Directorate Officer
(Caption: A deployed Rockmite-class Heavy Drop Pod)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a heavy drop pod that can turn into a deployed bunker
- Image Source: Spartan Games Charon Command Drop pod, colored by yours truly (company is now defunct and offline)
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Concord, Lucerne Labs customers
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Rockmite-class Heavy Drop Pod
- Modularity: Different warheads and grenades may be used in weapons; different passenger, vehicles, and/or cargo may be carried
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Beskar Frame, Argentum-series Matrix Armor plating, Thermal Gel Cocoon (during reentry), duracrete exterior shell (during reentry), typical vehicle components
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Classification: Heavy Drop Pod
- Role: Space to ground transport / Artillery
- Size: Very Large
- Weight:Very Heavy
- Armaments: None (during actual drop) / Extreme (when deployed stationary on landing surface)
- Defenses: Extreme
- Maneuverability Rating: None
- Speed Rating: Extreme (atmospheric entry) / None (stationary on ground/deployed)
- Propulsion: Solid fuel Rockets
- Minimum Crew: 1
- Optimal Crew: 7
- Passenger Capacity: 40 troops
- Cargo Capacity: Average
- Standard Communications Array
- Bia-series Fusion Generators
- Biolux Organoform Circuitry
- Calor series Bio-Computer
- Solid Fuel Rockets
- Standard Navigational Systems
- Starlight Scutum-series Shield System
- Standard Sensor Array
- Standard Targeting Systems
- Vitae-class Life Support System
STRENGTHS
- Well-Defended: The Rockmite sports exceptionally thick armor plating which is supported by a powerful Starlight Scutum shield, making it very durable on the battlefield.
- Heavy Armament(stationary mode): When static on a the surface, the Rockmite is able to use a variety of weapons suited to fighting any number of foes, from a long-range turbolaser for use against capital ships and fortified positions to retractable machine guns for use against enemy infatnry or projectiles.
- What maneuverability? The Rockmite has absolutely no ability to maneuver. Once launched from its mother vessel, the pod has no ability to later its course.
- Not moving anytime soon (static mode): Once a Rockmite lands on a surface, it has no ability to move on its own.
Orbital Assault Pods and Drop Pods have been commonly used by military forces across the galaxy to quickly transfer troops and vehicles onto the ground. Looking for ways to increase the Silver Jedi Concord's offensive abilities against the rising Bryn'adul threat, the company designed a large drop pod that would not only allow it to quickly transfer troops and vehicles to a surface, but also act as an instant fortification once landed. To that end, the Rockmite uses a thick armor hull that is reinforced by a Starlight Scutum shield. In order to drive back attackers, the upper half of the Rockmite is a large turret that holds a host of diverse weapons from a large turbolaser to torpedo launchers to remote controlled machine guns. This allows the Rockmite's troops to better secure a foothold on hostile worlds. These advanced abilities are only possible because of Rockmite's dual-layered hull - while the pod has a permanent hull just like any other vehicle or starship, this is encapsulated by a temporary reentry shell which consists of duracrete textured to look like the exterior of asteroid which then contains thermal gel to better absorb the kinetic shock of landing.
Technical Explanations
Crew: Rockmites are fairly basic craft to operate, especially as they have no ability to actually maneuver on their own. This allows a single person to operate the craft in an emergency, typically just for leaving the mother vessel and making a landing on the surface. However, in order to operate all of its systems effectively (especially its onboard weaponry), the Rockmite needs a crew of eight. All of these crewmembers are situated in the upper half of the Rockmite in a miniature bridge - allowing them to control all of its systems remotely via Calor-series Bio-Computers linked through Biolux Organoform Circuitry. Both the pod's crew and passengers board the craft through a dorsal hatch while the rest of the pod's body is covered by its reentry shell.
Engine Systems: The Rockmite has simple, solid fuel rocket drives to provide its initial thrust into an atmosphere and then to act as retro-thrusters to slow its descent right before landing on the surface. Due to these engine's basic chemical composition and simple nozzle construction, the Rockmite has no means of altering its trajectory and thus cannot be steered. The solid fuel nature of the rockets also means that the rockets quickly run out of fuel - there is only enough fuel for a single trip to the surface. While consequently not as versatile as even the simplest of ion drives, it also means that they cannot be effected by EMP or ion weapons nor do they have electrical or radioactive signatures common to ion engines, which might make them more difficult to detect for those looking for conventional starships.
Defensive Systems: The Rockmite has impressive defenses, but most of which are passive in nature. The Rockmite's most basic defense its reinforced beskar frame, which is then covered in a thick layer of Argentum Matrix Armor plating that is carefully designed to act as sloped armor from most attack angles. A powerful Starlight Scutum Shield system provides protection against a vast variety of threats, from enemy vehicle attacks to toxic atmospheres. The Rockmite also sports a quartet of MAST turrets mounted on the top of its turret. These are typically outfitted with a sensor jammers or directional particle shields, providing the Rockmite with a more active means of defense.
Hull: While designed only for atmospheric use, the Rockmite's hull shares more in common with most spacecraft that most ground vehicles due to its primary function as a reentry vehicle. It uses starship-like framework of artificially synthesized beskar which is then covered in a thick carapace of Argentum-series Armor Plating. This main hull is then suspended in a temporary cocoon of thermal gel which is then encased in a duracrete shell that is designed to look like that of an asteroid. This is designed to make a plummeting Rockmite appear to be a large meteorite to casual observation. But this shell also means that the Rockmite is unable to use any of its weapons either, otherwise it would destroy this shell needed for reentry. Upon landing, the duracrete shell shatters and the thermal gel absorbs much of the shock of landing before spilling out onto the landing surface.
Weapons Systems: The upper half of the Rockmite is a large turret that houses a multitude of weapon systems designed to support its passengers once the pod has landed. The largest of these is a Corona-class Long-Range Turbolaser. Hobbled by its large size and slow-tracking rate, the Corona is best suited to bombarding static positions or attacking large enemy vehicles or creatures. A pod of FlexTube Proton Torpedo launchers arises from the turret's rear, providing the Rockmite with a means of attacking faster moving enemy vehicles like aircraft or small walkers. A triple mount of grenade launchers allows the Rockmite to provide light, indirect artillery support to its troops, which such weapons typically employed against nearby enemy fighting positions or large enemy formations. Lastly, each disembarking ramp on the Rockmite has a retractable, remote controlled Firestrike-series Machine Gun, which is typically used to provide suppressive fire while the Rockmites troops and vehicles disembark.
Carrying Capacity: The Rockmite is designed primarily as a mode of transportation and unsurprisingly almost its entire lower half is dedicated to carrying troops and their equipment. This is typically a platoon of soldiers, their equipment, and vehicles. Four massive ramps on all sides the pod allows the Rockmite's passengers to quickly disembark and enter the battlefield. This makes the Rockmite largely equivalent to the old Y-4 Transport.
