Some might utilize Orion-style nuclear pulse drives, which can also be used as a weapon system if needed. These autowars will usually employ UV or X-ray lasers for both offense and point-defense, and carry torch missiles. The smallest forms of specialists within an autowar swarm tend to used as escorts, with limited weaponry but a great deal of maneuverability. Autowars in their unspecialized state tend to resemble a conversion-drive ramjet-equipped warship, heavily armed and armored, designed to be capable of entering a heavily defended system and starting up an industrial based for future operations. Once in-system, these may be retained, or reconfigured to various fusion drives with greater maneuverability and alternate fuel requirements.
AUTO WAR SERIES
The most commonly developed drive system is a series of conversion drive-ramjet hybrids or beam-core plasma rockets, coupled with magsail devices for interstellar travel. Once deployed to a target system, typically reconfigure their drive systems to types more appropriate to interplanetary travel and fleet engagements. If necessary, they can 'grow' interstellar-capable drive systems for redeployment. Conversion drive and fusion-pulse propulsion systems are the most commonly utilized propulsion methods. Most but not all autowars are designed to be deployed on inter-planetary scales. The most advanced autowar variants can equip themselves with monopole-based technologies, such as conversion drives, Hellbores, and boost bombs, although these variants are comparatively rare. Individual autowars which are members of a fleet can reconfigure themselves to perform specialised roles in a matter of days, hours, or even minutes, depending on the complexity of changes needed. This is to some extent determined by available resources in their operating environment, but primarily is dependent upon their current enemies and goals. Wandering, rogue autowars are an unwelcome visitor to any civilised systemĪutowars can and do cannibalize their own internal systems to create new, more effective weapon systems whenever necessary.
Torch missiles have powerful reaction drives allowing them to rapidly close with an enemy several light seconds away, before detonating an amat-core nuclear device to 'boost' an on-board x-ray laser system. A basic autowar will be preloaded with both energy and projectile-based weapon systems, such as multi-gigawatt x-ray or UV lasers, torch missiles, and dumbfire railguns for example.
The specific makeup and number of autowar swarms present in a location might vary on a daily basis, as they reconfigure, grow, split into smaller units, or combine into larger units. Each autowar has an interior filled with feedstock, modular multi-purpose nanofactories, and an extensive, if abridged, warchive. Although this article could not possibly encompass the vast array of designs and sub-specializations autowars are known for, there are an array of abilities and basic design concepts that can be said to exist in every autowar's warchive or design template.Īutowars have been utilized by most recognized interstellar polities and empires, and rogue populations can be found in the Outer Volumes, often becoming animin-like entities with little in common with the rest of the Terragen Sphere.Ī great deal of the success of the autowar as implemented during conflict can be directly attributed to their unrivaled flexibility. Rather than being generalists that attempt to adequately adapt to different enemy capabilities or different situational needs, these sentient war machines instead reformat their substrate and alter their tactics on the fly to produce several 'classes' of specialist warships, each tailor-made for a specific threat, task, or strategy. The controlling intelligence of an autowar may be anything from a subsophont vot to a dedicated, non-sentient S1 hyperturing, up to a S3 non-sophont distributed intelligence formed by the combined resources of an entire autowar swarm. Autowars are a type of neumann-capable subsophont warships, which utilize their on-board resources to rapidly reconfigure according to prevailing battlefield conditions, goals, and enemy threats.
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