The Rebel Faction

Cooperative R&D: Testudo-class Orbital Defense Shield

The Testudo draws its name from an ancient practice of interlocking infantry shields to provide a force with comprehensive protection against enemy ranged weaponry. Now applied on a planetary scale and with modern technology, the Orbital Defense Shield was envisioned as a rapidly deployable, relatively inexpensive, heavily augmentable planetary defense option to assist in the initial stages of the Cooperative's militarization programs.

The Testudo was intended to provide a highly variable defensive capability, essentially dividing a traditional planetary shield grid into dozens (possibly hundreds) of networked but physically independent shield generator/projector pairs, each set in orbit over the host world. Each shield projector would be capable of adjusting the surface area of its shield segment, allowing shields to expand or contract in relation to the total number of orbital shield nodes in place. In this way, a relatively weak planetary defense grid composed of a small number of orbital shield generators could be strengthened over time, adding additional shield segments and adjusting both the orbital patterns and projected surface area of each shield node.

Furthermore, the variable coverage of individual shield nodes allows for some degree of defensive concentration to counter enemy bombardment, as neighboring nodes can expand their own shields to overlap areas falling under fire. In this way, shield depletion can be shared by a number of nodes, resulting in a longer period of total planetary coverage. Standard deployment protocols call for a world under the protection of the Testudo to be covered by four overlapping shield layers at all times; with the possibility of additional, weaker layers being applied by more distant shield nodes as weaknesses being to present themselves.

The shields themselves can be deployed on small orbital stations made up of solar arrays and attitude thrusters, or equipped on existing orbital facilities such as defensive stations or spaceports.

One of the Testudo's greatest potential benefits, however, is its capacity to shield an allied fleet deployed in low orbit, as well as the orbital infrastructure of the protected planet.

While not generally as powerful as a traditional, ground-based planetary defense grids, the Testudo's great versatility and capacity for seemingly unlimited augmentation is expected to more than make up for potential drawbacks.



With the rise of the Reaver Crisis and the Cooperative's declaration of war against the Black Dragon Imperium, the Testudo has been reimagined as a viable means of resecuring the Reaver-overrun, Cooperative-aligned worlds of Maridun and Paradiso. Production of Testudo orbital shield nodes have been made a chief priority, and hopes are high that hyperspace tugs will be able to deploy effective shield grids at both worlds before Reaver forces decide to launch another surface raid.

Only time will tell if the Testudo is of sufficient quality to hold a world against such fanatically determined foes . . .

RP found here