The Omni Answer Cannons of the Union Army - Planetary Defense Artillery
Conceived and built in 4000 as an effective means against a potential and potent defense against another Y'All invasion or an enemy of similar potency yet unknown.
It was also a technical experiment,just how big a translocator cannon could be built. Admiral Richard Stahl strongly opposed the project.[1]
Six prototype platforms were built in the Sol System and placed under the authority of the Union Army - Planetary Defense Artillery.
In 4023 the first platform was completed and a test fire experiment was conducted.
The test was only marginally successful[2], as the transenergetic stress factors (Techlevel 11 Knowledge) damaged the transplacement chamber, the Yotta load exploded not as planned at coordinates 3 light years away but just one light year and within the helio pause limits of the Sol System. The gravinmetric disturbance predicted by Stahl was only temporary.
The Army kept this result under the carpet and reported a successful test.
The rest of the cannons were reinforced (but not knowing what to reinforce and if that was even the right thing to do, no one knows if the cannons work as predicted (until 5040 as the Yotta load cannons of the USS Dominator could be studied and the Master Servant told Union Developers that the Domi Cannons are Seenian prototypes never been tested either)
McEllgott however knew about the results, he never informed Stahl or told the Assembly that the Army General in charge lied to the Assembly. He did not want to embarrass the Army and give Stahl the opportunity to say "I told you so."
No other platforms have been authorized and the current Army General has a standing order that none of the platforms have Yotta load bombs on hand and only get Ammunition if the Sol System is in imminent danger and can not be defended by the fleet, or the thousands of smaller TL cannon platforms all over the system.[3]
[1] He argued that all the enemy needed is a dedicated special forces commando or a platform commander turned into a spy and the enemy could eradicate an entire solar system before anything could be done.
He also pointed out that the use of so much force could create new gravtion wells with unpredictable consequences. He said, if the Seenians didn't built Translocators this big, there is a reason. McElligott and the General of the Army back then countered his arguments and the Assembly voted the Cannons to be built. However individual Reps (Saran, Pan Saran and a dozen others agreed with Stahl and did not want these canons in their systems)
[2] Prior to the test, four levels of "success" had been defined.
- Completely Successful - The Yotta Load destroying the target.
- Mostly Successful - The Yotta Load reappearing within a sphere 1 light-second in radius from the target location.
- Successful - The Yotta Load reappearing within a sphere 1 light-hour in radius from the target location.
- Marginally Successful - The Yotta Load reappearing no closer than 1 third the targeted range and within a 30 degree cone using as an axis of rotation a line connecting the target and the OAC.
[3]There is a plan in place to use the nearby TL cannons to destroy the Omni Answer Cannons in case of an hostile takeover.