In Umbris Potestas Est
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
The diatium capacitance array was developed by Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing shortly after the Battle of Kashyyyk. The usage of the solar ionization cannons by the defending Silver Jedi forces inflicted significant, though not critical damage to the hull of the Ablution. After the ship was sent to Defiance's yards for repair and refitting, Vanessa Vantai and a team of DCMM engineers immediately went to work on trying to develop a means to counter weapons like the solar ionization cannon, energy weaponry that could penetrate both particle and energy shields. While equipping the vessel with molecular shields would have solved such an issue, such would have left it vulnerable to weaponry such as hypervelocity guns and mass drivers. Thus the diatium capacitance array was developed to serve as a comparable system.
Vanessa began by studying past creations designed to absorb energy weapons, such as the droid capacitor armor equipped by HK-47 during the Old Sith Wars. Such was applied to a grander scale through combining ultrathin diatium absorption panels with large diatium capacitors impregnated within the exterior of the vessel's hull. When hit by laser, turbolaser, or as intended, solar ionization cannon fire, the energy is absorbed by the outer diatium absorption panel and redirected through thick wiring into the capacitors, where it is quickly dumped into the ship's system, the vessel's reactor decreasing its power output or, in the event overcharging of the shields/weapons/engines is intended to occur, maintaining it. The capacitors, in the event they are overwhelmed, can redirect the power input through the wiring to other capacitors, allowing the entire system to defend against turbolaser strikes.
The system has two issues, aside from it being unable to defend against physical weapons. First, excessively concentrated fire from multiple ships on a specific area can overwhelm the capacitance array beyond its ability to absorb the energy. If this overwhelming continued for more than even a few seconds, the capacitors will pop and the system as a whole will require replacing. The same issue occurs when fire is spread across the entire ship - mass fire has the exact same effect as extremely concentrated fire.
Diatium capacitance arrays are equipped on all DCMM ships built for the Sith Empire since their introduction as a product.
- Intent: To create a defensive system for use by starfighters and starships that will prove effective against shield-penetrating energy weapons.
- Image Source: N/A
- Canon Link: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Droid_capacitor_armor
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing
- Model: Diatium Capacitance Array
- Affiliation: Sith Empire
- Modularity: No
Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Diatium
- Absorbs the energy of energy weapons, discharging it into the ship's systems and decreasing the strain on the ship's reactor
- Is effective at absorbing the energy of weaponry, providing defense to ships with conventional deflector shields against shield-penetrating energy weaponry like solar ionization cannons
- Can be used in battle to reduce usage of the ship's main power source, or alternative can be used to augment the ship's shields, engines, or weapons
- Provides no benefit whatsoever to protection against physical weapons
- Can be overwhelmed with either highly concentrated fire or fire directed on the ship's hull from every angle, potentially overloading and disabling the entire system
The diatium capacitance array was developed by Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing shortly after the Battle of Kashyyyk. The usage of the solar ionization cannons by the defending Silver Jedi forces inflicted significant, though not critical damage to the hull of the Ablution. After the ship was sent to Defiance's yards for repair and refitting, Vanessa Vantai and a team of DCMM engineers immediately went to work on trying to develop a means to counter weapons like the solar ionization cannon, energy weaponry that could penetrate both particle and energy shields. While equipping the vessel with molecular shields would have solved such an issue, such would have left it vulnerable to weaponry such as hypervelocity guns and mass drivers. Thus the diatium capacitance array was developed to serve as a comparable system.
Vanessa began by studying past creations designed to absorb energy weapons, such as the droid capacitor armor equipped by HK-47 during the Old Sith Wars. Such was applied to a grander scale through combining ultrathin diatium absorption panels with large diatium capacitors impregnated within the exterior of the vessel's hull. When hit by laser, turbolaser, or as intended, solar ionization cannon fire, the energy is absorbed by the outer diatium absorption panel and redirected through thick wiring into the capacitors, where it is quickly dumped into the ship's system, the vessel's reactor decreasing its power output or, in the event overcharging of the shields/weapons/engines is intended to occur, maintaining it. The capacitors, in the event they are overwhelmed, can redirect the power input through the wiring to other capacitors, allowing the entire system to defend against turbolaser strikes.
The system has two issues, aside from it being unable to defend against physical weapons. First, excessively concentrated fire from multiple ships on a specific area can overwhelm the capacitance array beyond its ability to absorb the energy. If this overwhelming continued for more than even a few seconds, the capacitors will pop and the system as a whole will require replacing. The same issue occurs when fire is spread across the entire ship - mass fire has the exact same effect as extremely concentrated fire.
Diatium capacitance arrays are equipped on all DCMM ships built for the Sith Empire since their introduction as a product.
