The M05 Silverback is the standard heavy weapons and support mech used by the Arm of Orion and its ally the Orion's Spear.
Description[]
Utilizing similar NUBIOCHEM and synthetic titanium muscle systems gleamed from the USIF MA3 Kodiak, the Silverback is designed to survive tremendous damage while penetrating the defenses of the enemy with overwhelming force. Purposed to give additional firepower and psychological shock value during mobile operations, the Silverback heavy armors have fallen more and more into the role of defending key strong points as well as its more traditional role of supporting infantry attacks.
Corde and Hawthorne are ambushed by a silverback
The armaments of the Silverback consist of dual heavy chainguns and a strong melee swipe/grab. The armor also possesses a jump ability that can be used to quickly close the distance to an enemy soldier, and may also be used to jump across small openings and platforms. Note that the jump must be given time to recharge after every use.
Upgrade[]
In the days following the Arm's catastrophic defeat and near-dissolution in the Outer Rim War, the Silverback received new upgrades including slightly better speed and agility, as well as armor better suited to defending against incendiary and electromagnetic pulse rounds. The Arm also gave the Silverback a new unit designation, the Berserker Assault Mech, though many Arm and Orion's Spear soldiers still fondly refer to it by its old name- The Silverback.
Gameplay[]
Aside from aesthetic differences, the Silverback's role and capabilities on the battlefield are exactly similiar to those performed by the Kodiak Heavy Armor. One other notable difference is the melee fatality the Silverback inflicts on enemy infantry. If an enemy infantry unit is low on health and a melee attack is used against it, the Silverback holds up the opponent with one hand, placing one of its chainguns against the opponent's head, then fires the chaingun at point-blank range, instantly killing the opponent.
Section 8: Prejudice[]
The changes made to a Silverback in Section 8: Prejudice mirror those made to the Kodiak Heavy Armor, including aesthetic improvements and enhanced chaingun damage. In addition, the Silverback can perform new melee fatalities against hover bikes and other mechs. For example, if a melee fatality is performed on an enemy mech, the Silverback grabs the other mech's fist with both hands, and pulls against it, placing a foot on the enemy mech's leg for leverage, before tearing the arm off, and slamming the mechanized arm into the enemy mech, destroying it and killing the driver. If a melee fatality is used against an enemy hover bike unit, the Silverback pulls the bike rider off his bike with one hand and slams him to the ground. The Silverback then lifts up the hover bike and slams it down on top of the wounded rider, making the hover bike explode over the rider and killing him.
However cinematic these melee fatalities may be, the Silverback is vulnerable during its kill animation, especially to concentrated enemy fire.
Variants[]
Crimson Guard Silverback[]
The Crimson Guard Silverback mech
Commander Soren, leader of the ARM's forces, made his last stand with what seemed to be a modified Silverback. The armor was first seen by Corde and then by the rest of 1st Recon, bearing a blackened crimson finish and crimson indicator lights, as opposed to the tan finish and yellow indicator lights of an ordinary Silverback. The armor was much stronger in many ways to the standard issue suit. The shield proved to be much stronger than the average Silverback suit and could resist physical damage to the point of being almost invincible.
The armor was destroyed by Alex Corde after he leapt behind the Silverback, shot the back of its head with his gauss assault rifle, then tore off its head component and forced a grenade inside the armor through the resulting breach, destroying the armor and killing Commander Soren.
Corde battles Soren in his custom heavy armor
This variant is also seen in use by Orion's Spear elite units, though its power and damage output is much less than the late Soren's own Silverback.
Gallery[]
