Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create an escort carrier like vessel for the open market, particularly pirates, criminals, and other less than reputable peoples
- Image Source: here and here modified and combined by yours truly
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: CorelliSpace
- Affiliation: Open-Market
- Model: Surprise-series Q-Carrier
- Production: Mass-Produced.
- Material: neuranium armor, durasteel frame, standard starship components
- Classification: Disguised Escort Carrier
- Length: 500 meters
- Width: 125 meters
- Height: 75 meters
- Armament: Very Low
- 6 CL-3 Cluster Bombs (randomly placed and disguised as external cargo containers)
- 6 Drone Launchers (Capable of launching the following: Mark VI sensor beacons, E-45 Interdictor Sentries, R-UR4 Repair Drones, SRG-87 Railgun Drones, Stoic Missile Sentries)
- 8 AG-2G Quad Laser Cannons
- 8 Tractor Beam Projectors
- Defenses: High
- KL-44 Commander Deflector Shield Generator
- Neuranium Armor
- 4 Magnetoran Sweeps
- 20 Caltrop-5 Chaff Guns
- Hangar Space: Extreme: 6
- Hangar Allocations:
- Starfighters: 6 squadrons
- Support Craft: 0 squadrons
- Maneuverability Rating: Low
- Speed Rating: Low
- Hyperdrive: Yes
- Hyperdrive Class: x1
- Standard Communications Array
- Standard Deflector Shields
- Standard Hyperdrive
- Standard Life Support Systems
- Standard Navigational Systems
- Standard Repulsorlift Engines
- Standard Sensor Array
- Standard Targeting Systems
- Can Enter Atmosphere and Land
- STAR-AE Engine System
- Neuranium Armor (can prevent accurate internal scans of hold - potentially making observers think it is a Baleen-class Heavy Freighter)
- Catapult Pressors (allow rapid launch of starfighters, armored personnel, droids, etc)
- Home Base: The Surprise-series is a starfighter-centered design, with dozens of catapult pressors located in its holds to quickly launch starfighters, drone launchers to launch repair drones to fix fighters or provide supplement firepower or abilities to starfighters, and an engine system which uses a wide tensor field to boost the flight performance of nearby friendly fighters.
- Diguised: The Surprise-series is designed to mimic the appearance of Balleen-class Heavy Freighter. All of its warship-grade systems are as well as its hangar bays are hidden behind neuranium plating, which may prevent the accurate identification of its abilities.
- Lightly Armed: The Surprise is very lightly armed and likely only poses a threat to starfighters and small corvettes in most instances
- Low Performance Craft: The Surprise is very sluggish and it's unlikely to outrun the average frigate or corvette.
Simultaneously looking to please its criminal clientele and placate its public detractors, CorelliSpace designed a Q-carrier ostensibly designed to provide escort to civilian starships or linger as a bate for pirates. To that end, the aptly named Surprise-series closely resembles a Baleen-class Heavy Freighter and uses neuranium to both shield it from proper sensor scans and to provide heavy armor during combat. Once the surprise is revealed for what it truly is, the carrier can release a full two wings of starfighters and provides those starfighters with a variety of support features ranging from catapult pressors (to quickly launch the starfighters and bring them up to high speeds), support drone launchers, and an engine system designed to boost its nearby starfighter's performance. While reasonably protected by its armor, the Surprise mostly defends itself through a mix of its own starfighters and an interlinked network of chaff guns and magnetoran sweeps designed to prevent enemies from effectively targeting it or nearby friendly vessels. Additionally, the Surprise can provide protection to nearby ships, either its starfighters or smaller capital ships, with its shield generator. A number of quad laser cannons and a few carefully hidden cluster bombs provide a more last ditch defense against enemy small craft that get too close. While some of the company's detractors were placated by the carrier's release, and dozens of them do see respectable service in corporate fleets and security companies, a "surprisingly" large number of the vessels have also found their ways into the hands of pirates and other similar criminals, who tend to use them in a "wolf in sheeps clothing". In this role, the Q-carriers approach civilian shipping before suddenly swarms of starfighters to rip apart convoy guards and disable potential prizes for looting.
