Design

The Sentinel Paladin is the second of the Sentinel D-series, along with the Sentinel Champion, a pair of highly advanced biomechanical fighters based on the familiar structure of the Sentinel line of fighters.

Along with the Champion, the Paladin is an extremely elite vessel, every single inch of its formidable hull taken up by advanced biomechanical technology, miniaturized to a much higher degree than traditional digitally based tech can be. As a result, the Paladin's power generation is off the charts for a vessel of its size, being more comparable to the power generated by foreign corvettes than fighters.

Equipped with expensive inertialess thrusters, the Paladin has incomparable agility- unlike the more common and less advanced semi-inertialess thrusters used on most Cytaari craft, the fully inertialess engines of the Paladin (made possible by the Paladin's grade two dimensional engine) allow it to turn and stop on a dime where semi-inertialess thrusters must gradually redirect their momentum over a longer period of time.

For weaponry, the Paladin is equipped with a pair of Cosmic Lance's, X-ray spectrum laser weapons mounted in each wing. When fired, the lasers project a powerful lance of energy for a long pulse of about a second, giving time for the pilot to drag the lasers onto enemy fighters. Swarmcraft and light fighters are easily destroyed by even momentary contact with one of the beams, while even heavy interceptors can rarely survive the full duration of radiant energy.

The Paladin is less than ideal against enemy capital ships, though by virtue of its firepower it can still be effective. In order to most effectively use the cosmic lance's against capital warships, the Paladin must maintain its lock on a specific position on the enemy ship, something which cna make dodging incoming fire more difficult.

Fortunately for the Paladin, it is well protected; Energized, reactive biomechanical armor plating covers the entire vehicle, thickest at the front of the cockpit where the 'canopy' is (actually a collection of multispectral scanners). The "Blue Abyss" nanocomposite used on the Paladin is one of the most advanced armor composites in used by Cytaari armor, most often utilized in the armor of Angels rather than vehicles. Amorphous hyperdiamond platelets are suspended in a dense biopolymer matrix, reinforced by a mesh of ultra-high strength nanowire. Any damage to the armor is quickly regenerated by its biomechanical cells while it adapts to the threats posed by its enemies weaponry, creating distinct forms of barriers to most efficiently function against its opponents weaponry. The structure of the armor will shift to absorb the energy of its opponents weapons in the most efficient manner possible.

Additionally, the powerful dimensional organ of the Paladin is capable of projecting dimensional radiation barriers, a powerful defensive system which is effective against all known forms of weaponry. The dimensional barriers counteract the energy of incoming attacks, whether kinetic, thermal, or electromagnetic, and absorbs it. Massive amounts of incoming fire will eventually overwhelm the barrier, causing it to oversurge with excess power. In this situation, the barrier will purposefully disable itself, in order to cool down rather than keep straining until the point of detonation.

The dimensional barrier does not actually entirely absorb energy from incoming shots; rather, it only absorbs enough energy so that it does not pose a threat to the craft. This vastly improves its efficiency as many smaller projectiles and explosions do not have to be absorbed at all, as the armor is more than sufficient alone to counteract them. The barrier will also adopt magnetic, thermal, or force shielding as the situation demands to more effectively disperse incoming enemy attacks.

Beneath the heavily armored exterior is an amorphous biological structure, every inch of the craft a functional organ. Much of these are devoted to redundancy and rapid regeneration, allowing the craft to sustain immense damage while remaining functional. The biomechanical cells must be engineered to a high degree of tolerance, as the radiation emitted by the reactor is sufficient that it would kill an ordinary human in a matter of seconds. Microscopic vaccuum-pockets separate different parts of the craft, ensuring that heat and electricity generated by opposing weapons do not easily spread through the craft, while pyroelectric bands simultaneously convert waste heat to power the craft can use, while also dispersing heat into the wings.

The pilot is housed within a protective Chrysalis behind the 'canopy', a dense shell of internal armor and radiation shielding which protects them both from opposing fire as well as the radiant energy given off by the Paladin's own reactor. The Chrysalis is a biomechanical symbiotic system which completely integrates the pilots biology into the vehicle, binding them body and mind to their craft. Their senses are subsumed by the Sentinels, including not only multispectral vision but also the ability to feel the forces exacted on the sentinel. This is not an easy task; controlling the biomechanical nervous systems of Cytaari biomechanical craft requires immense willpower and sense of identity. Weaker willed individuals will find themselves confused and muddled, losing their sense of self as the craft dominates them rather than the other way around.
 

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