Starship designs...

[Omegasgundam]

As an excuse to move a small party between A to B, its a good budget buy. Just fast enough to justify avoiding the real low end hostiles, but not something you want to be shot at in. It doesn't do anything particularly well by modern standards, or even contemporary ones, but you can do far worse.

[taalismn]

As an excuse to move a small party between A to B, its a good budget buy. Just fast enough to justify avoiding the real low end hostiles, but not something you want to be shot at in. It doesn't do anything particularly well by modern standards, or even contemporary ones, but you can do far worse.

It's a Cessna. Most folks don't look it at twice.
Sure, there are bound to be some hackers who experiment with grafting in new nav computers, or drive systems, but they essentially wind up rebuilding it into something different, and an S-14 in name only(in the 'ax of my forefathers-' sort of deal) and general appearance, and probably at a price higher than purpose-built from scratch or using a more modern spacecraft as the starting point.

Mainly, though, I came across an old scrap-paper doodle of mine that had nice clean lines telling me I hadn't bothered worrying an idea out with pencil before committing to ink, and I decided to stat up a ship from it.

[taalismn]

(This probably should have gone in the EShemarrian thread, since the Kamalians are posted there, but the Kalsa can be considered typical of the low end offshoots of the TGE Flying Fang that can found with offshoots of the Empire).


KmF02 Kalsa Local Space Fighter(Kamalintos)

“The Kamalians have good aerospace fighter crews; being clones they've been slowly but steadily tweaking the eugenics so they’re optimizing a pilot caste, but they’re let down by their fighters, which haven’t shown the same progress. Without a revolution in their tech-base or a big infusion of advanced technology, they’ve about reached the limit of what they can do with the old Fang Seventy-Four frames, and what they currently have is about average for what the smaller teegie-splinter states are doing with their legacy fighters, though I’ll admit the missile-defense turret is interesting. I’d like to see what their pilots can do in the cockpit of a REAL fighter, or at least a more modern one designed with fleshbags in mind.”
---Aval Wingblood, Hawkmoon Eshemarrian

“The Kalsa comes into its own really in atmosphere, but for a defensive aerospace fighter, that’s last resort pessimism in design. If you’re fighting an invader in your own atmosphere, you’re doing planetary defense wrong.”
---Vecta Starshard, Dark Waters Eshemarrian

The KmF02 Kalsa is the primary Kamalin spacefighter. It is a descendant of a handful of Kreeghor Dominion FF-74 Flying Fang fighters that were stolen as part of the complement of the Kirosians’ hijacked exodus transport. Over the centuries, the Kamalins have lost the ability to duplicate and maintain some technologies of the original fighters, and have adapted others in their place. The result is serviceable and fairly robust for the design, and good enough to fend off the occasional rim-marauder, the Kalsa falls short of the curve for more state-of-the-art combat craft being fielded by other polities.
Differences in the design include locally-made powerplants, a set of variable-sweep wings for better inatmo maneuvering, a set of rail guns replacing the g-cannons. The Kalsa is slightly larger and heavier, and does have some extra armor protection, but requires more maintenance owing to its less advanced construction materials(airframe stress is a concern, especially with the violent transatmospheric maneuvers many of the clone pilots like to pull hotdogging). A mini-laser turret is mounted in place of the mini-missile launcher, trading range and fire-and-forget for accuracy, unlimited shots, and the ability to shoot to the rear. Of necessity, the Kamalians have had to replace the variable forcefields with a fixed monoplanar system of lower protective value.
With the Kamalians having reestablished contact with the rest of the Three Galaxies, the faults of the Kalsa have become evident to the more advanced Eshemar. In the event of an attack by another galactic power, especially the TGE, the Kalsa would prove itself long in the tooth going up against more modern aerospace fighters. The EShemar have debated the best course of action to support their Kamalian trade allies: trade them advanced technology and data to update their defense forces, design a new fighter to trade to the Kamalins, or give them third party designs like any of the WZT or PS/ASI fighters they can easily acquire/knockoff.

Type: KmF02 Kalsa
Class: Space Fighter
Crew: One
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 520
Cockpit 100
Laser Cannons(2) 160 each
Rail Guns(4) 75 each
Medium Range Missile Launchers(2) 120 each
Mini-Laser Turret 90
Wings(2)* 120 each
Forcefield 700

*Destroying the wings removes the in-atmosphere maneuvering bonuses.

Height: 14 ft
Width: 40 ft. 55ft with wings at maximum outsweep
Length: 48 ft
Weight: 12 tons
Cargo: Small space in cockpit for a survival pack and sidearm
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion--The Kamalins lack the ability to produce antimatter.
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 4; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 9
(Kitsune Values: 40% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) None
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Kamalin Defense Forcesm though a few damaged examples have been captured/salvaged by pirates. The Exiles would be willing to sell the ones they have for 40 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Aerospace Fighter Systems, plus:
*Enhanced Atmospheric Maneuvering---Swing-wings and multiple extendable airbrakes and control fins give the Kalsa improved handling in an atmosphere; +5% to piloting rolls and +1 to Roll/Dodge.

Weapons Systems:
1) Laser Cannons(2) ---The Kamalins’ techbase has had to substitute slightly larger and less powerful laser cannons, though they also have better range due to the longer barrel focal elements.
Range: 7,000 ft in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x10 MD single blast, 2d4x10 MD
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Rail Guns(4)---The Kamalins couldn’t duplicate the original early g-cannons, and so have substituted four heavier and more conventional rail guns.
Range: 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4 MD single rd, 6d6 MD per 30 rd burst. 2d6x10+12 MD for a fouble burst from bot guns in a wing, or 4d6x10+24 MD for four cannon firing in synchronization
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: 2,400 rd drum per cannon

3) Medium Range Missile Launchers(2)---Retained from the original. Each launcher holds four missiles.

4) Mini-Laser Turret---Replaces the mini-missile launcher of the original. This turret doesn’t have the range or salvo capability of the MML, but takes up less space, has an effectively unlimited payload, greater accuracy(at least unless the Kamalins develop/acquire something like the PS/ASI ‘space stinger’ MM), and can revolve to cover the rear arcs of the fighter. More impressively, it has an automated fire mode, allowing the pilot to concentrate on piloting and other actions.
Range: 4,000 ft in atmosphere, 1.8 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 1.8 miles in atmosphere, 18 miles in space)
Damage: 6d6 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EPCHH, five shots per melee in autofire mode
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Variants:
* KmF03---Missileboat variant of the Kalsa. The lasers are retained, but the rail guns have been removed to save weight for ordnance, and the wing-sweep mechanisms disabled to leave the wings at full extension to allow for each wing to carry four hardpoints for missiles and other ordnance. The cockpit has been expanded to fit a sensor/weapons systems operator behind the pilot, and an extra length of nose added to accmmodate an expanded long range target search and acquisition sensor system. The twin engines have been beefed up to allow the KmF02 to keep up with other fighters; this also means that the fighter-bomber requires even more service time and attention. Besides being a missile launch platform, the KmF03 often acts as an EW sensor platform for formations of KmF02s.
Changes/Modifications:
Crew: Two
MDC/Armor by Location:
Cockpit 150
Weight: 14 tons
Systems of Note:
*Enhanced Sensors----Effective sensing range is 50% greater than standard fighter systems
Weapons Systems:
2) Wing Hardpoints(8, four each wing)---The KmF03 is rather crowded with all eight wing stations loaded, but it carries twice the missile payload of the smaller KmF02.
Each hardpoint can accommodate ONE of the following:
a) 24-shot mini-missile pod
b) THREE short range missiles
c) ONE medium range or lomg range missile

* KmF05---A ‘heavy interceptor’ variant developed to address the loss of the original Flying Fang’s speed(and after the spectacular failure of the promising KmF04X’s engines to work ), the KmF05 does so at the cost of the Km02’s atmospheric agility, and the addition of greater mass in the form of an nlarged booster section. The KmF05 actually exceeds the old FF-74’s speed, but only in space. The KmF05 also seeks to exploit reverse-engineered technologies captured from alien pirates, by incorporating a pair of Exile-style ion cannons. The KmF05 is resource-intensive to produce, however, so it currently equips only a small number of elite spaceborne units.
Changes/Modifications:
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 600
Ion Cannons(2) 100 each
(No wings)
Length: 52 ft
Width: 43 ft
Weight: 18 tons
Speed:
(Sublight) Mach 11
(Kitsune Values: 40% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 1.1% of light speed per melee)
Weapons Systems:
5) Ion Cannons(2) --- Initially scavenged, then later reverse-engineered, Exile Beetle Fighter ion cannons are mounted where the wing pivots would be on a Km02.
Range: 1.8 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast, 4d4x10 MD double blast(noth cannons firing simultaneously)
Rate of Fire: EPCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

[Omegasgundam]

For what it is and its tech level, its not bad, but 'modern' standards have moved on enough that its simply too obsolete to be able to even contest TGE attackers. It can ward off the usual array of rim-riffraff, but they really do need to replace it with something that can actually move and take a few more hits.

[taalismn]

For what it is and its tech level, its not bad, but 'modern' standards have moved on enough that its simply too obsolete to be able to even contest TGE attackers. It can ward off the usual array of rim-riffraff, but they really do need to replace it with something that can actually move and take a few more hits.

Indeed. The Shemarrians, who are their main(only) galactic trade partner at this point again face the question do they give the Kamalians the tech to upgrade, and some pointers on how best to do it, design a fighter for them and offer to trade it to them, or hook the locals up with somebody else's designs?
As much as they like the female clone society of the Kamalians, there's indications that the current matriarchy dynastic clone-regime may be abusing its powers, and arming the Kamalians might be helping a tyranny.On the other hand, somebody nastier than the Exiles is bound to come along, and probably at a time the Shemar couldn't protect the Kamalians.
It's like the United States in its arming of the Shah of Iran in some regards. Who do you trust more, the oil- and warm water port-seeking Soviets, or the police state autocrat?

[taalismn]

Zyganian Imperial Space Forces
Zhokar-class Frigate
“The Zhokar’s halfway between a Scim and a Berserker in terms of performance and capability....being better armed than a Scimitar, Zhokar crews tend to be rather more aggressive than their CCW counterparts, and rather more conservative than the TGE crews....Deployed as escorts, they can take the fight out to a marauder, but if an enemy’s smart, and the Zyganians careless, that can be used to lure the Zhokars out away from their charges, where they can be outflanked and overwhelmed. Their ECM’s nothing to sneeze at, but if the Zyganians fall behind on updating the gear, that jamming wall becomes so much electronic tissue paper...and that’s when they’ll be wishing for more old-fashioned PDS firepower...”

“Wanna start a fight with Zyganian Fleeters? Remark within earshot of them how much like something the GOLGANS would design the Zhokar looks like and start dodging fists.”

The Zhokar-class Frigates are among the newer vessels in the expanding Zyganian Imperial StarForce. The Zhokars are produced locally by Zyganian industry, but they owe much of their design to the CCW Scimitar-class, courtesy of expatriate Zyganians, who had taken refuge in the CCW, returning after the liberation from the Golgans. Working from their own experiences in the CCW, as well as several older Scimitars bought surplus from the CCW, the Zyganians managed to copy the more critical systems(engines, shields, basic frame), but customized the configuration to suit their needs for a light, hard-hitting warship that could be produced in quantity.
Though sharing many of the components of the Scimitar, the Zhokar looks decidedly different; a fat stingray hull with two upswept wings, two protruding prong-like weapons turrets, and a trailing rear stinger/tail spike. A small hangar bay is inset below the stem of the tail, between the engine emission vents. This placement makes small craft operations decidedly difficult, especially if the frigate is moving at speed; between the propulsion turbulence and the EW system operating, inexperienced pilots can quickly lose fine sensor lock on the bay landing directors, resulting in the need to make multiple passes to line up properly. The ZISF has subsequently added a small tractor beam mount to help grab hold of fighters on approach and haul them in.
Compared to the Scimitar, the Zhokar is slightly faster, and has a harder-hitting complement of heavy weapons, but carries fewer fighters and less point-defense. The Zhokar also has a greater degree of stealth and EW protection, trusting in its ability to jam enemy targeting sensors and evade return fire than on point defense. This is in keeping with the more aggressive tactical doctrine favored by the Zyganian Imperial StarForce; captains are encouraged to keep their vessels moving and mobile, avoiding enemy fire, and closing to inflict their own damage on the opposition.
Interestingly, the Zhokar has an amphibious capability, more pronounced in some of the variants. This ability is rumored to be a pointed threat to Golgan worlds, suggesting that the Zhokar can be used to make direct strikes against Golgan maritime assets.

Update: Post-Minion War, the Golgan ‘retribution raids’ severely damage the orbital shipyards producing Zhokars. While the ZIBS seeks to repair or replace the affected facilities, adhoc Zhokar production lines have been set up by converting civilian shipyards inside the Zylan inner defense perimeter. The ZISF has also started buying PS/ASI-SFG25 BlackJack-class Frigates through their WZT contacts.

Type: ZFG-05 Zhokar
Class: Frigate
Crew: 50 +25 Marines
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 2,200
Bridge 900
Forward Weapons Turrets(2) 400 each
Point Defense Laser Cannons(6) 150 each
Main Engines(2) 1,000 each
Variable Forcefields 1,000 each side, 6,000 total

Height: 85 ft
Width: 140 ft; wingspan of 300
Length: 500 ft
Weight: 10,000 tons
Cargo: 1,000 tons
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 10
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 5 light years per hour
(Underwater) The Zhokar can actually land/take off from water, maneuver underwater, at a speed of 32 knts, and dive to depths of 800 ft.
Market Cost: 360 million credits/Zyganian guildars
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus:

*EW Suite---The Zhokar carries an advanced EW suite for its class. Communications Jamming has a 10,000 mile range, is 90% effective against civilian systems, and is 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites. Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.

*Tractor Beam--- Effectively rated for 1,000 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass. Range: 2 miles

Weapons Systems:
1) Medium Laser Cannons(2)---The Zhokar mounts two medium-class laser cannons, one coupled to one of the medium gravity cannons each in a large forward turret. These cannons are 50% more powerful than the Scimitar cannons and emphasize the more aggressive stance of Zyganian crews and doctrine.
Range: 8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 3d6x100 MD per cannon
Rate of Fire: Twice per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Gravity Cannons(2)---The Zhokar mounts two medium-class gravity cannons, one coupled to the two medium laser cannons each in a large forward turret facing forward.
Range: 8 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 16 miles in atmosphere, 16,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 600 bursts per turret

3) Point Defense Laser Cannons(6)
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 36,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values: 8 miles in atmosphere, 800 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per single barrel burst, 4d6x10 MD for a double-barreled blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

4) Long Range Missile Launchers(2)---Mounted in the wings are two LRM launch bays
Range: Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-12. up to 4 times per melee
Payload: 200 LRMs, 100 missiles per launcher; additional missiles may be carried and loaded from cargo, but will take at least 15 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles)

Auxiliary Craft:
2 Shuttles
4 Fighters

Variants:
Four major service variants of the Zhokar exist, though not in any great numbers, plus several experimental variants that saw only one-off production and testing:
* ZFG-05B----A dedicated surface-attack version, this variant does away with a fighter complement in favor of additional missile bays, adding a third launcher bay with another 100 LRMs.

*ZFG-05C---This version does away with the gravity cannons in the forward turrets, mounting two medium laser cannons instead; this increases firepower, but reduces the effectiveness of the ship against energy-shielded opponents.

* ZFG-05H-A deep-penetration raider equipped with heavier missile weaponry, more advanced stealth systems, and a more powerful drive system. The ‘H’-model sports two cruise missile launchers, each with 30 missiles each, and able to launch them in volleys of 1-10 each. The Zhokar can also hit real-space speeds of up to Mach 11. Details on the deployment of the few ‘H’-models produced so far are scant, but ‘special operations’ squadrons along the Golgan border seem most likely.

* ZFG-05Ind---Amphibious combat variant that mounts, in addition to the LRM launchers, a set of heavy torpedo launchers(100 each). These weapons include not just direct-fire anti-ship marine weapons, but sensor RVs and remote-deployment mines. It has long range sonar, can make 36 knts underwater, and dive to 1,400 ft. As with the ZFG-05H, details on the deployment are scant, but ‘special operations’ squadrons along the Golgan border seem most likely.


* ZFG-05E(x)---An experimental variant used to deploy-test new plasma weaponry; the LRMLs have been removed to make way for two powerful plasma cannons( 7 mile range inatmo, 14 miles in space, 2d4x100 MD to a 300 ft wide area). The ZISF ultimately concluded that plasma weapons were of limited effectiveness against spacecraft and the tendency of the plasma cannon to act as reaction thrusters when firing hampered speed and handling so much that proposals to use them as ground attack craft were discarded. The ‘Fire-Zhok’ refit also proved unpopular with crews who disliked losing the missile launchers and their ‘fire and forget’ capability. The few produced were withdrawn from service and mothballed by the ZIBS for further consideration.

[Omegasgundam]

Interesting trade off. The Golgans are infamous for having some of the worst missiles on the notable galactic powers, so skimping on PD isn't as bad an idea as normal. The LRM batteries more than makes up for it though, and they have no end of versatility.

[taalismn]

PS/ASI-SCV25 “Goupillon” Light Escort Carrier
(aka ‘Goup’, ‘Black Pill’, ‘Black Guppy’. ‘Preggy’)

“The Goup fans are quick to claim that their ships are able to operate the newer and larger strike craft right out of the box, and they have better passive stealth to boot, but the adherents of the Saggie point out that their ‘box car’ hangar bays can be more easily replaced completely, whereas the Goup has to have major hullwork to rework their bays. That gets the Goup-groupies talking about cost and maintenance and the Saggers about battle speed and armament. They can go on longer than most starship combats.”

“As long as at the end of those arguments I have something competently designed to guard my flanks, give me eyes forward, knives where I need them, and a quiver for my arrows.”
---Anonymous Alliance Joint Command Fleet Commodore.

This is the escort-carrier conversion of the Blackjack frigate, development of which was instigated by economics; some in the USA AJC’s procurement policies departments expressed doubts about the wisdom of shelling out heaps of credits for the older, and some felt overbuilt, Sagadag, when there were so many new worlds that needed covering with a limited military budget. This immediately started several near live-ammunition firefights in the AJC over proponents of streamlining logistics with a less expensive and more easily produced Blackjack derivative, and adherents of the older and more expensive, but also faster and more durable, Sagadag. Ultimately, ease of maintenance issues decided in favor of a carrier-conversion of the later tech-generation Blackjack to produced for the systems and mercantile protection role, while a more limited funding program would work on updating the higher performance, but currently higher upkeep, Sagadag design for continued FDF and EFR use.
The PS/ASI-SCVE25 as it has emerged, rebuilds the centerbody of the Blackjack into a more bulging, ovoid shape to accommodate the expanded hangar bays, two on each side, dorsal and ventral, with an inner third deck between them serving as general stowage and maintenance for embarked fighters and other small craft. The slightly larger size of the Goupillon over the boxy Sagadag means that the ‘Goup’ can just as easily, if not more so, accommodate the larger and later aerospace strike craft such as the Mammatan and the Jatar. The extra mass-to-speed penalty has been offset by the Goupillon adopting a tri-thruster engine configuration similar to the Sagadag’s, but using the lower-powered but more durable units of the BlackJack. The Goupillon retains, and even improves on, the stealth characteristics of the Blackjack, which has proven useful in surprising bandits and raiders.
The Goupillon keeps all the armament of its Blackjack kin, but the rebuilding of the hull has led to the weapons placement being changed, to allow the armaments the same full play of fire. Though not expected to slug it out ship to ship, United Systems Alliance crews know that on the Rim, ship to ship combat with support elements happens more frequently, despite clever fleet configurations, than anybody cares to admit.
The larger crew of a Goupillon over the Sagadag means less stress during regular operations, provides an extra pool of technical support for the hangar crews, and allows for more training opportunities for Alliance member world recruits, many of who hail from worlds without much previously in the way of starfaring tradition or capability.
While the Sagadag continues to soldier on with more focused combat formations such as strike groups and raider units, where speed and firepower are valued more, and deployment times are less, the ‘Goup-coupe’ is becoming more common in system defense flotillas and patrol groups.

Type: PS/ASI-SCVE25 Goupillon
Class: Light Escort Carrier
Crew: 125, + 45 aerospace complement
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 5,000
Heavy Laser Batteries(2) 500 each
Heavy Rail Cannons(3x2) 950 each
Point Defense Turrets(8 ) 100 each
Bridge/Forward Hull 2,000
Main Communications/Sensor Array 700
Engines(3) 3,500 each
Hangar Bays(4) 900 each
Variable Forcefield 1,000 per side, 6,000 total

Height: 100 ft
Width: 250 ft
Length: 550 ft
Weight: 23,000 tons
Cargo: 900 tons internally in the main hull
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 9.5
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.95% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 5 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not possible
Market Cost: 500 million credits
Systems of Note:
*Full Sensor Suite---Specialized sensor pallets include radiation detectors and counters, spectrographic analysis devices, gravitic sensors, electromagnetic activity readers, and optics packages.
*Long Range Radar---Phased Array Search and Early Warning Radars
*Enhanced Sensors----The Blackjack mounts a sensor suite slightly more powerful than those typical of its class, and has 25% better range(effective -Fleets of the Three Galaxies- range of 320,000 miles)
*Laser Targeting-------250,000 miles
*Communications Suite:---Long Range Radio and Video
* Laser Communications ---Tactical (i.e. ship-to fighter/shuttle)Range: 50,000 miles
*Optical Tracking Clusters----These are transparent blisters fitted with gimbal-mounted high-resolution visible-light/IR/UV optical telescopes that continually scan the arc of sky before them. Linked to the navigational arrays and other tracking sensors, and to a series of highly-sophisticated near-AI search and discrimination software systems, these sensors attempt to detect objects that have low radar returns/sensor signatures, such as stealthed vehicles, iceballs, or asteroids. The high-tech equivalent of the man in the crow’s nest with a pair of binoculars.

*EW Jamming Systems---In combat, the Goupillon will attempt to use its electronic warfare suite to confuse enemy sensors as to the ship’s exact position and activity. Communications Jamming has a 10,000 mile range, is 90% effective against civilian systems, and is 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites. Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.

*Passive Stealth Systems----The Goupillon uses passive stealth systems to reduce its sensor signature by as much as 45%, but in order to achieve this, the ship cannot be under acceleration, and its engines must be running ‘cold’.

*Tractor Beam Emitters(4)---- Considered optional on the Blackjack, but made standard on the Goupillon to aid in fighter/shuttle recovery operations. Effectively rated for 1,000 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass. Range: 25,000 ft

Weapons Systems:
1) Heavy Laser Batteries(2x2)---Mounted in twin turrets are two heavy twin-barrel laser cannon. These are bulkier and weaker per shot than the Scimitar’s main batteries, but improved cooling and more up-to-date power delivery systems improve rate of fire.
Range: 10 miles in atmosphere, 40 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 40 miles in atmosphere/ 40,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per single blast, 4d4x100 MD per double blast
Rate of Fire: Three times per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

2) Heavy Cannons(3x2)---Originally mounted on two external pylons, the two triple-cannon clusters of kinetic kill rail cannons of the Blackjack are now placed in less vulnerable turrets. The USA AJC recognizes the usefulness of kinetics in defeating various energy-resistant opponents, and the ability to fire flak shells is also very handy
Range: 10 miles in atmosphere,40 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 40 miles in atmosphere/ 40,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per 80 rd burst; 3d4x100 MD per triple cannon burst
(Exploding/Fragmenting Fletchette): 3d6x10 MD to anything caught in a 120 ft wide cone/’cloud’----Targets are -2 to dodge the ’shotgun spread’
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 32,000 rds(400 bursts) per cannon

3) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS Turrets(8 )----These are standard CCW-pattern dual laser/mini-missile launchers that have been installed for close-in defense.
There was some talk of outfitting the first Goupillons with new micro-missile-firing cannon, but the ability to fire the S-Sting smart mini-missile and x-ray laser warheads won out.
Range: (Lasers) 4,000 ft in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere /200 miles in space)
(Mini-Missiles) 1 mile in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere/ 100 miles in space)
Damage:(Lasers) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Mini-Missiles) Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire:(Lasers) EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1-8
Payload: (Rail Gun) Effectively Unlimited
(Mini-Missiles) 32 mini-missiles per turret; additional mini-missiles can be carried as cargo(typically takes 2d6 minutes to reload from the holds).
(Option)---The Mini-Missile launcher component of these turrets can be modified to fire the “S-Sting” ‘Smart Mini-Missile -----The S-Sting(for ‘Space Stinger’) is an attempt to adapt the guidance systems and accuracy of the ‘Black Talon’ L-SAM to a space-based missile. The missile resembles a rather stubby cylinder with a blunt-nosed optical cluster and protruding verniers(extend after launching), owing to the fact that the vacuum of space negates the need for streamlining the weapon.
Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
Bonuses: +7 to strike

4) Modular Weapons Turrets(4) ---In place of the four particle beam weapons turrets, PS/ASI decided to install modular mounts similar to those carried by various craft such as the Sunchaser and Roswell. This allows for quick repairs, upgrades, customization, and mission-tailoring of the ship’s weapons configuration.
a)Particle Beam Cannon
Range:(Palladium) 5 miles in atmosphere, 20 miles in space
(Kitsune Values)5 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Four times per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

b)Ion Cannon
Range:(Palladium) 4,000 ft, 16,000 ft in space)
(Kitsune Values) 1 mile in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast,
In addition to physical damage, the cannon does EM damage. Percentage of EM damage is determined in relation to target’s main body((damage/main body)x100=percentage). For every 10% of damage from main body in ion damage, target will be -1 to strike, parry. and dodge. In space target acceleration will be reduced by 15%, in atmosphere top speed will be reduced by 15%. Roll once on critical hit charts in Phazeworld or Conversion book as appropriate.
If target takes 60% of main body in ion damage, ship or vehicle will be disabled completely. All weapon, navigation, and other systems will shut down and need to be repaired/replaced to work again/reboot.
Does NO damage against non-mechanical/electronic targets.
The ion cannon is equally effective against bionics
Rate of Fire: Five times per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

c) Plasma Cannon
Range: (Palladium) 6,000 ft, 24,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values) 1.2 miles in atmosphere, 120 miles in space Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited

d) Rail Gun
Range: (Palladium)5 miles, 10 miles in space
(Kitsune Values)5 miles, 500 miles in space Damage: 2d6x10 MD per 50 rd burst; can only fire bursts
Rate of Fire: Four times per melee
Payload: 8,000 rd drum

e)Tachyon Scattergun
Range: (Palladium)1.5 miles (2,500 m) in atmosphere, 6 miles (10,000 m) in space w/ 3 mile wide arc*
(Kitsune Values: 6 miles in atmosphere, 600 miles in space)
* Scatter width is reduced to 1/4th in atmosphere
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per single cannon firing
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

f) Plasma Torpedo Launcher
Range: (Palladium)10 miles in atmosphere, 20 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 10 miles in atmosphere, 10,000 miles in space
Damage: 1d6x100 MD to an 80 ft diameter blast radius
Energy ‘torpedo’ has a disruption MDC of 30
Rate of Fire: Every other melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited


Auxiliary Craft:
*24 Aerospace Fighters(standard complement)
*4 Shuttles



PS/ASI ‘Oyumi’ System Defense Missile Frigate
(aka ‘Xecutor’)

“I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to design an uglier ship than the Larna-Pe, but Aegis Stellar Industries did. Simply put, the Oyumi looks like somebody forcefed a Javelin missile cruiser until it was nearly bursting at the seams, then cut off its head. Good thing its ugliness is matched by its effectiveness as an in-system scrapper.”

