Jorus Merrill
is mek bote
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Image Credit: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/19718/svarog-industries-product-line-gerovit/p1
Intent: To create a modular elite starfighter as a flagship product for Silk Holdings eventually going public with an IPO.
Development Thread:
- Prototype engines and research obtained by a quiet agent of Silk
- Heist of the Tranquility - heist prep, operation
- Raid on Sith Empire research facility obtains prototype elite starfighters
- Design refined from prototype for full production
Model: Rassilon-class Elite Starfighter
Affiliation: Open Market
Modularity: Warhead launchers and optional advanced non-combative attachments; see below.
Production: Minor Production
Material: Individual parts cast or milled from titanium, durasteel, or desh-terenthium depending on stress modelling. Glasteel viewports, equivalent in strength to durasteel. Condensed-matter composite engine housing.
Description:
The Rassilon-class was inspired by the ancient TIE Defender. Capable of outflying line starfighters, and far more durable than interceptors, the Rassilon-class is an elite fighter for elite pilots and squadrons, but wings of this vessel would not exist. It is also heavily marketed to high-rolling private buyers looking for a personal starfighter, comparable to Prince Xizor’s Virago or General Grievous’ Soulless One. As the warhead launchers and non-combative attachments are modular, for twenty-four possible combinations, each starfighter can be marketed as unique.
Unlike the vast majority of starships in the modern era, which are either built wholly of a single metal or have one metal for the frame and another for the hull plating, the Rassilon-class is the result of careful stress testing and mathematical modeling. Optimum estimates for required tensile strength, malleability, conductivity and impact resistance were balanced for each part in relation to the whole, and in relation to the stresses of common impacts and maneuvers. Each metallic part of the resulting starship is made of titanium, durasteel, or desh-terenthium, as dictated by actual structural needs. This process maximizes durability, minimizes weight, and ensures that every structural part is made from a suitable material. As these metals have very similar and minimal expansion/contraction rates when exposed to heat and cold, the vessel’s structural integrity does not suffer when transitioning from atmosphere to space, or when exposed to high heat. Manufacturing cost, however, increased somewhat.
The energy torpedo projector’s immense cooldown time of thirty seconds, its unguided line-of-sight course, and its approximate yield equivalence to a standard proton torpedo, make it an unorthodox choice, and a difficult weapon to use effectively. However, it has three major advantages. The first is speed. The torpedo travels at 0.2c, much faster than physical warheads or laser cannon blasts. The second is range. In uninterrupted flight, the torpedo persists for one minute, allowing it to travel 3.6 million kilometres, or 0.024 AU, ten times the average distance from a planet to its moon. The third advantage is unlimited magazine size: So long as the reactor persists at full strength, the projector will be able to fire. This was the standard weapon on Clone Wars Vulture droid starfighters, and for good reason. Again, it must be emphasized that this is not an especially powerful weapon, cannot be guided like a standard warhead, and can only be fired once every thirty seconds -- a minor eternity in a dogfight. It is a standard option for fighter-grade warhead loadouts.
The starship’s most important element is certainly speed. As Silk has always had an interest in powerful, experimental hyperdrives -- marketing, among others, a frigate-sized exploration craft with a class 0.5 FTL rating -- this vessel mounts a hyperdrive which can match the ancient
Bes'uliik. The first comes from the Aleph-class starfighter which Jorus Merrill obtained some time ago by contracting to enhance the Fringe Confederation shipyards over Annaj, a vessel which he has flown on several occasions, including Operation Promised Land. (Disclaimer: This does not rise to the level of fully reverse engineering a speed-0.5 event ship.)
The second set of design insights was obtained by Rave Merrill in the process of a wholesale acquisition of stock in a tier-four corporation’s starship engineering subsidiary. The acquisition specifically involved access to experimental starship engine prototypes. Although these were not, specifically, superior to Silk’s experimental engines, they did provide useful insights in a fairly quiet bit of corporate espionage.
The third set of insights stems from the heist of the Vos-class praxeum ship Tranquility, which stocked eight squadrons of starfighters and SLAM-capable interceptors prior to its emergency evacuation; any remaining partial starfighter technology, such as from maintenance bays, was claimed by Jorus alongside his payment for his role as the heist’s secret getaway driver. At the time, he was under a million-credit bounty and believed the CIS considered him an irrevocable enemy.
The fourth set of design insights came from the Rebel Alliance raid on the top-secret Sith Empire research facility at Styx, a raid which specifically secured several prototype and elite starfighters.
As a result of these four sets of design insights, plus Silk's not inconsiderable experience and the skills obtained through the acquisition of Eshan Drive Yards, the Rassilon is very, very fast.
Classification: Elite Starfighter
Role: Elite personal starship
Height: 2.8m
Width: 3.9m
Length: 7.1m
Power Core Generator/Reactor: Solar ionization reactor, backup fuel cells
Hyperdrive Rating: 0.4
Minimum Crew: 1
Optimal Crew: 1-2
Armaments:
- 2 heavy laser cannons (equivalent to 2 standard laser cannons each)
- 1 dual ion cannon
- 2 light energy torpedo projectors -- OR 2 flex-tube warhead launchers (per launcher: 6 concussion missiles, proton torpedos, cluster missiles, or mag pulse warheads, OR 3 proton rockets, OR 2 proton bombs or flame carpets) -- OR one energy torpedo projector and one flex-tube warhead launcher
- N/A
- Communications Array*
- Encryption Network
- Holonet Transceiver
- Advanced Deflector Shield Generator
- Standard Life Support Systems
- Standard Navigational Systems*
- Standard Sensor Array*
- Standard Targeting Systems*
Passenger Capacity: 0
Cargo Capacity: 1 cubic metre
Consumables: Six days for one person, or three days for two
Sublight Speed and Maneuverability: 1
