NEW Bio-Enhancements: The Viscera Ejection Tube or V.E.T.

[Kakuma]

NEW Bio-Enhancements: The Viscera Ejection Tube or V.E.T. Launch Tube/Launch Catapult:

While working up House Mendel's' specialist Archangel Wing Pack it got me thinking about how said O.C.C.s' Wing Pack launch's the character into the wild blue. With the exception of the insect wings or the enhancement of Organic Thrusters anyone using a wing pack and lacking some place up high the most vulnerable time is take off. Not every house has the advantage of cliff faces' to Base jump off to launch, there is need of an alternate means of assistance for rapid deployment. The first thing that came to mind is the method of modern naval aircraft catapult. The next image that occurred to me is the launch tubes from a certain sci-fi T.V. show and re-imagined. The end result of this cogitating is a land based modification of the Pseudo-pod Ejection Tubes featured on the mighty War Mount the Kraken I present to you the Viscera Ejection Tubes or V.E.T.s'.

A V.E.T. is basically a long intestinal tube (the length of which is determined by the depth of the staging area/launch room) that is sectioned off approximately every 20' by a sphincter like organ. This is done because if the House/Bunker Seed is in need of a V.E.T. there is a good chance that said Seed is located well below the local water table and if there is more than one person in the tube the sphincter keeps the whole thing from flooding after the first person is launched. At the bottom (or the top) of each section is a siphon like organ that aids the sphincter in controlling the water flow. The siphoned water is either released back into the surrounding ground or filtered and stored or piped to any where potable water is needed. Personnel are accelerated up the tube by peristaltic action as the walls squeeze it's contents to the surface and launch them straight up into the air or at what ever angle the surface terrain dictates or is desired. Speed and release height can be set in a manner similar to the steam catapults on modern naval carriers'.

The final chamber can be open on the surface and looks just like a hole in the ground or it can be capped by a final sphincter and disguised as something else. Sometimes the exit can even be hidden inside a tree trunk if a big enough tree grows in the area. And if a forest of big trees' is available the exit can be at an angle other than straight up and disguised as a fallen tree.

A V.E.T. system can also be used to transport Host Armor sized cargo down to the Seed as well as up. It can even be used as an ad hoc weapon system, lofting explosives or what ever into the air kind of like a mortar.

If this idea has already been covered then I'm sorry. If not then tell me what you think.

[The Galactus Kid]

Generally, I like it.

[Kakuma]

Generally, I like it.

Thank you.

I was wondering if you had any recommendations if you have the time. If not I understand, and thanks again for taking the time to read and comment.

[The Galactus Kid]

I think a little bit cleaner description would be good, but it's pretty solid. I would recommend a stat block, even if limited.

[Kakuma]

NEW Bio-Enhancements: The Viscera Ejection Tube or V.E.T. Launch Tube/Launch Catapult:

While working up House Mendel's' specialist Archangel Wing Pack it got me thinking about how said O.C.C.s' Wing Pack launch's the character into the wild blue. With the exception of the insect wings or the enhancement of Organic Thrusters anyone using a wing pack and lacking some place high to jump from the most vulnerable time is take off. Not every house has the advantage of cliff faces' to Base jump off to launch, there is need of an alternate means of assistance for rapid deployment. The first thing that came to mind is the method of modern naval aircraft catapult. The next image that occurred to me is the launch tubes from a certain sci-fi T.V. show and re imagination. The end result of this cogitating is a land based modification of the Pseudo-pod Ejection Tubes featured on the mighty War Mount the Kraken I present to you the Viscera Ejection Tubes or V.E.T.s'.

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Not long after the full development and deployment of the Archangel concept a tiny flaw was discovered and that was that unless the House was blessed with access to the so called "high ground" for a launching point the Archangels of a given House would have to equip with insect wings and or organic thrusters or suffer a sever vulnerability during take off. Without somewhere high to jump off Archangels take a melee or two till they get enough air to fly normally. To fix this one House arrived at a simple solution by looking at the workings of the human body and they created the Viscera Ejection Tubes or V.E.T.s'. Based on a hugely enlarged intestine the V.E.T. can launch an Archangel up to whatever predetermined altitude or speed as desired. A V.E.T. starts with the creation of a tunnel that begins as an outgrowth from a staging area/launch room that leads all the way to the surface with the discharging end set at an angle that is determined at the time it's built. Multiple V.E.T.s can be grown from the same room but the more tubes means a bigger room to accommodate them. There can be 1 tube per 20' section of wall, ceiling, or floor. Thus a room 20'x20'x20' can have a total of 5 V.E.T.s. Also it does not matter how the tube reaches the surface, whether it's a straight line or a gently curving spiral, the tubes cannot cross each other. They can run parallel to each other as long as they stay at least 5' apart to provide the needed support for the tubes to attach to.

Each V.E.T. is approximately 10' in diameter even though they don't look it because the walls are contracted in towards the center where they conform to the body being launched. The user is lifted to the surface via a peristaltic action similar to how your own body moves food thru your digestion. It is this pumping action that squeezes the body up to the surface and is how launch speed and height is set. For every 20' traveled there is a sphincter like organ that seals off the tube. This is done because if a House is using this method of deployment then there is a good chance that House exits below the local water table. The sphincter is in place so that as a Archangel passes upward any water from the surface doesn't get past the first in line and cause a flooding issue for the person behind them. At the bottom (or the top) of each section is a siphon like organ that aids the sphincter in controlling the water flow. The siphoned water is either released back into the surrounding ground or filtered and stored or piped to any where potable water is needed.

The final chamber can be open on the surface and looks just like a hole in the ground or it can be capped by a final sphincter and disguised as something else. Sometimes the exit can even be hidden inside a tree trunk if a big enough tree grows in the area. And if a forest of big trees' is available the exit can be at an angle other than straight up and disguised as a fallen tree.

A V.E.T. system can also be used to transport Host Armor sized cargo down to the Seed as well as up. It can even be used as an ad hoc weapon system, lofting explosives or what ever into the air kind of like a mortar.

Every V.E.T. has superior regeneration to counter any damage done by bone blades, spikes, and other bio-weapons or other protuberance from Host or Living Armor. Damage recovery is 1D4+5 per melee for siphon's, 1D6+10 per melee per 10' section of V.E.T. tubing wall, 1D6x5 per melee per sphincter hatch.

M.D.C. by location: 10 M.D. per each siphon
50 M.D. per 10' section of tubing
100 M.D. per sphincter hatch way

Note: Sometimes a House will fortify the final section with a bio-force field enhancement for an additional 100 M.D.C. .

[Aramanthus]

I like the V.E.T. concept., I think that some people will be squeamish in reading this. I think it is a very cool concept.