“Yeah, so it’s ugly, so what? If bad aesthetics cause some marauding galactic fancipants mental pain and suffering enough to skew their piloting, targeting, or planning, I’m all for ugly! Let the gref-####ers bleed from the eyeballs if they come invading!”

“The Oyumi’s part of the program hardening the USA systems against en mass attacks, like laying out a nitrocellulose doormat for any unwelcome visitors who come a-calling.”

“Busiest crew on the Oyumis? The ordnance personnel. More missiles mean they have to spend more time, even with the automation, status-checking the birds and bombs to make sure they’re ready to fly if the balloon goes up. We got more missile payload than ships more than twice our size. Only problem is we got the old launchers; it would be nice, if we had to, to be able to flush our full payloads a lot faster if we had to.”

“Think Gremar’s still an easy hit? Think again; Shad Dmar and Captain Maks hooked up and thought they’d go in and see if the rumors about Gremar hosting a new outcorp orbital depot were true and they’d raid it if it was. Shad took in his Warshield first; Maks saw what happened to him and described it as ‘running into a wall of suns’. Captain Maks barely got out of there herself with her ship intact. Word now is Gremar’s got shiny ugly new monitors that nuke-spam anything hostile that tries to call. So cross Gremar off your opportunity list.”

The Oyumi-class System Defense Missile Frigate is a missile-armed warship intended to replace the Orion II System Defense Monitors and Falx Missile Destroyers used by some USA star systems as their level of technology state-of-the-art improves.
Derived from the Javelin, the Oyumi removes the forward bridge/habitation pod, moving the crew quarters to a thicker semi-cylindrical segment behind the weapons wings. From the front, the Oyumi has the appearance of a slightly squashed ‘x’. As the Oyumi is meant for system defense, and rarely if ever, operates away from the worlds/facilities it is charged with protecting, the vessel cuts back on the amenities usually carried by long-range fleet patrol warships, as it is assumed the crews will have shorter patrols and be able to use offship facilities. Automation has further reduced the number of required crewmen as secondary purposes have been dropped from what is a dedicated System Defense Monitor.
In place of the removed mass, the Oyumi beefs up the armament and armor. The four ‘missile wings’, so distinct to the Javelin, have increased in size and ammunition capacity. The ends still mount weapons turrets, but these too have been improved, The point defense systems have been retained from the Javelin, but these have been moved to positions on the ‘wings’, maximizing the amount of defensive fire the ship can use to cover itself.
While fitted with military-grade contra-gravity drives, the Oyumi’s FTL drive system is modular, and typically only used for ferry purposes. Most operators have the FTL module removed upon reaching the assigned system posting.
Together with the Spencer-class frigates, the Oyumis are becoming more common in the defense flotillas protecting USA worlds.

Type: PSS/ASI-FGMS-41 Oyumi
Class: System Defense Missile Frigate
Crew: 56+ 10 man Stelmarine security contingent
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 35,000
Bridge 10,000
Main Engine Bloc 9,000
Auxilary Engines(2) 3,500 each
Medium Turrets(4) 500 each
Point Defense Turrets(12) 100 each
Missile Launcher Wings(4) 2,000 each
Hangar Bay 1,000
Variable Forcefield 3,000 per side, 18,000 total
Height: 120 ft
Width: 220 ft
Length: 350 ft
Weight: 90,000 tons
Cargo: 1,000 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric(but rarely enters atmosphere/gravity wells).
(Sublight) Mach 12
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 1.2% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 4 light years per hour (FTL capability is typically removed once on station)
Market Cost: 700 million credits
Systems of Note:
*Full Sensor Suite---Specialized sensor pallets include radiation detectors and counters, spectrographic analysis devices, gravitic sensors, electromagnetic activity readers, and optics packages.
*Long Range Radar---Phased Array Search and Early Warning Radars
*Enhanced Sensors----The Oyumi mounts a sensor suite slightly more powerful than those typical of its class, and has 25% better range(effective -Fleets of the Three Galaxies- range of 320,000 miles)
*Laser Targeting-------250,000 miles
*Communications Suite:---Long Range Radio and Video
* Laser Communications ---Tactical (i.e. ship-to fighter/shuttle)Range: 50,000 miles
*Optical Tracking Clusters----These are transparent blisters fitted with gimbal-mounted high-resolution visible-light/IR/UV optical telescopes that continually scan the arc of sky before them. Linked to the navigational arrays and other tracking sensors, and to a series of highly-sophisticated near-AI search and discrimination software systems, these sensors attempt to detect objects that have low radar returns/sensor signatures, such as stealthed vehicles, iceballs, or asteroids. The high-tech equivalent of the man in the crow’s nest with a pair of binoculars.

*EW Jamming Systems---In combat, the Oyumi will attempt to use its electronic warfare suite to confuse enemy sensors as to the ship’s exact position and activity. Communications Jamming has a 10,000 mile range, is 90% effective against civilian systems, and is 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites. Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.

*Passive Stealth Systems----The Oyumi uses passive stealth systems to reduce its sensor signature by as much as 40%, but in order to achieve this, the ship cannot be under acceleration, and its engines must be running ‘cold’.

Weapons Systems:
1) Heavy Missile Launchers(4)---Rather than a fixed weapons configuration as with the Javelin, each of the Oyumi’s four ‘arms’ or ‘wings’ holds space for a heavy missile launcher and a capacious supply of ammunition for it. The Oyumi doubles, or triples in some cases, the missile capacity of each launcher type, allowing the ship to stay in combat longer without having to retreat to reload(since, in its role as a systems defense ship, its logistics would be nearby and vulnerable).
a) Cruise Missiles
Range: Varies by missile type(speed and range x4 in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by missile type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 4, 5, or 10
Payload: 80 missiles per launcher

b) Long Range Missiles
Range: Varies by missile type(speed and range x4 in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by missile type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 per launcher
Payload: 320 LRMs per launcher-pod

c) Heavy Nuclear Missile Launcher--These weapons were developed from early efforts to create an Alliance equivalent of the Galactic-level Cruise Missiles. The effort wasn’t entirely successful; the weapons have the range and warhead yield, but lack the advanced targeting and AI systemry of their galactic counterparts. They are also very large weapons, roughly the size of small SLBMs, making them fairly easy targets for Three Galaxies-standard point defense systems. To compensate for their lack of accuracy, PS mounted the heaviest nuclear warheads they could come up with in the Long Lance II missiles, counting on pure brute city-buster force to carry the day when more precise targeted strikes cannot. Paladin Steel has retained these weapons for special attack purposes, such as orbital platform strikes and attacks on massed enemy formations. These weapons are designed strictly for deep space use, and are NOT for use on surface targets; such use is BANNED by PS/VFS/GNE policy.
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4 x 1,000 MD to a 2.6 mile destruction radius in space
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1,2,3,4, or 6
Payload: 24 missiles per launcher

d) PS Long Lance IV---PS still manufactures and updates this massive missile . This SLBM-sized weapon is smarter, heavier, and carries its own ECM and countermeasures decoy launchers to give it a better chance of penetrating a target’s defenses.
Range: 1500 miles(6,000 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4 x 1,000 MD to a 2.6 mile destruction radius in space
Bonuses/Special:
*ECM----The missile has its own expert system and EW transmitters for jamming enemy radar, as well as evading their sensors. The missile is -6 for guided weapons to strike. 60% chance of evading radar detection to begin with.
*Flare/Chaff Launchers(1, 6 bundles)
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is nuetralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees

e) Heavy Nuclear ‘SunBombs’---These are the heavy PS/ASI-made weapons used exclusively by their forces
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4 x 1,000 MD to a 4.6 mile destruction radius
Payload: 24 missiles per launcher

f) X-Ray Laser Bombs
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+laser range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+laser range
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD laser blast; range 70 miles(Kitsune Value: 70,000 miles). Laser-reflective armors do NOT halve X-ray laser damage.---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.
Advanced models can target as many as 10 separate targets within range simultaneously.
Payload: 36 missiles per launcher

g) Plasma Jet Bombs(aka ‘Casaba Howitzer’, or ‘Sunspot Bomb’)---A cousin of the X-Ray Laser Bomb and predecessor to the Plasma Torpedo, the Plasma Jet Bomb is essentially a shaped nuclear charge, generating a conical wave of super-excited plasma and radiation. The Plasma Jet Bomb lacks the range and multiple target engagement capability of the laser mine, but because it doesn’t expend all its force in all directions, it can produce higher damage than a regular omni-directional plasma warhead.
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+plasma range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+plasma range
Damage: 1d6x1,000 MD plasma blast; range 30 miles(Kitsune Value: 30,000 miles), in a cone 30 degrees wide. The radiation also has a 60% chance of blanking out the target’s sensors for 1d6 melees---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.
Payload: 36 missiles per launcher

h) Decoys---Decoy or ‘noisemaker’ warheads are also often used to increase the difficulty of successful missile interceptions, by confusing sensor returns and jamming radar and lidar accuracy. Although this does mean fewer ‘live’ warheads can be carried to make room for the decoy rounds, against technological opponents the ‘fakers’ can increase the changes of successful volley penetration.
Payload: Each decoy is the size of an LRM

2) Medium Weapons Turrets(4)---Each missile launcher wing ends capped with a medum weapons turret, compatible with WZT/ASI Medium Starship Mounts. The positioning of the turrets gives them a wide arc of fire around the frigate.
a) Laser Cannon
b) Particle Beam Cannon
c) Plasma Torpedo Launcher
d) KK Rail Cannon
e) Heavy Tachyon ScatterGun

3) Point Defense Turrets(12) ---The placement of these PDS turrets(2 on each ‘wing’, four placed equidistant around the stern) means that any target approaching the monitor can be targeted by at least two, perhaps as many as four, turrets simultaneously.
a) Pulse Lasers(LC-3x) ---These are rather more powerful than the standard PDS options, but fit the same sockets.
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere(4 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

b) Slayer -D Quad- Laser Cannon(PS-RFL-40D)---A slightly more powerful quad-laser system with a higher rate of fire. Another fitting that could be socketed into the standard PDS mount, but which isn’t always available to all shipyards doing workups.
Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere(4 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
Mega-Damage: 2d10 MD single shot, 2d4x10 MD short burst (four shots, one from each barrel), or 4d4x10 MD medium burst (eight shots, two from each barrel in sequence).
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS----These are standard CCW-pattern dual laser/mini-missile launchers that have been installed for close-in defense.
Range: (Lasers) 4,000 ft in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere /200 miles in space)
(Mini-Missiles) 1 mile in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere/ 100 miles in space)
Damage:(Lasers) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Mini-Missiles) Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire:(Lasers) EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1-8
Payload: (Rail Gun) Effectively Unlimited
(Mini-Missiles) 32 mini-missiles per turret; additional mini-missiles can be carried as cargo(typically takes 2d6 minutes to reload from the holds).
(Option)---The Mini-Missile launcher component of these turrets can be modified to fire the “S-Sting” ‘Smart Mini-Missile -----The S-Sting(for ‘Space Stinger’) is an attempt to adapt the guidance systems and accuracy of the ‘Black Talon’ L-SAM to a space-based missile. The missile resembles a rather stubby cylinder with a blunt-nosed optical cluster and protruding verniers(extend after launching), owing to the fact that the vacuum of space negates the need for streamlining the weapon.
Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
Bonuses: +7 to strike
Cost: 10,000 credits per missile

d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon---- Heavier automatic cannon with a slower rate of fire, but a heavier shell, modified for space, and mounted in a dual-mount.
Range: 10,000 ft in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere/ 400 miles in space)
Damage: 4d6 MD single rd, 1d6x10 MD two rd burst, 3d6x10 MD six-round burst. DOUBLE for both cannon firing simultaneously.
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
Payload: 1600 rds, 800 rds per cannon
Radar Targeting Bonus: +2 to strike

e) Rail Gun PDS--As per the FRAM upgrades

f) Particle Beam PDS--As per the FRAM upgrades

g) Ion Cannon PDS--As per the FRAM upgrades

h) Pulse Laser PDS--As per the FRAM upgrades

Auxiliary Craft:
2 Shuttles

Variants:
*PSS/ASI-FGMS-41B ---(aka ‘Boom-Flower’, ‘Plasma-Rose’) This variant apes the Javelin’s -07D in mounting heavy plasma torpedo launchers in place of the missile launchers.
Changes/Modifications:
1) Tractor Beam Projectors(8, two on each wing) ----Intended less for grabbing hold of other ships and more for guiding the Plasma Torpedoes. Rated at 500 tons haul weight.
Range: 5 miles in space(NOT usable in atmosphere)(Kitsune Values: 5,000 miles in space).

2) Plasma Torpedo Launchers(8, two on each wing)---These are direct-fire weapons that fire bolts of plasma trapped in a temporary magnetic ‘shell’ centered on an evaporated ‘seed’ of ultra-dense deteurium ice, allowing the plasma to travel farther without losing cohesion and damage potential, and allowing the plasma to explode with area of effect on target. The result is an energy missile with superior range to normal energy weapons(though still well short of comparable missile weaponry) and potentially unlimited payload. However, the plasma packets CAN be grabbed/deflected by tractor beams(this is how the ship’s gunners can manipulate their energy projectiles at short range and correct their course....each of the launch arrays’ mounted tractor beams being able to grab and direct a volley of plasma bolts), or destabilized by ion or particle beam weapons fire(takes 20 MDC to disrupt the plasma containment).
Range: 20 miles in atmosphere, 200 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 200 miles in atmosphere, 200,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x100 MD per blast to 100 ft blast radius
Rate of Fire: Each array can launch volleys of 1-8 torpedoes, twice per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

A mine warefare/battlite tender variant of the Oyumi is also supposedly under consideration.

[taalismn]

Zyganian Imperial StarForce Phantax-class Battleship
“Much as we may love the Zortax, the fact is, it’s a known quantity and a big lead floater at that. The Golgans can practically sense all the way across Zyganian space with their big arrays just behind their borders, so they know where our fleet heavy assets are all the time, while we can barely scratch the surface, intelligence-wise, of what’s going on inside the massive expanses of the Republik. We cannot afford to get complacent; we must push our state of the art to counter whatever the Golgans come up with next, ALL THE TIME.”
---Vice Admiral Slenen Tosh, ZISF

“I dislike the diverted funding for the Phantax program being dubbed the ‘fat tax’, with the implications that it’s some sort of bloated pet project. These ships are not some fiscal boondoggle Bureau of Ships has cooked up to curry favor with the Hy-Admirals, it may very well be VITAL to our future survival as an independent star nation.”
---Internal memo, ZIBS, regarding funding allocation.

“Looks like a muk-sow, hits like a bisoron. Now if only we can get these ships across the galactic arm without the Golgans noticing, and in position to spring a nasty surprise on THEM for once.”


The Phantax BB is the latest commissioned warship class in the Zyganian Imperial StarForce. Though Zygania’s admirals are still preening over the Zortax-class Battle Carriers that are the pride and joy of the ZISF, there are some in the Imperial Bureau of Ships who are looking ahead with trepidation to the future...and some believe the future is not looking good for Zyganian security. The Phantax-class was drawn up to address some of the design and doctrinal flaws already identified in the Zortax. However, the real fire that got the ZIBS jumping was worrying intelligence reports on a new Golgan capital ship class, the Sylnor, which has the less-bombastic young turks in the ZISF very concerned. If the Republik is re-arming, with powerful new weapons, for a renewed campaign to rebuild their buffer zone of satrapies, the Zyganian Empire, who has been poking the Golgans in the eye at almost every opportunity, are likely high on the Argosy’s hit list.
Even though ZISF budgets are tight with new ship construction and upgrades, a few highly-placed ZIBS administrators have quietly managed to cut enough funds loose to contract WZTechYards to help them design and construct a new capital ship class. Fearing that the Golgan Argosy is likely watching known Zyganian shipyards, these fleet planners have decided to eschew local business patriotism in favor of security-minded pragmatism in having the work on Zygania’s latest secret weapons system done far outside the area of Zyganian/Golgan interests, At a secluded WZT shipyard far(so it is hoped) from the prying eyes of Golgan spies, WZT engineers, ZIBS officials, and Regmo Armaments shipwrights have been putting together the prototype Phantax-class Battleship. Any outsiders discovering the work are told that the new ships are being built for other clients.
The plan is to construct, test, shakedown, and fit out at least three Phantaxes in a WZT-owned desert system, then quietly jump them back to Zyganian space to be officially commissioned into service. A complete set of duplicate yard tooling will also be bought from WZT and quietly transported to sites inside Zyganian territory to allow the ZISF to produce their own Phantaxes. That is, if all goes well.
The ZISB officials realize that the whole Phantax program is risky, from a logistics point of view(despite their good working relationship with WZT), from a cost perspective(they’ve had to engage in some squirrely financial footwork to get and conceal the funding for the new battleships) and politically. However, the more astute in the ZISF’s milintel are forecasting bad tidings for the Empire if the Golgan Republik really is planning a resurgence campaign.
(They’re partially right; if Golgan Argosy’s New Fleet manages to seize the Altess Dynasty and hold it for ransom, Gaus Binjo will use the revenue to pay off the Fleet’s construction bill, then launch a large scale fleet expansion program, the new ships being used to deal with the more troublesome sub-polities along the Republik’s borders first, then start securing new territorial footholds...the Zyganian Empire, with its history of agitating its late occupiers, is high on the list. At best, the Zyganians would have ten-to-fifteen years before the Argosy launches a serious campaign to shatter Zyganian sovereignty).

Named for armored war-steeds of Zyganian legend, the Phantax has an appearance resembling a football; a pointed ovoid with multiple armored blisters and hooded engines breaking its surface. Armor and sheild strength are heavier than that of a TGE Executioner-class battleship, but still less than that carried by the Phantax’s expected opponent, the Golgan Sylnor battleships. The Phantax does have an edge over the Golgan warship in speed, allowing for faster intercepts(or escapes). It is hoped, though, that the lower cost of the Phantax will allow the ZISF to ultimately field more Phantaxes than the Golgans are willing to commit Sylnors to the Zyganian front when it turns hot again.
Armament, as expected, is heavy, with an emphasis on ship-killing in a fighter- and missile-dense environment. While initial plans were to mount as many heavy particle beam turrets, using weapons already in production for the Zortax, as possible, these plans were scaled down to make room for a heavy battery of faster-firing lasers, and a more than substantial mixed heavy missile armament. Point defense is fairly standard type, if bristling, and has been jucied up with the installation of several kinetic kill cannons inspired by PS/ASI designs.
Avionics-wise, the Phantax is not exceptional(with teh exception of its WZT-designed fire control systems), with sensor and communications capabilities that are more or less standard for the ship category and tech level of the Zyganian Empire. Here the Sylnor as a designed command battleship and flag-carrier may decisively outstrip the Phantax, but only if it is commanding a battlegroup that can be coordinated to harry the ZISF warship and its own escorts.
Auxiliary craft complement aboard the Phantaxes is token, as it is expected that the battleships will operate as part of a battlegroup with dedicated carrier assets.

Update: Post-Minion War, the Zyganian admiralty’s fears turn out to be justified, at last partially. Goaded by their defeat over Altess Prime, the Golgan Argosy switches targets and goes for Zygania instead. Though it’s not an invasion proper, the Golgan Sylnor-led attacks devastate the Zyganian Navy’s ability to build and refit new capital ships. The Phantax project takes on new importance as the ZE scrambles to rebuild its defenses and find its footing again. However, Zyganian government dithering on the best course to take has led to concerns about funding for the Phantax programme, beyond what has already been set aside(in escrow) for the first three units.
With the completion of the first two warships, the ZISF is also facing another issue; how to get the ships across the galaxy without the Golgans learning of them, now that open hostilities have broken out between the two polities. The ZISF has dispatched a number of naval personnel to crew an assembling flotilla of ships purchased/acquired by the Zyganians and which will ideally convoy the battleships back to Zyganian space. The problem is how much time do the ZISF crews spend orienting themselves to their new vessels before setting out when both the new hulls and trained personnel are urgently needed back home.

It is unknown if WZT will be allowed to duplicate the Phantax design for its own use/sale, but most aerospace industry experts believe that exclusivity is part of the Zyganian contract, making it unlikely that other polities will be able to acquire Phantax-class ships.

Type: WZT/ZISFS-BB-07 Phantax
Class: Battleship
Crew: 780 +25 man aerospace group and 60 marines
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 180,000
Bridge 20,000
Main Engines(6) 10,000 each
Grand Batteries(3) 3,000 each
Heavy Laser Batteries(6) 2,000 each
Cruise Missile Launchers(3) 2,000 each
Long Range Missile Launchers(10) 500 each
Kinetic Kill Cannon Turrets(8 ) 900 each
Point Defense Turrets(60) 400 each
Hangar Bays(2) 3,000 each
Variable Forcefields* 11,000 per side(66,000 total)
*Shield Refresh Rate is 15% per melee
Height: 3,000 ft
Width: 3,000 ft
Length: 4,000 ft
Weight: 35 million tons
Cargo: 2 million tons
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ 55 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 11.5
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 1.15% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 5 light years per hour
Market Cost: Exclusive to the Zyganian military. It costs 48 billion Zyganian guildars to construct each battleship.
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, pluas:
*Advanced Fire Control---With the hull fairly groaning at the seams with weaponry, corrdinating all of them to maximize their potential was a priority; the Zygamians gratefully accepted WZT input on designing a fire control system that would give their weapons an additional +2 to strike.
Weapons Systems:
1) Grand Cannon Particle Beam Batteries(3x2)----These are double-barreled PBC mounts similar to those carried by the Zortax Fleet Carriers.
Range: (Palladium)14 miles in atmosphere, 80 miles in space
(Kitsune) 80 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space
Damage: 1d6x1000 MD per blast, 2d6x1000 MD per double-barreled blast
Rate of Fire: One shot per 30 seconds
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Heavy Laser Batteries(6)---Rather than rely entirely on the same particle beam Grand Batteries as the Zortax as was originally planned for domestically-produced battleships, the ZIBS decided to complement the PBCs with faster-firing laser cannons, the tooling for which would be part of the purchase cost paid to WZT.
Range: (Palladium)14 miles in atmosphere, 80 miles in space
(Kitsune) 80 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD per shot
Rate of Fire: 3 shots per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Cruise Missile Launchers(3)---The ZISB decided to give the Phantaxes a heavy cruise missile armament.
Range: Varies by missile type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by missile type
Rate of Fire: From 1-12 missiles can be fired in one volley
Payload: 36 Cruise Missiles per launcher, ready to fire. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 2 missiles).

4) Long Range Missile Launchers(10)----Zyganian cruise missile production is still lagging behind demand, so the Phantax carries the same weight of long range missile launchers as the Zortax-class carriers as a back up to the cruise missile launcher batteries . However, the launcher sections have been made with the ability to be replaced by CMLs if and when the situation improves.
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage:Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-32 each launcher(so all eight launchers firing simultaneously will put 256 LRMs in the air at once!)
Payload: 288 each launcher. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 3 missiles)

5) Kinetic Kill Cannon Turrets(8x3 )---These were added at the insistence of WZT/ASI engineers, who feared that the original weapons layout of the Phantaxes was too much like those of Golgan capital ships, in lacking sufficient kinetic armaments. By showing the Zyganians combat reports from both the USAJC and the CAF on the effectiveness of KEWs, they were able to persuade the ZISB design teams to make provision for a secondary battery of eight triple-barrel heavy rail guns. The Zyganians were especially sold by the Altes Prime footage of Argosy Jesstras being SHREDDED by KKC flak rounds.
Range: 10 miles in atmosphere,40 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 40 miles in atmosphere/ 40,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per 80 rd burst; 3d4x100 MD per triple cannon burst
(Exploding/Fragmenting Fletchette): 3d6x10 MD to anything caught in a 120 ft wide cone/’cloud’----Targets are -2 to dodge the ’shotgun spread’
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 32,000 rds(400 bursts) per cannon

6) Point Defense Lasers(25)--Mounted in a point defense blister , these Regmo-made pulse lasers provide all-around close-in defensive fire against fighters, power armors, and missiles. They are larger than their WZT equivalents, but possess better range and are compatible with existing ZISF logistics.
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 36,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values: 8 miles in atmosphere, 800 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per single barrel burst, 4d6x10 MD for a double-barreled blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

7) Point Defense Rail Guns(25)---ZISF-standard Solenn-Yagetti Armaments-made electromagneic cannon. Like the PDLs, these are larger than their WZT equivalents, but possess better range and are compatible with existing ZISF logistics.
Range:1.5 miles in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 1,000 bursts per gun; changing a drum takes 10 minutes

8 ) Point Defense Mini-Missile Launchers(10)---The Phantax’s veritable forest of point defense batteries is rounded out by an array of mini-missile ‘sprayers’ meant to chew up Golgan torpedoes and ruin Zebuloid pilots’ day.
Range:Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-20
Payload: 400 mini-missiles per launcher. Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 15 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 96 missiles)

Auxiliary Craft:
18 aerospace fighters (typically SkyRivvers or Tantos/Super-Tantos)
6 heavy shuttles

Variants:
Already a number of suggestions have been made for refits to the Phantaxes, mainly based on observations of the Battle of Altess Prime(and later, of the Golgan Retribution Raids). Some ZISF officials want tachyon sprayer batteries to replace some of the current secondary armaments, but the ZIBS is unsure that their current logistical setup will be able to maintain the sophisticated weapons, especially if the Golgans make a dedicated effort to disrupt Zyganian supply lines.
Other late suggestions would install more advanced electronics aboard the Phantaxes, allowing them to serve more ably as flagships, rather than simply heavy artillery. Revelations of the Argosy seeding target Zyganian solar systems with mine fields has led to a greater demand for advanced sensors and weaponry capable of sweeping large areas of space free of stealthed enemy ordnance.
Depending on what course the Zyganian Empire decides to take regarding its response to the Golgan raids, these suggestions may be implemented in any new construction Phantaxes.

[Borast]

Looks more or less right, but there will always be this little voice in the back of my head complaining about engine costs and how mass would relate to them.

EDIT: For a bottom grade ship, its a bit fast. Mach 6 would be what I would expect, assuming the Cargo Tug listed in Fleets is generally respectable. Although I can see it being 8 with some asterisks that would make very mad with you if you actually use.

Sounds kinda like the MiG from the 70's and 80's...
Do NOT flip on the afterburner...EVER.
Why? Once you land, the entire jet assembly welds solid.
The parts were not designed to sustain those temperature levels.


In any case, for ship top speeds, one thing Kev seems to always neglect to remember... There is no such thing in vacuum. You have max acceleration and fuel capacity. After all, once you're up to speed, you turn your engines OFF, and coast. Keep your tankage below 50% enroute, and you can stop when you arrive. (The only exception I can think of would be solar sails or the Mutants in Orbit "caterpillar" drives.)

