Starfighter Procurement: Calling All Shipbuilders [ORC]

[Jorus Merrill]

A request for bids has gone out to shipwrights across the galaxy.

The Outer Rim Coalition has member worlds throughout Wild Space, some of them safer than others. Minor frontier bases need affordable defenses and reliable scouts, so the Coalition is looking to invest in a good starfighter or two.

CRITERIA
- Mass produced is best, minor production is acceptable.
- Hyperspace capable, class 2 or faster.
- Relatively simple to repair and maintain (no especially exotic technology, please).

The request is that companies don't just link to a marketplace ship list. If they want a major contract with the Coalition's patrol forces, they should be prepared to explain why their ship is the one.

On a starbase called the Foundation, a committee examines proposals, takes holonet sales calls, and reviews technical specs. Jorus Merrill has brought a bag of chips.

 

[Pella Vun]

Incom clarification question #1: the invitation makes no.mention of ordnance requirements. Are there any? Are there standard ordnance models in use within the coalition that need to be supported?

Incom clarification question #2: is this a particular transport vessel you wish maximum comparability with?

Incom clarification question #3: are there any allied interoperability needs that we should be aware of?

 

[RC 212]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

Alas like a fly drawn to a pig sty Hala was there. With copies of all her fighters in hand. She approached the table and opened a projector on her data pad.

"I'm applying for the contract. My best thing I could throw into the ring is this one here. J-95 Headhunter. Fast, advanced sensors, can double as a scout fighter or light screening fighter. Not sure about what you need em for. Here's a little blurb on em."

J-95 Headhunter: A very fast Scout fighter with advanced sensors and navigation gear. Laser Cannons swapped for Kinetics. She can fly fast, scout, and engage at extreme ranges. The J-96 can only take a few glancing hits however.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

D R A L L​

The Corellian System​

​

"Sir, the board wanted me to pass along a new starfighter procurement offer that came in."

This news would have likely caught most CEOs in a board meeting. Or on an important phone call. Or maybe on the lido deck of their personal yacht on Vaynai.

Corellia Digital? Sor-Jan was underneath his desk, playing with a strange mix of action figures from any number of franchises. Scooting forward on his knees so that he was peering up from under his desk, the tow-headed boy craned his head back as he asked, "Who's the buyer?"

That would determine if he was actually interested in this or not. If it was from someone with some legitimate business chops, like [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] or [member="Makai Dashiell"] then playtime was about to be totes over. And maybe their second quarter might be saved. Not to mention their mid-year bonuses.

"It's ORC, sir."

The boy's nose wiggled as the youngling made a face. It was hard to describe the mix of emotions that flashed by as he did. Then, bluntly, the child asked, "Did their check even clear last time?"

The aide cleared his throat. "They, uh... that is, the accountant representing a Miss [member="Joza Perl"] made clear that was a minor misunderstanding," the man clarified, making a small gesture with one hand to indicate just how minuscule that said misunderstanding had been.

For his part, Sor-Jan wasn't buying what dude was selling. Rising up so that he was standing on his knees, the youngling crossed his arms as he asked, "And the time before that?"

Sor-Jan had been doing business with the Outer Rim Coalition, Kathol Outback, Underground, Runners, and whatever else nerf herders were calling themselves these days... for a rather long time. They were dependable when it came to running up a bar bill. Paying it? Not so much, no.

"Mister [member="Bryce Bantam"] was most apologetic about that, sir."

The child's head tilted forward as he asked, "...and the time before that?"

"Mister [member="Jorus Merrill"] had some, uh, unanticipated expenses for that quarter apparently."

And the man had said that with a straight face? Maybe Sor-Jan should get this man on the stand-up comedy circuit. "Pfft. He probably ran up the tab at Rebellion Actual and [member="Rekha Kaarde"] told him to pay that chit," the boy uttered flatly, dragging himself up so that he was now standing and walking around his desk.

"All right, if the board's hard up for this contract, I'll go talk to them," the boy offered, swiping a couple of datapads pre-loaded with the current Corellia Digital catalogs. "Where's this going down at?"

"Foundation, sir."

"What's in orbit?"

"Excelsior, sir. They report that they can depart within the hour."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Pella Vun"]

Question 1: Ordnance
No and no. The Coalition's collective patrol/exploration fleet and planetary defense forces comprise ships from a wide variety of manufacturers. Standardization and resupply are ongoing challenges. The winner of this contract has the opportunity to help set the standard. Note that all weapons emplacements should be relatively simple to repair and maintain, and commonly available munitions may have the advantage.

