Chapter Text
Dramatis Personae and Terminology
ELYSE WATERMAN – Reclusive yet enthusiastic for new experience. Callsign: Hare
RUTH BLACKBURN – Crafty yet mellow student with an indulgence in music, fishing and spectres. Callsign: Fisher
ILENE ARKWRIGHT – Fiery and competitive in all aspects she partakes in. Callsign: Gum
CHUCK THORN – Dogged by a fanclub, yet just wants to read history and cook meals. Callsign: Dusty
CLAUDE GRIFFIN – Pagan practitioner and teacher for both people and spectres. Callsigns: Uther
EAB
(
Electrothermal Accelerator
Beam
): Relatively new weapons of the past
couple
decade
s
, able to melt armour off in a matter of seconds.
ELR
(
Electrical Laser Rifle
):
Fires a lance of plasma through a line of electrically charged electrons
, often frying electronics while simultaneously melting the impact area.
SAHI Suit
(Safety against Heat and Impact Suit): Based off of early research into astronaut suits, it was designed to protect the wearing from intense impacts and insulate them against intense heat. It has its own thermoregulating system, in addition to an emergency internal air supply.
Thermal Regulatory System, TRS
(
Bernal
, Mitell, Horton): Designed to absorb the excess heat generate from the various spectre’s systems.
Bernal
are the standard, Mitell have a higher capacity, Horton have a greater dissipation. They can be further improved with the use of liquid metal.
Reactors
(Alpha, Beta, Gamma): The nuclear engine considered to be the beating heart of any Spectre. Alpha is the
most durable but weight the most
. Beta offer
the best energy to heat output but are the most fragile
. Gamma offered extreme weight saving, but has the lowest
energy to heat ratio
.
Thrusters
: These direct the plasma within a reactor to allow a spectre to attain lift. While they cannot fly for long periods, it is enough for them to scale a building in a matter of seconds.
Disputes: A new form of combat after any lethal warfare was abolished after the Nuclear war. Countries that are unable to resolve their differences through diplomacy instead participate in a dispute conflict, with a clear win condition and strict rules of engagement put in place, prioritising the safety of people.
Nations: After the nuclear war, many countries ceased to exist, with many others eventually being abandoned, the radioactive wastes too harsh and intolerable to support life. The UK, becoming a republic after its monarchy perished, formed an alliance with the remains of France and Germany to form the Democratic European Alliance, as a support system to keep all three nations intact.
Nuclear War: The war which occurred in 1964, where nuclear missiles were launched all over the globe, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life, and mankind finally learned its lesson about responsibility of its own violent nature. Large portions of the planet continue to remain irradiated, despite the decades that have passed, even though new technologies are being developed to combat this problem.
Ouijas: Coordinators for spectre units out in the field and the rest of a battlegroup in a dispute. Their designation came from how one would use a Ouija board to contact dead spirits.
Spectres: Originally an acronym of SPCTR, standing for “Single Pilot Controlled Territory Ratifier”, developed as a safer way for dispute fighting that traditional armour. The first, the Squire, developed by the genius of Gavin Vance in 1972 and was knighted by the realm for his achievement.
Spirits: A superstition that is prevalent all across the world since the nuclear war, where it is believe a connection between nuclear energy and the spirits of the dead are intertwined. It has begun to be more popular over the years, and most spectre pilots will say how a spectre seems to be alive, even if they deny ghosts existing.
Prologue: After the Ashes
The world changed in 1964, where a nuclear missile was launched, triggering the cataclysmic war, only known as the Nuclear war. No-one knows who launched the first missile, but it didn’t matter, as nations retaliated through the MAD Doctrine. Within hours, over half the planet had succumbed to nuclear fire, more perishing from their injuries shortly after. Even after the world appeared like a snap-shot of hell, the death toll continued to rise further and further from radiation poisoning and nuclear fallout that would last many years.
Many countries were wiped off the face of the earth, some had its remaining populous emigrate, leaving no-one left, while some retained some small safe zones, that had miraculously escaped the wrath of the apocalypse. Soon the remaining countries, only after a mere ten days, all unanimously agreed to nuclear disarmament and the banning of research into nuclear weaponry. Even as they bickered and fought more conventional wars with what was left, they all held to that treaty.
Soon, with so little of the world’s population left, less than one percent of the population at the time, a system was formed to settle disputes between nations and factions. A battlefield and units were picked and clashed, the aim on disabling the foe than to kill or main, the winner able to dictate the terms. This became the standard in which all deals would be set, and research into this type of warfare was started.
It truly changed with the first Spectre, designed and created by Gavin Vance, known as the “Squire”. Its use was to replace the vehicles used in these disputes, perhaps in a bid to fully remove the stains of the past. These were giant bipedal machines that required a pilot to operate, with a vast arsenal of weaponry from cannons, missiles, to new innovative technology that expanded past mere dispute fighting. The world soon replaced most of its conventional military with these awesome weapons, which even proved popular amongst the civilians. Soon they wanted their chance to pilot, world championships were made, and all sorts of sports and tournaments were made.
Here follows the tale of a pair of girls, one who hides from her past, and the other who is hunted by it…