The Coral-laced skies of Rubicon 3
Coral (コーラル) is a substance found on the planet Rubicon 3.
Description[]
A mysterious new substance called "Coral" was discovered on the remote planet, Rubicon 3. As an energy source, this substance was expected to dramatically advance humanity’s technological and communications capabilities. Instead, it caused a catastrophe that engulfed the planet and the surrounding stars in flames and storms, forming a Burning Star System.[1] Almost half a century later, Coral has resurfaced on Rubicon 3, a planet now contaminated and sealed off by the catastrophe. Extra-terrestrial corporations and resistance groups fight over control of the substance. The player infiltrates Rubicon as an independent mercenary and finds themselves in a struggle over the substance with the corporations and other factions.[1] |
Characteristics[]
Coral appears naturally as a red, wispy mass, comprised of larges masses of microorganisms able to interact and communicate with each other even over vast distances. It is able to grow and reproduce over time under good conditions, and in ideal conditions, specifically a vacuum, it can propagate exponentially. Humanity's interest in Coral was piqued by two key material properties: it produces an immense amount of energy when burned, and it also conducts digital data more effectively than any other known natural or artificial substance.
In practice, Coral can be used as fuel for engines or for weaponry due to its extremely high energy output. Due to its ability to reproduce, Coral can power machines for decades without any need for refueling or maintenance. Its high energy output makes it dangerously volatile, however, and even a small quantity of Coral can unleash a vast amount of energy if ignited, as demonstrated by the Fires of Ibis, which produced a firestorm on an interplanetary scale.
As a living organism, Coral possesses a degree of intelligence and exhibits social behavior. These traits, combined with its data conduction ability, allow it to be incorporated into control systems for various machines, such as the IA-02: ICE WORM and the Ibis Series' IB-01: CEL 240. Free Coral are able to interact and control digital equipment as well, and have been known to assert control over human-made machines to use them for their own protection. Coral is also capable of manifesting sentient information patterns with personalities that are comprehensible and behaviorally similar to humans. Described as "C-Pulse wave mutations", these unique Coral entities can be perceived as voices by Augmented Humans with Coral-based (Generation One through Four) augments, in which case the contact is persistent, or by humans who regularly consume large amounts of Coral as a recreational drug, in which case the contact only lasts until the effects of the Coral wear off. Two Coral entities are known: Seria, who was intermittently encountered by a young Thumb Dolmayan before the Fires of Ibis, and Ayre, who achieved accidental contact with the Augmented Human C4-621 after the the latter was exposed to a Coral surge.
When consumed by humans as a drug, Coral is highly addictive. Coral addicts are known as Dosers. In his private writings, Thumb Dolmayan uses the word "imbibing" to describe the method by which he consumed Coral when he was a young Doser, but he does not elaborate further. A comms record of Doser ravings indicates that Coral can be consumed "raw" for the most intense high.
Consumption of coral can cause several side effects. The aforementioned Dosers describe the process as causing “pop and a sizzle” sensation in the brain. Somewhat similarly, V.III O’Keefe experienced “Coral burn-in” in his brain from his first augmentation until he joined Arquebus and received augmentation surgery again. In addition, G5 Iguazu repeatedly describes voices and ringing in his head (much like what C4-621 experiences when Ayre speaks), which gets progressively worse throughout the game.
Coral is also used as feed for the mealworms that Rubicon 3's human inhabitants farm for food, and they contain trace amounts of Coral when eaten, but not enough for its properties as a drug to manifest.
Typically, Coral is found in subterranean flows and deposits, but when released into the atmosphere it can remain airborne, and sufficiently large masses of Coral can even move under their own power. Free Coral masses are attracted to other large Coral masses in a phenomenon known as "Coral Convergence", and the larger the mass, the faster it grows. The Rubicon Research Institute hypothesized that Coral reproduction could trigger a potentially dangerous phenomenon known as "Coral Collapse"; upon reaching a critical mass, Coral would be able to escape Rubicon 3's gravity well and spill out into space, and since the vacuum of space is the best environment for Coral growth, the Coral would spread uncontrollably across the stars. This hypothesis is untested, since the only occasion when a potential Coral Collapse was on the verge of occurring was fifty years ago, and Professor Nagai prevented it from happening by deploying IB-01: CEL 240 to burn the Coral, thus instigating the Fires of Ibis. The Institute also hypothesized that humans and Coral could unite in symbiosis. Following the Fires of Ibis, ALLMIND obtained the symbiosis research and plotted to enact it during the Coral War via the Coral Release project.
When extracted, Coral is typically stored and transported in metal containers with an oblong, semi-ellipsoidal shape. Burning Coral kills it and renders it completely unusable as an energy source and data conduit, while also transforming it into a "lethal contaminant".
Gameplay[]
In ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON, Coral is a plot element that ties into the story and gameplay. Several factions seek it for various purposes, one of which being weaponization. Certain weapons in the game deal the Coral damage type, which is unique among other weapons in that it has no defensive stat against it unlike with Kinetic, Energy, or Explosive damage types. This allows Coral weapons to deal more damage against a target than their stats would normally show.
All of the weapons that deal Coral damage in-game are built under the Rubicon Research Institute label.
Arm Unit (L)[]
- IA-C01W7: ML-REDSHIFT Coral Oscillator
- IB-C03W2: WLT 101 Coral Oscillator
Arm Unit[]
- IA-C01W6: NB-REDSHIFT Coral Rifle
- IB-C03W1: WLT 011 Coral Rifle
Back Unit (L)[]
- IB-C03W4: NGI 028 Coral Shield
Back Unit[]
- IB-C03W3: NGI 006 Coral Missile Launcher
Generator[]
- IB-C03G: NGI 000 Coral Generator
- IA-C01G: AORTA Coral Generator
Equipping a Coral-based generator on an AC equipped with Assault Armor will also convert the energy blast into Coral-type damage, increasing its Damage dealt against enemies. A Pulse Shield equipped on an AC with a Coral-based generator will also be changed to a hue of red.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Coral based generators in game emit red energy from the AC's boosters, compared to BAWS and Dafeng generators (internal combustion) that emit orange-yellow exhaust, and Arquebus generators (circulating current) that generate blue flames. Similarly, equipping Coral generators on an AC will change the color of any Expansion abilities into red and increase their performances. When an AC initiates Assault Boost, Coral reaction to booster will sound like jump-starting fossil fuel engine. Coral generators are uniquely lighter, but having more capacity and more output than internal combustion and circulating current generators that are designed to have more output or capacity, while gaining the weight of generators.
- Energy Firearm Specialization value numbers Coral powered generators have are higher than standard Arquebus circulating current generators (VP-20 series generators), and they are lighter than most standard medium and heavy weight generators, indicating these generators can potentially be revolutionary for advanced technologies.
- There is a fictional triangular warning symbol for Coral, similar to the real-life radiation trefoil or the biohazard interlocked rings. It can be found on the side of palletized Coral containers as well as on the side of the Vascular Plant once it is unearthed and rebuilt by Arquebus.
- Coral is similar to the Femto substance from Daemon x Machina. Both are red-colored volatile energy sources that can power machines while being tied to sapience in some manner tied to humans. While the Coral itself is a hivemind lifeform that claims to desire coexistence with humanity, the Femto that originated from the moon caused the AI-operated machinery to keep mankind away from the Dominator.