Submission Name: The Chimaera
Link to Submission: Here
Reason for Modification:
-Completion of restricted materials objective to justify existing dev thread - kill here, confirmed here, dev thread here
-Acquisition of Roche event reactor here
Modification:
New Manufacturer:
Iron Crown Enterprises Lwhekk Shipyards (modified)
Additional reactor:
Unique Verpine reactor (Roche reward)
Additions to Non-Combative Attachments:
Stygium cloaking device
Gravitic modulator
Thrust trace dampers
Heavy deflector shield (armored generators)
Heavy backup deflector shield (armored generators)
Remove Non-Combative Attachments:
Alchemy lab
Shield generators (4)
Reduce cargo capacity:
10,000 tons
Reduce passenger capacity:
1400, plus 300 GT-F0 anti-boarding droids
Adjusted Weapons loadout:
Exchange 44 turbolasers for 44 Raptor ACES Heavy Shieldcutters.
New Hangar loadout:
New Description:
The Chimaera began life as an obsolete Kuat Drive Yards Invictus-class Star Destroyer, thoroughly reworked by Sienar Fleet Systems to create the flagship of the Sith Empire. Outwardly, apart from its weapons counts, the Chimaera is identical to a stock Invictus-class, and can generally pass unnoticed in regions where leftover ships of that class are common. It has been named in honor of the legendary flagship of Grand Admiral Thrawn, with reference to a mythological creature known for implausibility and the integration of disparate components. The relatively narrow spaceframe has required certain sacrifices. For example, the stock Invictus carries a prefabricated base, which the Chimaera does not. Its consumable stocks are also considerably smaller, and its passenger capacity has been nearly halved. The integration of Sienar components and design philosophy into a KDY spaceframe has caused both difficulties and successes. The difficulties doubled the expense and the construction time of the Chimaera; its refitting was begun not long after the conquest of Mon Calamari, but the ship was made operational only shortly before the Battle of Roche.
In Roche's aftermath, the ship vanished with its Empress, Ashin Varanin. Through a convoluted series of events involving Varanin, Warren Valik, Aleidis Ijet, Boolon Murr and the spirit of Ashin's grandfather Shule/Je'gan Olra'en, the ship was eventually reclaimed and refitted by the Fringe, and served as Varanin's command ship since the start of her tenure as Grand Admiral. It was fitted with a cloaking device on the orders of Sargon Vynea, and its hangar was reconfigured to hold LACs. Its substantial alchemy laboratory was removed, along with most of its cargo and passenger capacity, to make room for the Roche reactor that once formed the heart of the Starfall. The reactor, along with the Chimaera's lack of fashionable hypervelocity guns and long-range turbolasers, serves to stabilize the ship's power state immensely. There is no question of capacitors running dry, shield recharge rate faltering, or energy weapons losing effectiveness or firing rate. The Chimaera may not be the most powerful ship around, but its systems are reliable in the extreme, giving it a reflection of its owner's endurance and durability.
Strengths:
(+) Due to two event reactors, the Chimaera has an immensely stable power state and heavy redundant shields to match.
(+) The Chimaera is capable of carrying a loadout of LACs, allowing a one-shot force multiplier effect through HELIX warhead saturation.
Weaknesses:
(-) Unlike pretty much all modern command ships, the Chimaera has no long-range turbolasers or hypervelocity guns. Its light energy torpedo launchers, each shot comparable to an interceptor's concussion missiles, are its only weapons capable of engagement at very long range.
(-) The Chimaera carries zero starfighters, and its defensive guns are heavily biased toward anti-projectile use. In many circumstances, it requires dedicated carrier and anti-fighter support.
(-) Though the Chimaera's armor is fairly thick and its spaceframe is solid, it has been in many battles and is the result of several refits by widely variegated manufacturers. It must rely on shields for the bulk of its durability.
(-) When using a standard gunship/dropship/heavy dropship loadout, the Chimaera can support fewer craft than other ships of its class.