Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Weaknesses:
DESCRIPTION
The Iris-class Turbolaser is Lucerne Labs's foray into standard turbolaser technology. Like most turbolasers, it actually is a two-stage, supercharged laser cannon with extensive cooling and power systems. It's main conceptual difference from many conventional turbolasers is that it is actually overbuilt to handle more heat and energy than even a standard turbolaser. To this end, the internal metal and electrical components are cased in dallorian alloy radiators through which cryogenic gas is pumped, when then turns back to liquid as it radiates heat. In this, the Iris actually takes a step backward to using a turbolaser blister arrangement instead of a turret, as in the Rendili Dreadnaught and early mon calamari cruisers. The blister houses the turbolaser and all of its typical components, but it uses the vastly more internal volume in the blister to house even more cryogen, and it also uses the significantly more surface volume of the blister to help radiate heat over a wider area, thereby causing it to help get rid of waste heat quicker and more efficiently. But while overbuilding the components and using a sophisticated cooling allows the Iris to handle producing more powerful turbolaser shots than normal, it does not provide the power needed to actually make them.
The main innovation of the Iris is its ability to transfer energy to and from other Iris turbolaser emplacements on the same vessel. Like many other turbolasers, the Iris has its own generator and capacitors. Unlike other turbolaser systems, Iris turbolasers are linked together by power loop capacitors which help store and transfer energy between the different turbolasers. Thus, while Iris turbolasers do not take away any more energy from a starship, they can provide their own energy to a different turbolaser. This is helpful when a particularly powerful and precise shot needs to be made by a single weapon, or if a malfunction or battle damage has otherwise taken a turbolaser offline but not its power supply offline. This can allow Irises the ability to make exceptionally powerful shots that while noticeably stronger than a typical turbolaser, are never stronger than a typical heavy turbolaser. Even then, this ability is limited by the ability of the Iris to control its heat safely, which is rarely more than a couple of these overcharged shots in succession. Like the Hornet's weapons, any more could cause the turbolasers to overload, explode, or catastrophically malfunction. Combined with draining power from other Iris turbolasers, this makes the overcharge function a situational advantage that should be carefully employed because of its drawbacks.
Conversely, the Iris can be rapidly fired at a very low energy output. This makes the weapon's particle beam appear to be continuous and flickering. While the damage produced by this setting is exceptionally low (equivalent to a single starfighter laser cannon), it can serve in a similar function to a targeting laser, providing other weapons with addition sensor information and guidance, especially during heavy sensor jamming. Unlike many targeting lasers, rather than directly paint a target, the Iris low-pulse is actually used to triangulate positions, which almost necessarily means that it must be used in combination with another sensor or targeting device. Most often, several Iris turbolasers will be to work together so that their pulses will converge on a single point. The mathematical formulas of the with beam's radiation and light values as constants can then be plugged in to verify or correct sensor analysis in the event of jamming. This often needs to be repeated several times in rapid succession if variable jamming is done, in which case it is highly unlikely that the Irises will be able to completely negate the sensor jamming, but it will make other weapon's fire more accurate.
Intent: To provide Lucerne Labs with its own version of the standard turbolaser
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: partially inspired by the SORCE Turbolaser and Admiral Piett's line in Return of the Jedi
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Iris-class Turbolaser
Affiliation: Lucerne Labs, Closed Market
Modularity: None.
Production: Mass-Produced.
Material: Quadanium steel blister armor plating, dallorian alloy, cyrogenic cooling systems, power loop capacitors, capacitors, generators, other typical turbolaser components
Classification: Turbolaser
Size: Ship-Mounted
Length: 10 meters
Weight: 10 Tons
Ammunition Type: Energy, blaster gas
Ammunition Capacity: Effectively Unlimited
Effective Range: standard Capital Ship weapons range
Rate of Fire: typically one shot every 2-4 seconds, longer cooldown time needed with overcharged shots
Overcharge: The Iris is designed to be capable of being overcharged in a manner similar to the Hornet-class Interceptor's laser cannons.
Equivalent to a standard turbolaser for starship building purposes and in terms of typical damage output / energy output.