Question 2: Transport Vessel
No. The Coalition intends to station independent units of these fighters at airfields and starbases. A unified standard of carrier/transport compatibility is not feasible, as the Coalition uses a wide variety of transport ships and will continue to do so.

Question 3: Interoperability
Not as such. The Coalition has no systematic combined operations program. However, compatibility with Galactic Alliance or Confederacy of Independent Systems technology could be useful in the future.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Hala Jast"]

The committee members took notes quietly. Jorus' went something like:

PRO -
Real easy modder - good for frontier upkeep/adapt
Great sensor pkg - keep aware pirates, outpost, scout
Simple wpns - MDs can fire anything - MD ammo avail cheap
Fast - rapid resp, sublight + c1 hyper
Cheaper than night with [member="Vaudin Miir"]
Fits all three criteria

CON-
Glass jaw - no/basic shields, light plate
Low frpwr (just two guns, no warheads)

Jorus conferred quietly with his nearest associates. It seemed pretty clear that the J-95 was a contender.

"So, for my clarity," Jorus said after a minute, "deflector shields don't come stock on this, right? I'm not seeing anything anything about shields in the brief."

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

[member="Jorus Merrill"] might have recognized Jessica from her dealings on Zonju V, and Ringovinda StarYards already supplied the ORC with multiple products: the Compellor, the Alakaha elite fighters and, of course, the adjustable drydocks. And yet, since it was not about elite fighters, nor about capital ships, given the statement of scope given by the ORC navy, she had to look for what could feasibly be sold to them. Operating a network of minor frontier bases, sometimes the main or even only areas in a given sector that can be relied upon for defense, usually called for long-range patrols, whatever long-range meant. The third requirement, in her mind, was simply there because the ORC carriers were highly heterogeneous in nature, and, of course, the Chiloon-II was the best fit, even though, on its own, the Chiloon-II was confined to its own sector. So she produced the brochure for the committee's attention, knowing that one of the big problem with a faction whose operational starfighter doctrine demanded regular inter-system patrols was, well, ordnance replenishment, knowing that fuel was often easier to get than ordnance out in Wild Space. The channel was open:

"Here's the brochure for the Chiloon-II"

Chiloon-II fighter: Having served several allied factions in operational service, such as the Metharian Nebula, Thyferra, Dagobah, Varonat and Kashyyyk in roles where endurance in battle was key, thanks to its bomblet generator, it carries a reduced amount of supply and maintenance requirements compared to other fighters filling similar roles.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]


She grimaced.

"Ehhhhh no. We had to leave some stuff out to tweak that good speed and sensor package into place. Nice part is you can add them in, since we like to make Jast vessels more off a basic chassis than super complicated. Lend themselves to being worked on and modded. Well the early vessels at least. I do have a few more, got better stats but no long range sensor doo dads."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

Time for more notes.

PRO-

I like bomblet generators
Not too fussy to repair
Fantastic for resupply - can be a light bomber with the supply chain needs of a fighter with no warhead launchers at all - bomber with zero need to move bombs around or store them
Fits all three criteria.
Aerodynamic - good fit for use in atmo

CON-
Short range drive, fuel tank only good for 5kly
Low flare cap (but at least it has them)
Just avg at everything
Specialized wpns might not be intuitive for avg frontier pilots - might incr training needs
Overuse of bomblet generator = boom


"So, General Med-Beq - I'm seeing here that the bomblet generator is pretty volatile. Can you tell me more about what that looks like and how often it happens?"

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Hala Jast"]

"I hear you. About what I figured, and not a deal-breaker." The shields weren't the worst loss: the J-95's hull had as much durability as the combined shields and armor of your average light fighter. Besides, cutting the shield generator simplified the design and its maintenance. Fixing a shield system took a specialist. Fixing armor, in Jorus' experience, took a metal sheet and some glue.

"I think we'd all like to see what your J-95 can do. Any chance you've got sensor footage of the ship in action?"

OOC/ Either link to a thread where it got used, or, I dunno, write about the ship in action.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"Although we were lucky that there were no losses due to bomblet generator volatility in those engagements it was used in, and there were about 25 squadrons total of those items in service, it would be akin to a bomblet exploding inside the craft, and when we tested it, it seemed to be happening when the bomblet generator is fired more than about 30 times in a 15-minute span at half-power or 15 times in a 15-minute span at full power. And it's also the reason why the hyperdrive has such a short range: hypermatter next to a bomblet can be even more dangerous. It's really an issue that could arise mostly in prolonged engagements, but most engagements are over before that issue could crop up"

