Well-Known Member
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: A personal transport for Audren Sykes
- Image Source: Buryat Sky, edits by me
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: Lucerne Labs (products open to members of Silver Jedi); Locke and Key (request, approved); Roble Manufacturing (request, approved); Breshig War Forge Consolidated (request, approved); Silk Holdings, Jaeger Solutions, RCFC, and Kiriban Systems Armory products are open market
- Primary Source: Jade Shadow, Ghost
- Manufacturer: TransGalMeg Incorporated
- Affiliation: Audren Sykes
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Véraluntë-class star yacht
- Production: Unique
- Material: Alusteel, Agrinium, Carbon-Durasteel, D-baffling, Duranium, Durasteel, Durinium, Nightshadow, Solarium Glasteel, starship components
- Classification: Personal Transport
- Length: 57.2 meters
- Width: 23 meters (no wings), 41 meters (including wings)
- Height: 9.35 meters
- Armament: Low
- 2x forward-facing laser cannons (partially concealed)
- 1x dorsal turret, twin laser cannons (concealed internally)
- 1x variable warhead launcher - 6 missiles (concealed)
- 1x ventral blaster cannon turret (anti-personnel, concealed)
- Defenses: Very High
- Carbon-Durasteel Armor
- MRS-02 Jotun Defensive System (shield)
- Silk Holdings QQ-45H/310T Countermeasures module
- Short-range, anti-boarding Null-burst projector
- Indoor area denial system
- Hangar Space: Base (0)
- Hangar Allocations:
- Starfighters: 0 squadrons
- Support Craft: 0 squadrons
- Single Craft Hangar: Yes
- Hangar Allocations:
- Maneuverability Rating: [COLOR=rgb(255, 0, 0)Very ]High[/COLOR]
- Speed Rating: High
- Hyperdrive: Class 0.6 ; Class 7 backup
- Consumables: 1.5 months
- Passengers: 8
- Docking claw
- Floodlights
- Standard repulsorlifts
- Standard navigation systems
- Atmospheric and space capable
- Signal Interceptor
- Breshig War Forge 'Iu'yaniyasa Nukciur' Automated Modular Medical Bay
- Jaeger Solutions STS-84 Targeting & Sensor system
- Kiriban Systems Armory Sleg Ultracapacitor
- Locke and Key Aesir system
- Locke and Key Freyja Communications system
- Locke and Key Padlocke
- Locke and Key Skynet Holocontrol system
- Lucerne Labs Vitae-class Life Support system
- MandalTech 500 Series Hyperdrive
- Roble Manufacturing Jotun Defensive system
- Roble Manufacturing NAV-RH1 Interdiction Countermeasures package
- Roble Manufacturing Oberyn Stealth Shroud
- Roble Manufacturing RMR-S22X Hypermatter Annihilation Reactor
- Silk Holdings QQ-45H/310T Countermeasures module
- Silk Holdings QQ-543N/53R Cap Drain Module
- Agile - The ship is designed to be quick and maneuverable
- Stealthy - The vessel is equipped with stealth equipment (NOT CLOAKING)
- Hyperdrive - The hyperdrive is faster than standard and is HIMS-capable
- Additional craft - Space is included for a small vessel
- Secret Tunnel! - Ship contains hidden conduits and compartments
- Electronics - A significant portion of the vessel contains sensitive electronics and a sufficiently powerful ion or EMP attack would be devastating
- Hackable - Vessel contains more than a few automated systems with access to core functionality, if hacked could significantly affect the ship
- Low armament (for size) - Many combat-rated ships of this general length carry turbolasers or multiple missile launchers, this does not
- Firepower delay - Turret and missile launcher take time to become available from concealment
- Vulnerable Turret - When deployed, the turret becomes a target of opportunity
- Low cockpit visibility - Cockpit design does not allow the same field of vision as found in most combat craft
- Fuel switch delay - Switching to or from the TibannaX fuel requires a delay so as to not mix the fuels
- Alternate fuel limit - Limited to a half hour (galactic standard) of TibannaX fuel
As Audren's flights changed from purely mission-driven to begin including company-specific and general non-combat flights he realized that a new personal transport was needed. Gone were the days when an overpowered starfighter or a patrol frigate were acceptable methods of arrival; he needed something that presented itself as belonging to a successful business owner rather than a warrior.
Determining the purpose was the easy part; implementing it was what frustrated his shipwrights. Not only did the craft need to put up a peaceful appearance inside and out, the Master also required that the ship be fast, maneuverable, armed and armored, and able to host a smaller ship to boot. In short, it had to be a military-grade ship for an active Jedi whilst maintaining the appearance and reality of a luxury vessel.
Like most good projects, this one started with research. The development team found that several high-profile ships from modern and historic times came close to matching the requirements even if some additional window dressing was required. The capabilities of the nearly millennia-old Ghost and Jade Shadow for instance, with a healthy measure of the Lady Luck's luxury thrown in, were about on par for the design. If it could be done back then, they could do it now. Since TGM and Ceredir didn't manufacture nearly any of the more specialized modules the ship would require - an issue noted before and brought up once again - a team began combing through the markets for equipment while the rest began putting form to thought.
An aerodynamic hull roughly the shape of an arrowhead was drawn up. Wings were attached for aesthetics and easier atmospheric flight: larger ones at the rear and canards at the front. Basic amenities such as floodlamps, multi-surface landing gear (including a docking claw), and hatches were added without sacrificing the sleekness of the design. Next was the cockpit; borrowing heavily from the Jade Shadow's configuration it was built for a crew of three but could be ably handled by just one. Sketches were started for weapons mounts, but given the civilian look of the thing they were left as just sketches. Around this time the procurement team started coming back with useful systems.
