Morellian Shipsearching (New Order Only)

[Onrai]

Space. The final frontier.

A new class of warship was being formed in the shipyards, a type designed for the New Order with specialized weaponry allowing it to easily deal with most other warships of its size. That warship was the Pluton-class battleship. Armed with five hypervelocity guns of the longest range and highest power, the vessel, once completed, would be able to focus five - though typically four - of its main guns on a target at any one time. The calculated yield of these guns alone was estimated to be comparable to five hundred turbolaser bolts, each cannon a hundred times more powerful than a standard starship weapon.

And Circe was here to oversee the completion and testing of the first vessel, the Pluton itself.

@Melakoth Tyrin

 

[Darth Imperatus]

Melkaroth was still technically administrator of the Morellian shipyards, though this position didn't go much further than the title now, as most of the time he gave effective command of all operations to his staff while he was out on the front lines. Nevertheless, this occasion was an exception. The largest ship in the New Order's arsenal was being constructed, in an attempt to begin full production of command ships for the Order. This was, quite literally, the most important thing that had ever happened in the shipyards, and demanded attention from the highest levels.

Melkaroth knew the full gravity of the situation as soon as he saw her: Darth Pandemina of Subach Innes. He moved to join her, his metal fleet clanging on the metal floor, as they overlooked the Pluton's construction through the window of Melkaroth's office.

"Well, you seem to have outdone yourself this time." he said.

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

@Melakoth Tyrin

"Having a company that strives to be the best in technological advancement has its perks, after all." She smiled, giving a chuckle as she eyed over the nearly finished warship. "The Pluton will be the first of her type, followed by her sister ship, the Hades. They will be the first of a new breed of battleship, combining non-Star Destroyer design with the ability to easily focus over 75% of its firepower on any target. While designed for assault, it should be more than capable of dealing with defensive roles as well, in concert with other more defense-oriented ships. I intend to minimize the amount of dropships and other ground-related starcraft in the hangar bay, as combining the necessary armor, engines, and the like to form a powerful warship such as this will not be easy, nor will it likely be entirely bug-free."

The redundant engines were signs that more and more effort was put into the warships in order to make them function as intended.

 

[Darth Imperatus]

"It's ambitious." said Melkaroth. "With this kind of anti-capital weaponry, it would need to be escorted by other Star Destroyers--I doubt that it would ever be without starfighter cover, regardless of how many you put on the ship. I like the concept, at any rate. It allows a ship of this size to fill a specific niche, rather than simply being a larger version of a standard Star Destroyer. I doubt it could ever be used in high numbers, considering the necessity for escorts, but just a few of these could be a massive asset to our fleet."

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

@Melakoth Tyrin

"The ship isn't supposed to be classified as a Star Destroyer. It doesn't have the lines for it, nor does it even remotely resemble any ship ever considered to be a Star Destroyer. As such, the classification of Battleship is a lot more precise. Not to mention that while it mounts large guns, it can hardly be classed as a battlecruiser due to its armor and hangar complement. I would use the term 'dreadnaught,' but it isn't large enough to be classed as such. Thusly, I suppose we'll have to wait and see. The last analog any Empire had to this was the Seinar Battleship of the Galactic Civil War, and very little information is available about that." She pondered the circumstances of this ship and its first test.

"When the ship's engines are underway, we can begin the trials. I have an uparmored Invictus hulk waiting for us to destroy it."

 

[Darth Imperatus]

[member="Enigma"]

"Excellent." said Melkaroth. "I will enjoy this."

____________________________________________
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
____________________________________________

The ship was now all but ready to go. Melkaroth, sitting in the command chair of the vessel, was waiting on the final checks for the backup engines before taking the vessel out. All around him, the crew made themselves busy. Among them were several high-ranking Subach officers--each one of them knew the importance of the occasion. These trials were the final test--if the administrator was satisfied with the ship's quality, then further vessels of this class would soon enough be commissioned and the Pluton itself would be ready to enter active service.

"All checks report positive, Admiral." said the ops chief.

"Good." said Melkaroth. "Engage the main reactor."

A low started up, slowly increasing in intensity before fading into the background noise of the ship. The lights that sprang into being across the bridge proved that the ship was indeed fully online. Now, all that was left was to wait for Circe. Melkaroth doubted she would be pleased if she wasn't on the bridge as the ship began its maiden voyage...

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

Six engines hummed maliciously as the warship left its moorings for the first time. The Pluton, appropriately named for its death-dealing capabilities, moved ever closer to the edge of the shipyard, until it was finally free of drydock. "Alright... now move us towards the Invictus hulk so we can test the firepower of this fully armed and operational battleship. Circe herself was eager to see how the five hypervelocity guns of the Plution-class fared against the warships of yesteryear - and the Invictus was really the only comparable target, since the Tulak Hords were too valuable to put on a firing line.

"Alright, now let's test this bad boy out."

@Melakoth Tyrin

 

[Darth Imperatus]

"Charge hypervelocity guns." said Melkaroth. "Target the bridge and fire on my command." As he spoke a louder thurmming rose up from the depths of the ship--the sound of the massive guns preparing to fire. "And magnify the veiwing screen." he wanted to see what sort of damage this vessel could really do. Melkaroth turned to Circe.

"A poignant moment." he said to the female Sith. "Not too long ago these vessels were the pride of the Empire. Now, it is nothing more than target practice for us." his head whipped back around, turning to the weapons operator.

"Fire!"

[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

The Invictus was located forward of the Pluton. Formerly a frontline warship, the particular example in this case had been converted to a training ship post-war, With much of its weaponry and starships removed. It was however still as durable as it was on the battlefield, so when the hypervelocity guns fired, they were firing against a frontline Star Destroyer.

Which suffered. Dearly. The four shield generators tried their damnedest to survive the equivalent firepower of one hundred and twenty five turbolaser batteries, but in the end, their focused fire was too much. The high-speed projectiles penetrated deeply into the bridge, blowing it away from the rest of the ship. In a combat situation, the ship would likely have switched control and command to a secondary bridge mounted more deeply inside the hull. "Good... Now aim at the main hull and keep firing until the vessel is completely destroyed.

@Melakoth Tyrin