[pad300]

Something is seriously weird with the weights of your missiles Taalism...
Mini missiles
"1 ton of cargo per 96 missiles" ~ 20 lbs/ missile, which is ridiculously heavy according to published material... (more like 1.25lbs/missile, CAF Repeating Rocket Launcher, Phase World book)
LRM's
"1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles" ~ 150 lbs/missile, seem light to me.
(also " Volleys of 1-32 each launcher(so all eight launchers firing simultaneously will put 320 LRMs in the air at once!)" 8*32 <> 320)
Cruise Missiles
"1 ton of cargo per 6 missiles" ~ 300 lbs/missile, which is extremely light according to published material - CM's weigh on the order of 1/2 ton per missile (see the scorpion A and B variants in the Phase World book)

[taalismn]

Something is seriously weird with the weights of your missiles Taalism...)

Thanks...I'll look into correcting those.
Past sins really do pop up to bite one in the backside....

[taalismn]

Golgan Republik Vlax-class Colonial Battleship
(aka ‘Torpo’, ‘Goby’, ‘Dom-barge’)

“Size-wise these whales were good for looming over the locals and impressing how much bigger and badder their new Golgan overlords were. Oh, the colonial governors would be oh-so-polite in that Golgan way, and talk about easing restrictions once the ‘immediate states of emergency’ and ‘galactic instability’ were over, and there would be some easing of martial law and the resumption of local governance if the locals were cooperative...some even came to see the Golgans in a positive light, especially when the Republik sprinkled out gifts of galactic tech to make things easier for their own merchants. But make no mistake, everybody knew what lay behind the Golgans’ tightlipped grins and saccharine politeness..those big ships with all the gun turrets and missile hatches hovering high in the sky. ”

“’Old’ doesn't necessarily mean ‘harmless’....These old Golgan gun-barges might be obsolete compared to more modern Araneaes, Servitudes, and Smashers, but they can still lay down the **** on you if you come within range of their broadsides. And a hundred-missile main salvo can still tax your point defense if you don’t have the range and time to whittle it down. Even in a Warshield, I wouldn’t want t get in a pissing contest with a Vlax; that fat bastard could do more than just scratch my paint going down.”

These large and cumbersome warships were once the symbol of Republik power when they owned a colonial empire. Regarded as, at best, a heavy cruiser by modern standards, the Vlax-class was designed to be inexpensive to produce and operate, but still be able to intimidate and pacify the border worlds that the Republik had annexed as their buffer zone.

The Vlax has a cylindrical main hull with large fluke-like fins/drive radiators. Interestingly, it is amphibious(though very noisy underwater), a feature lacking in most later-generation Golgan designs, despite their resemblance to marine predators. With the Vlaxes, this meant that colonial pacification forces could base their ships out at sea on worlds with substantial surface water, as most intelligent species under the Golgan boot heel found water operations more difficult to conduct. Many Golgan satraps found security by making waterborne Vlaxes their command centers, governing new territories from the relative safety of offshore.
Vlaxes are large, ponderous, and have an armament fit-out that is more numerous than the later Bindas’, but individually weaker. Their earlier tech-level means that they require larger crews, possess slower turns of speed, and lack many of the advanced features of later ships, such as massed disruptors, variable forcefields, and high-end CG drives. To their credit, though, Vlaxes are physically well-armored, and their armaments proved more than sufficient for browbeating and chastising uppity natives on the worlds the Golgans claimed as their buffer states. Though capable of fending off enemy spacecraft, the real purpose of the Vlaxes was to deal with planetside insurgencies. The vessels’ weapons arrays were well-capable of destroying any surface armies or fortified positions. Though the Vlaxes lacked fighter support, they carried five hundred Golgan marines and eight heavy shuttles to ferry them to take advantage of the aftermath of a bombardment. The Vlaxes also carried a spacious command/communications center that was usually unoccupied durng space command operations, but was used for coordinating actions with groundside police and army units. In mor peaceful sectors, the local governments used them as disaster relief coordination centers.

In the modern era the Republik maintains few Vlaxes in active service, having replaced them with the more modern and less expensive Bindas cruisers or Naruni designs. Many have been converted into transport cruisers, though a few have been remodeled into carriers. A few surviving buffer state Colonial Vlaxes still operate as warships on both sides of the divide. Notably, the Zyganians managed to acquire a few, but dismantled them for their systems, incorporating engines and weaponry into ships of local design.

Type: RABB-V0.3 Vlax
Class: Colonial Battleship
Crew: 1,500 (240 officers, 760 enlisted, 500 marines), + provision for 250 passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 25,000
Bridge 5,000
Main Engines 12,000
Communications Arrays(4) 1,000 each
Mega-Disruptor Turrets(2) 1,000 each
Secondary Laser Turrets(16) 700 each
Long Range Missile Launchers(4) 900 each
Point Defense Particle BeamTurrets(6-10) 150 each
Hangar Decks(2) 4,000 each
Variable Forcefields----3,000 each side(18,000 total)

Height: 650 ft
Width: 500 ft
Length: 1,980 ft
Weight: 580,000 tons
Cargo: 90,000 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 8
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 4 light years per hour
(Underwater) Can land and take off from water, and operate underwater, moving at 35 MPH and dive to 1,000 ft.
Market Cost: 21 billion credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus:
*Amphibious----Fully sealed for underwater operations, but are rather noisy: +15% to Read Sensory Instrument rolls to detect using sonar systems.

Weapons Systems:
1) Mega-Disruptor Turrets(2)---These were among the first weapons of this type fitted to Golgan warships, and it shows. These weapons had not yet been refined, and performance on target was less consistent as a result. However, the Vlaxes could mount two of them, one forward and one aft. Still, these weapons were more than adequate for cowing the subject populations of less advanced worlds, especially after some spectacular demonstrations of the weapons’ destructive power.
Range: 6 miles in atmosphere, 70 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 6 miles in atmosphere, 6,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x1,000 MD per blast, plus 10% of that to a 1d10x10 ft radius
Rate of Fire: Once per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Secondary Laser Turrets(16) ---Rather than carry a secondary armament of lower-powered disruptor cannon, the Vlaxes sported abundant laser armaments in sixteen double-barrel turrets.
Range: 6 miles in atmosphere, 18 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 6 miles in atmosphere, 6,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x100 MD per blast, 2d6x100 MD per double-barrel blast
Rate of Fire: 4 times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Long Range Missile Launchers(4)---These launchers were another weapon of intimidation to buffer-state natives, as the Golgans were fond of advertising that they carried strategic nuclear payloads. They could also be launched from underwater, making the Vlaxes’ resemblance to SLBM ‘boomers’ all the greater.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(double range in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type. At the time the Vlaxes came into service, the standard was nuclear(1d6x100 MD) warheads, but later reloads saw the introduction of ion(fusion) torpedoes.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-25
Payload: 1,000 missiles each launcher, 4,000 total; additional missiles may be carried and loaded from cargo, but will take at least 30 minutes(1 ton of cargo per 2 missiles)


4) Point Defense Particle BeamTurrets(6-10)---Golgan point defense hasn’t changed much over the centuries, and the Vlax was laid down when the pattern was set. The standard configuration was six turrets but, depending on the hostility shown in a sector, the ships could sport as many as ten PDPBCs. It was joked that many a Golgan flag officer or statesman during their ‘imperial age’ got their start as a gunner on a Vlax, enthusiastically banging away at ‘enemies of the Republik’(just as, if not more, likely to be stray space debris as enemy missiles or fighters).
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Auxiliary Craft:
8 shuttles

Variants:
* Upgraded Vlaxes---A handful of Vlaxes saw upgrades over their centuries of service, with the main turrets being replaced with more refined mega-disruptors, and the lasers being swapped for siege disruptors as they became available, but these refits tended to be rare, especially as the less expensive and more mobile Bindas came into service.

*Cargo Transports--The fate of most Vlaxes in Golgan territory was conversion to heavy transports, removing all but two laser turrets and the PDS, reducing crew to a mere 350, and increasing cargo capacity to 200,000 tons.

*Carriers---A few Vlaxes have been converted into fighter carriers. These conversions strip out the mega-disruptors and half of the secondary batteries in favor of engine boosters(increasing speed to Mach 10), better forcefields(5,000 each side, 30,000 total) and expanded hangar decks that can accommodate up to 40 fighters.

With a lack of spare parts, those secessionist worlds that managed to hang onto their Vlaxes have had to replace failing systems with alternatives. For most ex-Golgan states this has meant a steady downgrading of the colonial warships’ capabilities, though a few planets have made the decision to invest in more powerful or unique upgrades. Most worlds don’t, choosing to scrap their Vlaxes when upkeep costs become too steep.
Though the Zyganians claim to have dismantled all the Vlaxes they ‘inherited’ from the Golgans, it’s rumored that they retained at least one, and modified it to carry marine operations small craft, such as submersible versions of the PacSlash fighter.

[taalismn]

ScothiYards STSCT-02 ‘Gozi’ Interstellar Cargo Transport
(aka ‘Moffed-humpers’)
“Youbuilt this thing from scrapyard parts? Best damn use of an old Moffer I’ve seen yet!”

“Gozis are armed, yes and some people claim that arming a Gozi is a waste of time and material. The fact is, though, with the Golgans pulled out of the sector, the vultures are slipping back in. That includes the Molo pirates, some of who were former enforcers for the Golgans in the Scothis system back then and treated the locals right shabbily. The Arnoth have GOOD reason to arm their cargo trampers.”

The ‘Gozi’(‘Schlepper’) is an attempt by the recently-freed ex-Golgan buffer-system of Sothis to create their own commercial space fleet, using technology and scraps left behind when the Republik withdrew from Sothis. Sothis had been used as a refit facility and scrapyard by the Republik, and the native Arnoth had been employed as salvers. giving them some experience in ship construction.
The STSCT-02 is based on the Golgan Moffed-class Colonial Destroyer, an early design used by the Republik to patrol and police annexed systems in the heyday of its hegemony. Thousands of these ships were deployed across the buffer states and security zones, and were, as they grew obsolete, handed down to local Auxiliary Guard units. Many secessionist polities inherited fleets of Moffeds when they gained independence(the Zyganians had their own refitted version, the Monkar) and the Arnoth were no different, except that, as a refit and recycling yard, Sothis had more of them, albeit in junked state.
Looking to build a commercial spacefleet, the Arnoth decided to refit their fleet of Moffeds as multipurpose transports. Using parts scrounged from their mothball yards, the Arnoth took Moffed hulls, cut them in half, and inserted two two lengths of cargo bays. The Gozi loses the Moffed’s amphibious landing capabilities(underwater operations are a mystery to the natives of arid Scothis), but gains in cargo capacity. The Gozis retain an abundant, if light, self-defense armament, citing the rise in pirate activity around the fringes of the Republik.
The Gozi’s strengths are that it uses easily-maintained technologies that have been used in the galactic region for centuries, and the ships(at least the early models) use reclaimed materials and components, cutting production costs considerably.
The Gozi’s most frequently pointed-out short comings are that it is large, slow, and unwieldy. Its reliance on ammunition-dependent weaponry means that it cannot engage in protracted firefights, unless the crews make the decision beforehand to devote some of their cargo space to ammunition. Though capable of hitting accel/decel speeds of Mach 6, it rarely operationally does so due to the Arnoth being cautious about adjustments to the Golgan-standard gravitic compensators re-calibrated for the Arnoths’ lower g-force tolerances.
Despite its limitations, the Gozis nevertheless have given the Arnoth a commercial space transport capability. The majority of these ships ply routes between Sothis and the two Arnoth mining colonies in adjacent systems, but a few have voyaged to other ports of call, attempting to expand the Arnoth trade network.
Despite the native ingenuity displayed by the Gozis, their service days may be limited. Sothis’s entrance into the United Systems Alliance has meant technical aide coming in, and WZTech Yards in particular doing an upgrade of the Arnoth shipyards. There has been some discussion whether the Arnoth should use their new technology to produce upgrades to the Gozi(with an eye towards marketing it through the WZT network), or switch to the manufacture of a variant of an existing (and more advanced) WZT/ASI design, like the Concord or the Bering.

Type: STSCT-02 ‘Gozi’
Class: Multipurpose Interstellar Cargo Transport
Crew: 80, plus 60 troops/passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 4,000
Bridge 1,800
Midships Engine Ring 1,000
G-Cannon Turrets(4) 300 each
Point Defense Turrets(12) 100 each
Variable Forcefields 400 each side, 2,400 total
Height: 140 ft
Width: 200 ft
Length: 1,250 ft
Weight: 50,000 tons
Cargo: 32,000 tons
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 2.8; transatmospheric. (this si seen as virtually overkill for escaping Sothis’s weak gravity)
(Sublight) Mach 6
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.6% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 3 light years per hour
Market Cost: 340 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems.
Weapons Systems:
1) Light G- Cannons(4, 2 forward, ventral and dorsal, 2 aft, ventral and dorsal)---The Arnoth decided to reserve heavy energy weapons for their dedicated warships when they decided on them, but they had enough spare parts and replacement G-gun turrets for Auntin frigates that they could outfit their freighters with these weapons. Their turret positioning, two at each end of the ship, gives them nearly totally unobstructed fields of fire.
Range: 5 miles in atmosphere, 16 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 5 miles in atmosphere, 5,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 400 bursts

2) Point Defense Particle Beam Turrets(8 )----These are standard Golgan Argosy-vintage PBC PDS arrays.
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 8 miles in atmosphere, 8,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Point Defense Mini-Missile Launchers(4)----The Gozi adapts another PDS, mini-missile launchers, from the Auntin.
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere/ 100 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-4
Payload: 100 missiles per turret

Auxiliary Craft:
3 Shuttlecraft

Variants:
The most common variants of the Gozi involve special payload modules in the cargo bays, usually for carrying gaseous or liquid payloads.
A few Gozis have swapped out the standard armaments for ammunition-free energy weapons, such as laser cannons, but the Arnoth have generally reserved energy weapons for their Navy ships.

[taalismn]

New TW Missile/KEW Launcher Warheads from ASI/UWW

“Word has it that the UWW’s shipwrights in the Gear and ASI’s engineers have gotten rather close, what with them collaborating on the Hauberk and the UWW’s version of the Aurora, and that’s how the uwwies found out about the greeners’ big iron obsession. Rumor is, the uwwies offered to jump the USA ahead in the waiting line for Rhilith Gear Zaxastu battleships fresh out of the slips, and the usans countered that they could do it even better and save time if they could take part in fitting out theirs, and threw in some ideas for new hardware that could be applied to the Zaxas, the older Zaxas-unos the uwwies are refitting, and the Everon battlewagons that are supposedly in the works. The new TW space munitions were part of that deal-sweetener.”

“You folks sure do leave a messy battlefield.”

Starshock TW Munitions
“Saw in an after-action report the results of an attack on an orbital fortress that got hit by starshocks. Place looked like it had been -cooked-, which isn’t too far off the mark, because those ion-storms-inna-can just SQUAT over a target if the target isn’t mobile.”

TW Starshocks are a new technowizardry munition originally developed for large caliber massdrivers/railguns, but also applicable to missile warheads. Starshocks unleash a high-level Summon Ion Storm spell at the detonation point.
The main advantages of starshock munitions over shipboard multiplexors is that the munitions can be deployed with ships and delivery platforms not fitted with multiplexors, and the superior range of missile weapons, which also allow for delayed detonation.
In general, the most commonly deployed starshock munitions are Type 5, corresponding to Magnitude 5 ion storms, and considered appropriate for anti-fighter use, up to the largest, Type 10, which unleashes a Magnitude 10 ion storm, and which is used only against capital ships and space fortresses.
Starshocks were developed out a collaboration between the United Worlds of Warlock and the United Systems Alliances’ PS/ASI corporations.
Range: Varies by the delivery means; the TW warheads can fit in heavy G-cannon/KCCs(at least 1d4x100 MD per shot) or long range/cruise missiles
The storm covers a 15 mile area.
Damage:(Type 5) Does 1d6x10 MD per minute for 1d6x10 minutes.
(Type 10) Does 1d6x100 MD per minute for 4d6 minutes.
Cost: (Type 5) 1 million credits, though currently not for sale outside the UWW/USA.
(Type 10) 1.3 million credits, though currently not for sale outside the UWW/USA

Solar Flare TW Munitions
(aka ‘Star-blinders’)
“Don’t confuse these with plasma warheads; you CAN’T drop these directly on a target and incinerate it. You CAN, however, set off one or more of them and static-snow enemy sensors and give their IT departments galloping headaches. Park ‘em over planets or off busy space stations and you can disrupt the EM infrastructure something bad.”

Developed at the same time as the starshock munitions, Solar Flare rounds/warheads produce short-lived, but very energetic, miniature suns that blast out enough hard radiation to bollux sensors and electronics. The advantage of using the spell in standoff munitions is that it reduces the risk of the launch platform’s own sensors being affected by the radiation storm.
Range: Varies by the delivery means; the TW warheads can fit in heavy G-cannon/KCCs(at least 1d4x100 MD per shot) or long range/cruise missiles
Damage: Burns for 5+1d6 hours, radiating in a 300 mile radius. Communications and sensor ranges are reduced by 2d4x10%, navigation systems by 1d4x10%, radar and targeting systems have a 50% chance of being inoperable every time they are used, video/surveillance systems are knocked out, -1d4x10% to sensor data accuracy, unshielded electronic memory is wiped/corrupted, computer systems take twice as long to operate, and reduce weapons systems’ efficiency by -1 APM.
Cost: 800,000 credits, though currently not for sale outside the UWW/USA

Nebula TW Warheads
“These bastards do what the solar flares don’t; fry ****. Ships can blunder their way out if they’re moving fast enough, but against targets like asteroids and space stations, these things are evil-nasty because they can be wrapped around the target and BURN. The TVIA’s thinking of banning them like dino-killer massdrivers which means the uwwies and the usans will be using these things far out beyond the rim on targets like star wasp nests and Yboor infection clusters.”

Magic WMD unleashing a Create Nebula spell. Against targets like asteroid fortresses these weapons are devastating, eroding their defenses, playing havoc with sensors, and hampering attempts to deploy mobile units.
Range: Varies by the delivery means; the TW warheads can fit in heavy G-cannon/KCCs(at least 1d4x100 MD per shot) or long range/cruise missiles
Covers a 75 mile diameter area
Damage:
*Visibility limited to one mile.
* Defensive shields are rendered inoperable. Magic forcefields are reduced to HALF MDC.
* Navigation sensors and communications reduced in range by 33%, operators are at -30% penalty, sensors at -60%
* -20% to piloting and navigation rolls
* Sensors and targeting systems are down; no bonuses.
* 1d4x10 MD per minute
* Attempting to go FTL from within the nebula results in being thrown off course 2d4x10 light years.
* Robots and A.I.s affected as well.
* Lasts for 15 hours.
Cost: 1.4 million credits, though currently not for sale outside the UWW/USA


Comet-Mines.
“The magic aura telltale gives these munitions away if you’ve got magic sensors and thus have enough advance warning that you can zap the mines or avoid them altogether. Every other mundane else’s going to get the shock of their life getting suddenly uppercut-slammed by Comet-Concussion.”

Exactly what it sez on the tin; these are stealth-cased ‘sleeper’ munitions that activate when a target gets within range, then the TW munition pops and produces a giant comet that proceeds to hammer the targeted vessel like a deep space hellhound. Most effective against tight formations of ships, airless asteroids, and large space stations(such as orbital shipyards).
Range: Varies by the delivery means; the TW warheads can fit in heavy G-cannon/KCCs(at least 1d4x100 MD per shot) or long range/cruise missiles
The unleashed/conjured comet has a 75 mile range
(Kitsune Values: 75,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x1,000 MD +3,000 MD on a direct hit, 1d6x100 MD to anything caught in a half-mile radius of the comet’s nucleus, and 2d6x100 MD to ships smaller than sub-capital class that get caught in its path. The nucleus itself is 1 mile in diameter and has 2,000 MDC(mundane weapons do HALF damage to it, magic weapons do FULL damage to it)
Careens around for 30 minutes at Mach 7, and is +2 to strike(on top of the penalties of sub-capital ships being -3 to dodge, and larger vessels being -6 to dodge). The mystically-summoned comet will not stop until it hits a target of sub-capital class or larger.
Cost: 1.3 million credits, though currently not for sale outside the UWW/USA

[taalismn]

PS/ASI ‘Wezland’ Light FTL Transport/Shuttle
(aka “Wezzer’, ‘DuWing’)
“The Wezzer may be a demilitarized Angon, but it’s arguably a LOT more versatile than the Angon ever was in the intel-gathering role. Since it came out, we’ve been seeing it being used all over as a light transport, intersystem shuttle, ship’s gig, civil aerospace patrol craft, science platform, and atmo-skimmer. Civilian life’s treated the Angon very well, you could say.”

“Odds are, you could land this thing at an airport of a pre-starflight, or even pre-spaceflight, culture, park it in amongst the local aircraft, and hardly anybody but the most diehard aviation enthusiasts would notice. They certainly wouldn’t guess it was supra-light capable.”

“The biplane wing config makes the Wezland look like somebody’s flying antique, and they look ridiculous on a spacecraft, but give those airfoils some air to bite into, and the Wez performs like a fighter. I was once doing a gas giant air column-sampling survey over Hulakyat out near Vivisanda in the Thundercloud when I got jumped by a Jasta...later I learned it was part of a Republik scout party looking to make trouble for the Alliance...and the squid decided to harass me just for the hell of it....Well, the Wez handles like a stunter in the right hands, and I’m proud to say I got my wings playing in New Strat’s windstorms. It took some dodgy maneuvering, but I managed to give that Zebuloid the slip in the storm clouds long enough to clear atmo and shout out to the naval force over Viv that the Golgies were violating the cease and desist deal they’d made to withdraw from the system. I hope that pilot-squid had to explain to his buddies, in the face of his flight recorders, how his flit-fighter got foxed by a light shuttle.”

The ‘Wezland’ is the civilian model of the Angon scoutship, an early effort by PS/ASI to field a stealth scout vessel. By Three Galaxies’ standards, the Angon was fairly primitive and overly complex, though those that served did yeoman service for PS/ASI and the nascent United Systems Alliance. As the state of the art advanced, however, the Angon would be superseded by more advanced designs, though the basic hull design was still robust. The Wezland emerged as a civilian conversion for a light intersystem shuttle or short-hop interstellar transport.
The Wezland basically does away with the CANOU spaceplane capsules that were integral to the operations of the Angons. Without the need to play host /mothership to the stealth pods, the Wezland’s rear compartment could be extended to carry viable quantities of cargo, or more passengers on short runs. The removal of the ‘Ring Drive’ configuration with more conventional thruster units allowed for a faster FTL drive to be installed, though the Wezland can still harddock through a combination airlock/ramp in the rear. The military grade sensors have been stripped out, as has the stealth systems and weapons(though the weapons are available for reinstallation as options). The monoplanar forcefield as originally fitted has been downgraded to a light commercial shield. The Wezland gains some weight over the original Angon, as it replaces many specialized parts with more commonly available commercial units. With the space opened by by the lack of stealth systems and the docking gear for the stealth pod, for example, a better FTL drive could be installed.
The Wezland is proving quite popular in the worlds of the Fringe as a ‘bush-flyer’, its performance in atmosphere especially appreciated. It’s barely-demilitarized configuration makes refitting the design with military equipment a snap, and many ‘civilian’ Wezlands wind up as planetary defense force milita-shuttles. A number of registered-as-civilian Wezlands have also popped up in Free Worlds Council territory kitted out as bushfighters.
Ironically, the existence and popularity of the Wezland has helped extend the service life of those Angons remaining in military service, as the presence of the civilian version has helped camouflage the movements of the scout vessels.

Type: ASI-LInstel-AAT08 Wezland
Class: Light Aerospace Transport
Crew: 3+ room for 1-4 passengers(See Cargo)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 1,700
Reinforced Crew Compartment 600
Wings(4) 300 each
Forcefield 600
Height: 19 ft
Width: 95 ft (55 ft w/ wings folded)
Length: 60 ft
Weight: 25 tons
Cargo: 7 tons. If not carrying cargo, the rear compartment can be used for expanded living quarters, or short-term passenger space for an additional 12 passengers, reducing cargo capacity to 3 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 25 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 8
(Kitsune Values: 40% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 3 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not Possible
Bonuses: +3 dodge(+4, and +15% to Piloting in atmo)
Market Cost: 31 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus:
*Folding Wings---Retained from the original carrier-based Angon, this feature reduces the width/span, and allows the Wezland to be more easily stowed aboard larger ships and in smaller hangars.

*Thermal Resistant Heat-Refractory Tile Armor---Special heat-resistant materials designed for reentry vehicle shielding. Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/4 damage. Note that this applies only to the underside and leading edges of the airframe.

Weapons Systems: None standard(See Options)

Options:
* Wing Missile Launchers(1-2)---The space on the upper wing originally allotted to a fixed set of MRMLs has now been made modular, allowing for a variety of launchers and sensor pallets to be installed. This arguably makes the Wezland more versatile than the Angon, specially in the post-sale customization as a militia shuttle. Some commercial operators use these slots for deploying sensor drones.
a) Mini-Missiles--- 48 per launcher
Cost: 70,000 credits per launcher
b) Short Range Missiles--- 24 per launcher
Cost: 250,000 credits
c) Medium Range Missiles--- 12 per launcher
Cost: 300,000 credits

* Nose Guns(1-2)---The original HiLaser cannon have been replaced with two slots for WZT/ASI Light Weapon Mounts, or one slot for a WZT/ASI Medium weapon.


* Point Defense Lasers(1-3)---Three small defensive laser turrets can be (re)mounted around the hull; two on the ends of the wings, and one on top of the upper wing assembly. These are identical to the original Angon weapons.
Range: 1 mile in atmosphere, 2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 200 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or Eight attacks per melee if in automated antimissile mode(takes one melee action to switch between modes)
Bonuses: +3 to strike missiles.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 190,000 credits per laser turret

* (Optional) Wing Pods----Though the Wezland isn’t fitted to carry CANOU spaceplanes, it can be refitted to carry cargo pods (4 tons each, for a total of 8 tons) in their place. Doing so, however, negates the in-atmo performance bonuses until the pods are jettisoned. Some operators use these pods to hold additional countermeasure launches, or disposable stores such as ground-penetrating probes.

* Flare/Chaff Launchers(2)---Standard countermeasure system common to most WZT/ASI small craft. These launchers can deploy standard flares/chaff, ’smart’ chaff, or decoy pods.
a) Flares/Chaff
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 24 per launcher

b) Nanotech Jammers----The second system releases a nanotech swarm of active jamming pods and decoys that are programmed to emulate a spacecraft’s sensor signature, or, at the very least, bury enemy tactical communications in ‘white noise’.
Effective Range: 25 mile jamming radius
Duration: 5 minutes per pod-spray
Effects: Jams radio signals(75% chance of jamming military band command-guidance ordnance), and 60% chance of deflecting ordinary missiles.
Payload: 18 swarm packs

c) Grav-Decoys----The third system uses modified grav-pack drives and signal projectors to create a moving pattern of sensor signatures. The grav-pack mini-missile drives can go for 10 minutes before self-destructing, and can either be remotely directed or run a preset pattern.
Effective Speed: Mach 6
Duration: 10 minutes per pod
Effects: The decoys have a 70% chance of fooling enemy sensor operators and expert systems. They are are also +2 to enemy sensor-guided munitions to strike, increasing the chance that the missiles will elect to pursue the ‘louder’ sensor signature(the missile rolls to strike for both the original ship and each decoy deployed....highest to strike roll determines which target the missile(s) go after).
Payload: 15 decoys are carried, and can be deployed singly, or in ‘packs’ of 1-3.