Then again, none of those engagements made use of Chiloon-IIs for prolonged periods, although the sort of engagement where it could become an issue would likely be a David-vs-Goliath kind of thing, where the Chiloon-II is used by the "David", she thought, while realizing that the other big problem of bomblet generators is that they don't offer ordnance flexibility. But [member="Jorus Merrill"] knew since there even was a bomblet generator that such was the price to pay to get an unlimited supply of ordnance, and why the Chiloon-I was still used to this day in ORC, SJ and GA service. Yes, she acknowledged that bomber pilots would find it non-intuitive at first, more so the bomblet generator than the electromagnetic plasma cannons, which, from a pilot's standpoint, were not much different compared to heavy laser cannons. Just that it accounting for even a fraction of a bombing division in a starfighter corps could cut down on some of the more troublesome aspects of keeping a starfighter corps supplied; that's why she had the SJ use it in service, proving effective in a CAS capacity, where three passes were instrumental to roasting the main formation of Sith infantrymen on Kashyyyk alongside their artillery support.

"Hopefully the extra training for proper operation of the bomblet generator is sufficient to be worth the logistical relief. Electromagnetic plasma cannons are otherwise not much different to aim or operate vs. heavy laser cannons"

 

[Pella Vun]

"Two hundred and fifty pages in not a suitable tender response," Pella sternly chided.

"But we've been pulling nights on this. The pricing section alone took..."

"This is the Outer Rim Coalition, not the government of Eriadu. Oh just send me what you have and I'll strip it back myself to something those backwater yokals might actually read. I hope you didn't use any particularly long...of for goodness sake. 'Quintessential' on the front page? They probably think that's a super food. Indicate our interest by way of a reply and leave this with me to finish."

 

[Eugen Aker]

Another opportunity had presented itself to supply the Coalition with new platforms. Starfighters this time around, something right up KSA's alley. Assuming her role as a regular KSA consultant, Jyoti took point in presenting the ORC with some proposals, but unlike last time, she had to do so remotely because of renewed conflict in the Core.

On holocall, she appeared behind a desk in a tasteful black dress, datapad in hand.

"Good day to you all. On behalf of KSA, I have a few different products to present that we feel meet your requirements."

Interceptors

SK-01 Bobcat Interceptor​

The Bobcat takes an interesting spin on the interceptor concept, creating a long-range endurance interdiction platform that can track and kill multiple targets before they even know they’re being engaged. This was made with smaller planetary forces in mind, excelling at BVR combat against opposing strike craft and smaller capital ships favored by pirates and the like.

With its long range sensor/comm suite, and two seater cockpit (supplemented by an onboard droid brain and optional astromech slot), it can definitely fit the bill an ISR and early warning platform. Multiple hardpoints on the craft allow it to extend its detection range by deploying probes such as the SIARC.

Snub Fighters

​

​

KF-02 Talon Starfighter​

The Talon is a well-rounded multi-role fighter that can handle just about any job you throw at it, be it as an interceptor, escort, or even a light bomber. It has a bit of modularity to adjust for different scenarios. So this is a great platform for budget-strapped governments that can’t afford to have several different fighters.

It has several other features to set it apart from the rest of the pack, like a robust ECM/ECCM suite, boosters (SLAM), active protection system (Casper) and a nasty complement of armaments that make it a deadly dogfighter at all ranges.

KF-05 X-wing Starfighter​

The X-wing expands on the modularity concept of the Talon with several different configurations to fulfill multiple roles. Configuration changes can be easily done under the span of an hour.

Anticipating the resurgence of Vong weaponry by the Sith and other actors, the X-wing sports in-built stutter-fire capabilities, and an expandable compensotor field. It is also compatible with the Slingshot guidance add-on to counter the use of dovin basals.

Much like many of the fighters used by the original Rebel Alliance, the X-wing is equipped with a pair of ion cannons to both enhance its shield busting abilities and offer an option to disable enemy craft for capture.

Bombers/Assault Fighters

KF-06 Y-wing Bomber​

The Y-wing fulfills the classic role of a bomber or assault fighter, able to dish out heavy power against a wide variety of targets from heavy walkers to large capital ships. When lackingcapital ships of your own, this is the next best bet.

The platform is built around a pair of heavy repulsor based ripper cannons, optimized to penetrate thick armor and multi-layered shielding. These rippers are supplemented by either flex tubes or bomblet generators, giving the user great flexibility in the type of ordinance carried.

Strong armor/shields, ECM/ECCM, and active protection systems enable the Y-wing to penetrate increasingly sophisticated defensive setups employed by modern capital ships.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

"All ships, all stations in the vicinity of Foundation, this is the Corellia Digital ship Excelsior. Be advised that a star destroyer will be exiting hyperspace at coordinates 2-delta-nine."

