MBlue

The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe.

The Aurora Wake Beam System, also known as the MBlue, is a medium beam cannon used by the GTVA in the FreeSpace 2 mod Blue Planet. The Aurora Wake is a high-performance medium beam cannon, and has the distinction of being the first beam weapon developed by the Threat Exigency Initiative that allowed the GTVA to replicate the shock jump tactics employed by the Shivans during the Second Shivan Incursion. The Aurora Wake suffers from a 35-second recharge time and tendency to overheat. However, it makes up for this with its effective range of 6750 metres. The GTCv Chimera mounts three of these beams as its forward armament.

Description

Blue Planet Tech Room Description

A powerful mid-range direct-fire beam system, the 'Aurora Wake' was one of the first products of the Threat Exigency Initiative's drive to produce more powerful beam cannons. Mounted on most next-generation Alliance warships as a battery weapon, the 'Aurora Wake' supplements its own dedicated reactors with feeds from the ship's drives. Prone to overheating, this system is perhaps the most cantankerous of the next-generation beams. Mass issues encountered while mounting the beam on the Chimera corvette led to that vessel's relatively thin armor plating. Nonetheless, the 'Aurora Wake' was the first beam weapon that enabled the GTVA to emulate Shivan-style shock jump tactics.

Performance

Statistics

Range	6 750 m
Recharge Time	35 s
Beam Lifetime	4 s
Type:	Direct
Shots	1
Damage per second	4 950
Damage per second (sustained)	566
Damage per pulse	19 800

Notes

• Weapon is a beam cannon (beam)
• Weapon is capable of easily damaging even larger vessels (Huge)
• Weapon cannot be mounted on small ships (Big Ship)
• Weapon refire rate is the same on all difficulty levels (same turret cooldown)

Veteran Comments

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It only does 60% of the damage of the BBlue on the first pass, and half of the sustained damage, but in the 14th battle group, there are twelve of these mounted on the GTCv Chimera, GTCv Bellerophon, and GTD Raynor. Thus, at a possible 237,600 points of damage on the first pass, they make up the bulk of the battle group's shock jump capability, at least theoretically.

Not a bad beam in itself, but in Blue Planet you almost never seen a case where it's actually used in its stated role. The Chimera corvette, significantly larger than a Deimos, is practically built around three of these beams, but they collectively do significantly less damage than BGreens, despite being over 20 years newer and having more Shivan tech to reverse engineer (from FS2). It does feature great range, but you'll often be left wondering why BGreen's aren't used in its place. The difference between this beam and the dreaded BBlue is immense, and aside from the range this beam is neither better than the BGreen nor mounted as a medium-level beam cannon for ships wanting a greater punch or specializing in overwhelming firepower.