Low Power Targeting Setting: The Iris can almost to send out an almost continuous pulse of extremely low powered bolts, which can be used to aid targeting sensors.
Overcharge: Iris is specifically designed to be capable of producing “supercharged” shots, making it almost as powerful as a heavy turbolaser if it draws power from the capacitors and power loop capacitors of other Iris-class Turbolasers.
- Spotter: Like many other energy weapons, the Iris can be fired at multiple power levels, including a very lower power on a continuous pulse. This setting deals almost minimal damage, but can be used like a targeting laser for other weapons, especially during heavy sensor jamming.
Weaknesses:
- Energy Vampire: Using the overcharge ability can only draw power away from other Iris-class Turbolasers. This energy transfer is not a perfect transmission of power either, meaning that some energy is lost through the transfer process in return for consolidating power in a single gun. This means that it often takes longer for the energy to build up again in the gun from which the power was taken from before it can fire.
- Slow Rate of Fire: After firing several supercharged shots in succession, the rate of fire for a Iris-class notably decreases as even the Iris's sophisticated cooling system cannot rapidly remove all of the built-up heat.
DESCRIPTION
The Iris-class Turbolaser is Lucerne Labs's foray into standard turbolaser technology. Like most turbolasers, it actually is a two-stage, supercharged laser cannon with extensive cooling and power systems. It's main conceptual difference from many conventional turbolasers is that it is actually overbuilt to handle more heat and energy than even a standard turbolaser. To this end, the internal metal and electrical components are cased in dallorian alloy radiators through which cryogenic gas is pumped, when then turns back to liquid as it radiates heat. In this, the Iris actually takes a step backward to using a turbolaser blister arrangement instead of a turret, as in the Rendili Dreadnaught and early mon calamari cruisers. The blister houses the turbolaser and all of its typical components, but it uses the vastly more internal volume in the blister to house even more cryogen, and it also uses the significantly more surface volume of the blister to help radiate heat over a wider area, thereby causing it to help get rid of waste heat quicker and more efficiently. But while overbuilding the components and using a sophisticated cooling allows the Iris to handle producing more powerful turbolaser shots than normal, it does not provide the power needed to actually make them.
The main innovation of the Iris is its ability to transfer energy to and from other Iris turbolaser emplacements on the same vessel. Like many other turbolasers, the Iris has its own generator and capacitors. Unlike other turbolaser systems, Iris turbolasers are linked together by power loop capacitors which help store and transfer energy between the different turbolasers. Thus, while Iris turbolasers do not take away any more energy from a starship, they can provide their own energy to a different turbolaser. This is helpful when a particularly powerful and precise shot needs to be made by a single weapon, or if a malfunction or battle damage has otherwise taken a turbolaser offline but not its power supply offline. This can allow Irises the ability to make exceptionally powerful shots that while noticeably stronger than a typical turbolaser, are never stronger than a typical heavy turbolaser. Even then, this ability is limited by the ability of the Iris to control its heat safely, which is rarely more than a couple of these overcharged shots in succession. Like the Hornet's weapons, any more could cause the turbolasers to overload, explode, or catastrophically malfunction. Combined with draining power from other Iris turbolasers, this makes the overcharge function a situational advantage that should be carefully employed because of its drawbacks.
Conversely, the Iris can be rapidly fired at a very low energy output. This makes the weapon's particle beam appear to be continuous and flickering. While the damage produced by this setting is exceptionally low (equivalent to a single starfighter laser cannon), it can serve in a similar function to a targeting laser, providing other weapons with addition sensor information and guidance, especially during heavy sensor jamming. Unlike many targeting lasers, rather than directly paint a target, the Iris low-pulse is actually used to triangulate positions, which almost necessarily means that it must be used in combination with another sensor or targeting device. Most often, several Iris turbolasers will be to work together so that their pulses will converge on a single point. The mathematical formulas of the with beam's radiation and light values as constants can then be plugged in to verify or correct sensor analysis in the event of jamming. This often needs to be repeated several times in rapid succession if variable jamming is done, in which case it is highly unlikely that the Irises will be able to completely negate the sensor jamming, but it will make other weapon's fire more accurate.
