Directorate Officer
Intent: To provide the Silver Jedi and allies with a well armored, automated cruiser
Image Source: Original here, modifications by yours truly
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Verne-class Armored Cruiser
Affiliation: Silver Jedi, Galactic Alliance, closed market
Production: Minor
Material: Ferrocarbon-duravlex Frame, link-steel-plasteel secondary armor belt, Chimera Composite primary armor belt, Agrinicrete internal shielding, Biolux organoform circuitry, Calor series Bio-Computers
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Medium Cruiser
Length: 600 meters
Width: 120 meters
Height: 200 meters
Armament: Average
1 Trident-class Autocannon- 20 Iris-class Turbolaser Batteries
- 12 Rhongomyniad-class Mass Driver Cannon Batteries
- 6 Forward Harpoon-class General Purpose Warhead Launchers
- 4 Minelayers
- 8 Plumbata-class Defensive Batteries
- 12 Sentinel-class Point Defense Emplacements
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Defenses: Very High
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Hangar: Low: 1 Squadron
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Maneuverability Rating: Average
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Speed Rating: Low
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Hyperdrive Class: Average: 2
STANDARD FEATURES
Biocomms
Encryption Network
Escape Pods
Electronic Security Systems (Pyrowalls, Rapid Repetition Defense Measure programming, EI-9 network security droids)
Internal Security Systems (Embedded Mantraps, Automated Laser Traps, Internal Force Field Generators)
Oracle-class Communications Package
Standard Detention Cells
Standard Life Support Systems
Standard Navigational Systems
Standard Sensor Array
Tractor Beam Projectors (x6)
Aspis-class Shield Systems (x2)
Biolux Organoform Circuitry
Calor series Bio-computers
Chimera Composite Armor Plating
Dedicated Ion Shield Generator
Fortified Automation
Gulfstream-class Maneuvering System
Hyperwave Inertial Momentum Sustainer
Heavy Defenses: Like their name suggests, Verne-class Armored Cruisers are known for their exceptionally high passive point defenses, including dual, overlapping Aspis-class Shielding Systems, an ion shield, thick armor plating, and an secondary protective layers.
Fortified Automation: Verne-class Armored Cruisers are almost entirely automated using the conceptual roadmap laid out in the various automated versions of the dreadnaughts over the years (Katana Fleet Dreadnaught, Rebel Assault Frigate) and instituted through the use of Lucerne Labs proprietary bio-computers and organoform circuitry, which makes it less susceptible to the traditional bane of automated designs: ion cannons. Nonetheless, the Verne still requires a small physical crew, which oftentimes are composed of L1 Marinus droids to make it entirely unreliant on organics.
Boarding Complement: Vernes dedicate a lot of internal space to barracks and storage space, much like the original dreadnought, allowing them to carry up to 3,500 troops and their equipment. Because of the nature of the design, these are often L1 Marinus droids or other battle droids and automated vehicles.
Low Speed: While the heavy armor makes the Verne a durable opponent, it also makes it rather slow. It's not uncommon for Vernes to be outrun even by larger cruisers.
Small Hangar: The Verne has a single hangar which only has enough room to carry a single starfighter squadron and several support craft.
Low Point Defense count: The Verne has a moderately low number of point defense weapons for a vessel of its size. While it's capable of beating back small scale attacks, it can be overwhelmed more easily than many of its competitors by sheer numbers of starfighters, warheads, and other smaller threats.
Description: The Verne-class Armored Cruiser is the latest offshoot of the classic Rendili Dreadnought. This cruiser builds off of the automation work put into the rebel assault frigates and the slave circuitry of the Katana fleet dreadnoughts, which allows this ship to be run with a minimum of crewmembers. Many Vernes are crewed with droids, allowing entire cruisers to be entirely automated, making them cheap to operate in the long run, and allowing them to be more disposable than many other warships. As a combatant,Verne's are primarily known for their high durability, which is primarily the result of dual-layered shields and a thick carapace of layered armor. This makes them particularly well-suited for to holding positions even against desperate odds, making them exceptionally useful in planetary defense fleets or as escorts to much larger warships. However, Vernes have enough utility that can be deployed effectively in other roles, such as in routine patrols or for planetary assaults, much like its familial predecessors.