Other options seen on ‘Wezzers’ include more powerful shielding, booster pods, extra sensors, different weaponry, and rear compartment fit-outs.
Of course, once the Wezland gets into the hands of technowizards, there’s an entire catalogue of TW enhancements and gimmickry there.

[Omegasgundam]

Good bushcraft are something the USA needs in large quantities, and this delivers. I can't see a specific flight bonus though, so you might want to put that in.

[taalismn]

Good bushcraft are something the USA needs in large quantities, and this delivers. I can't see a specific flight bonus though, so you might want to put that in.

Right under Speed:
(+4 dodge, and +15% to Piloting in atmo). It doesn't get a piloting bonus in space(neither did the Angon), so atmospheric flight is where it really delivers.

[taalismn]

Suraflite Corp. Model 590 Cargo Flier
“Hull protection may be light on the old five-nine-zeroes, but it’s durable. Suraflite didn’t stint on the military-grade environmental-proofing on the skinning. You can leave one of these ships out to rust in the back lot for a few decades, exposed to the elements, and then with a little tune-up and new fuses, get them flying again in no time.”

One of Suraflite Corp’s better long-term sellers, the excitment-charged-named Model 590 was based on a late Automaton War design for a light multipurpose interstellar tactical transport that several of the company’s engineers were working on. The war ended before the transport design could be finalized, and the project was canceled, but the demobbed shipwrights who worked on the design thought it was perfect for the recovering postwar economies. They were right; while the larger corporations focused on big transports for moving large amounts of reconstruction material and jump-start trade goods. smaller colonies and economies were left with the dregs, and new smaller ships that could service them were snapped up like hot cakes, replacing whatever military surplus hulls the outliers had as they wore out.
The Model 590 has an elongated shovel-shape, with a flattened wedge forward hull, with raised conning tower bridge/sensor blister, slender central shaft section, and a flaring rear drive section. The forward hull holds the bridge, living quarters, auxiliary drives, and pressurized internal cargo bay. The midsection is pylon’ed for the attachment of external modules; either cargo ‘cans’ or extra drive mass tanks, further protected by light mag-locked ‘shade’ plates. Access to the engineering systems was easy from both inside and out, maintenance simple, and upgrades easy to perform, so the Model 590 became quite popular. It was also durable, made initially using recycled warship armor, and later using materials of equal quality.
The Model 590 remained in production for over 200 years before the frontier moved far enough out that it no longer became economical for the now coreworld-based Suraflite to keep shipping them out over ever-increasing ranges to the main customer base for the design. Rather than move out with the demand, enough, Suraflite allowed itself to be enfolded into the Supralumatronics group. However, during the long production run of the -590, the quality of materials was never shorted, and the ships tended to have long first, second, and even third careers. Thousands still fly, and Supralumatronics still produces spare parts for the -590 and its related marks.
The Model 590 is common enough and easily modified enough that it is still quite popular with small operators and runners.

Type: Suraflite Model 590
Class: Light Supra-Light Freighter(Runner)
Crew: Can be effectively be operated by one person(but six are recommended); has crew/passenger accommodations for 20.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 2,000
Bridge/Life Capsule 600+90
Communications/Sensor Array 300 +45
Cargo Pod Shields(2) 300 each
Engine Pod 1,500+45
Tail Fins(2, retractable) 200 each
Landing Gear(4) 90 each
Forcefield(Heavy Commercial) 1200
Height: 45 ft
Length: 200 ft
Width: 50 ft
Weight: 600 tons
Cargo: Internal Cargo Bay(equiv. Super Cargo Can)
External Cargo Clamps can accommodate up to 4 Type 3(Large) Cargo Cans
Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ energy life of 30 years between refueling(though the ship typically needs to tank up on reaction mass for the propulsion every few months, depending on engine usage)
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 6 (escape velocity boost mode), Mach 1 cruise
(Normal Space) Mach 5
(Kitsune Values: 50% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.5% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 4 Light Years/Hour
Bonuses: +1 dodge
Market Cost: 47 million credits
Systems of Note:
*Extensive Automation
*Detachable Bridge Pod/Lifeboat
*External Cargo Clamps
*Extendable Airlock Tube
*Airfoil Brakes

Weapons Systems: None standard, but has provision for 1-4 light weapons

Variants:
The ‘spine and pod’ design of the engine mounting and external cargo clamps make replacing the drive units very simple, and a vast number of post-market variants sporting different engines, including both less- and more-advanced powerplants, can be found amongst -590s. Some long-range scout/prospector conversions even sport ion engines, along with extendable solar wings/radiators, and external extra fuel tankage.
Though its standard turrets are only capable of mounting light weaponry, a few more-extensively chopped vessels of this type have been seen sporting medium-class weapons, and accessory missile pods on the external clamps.
Another popular modification is a ‘barge clamp’ that would allow the -590 to attach itself to a larger powered barge that had its own FTL drive pod. The -590 can serve as the command module for the combo, piloting the linked vessels to the barge’s intended destination. The -590 could detach once they’d reached the endpoint, or if the crew had to escape a bad situation.

[Omegasgundam]

How about some fighters?

WZ-HSI-950 Starstreak Light Fighter

('Streaker')

"The Starsteak definitely isn’t a copycat design, and while the spaceframe is completely different the family relation to the Starcross are visible if you know how to look. I’ll admit that it’s nice that the Badger hasn’t been trumped by those maniacs, but it's still a quite capable fighter. It’ll clobber the Sharktooth, but that’s not a tremendous challenge considering how ‘budget conscious’ the TGE is for its light platforms. The best guestimate for the effective price for the Sharktooth is around 30 mil after all their various industrial cost savings, which still leaves them in the dust from an effectiveness standpoint."
---Captain Harriet McKenna, CAF, Director of Project Prominence

Intended as a replacement for the Starcross-A, the Starstreak program gained considerable emphasis after the release of the CAF’s Badger. While still distinctly inferior to that craft, it remains well ahead of the rest of the competition, prompting the AJC to begin switching over. Contractual arrangements have the AJC monopolizing production for years, but the older Starcross remains in production for the mass market and has seen its price decrease to 30 million. With the effective cessation of Scorpion production, this makes the Starcross the most commonly available factory fresh Light Fighter in the Three Galaxies, although the Bushido Industries Chokuto is widely regarded as being more capable.

As a clean sheet design, the Starstreak heavily benefits from improved technology, and is far smaller than its predecessor. Now resembling a widened arrowhead, the lifting body design has less raw durability, but the improved field more than compensates for the difference. The craft is also substantially more responsive, almost matching the Badger in raw agility. Internal armaments remain the same, but the over/underwing hardpoints have been greatly strengthened and can hold any of the options of the Super Tanto.

Spoiler:

Type: WZ-LF-950 Starstreak

Class: Light Fighter

Crew: 1

MDC/Armor by Location:

Main Body--------------500
Engines-----------------150
Heavy Hardpoint--------150
Reinforced Cockpit------125
Variable Forcefield-------200 per side (1200 total)

Statistics

Height: 11 feet (3.4 meters)
Width: 30 ft(10 m)
Length: 30 ft(10 m)
Weight: 8 tons

Cargo: Small space behind crew seating for a survival pack

Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-Fuelled Nuclear Fusion w/ 25 year energy life

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 7
(Sublight) Mach 19 w/o wing hardpoints, Mach 17.5 w/ wing hardpoints

(Kitsune Values: 40 PSL. Accel at 1.9 PSL per melee)
(FTL) None standard; can be fitted with an FTL Drive sled

Bonuses: +3 Dodge, +1 Initiative, +1 to Strike

Market Cost: 35 million credits, but has so far been monopolized by the AJC.

Systems of Note:

Standard (PW) Starfighter Systems, plus;

*Cyberlink: +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.

Weapons Systems:

1) Heavy Hardpoint (1): WZT/ASI Standard.

2) Light Hardpoints (2): WZT/ASI Standard.

3) Wing Pylons (4): See the Super Tanto.

4) Countermeasure Launchers (2): WZT/ASI Standard

Consortium Armed Forces CSF-7-TW ‘Panther’ Fighter-Bomber

(Wiz-Cat)

”The Panther on the other hand IS the sort of super-fighter that people hoped for. We collaborated with TI due to being so overstretched, and Lady Asyribis is one of the greatest engineers active in the Three Galaxies. You can tell where we poached ideas from WZT and ASI, but that’s not exactly a rare thing these days, and they really helped us narrow down what we wanted out of the design. I don’t know where the GSA and Asyribis set up the production facility for them, but its honestly none of my business. Once we’ve finished with the War Hawk I’m going to downgrade the Panther into something conventional, and half the work is already done thanks to all the development notes we kept.”

The Panther is a covert joint project between the CAF’s Project Prominence and Thoth Industries. Inspired by the Mommatan II, Wasp II, and Crystal Shard Fighter, the Panther is a Super-Fighter meant to give as great of an edge to the CAF’s most elite pilots in critical missions. The funds for it were acquired through the recovery of some of the more egregious ‘pork barrel’ projects of the CCW, and operational expenses are disguised under a number of bottom priority sector maintenance budgets with inflated hull counts. Pushing the envelope as far as possible with modern technology, it costs almost five times as much as a War Hawk, but in the right hands it can be worth it. Above all else, it is intended as a counter to the Bloodrinkers and Bloodthirsters of the TGE, which have an effect on the battlefield far beyond their relative numbers.

Spoiler:

Type: CSF-7-TW

Class: Heavy Fighter-Bomber

Crew: 2 (Pilot, System Specialist)

MDC/Armor by Location:

Main Body-------------1200
Engine-----------------800
Wings (2)--------------550 each
Hi-Lasers (4)----------100 each
GR-1000 (2)-----------150 each
Underwing Bays (2)----300 each
Reinforced Cockpit-----200
Variable Forcefield-----500 per side (3000 total)

Forcefields regenerate at 20% (80/480) per melee

Statistics

Length: 60 feet (20 m)
Width: 60 feet (20 m)
Height: 20 feet (6.2 m)
Weight: 100 tons (- metric tons) empty, but makes extensive use of the Dimensional Pocket enchantment to hide things.

Cargo: Utility closet (4 x 2 x 2 feet / 1.2 x .6 x .6 m) for personal effects. Utility closet is in a permanent dimensional pocket, and is often at least partially filled with ‘PPE Clips’.

Powerplant: Anti-matter w/ 50 year energy life, and housed in a Dimensional Pocket enchantment. The fighter also has a P.P.E generator that produces 40 P.P.E per hour and can hold up to 600 P.P.E in storage. This P.P.E can be used to power the spells cast by the fighter’s crew and enchantments on the fighter, and can be quickly refilled by using various forms of ‘PPE Clip’.

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 7, transatmospheric
(Sublight) Mach 18

(Kitsune: 50 PSL Accel/decel at 1.8 PSL per melee)
(FTL) The Panther can reach 7 light years an hour
(Underwater) 60 MPH at depths up to 500 ft

Bonuses: +4 to Strike, +3 to Dodge, +1 to Initiative, and +5% to piloting skill

Market Cost: 300 million credits to produce.

Systems of Note:

Standard Spacecraft Systems, as well as the following;

*Cyberlink: Provides a +1 to Init and Dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.

*EWAR Suite: -6 to strike for enemy sensor guided weapons.

*Stealth: 90% chance of eluding detection by enemy sensors at all ranges.

*Thermo-Kinetic Armor: As in DB: 8. Half damage from Kinetic and Heat based weapons. Does not show up on IR sensors.

*Ecotfiber Insulation Grid: Magic Attacks do half damage.

*Magic Sensors: Globe of Daylight, Presence Sense, See the Invisible, Sense Magic, Sense Evil, and See Aura. Permanently active

*Circles of Protection: +3 to save against magic (including anti-magic cloud and other forms of dispelling magic), +1 save against psychic attacks and a bonus of +2 to save vs Horror Factor. Permanently active.

*Extensive Dimensional Pockets: Any effect that would result in the fighter’s reactor or weapons to catastrophically fail instead results in them being disabled. Additionally, the first normal disabling effect to any critical system is ignored, and is reset upon repairs.

Weapons Systems:

1) HI-Lasers (4): As on Black Eagle.

3) GR-1000s (2): Mounted in the wing roots, with 750 bursts each. Triple the normal payload due to the Dimensional Pocket enchantment.

4) Underwing Bays (2): Triple the normal payload due to the Dimensional Pocket enchantment.

a) 228 SRMs
b) 114 MRMs
c) 54 LRMs
d) 24 CMs
e) 2 GR-1000s (750 bursts each)
f) 1 Medium Ship Mount (no small target penalty)
g) 1 Covert Insertion Pod
h) Reconnaissance Equipment

5) Heavy Countermeasure Launchers (2): Each may hold one of the following; triple the normal payload due to the Dimensional Pocket enchantment

a) Flare/Chaff: 108 per launcher, 216 total
b) NanoPods: 54 swarm packs per launcher, 108 total
c) Grav-Pods: 45 decoys per launcher, 90 total.

Active Techno-Wizard Features: 7th level equivalents

*Spell Card System: Can equip 8 different cards, with the most common being Hide in Space, Sustain, Tend the Whole, Repair System, Expel Demons, Improvise Critical System, Negate Magic, and Superluminal Speed.

*Shadow Meld: 20 PPE to activate, 3 minutes/level duration. Other craft are -6 to strike and -4 to dodge the Panther unless it is directly illuminated against something. This is nullified by See the Invisible and similar.

*Impervious to Energy: 40 PPE to activate, 2 minutes/level per activation.

*Invisibility Superior: 30 PPE to activate, 3 minutes/level per activation.

Variants: A conventional version is all but certain (tentatively designated the Lion), but it will be much less capable in most aspects. It would lack all of the magic and stealth features, have less bonuses, reach Mach 15 and 5 ly/h, and have weaker shields. Production cost would be around 130 million.

Trans-Galactic Empire TGE-BL-145A ‘Bloodletter’ Patrol Ship
“The results are in, and it looks like the TGE is serious about using the Bloodletter as an effective patrol ship. The new armaments are ripped off the Bloodthirster, which is to say mostly copied from the Black Eagle, but they’re much more effective than the Flying Fang and Dark Slayer cast offs that were on it previously. Relative cost is about five Sharkteeth, which is about par with what we expected once they put the grunt behind it. A pair of them is nominally more expensive than the Berzerker, but cost far less to outfit and operate, which is where the real money goes. The lower crew can be a double edged sword, but the ISB has to know how to deal with it from experience.”

After a few years of teething and industrial realignment, the TGE’s Bloodletter was finalized. Beyond a massive decrease in price, the problematic weapon suite has been greatly upgraded. While technically just copying the far more capable Bloodthirster, it is still a massive improvement, and allows it to serve as an adequate interior patrol vessel. Normally operating in pairs, the operating cost is far lower than a Berzerker, and its ability to land on planets simplifies maintenance. Naturally, production is split between the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Security Bureau, but as its purpose is to be a cost effective law enforcement platform the Warlords have little problem with this.

Spoiler:

Market Cost: The nominal production price has settled at around $150 million, with slave labor savings improving it further.

Weapons Systems:

1) Medium Laser Cannon: Fixed forward.

Range: (Palladium) 6 miles in atmosphere, 12 miles in space

(Kitsune Values) 12 miles in atmosphere, 1200 miles in space
MD: 1d4x100
RoF: Three shots per melee
Payload: Effectively unlimited

2) Super Horn Lasers (2): As on the Black Eagle. Fixed forward.

3) Super Gravity Autocannon (2): As on the Black Eagle. Fixed forward.

4) Dual Super Horn Laser Turret: As on the Black Eagle, 360/+90/-35 degrees of movement.

5) Medium Range Missile Launchers (2):

RoF: 1, 2, 4, 8
Payload: 12 MRMs each, for a total of 24

6) Forward SRM Launchers (2): As 5), but holds SRMs.

7) Rear SRM Launchers (2): As 6)

8) Missile Pylons (8): May hold 1 CM, 2 LRM, or 4 MRM

9) Heavy Countermeasure Launchers (2): Equivalent to WZT/ASI standard, but triple the payload.

[Omegasgundam]

And here I go quibbling over taalismn's work again. I'm trying out a new way of formatting the MDC listings, so tell me if you like it.

PS/ASI-ACST-FTL-4B NightHawk-B Light FTL Transport
(aka ‘Hawk II’)

The original NightHawk would perform well for several years, but a number of technological improvements prompted the design to be upgraded. Refinements in stealth armor technology grant it substantially greater durability, although it necessitated the removal of the reentry plates. The weapons were considered perfectly fine as they were, with only some minor changes (mostly administrative) to the countermeasure launcher needed. The primary gains are the internal systems, with an EWAR array granting improved penetration capabilities, and refinements to the emisitions baffling and stealth coatings helping further it as well. This does mandate the addition of two extra crewmen, but those that are cleared to purchase it also have access to Paladin Steel’s advanced robotic substitutes.

The most dramatic change was the inclusion of a Ross Aerospace inspired Auxiliary Thruster Array, which allows the craft to keep pace with most modern medium ASFs for half an hour. While it obviously nullifies the stealth capabilities while in use, it is intended for messy extractions where it has already been detected. Both Paladin Steel and WZT are working on how to best use this concept, but many of their smaller offerings have gained aftermarket options.

Spoiler:

Type: PS/ASI-ACST-FTL-4B Nighthawk

Class: Medium Aerospace Covert Transport

Crew: Six (Pilot, Copilot, Engineer, Weapons Officer, and two EWAR Operators)

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Main Body------------1,200
  Engine Nacelles (2)---400 each
  Tail Assembly---------500
  Nose Turret----------150
  Laser Turrets (5)-----90 each
  Landing Gear (4)-----50 each
  Variable Forcefield----400 per facing (2,400 total)

Market Cost: Internal accounting has it at around 110 million, with the Lucerin using -4S-Mod being pegged at 220 million due to its improved systems. The older versions cost 100 and 140 respectively.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Shuttle Systems, as well as the following.
  
  *ORACLE Mrk IVF
  
  *Auxiliary Thruster Array: Increases the craft’s sublight speed to Mach 15 (17 for the -4S-Mod) for up to 30 minutes, but must be refueled afterwards. It nullifies the stealth systems while in use.
  
  *Cyberlink: +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.
  
  *ECM Suite: Guided weapons are -5 to strike the craft.
  
  *ECCM Suite: +15% to counter ECM rolls
  
  *Emissions Baffling: Reduces all forms of energy emissions by 60%.
  
  *Stealth Configuration: 60% chance of going undetected by sensors at all ranges.

Variants:

• *AASTFTL-4S-Mod: As the original -4S, the Lucerin using model can reach speeds of Mach 12 and has expanded systems. The most important is that the FLT speed has been increased to 6 light years per hour, but there are other significant changes. The sensor suite is now corvette grade the Oni-designed stealth system improves the non-detection chance to 95%, and the ECM has been improved to -7 to strike. Beyond the Office of Positive Outcomes, they are available to the USA’s intelligence agencies and top level law enforcement.

PS/ASI-SCV25-A “Goupillon” Light Patrol Carrier
(Mostly just formatting changes to make the entry look nicer, as well as weapon quibbles.)

Spoiler:

Type: PS/ASI-SCV25-A Goupillon

Class: Light Patrol Carrier

Crew: 125, +45 aerospace complement

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Hull---------------17,500
  • Main Body---------------------5,000
    Bridge/Forward Hull------------2,000
    Engines (3)--------------------3,500 each
  Systems and Components
  • Comms/Sensor Array----------700
    Hangar Bays (4)---------------900 each
  Weapons
  • LR Heavy Laser Batteries (2)---800 each
    Triple Medium Turrets (3x2)----950 each
    Point Defense Turrets (8)------150 each
  Variable Forcefield----------------1,000 per side, 6,000 total

Statistics

• Height: 100 ft
  Width: 250 ft
  Length: 550 ft
  Weight: 23,000 tons

Cargo: 900 tons internally in the main hull

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 9.5
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 0.95 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour
  (Underwater) Not possible

Market Cost: 500 million credits

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Frigate Systems, as well as the following;
  
  *Enhanced Sensors: +25% greater than typical for the class (320,000 miles by DB: 13 standards)
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 10,000 mile range, 90% against civilian systems, 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Passive Stealth Systems: Reduces sensor signature by 45% when running cold.
  
  *Tractor Beam Emitters (4): 1,000 tons out to 25,000 ft. Space use only.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Intermediary Batteries (2): As on the Blackjack, and almost always equipped with Lasser Lasers.
  
  2) Triple Medium Turrets (2): Originally mounted on two external pylons, they are now placed in less vulnerable turrets. They are almost always equipped with KKRCs due to their utility in defeating energy resistant opponents and flak shell capability.
  
  3) PD Turrets (8): May be filled with any WZT/ASI standard mount, usually CAF style Laser/MM turrets.
  
  4) Modular Weapons Turrets (4): As on the Sunchaser.

Auxiliary Craft:

• *24 Medium Aerospace Fighters (Usually Tanto Mods to save on Lucerin)
  *4 Shuttles

PSS/ASI-FGMS-41-A ‘Oyumi’ System Defense Missile Frigate
(Really just formatting changes to make the entry look nicer)

Spoiler:

Type: PSS/ASI-FGMS-41 Oyumi

Class: System Defense Missile Frigate

Crew: 56 +optional 10 man Stelmarine security contingent.

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Hull------------51,000
  • Main Body------------------35,000
    Main Engine Bloc------------9,000
    Auxiliary Engines(2)---------3,500 each
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge----------------------10,000
    Hangar Bay-----------------1,000
  Weapons
  • Missile Launcher Wings (4)---2,000 each
    Medium Turrets (4)----------500 each
    PD Turrets (12)-------------150 each
  Variable Forcefield-------------3,000 per side, 18,000 total

Statistics

• Height: 120 ft
  Width: 220 ft
  Length: 350 ft
  Weight: 90,000 tons

Cargo: 1,000 tons

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric
  (Sublight) Mach 12
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 1.2 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 4 light years per hour (FTL capability is typically removed once on station)

Market Cost: 700 million credits

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Frigate Systems, as well as the following;
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 10,000 mile range, 90% against civilian systems, 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Passive Stealth Systems: Reduces sensor signature by 40% when running cold.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Heavy Missile Launchers (4): Rather than a fixed weapons configuration as with the Javelin, each of the Oyumi’s four ‘arms’ or ‘wings’ holds space for a heavy missile launcher and a capacious supply of ammunition for it. The Oyumi doubles, or triples in some cases, the missile capacity of each launcher type, allowing the ship to stay in combat longer without having to retreat to reload(since, in its role as a systems defense ship, its logistics would be nearby and vulnerable).
  • a) Cruise Missiles: 80 per launcher, and volleys up to 10.
    
    b) Long Range Missiles: 320 per launcher, and volleys up to 32. May also fire Decoy or ‘noisemaker’ warheads.
    
    c) Heavy Nuclear Missile Launcher: 24 per launcher, and volleys up to 6. May be equipped with and equal number of Long Lance IV or Heavy Nuclear ‘SunBombs’
    
    d) X-Ray Laser/Plasma Jet Bombs: 36 per launcher, and volleys up to 6.
  2) Medium Weapons Turrets (4): At the tips of the wings, and use WZT/ASI Medium Starship Mounts. The positioning of the turrets gives them a wide arc of fire around the frigate.
  
  3) Point Defense Turrets (12): 2 on each wing, 4 around the stern. Any target approaching the monitor can be targeted by at least two, perhaps as many as four, turrets simultaneously.
  • a) Pulse Lasers (LC-3x)
    b) Slayer -D Quad-Laser Cannon (PS-RFL-40D)
    c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS
    d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon
    e) Rail Gun PDS
    f) Particle Beam PDS
    g) Ion Cannon PDS
    h) Pulse Laser PDS

Auxiliary Craft: 2 Shuttles

Variants:

• *PSS/ASI-FGMS-41B:(aka ‘Boom-Flower’, ‘Plasma-Rose’) This variant apes the Javelin’s -07D in mounting heavy plasma torpedo launchers in place of the missile launchers.
  • 1) Tractor Beam Projectors (8, two on each wing): 500 tons, 5 miles in space.
    
    2) Medium Plasma Torpedo Launchers (8, two on each wing):
    • Range: 20 miles in atmosphere, 80 miles in space
      • (Kitsune Values: 80 miles in atmo, 80,000 miles in space)
      Damage: 1d6x100 MD per blast to 100 ft blast radius
      Rate of Fire: Each array can launch volleys of 1-8 torpedoes, twice per melee
      Payload: Effectively unlimited
  A mine warfare/battle tender variant of the Oyumi is also supposedly under consideration.

PSS/ASI-CGG-08M-A ‘Makrigga’ Medium Patrol Cruiser
(aka ‘finback’, ‘sharky’, ‘Kasera’)

The first few Makriggas were of fixed weapon configurations, and had a number of teething issues that needed to be worked out before mass conversion and production began. The most important problem was that the armor distribution and associated framework was found to be counter productive, with the main hull being a bit too armored, the engines having nowhere near enough, and the weapon mounts being relatively fragile. The last was solved by using newer turret mantlets from the LaFayette line, but the main body had to undergo a net decrease in protection to better cover the mobility systems. However, this granted greater access to a number of high maintenance systems, so it was considered a tolerable loss for a frontier patrol vessel. Additionally, the new shield generator was found to be too ambitious for the available power grid when combined with the heavy energy weapons, so the older Warshield grade model was reinstalled.

Interestingly, the Makrigga are being used as the testing grounds for ASI’s attempts at heavier capital energy weapons. While having less concentrated damage than the old mount, the rate of fire is thought to compensate, and it is far less maintenance intensive due to many technological developments. Just why they decided to fit them onto a fusion rather than Lucerin or Antimatter powered vessel is a difficult question to answer though. It's inarguable that their installation prevents the use of the WZT’s ‘Quad-Regen’ technology however, but the Makrigga is still quite heavily protected for a cruiser sized patrol ship. Other changes consist of the medium turrets being replaced with the common modular mounts, and the LRM bays being replaced with CAF-pattern equivalents. The ability to fire Long Lances was not thought to be particularly useful on a patrol craft, and if need be such capabilities were easily available on smaller platforms.

While more expensive than the LaFayette, the Makrigga has less logistical issues, allowing it to be fielded by more tenuous USA members. The modifications needed to reinstall the old KKRCs and Medium Lasers are considered minor, allowing the use of older stores without much issue. The vessel is inarguably more capable than a Warshield in nearly all aspects, and the lack of CMLs is seen as a negligible problem given its expected users, the far greater gun power and physical durability more than compensates. The entirety of production has been bought up by USA members, but it is hoped that it will soon be available on the commercial market.

