CL-HV-06 Debussy
Galliard Applied Systems was eager to capitalize on the momentum of the Bach's success. Initial plans were to finish development of the GKW-AL-02 Wagner, Galliard's artillery specialist frame, which had been designed in tandem with the Bach. Before these plans could be implemented, an external investment group made Galliard a lucrative offer contingent on the development of a drone nexus support frame. In exchange, the development costs would be subsidized. Galliard R&D had early documentation for how they might approach such a technologically complex combat role, but practical testing was years away.
In hindsight, this rapid pivot was considered by many internally to be a catastrophic boondoggle that nearly bankrupted the company before it could even establish a foothold in the combat frame market.
On paper, the Debussy is a fully functional support unit capable of aiding allies and harassing enemy combatants. Behind the scenes however, the Debussy was a laborious endeavor. Due to difficulties miniaturizing the drones, the extra weight from the drones created balance issues which were addressed by a four legged layout implementing an experimental hover system. However the hover system then required an overhaul of the generator to support constant low altitude thrust. This in turn required a redesign of the frame to adequately protect and cool the high output generator. Entirely new parts and technologies had to be developed from the ground up to achieve the desired specifications.
In the end, the combination of high weight, uneven balance, and hover jet capability make it an unwieldy platform to handle for less experienced pilots. Regardless, those with the skill and tactical acumen to leverage its strengths speak highly of it as a force multiplier when embedded within Bach formations. Many opposing forces expect the rugged gunfighter, but few are prepared for the Debussy.
"God, just look at it. The spindly arms? To cut weight. Can't handle anything larger than a sidearm. The four legs counterbalance the drone unit. It was our first go at a tetrapod frame and you can tell. Two times the legs for only 1.5 times the weight capacity and three times more expensive to maintain. Damn thing has to come to a full stop for the drones to redock, you basically have to maintain the drones indefinitely during an active firefight. Only one test pilot could redock the drones while in motion and she couldn't even do it consistently.
Don't even get me started on the drones. Kinetic weaponry was too heavy and we never managed to miniaturize the laser emitter enough to fit. So what is that? A thermal lance. The same fuel that lets it fly also fuels the lance, and in a pinch, gives the self destruct an extra kick. We're killing our enemies with flying blowtorches. Piloting the thing is a nightmare, maintaining it might be actual hell.
What? Of course I'm proud of it! Have you seen the combat reports? Replacing just one Bach with a Debussy in a 5 unit squad increases combat assessment by 43%. Forty-Three. We did it. Might have been the worst six months of my life, but we did it."
-Draymond Tacoma, Debussy Development Team Chief Engineer
Some mecha like to pay lip service to the maintenance and logistics of actually fielding giant robots. Most don't, understandably so. A couple of anime have gestured at the process of actually designing a mech, though I'd say the real inspiration was Gainax's dark horse classic, Royal Space Force. I love stories about trying to build something. It can say so much about the characters and the world they inhabit. I want Galliard to feel like a small manufacturer. Maybe someday, every corner of the galaxy will know of the Galliard Universal Maintenance Protocol. But today is not that day. Today is a somewhat embarrassing story in the manufacturer's rise to prominence.
I'm not much of a proper writer but I love when storytelling and visual design intersect. It often leads to more interesting results than you'd otherwise get. It's why I chafe a bit when someone tells me to draw whatever I want. I don't like restrictions, but I do like guardrails. I hadn't actually decided yet on which NPC the Debussy would represent. I knew I wanted it to be more support oriented but I wasn't sure which one seemed technologically in "reach" of Galliard's current capacity. The client suggested Hive and once I started thinking about how a lower tech manufacturer drone swarm might look, we were off to the races.
To make it fun, I wanted to turn the story of the Debussy jumping the line past the more conventional frames I had planned into part of its design narrative. My thinking for the Debussy is that in-universe, Galliard would struggle with making a Hive NPC frame so soon after the Bach. The Bach is a simple concept. Big, tough, and shoots. The Hive is difficult, and requires complicated solutions to complicated questions.
The start of this would be Galliard having difficulty miniaturizing the Hive's requisite drone swarm. Thus instead of a more traditional Nexus setup, the Debussy has a large drone backpack it launches them from. Almost like low-tech funnels from Gundam. The resulting size and power requirements of this unit would then necessitate a quad-leg setup to compensate. However on paper, Hive npcs are decently mobile, so I've given the Debussy a Dom inspired hover jet system that lets it fly around a couple feet off the ground. Not enough to actually count as flight as defined by Lancer. Galliard having to develop all these new technologies just to support the drone aspect of the frame would turn it into a quagmire of design considerations. Lot of BASHO and Balam energy to this design.
The result is the Debussy, a fully functional Hive NPC on paper, but behind the scenes tells the story of a difficult and expensive production. The spindly arms that can't support full sized weaponry. The legs which basically exist to be glorified landing struts. The communications equipment that has to be mounted externally because there's no room left inside the chassis. The flat simplified head to reduce costs. Should you choose to field the Galliard Applied Systems CL-HV-06 Debussy at your table, know that while it may perform to proper spec, in-universe your npc pilots are hating every second of it. That said, I imagine one out of every ten Debussy pilots becomes a real sicko about optimizing the number of drones they can micromanage.
A png if you'd like to use it as a token. Be cool.
#gee_art #design_notes #lancer #mecha #Galliard_Applied_Systems