the shape of things to come

Johnson: Based on an adaptation of a quad battlesuit’s cockpit,
maybe, but as you can see in this cutaway schematic, the cockpit
of a Proto isn’t really a cockpit in the traditional sense, nor is it
“worn” like battle armor. Instead, the pilot curls into a ball in the
torso. Rather than manipulating manual controls, the Proto is
controlled solely by a complex neural interface. Of course, we’ve
seen Clan ’Mech and battlesuit pilots with the enhanced imaging
neural nets that give them a slight edge, but for ProtoMechs, this
technology is even further advanced. A battlesuit-based cockpit
approach is far less fl uid by comparison; in fact, we may be back
to needing a gyro if we use that approach.
McCoullagh: Sounds like an R&D boondoggle; we really don’t
have the resources for such a biology-based program.
Johnson: Actually, we have data from Dr. Burke Kale’s
Prometheus project back in ’53. It’s possible we can adapt that
program to this, with the materials and personnel we got from
the Quartermaster’s Department. Tom will have more when we
focus on piloting issues next.
Dolan: Wait, go back to the internal structure for a moment.
Why can’t we use endo-steel?
Johnson: BattleMechs and vehicles have relatively large
amounts of room. Endo-steel uses a diff erent alloy with larger
parts and stronger bonds. By sacrifi cing bulkier systems in a
‘Mech, you can use this lighter alloy to support your ’Mech with
no major changes in profi le. But, as you can see in this schematic,
there really isn’t any room for the Proto’s structure to be any bulkier.
Most weapons are essentially on the outside of the unit with
a well-designed armored housing, so we can’t even sacrifi ce that.
The result is a larger target profi le.
Siegfried: And the same with ferro-fi brous armor?
Johnson: Basically. Though armor is less problematic there
because it’s on the “outside.” Nevertheless, the bulkiness would
interfere with the Proto’s mobility, and the larger profi le might result
in more hits on the unit because it’d wind up almost as large
as a typical 20-tonner.
Siegfried: Someone in R&D also told me that the heat sinks are
something special.
Johnson: Yes…and no. Even we can make heat sinks work more
effi ciently than on BattleMechs when we install them on Protos,
because their reduced volume makes the process quicker. But
even so, the Clan sinks put all others to shame. Proto heat sinks,
if we could extrapolate them out and keep the same effi ciency,
would have to be twice as eff ective as the current Clan heat sinks
to be viable. Part of this is because the heat sinks are integral to
the weapons and another part is the lack of need for a whole system
throughout the unit. I shudder to think how the current Proto
heat sinks will lead to the next generation of Clan sinks. Hopefully,
further study will enable us to use them to keep pace.
McCoullagh: Another hurdle, then. Thanks, Dan. Let’s move
right into the pilots, then get something to eat. Tom?
Thomas Shiffl ett: Thanks, Jenna. We’ve got a few limitations
regarding ProtoMech pilots. The fi rst, as Dan mentioned, was the
E.I. neural-ware. The next is size, and lastly we need training. I think
that of these, size is the easiest to tackle. Clan warriors tend to be
on the large side, with the exception of aerospace pilots. That’s
what they’ve been forced to use, given the limited space inside
the ProtoMech. We have an advantage here with a more diversifi
ed gene pool and no reservations about using certain parts of
the population, unlike the Clans’ disdain for “freeborn” warriors.
We just put a size limitation on this branch of the military, as humans
have done throughout time.
The E.I. will be the hardest part. Currently, the data we have shows
that the eff ective lifespan of Clan pilots with E.I. is 2.3 years. First,
we have to deal with highly invasive neural surgery. After recovery
from that, pilots need physical therapy time to reclaim full control
of the body and learn to use the E.I. Next, the user suff ers tremendous
strain from neural feedback when his vehicle gets damaged.
Finally, the user develops psychosis, generally involving paranoia.
Johnson: That doesn’t sound good.
Shiffl ett: It isn’t. Some medications can attenuate the mental
illness for a time, and we think prescreening from a wider pool
plus traditional therapy can extend their usefulness; however, this
will be by far the most expensive pilot training and maintenance
program in the Inner Sphere. One thing we’ve looked at with
Nashan Pharmaceuticals is that E.I. implants can often overcome
some degenerative conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and
muscular dystrophy.
Dolan: I’m not sure that really has anything to do with us…
Shiffl ett: On the contrary, we can off er people with these affl ictions
a quarter to half a decade of normal control over their bodies.
Well enough to even serve on the front lines, fi ght for the good of
humanity and all that. We could probably even get a tax write-off .
Siegfried: I’m not sure how I feel about this.
Shiffl ett: Beats the alternative we discussed: Children. Some
studies suggested that children in preteen and early teenage
brackets not only are small enough to fi t in a ProtoMech-sized
cockpit, but also may be more resilient against the degenerative
eff ects of E.I. technologies, and they have the dexterity to handle
the controls. But even the Clans don’t start ’em that young. Take
your pick.
McCoullagh: We’re a business; not a church. Let’s leave morality
out of this. What about training, Tom?
Shiffl ett: As I touched on earlier, it will be intensive and expensive
to start up. We’ll have to foot the bill—at least at fi rst—or no
one will be able to operate our product. However, initially we can
sell pilot and machine as a package deal.
McCoullagh: That idea sounds intriguing. Have marketing and
R&D get some numbers together. Who’s hungry? I had Christopher
pick us up some sandwiches.
Chism: I’m starving! Hey, I heard a great joke this morning. A
Capellan, a Taurian and a Canopian walk into a bord—
Anderson: You better stop the recording; we don’t want to deal
with the Friends of Cultural Heritage if they get ahold of these
minutes.
Dolan: You can say that ag—
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