Spoiler:

Type: PSS/ASI-CGG-08M-A

Class: Medium Patrol Cruiser

Crew: 120, +40 man Stelmarine security contingent

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Hull-------------70,000
  • Main Body-------------------60,000
    Main Engine-----------------10,000
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge----------------------10,000
    Hanger Bay------------------3000
  Weapons
  • Heavy Capital Lasers (2)-----1200 each
    Triple Medium Turrets (5)----800 each
    Dual Medium Turret (8)-------800 each
    LRM Launchers (2)-----------600 each
    PD Turrets (18)--------------150 each
  Variable Forcefield--------------5,000 per side (30,000 total)

Statistics

• Height: 140 ft
  Width: 220 ft
  Length: 550 ft
  Weight: 135,000 tons

Cargo: 7,500 tons

Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 9
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 0.9 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour

Market Cost: 3 billion credits new to USA Members, but will have the common Cruiser surcharge of 100% (6 billion) to outsiders. Refit of an older vessel comes to 1.5 billion credits due to the number of system changes.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Cruiser Systems, plus:
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 10,000 mile range, 90% against civilian systems, 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Passive Stealth Systems: Reduces sensor signature by 40% when running cold.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Single Heavy Capital Lasers (2):
  • Range: 30 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
    • (Kitsune: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
    Damage: 2d4x1,000 MD per Shot
    Rate of Fire: Twice per melee
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited
  2) Triple Medium Turrets (5): 2 ventral, 2 dorsal, and 1 on the fantail. Usually equipped with the original KKRCs.
  
  3) Twin Medium Turrets (8): Usually equipped with the original medium lasers.
  
  4) LRM Launchers (2): These have been replaced with CAF pattern 32-silo autoloading models, with 9 reloads.
  
  5) Point Defense Turrets (18):
  • a) Pulse Lasers (LC-3x)
    b) Slayer -D Quad-Laser Cannon (PS-RFL-40D)
    c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS
    d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon
    e) Rail Gun PDS
    f) Particle Beam PDS
    g) Ion Cannon PDS
    h) Pulse Laser PDS
  6) Weapons Module: Mounted ahead of the new dorsal heavy weapons turret is a slot for an additional modular weapons mount, typically a missile launcher or KEW turret.
  • a) Medium Range Missiles: 180 MRMs, volleys of 1-10.
    b) Long Range Missiles: 180 LRMs, volleys of 1-10.
    c) Cruise Missiles: 70 CMs, volleys of 1-10.
    d) Triple Medium Turret: See 2)
    e) Single Heavy Tachyon ScatterGun
    f) Forcefield Generator Booster: Increases shields to 7,000 per side (42,000 total)
    g) Multiplexor: Can carry up to 6 different cards, typically high level space spells.
    h) Ion Cannon: (ionization rules courtesy of Henning Rogge)
    • Range: (Palladium) 4 miles in atmosphere, 12 miles in space
      • (Kitsune) 12 miles in atmosphere, 12,000 miles in space
      Damage: 1d4x100 MD per blast, and has the Rogge ionization rules.
      Rate of Fire: Five times per melee
      Payload: Effectively unlimited

Auxiliary Craft:

• 12 Medium Aerospace Fighters
  4 Shuttles

PS/ASI-CG-18-A ‘Kamayari’-class Heavy Cruiser
(aka ‘Greenblade’, ‘Stoneblade’, ‘Knightstick’ )

The test fitted Kamayari was perfectly functional, but it still had some issues. The overall sustained firepower on the Capital PBC was lacking, but the supporting infrastructure had been overbuilt with the hopes of being able to field more powerful weapons. It would be several years before they were available, but the mountings were sufficiently finalized for planning purposes, and promised to triple the effective output. Simultaneously, a number of design improvements in available Intermediary weapons allowed the current mounts to be made modular, although the original configuration was considered the most practical. It did allow for more expedite replacements however, and the conversion of older stores to the new standard was going quite quickly.

Additionally, the CM and LRM launchers were converted to more capable CAF models, which greatly increased the sustained rate of fire, and the MRM mounts saw similar improvements in reloading speed. The PD turrets were almost an afterthought in comparison, but the frequently lost nature of their mountings made it a good idea to make it easier to source replacements. Finally, there were a number of changes to turret protection, making the heavy weapons a bit harder to knock out, and the now expected EWAR array forces opponents to use ECCM warheads to retain effectiveness.

The primary failing remains economic, with the USA still lacking in the industrial infrastructure to produce such large ships in a cost effective manner. The CAF’s smaller Champion costs less than a third the price, and has more than half the effective capabilities. As it stands, the Kamayari costs as much to construct as an Aegis battlecruiser, which places it in an awkward spot to say the least. Thankfully, the polity’s industrial expansion is continuing at its rapid pace, so the issue will be brought under control within a decade, which will make it fully competitive with major power designs.

Spoiler:

Type: PS/ASI-CG-18-A Kamayari

Class: Heavy Cruiser

Crew: 390 crew, 60 marines, 50 person aerospace group

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Hull----------------------------170,000
  • Main Body-----------------------------80,000
    Secondary Hulls (2)-------------------15,000 each
    Main Engines--------------------------40,000
    Secondary Engines (2)----------------10,000 each
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge---------------------------------10,000
    Axi Bridge-----------------------------10,000
    Hangar Bays (2)-----------------------12,000 each
    Sensor/Radiator Wings (3)-------------6,000 each
    Secondary Sensor Arrays (2)----------1,200 each
  Weapons
  • Single Heavy Capital Turrets (3)-------1,600 each
    Triple Intermediary Turrets (6)---------1,600 each
    Single Intermediary Turrets (10)-------900 each
    Cruise Missile Launchers (4)-----------1,200 each
    LRM Launchers (4)--------------------600 each
    MRM Launchers (10)------------------300 each
    Point Defense Turrets (14)------------150 each
  Variable Forcefield-----------------------8,000 per side, 48,000 total
  
  Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee

Statistics

• Height: 210 ft
  Width: 480 ft
  Length: 1,100 ft
  Weight: 400,000 tons

Cargo: 10,000 tons

Powerplant: Lucerin-Fuelled Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life, Auxiliary Fusion System.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 11 ( Mach 9 w/Secondary Hulls attached), Mach 7 under auxiliary
  • (Kitsune: 60 PSL; Accels/decel at 1.1 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5.2 light years per hour

Market Cost: 11 billion to produce for the USA, and is nominally offered at 32 billion thanks to the current premium on large capital ships. Infrastructure improvements are on track to reduce it to 6 billion.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Cruiser Systems, plus:
  
  *Long Range Sensors: Detects FTL travel up to 25 ly, and sublight vessels up to .9 ly.
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -5 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 10,000 mile range, 90% against civilian systems, 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Tractor Beams (4): 1,500 tons, 10 mile range in space.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Single Heavy Capital Laser Turrets (3):
  • Range: 30 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space
    • (Kitsune: 100 miles in atmosphere, 100,000 miles in space)
    Damage: 2d4x1,000 MD per Shot
    Rate of Fire: Twice per melee
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited
  2) Triple Intermediary Turrets (6): Optimized for Heavy Gauss Cannon.
  
  3) Single Intermediary Turrets (10, 3 each side, 4 rear): Optimized for Lasser Lasers.
  
  4) Cruise Missile Launcher (4): CAF pattern, 32-silo, 9 reloads each
  
  5) Long Range Missile Launchers (4): CAF pattern, 32-silo, 9 reloads each
  
  6) Medium Range Missile Launchers (10): 20-silo, 60 missiles, 1 melee autoloading, 15 reloads available.
  
  7) Point Defense Turrets (22): Usually Tachyons and GR-1000s

Auxiliary Craft:

• 24 Medium Fighters (usually Star Tiger II)
  20-60 Power Armors
  8 shuttles

Secondary Hull Options: Like the Pillara, it can mount two LaFayette style pods at the expense of some speed. (reduce to Mach 10 if one is carried, but piloting skill is at -5%, and down to Mach 9 if two are carried, but no skill penalty).

• *’D’-Drive Pod: Additional engine section, boosting the ship’s sublight speed; if one is carried, it’s possible to carefully balance the thrust to boost the speed back up to 11, even with another secondary hull attached, but maneuvering/piloting skill is at -10% because of the off-balance). If TWO D-Pods are mounted, boost speed to Mach 13.

Variants:

• *PS/ASI-CG-18-AD(x): It is rumored that several Kamayaris have been refitted with the same advanced hull plating as the Tmelain/WZT WZ-LS-003-TA(advanced) Cachalot Landing/Battleships. Supposedly, even beyond this added protection, ASI/WZT engineers have mounted an advanced energy absorption/repurposing system based on the Angel fighter, allowing the cruisers to absorb incoming fire, then use it to enhance their own defense fields of energy weapons.
  
  Reports of the -CG-18D(x) project differ; while most agree that the Syzite-hulled Kamayaris certainly are possible and exist, most likely deployed to special Expeditionary Force Reserve squadrons, the energy-redirection refits are less certain, but if they DID exist, such ships would be truly fearsome against rank and file energy weapon-dependent opponents. The per melee damage limit of the panels would be 12K MD per melee.

[taalismn]

And here I go quibbling over taalismn's work again. I'm trying out a new way of formatting the MDC listings, so tell me if you like it
PSS/ASI-FGMS-41-A ‘Oyumi’ System Defense Missile Frigate
(Really just formatting changes to make the entry look nicer)
[spoiler]Type: PSS/ASI-FGMS-41 Oyumi

Cosmic irony in that the Oyumi is one of the aesthetically UGLIEST spacecraft I've ever sketched out.
Now we can add the disclaimer 'so ugly somebody else had to reformat the DESCRIPTION so at least SOME part of the ship was easy on the eyes."

PS/ASI-CG-18-A ‘Kamayari’-class Heavy Cruiser

(snip_)
...and the quest for top of the line domestically-produced heavy iron goes on....

[Omegasgundam]

...and the quest for top of the line domestically-produced heavy iron goes on....

Give it a few years and you can try again when making the power plant, drive, and guns won't break the bank. That's the core problem I have with ASI pushing big capital ships so hard. A decade later and they would make perfect sense. I'm currently going over you're Altess post, so I'll be the one with reaction commentary for once.

[Omegasgundam]

As the last things I post for the night, here's my long relayed revision of the Mogami and Carrier conversion for the comically oversized Blade.


Let's start off by saying that the original Mogami was simply too much ship into too small a hull to be believable. It comically outclassed the Hunter, with far too much firepower and guns. It being so much faster and cheaper didn’t help things. As such, I’m pretending it's much more in line.

WZ-CRZ-014R Mogami II Destroyer
”The original Mogami was the default Hunter alternative in the areas around Golgan space since the moment it was released. Garbage as an independent patrol craft, but it worked wonders as part of a group if you could deal with the lack of crew space. FDF formations have been phasing them out for more flexible designs, but it really amounts to shifting them to the MDF, and most of them are being picked up by Smallkin crews. The new version is a near peer to the Hauberk, and the normal fusion powered version is selling extremely well to minor powers. It being usable by people that aren’t near monks helps with that.”
---- Captain-General Vicen Trancluw, CAF

The original Mogami was something of a confused mess, but it was popular regardless due to its relatively high capabilities and low cost. It had soldiered on for numerous years, but like nearly all escorts of its nominal generation it needed revisions after the Minion War. Having gained a domestic rival in the form of ASI’s Hauberk, the designers on Rebliss decided to develop a more practical design for both domestic and mass market purposes. The overall intent was to be a more capable alternative to the contemporary Super Hunter, and for the relative price tag the Mogami II did exactly that.

The first change was to lengthen the hull to provide more volume. The interior was rearranged to be more comfortable for galactic standard sized crew, and Rebliss’s increasing use of light exoskeletons had led to their personal becoming effectively taller as well. Overall hull protection has increased, and the shield is abnormally powerful for its mass. The only remaining weapons of the oritional suite are the lateral MRM launchers, with the rear set being replaced with dual LRM versions. The heavy turrets have been repositioned and replaced with WZT module mounts, and the overall barrel count has increased. Finally, a number of badly needed PD turrets were installed, and a basic ECM suite provides additional protection against missiles.

Beyond these obvious changes, a large number of quality of life improvements were included. While the Rebliss had little need for them, it was recognised that the original crew facilities were far too spartan for most other races, and thus a secondary cargo bay was added that could be reconfigured to provide these services. Overall crew count has also decreased, as more the refined and less overstressed systems need less maintenance to keep running. The ship remains capable of underwater operation, and many operators have gone to the trouble of establishing hidden port facilities to take advantage of it.

The Mogami’s greatest problem remains its lack of parasites. As a defensive or escort craft this is less of an issue, but it greatly hinders patrol capability. Direct combat potential is equal to that of the Hauberk, but the AJC needs more flexible craft. The Mogami sells quite well to member worlds and other lesser polities however, and is a very popular ship among mercenary commands.

Spoiler:

Type: WZ-CRZ-014R Mogami

Class: Destroyer

Crew: 30, up to 10 troops/passengers

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Main Body----------------5,000
  Bridge--------------------1,200
  Dual Medium Turrets (4)---800 each
  PD Mounts (6)------------150 each
  LRM Launchers (2)--------600 each
  MRM Launchers (2)-------400 each
  Variable Forcefields--------1,500 each side (9,000 total)
  *Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee

Statistics

• Height: 120 ft (40 m)
  Width: 60 ft main hull/ 120 ft with pylons(20 m/40 m)
  Length: 330 ft (110 m)
  Weight: 6,000 tons

Cargo: 200 tons, 100 tons with crew facilities

Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-Fuelled Nuclear-Fusion w/ 25 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 4, transatmospheric
  (Sublight) Mach 13
  • (Kitsune Values: 60% PSL; Accel at 1.3 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour
  (Underwater) 60 MPH, and can handle depths up to 800 ft.

Market Cost: 400 million credits for the full Lucerin version.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Destroyer Systems, plus:
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Dual Medium Turrets (4): 2 Forward, 1 Aft, 1 Ventral
  
  2) PD Mounts (6) WZT/ASI Standard.
  
  3) Lateral MRM Launchers (2): 20 silo, 160 missiles each, 1d6 minute reload.
  
  4) Rear LRM Launchers (2): 8-silo, 80 missiles each

Auxiliary Craft: 1 shuttle

Variants:

• *WZ-CRZ-014R: Downgrading the Lucerin reactor to normal fusion, the effective rate of fire for the primary turrets is halved, sublight speed is reduced to Mach 11, FTL is limited to 4 light years per hour, and the shield is reduced to 1000 MDC per facing with the normal 5% regeneration. However, the cost is reduced to 320 million, and it is still considered a peer to the Super Hunter, at least as long as the latter's parasites are discounted.

As I don't have the art that was used for the Blade, if there was any, I'm pulling this out of my ass. The shear side of the things has to make it viable as a carrier basis though.

WZ-CV-018 'Harpe' Light Carrier
“The only real surprise with the Harpe is that it took so long for them to do it. The Blade’s status as a near balloon gave it more volume than it knew what to do with, and it didn’t have the power generation to be a gun boat. While the deck-to-mass ratio isn’t quite as good as the Dauntless, the Dauntless is also an outright freak of engineering for it, so the Harpe is likely the second best in the Three Galaxies. It's still fusion powered, so it doesn’t have an enormous energy budget, but the relative price is still exceptionally low for what you get. The airwing is more than eight times the cost, so you know it's a good carrier.”
---- Captain Jacky Kelson, CAF

An unexpected addition to the USA’s fleet, the Kai’Shem produced Harpe uses components from the Blade class Missile ‘Destroyer’ to produce a viable carrier platform. The Blade is infamous for its excessively large volume, ever for its light cruiser sized mass, so it makes sense that it would be used to host a large number of parasites. Unlike the related Tungi however, it could not use the same spaceframe, as the engineering tricks used to grant the ship its durability became a hindrance in creating the large open spaces needed to hold a substantial air wing. The overall mass increased by a full 25% to fit all the desired systems, but Kai’Shem’s infamously low density architecture easily took the changes. The overall dimensions remain similar however, allowing it to be produced in the same construction slips.

While the Harpe remains fragile for its volume (if not mass), its rock bottom procurement and operation price means that it competes in a far different bracket than that of full Fleet Carriers. Protection is high for a Carrier, with the Blade’s armor and fast regenerating shield system retained. Defensive armaments are relatively sparse, and are primarily intended to counter strike craft and missiles. The unusual SRM launchers have been replaced with additional PD turrets however, and the remaining LRMs are of CAF autoloading models. The true offensive punch is its three squadrons of fighters, which is a phenomenal amount even given the ship’s mass. The sheer volume of its bays allows it to casually field the USA’s larger heavy fighters, usually grouped into 12-craft ‘heavy squadrons’.

The USA uses the Harpe primarily to host its various heavy fighters, being far better able to handle them than its various other Light Carriers. Thanks to its relative durability, it is far better able to risk being present on the battlefield than most other equivalent designs, and most opponents have more pressing concerns when facing down a full 36 Derecho ‘pocket corvettes’. It also commonly fields the Jatar, having similarly low infrastructure needs. The Harpe also sees use as a tender craft for more advanced designs such as the Archangel-A and the Raiju II, and the USA Marshals Service have seen success in fielding it as a mobile depot for the Haizam-B.

Spoiler:

Type: WZ-CV-018 Harpe

Class: Light Carrier

Crew: 150 crew, 200 man aerospace complement, up to 100 troops, and up to 350 passengers.

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Hull-------------------77,000
  • Main Body----------------------------65,000
    Engines (2)---------------------------6,000 each
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge -------------------------------3,000
    Flag Bridge---------------------------3,000
    Forward Launch Bays (2)-------------8,000
    Rear Recovery Bay-------------------10,000
  Weapons
  • Single Medium Turrets (2)------------600 each
    LRM Launchers (4)-------------------600 each
    Point Defense Turrets (24)-----------150 each
  Variable Forcefield*---------------------5,000 each side (30,000 total)
  
  Shield regenerate at 20% per melee

Statistics

• Height: 375 feet (125 m)
  Width: 660 feet (220 m)
  Length: 1500 feet (500 m)
  Weight: 100,000 tons

Cargo: 20,000 tons

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric
  (Sublight) Mach 10
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 1 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour
  (Underwater) 60 MPH, and handle depths up to 1,800 ft

Market Cost: 1 billion credits for the USA, often goes for more than 2 billion on the open market due to the demand for effective carrier platforms.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Cruiser Systems, as well as the following.
  
  *Enhanced Sensors: +25% greater than typical for the class (320,000 miles by DB: 13 standards)
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal.
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 10,000 mile range, 90% against civilian systems, 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Tractor Beams (6): 1,500 tons dead weight. 10 miles in space.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Long Range Missile Launchers (4): CAF-pattern, 9 reloads.
  
  2) Single Medium Turrets (2): Wing pylon mounts, 360 by 90 degree firing arc.
  
  3) PD Mounts (24): WZT/ASI standard.

Aux Craft:

• *up to 36 Heavy Fighters (usually Derechos)
  -OR-
  *up to 72 Light or Medium Aerospace Fighters
  *60 Space Power Armor
  *2-6 Shuttles

Variants:

• WZ-AD-018 Corvette Tender: The -AD model replaces the hangers with berthing space and support infrastructure for up to 18 Blackbird or Meteor Storm corvettes.
  
  WZ-LPD-018-AL Assault Transport: While still waiting on a good heavy dropship design, the -LPD variant looks to be the AJC’s first purpose built troop transport. Troop load is expected to be a mechanized regiment.

[taalismn]

....and printed to hardcopy for my ever-expanding bedside reading files.

[Omegasgundam]

....and printed to hardcopy for my ever-expanding bedside reading files.

And here's some more. I will put header quotes in later, and have already added them to the earlier ones.

DDES-14R Larna-Pe II class Heavy Destroyer
(aka ‘Gun Forrest’)

“The Larna-Pe is a source of immense frustration for me, as while it is hideous, it is hideous with thought and purpose behind it. Intent is a key part behind the most successful creations, and the intent of the Larna-Pe was to get as many shipyard workers getting a steady paycheck as fast as possible. The people I’ve had looking into the matter say it was something of a coin toss if Thelheim would be able to prevent its own implosion long enough to line up new contracts, so it is quite understandable that ASI cut every corner they could to speed the development along. As such, I have to give them leeway for ‘political demands’, and they’ve thankfully gone back to the drawing board now that the recent fires have been put out and they have time to catch their breath. The redesign is still a bit aesthetically challenged, but the improved visual coherency makes it merely mediocre, although the weapon pylons have a tendency to attract the eye more than it strictly warrants. Unfortunately, they just pushed out that abomination they call the Oyumi, but at least that eye sore’s SOP is to be forgotten about in backwaters.”
---Jelko Rodula

A dramatic revision of the original Larna-Pe, the -14R is a redesign once again hailing from the Thelheim Yards. Applying a great deal more engineering work to the basic concept, the original configuration and components have been further rationalized, becoming a far less ungainly and visually offensive design. The layout has been rationalised to better suit the ‘doubled up’ configuration, reducing frame stress and maintenance demands, and the components have been refined to be better suited for fringe and frontier operation. Visually, the largest differences are that the forward hull has lost its shrinking ‘neck’, widening out to provide additional internal space, and that the armatures have been altered to all have the same effective length. The aft armatures retain the ‘X’ arrangement of the old Ex1 variant, maximizing forward firepower.

An important part of the changes was a rationalization of the weapon systems. Thelheim has recently managed to upgrade their weapons manufacturing capabilities, and large numbers of the more modern and faster firing models of anti-ship weapons are entering the USA’s logistics system. As such, while the overall barrel count has been reduced, the consolidated dual mounts have the same net firepower, which opens a substantial amount of volume to work with. This was used to consolidate the parasite slips into a small hanger bay, providing some organic fighter cover. Point Defense mounts were replaced with modern equivalents, almost doubling in durability and becoming much more flexible. The ship’s reactor has sufficient power to operate all of these systems to their full potential, including the improved force field, and is the reason for the ship’s relatively high mass and price tag.

As the original Larna-Pe had won the respect of its users, the improved and less aesthetically challenged model was eagerly welcomed. The slight price increase was easily compensated by the various improvements, and the ship is found to be less problematic to operate. It remains exceptional at customs duties and swarm suppression, and often serves as the flagship for small CDF formations. The overall success would result in an improved version of the similar vintage DDES-13 Godendag.

Spoiler:

Type: PSS-DDES-14R Larna-Pe II

Class: Heavy Space Destroyer

Crew: 64, up to 24 marines, and up to 15 passengers

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Body----------20,000
  • Main Body--------------------12,000
    Main Engines (2)--------------4,000 each
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge------------------------2,000
    Armatures (8)----------------1,750 each
    Hangar Bays------------------2000
  Weapons
  • Dual Medium Mounts (8)------600 each
    Missile Launchers (4)---------200 each
    Point Defense Turrets (18)---150 each
  Variable Forcefield--------------2,000 per side, (9,000 total)
  
  *Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee

Statistics

• Height: 150 ft
  Width: 150 ft
  Length: 820 ft
  Weight: 24,000 tons

Cargo: 500 tons

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
  • (Note: Will be damaged if it lands as Brandestoc)
  (Sublight) Mach 15
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 1.5 PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour

Market Cost: 900 million credits

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Destroyer Systems, plus:
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -5 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 8,000 mile range, 95% against civilian systems, 75% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Passive Stealth Systems: Reduces sensor signature by 70% when running cold.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Dual Medium Mounts (8): WZT/ASI standard.
  
  3) Ion “TKO” Cannon (2): See Brandestoc.
  
  3) MRM/LRM Missile Launchers (4): Dorsal and ventral of the forward armatures.
  • Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
    Payload: 30/60 LRMs/MRMs per launcher, up to 120/240 total
  4) Point Defense Turrets (18): One on each weapons armature, two flanking the main engines, eight on the forward main hull
  • a) Pulse Lasers (LC-3x)
    b) Slayer-D Quad-Laser Cannon (PS-RFL-40D)
    c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS
    d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon
    e) Rail Gun PDS
    f) Particle Beam PDS
    g) Ion Cannon PDS
    h) Pulse Laser PDS
    i) Tachyon PDS

Auxiliary Craft:

• *4 Light Fighters
  *1 (Medium) Shuttle
  *Up to 24 Power Armor

The Perdition suffers from early installment weirdness, with too much firepower and not enough armor and fighters. This is my attempt to fix it.

WZ-CAC-3100 Perdition II Fleet Carrier
“To say that the Perdition changes are extensive is putting it mildly. They essentially scrapped everything beyond the core structural framework and built a new ship around it, which would normally be cost prohibitive. In this case, the real high ticket items could be easily transplanted and most of the original exteriors had a number of various mid to high priority problems, so the program likely cost as much refurbishing them to their original specifications. The split bay makes it slightly less efficient than single bay design, but with this many craft the advantages of operational redundancy will make themselves felt regardless of any enemy action. As a brawler, it's now at least passable against meaningfully modern Heavy Cruisers, and the AJC’s stretched deployments make it quite plausible that it will actually be relevant.”
--- Captain-General Vicen Trancluw, CAF

While capable, the Perdition class suffered from a number of problems. While the ‘Battle-Carrier’ concept always has its issues, the Perdition had more than most, having not enough protection and not enough strike craft for its mass and volume. A number of other engineering problems also plagued the class, but prior to the Minion War WZT lacked the ability to properly address them, and during it they were too busy to undergo the lengthy rebuilding process. But once the last of the major fires was put out the vessels returned to their original construction yards and spent several years in extensive ship surgery, which saw them be reconstructed from the frame out and gain more than 80 ft in width.

Constantly compared to the Packmaster, the Perdition shared its problematic armor protection. The Perdition II on the other arguably takes cues from the CAF’s Saratoga in this regard, with high armor and dispersed hangar bays, although it is entirely possible it's actually the other way around. To save volume and to improve effectiveness, the weapon mounts were consolidated into multi turret arrangements, and many believe this to result in a net increase in firepower. The Cruise Missile Launchers were found to be of relatively little value, and they were removed to open up even more volume. These space savings were used to expand the all important hanger facilities, and is now able to host up to five full Wings of mixed aerospace fighters. Those that cannot afford to fill the bays with manned craft usually replace them with Enryu drones on a two-to-one basis.

Internally, a laundry list of faults and design problems were solved, with the craft becoming more reliable and easier to maintain. A number of important support systems were added, such as long range FTL sensors and EWAR systems, and the somewhat vulnerable engines were replaced with a more armored dual arrangement. Command facilities were also greatly expanded, with a proper flag bridge allowing fleet level coordination without the previous headaches. The level of work also enabled the shield generator to be replaced with a 20% stronger model. Crew accommodations were naturally expanded to keep up with the increased load.

With the design problems effectively solved, the Perdition II is a far more capable ship, likened to a Saratoga that trades raw durability for more firepower. Its greatest issue is that the construction cycle is exceptionally lengthy, with the still developing nature of the USA’s industry resulting in it having a far higher price tag than a core world firm. This should be resolved within the next decade, and all experts believe that the USA will go on a capital construction spree once the capability is truly in their hands. In the meantime, the Perdition II remains the largest warship the USA has outside of the TME Regulators, and usually fills them with Starstreaks, Star Tiger IIs, and Archangel-As.

