BDW-X856 Vampiress



The DBW-X856 Leech-Life is a "Special-Warfare" type Wanzer unit built by the Durnandal. The unit is often called "The Vampiress of the Durnandal", and with good reason. The unit is piloted by Durndal Cyber-Pilot Ciel.

Appearance:
Having been built around The Durandal's brand-new X-800 series Mobile Suit Frame and modeled off of the Astray Gold Frame AMATU, the Mobile Suit's appearance is basically a more feminine version of the aformentioned Mobile Suit. Most of the armor was stripped an replaced with The Durandal's version of Trans-Phase Armor for protection and also given a hidden array of electro-magnetic field projectors designed for the use of the Mirage Colloid type Armor: Geschmeidig Panzer. The thrusters were also replaced with more powerful models, allowing the Leech-Life the same maneuverability of its comrade Mobile Suits only with more agility than its more masculine comrade units, due to the slender and lightweight frame. The unit was designed after the CAW-286 Mirage and AOW-242 Levaithan Gundams, also more femininely-framed "Wanzer" units used by Durandal and the units used as the basis for the X-800 frame the Leech-Life is built upon and its "sister frame", the X-700 series. The unit is mostly black and gold in appearance, with a right arm modeled after that used by the Blitz.

Weaponry:

 * "Harpuia-II" CIWS:
 * Spread between the head and chest of the Leech-Life are a quartet "Harpuia-II" 50mm twin five-barrel CIWS units. These modified versions of the original "Harpuia" CIWS benefit from increased rate of fire and firepower at the cost of increased ammo usage.  Extra ammo was added to each unit for increased longevity in battle and armed with Proton ammo for use against Phase-Shift Armor.  Two of these weapons are mounted in the head, with the other two mounted in the chest of the Mobile Suit.


 * MA-WNZR53 Assault Beam Rifle:
 * The standard long-range arament on the Leech-Life. The Leech-Life is the first to mount a Mk-IV model of the weapon, which was added when the unit was built.  The Mk-IV version used by the Leech-Life has the same weapons and capabilities as the original "Trikeros" armed shield used by the Blitz, with the shield possessing the same TP-Armor and Geschmeidig Panzer capabilites as the Leech-Life itself.  Ciel also added a beam focusing array that uses Mirage Colloid as the upper-chassis modification, making the rifle's beam shots and beam saber invisible when in use at the cost of needing extra power to use the beam functions on the weapon.


 * "Phantom" Beam Sabers:
 * The standard close-range arament are a pair of "Phantom" Beam Sabers. These beam sabers can have either double the cutting power or length of normal beam sabers and can cloak their blades using Mirage Colloid, allowing for surprise beam saber attacks.


 * "Maga no Ikutachi-II" Energy Absorption Claw:
 * Perhaps the defining feature on the Leech-Life are its "Maga no Ikutachi-II" Energy Absorption Claws. These weapons literally drain power from a Mobile Suit's battery, weakening the target MS while at the same time recharging the Leech-Life.  Modifications to the original model were made by The Durandal, allowing the weapon to also draw power from beam fire, which neutralizes the absorbed beam shot in the process.  Like the original, however, physical contact between the claws and the target MS/beam fire is needed in order for power to be drawn using these claws.  Ciel tends to use the claws to completely drain a Mobile Suit's power in order to fill the Leech-Life's massive energy stores, which is what earned this unit its nickname and reputation of "The Vampiress of The Durandal".


 * "Palma-Fiocina X" Palm Beam Cannon:
 * Borrowing a page from the Destiny, the Leech-Life also mounts a pair of modified "Palma-Fiocina" Beam Cannons in the palms of the Mobile Suit. These palm-mounted beam cannons possess increased power over the originals and, like the unit's MA-WNZR53, has focusing lenses that utilize Mirage Colloid to hide the beams, or their signature glow, from sight at the expense of needing more power.  While the range of these weapons has yet to be confirmed, they are believed to be capable of engaging targets at both close and medium range, allowing for surprising versatility despite the power drain.  Excess power can also be routed to these weapons from the "Maga no Ikutachi-II"s for added firepower.

