the entire team. Originally, an overhang was planned for the top of the shield to catch any water that teams chose to shoot upwards, but it was eventually decided against. Small, multi-layered slits were added to the MK V's saran wrap to allow the MK II cannon and other firearms to poke through, allowing the platoon to fire from the safe cover of the shield.

Because of the huge size of the shield, it was difficult to transport. It took up almost all available space in the gunship, and it made it impossible to transport platoon members along with it. Furthermore, because of its size the MK V could only be wielded by Kyle, which made its use dependent on his availability for military operations.

The MK V was used in the operation to assassinate Devin, and since then lived outside Matt's garage, until it was inevitably carried away by a hurricane. Without a doubt it caused property damage somewhere miles away.