Y22A-1 Temblor Bomb
The Y22A-1 Temblor Bomb is a superweapon produced and fielded by the Terran Confederation. It is a warhead that serves as a planet-killer.
Technical Overview
The Y22A-1 Temblor Bomb was designed as a high tectonic-frequency weapon with a 267.5 megaton yield. Its projected aim was to destroy planets by means of triggering earthquakes. It was designed so that if fired with absolute precision at an active faultline, the resulting sonic waves would be powerful enough to destabilize the tectonic makeup of the planet's surface. The resulting earthquake would spread across the planet and rip the planet apart as its surface was ravaged by the extreme seismic activity. The Temblor Bomb could be deployed on virtually any planet, but it was most effective on worlds with an unusually high level of tectonic instability. It could fired like a torpedo from heavy starfighters whose payload allowed for such valuable cargo, and thus was an unsuitable cargo for most light or medium starfighters.
Development
The Temblor Bomb was first conceived during the middle stages of the ongoing Terran-Kilrathi War. During the 2660s, the Terran Confederation actively pursued the research and development of weapons capable of destroying entire planets for use against the imperialistic Kilrathi Empire. Having seen the massive bloodshed that was occurring throughout the course of the conflict, the Confederation sought a means by which to end the war swiftly, and deduced that the only means by which this could be accomplished was by destroying the Kilrathi homeworld, Kilrah. As the seat of the Imperial family and the major industrial and military center for the entire Empire, the destruction of Kilrah was hoped to be the killing blow that would ultimate cripple the Empire into submission.
Over the course of the decade, the Confederation invested its finance and resources towards the creation of such weapons. Among them was the Temblor Bomb, developed by the Special Operations Division and designed by Dr. Philip Severin. The weapon was initially tested from 2659 to 2660, and by 2667 Severin's final design was being realized.
Unfortunately, Dr. Severin was captured by the Kilrathi and subsequently imprisoned for interrogation on his scientific knowledge within Confed. His capture stalled the Temblor Bomb project, as the Covert Operations Division was unable to complete the weapon with his expertise. After the loss of the TCS Behemoth in 2669, Brigadier General James Taggart commissioned the TCS Victory to extract Dr. Severin from a Kilrathi prison planet, Alcor V. Colonel Christopher Blair led the assault on the planet and enabled a squad of Terran Space Marines to land and rescue Dr. Severin, allowing the project to resume.
Soon afterwards, a fully-functional prototype of the Temblor Bomb was sent to the Victory for testing.
(To be continued)