Spoiler:

Type: WZ-CAC-3100 Perdition II

Class: Fleet Carrier

Crew: 1,650 (30 bridge crew, 120 engineering, 1,500 mechanical/technical, assuming 3 shifts), up to 1500 pilots and aerospace techs, up to 800 marines, and up to 200 passengers

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Main Hull---------210,000
  • Main Body-----------------------140,000
    Engines (2)----------------------35,000
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge---------------------------20,000
    Secondary Bridge----------------20,000
    Flag Bridge-----------------------20,000
    Lateral Hangar Bays (6)----------20,000 each
  Weapons
  • Triple Capital Turrets (2)---------5,000 each
    Dual Intermediary Batteries (4)--1200 each
    Triple Medium Mounts (8)--------900 each
    MRM Launchers (8)--------------400 each
    PD Mounts (30)-----------------200 each
  Variable Forcefields*---------------12,000 each side (72,000 total)
  *Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee

Statistics

• Height: 1,312 ft (400 m)
  Width: 1,312 ft (400 m)
  Length: 5,280 ft (1,609 m/1 mile)
  Weight: 54 million tons

Cargo: 6 million tons

Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-fuelled fusion nuclear powerplant(s) w/ 50 year energy life.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to 200 MPH, transatmospheric
  (Space) Mach 9
  • (Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accelat 0.9% PSL per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour

Market Cost: 52 billion credits to build, will be reduced to 32 billion once industrial expansion is concluded.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Battleship Systems, plus;
  
  *Long Range Sensors: Detects FTL travel up to 25 ly, and sublight vessels up to .9 ly.
  
  *ORACLE Mk V: As normal
  
  *ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -5 to strike.
  
  *Comm Jamming Systems: 60,000 mile range, 95% against civilian systems, 75% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites.
  
  *Tractor Beams (20): 1,500 tons dead weight. 10 miles

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Triple Capital Turrets (2): Usually Lasers
  
  2) Dual Intermediary Mounts (4): Usually HGCs
  
  3) Triple Medium Mounts (8): WZT/ASI standard. Usually Lasers.
  
  4) Medium Range Missile Launchers (8): 20-silo, 60 missiles, 1 melee autoloading, 15 reloads available.
  
  5) PD Mounts (30): WZT/ASI standard.
  • a) Pulse Lasers (LC-3x)
    b) Slayer -D Quad-Laser Cannon (PS-RFL-40D)
    c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS
    d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon
    e) Rail Gun PDS
    f) Particle Beam PDS
    g) Ion Cannon PDS
    h) Pulse Laser PDS
    i) Tachyon PDS

Aux. Craft:

• *240 Light Fighters (2 Wings)
  *240 Medium Fighters (2 Wings)
  *60 Heavy Fighters (1 Heavy Wing)
  *up to 600 Flying Power Armors
  *8 Shuttles

[taalismn]

The Perdition suffers from early installment weirdness, with too much firepower and not enough armor and fighters. This is my attempt to fix it.
WZ-CAC-3100 Perdition II Fleet Carrier]

"$#!+, you mean those fighter-wagons just got MORE efficient? Fringe-navy combat cruisers spewing fighter types we'd never seen before were bad enough, but they -Improved- them, and shoehorned in more of them missileboats?! There goes the Board's plans for this sector; forget about squeezing the dirt-turners for gild or percentages, 'cause I have no intention of running into the new cops out here in the wilds."
---Anonymous corp-merc officer.

[Omegasgundam]

And here's moar revisions. I'm still working on some fluff quotes for the previous two though. I'll add them when I finish with the Demas and Cachalot. Which will be out when I can put down Evil Genius II, which is still a bug filled mess.

WZ-HF-920-LR Archangel-AR Heavy Fighter
“The Triple-A felt like it got dated really quickly. While objectively one of the better contemporary designs, it simply had too much crowding in the AJC’s inventory, and the improved Wasp and Raiju clowned all over it like they do everything else. But there would never be enough of those super craft to even dream of meeting demand, so the Archangel-A became the default heavy fighter for the frontline part of the Aerospace Corps. The -AR felt like a breath of fresh air to those that were overly familiar with it.”

During the later parts of the post-Minion War rebuilding period, WZSpiral released an updated model of their popular Archangel. The war-era -A configuration had become dated by modern standards, and was lacking in overall firepower compared to its peers produced by ASI. Additionally, it lacked the now popular EWAR systems, which became a major strike against it due to tactical shifts. Thus, the new -920 model saw major frame changes to facilitate equipment changes, post obviously shown by the expansion of the crew cabin. Now a five man craft, it promises to remain a staple of the AJC for years to come.

Of the two crewmen gained, the EWAR operator is the easiest to explain. While not the absolute bleeding edge, the array in the -AR is considered fully military spec, and does wonders to increase its ability to handle massed salvoes. The installation position mandated the removal of the marginally useful pylon mounts, but this was a minor price to pay. The additional engineer is there to handle the greatly boosted power systems, as the guns have been upscaled in size. Now featuring three Super Heavy mounts and a quad set of Medium mounds, more than doubling the firepower. The changes make them incompatible with the EAP system, but this is also considered an acceptable price. A final surprise is an auxiliary booster, greatly changing tactical considerations.

Spoiler:

Type: WZ-HF-920-LR Archangel-AR

Class: Heavy Fighter

Crew: 5 (Pilot, Copilot/Weapons Officer, 2 Engineers, EWAR Officer)

MDC/Armor by Location:

Main Body-----------------------1500
Wings (2)-----------------------600 each
Reinforced Crew Compartment--200
Primary Gun Mounts (3)---------300 each
Secondary Gun Mounts (4)------100 each
MRM Launchers (2)--------------160 each
SRM Launchers(2)---------------90 each
Variable Forcefield*--------------400 per side (2400)

*Shield Refresh Rate is 10% per melee

Statistics

Height:19.5 feet (6.5 m)
Width: 69 feet (23 m)
Length: 75 feet (25 m)
Weight: 500 tons

Cargo: Small 8 ft x10 ft hold behind the cockpit for additional gear/supplies.

Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-Fuelled Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life.

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 6, transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 10

(Kitsune Values: 40 PSL; Accel/decel at 1 PSL per melee)
(FTL) 5 light years per hour

Bonuses: +1 to Dodge

Market Cost: 400 million. The AJC pays less than 300 million.

Systems of Note:

Standard (PW) Heavy Fighter/Combat Shuttle Systems, plus:

*Energy Absorber Panels: ABSORBS incoming enemy laser, ion, and particle beam weapons fire and reduces its damage by 75%. The next melee, HALF of the damage initially rolled is applied to one of the following, and can be held for 4 melees. Ineffective against plasma, projectiles, and magic. Cannot handle more than 1200 MD per melee.


Forcefield MDC: 1-to-1 increase.

Speed: Boost base speed by 10% per 100 MD absorbed.

*Reflective Plate: Normal lasers only inflict half damage after going through the EAP

*Cyberlink: +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.

*ECM Suite: Imposes a -5 to hit against enemy guided weapons

*ECCM system:

*Ejectable Crew Cabin

*Auxiliary Thruster: Increases speeds up to Mach 15 for 30 minutes.

Weapons Systems:

1) Super-Heavy Gun Mounts (3): WZT/ASI standard.

2) Medium Gun Mounts (4): WZT/ASI standard.

3) MRM Launchers (2): 4-Silo, 8 missiles each

4) SRM Launchers (2): 8-Silo, 16 missiles each

5) Heavy Countermeasure Launchers (3): WZT/ASI standard, but triple payload.

FB-27D ‘Derecho-D’ Heavy Attack Ship
“Let's be honest, the Raiju was always going to win the slot for ‘top dog’ for the AJC’s heavy ASFs. It's simply ******** for a great many reasons, and there’s no way a normal fusion powered craft can keep up with it. But that’s the thing isn’t it. The Raiju’s AM dependence makes it hard to use in the less developed regions, and it's a headache and a half to keep operational due to all the complexity. That means there’s a massive hole where the Raiju is simply too much to warrant, and that’s where the Derecho shines. The only real competition is the Jater, which is honestly in a different niche all together due to its size and operational profile, and the Derecho has more firepower than many fusion powered corvettes.”

Inspired by the Mammatan II, the Derecho-D changes the wing design to make the weapon bays better able to fit alternative equipment, effectively merging most of the previous variants into one craft. As the first craft that ASI reworked after looking into Ross Aerospace’s offerings, the -D was their first use of reusable auxiliary booster technology, which helps tremendously in bringing its firepower to bear quickly. The forward lasers were made fully modular, but the wing mounts were trickier. Power and cooling conduits to the gun bays were insufficient to use full Super Heavy mounts, but they were able to equip provisions for the lesser Heavy pattern while still being able to mount GR-1000s. Space was found for the now expected EWAR systems, which fill the room that was nominally able to hold passengers.

With some clever engineering, the bays are close enough to the propulsion system to allow for them to host CG FTL drives. While not having the shear speed of the -C model, said variant is also considered to be overspecialized, which the -D is most definitely not. On the other hand the EWAR configuration is considered superior to that which it replaced, although it's usually best to have a few escorts with missile heavy loadouts. For ground attack missions, the newly developed deployable mass drivers provide accurate explosive firepower, and their gimbal mounting allows for a substantially larger range of attack profiles. All it needed was a rehabilitation of its reputation.

The AJC High Command, despite the objections from the more impressionable levels of the aerospace wing, decided to standardize on the Derecho-D as the primary fusion powered heavy attack craft for logistically challenged regions. Taking advantage of the sheer volume available of the Kai’Shem produced Harpe, these massed formations proved to have immense firepower, and by simple exposure its troubled beginnings were worn away. Now pilots remember the ‘Devil Dorito’ for its incredible firepower rather than its rushed development, although it will always suffer from the fate of simply not being the Raiju.

Spoiler:

Type: PS/ASI-FB-27D Derecho

Class: Patrol Ship/Atmospheric Strike Ship

Crew: 5; (Pilot, Co-pilot, Engineer, Weapons Officer, EWAR Operator)

MDC/Armor by Location:

Main Body------------------------2,000
Engines (2)-----------------------600 each
Reinforced Crew Compartment---600
Variable Forcefield----------------400 per side (2,400 total)

Statistics

Height: 20 ft
Width: 106 ft
Length: 95 ft
Weight: 560 tons

Cargo: Small 4 ft x4 ft space behind the crew seats

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 4; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 10

(Kitsune Values: 50 PSL; Accel/decel at 1 PSL per melee)
(FTL) None standard

Market Cost: 260 million credits, 230 without the EWAR (but considered quite foolish).

Bonuses: Counts as being less than 500 tons for targeting purposes, +10% to Piloting rolls when operating in an atmosphere.

Systems of Note:

Standard (PW) Heavy Fighter/Combat Shuttle Systems, plus:

*Cyberlink: +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.

*ECM Suite: Imposes a -5 to hit against enemy guided weapons

*ECCM system:

*Ejectable Crew Cabin

*Auxiliary Thruster: Increases speeds up to Mach 15 for 30 minutes.

Weapons Systems:

1) Super Heavy Fighter Nose Mount (2): WZT/ASI standard. Also count as medium ship mounts.

2) Triple Heavy Wing Mounts: WZT/ASI standard, but can also mount GR-1000s with 500 bursts each.

3) Wing Ordinance Bays (2):

a) MMs/“S-Sting”: 80 MMs per launcher
b) SRMs: 50 SRMs per launcher
c) MRMs: 30 MRMs per launcher
d) LRMs: 15 LRMs per launcher
e) CMs: 8 CMs per launcher
f) Dual 100mm Mass Drivers: 100 rounds per gun, 45 degree swivel mount. Both bays must be equipped if used, but comes with a full quad set of guns.
g) Expanded Jamming/EW Suite: Blanket-jams enemy communications and command-directed munitions with 80% effectiveness, Civilian comms 98%, military comms 80%. Radar systems are similarly degraded, but cannot pinpoint the exact location of the source within the area of disruption. 90 mile radius in atmo, 90K miles in space. Increases ECM to -8. Uses both bays.
h) FTL Generators: 4 ly/h. Uses both bays.

4) Rear-mounted Laser Cannons (4): Two in the fantail, and one in each wingtip. Uses the PS-RFL-25.

Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere/2.1 miles in space

(Kitsune Values: 2.1 miles in atmosphere /210 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee

5) Heavy Countermeasure Launchers (2): WZT/ASI standard, but triple the payload.

Variants:

*PS/ASI-FB-27DS: As previous -27S

*PS/ASI-FB-27D TW: As previous version, +20 million credits

DDES-13R Godendag II Fast Heavy Destroyer
“Considering it’s basically a fusion torch with a ship wrapped around it, the Gody II is a damn fine design. The sheer mass of the power plant allows them to run its systems at full power without having to use Lucerin, which is one of the better arguments I’ve seen for making an escort this size. Overall firepower isn’t any better than the Hauberk, but considering it keeps up with Scorpions that’s an acceptable trade off.
---- Captain Jacky Kelson, CAF

With the Larna-Pe II being a complete success, the Thelheim design team turned their eyes to the related Godendag. Naturally, the majority of changes are identical to those done to its sister ship, with the exception of the engines. Said engine cluster has been greatly refined, becoming substantially less maintenance intensive, as well as having an improved mounting for reduced hull stress. The shield isn’t quite as powerful for a number of complex reasons, but it remains above the ‘typical’ rating for escort ships. Like the Larna-Pe, it has a small hanger on the underside, allowing it to carry a boarding craft and a flight of relatively compact light starfighters such as the Atom-D or Angel-C.

While such high speed craft always have higher logistical demands, the Godendag II has become one of the less painful to deal with. Arguably replacing the near extinct Sangu as the AJC’s high speed escort, its heritage makes it extremely capable at law enforcement duties. To compensate for their relative lack of numbers, AJC marines are almost always issued with Ramza exoskeletons (or equivalent), which allows them to easily deal with mundane defenders. Other than its nominal lack of firepower for its mass, the ship’s only ‘problem’ is its lack of high gain sensors, forcing it to work as part of a team to intercept Runner craft.

Spoiler:

Type: PSS-DDES-13R Godendag II

Class: Fast Heavy Space Destroyer

Crew: 48, up to 24 marines, and up to 10 passengers

MDC/Armor by Location:

Combined Main Body----13,000

Main Body------------------9,000
Engine----------------------4,000
Systems and Components

Bridge----------------------2,000
Armatures (4)--------------1,750 each
Hangar Bay-----------------2000
Weapons

Dual Medium Mounts (4)----600 each
Missile Launchers (4)--------200 each
Point Defense Turrets (14)--150 each
Variable Forcefield-------------1,500 per side (7,200 total)

*Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee

Statistics

Height: 150 ft
Width: 150 ft
Length: 600 ft
Weight: 15,000 tons

Cargo: 500 tons

Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion, w/ 50 year energy life

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.

(Note: Will be damaged if it lands as Brandestoc)
(Sublight) Mach 18

(Kitsune Values: 60 PSL; Accel/decel at 1.8 PSL per melee)
(FTL) 6 light years per hour

Market Cost: 600 million credits

Systems of Note:

Standard (PW) Destroyer Systems, plus:

*ORACLE Mk V: As normal

*ECM Systems: Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -5 to strike.

*Comm Jamming Systems: 8,000 mile range, 95% civilian, 75% military.

Weapons Systems:

1) Dual Medium Mounts (4): WZT/ASI standard, but can also mount a 1K ton rated tractor beam (25 miles Palladium scale).

3) Ion “TKO” Cannon (2): See Brandestoc.

3) MRM/LRM Missile Launchers (4): Dorsal and ventral of the armatures.

Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 30/60 LRMs/MRMs per launcher, up to 120/240 total

4) Point Defense Turrets (14): One on each weapons armature, two flanking the main engines, eight on the forward main hull

a) Pulse Lasers (LC-3x)
b) Slayer -D Quad-Laser Cannon (PS-RFL-40D)
c) Laser/Mini-Missile PDS
d) 30mm Anti-Aircraft Flak Cannon
e) Rail Gun PDS
f) Particle Beam PDS
g) Ion Cannon PDS
h) Pulse Laser PDS
i) Tachyon PDS

Auxiliary Craft:

*4 Light Fighters
*1 (Medium) Shuttle
*Up to 24 Power Armor

[taalismn]

Good salvaging of the Derecho...though I'm now going to have to work harder on coming up with a proper larger Wasp(imaginatively and predictably named the Hornet) that doesn't re-Invent the wheel.

[Omegasgundam]

Good salvaging of the Derecho...though I'm now going to have to work harder on coming up with a proper larger Wasp(imaginatively and predictably named the Hornet) that doesn't re-Invent the wheel.

For the 'Lucerin is not a guaranty' regions, the Dorito is as good as you can count on.

Also, the USA needs a good (non-oversized) dropships to fill platoon and company level deployments. Basically a more volume efficient Gannet that can fit in plausibly sized launch bays. A Lucerin powered version of the Concord troop transport could work if sped up to stay with the fleet, although passenger accommodations will have to be looked at.

[taalismn]

[
Also, the USA needs a good (non-oversized) dropships to fill platoon and company level deployments. Basically a more volume efficient Gannet that can fit in plausibly sized launch bays. A Lucerin powered version of the Concord troop transport could work if sped up to stay with the fleet, although passenger accommodations will have to be looked at.

Up-engining the Concord's easy enough. I figure there's even more variation in the 'civilian' ships, especially after-market, with smaller shipyards doing customization work. I wouldn't be surprised to see Concords with upgraded engines, or even TW or AM drives, and some of those mod-jobs might be headhunted as regular production models if it can be determined that the added work is economically and logistically sustainable on a fleet-wide basis. Though WW2 demonstrated why trying to build fighter planes out of racing planes was NOT a good idea(The Italians had the Lince, a twin-engined bomber that broke speed records, but fully loaded for war, was actually slower than contemporaries. The Germans had the Me-209 which established a thirty-year speed record for piston-powered planes, but had nasty handling, and a specialized engine that had a lifespan of 30 minutes, and the Americans tried making a light fighter out of a commercial design...and ended up with a poorly handling peashooter that the pilot couldn't see the landing strip over the engine).

Damn....had the idea of fitting an up-engined troop transport Goethals with docking collars for Concords...keep the equipment on the Concords, and the troops can enjoy the facilities on the larger mothership until ready to deploy near the war zone...

[Omegasgundam]

[
Damn....had the idea of fitting an up-engined troop transport Goethals with docking collars for Concords...keep the equipment on the Concords, and the troops can enjoy the facilities on the larger mothership until ready to deploy near the war zone...

That was almost exactly what I was thinking.

[taalismn]

Shepard-class Escort Cruiser could also serve in a pinch...they're equipped to dock/carry-assist merchant ships.

[Omegasgundam]

Shepard-class Escort Cruiser could also serve in a pinch...they're equipped to dock/carry-assist merchant ships.

They'll need some layout changes to handle the influx of bodies for the duration expected, but that's relatively simple.

[Borast]

Shepard-class Escort Cruiser could also serve in a pinch...they're equipped to dock/carry-assist merchant ships.

Does it have a multi-species crew, a hot-shot pilot with brittle bone disease, and regularly face up against ancient AIs?

[taalismn]

Shepard-class Escort Cruiser could also serve in a pinch...they're equipped to dock/carry-assist merchant ships.

Does it have a multi-species crew, a hot-shot pilot with brittle bone disease, and regularly face up against ancient AIs?

Those that don't, there's a good chance of them having blue-in-blue-eyed security contingents, a navigator addicted to mutagenic psychotropic drugs, and regularly face up against conniving galactic aristocracies and ancient AIs.

[taalismn]

WZ-CGS-306 Reaper Moth Light Transatmospheric Gunship/Strike Ship
(aka ‘Death Moth II’)

“The ‘Death Moth ‘ lived up to its name once it started running into real opposition. Those gun-flitters flew like insects into a bug-zapper, and they met death by the dozens before we pulled them out of the front lines. And some of the warloads that they were supposed to carry? Putting two cruise missiles on a Death Moth and expecting it to act like a torpedo boat in retrospect reeks of hard desperation. I for one am glad that there were enough ground attack conversion Hespies and airbreathing Fangs to take up the reigns to allow us to finally pull back the Mothies to traffic police duties.”

“I LOVE the Reaper; they kept all the good points about the ol’ DM, and did away with all the sins!”

The Reaper/Death Moth II is a development(some would say redesign) of the original Death Moth Compact Gunship. The Death Moth’s main draw was its easy handling and low cost, which meant it sold quickly to low end PMCs and planetary militias. As one of WZT’s earliest joint designs, the Death Moth showed that numerous small shipyards could collaborate to retool and produce common-design inexpensive combat craft. Despite good initial reviews and some spectacular early actions that spurred brisk sales to various backbrush worlds, the Death Moth was unfortunately proven to be exactly that: cheap. Organizationally a triumph, technically the Death Moth proved a flop.
Later combat showed a number of glaring flaws in the Death Moth. Against more sophisticated opposition with weapons capabilities closer to those fielded by the major power blocs in the Three Galaxies, the Death Moth was lacking, and was easily murdered by advanced SAD(surface to air defense) systems and aerospacecraft. The main problems were a lack of armor and a fit-out of short-range weaponry; the Death Moth having to close to virtually knife-fighting range to engage opponents, ranges that also allowed the enemy to flame the gunships with even massed infantry weapons fire.
With WZT now supplying the United Systems Alliance with military hardware, the thought of supplying its own planetary guard units and Irregulars with shoddy equipment mortified the company heads, let alone saddling customers who were sold on the ‘USA aura’ that came to surround many of its products. War games with USA combat units using PS/ASI-supplied gear confirmed that even pre-starflight hardware(like PS/ASI’s airbreathing Fangs and GMR Morningstars) could take out the Death Moth, let alone even second-tier starfighters like the Hesperia(and the TGE’s older-model Flying Fangs).
WZT set out to refit its Death Moths, but found that a redesign was what was really called for. WZT’s now-greater resources and talent pool led to a shorter design turnaround; just four months after the project was assigned, the first prototype Death Moth II rolled out for flight tests.
The Reaper Moth resembles a slightly-scaled up Death Moth, with redesigned wings and a lengthened forward structure. The upgrade and proliferation of quality powerplant production across the Fringe allowed WZT to replace , for little extra cost, the Death Moth’s original engine with a more powerful type. to power the larger propulsion units, shield generators, and weapons systems. This allowed for an immediate replacement of the pathetically short-ranged particle beam cannon with superior models that more than tripled the range and damage. More refined materials and stress analysis from the Death Moths resulted in a stronger, better-armored airframe. WZT’s growing expertise with compact forcefield generators led to another upgrade, this time to the Death Moth’s defense field, strengthening it slightly(a monoplanar field is retained, rather than switched to a variable type, to keep costs and maintenance down), and the freed-up space used for additional avionics. Better use of airframe space allowed for several avionics systems to be imported over from the much-more capable single-seat WZ-CGS-0161 Pteropus(which had increasingly filled in for the Death Moth). The problematic mission pod was repositioned, allowing for the deployment of more efficient rotary launchers and a greater variety of module types, allowing the Reaper Moth to replicate the strengths of the various Death Moth variants. Finally, a pair of standardized WZT/ASI Light Hardpoints were grafted to the sides of the hull, allowing for further customization of weapons fit-out, sensors, and avionics.
The result is a much more effective, and still cost-efficient, ground attack CAS(close air support) craft with limited space combat capabilities. With the Reaper Moth now entering service, older Death Moths are being withdrawn and refitted as police security craft.
Ironically, the Reaper Moth would see its baptism of fire against the same enemy that had seen the Death Moth earn its initial(and arguably undeserved) reputation, with the first Reaper Moths involved in crushing the last field armies of the Broctile Hegemony. The Reaper Moth has since spread across the USA territories and is proving popular with other uses as well, such as the Central Alliance.

Type: WZ-CGS-306 Reaper Moth
Class: Compact Gunship
Crew: 3 (1 pilot, 2 gunners)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 600
Reinforced Crew Compartment 225
Particle Cannons(6) 90 each
Particle Cannon Turrets(2) 120 each
Missile Pod(rear) 200
Forcefield 1,000
Height: 15 ft(5m)
Width: 39 ft(13 m)
Length: 58 ft (16 m)
Weight: 35 tons
Cargo: Small space in cockpit for a survival pack and sidearm.
Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-fuelled fusion nuclear powerplant w/ 20 year energy life.
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3, transatmospheric.
(Space) Mach 9
(Kitsune Values: 40% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) Not Possible
(Underwater) Not Possible
Bonuses: +1 to Dodge(+2 in atmosphere) and +1 to Strike
Market Cost: 55 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Spacecraft Systems, plus:

*ECCM system: A semiautomatic system that uses electronic encryption and frequency jumping to (attempt to) negate jamming systems. The system has a 25% chance of negating radar or communications jamming (non-magical) on its own, or a +5% if the pilot has a Read Sensory Instruments or Radio: Scramblers skill and devotes a full melee to operating the system(no other attacks/actions are possible).
Having an Electronic warfare Skill gains a +15% bonus to operating this system.
Note that this only applies to received communications (the system filters them out from the jamming clutter) and sensory data received by that unit alone (other units cannot make use of it, unless they have an unaffected datalink/info-share with the ECCM equipped unit. Magic/psychic jamming is NOT affected by this system.

*ECM Suite----- The Reaper Moth has a standard ECM suite for confusing sensor-guided weapons; -5 to strike

*Cyberlink(optional): This advanced cybernetic control system allows the pilot 'jack in', if so equipped, to the plane, linking him with the plane as if by telemechanics. The pilot is so in tune with the plane and their environment that he instantly knows everything involving their plane and its operations. A series of tiny external cameras normally used for Virtual Environment Cockpits is tied into the cyberlink, giving them an uncanny 360 degree view around the craft, providing them a +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses .

Weapons Systems:
1) PS-HPBC-20 Particle Beam Cannons(6, 2 fixed forward, 2x2 ventral/dorsal turrets with 360-degree rotation, 60-degree elevation). The original short-ranged PBCs which caused so much trouble have been replaced with a more powerful PS/ASI design, itself based on the KLS Mrk IV Glitterboy PB-20 Rapid Acceleration Particle Beam Cannon, giving the Reaper Moth a much farther-reaching and harder-hitting ‘sting’.
Range: (PBC) 11,000 ft(double in space)
Damage: (PBC) 4d6x 10 MD single blast, 8d6x 10 MD dual blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited
Cost: 4.2 million credits

2) Missile/Ordnance Pod(1, rear)--- Studies of the combat recorders of the Death Moth showed that the most successful and surviving of the ship crews relied on the munitions carried in the rear pod. Unfortunately, the positioning of the pod limited the amount of munitions that could be deployed, and some of the weapons choices were arguable. The redesign into the Reaper Moth allowed these faults to be remedied and a greater degree of versatility built in.
a) Micro-Missile Cannon---Underslung belly turret holding a T-410 Micro-Missile Cannon
Range:(T-410)Gun launcher fires the micromissile out to about 8,200 ft, where after the rocket propulsion takes over.
(Micromissiles)8,000 ft for all types

Damage/Bonuses:(T-410)
Pattern-2a---4d4 MD to 2 ft blast radius
Pattern-2b----6d6 MD to a 5 ft blast radius, or 2d6 MDC out to a 18 ft blast radius in fragmentation mode
Pattern-2c----(Incendiary)2d4 MD to 5 ft blast radius, does an additional 1d4 burn damage for 2d4 melees

Bonuses:(T-410)
(All Patterns)(+3 to strike airborne targets, +1 to strike ground targets) Gyro-Compass Chip, Laser-Sensor Microchip, Radar Trigger Chip, Image Sensing Chip, infrared Sensing Chip.