Equipment:

 * Trans-Phase Armor:
 * As with all Durandal units, the Leech-Life uses an enhanced version of Trans-Phase Armor for its primary defense. The TP-Armor on this unit is the same type used by the Strike N and the Oversight.  Allowing for a good level of protection from enemy attack.


 * Enhanced Power Reserves:
 * The unit features surprisingly high levels of energy storage for a battery-powered Mobile Suit. This is because the unit features a multitude of ultra-compact beam batteries and Hyper-Capacity Hyper Capacitors, which were already in production around the time construction of this MS began.  While the Capacitors and a number of the Beam Batteries were uncharged when they were installed, they can be readily filled by the energy absorption capabilities of the "Maga no Ikutachi-II" featured on the MS.


 * Geschmeidig Panzer:
 * The system that gives the Leech-Life its infamous immunity to beam fire is its "Geschmeidig Panzer" armor system. Using a series of hidden magnetic field generators found throughout the Leech-Life, the Geschmeidig Panzer creates a highly flexible field of Mirage Colloid particles that deflects beam fire.  The magnetic fields move with the Mobile suit, meaning its invisible, beam-deflective "aura" follows the Mobile Suit as if it were a second layer of "skin" on the Mobile Suit.  Ciel specially modified it to allow the "Maga no Ikutachi-II" energy absorption claws to readily absorb incoming beam fire.  The system offers little to no protection against physical weapons and beam blade type weapons.


 * Mirage Colloid Cloak:
 * Also featured with the Leech-Life's "Mirage Colloid" uses is the traditional cloaking feature originally used by the GAT-X207. When sortied with only one battery charged, the cloak can only be used for about 80 minutes.  When all batteries and capacitors are charged, though, the cloak can by used for much longer.  It is for this reason that the Leech-Life is also considered the descendent of the Mirage, one of the machines the Leech-Life's X-800 frame was based upon.  Due to Mirage Colloid usage compromises, the Gechmeidig Panzer cannot be used while the cloak is active, leaving the machine relying only on the TP-Armor for protection while cloaked.  This is rarely a problem for Ciel, though, as she can readily maneuver the Leech-Life such that it can drain an MS unhindered and avoid beam fire whenever possible while in the unit's cloaked state.

Trivia/Homages/Little-Known Facts:

 * The Leech-Life is often considered the "daughter of the Mirage" as the unit's X-800 frame was partially designed from data collected on the afformentioned Mobile Suit and the fact that both machines have Mirage Colloid usage capabilites.
 * The unit is called "The Vampiress of The Durandal" because of the unit's ability to absorb both battery power and beam fire for energy and its large power storage capabilites.
 * It is also called this because its more feminine frame would make "The Vampire of The Durandal" seem kind of awkward when refering to the Mobile Suit.
 * This is further reinforced by the fact that "BDW" could mean either "Battery-Drain Wanzer" or "Beam-Drain Wanzer", both of which would be accurate descriptions of the Leech-Life's key feature.
 * The unit is considered the bane of any beam weapon equipped and/or battery-powered Mobile Suit, as not only is it virtually immune to beam fire, but can use the beam fire for power while also being capable of vapirically draining the battery power from an enemy Mobile Suit in order to satisfy its "massive" energy storage capacity.
 * The unit could also be considered the niece of the ZGMF-X42S Destiny, as the Leech-Life also has Palm Beam Cannons that are a modified version as those used by the Destiny.
 * The unit's "Harpuia-II" CIWS are an homage to Sage Harpuia, a character from the Megaman Zero Series.
 * similarly, the "Phantom" Beam Sabers found on all Durandal units are an homage to Hidden Phantom, another character from the same series.