Translation:Monoknife txt/en

UFOpaedia Entry

Proposal

TO: Base Commander, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

FROM: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

DATE: %02i %s %i

SUB: Proposal: Monomolecular Blades

Commander, now that we've had a good look at the alien blade technology from several sources -- the Bloodspider's 'fangs' and the Kerrblade -- we're starting to form a picture of how to recreate the unknown or ill-understood materials used in their construction.

Some of this stuff is completely new to us. The plastics from which the alien blades are forged are harder than damascus steel, sharper than a razor, and yet shock-resistant and flexible enough to survive the stresses of melee combat. Once forged they are nearly impossible to break, nick or bend. Applying a hammer and chisel directly to the blade just means you end up with two neatly-sliced halves of a chisel.

Obviously it would be of great interest to us if we could create our own knives made from these materials, with edges tapering to the width of a single molecule. My team and I believe it may now be possible.

If you give us the funding and lab time we need, we can design and create a new monomolecular combat knife that will even the playing field for our soldiers when forced into hand-to-hand combat. This knife will be far more compact than the Kerrblade and much easier for humans to wield, and it'll be small enough to be used one-handed.

Equipping our troops with such weapons could give them a major advantage, as they'll be able to properly defend themselves in melee for the first time whilst using other weapons or equipment -- such as pistols, grenades, medikits, or other useful items of tactical or life-saving importance.

--Cdr. Navarre

Result

TO: Base Commander, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

FROM: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command

DATE: %02i %s %i

SUB: Re: Monomolecular Blades

Commander, I'm hereby reporting our success in the creation of alien blade materials. We've loaded the production specs into our Workshop machinery and have constructed a small forge for shaping our new monomolecular knives.

The reproduction process has been very interesting on this one. After we'd figured out how to 'cook' the alien plastics to the right temperatures, we ended up with bars of incredibly hard material which we then tried to shape into knives. On our first attempts we tried to create a straight-edged blade with a powerful point, like most modern combat knives, so that it could be used for both cutting and stabbing. All of these models snapped in half during the cooling process. We had a devil of a time figuring out why until we placed a small camera inside the furnace.

It turns out that the curve of the Kerrblade isn't a design choice -- it's a function of the material itself. The plastic radically curves and expands during heat-moulding in our furnace, and contracts again during cooling, which ended up cracking all of our straight-edged blades. It demands a particular curved shape to retain its durability as a blade. We had to completely redesign the knife to account for this effect, which brought it to its current shape.

In length, it's either a long knife or a short sword, depending on who you ask. The design of the handle and crossguard are based on Middle-Eastern and Asian swordmaking traditions mixed in with modern-day science and know-how. The handle is made from semi-solid rubber, which automatically moulds itself to the wielder's hand to maximise comfort and gripping power. Both the triangular crossguard and pommel are unbreakable carbon-nanotube-reinforced plastic, a material that even Kerrblades have trouble with.

This knife goes a long way towards evening the odds for our soldiers when they get caught in hand-to-hand. Though it's larger than our old combat knife, doesn't thrust as well, and doesn't have the power of the Kerrblade's sword-length swing, it strikes an ideal middle ground between these two weapons. The monomolecular knife is almost the equal of the Kerrblade in lethality but still small enough to be worn in our standard holster or in a sheath hung from the belt. It amounts to a significant upgrade of our melee combat capabilities, and I'm thoroughly pleased with the result.

--Cdr. Navarre

Damage Type

• normal

Skill

• close

Links

• Combat Knife

Research Tree Data

(This information for reference only; do not translate or include in-game.)

Prerequisites:
 Alien Artifact -- Kerrblade
 Alien Autopsy -- Bloodspider

Opens:
 Enables production -- Monomolecular Knife