2234, April. Region 932 A.E.D.
It's a hot day on Xenaas-891, and the fight isn't going well for our soldiers.
"Sarge, our exosuits are going to run out of oxegyn soon! There are 2 class 3 aliens coming in from the west, and a small squad of class 5's. What do you want us to do?"
Sarge curses under his breath, and takes a look around. "Stay calm, private! AT5522 - Take AT2342 and UT1121 and see if you can find a way to get behind the class 3's. Private and I here will hold down the class 5's."
"Yes sir!" The three troopers run to into the east, when suddenly, a class 7 alien jumps out from behind a rock and leaps at AT5522. Hiss
"AT5522 got his oxygen tank stabbed! Sarge, you better come look at this!"
"What in the mother of holy barbeques is happening to that bugger? Looks like he is.... what the heck? How am I supposed to describe that in my report!?"
2234, May. Military Base 331 A.E.D.
"Regiment MC331! Form up!"
The troops quickly fall in as a resource shuttle lands in the camp.
"Alright folks, our newest experimental weapon is here. BEHOLD! Cans of Perri-air!"
A wave of applause goes up as the bay doors of the shuttle open, and massive crates of Perri-air are rolled into the camp. Each soldier is distributed several cans to carry on his person at all times.
"Listen up! We've been getting massacred out there for the last year, since none of our weapons seem to work very effectively. However, thanks to AT5522 and his mishap, we've discovered a massive weakness in the alien biology! It turns out that these aliens use a cutaneous gas exchange system, and oxygen is both extremely corrosive and toxic to them. That brings us to the two ways we can use these cans! You can throw these pressurized hunks of metal at the enemy, and shoot the can! This will allow the oxygen to disperse and act as a grenade! You can also use it as a melee weapon, if you get jumped by a class 4 or lower alien! Just open the top of the can like you would a soda and let the air go free! You are not recommended to use this on class 3 or higher aliens! It does not contain enough air to stop you from getting squashed! Am I understood?"
"SIR! UNDERSTOOD, SIR!"
2236, June. Research division on The WarDoctor A.E.D.
It's been 2 years since the humans have finally gotten a fighting chance to survive on Xenaas-891. The scientists have finally developed our ultimate weapon.
"Tell me, Dr. Pepper. What exactly is this new weapon?"
"We call it the C.A.O.P.T. Once deployed, it produces enough oxygen to keep a 20 meter radius area class 3 and lower free for months. It takes about 5 minutes after deployment to flush out the area around it. You can use this to create barriers which the aliens cannot move through, or even as a zoning tool."
"It looks like a tree. What does C.A.O.P.T. stand for?"
"Ah, that's because it is a tree. A Copious Amounts of Oxygen Producing Tree, to be exact. A new breed, with thick bark for protection and quick growing roots for stability. There are some slight problems though - it doesn't handle impact from the roots very well. If we were to drop this tree in an upright position onto the ground from 3 meters up, it would shatter. Not only that, but the breed is extremely heavy. Too heavy for your largest shuttles to carry - they're close to 600 tons. We also can't manufacture these trees on the surface - we can only make them on some of our ships, namely The WarDoctor, The FrillyLizard, and The PepperoniStick. You'll have to find a way to get the trees from space to the surface."
"You mean to tell me that you don't have a method of delivery for this weapon? What the hell do we pay you for then?"
"I'm paid to develop the weapon, not the delivery system. Find someone else for that."
"You there!" Finger points at you "I have a job for you!. Design me a delivery system for this weapon!"
What delivery system do I design in order to safely deploy the C.A.O.P.T. weapon to the surface of the planet?
A quick summary:
- The tree must not hit the ground at high impact in its upright state.
- The tree will self-plant itself once it's in contact with the ground.
- You cannot fly the trees to the surface via shuttle/plane, as it's too heavy.
- You will not be able to move the tree once it's on the ground.
Extra information:
- You can assume that the ground of Xenaas-891 is similar to the ground of Earth; mostly dirt.
- The atmosphere is similar to that of Earth, with the exception of it containing no Oxygen.
- Gravity is a stifling 1.2 times that of Earth.
- The tree is flammable.
- A.E.D. stands for "After Earth's Destruction" - technology level is futuristic, but please remain within the bounds of known + predicted science.
- Aliens have an air force.
If there is any extra information required, please ask in the comments and I will do my best to provide.