The C-9’s shield emitter ring converts stored energy into a protective field around the carrier. While the field holds, incoming damage is absorbed by the field rather than the hull.
# Capacity and charge
Two numbers matter, and new pilots often confuse them:
- Capacity: how large a field the emitter can project. It refreshes at the start of every floor.
- Stored energy: the charge that actually feeds the field. Every point of absorbed damage drains it. It does not refill on its own.
A larger field is not a full battery. Energy must be recovered or bought as canisters at a cache. A pilot who buys capacity and forgets energy will find a very large, very empty shield.
# Efficiency
Shield efficiency reduces the energy drained per point of absorbed damage. The Bulwark frame is built around it, with passive armour, a built-in field and more efficient emitters. Armour itself reduces damage before the shield ever sees it.
# Guard
The Guard routine diverts power into the shield field for a short time, making it hold far longer. Pilots use it before a guardian’s heavy strike.
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