Rate of Fire: Bursts of 3-40 rds per melee
Payload: 250 micromissiles

b) Mini-Missiles----New rotary launcher holds 128 MMs

c) Short Range Missiles---New rotary launcher holds 60 SRMs

d) Medium Range Missiles----New rotary launcher holds 30 MRMs

e) Long Range Missiles---3

f) Cruise Missiles---2. Much as some people wanted to exclude this holdover from the Death Moth, the capability was retained after it was pointed out that an anti-ship capability, using all available platforms, was useful against planetary invasions.

g) Bombs----Can carry ‘iron’ or ‘smart’ bombs; either take the equivalent missile warhead and DOUBLE the blast radius, or can carry TWICE the number of warhead equivalents as missiles
*Slammer Concussion Missiles/Bombs---Knockoff Triax Weapon, acquired through industrial espionage.
Range:(Missiles) 6,000 ft
Damage: (Missiles) 2d4x10 MD to 90 ft radius.
(Bombs) 1d4x10 MD to 90 ft blast radius.
88% chance of knockdown(lose 1 APM and Initiative), 65% chance of being stunned(-10 to strike, dodge, parry, and roll, NO Initiative, HALF speed and APMs for 1d4 melees)

h) *SAW---Stand-off Attack Weapon, for ground attack. Basically, this is a large LRM-sized pod with maneuvering thrusters, autopilot guidance system, and fold-out glide wings, that is designed to overfly a target zone and launch cluster munitions over it, in a bombing pattern. These submunitions can range from golf-ball-sized antipersonnel grenades, runway cratering shells, area denial mines, chemical shells, or even carbon-fiber ‘angel hair’ electrical disruption spools. PS is also working on using SAWs to deploy Kera-Tech style EMP weapons and other specialized munitions.
One SAW can be carried per LRM hardpoint
Weight: 1,100 lbs
Range: SAW has an effective range of 20 miles in atmosphere Submunitions can be launched up to 300 ft out to either side of the SAW’s flight path.
Damage: (AP Grenade) 4d6 MD to 8 ft area
(Chemical Grenade) Varies by chemical type and atmospheric conditions. A chemical grenade will generally generate a cloud of aerosol 15 ft in radius.
(HE Shell) 5d6 MD to 20 ft area
(Fragmentation Mine) 4d6 MD to 12 ft area
(Incendiary Bomb) Does 4d6 MD to 40 ft area, does an additional 2d6 MD for 1d6 melees, and 1d6 MD per melee for an additional 2d4 melees
(Angel Hair)---Does NO damage, but against conventional power generators and uncovered power lines and distribution systems, it can short out power grids, clog generator air intakes(80% effectiveness against industrial generators and internal combustion engines), and be a general nuisance to clean up.
Rate of Fire: A SAW can volley its submunitions in any combination
Payload:(Typical loadouts)
400 AP/Chemical grenades
OR
100 HE/anti-vehicle grenades
OR
100 Fragmentation Mines
OR
50 Incendiary Bombs
OR
500 spools of wire, each spool holding up to 4,000 ft of aluminum-coated filament
The Reaper Moth can carry 5 SAWs.


i)* ‘Tacit Rainbow’ Drones----These are LRM-sized mini-cruise missiles/reentry vehicles configured as ‘smart’ decoys that can be deployed from the craft, then fly off on their own power, emitting false sensor signatures, and their own ECM. Adding to the confusion, the drones can be programmed to behave in appropriately evasive ‘stealthy’ fashion, to give the impression that they are in reality a real target attempting to evade detection...only to pop up again later to confuse enemy observers.
When their fuel/power is exhausted, the drones then activate a self-destruct device that destroys them completely( destroys drone and does 3d6x10 MD to everything in a 10 ft radius)
MDC of Drone: 50
Size: 15 ft long, 3 ft wide, w/ 13 ft wingspan w/ wings deployed
Speed: Mach 1.4
Range: 1,000 miles
Damage: None, aside from self-destruct
ECM: Jams enemy sensors and radio transmissions with 50% effectiveness (range: 25 mile radius). Can also be programmed to pump out misleading radar signatures conforming to other craft, including larger aircraft. In an emergency, the drone can pump out so much signature that enemy missiles and sensor guided weapons targeted on the mothership(must be within 10 miles of each other to be effective) will be +4 to strike the drone, and will lose target lock on the SR-100.
Bonuses: Drones are +4 to dodge attacks
Payload: The Reaper Moth can carry 3 drones

j) *TW ‘Breaker’ Missile--- TW forcefield-penetration aide device that can be fitted to to MRMs and LRMs---it is not considered to be cost effective to employ it on SRMs and mini-missiles. This addition allows the weapon to penetrate enemy forcefields to deliver its warhead to the target within. The PPE cost is actually less for the missiles than for the original EDM system, owing to the much smaller size of the projectile.
Currently, this technology is still rather expensive and bulky...despite hopes of being able to install a Sphere of Annihilation device inside the warhead, the ‘Breaker’ is limited to conventional warheads. The missiles are also prohibitively expensive and complex to manufacture, limiting their numbers and distribution. However, breakthroughs in magic material synthesis and TW mass production in the USA and the UWW mean that these weapons are expected to become much more readily available to the respective forces of those star polities.
Range: Varies by Missile Type--MRM or LRM
Damage: Varies by Missile Type--MRM or LRM, but typically the heaviest warhead available.
Special: Can punch through forcefields and magical barriers, but only those larger than 12 ft or more(will not work on personal forcefields)
PPE Cost to Create: 300 PPE to enchant the crystal ‘initiator’ crystal.
Payload: 30 MRMs or 3 LRMs.

k) G-Cannon---Drop-down ball turret with 360-degree traverse, 90-degree depression Same as that carried by the Pteropus Compact Gunship.
Range: 3 miles in atmosphere, 10 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 10 miles in atmosphere,1,000 miles in space)
Damage: 4d6x10 per 40 round burst
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: 200 bursts

l) Personnel Carrier ----Can carry 6 drop commandoes or two power armors

m) Cargo Pod---2 tons

n) Forcefield Generator---Carries ts own powerplant with 5 year energy life. Can be dropped to act as a field defense generator. +1,000 MDC.

o) EW Jammer Module Jams enemy communications(radio band) in a 5,000 mile radius in space, 50 mile radius in atmosphere, civilian band communications with 80% effectiveness, military bands with 50% effectiveness. 45% chance of confusing guided missiles (especially ‘beam riders’ or radar-guided types). A single ECP adds +15% chance of eluding sensor detection(or -15% to enemy Read Sensory Instrument rolls).

p) Heavy Plasma Cannon----Similar to the standard light hardpoint, only more powerful and able to use deuterium ‘hotshotting’*(injection of deuterium into the plasma stream). Sometimes mistaken for a plasma drive(and indeed, some Reaper Moth pilots have been known to use it as a plasma booster; Increase speed to Mach 5 in atmosphere, and mach 11 in space, but piloting rolls are at -15%, and can only maintain this for 10 melees before needing 30 minutes to cool the system down(trying to push it beyond this limit causes the plasma cannon to over-stress and malfunction; 01-75% melts down and ceases working, 76-00% explodes, doing 1d6x10 MD to the gunship.
Range: (Palladium) 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 3 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space
Damage: 5d6x10 MD per blast to a 10 ft wide area.
Rate of Fire: ECHH
Payload: Effectively unlimited
Option: “Hot Shotting”---This allows the plasma to do 50% more damage, but the weapon now has a bit of a recoil due to the more powerful plasma acting like a crude plasma drive(-1 to strike). The gunship has enough deuterium tankage for 200 shots.


3) Light Aerospace Fighter Hardpoints(2)----These were added to allow the Reaper Moth to take advantage of the standardized Hardpoint system armaments being distributed throughout USA space.
a) Pulse Laser
• Range: (Palladium) 2.5 miles it atmosphere, 5 in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
• Damage: 1d4x10 MD per pulse burst
• Rate of Fire: EPCHH
• Payload: Effectively Unlimited

b) Particle Beam Cannon
• Range: (Palladium) 1.5 miles in atmosphere, 3 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 3 miles in atmosphere, 300 miles in space)
• Damage: 1d6x10 MD single blast
• Rate of Fire: EGCHH
• Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Plasma Cannon
• Range: (Palladium) 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values) 3 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space
• Damage: 2d6x10 MD per blast
• Rate of Fire: ECHH
• Payload: Effectively unlimited

d) Gravity Railgun:
• Range: 2.5 miles in atmosphere, 5 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 5 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space)
• Damage: 1d6x10 MD per burst
• Rate of Fire: EGCHH
• Payload: 200 bursts per cannon




Variants: None, as the modular modifications embody the previous Death Moth variants.

[Borast]

Shepard-class Escort Cruiser could also serve in a pinch...they're equipped to dock/carry-assist merchant ships.

Does it have a multi-species crew, a hot-shot pilot with brittle bone disease, and regularly face up against ancient AIs?

Those that don't, there's a good chance of them having blue-in-blue-eyed security contingents, a navigator addicted to mutagenic psychotropic drugs, and regularly face up against conniving galactic aristocracies and ancient AIs.

Ah... SPICE IS LIFE!!!
(I actually have the last two books he wrote with his son before passing, and the "final" book in the series too.)

[taalismn]

Ah... SPICE IS LIFE!!!

Wish I'd added that when the Starship Flaws thread was still going strong:

*Drug Dependency----In order to operate the starship successfully, the pilot or entire crew must be under the influence of a drug that is likely to be a) rare/expensive/controlled/illegal, b) induces short-term debilitative effects in areas or performance not directly related to the ship's operation, c) has detrimental long term effects(highly addictive, physically mutating, sanity-eroding, causes those under its effect to lose their individuality and merge into a group mind. etc..)....

[Borast]

taalisman...here's one for you.

Read C.S. Friedman's "This Alien Shore."
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/this-alien-shore_cs-friedman/560833/#edition=710248&idiq=5232742

Turns out FTL is possible...but dangerous.
The alternative is also dangerous - deadly even - but faster in it's own way.

[Omegasgundam]

I've put some quotes up for the Larna-Pe and Perdition if anybody cares. Going though the my other stuff to see what I can add.

[taalismn]

I've put some quotes up for the Larna-Pe and Perdition if anybody cares. Going though the my other stuff to see what I can add.

And I'm revisiting some of the worlds mentioned as shipyards to flesh them out..while still working on wholly new worlds(or at least ones that got only passing mention in old posts). Going over old fluff quotes and Network Omni News stories, I've discovered quite a few that merit more attention, rather than create new one-offs.

[Omegasgundam]

Something to fill what I perceive to be a hole in the current line ups. That hole being 'blander and not as good Hunter' for no-name independents and mercs, but I think its something. The other projects I have are converting Kitsune's Kitten and derived fighters, the Sharlin tender, the Cheetah (as an emergency war contingency design), and converting surplus Packmasters into support craft.

Independent ‘Fusillade’ class Destroyer
“In what's considered ‘civilized’ space, the Fusillade derivatives are the most common warship larger than a corvette, and can be considered a direct fire companion to the Harrier. That’s not a compliment, and it was considered second line even back in the First Great War. It's basically a step above outright garbage nowadays, with even the original Hunter being seen as lackluster on the modern battlefield. Any of ASI’s offerings are better, even the old Sangu, but some people just have to make their own stuff, so the class isn’t going to die anytime soon.”
----Captain-General Vicen Trancluw, CAF

The name ‘Fusillade’ has been given to a vast range of small warships patterned off of a pre-Automaton War HAF design, with locally sourced materials and components resulting in an equally diverse range of overall capabilities and build quality. Similar to the Harrier, they are built by local concerns that wish to be responsible for their own equipment, and they are just as frequently acquired by secondary operators. For mercenaries and pirates, its biggest advantage is that it's almost always available, and unlike the Harrier is not dependent on munitions to threaten other vessels.

The original Fusillade lost to near equivalent Wolfen Hunter due to its lesser durability and speed, but some of the recent examples manage to reach those benchmarks. However, the lack of parasites is fundamental to the core design, and the utility of such are considered to more than compensate for the Hunter’s long standing lack of gun power. The low density of the LRM salvoes makes them near useless against even similarly sized ships, forcing them to be used in closer range ‘knife fights’ similar to the Hunter’s much derided single tube CML. Overall capabilities are limited by the use of a fusion power plant, but this also simplifies operation and technical burden.

In addition to the varying quality of material and systems, the Fusillade is infamous for its wide range of ascetics. The core design is a simple tubular arrangement with the main turrets being on the top and bottom, with and everything else is subject to the builder’s preferences. Dimensions frequently fluctuate up to 10% of the base design, and it's rare to find two different patterns that share the majority of systems. As such, Fusillades almost always become something of a bodge job after long periods of service, and their crews acquire a knack for improvised repairs.

Tactically, the Fusillade is considered barely capable by modern standards, and is almost helpless against anything that has been designed by a modern yard in the last three centuries. Its operators are usually barely above the pre-CCW Human Alliance in terms of technology, so this is not unexpected. In terms of pure combat ability, the TGE Berzerker can almost always come out ahead in a one on one engagement, which means that the Imperial Navy as destroyed no small number of these over the course of their minor conquests. The primary draw over the Harrier is that its larger size and more complete systems make it capable of assignments that do not solely involve combat, such as customs inspection and over stellar guard duties.

Spoiler:

Type: DDE-04 “Fusillade” class

Class: Destroyer

Crew: 24 (4 Officers)

MDC/Armor by Location:

Main Body------------------3,500 to 4,500
Engine Cluster--------------1,000 to 1,500
Bridge----------------------1,000
Dual Medium Lasers (2)-----500 to 800 each
LRM Launchers (2)----------400 to 600 each
Point Defense Turrets (8)---150 to 200 each
MRM Launchers (2)---------350 to 450 each
Variable Force Field:--------1000 per facing (6,000 total)

Statistics:

Height: ~70 feet (31.3 meters).
Width: ~80 feet (24.4 meters).
Length: ~300 feet (91.4 meters).
Weight: ~5,000 tons (- metric tons).

Cargo: 150 tons (- metric tons) of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition.

Powerplant: Advanced Fusion with a 20 year life span

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Mach 1 and is fully transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 8 to Mach 9 in space.

(Kitsune: 60% of light speed; Accel/decel at .8% to .9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 3.5 to 4.5 light years per hour

Market Cost: The typical construction price is between $250 million and $300 million, and goes between $450 million and $550 million when available. Variants with better systems naturally cost more.

Systems of Note:

Standard Starship Systems

Weapons Systems:

1) Dual Medium Hi-Laser Turrets (2):

Range: 6 miles in atmosphere, 12 in space.

(Kitsune Values: 12 miles in atmosphere, 12K miles in space)
Damage: 1d4x100 MD per barrel, 2d4x100 per dual blast
Rate of Fire: 2 per melee per barrel
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) PD Turrets (8): Usually as on the Hunter, but Variable PBC and CAF dual Laser/MM mounts are also common.

3) LRM Launchers (2): 4 silo, 9 reloads each.

4) MRM Launchers (2): As on the Hunter

Auxiliary Craft:

1 Light Shuttle.

Variants:

Beyond the various hull differences, a large portion of those produced replace the only mildly useful LRMs with additional MRMs, tripling the effective defensive throw weight. The main turrets can also be replaced with any number of equivalent mounts, although lasers are the preferred choice due to simplicity and effectiveness.

[Omegasgundam]

And news a new low end bird for those that want to actually matter against the big boys.

Ross Aerospace MSX-135 ‘Bearcat’ Light Fighter
“The specs that have crossed my desk place the Bearcat as being the future replacement for the Hyena as the bottom end light fighter, crossing critical thresholds to be relevant against front line designs while still coming in at less than 30 million on the market. They’re pushing normal fusion as far as it can economically go, so it's going to be the last stop for defense forces that are unable to make the leap to high grade power sources. It’s clearly a work in progress, with the frame still prone to early stress cracks, but they’re putting in the time to get them ironed out before it hits the production lines. ”
---- Captain Harriet McKenna, CAF, Director of Project Prominence

While still developmental, the Bearcat is Ross Aerospace’s intended replacement for the I.C.E Hyena. The company’s explosive growth has given it far greater engineering and manufacturing resources, resulting in it being practical to advance their production capacity to within a few generations of the current state of the art. While the Pacalva sector is still on the bottom half of the CCW’s internal development indexes, it is finally on the upwards trend, and Ross is eager to keep it going. The Bearcat will likely never be more than the budget buy for low end forces, but it will remain relevant for generations and keel the production lines going full tilt.

Much of the work amounts to lightening and shrinking the old design, cutting overall mass by a fifth while still improving overall hull strength. The power plant is of a more refined model, with half again the energy life for relatively little cost. Propulsion is provided by an equally more refined contragravity suite, being both slightly power powerful and far more agile. The famous auxiliary booster array used higher quality propellants to last a third longer, and when active can propel the craft at speed equal to that of a Cruise Missile. The one thing unchanged was weaponry, with the twin lasers and quad hard points being thought of as adequate for its size.

Spoiler:

Type: MSX-135

Class: Light Starfighter

Crew: 1

MDC/Armor by Location:

Wing Lasers (2)-------50
Wings (2)-------------250 each
Main Body------------430
Reinforced Cockpit----100
Variable Force Field---200 per side (1200 total)

Statistics:

Length: 27.5 feet (8.4 meters)
Height: 10 feet (3.0 meters)
Width: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
Weight: 6.0 tons (5.4 metric tons) empty and 7.9 tons (7.2 metric tons) fully loaded with cruise missiles

Cargo: Small space in the cockpit for a survival pack and sidearm.

Powerplant: Advanced fusion power supply with a 6 year duration.

Speed:

(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 9 w/o pylons, Mach Mach 3 with, transatmospheric
(Sublight) Mach 15 w/o pylons, Mach 13 with pylons, more with the booster

(Kitsune: 40% of light speed; Accel/decel at 1.5%/1.3% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) The Bearcat is NOT equipped with an FTL drive
(Underwater) The Bearcat is NOT designed for underwater operations

Bonuses: +2 to Dodge, +5% to Piloting Skill

Market Cost: 28.5 million credits.

Systems of Note:

Standard Spacecraft Systems

*Auxiliary Booster: Increases the Sublight speed to Mach 20 unloaded, or Mach 18 fully loaded, for up 20 minutes. It must be refueled once depleted.

Weapons Systems:

1) Wing Lasers (2): Improved focusing for improved range

Range: 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in an atmosphere, 3 miles (4.8 km) in space
Mega-Damage: 2D4x10+10 per single blast, or 4D4x10+20 per double blast
Rate of Fire: ECHH.
Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

2) Missile Pylons (4): May hold 1 CM, 2 LRM, 4 MRM, 8 SRMs, or 16 MMs

[Omegasgundam]

I’m once again raiding Kitsune’s work and repurposing it. I'll be working on CAF logistical designs next.

Consortium Armed Forces ‘Cheetah’ class Missile Corvette
“If we ever have to field these, it will be too soon.”
----CAF Admiral of the Fleet Janice Nikola

“There's been a few mock ups made of the things over the years, and they’ve naturally proved to be a mix of good and bad news. Crew accommodations are almost as atrocious as the TGE, but the overall maintenance load is surprisingly modest even for its small compliment. You can likely run it with five people in combat, and the hull is just large enough to allow for a small externally docked shuttle that can get the others to safety. Once you think of it as a Proctor replacement, it makes a lot more sense, and due to using a different logistical chain it can be built without any disruption. It's likely going to trade with Berserkers, but it could survive if it plays its cards right.“
---- Senior Shipwright ------, Goldilox Yards.

“One of the reasons that MM launchers have stuck around as defensive mounts on smaller vessels is that there’s an important trick you can play with them. Extremely close range CM launches from full sized ships don’t have the time to spread out enough to prevent fratricide if they get blasted, and its possible to fire a stream of Minis down the throat of the incoming launcher. With the right proximity settings, the minis can knock out the CMs right as they leave the attacker’s forcefield, and if they’re firing AM it can turn it back on them. It takes a great deal of training to pull it off, but it can outright neuter a Berserker’s charge. Railguns can also do it, but it's harder.”
---- Captain Jacky Kelson, CAF

A CAF design that the service hopes that it will never have to build, the Cheetah is nothing more than the Consortium’s equivalent to the Berserker. An update of the same Human Alliance design that became the Harrier, the Cheetah is intended to be acquired as an emergency measure in the event of full scale war against the TGE, inflating hull numbers as fast as possible and providing attrition assets to take the place of more capable craft. The Consortium Assembly committees have rarely paid attention to these branches of contingency planning, and the minor development costs have proven easy to tie into much larger funding bills. While the losses of the Minion War gave the Admiralty some thought into bringing them into production, the Demon fleets were not a true threat to the CCW’s existence after the initial shock wore off, and the multitude of campaigns that were waged during it often required ships that were capable of more than pure combat. And if they can keep the Cheetah in the archives, they’re all too happy to do so.

As you would expect, the Cheetah is quite similar to the Harrier due to its lineage. While the CAF uses higher quality materials and systems by default, those slated to be fitted in the Cheetah consist of those that are either extremely widespread in service or older legacy inventory that has never been liquidated. Thus, while it meets current military standards, it is unspectacular in performance. Other than its slightly above average sublight speed, there are few notable power demands, allowing a simple and low maintenance fusion reactor to be used in place of a more complicated antimatter system. The overriding concern is ease of production and low crew requirements, as even the computer-phobic Human Alliance of old balked at the thought of putting substantial numbers of trained personnel out in near death traps.

Like the Harrier, the Cheetah is arguably a missile launcher with a ship wrapped around it. The core of the vessel is the autoloading 32-silo CAF standard Cruise Missile Launcher, dominating the forward aspect. Defensive mounts consist of a mere four PD turrets and four MM launchers, but this is the limit of what is considered practical to mount on a hull this small. Hull strength is considered respectable for its mass and the forcefield is taken from the ubiquitous Hunter, so it is not considered particularly fragile for its type. The engine components also draw heavily from the Hunter, with clever engineering allowing for most of the sublight and FTL drives to be constructed from the more powerful assemblies that go into the larger craft. Crew comfort and operational endurance are frankly poor to outright pathetic, but considered acceptable given its intended operational profile.

While the design has few true fans, it is quite familiar in engineering circles. One of the common make-work projects for less experienced design staff is to update the original design to modern standards, and a number of minor improvements have resulted from them over the centuries. The sheer simplicity of the craft makes it quite easy to fabricate, and the established construction procedures are well thought out to make best use of the existing yard infrastructure. Current estimates state that it would only take a matter or weeks for the relevant yards to tool up and begin assembly, with the first batch of hulls being finished before the two month mark. This is reliant on being able to use the CAF’s pre-existing stockpiles of semi-modern components, but this can be safely treated as a given due to the production numbers of these items.

Spoiler:

Type: FFL-12 “Cheetah” class

Class: Missile Corvette.

Crew: 14 (2 Officers)

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Main Body-----------------3,200
  Engine Cluster-------------900
  Bridge---------------------1,000
  Cruise Missile Launcher-----800
  Point Defense Turrets (4)--150 each
  MM Launchers (2)---------100 each
  Variable Force Field:-------1000 per facing (6,000 total)

Statistics:

• Height: 235 feet (71.6 meters).
  Width: 84 feet (25.6 meters).
  Length: 122 feet (37.2 meters).
  Weight: 2,100 tons (1,905.1 metric tons).

Cargo: 20 tons (18.1 metric tons) of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition.

Powerplant: Fusion with a 50 year life span.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Mach 2 (1,522.4 mph / 2450.1 kph) and is fully transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 11 in space.
  • (Kitsune: 50% of light speed; Accel/decel at 1.1% of light speed per melee)
  (FTL) 4.5 light years per hour

Market Cost: Due to using older components that exist in vast numbers in the CAF’s labyrinthian inventories, the exact construction cost is difficult to estimate. The best estimate is around $280 million without those stockpiles, and just above $180 million with them. No serious estimate has been given to a sales price.

Systems of Note:

• Standard Starship Systems

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Cruise Missile Launcher: Similar to than on the Warshield, but it only has two reloads. The smaller size of the ship means that they are reloaded before the next melee round however.
  
  2) PD Turrets (4): Expected to be a mix of twin GR-1000s and twin Variable PBCs.
  
  3) MM Launchers (4): As on the Warshield

Auxiliary Craft:

• None

Variants:

• An escort focused version replaces the CML with twin LRMLs identical to those on the Kestrel.

[Omegasgundam]

Moar Kitsune reworks. As an aside, I’m really worried about him, as he hasn’t posted anything in almost two years.

Consortium Armed Forces ‘Sharlin’ class Fast Tender/Repair Ship
“One of the many lessons that the Minion War reminded us of is that relying on established depots isn’t practical in mobile campaigns. Wars are rarely won by staying on the defensive, and if we are to take the initiative then our logistical elements must be able to keep pace with the front line. If we are to defeat the TGE in the next war, we must be able to strike back into their territory and exploit opportunities that arise. This is why the budget increase for the ‘Fleet Train’ is the proportionally largest of the reconstruction bills, and their non-combat utility made it an even easier sell to the Assembly.”
----CAF Admiral of the Fleet Janice Nikola

“The yard dogs we send out on the Sharlins mostly fall into the middle of the experience curve, with newbies being too much of a liability and senior veterans in too high demand leading construction efforts. Assuming they have enough skill to matter, Sharlin duty exposes them to a lot of ‘growth opportunities’, which among other things provides feedback for how it is on the pointy end of the stick. A large portion of the senior engineering teams of the more successful yards have served tours, and the experience of knowing first hand how their bright ideas actually work in the field is invaluable.“
---- Senior Shipwright ------, Goldilox Yards.

“One of the riskier things that Sharlins do is directly pick up crippled ships from an active battlefield. They can stress their drives way more than normal due due to taking optimal tuning as a given, which really cuts down how long they have to wait until they can jump out. This is why they’re so well armed and armored; civilian grade just doesn’t cut it.”
---- Captain Jacky Kelson, CAF

A relatively modern design, the Sharlin was introduced almost a century ago to provide mobile repair services to the CAF’s light assets. Much larger and faster than the preceding Button class, the Sharlin is intended to keep pace with its attached formation, becoming far less of a load-stone across their collective neck. Today, it remains capable of servicing any of the CAF’s mainstay escorts, and a substantial number of the Long Bow conversions for the Scimitar have been conducted in their bays. The CCW is greatly expanding its roster of both these ships and related logistical elements as of late, showing that the CAF is moving to a more proactive philosophy.