There were hundreds of results on the moderated list. Further examination narrowed it somewhat and quickly brought a few primary companies to the forefront. A Roble reactor was chosen as the primary power supply for the ship, with enhanced efficiency courtesy of KSA ultra-capacitors. The hyperdrive - HIMS-capable - was sourced from MandalTech; a standard navicomputer was paired with the drive but was supplemented with a Roble anti-interdiction software package, which could make the ship difficult to snag. Sublight engines and maneuvering systems were on the better side of the coin and vectrals were set up with the exhaust systems to help dampen their output and improve mobility.
Audren had made it very clear that this ship was intended to look like a civilian instead of a military vessel. As a result when the designers shifted focus to the use of force they started with the defensive setup. Duranium would make up the ship's frame, supplemented by durasteel. Carbon-durasteel armor plating was selected to provide exceptional protection, which consequently decreased the maneuverability some. Another Roble system was chosen for the ]shielding and a dedicated compartment housed a Silk Holdings countermeasures module (chaff and flares). A thin layer of agrinium would provide radiation shielding and mitigate ion-based attacks, assisted by a cap drain module from Silk Holdings.
Interior design came next. A roomy galley - with a well-stocked bar - was designed with nicer furnishings; this would also serve as a lounge and the main gathering place for passengers. What would have just been a smaller cargo hold was made modular: a table made up of several pieces could collapse into the floor, chairs fit into slots in the walls, and holographic equipment meant it could be used as a conference room; tie-down rings were present in standardized spacing throughout the area but featured near-seamless sliding covers; and one side even had (covered) pop-up rollers for pallets. For especially important meetings a sheet of flooring mere millimeters thick could be rolled out to cover the entire compartment's floor. A small but fully-equipped medical bay with two beds was situated - thought to be required with the owner's profession. A compact workshop contained a micro-molecular furnace and synthicator along with a workbench. Holds, refreshers, and passenger cabins were also put in place. Each cabin was equipped with a relaxa-bed by default but with some minor retooling could be easily converted to crew-style barracks. The artificial gravity generators could be finely controlled for the whole ship or only certain sections: dialed down to zero or brought high enough to be counted as a Heavy Gravity Room. Inconspicuous mag-con field generators were placed at the larger entryways and reinforced plating was positioned at the viewports to protect from pressure loss in the case of breach. A Lucerne Labs Vitae-class life support system was chosen to support continued life aboard the vessel.
At this point Audren began adding his own input. He decided on a non-reflective slate gray for the hull color (#30363D) that would supplement the low profile of the vessel without being accused of stealth leanings. Weapons-wise, he regretfully decided to limit what the ship could carry to better keep the visage of civility. Two forward-facing laser cannons would remain partially visible. A missile launcher would be completely concealed at the ventral bow and a dual-barrel laser cannon turret would be concealed within the dorsal hull. The turret enjoyed a considerable field of fire but any gunner inside would be more vulnerable to incoming assaults; as he intended to fly the ship alone the turret could be remotely controlled from the cockpit. Both concealed weapons would not be immediately available in a combat situation, a necessary downside to the obscuration. For anti-personnel coverage a turreted blaster cannon was concealed on the ventral surface, positioned to minimize the cover provided by the entry ramp. A network of conduits barely large enough for a human adult was placed below the base deck. Around these tunnels were systems lines including life support air ducts, which served dual purposes of sending air to the cabins but also fed into the conduits. Each cabin was lined with audio baffling and had a disruption bubble generator available for privacy. These were largely for show however, as each room also contained well-hidden listening devices and every location that was not a private cabin or refresher fell under a holocam feed. The Jedi was not inclined towards voyeurism but did reserve the right to know what was happening aboard his ship.
Additional systems were brought on. As a Jedi and the company owner, communications systems needed to be secured. A firewall protected onboard computers, and a dedicated terminal in Audren's quarters was left permanently air-gapped. To allow immediate control to ships controls from anywhere in the vessel, a holocontrol system was installed; the Sephi could respond to changing situations immediately even while away from the cockpit. This system was keyed solely to him, no others could activate the displays. The limited weapons systems were augmented by an advanced targeting system. An AI helped manage the disparate automated systems into a single, cohesive whole. To augment the ship's slim profile and color scheme and offset the low armament, a stealth shroud system was installed; this transport might not pack a punch but could fade out of view. One of the designers had the offhanded idea to add a auxiliary fuel tank to the vessel and dedicate it to holding TibannaX; when the idea was approved there was some frantic retooling of the sublight engines to allow them to use this fuel. The downside of this was that all the normal fuel had to be cleared from the lines and engines before activating the stealth fuel, leading to at least a thirty-seven second delay each time it was switched. The tank was also rather comparatively tiny, containing no more than a standard half-hour's quantity of fuel.
Audren also put personal effort into various facets of the ship. While the ship was being built he coated the conduits with durinium when nobody else was around. After the vessel was completed and away from the shipyard he added a concealed switch to each cabin's floor-level air duct that allowed access to the hidden tunnels and connected those tunnels to exit points. One cabinet in each each cabin was concealed into its bulkhead and lined with Nightshadow to prevent detection of the contents. Inside each went weapons and armor (mostly made by Ceredir Industries of course). A few other hidden compartments - also lined with Nightshadow - were installed, the largest of which could uncomfortably hold a full-grown Wookiee. To top it off, each external entry and exit was further secured with the addition of locks that could only be set or released via telekinetic means.
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