Technical Descriptions
Automation: The Verne's automation is not solely the result of Lucerne Labs's research, but it is rather the branching off a considerable amount effort devoted into automating the old Rendili dreadnought by various parties, such as the Katana fleet and the Rebel assault frigates that served in the galactic civil war. Verne copies many of the automation's basic configurations from those designs but rather than using traditional computers and circuits, it uses the company's propietary Calor-series Bio-computers and Biolux organoform circuitry as well as fluidics to interphase with mechanical components. For the most part, this automation differs little in performance from its predecessors except that the parallel-computing and partial reconfiguration properties of the bio-computers allow this automation to adapt on its own different circumstances, such as routing processing power to better interpret sensor scans or direct damage control teams. Redundant biolux circuitry also allows various computers to take over another's task if the original dedicated computer's destroyed. Like the Katana fleet, multiple Vernes can be run through slave circuitry, allowing other Vernes to perform the computing processes of other vessels as needed. This allows Vernes flexibility in waging battles even when they are heavily damaged. To make the most use of this processing power, one element was actually borrowed an entirely different lineage, and that was the droid brain network of the old CIS Recusant-class Light Destroyer. This gives the ship its own rudimentary set of intelligences allowing it to survive (but not thrive) without any other external input. In practice though, the Verne needs direction from others in order to reach the normal potential of a warship for its size. In a way, this is a safety feature, as it prevents the Verne from being able to be effectively corrupted against it creators and its users. The direction needed for optimal performance is typically by an internal crew of droids or biots, though the ship can also be commanded and operated remotely by other vessels for maximum performance or even use traditional organic crews. To help facilitate droid crews, the Verne hosts hundreds of droid recharging stations, oil baths, automated maintenance stations, and other support facilities for its droid hosts. This makes the droid crew and the warship itself largely co-dependent on each other, which in turn helps ensure that they remain motivated to work together.
Communications: The Verne uses a pair Oracle-class Communications Packages supplemented by several dozen comm lasers and a pair of Biocomms. This is a somewhat more expansive communication's suite for a ship its size, but it also a necessity because of the Verne's nature. One Oracle is dedicated to maintaining the normal ship-to-ship communication abilities used by all normal vessels. The other Oracle, however, is dedicated to specifically to droid communications. Building off Lucerne Labs's experience with the IX-6 combat and security droid and the slave-rigging of the Katana Fleet, Vernes use this Oracle system to transfer data streams to each other and synchronize their actions for maximum effectiveness. Because this is a simple data stream protocol transfer, Vernes can also share information easily with other units, such as automated starfighters and battle droids, though this synchronization is not as fast or integrated, and consequently not as effective during most combat scenarios.
Hull: Unlike many of Lucerne Labs recent starships, the Verne does not use an Ossis-class starship frame, but instead uses a heavily modified frame of the old Rendili Dreadnaught that is related to early efforts of the Free Dac Engineering Corps as they designed the Providence-class Carrier/Destroyer. But using previous companies' work on the ship's automation, Lucerne Labs spent less time developing the automation systems needed to run this ship. To partially make up for this, this adopted frame design was instead made out of ferrocarbon mol-welded with duravlex to make an exceptionally durable frame to physical impact and high temperatures. This primary frame is then covered in secondary armor belt of link-steel laminated with plasteel to provide some flex in absorbing and dispersing physical impacts. This secondary belt also acts as a rudimentary farraday cage to help protect the vessel from electromagnetic radiation, whether naturally occurring or as part of an enemy attack. This armor belt is then in covered in a primary belt of alternating layers of Chimera Composite plating separated by thin layers of condensed-matter composite. Which these individual alternating layers are each quite thin, as a collective whole it is exceptionally thick, which combined with the ship's frame makes it exceptionally durable to a variety of threats. Because the ship relies so heavily on automation, several key areas of the ship, such as the bridge, the ship's primary computer banks, and engineering are also encased with agrinicrete, providing additional protection against radiation and ionic attacks, though it is by no means entirely immune to such attacks.