The core of the ship are the twin internal repair bays, both rated to be able to fit and service a Scimitar class patrol ship. Multiple smaller ships can also be held, such as pairs of Hunter class destroyers. Combined with the extensive industrial systems, the Sharlin is arguably a small mobile spacedock, and in a few occasions have actually constructed full ships from their stores. Secondary bays consist of hangers for up to two squadrons of light or medium aerospace fighters, and with the ships facilities can conduct full rebuild procedures. If need be, the Sharlin can conduct heavy repairs and refits to cruiser sized vessels, but this usually amounts to making good system failure to let it reach a proper yard.

Naturally, ships that are heavily damaged have high demand for medical support, so the Sharlin’s surgical suite is on par with a small hospital ship. The six operation rooms are kept the CCW’s cutting edge, with advanced regeneration equipment, cloning banks for replacement limbs and organs, eight hundred medical beds, and one hundred and sixty stasis chambers. Larger scale ships require greater numbers, but this is more than adequate to cover a number of escort designs.

As a logistic ship, the Sharlin is not overly well armed, but it is sufficient to ward off casual light elements. Protection is on par with a Heavy Cruiser, and their crews easily find the time needed to optimize their FTL drives for the shortest possible cycle time. Still, the CAF does assign escorts if there is the potential of actually coming under attack, with the minimum being a group of four Long Bow refitted Scimitars. A Warshield is also frequently assigned; usually a ship that has been suffering from a greater than normal number of engineering problems and requires outside assistance.

Spoiler:

Type: Tender / Repair Ship.

Class: AR-1200.

Crew: 1670 total (250 (35 Officers and 215 Ordinary Crew) for ship operation, 1,200 repair personnel, and 220 medical personnel).

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Hull Total------------95,000
  • Main Body-----------------------65,000
    Engines (2)----------------------15,000 each
  Systems and Components
  • Bridge---------------------------10,000
    Repair Bays (2)------------------15,000 each
    ASF Hangers (2)-----------------12,000 each
  Weapons
  • LRM Missile Launchers (2):-------600 each
    PD GR-1000 Turrets (4):---------200 each
    PD PBC Turrets (4):-------------200 each
    MM Launchers (8):--------------200 each
  Variable Forcefield:---------------5,000 per facing (30,000 total)

Statistics:

• Height: 500 feet (152.4 meters).
  Width: 820 feet (249.9 meters).
  Length: 1,650 feet (502.9 meters).
  Weight: 1.21 million tons (1.1 million metric tons).

Cargo: 250,000 tons (226,800 metric tons) of cargo in addition to crew’s supplies.

Powerplant: Anti-Matter with a 50 year life span.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) 250 mph (402 kph) and is fully transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 6.5 in space.
  • (Kitsune: 60% of light speed; Accel/decel at .65% of light speed per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour

Market Cost: 12.5 billion credits to manufacture, and usually offered for half that again.

Systems of Note:

• Standard Starship Systems
  
  *Dry Dock Facilities: Full construction capability
  
  *Extensive Machine Shops/Fabrication Bays: Has 140 Workshops and 8 Heavy Industrial Facilities. Autofac capabilities are on par with a minor fleet depot.
  
  *Emergency Medical Facilities:
  
  *Tractor Beams (4): 4,000 tons dead weight. Not usable in atmosphere. Up to 10 miles in space (Kitsune 10K miles)

Weapons Systems:

• 1) LRM Launchers (2): As on the Warshield.
  
  2) PD Turrets (8): Mix of GR-1000s and Variable PBCs.
  
  3) MM Launchers (8): As on the Warshield.

Auxiliary Craft:

• 24 Mini-Tugs
  Up to 48 Light or Medium Fighters (usually transient)
  6 Passenger Shuttles (usually used for medical emergencies)
  10 Cargo Shuttles
  800 Repair Drones

Variants:

• The basic hull has been used for a number of other support platforms, such as dedicated medical ships and munitions transports. During the Minion War a specialist sub-variant was fitted out with the equipment needed to rebuild the Scorpion to the much improved Super configuration.

[taalismn]

I’m once again raiding Kitsune’s work and repurposing it. I'll be working on CAF logistical designs next.
Consortium Armed Forces ‘Cheetah’ class Missile Corvette
“If we ever have to field these, it will be too soon.”
----CAF Admiral of the Fleet Janice Nikola


A CAF design that the service hopes that it will never have to build, the Cheetah is nothing more than the Consortium’s equivalent to the Berserker. .[/list][/spoiler]

Wanna bet somebody leaks the design template and it starts popping up wherever people(including the wrong sorts of people) have access to piles of old CAF spare parts?

(Hides the plans for a PS/ASI Berserker/Amok clone equivalent using old Barong hulls and wrap-around missile packs).

[Omegasgundam]

Consortium Armed Forces ‘Packmule’ Logistics Ship
”One of the political arrangements that have been set up is that most of the Packmules are manned and operated by the IDF’s of various worlds who have notable specialties in the task in question. This allows them to fulfill whatever commitments they need to the collective defense without actually being involved in combat. A not particularly subtle part of it is that it lets the CAF not take responsibility for what goes on in the Havens, which allows us to say with a strait face that we do not operate state sponsored brothels.”
----CAF Admiral of the Fleet Janice Nikola

With the CAF’s shift to the Saratoga as its primary carrier platform, it found itself with no small amount of legacy production infrastructure for the old Packmaster. In all honesty, the Wolven workhorse was outright archaic in engineering terms, with tremendous inefficiencies due to its more than a millennia old design. A number of nominally civilian grade technologies had overtaken it, particularly it's incredibly inefficient first generation antimatter power plant. CAF shipwrights decided to make a virtue out of this situation, and repurposed the hull to serve as the basis for a number of logistical support ships

After removing the hanger and troop bays in their entirety, the most significant change was the switch to a far simpler fusion power plant. Overall efficiency of such systems had improved significantly since the time of the Packmaster’s development, resulting in the overall mass and volume difference being negligible. Armaments were then notably reduced, with the Capital Lasers and Cruise Missile Launchers being omitted, but the defensive weapons of the most recent revision were retained. The space frame and hull were then altered to use more contemporary materials, saving several megatons of mass and increasing the ship’s maximum displacement up to the 60 megaton line. Overall production cost has been reduced to a mere $12 billion credits, and left a good 30 megatons of room to install whatever support features the CAF desires.

Rockhound Material Processing Ship: The primary bay features a 25 megaton particle maul, which reduces whatever is fed into it to its base elements. The ship has a small wing of prospecting and salvage shuttles to keep it fed, and to salvage whatever material is worth removing.

Bessemer Foundry Ship: Replaces the above’s particle maul with a variable grav-foundry, turning base elements into useful feedstock. For most materials, two Rockhounds are needed to keep it running at full capacity.

Yarddog Mobile Dock: While it only has half the slip space of an Artisan class, it has substantially more in depth support facilities. Thus, it can conduct repairs and refits faster.

Dirac Antimatter Refinement Ship: The full 30 megatons are used to hold an antimatter generator and its needed power sources, sufficient to keep a mid sized fleet topped off. For safety reasons, the ship does not store the fuel, instead transferring it to a specialist tanker that is far more expendable. Hydrogen harvesting is usually done by a number of much smaller support ships, although it can enter the atmosphere of a gas giant to fill its bays if need be.

Haven Personal Ship: Taking the ‘city in space’ analogy literally, the Haven is a mobile R&R platform, able to host and entertain up to 20,000 individuals. Its furnishings are more appropriate for the typical soldier than the Three Galaxy’s elite, but they are not intended for use as luxury liners. Additionally, it features full medical ship facilities to tread long term casualties. In operation, they are constantly surrounded by a small cloud of Assault Shuttles being used to carry soldiers on leave to and from other ships.


Consortium Armed Forces 'Alchemist’ Fast Mobile Factory Ship
”In the old days, the Megas would have thrown a fit over the CAF being able to make its missile without paying them a cent, and that would have led to political pressure to bog it down. But the Minion War saw almost all of their lobbying groups and preferred shrills being permanently silenced, and Logistics Command leapt on the opportunity to get more leverage. With the amount of industrial grunt that’s been essentially nationalized, we’re now negotiating from a position of strength, and the amount of graft we need to deal with has plummeted.”
----CAF Admiral of the Fleet Janice Nikola

The most recent logistics design of the CAF, the Alchemist takes advantage of the classified Balance Hammond Drive to make an entire factory complex mobile. Capable of producing all but the most complicated items, the Alchemist can provide a mid sized fleet with everything it needs to stay operational other than antimatter. The Consortium plans to have at least one Alchemist attached to every major fleet element, accompanied by a number of Packmule Logistics Ships. Beyond the military requirements, they are also used to help establish developing colonies and to provide emergency disaster relief supplies.

Almost half of the ship's mass is devoted to the highly automated fabrication bays, and even then it still needs over two thousand personnel to operate at full capacity. Given enough time, the ship can tool up to produce anything short of Battleship grade FTL drives and power plants, and they usually carry spare dies for the most commonly needed items. Production rates are dependent on the complexity of the item in question, and is most efficient when focused on a single item. This is most often X-Ray Cruise Missiles, with the sprawling lines finishing a batch of two dozen every five minutes once running at full steam. Other common requests include Grav-Gun projectiles, lesser missile bodies and associated warheads, and replacement armor plates of all kinds.

In addition to the factory lines, the Alchemist has a number of more flexible Autofacs for immediate demands of smaller items and to produce the specific tooling needed by the main factory. While naturally far more time consuming than a proper dedicated facility, they allow the Alchemist to keep up with demands for replacement components and specialty equipment.

To keep the lines fed, the Alchemist also hosts a quite capable refining and smelting array. While it can harvest asteroids for raw material, it is far more expedient to recycle salvage. The Three Galaxies are littered with abandoned wrecks, stations, and generally unwanted debris, and the factory cares little if its feedstock was recovered from a garbage dump. When running full tilt, resource expenditures are still far greater than what it can provide itself, leading to the need for the Rockhounds and Bessemers. To coordinate the Fleet Train’s activities, and due to the sheer scale of the task, the Alchemist is equipped with full Flag facilities, leading to the novel situation of Logistics Command personnel having a legitimate field need to be Captain-Generals. Due to the Fleet Train’s value, escorts are heavy, with multiple cruisers and destroyer groups assigned to them.

Spoiler:

Type: Fast Mobile Factory Ship

Class: AF-1500.

Crew: 3,090 total (1010 (150 Officers and 960 Enlisted Crew) for ship operation, 2080 factory facility personnel)

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Combined Hull Total-----------120,000
  Main Body-----------------------80,000
  Engines (2)----------------------20,000 each
  Systems and Components
  Bridge---------------------------10,000
  Flag Bridge----------------------10,000
  Hangers (2)---------------------15,000 each
  Weapons
  Lasser Lasers (2)----------------800 each
  LRM Missile Launchers (4):-------800 each
  PD GR-1000 Turrets (12):--------200 each
  PD PBC Turrets (12):------------200 each
  PD Tachyon Guns (12):----------200 each
  Variable Forcefield:--------------6,000 per facing (36,000 total)

Statistics:

• Height: 1,000 feet (304.80 meters).
  Width: 1,400 feet (426.72 meters).
  Length: 6,500 feet (1,981.20 meters).
  Weight: 70 million tons (- million metric tons)

Cargo: 30 million tons (- million metric tons) of cargo in addition to crew’s supplies.

Powerplant: Anti-Matter with a 50 year life span.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) 100 mph (161 kph), but not meant for it. Cannot land without major damage without a specially built cradle.
  (Sublight) Mach 7 in space.
  • (Kitsune: 60% of light speed; Accel/decel at .7% of light speed per melee)
  (FTL) 5 light years per hour

Market Cost: 55 billion credits to manufacture, and its drives are considered a state secret. The CAF believes that they will pay for themselves within a decade due to munition production.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (Capital Ship) Starship Systems
  
  *45 Megaton Industrial Factory
  
  *Refining/Smelting Facilities
  
  *Tractor Beams (8): 4,000 tons dead weight. Not usable in atmosphere. Up to 10 miles in space (Kitsune 10K miles)

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Lasser Heavy Lasers (2): As on the Lasser and ASI derivatives.
  • Range: 10 miles in atmosphere, 20 miles in space
    • (Kitsune Values: 20 miles in atmosphere, 20,000 miles in space)
    Damage: 4d6x100 MD per single blast
    Rate of Fire: 4 times per melee
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited
  2) LRM Launchers (4): As on the Warshield.
  
  4) PD GR-1000 Turrets (12): As on the Scorpion.
  
  5) PD Particle Beam Turrets (12): As on the Assault Shuttle
  
  6) PD Tachyon Scatterguns (12):
  • Range: 3 mile in atmosphere, 12 miles in space w/ 6 mile wide arc.
    • (Kitsune Values: 12 miles in atmosphere, 120 miles in space)
      *Range and width are reduced to 1/4th in atmosphere
    Damage: 2D4x10 M.D.C. each.
    Rate of Fire: 4 shots per melee each
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Auxiliary Craft:

• 12 Mini-Tugs
  24 Mining/Salvage Shuttles
  12 Cargo Shuttles

[Omegasgundam]

Something ‘original’, here’s a bland Hover Tonk to throw at people without having to think of an explanation for where it came from.

Independent ‘Barivel’ Medium Hover Tank
”One of the worst kept secrets in the CCW is that even among IDFs that have the budget to burn, the Barivel is vastly preferred to the old Phalanx. The Pisswall’s biggest problem was the simple lack of range on its original weapons, which let Dark Slayers kite them to death due to their inability to retaliate. The Barivel is basically a shrunken Dark Slayer, but that makes it more practical in several ways. One of the really bad bits that’s been sprayed all over the holo channels is the last round of joint training exercises, which had IDF tank groups regularly trouncing CAF formations. Losing out to multiple cheaper tanks is one thing, but failing to take on an equal number of militia grade trash blowers is completely unacceptable. Things got even worse when they dug through older exercises, which were basically custom built so that the CAF was always going to come out on top regardless of the actual battlefield performance.”
----Major Philip Fredette, CAF

‘Barivel’ is the catch all term used to describe a massive family of air blowing hover tanks that are derived from an ancient Human Alliance design, and have widely proliferated across the Three Galaxies. Often compared to the Dark Slayer, the Barivel is usually thought of as being its smaller and more generic cousin. It being a third the mass while having most of the useful capabilities of the older models of the Slayer only emphasize this. Overall tech level is considered quite crude, particularly in regards to material, but it is nowhere near as bad as the Dark Slayer. While modest in capabilities, it’s effectiveness is considered exceptional for its price tag, and is thought to be very effective when in competent hands.

Armaments consist of a HI-Laser Cannon, a coaxial CG-gun, and side mounted missile pods. While considered quite modest (and honestly lacking in overall range), the hull’s ability to handle recoil is poor at best (-25% to piloting skill when firing a large kinetic cannon) and the reactor is pressed to power the current HI-Laser. Protection is equally modest, but is considered sufficient to deal with older generation equipment. Most patterns can be equipped with a meaningful forcefield, although its overall recovery rate is poor. The crew compartment for the Barivel is in the rear, with the turret being operated by remote. While this does present some visibility problems, the various remote cameras are more than sufficient in battlefield conditions.

With a few exceptions, ground forces are generally seen as the second or even third string of a stellar power’s military, and it is generally difficult to get the resources needed for something substantially better. Thus, simple and effective Barivel gets reused by developing powers as the starting point for their own designs, and rarely stray too far from it. In operation, the 3 man crew is sufficient to conduct all of the various maintenance tasks needed to keep the vehicle operational in the field, and heavy sustained fighting is quietly likely to result in the vehicle’s neutralization before more sustained wear and tear becomes an issue.

Spoiler:

Type: Various

Class: Medium Hovertank

Crew: 3; Commander, Driver, Gunner.

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Main Body-------------------------600
  Fan Skirt---------------------------200
  Reinforced Crew Compartment------150
  Main Turret------------------------250
  HI-Laser Cannon-------------------120
  Missile Pods (2)--------------------50 each
  Force Field (Optional)---------------200
  
  The Forcefield has regeneration and overload rules as a Naruni model.

Statistics:

• Length: 30 feet
  Height: 10 feet
  Width: 12 feet
  Weight: 45 tons

Cargo: Small space in the crew compartment for survival packs, sidearms, and a few personal possessions.

Powerplant: Advanced Fusion, 25 years energy endurance.

Speed: Roughly equal to the Dark Slayer in performance.

Market Cost: ~$25 Million Credits on average without the force field, ~$30 Million with.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (Phase World) Robot Vehicle Systems

Weapons Systems:

• 1) HI-Laser Cannon: Equivalent to the one on the Dark Slayer, but up to 4 shots per melee. +2 to strike while stationary, no penalty while moving.
  
  2) Coaxial Mounted Railgun: Equivalent to the Phalanx’s cupola mini turret, but an EM model.
  
  3) Side Missile Launcher Racks (2): Most commonly fitting with SRMs or MRMs.
  • Range: varies by munition
    MD: varies by munition
    Rate of Fire: 1, 2, 3, 4 each. May combine
    Payload: each has up to 16 MMs, 8 SRMs, 4 MRMs, or 2 LRMs

Variants:

• The sheer number of local patterns makes the overall number ‘Yes’, but most of them stick to the same general layout. The most common changes are the addition of paired Mini-Missile launchers on the sides of the turret and mini-turret on top for the commander. Some operators replace the main cannon with a Naruni PBC, but this is uncommon at best. Armor strength and overall weight can fluctuate by as much as 50%.

[Omegasgundam]

So here's something I've finally gotten around to finishing.

Lothrain Mageworks/WZT ‘Oakenheart’ Light Cruiser
“I first laid my eyes on an Oakenheart at an industrial conference in USA space. My original intent was to get the measure of the leadership of ASI and WZT, but the proceedings were disrupted by a substantial Dark Cult attack. The defenders had things well in hand, but for safety we were evacuated until they could ensure that the grounds were truly safe. It was essentially luck that I ended up with the UWW contingent, who were a mix of Dawi and Lothrain Druids. The wooden ship simply fascinated me, with the still living hull having been turned into a work of true art by the artisans who did the spell inscriptions. When I was informed of the relative M-Factor I was astonished, for the strength to mass ratio was on par with the cutting edge of materials that are economically viable. This was clearly something special, and I needed to investigate.

I’m quite certain that at least some of the leadership managed to identify me, which would explain why I had substantial access to the ship. The pure technology sections are understandably low tech, but they were far ahead of what we generally think of UWW ‘rust buckets’. For what they were, the overall quality was high, and the fact that all of it was domestically produced is not a trivial concern. They took great advantage that they only needed them to run most of the weaponry and the sublight drives, which made their use of a fusion plant completely understandable. While I am unable to reasonably judge the magic systems, the Guild Masters that I talked to had no sustained complaints about them, which I am informed means that they were somewhat impressed. The passenger accommodations were up to my standards, which places them on a truly high level.

My more in depth investigation of Lothrain would be quite enlightening for a number of reasons. While I was aware that Veletsia’s spouse had established their company there, I had underestimated just how engaged they were with their hosts. Asyribis is near worshipped by some subfactions of the Druid cults, and her influence on their expansion is obvious if you know what to look for. Lothrain’s influence on the web of trade and favors that is the UWW economy is simply breathtaking for how long they have been relevant, and they are in turn enabling the greatest expansion of magic industry in the current galactic era. I’m honestly embarrassed to have missed it happening, but I am sure that those back home have as well. I look forward to their future endeavors.”
----Jelko Rodula

Lothrain’s ectofibre fueled economic growth gives them no shortage of prospective enemies, which has naturally prompted the planet’s Elders to place a great deal of time and effort into improving its defenses. While their sheer economic importance ensures that the vastly expanded UWW garrison fleet will remain permanently stationed there, it was felt desirable that the planet’s native forces have their own capital ships to patrol their claimed territory. The surrounding systems have proven reasonably wealthy in economically significant gems and industrial materials, and thus mining efforts have sprouted up at a rapid pace. Thus, to defend their claims, Lothrain needed an actual fleet, and their recent industrial expansion efforts put them in an excellent position to build one themselves.

Extrapolating from the developmental efforts that went into the Heartwood corvette, they took the art of inosculation to new heights. Using dozens of fully grown Great Banner Oaks, the master biomancer Millennium Druids created the hull of a modern Light Cruiser around the needed internal systems, with months of painstaking work resulting in one of the most non-conventional warships in the modern Three Galaxies.

As a Light Cruiser, the Oakenheart is natural compared to the venerable Warshield. The raw hull strength is considerably less, but the various magical advantages are considered to more than compensate. In particular, the still living ectofibre infused Great Banner Oaks can actually regenerate quite rapidly with a PPE expenditure, leading most to think of the ship being far more durable than it technically is. Overall speed is up to modern standards, allowing it to keep up with the rebuilding Warlock Fleet designs. Firepower is not lacking either, nearly matching the Warshield in terms of gun strength. Missile power is less on paper, but the UWW’s increasingly casual use of Shadow Meld and Impervious to Energy talismans on their heavy munitions means that they are far more likely to get through than those of other nations.

The ship’s parasites consist of a squadron of fighters, a squad of space use power armor, and a reinforced platoon of light exoskeletons for the marines. As Lothrain is the home of Thoth Industry’s primary factories, they are the only organization that can acquire Crystal Ray Fighters before they are snatched up by the Warlock Fleet, leading to the Oakenheart’s hanger commonly hosting a flight of those advanced craft in addition to the planet’s domestically produced Boomerangs. Thoth Industries also provides the power armor and exoskeletons, giving Lothrain some of the best in the Three Galaxies.

Spoiler:

Type: ‘Oakenheart’ class Light Cruiser.

Class: Space Cruiser (Conventional / Techno-Wizard).

Crew: 146, usually including a magic team of 15 techno-wizards (levels 2-6), 40 Marines, 12 Space PA Pilots, 36 Fighter Pilots, and up to 60 VIPs.

MDC/Armor by Location:

• Main Body------------------------35,000
  Bridge-----------------------------10,000
  Hanger----------------------------5,000
  Capital PBCs (2)---------------1,200 each
  Annihilate Cannons (6)-------800 each
  CM Launchers (4)-------------1,000 each
  MRM Launchers (6)-----------300 each
  Heavy PD Turrets (6)---------300 each
  Point Defense Turrets (4)----225 each
  ‘IA’ Mystic Forcefield----------10,000 (3/day for 30 minutes)
  
  The IA Forcefield takes half damage from energy attacks. It may be restored after it’s third use of the day for 1000 P.P.E. and 1 minute of focus.

Statistics

• Height: 76.4 feet (23.29 meters) main body; 142.2 feet (43.34 meters) from the bottom of the main body to the top of the superstructure.
  Width: 84 feet (25.60 meters).
  Length: 580 feet (176.78 meters).
  Weight: 75,000 tons (68,040 metric tons).

Cargo: 2500 tons

Powerplant: Advanced Nuclear Fusion w/ 25 year energy life with Techno-Wizard Augmentations. The cruiser also has a P.P.E. generator that produces 1,000 P.P.E. per hour / 16.6 P.P.E. per melee (Activating the Rifts Jump Drive costs 4,000 P.P.E.) and can hold up to 16,000 P.P.E. in storage. This P.P.E. can be used to power the Rifts Jump Drive or can be used to power spells cast by the cruiser’s crew.

Speed:

• (Atmosphere) Hover to 120 mph (193.1 kph); transatmospheric.
  (Sublight) Mach 9
  • (Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accel/decel at .96% of light speed per melee)
  (FTL) Rift Jump Drive; maximum safe jump distance of 20 light years every four hours (Jump costs 4,000 P.P.E. per activation.)
  (Underwater) 45 knots (83.3 km/51.8 mph) on the surface.

Market Cost: Estimated at around $4.2 billion credits each.

Systems of Note:

• Standard (PW) Starship Systems, plus:
  
  *Ectofiber Insulation Grid: Magical Attacks do HALF damage/effect.
  
  *UWW Standard Shipboard Mystic Sensors: +20% greater range than ASI models due to far greater experience.
  
  *Circles of Protection: +3 to save against magic (including anti-magic cloud and other forms of dispelling magic), +1 save against psychic attacks and a bonus of +2 to save vs Horror Factor. Permanently active.

Weapons Systems:

• 1) Forward Capital Laser Cannons (2): These can be fired forward and can be angled up to 120 degrees aft (can only fire one cannon at a target at that angle but can spin to be able to bring both batteries to bear) and can fire at a 30 degree angle up or down
  
  2) “Annihilate” Cannon Turrets (6): Mounted in turrets on the sides, the barrels can be fired either forward or behind and can be rotated 60 degrees horizontally or vertically.
  • Range: 5 mile in atmosphere, 10 miles in space
    • (Kitsune Values: 10 miles in atmosphere, 10K miles in space)
    Damage: 2D4x100 MD each, may be combined to do 4D4x100
    Rate of Fire: Four per Melee
    Payload: Needs 300 P.P.E. per day to function.
    Bonus: Half small target penalties.
  3) Cruise Missile Launchers Launchers (4): Mounted in the Sides. They are explicitly designed to allow for loading alternative munitions as fast as possible.
  • Rate of Fire: Salvos of 1-8 each, Maximum of 32
    Payload: 320 total, 80 missiles per launcher
  4) Medium Range Missile Launchers (5): Have half again the payload of those on the Hauberk.
  • Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, or 10
    Payload: 240 total, 120 missiles per launcher
  5) Heavy PD Turret (5): Mounted on the sides of the frigate, they have 360 degree rotation and can angle up to 85 degrees. They may be equipped with any WZT/ASI Heavy Fighter Mount option.
  
  6) Point Defense Hardpoints (4): Uses WZT/ASI standard PD mounts, almost always Tachyon Scatterguns.

Active TW Enchantments: 10th level equivalent

• *Expel Demons: 35 PPE per activation, Instant Duration, affects the interior of the ship. As spell.
  
  *Shadow Meld: 40 PPE to activate, 3 minutes/level duration. Other craft are -6 to strike and -4 to dodge the Oakheart unless it is directly illuminated against something. This is nullified by See the Invisible and similar.
  
  *Invisibility Superior: 80 PPE to activate, 3 minutes/level per activation. As spell.
  
  *Impervious to Energy: 80 PPR per activation, 2 minutes/level Duration. As spell.
  
  *(Improved) Hull Regeneration: 280/840 PPE to activate, 10 hours or permanent. The use of Ectofibre in the fully-organic hull allows for the regenerated MDC to be at full strength, but still only recovers 5% of the overall total per cast. It still does not replace systems or weapons
  
  If not needing to charge the battery, it has the power generation to maintain Shadow Meld and Impervious to Energy indefinitely.
  
  Non-combat ‘internal’ backup-systems are powered by the main systems and emergency PPE-Batteries, and include the following: Sheltering Force (ideal for emergency vac-shelters), Air Bubble, Globe of Daylight, Breath Without Air, Extinguish Fire, Ice (great for temporarily sealing hull breeches), and Mend the Broken.

Auxiliary Craft:

• *24 QF-1 Boomerang or Crystal Ray Fighters
  *12 Crystal Hawk
  *40 Light Marine Armors