With the First Order mining and interdicting hyperlanes off the Corellian Trade Spine, the sudden appearance of a battlecruiser could make even the most conservative militia trigger happy, so Corellia Digital had adopted a policy of announcing the arrival of its self-defense forces.

The message repeated itself once, after which a massive, 1,600 meter battlecruiser just seemed to snap into existence. The distinctive triangular silhouette haunting against the backdrop of stars as the stately vessel slowly moved nearer to where Foundation lingered in the night's sky. Several probe droids appeared from out of the ship's hangar bay, adopting a loose flight path that carried each along different vectors in a modified combat aerospace patrol.

A small YT-2400 light freighter emerged from out of the behemoth's shadow, bridging the gap between the Excelsior and Foundation. After the ship had landed, a pair of security droids descended the loading ramp, adopting sentry posts there just outside the ship, armed with nonlethal electropoles.

Behind them, the tow-headed Anzat appeared. Drifting lazily as he half-stepped, half-glided in a pair of Howlys, with his head down into whatever game he was playing on the HoloBoy Advanced that occupied his hands.

He was an Anzat. He didn't need his eyes to see. They could focus on the game and the boy blindly navigated through the station in a strange mix of Force Sense and the inherent ability that the snot-vampires possessed for feeling out the sapient life around them.

Given the reasons behind the evolution of those abilities, it should probably have been more concerning to him that he could do those things. But, instead, Sor-Jan had lapsed into a certain complacency. He had grown up among the Jedi. A group for which Force Sense was a most common ability. That telepathy came easily to him seemed something easily ignored for being a talent... as opposed to a predatory instinct.

The youngling arrived right as the honorable representative of the Kiribian Systems Armory was finishing up her presentation. Rather than jump in, the boy opted to stand back a moment and observe what feedback came her way.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"] and [member="Hala Jast"] were in the audience as well, both being shipwrights that the boy had worked with in the past and respected.

This might be a tough sale.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]​

 

[Saffron]

Quietly, Saffron reviewed the ongoing question and answer session regarding the request for standard star fighters. While Haven Shipyards was by no means Incom, Kuat Driveyards, or the Corellian Engineering, they could provide an other option. The question was, how would solar sail technology and updated solar energy scouts be considered on this market.

For now, Saffron took notes, trying to determine just what sort of options she could prepare to send to the Outer Rim Coalition.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"]

Jorus nodded and ran some numbers.

"If that sucker can put out three full-strength or six half-strength detonations a minute, what you're saying is, this thing has a real risk of blowing up after five minutes of constant use. That's not the shortest fight, but it's not that long either." Jorus scratched his beard and flipped through the brochure again. "Well, you're not out of the race by a long shot, but we'll have to take a closer look. In the meantime, could you give the committee the five-minute version of the difference between the Chiloon One and the Two?"

In the meantime, the committee turned its attention to the Kiribian presentation. Some of those looked like a pain in the butt to resupply and maintain, but others piqued Jorus' interest.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Jyoti Nooran"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The committee drilled down into the Kiribian presentation, which appealed and frustrated in equal measure. Though one or two of the Coalition’s member worlds could match Kiribi for technological sophistication in some fields, Kiribian tech and ships tended to be, well…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Expensive. Too advanced for the Coalition’s resources and, frankly, many of its personnel. The same issue had come up during the colony ship procurement process. Your average bush pilot and frontier mechanic wouldn’t have a prayer of wrangling something crammed full of top-flight avionics, elaborate countermeasures, and specialized modules aplenty. Lucerne Biolux circuitry posed its own serious problems, even though Gallofree had made Biolux relatively common in Coalition territory. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The committee opted not to pursue the KSA ships as candidates for this procurement process. However, they decided to order two squadrons of the Talons as a pilot project, for anti-pirate use.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]OOC/ Major Faction contract granted. Very nice.[/SIZE]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"The main differences between the Chiloon-I and Chiloon-II are in the armament suite. The Chiloon-I's primary armament is two repeater mass drivers, rather than two electromagnetic plasma cannons, and, rather than to rely on bomblet generators, it has a bomb bay capable of accommodating two standard bomb bays' worth of ordnance, such as concussion missiles, proton torpedoes, proton rockets, and all the other conventional stuff fringe pilots use for ordnance, even capable of holding two cluster missiles of the five-submunition variety or two one-ton bombs"