Hyperdrive: The Verne uses a hyperdrive that it is almost identical hyperdrive of the updated Rendili Dreadnaught, a solid and reliable x2 drive that aside from its relatively large size, is pedestrian. With the prevalance of interdictor technology, this hyperdrive has been hooked up to multiple hyperspace coils to form a HIMS device, allowing it to better penetrate extensive interdiction efforts.
Security: The Verne incorporates conventional Lucerne Labs internal security systems, making extensive use of code cylinders and droid-specific passcodes to control sensitive access to the ship and its systems. Tripping or attempting to force one's way into the system can not only trigger silent alarms that inform the ship's security complement, but also trigger any number of automated traps. Forced access to most restricted rooms triggers man traps concealed underneath the deck's plate in an attempt to immobilize the intruder. Key rooms, corridors, and junction points are further guarded by Class VI automated laser projectors and force-field generators. In terms of electronic protection, the ship utilizes typical pyrowalls and Rapid Repetition Defense Measure programming supervised by a dedicated team of a dozen EI-9 network security droids spread throughout the ship.
Shields: The Verne is protected a pair of robust Aspis Shield System networks, which typically provide two layers of standard strength shielding across the entire ship's hull. Because this ship relies heavily on automation, it also features a dedicated, full-power ion shield that helps protect it from naturally occurring phenomena like ion storms and EMP/Ion weapons. These triple layers of shielding make Verne-class Automated Cruisers quite robust on the battlefield.
Sublight Drives: The Verne is propelled through space by several banks of heavy duty ion drives, which while not terribly fast, are quite energy efficient and rugged. The ship incorporates Lucerne Labs Gulfstream maneuvering system, which allows it to trade some of its speed for increased maneuverability. This option is most often used when it is escorting much larger ships such as star destroyers and battlecruisers. In addition to this system, the ventral bow superstructure itself can act as giant if rudimentary etheric rudder, almost ensuring that the ship will retain some amount of maneuverability even if its engines are damaged.
Weapons: Vernes were primarily designed as escort ships for large ships like star destroyers or to act as local defense ships. Because of these roles, the Verne's weapons are designed to provide saturation of fire for use against multiple groups of smaller ships like corvettes and frigates. To that end, the ship's primary weapons are linked batteries of turbolasers and mass driver cannons that allow the Verne to spread out considerable amounts of fire in almost every direction. The notable exception to this philosophy is a Trident-class Autocannon mounted in a recessed gimball turret at the bow of the ship. This mounting allows the Verne to spew out high volumes of specialty munitions to the starboard, port, and front fire arcs. A group of six, large general purpose warhead launchers complement in the cannon in the same way, providing some more flexibility to the ship's tactical options. The only other capital grade weapons on the Verne are a quartet of minelayers, which are typically used to discourage pursuit or help set up static defenses. For use against starfighters and other smaller threats, Vernes possess a point defense network that utilizes Plumbata defense batteries and quad autoblasters in overlapping fire arcs. While quite effective against individual threats, the relatively low number of actual weapons make the Verne more vulnerable to swarming attacks than the average cruiser of its size.
Carrying Capacity: The Verne contains only single, long hangar in the ship's ventral bow that opens up to the stern. This position makes it well-protected against frontal attacks, which is supplemented by thick blast doors of Ferrocarbon that slide against integral rails that are actually part of the ship's frame. This hangar only has enough room for a single starfighter squadron and small number of support craft. Because of the ship's automated nature, the attached starfighter squadron is most usually automated as well. A similar philosophy usually guides the ship's attached ground forces. Using the relatively large numbers of cabins and barracks in the original Rendili design allows the ship to carry up to 3,500 troops, or the equivalent of an old Imperial Army Regiment and their attached equipment and vehicles. By keeping these forces automated as well, Vernes can linger deactivated for years and be readily reactivated in an instant, which lends itself to certain financial and tactical benefits. Additionally, this makes Vernes more expendable for certain missions, as there is a distinct possibility that there will be no organic lifeforms onboard the vessels at all. Because of these benefits, many Verne's security forces are wholly composed of L1 Marinus droids, which cannot only fulfill the role of troops, but can act as additional crewmen for the ship as needed.
