Glory Device

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The Glory Device is the biggest and most effective weapon of the Shofixti Scout. A good Shofixti pilot can use this suicide bomb to create chaos and destruction wherever he goes, killing ships much larger than himself.

The Shofixti were uplifted by the Yehat when the furry marsupials were still living in mud castles. At this point, the Shofixti didn't possess any advanced technology, such as starships. Based on the rudimentary knowledge and basic technology provided by the Yehat, the Shofixti were able to construct simple space vessels, close to harmless in combat against more advanced races and not used for much more than reconnaissance and scouting. However, this simplicity and lack of firepower contrasts with the massive explosive device strapped to the underside of each ship.

During the Ur-Quan Slave War, the brave Shofixti detonated themselves without showing a sign of fear — dodging fusion blasts and ripping the immense Dreadnoughts apart. The Glory Device was definitely a gruesome and dreadful weapon for the Kzer-Za, as they could not break the morale of the suicide pilots. Fighting fiercely, it was ironic that the Shofixti, the least technologically advanced race in the Alliance, destroyed over one third of the Ur-Quan fleet.

From the technical point of view, one Scout can kill a Melnorme Trader, Androsynth Guardian, or Druuge Mauler but not from the Glory device alone; using the same tactics, two Scouts can bring down a Dreadnought. In order to defeat these ships, a Scout must kill four or five crew with the main gun while evading the enemy's shots and then, when the batteries are empty, activate the Glory Device. However, if only the Glory Device is used, the number of required Scouts is increase by one, that is, it will take two for a Trader and three for a Dreadnought.

The downside is that the Glory Device needs to be activated manually in order to explode. To prevent accidental detonation of the Glory Device, the arming mechanism actually consists of three manual switches which must be toggled in sequence, the bomb detonating when the third switch is thrown. Despite this precautionary measure, many Shofixti have been known to immediately throw the first two safety contacts upon engaging an enemy ship in battle. When the Scout is killed before he gets a chance to fully activate the advanced firing mechanism, the bomb is merely destroyed without actually exploding.