The Chiloon-I saw service in many of the same theaters as the Chiloon-II, and usually served in the same engagements as the Chiloon-II. They're indistinguishable outwardly, until weapons are actually fired. But it's entirely possible he may not have remembered the Silvers' involvement in the Tartarus campaign, which was, in fact, spearheaded by me, much less the Siege of the Machine. If the Silvers were OK with an otherwise-average craft that offered greater ordnance flexibility, the ORC likely could make do with it, she thought, while realizing that [member="Jorus Merrill"] had questions about the Chiloon-I, probably because of the commonality between the two. It was named as such because the Rift campaign realized that these antiquated TIE Reavers were too slow, and they tended to spin out of control when they took hits. But, on the whole, it was still equally average in terms of handling characteristics. Ord Radama, Ancora, Charros, Lujo, Ossus, Tartarus (ground, space), Muunilinst, 1st Dagobah being the main engagements where Chiloon-Is fought without Chiloon-IIs, with the Chiloon-II being released after the Siege of the Machine. And yet, the only real difference in supply and maintenance issues boil down to the armament; the avionics and all other systems were otherwise identical. The Metharian Nebula were the main engagements where the five-submunition cluster missiles were used from Chiloon-Is, and commanders tended to put heavier ordnance on Chiloon-Is when the expected survivability was lower.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

Aurora Industries had not done much business with the Outer Rim Coalition, but as an ally to the Galactic Alliance, Taeli had seen fit to send her right hand man to the Foundation to pitch Aurora's new starfighter for consideration by the ORC. Jaxson had been patiently waiting for other to present, both in person and over holocom, admiring some designs that appeared. KSA, as always, liked to show their next and best technology, and Incom was looming in the background.

Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he moved to be next to present a ship for consideration. Nodding at Mister Merrill and the other members of the committee, he activated the holoprojector to display the IX-10.

"Aurora Industries would like to present, for your consideration, the newest starfighter to be offered by our company: the IX-10 Starfighter. The IX-10 is designed to fill a variety of roles, and comes equipped with four standard laser cannons, two torpedo launchers, and an ion cannon. She has speed and maneuverability on par with what one might find on an Incom X-Wing, while being durable enough with its improved hull and deflector shields. The IX-10 is intended to be our standard baseline starfighter, so we've kept much of the design and technology in it easy for pilots to use and mechanics to maintain. We hope that this fighter is something you might find suitable to your needs. Thank you."

 

[Saffron]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

The more time Saffron was able to spend on taking notes, the easier it was to gain an idea on what she could potentially present as a bid.

Solar sail technology wouldn’t work here. They wanted a starfighter that would be easy to maintain, cost effective, and rugged.

Taking her datapad, the young woman went through her database to bring up information. One of the benefits of working with Haven Shipyards and MaraTibx is that they could provide both the starfighter as well as fuel. Arceneau Trade already had several fuel ports across the Outer Rim Coalition territories, that meant that Saffron could provide an incentive in fuel prices if they went with Haven’s bid. A reduction in fuel cost by 5% market value could provide an added incentive.

Add in that Maratibx could provide mobile fueling transports that would allow a variety of models to utilize for refueling might also be another one. The question is if ORC was willing to consider purchasing a mobile fueling depot to begin with.

None the less, Saffron quietly entered in her proposal.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR OUTER RIM COALITION

Background
The Outer Rim Coalition wishes to acquire starfighters that provide affordable defenses and reliable scouts. These should be at mass or minor production, that are hyperspace capable at a class 2 or better. Relatively simple to repair and maintain.

Scope
Haven Shipyards and MaraTibx, subsidiaries of Arceneau Trade Company wishes to propose a scout starfighter with the following features:

• Minor production Scout Starfighter
• Fuel efficiency with Solarium Solar Panels to provide multiple methods of energy. This includes an engine capable of utilizing tibanna gas for a stealthier starfighter. Hyperspace capable at a class 1. Optional use of TE-413 Fusial Engines at a Hyperspace Class of 2.
• Maintenance provides for snap on snap off features of the entire airframe and IMRL components, allowing for ease of cannibalization in an emergency situation.
• A one or two seater option.
• Solarium Glasteel viewports provide enhanced sustainable energy as well as protection for the pilot.
• Additional 5% Tibanna gas fuel discount at any Arceneau Trade Company refueling port.
• Optional additional contract of a mobile refueling port that may be utilized by all manner of starfighters.

Schedule
One month turn around for delivery of one starfighter compliment. Two months for two.

Staff
Haven Shipyards and MaraTibx staff.

Cost
Moderate costs. Sustainable energy via solarium technology provides for a decrease in tibanna gas fuel use when not in use. 5% discount of Tibanna gas at any Arceneau Trade Fuel Station within Outer Rim Coalition Territory.

Supporting information

• Haven Shipyard Information
• MaraTibx Information
• Arceneau Trade Company
• Potential Starfighter Prototype