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wip_2023_or_older:corp:lazarus:exile

Exile

:!: WIP: This article is a work in progress and is not yet approved for usage in the RP.

A massive multi-vessel carrier, the Exile class was designed to serve as a mobile defensive fortress and combined development headquarters for the Lazarus Consortium as a physical embodiment of their actions.

http://i.imgur.com/d08fy3x.png

The large size of the Exile is necessitated not by its occupants (who number less than fifty at any given time) but her expansive mining and manufacturing systems, since the Exile is designed to operate deep outside of known territories.

The vessel largely relies on advanced knowledge and initial punch during a first strike, chipping away at enemy assets with repeated random attacks around the clock to break enemy fleet formations. The entire purpose of the Exile is to create the illusion that direct combat will lead to unacceptable losses - discouraging the enemy from striking the bee-hive.

About

Born of necessity, the Exile is a direct result of Ketsuri Yui's reclassification of the Lazarus Consortium as a hostile entity to be destroyed on sight. Thus, the operating headquarters of the consortium had to be not only mobile and fast but also capable of defending itself against overwhelming odds.

The response is the Exile: Designed by hundreds of thousands of AI and ROM construct, the Exile is unusual in that it is part fortress, part battleship, part carrier and part fleetyard. It is not only able to carry fighters, armour and frames but perform maintenance, manufacture, haul and construction of gunships and other vessels and structures within itself;

One and a half kilometers long, 22 Plumeria-class gunships fit within her massive hull.Its state of the art weaponary includes two hundred twenty four torpedo launchers configured for mass subspace assisted alpha-strike, one hundred six twin barreled L-Mark II attack gun placements in cyclone configuration, forty missile batteries, four 350 meter long Casau auto-carriers purgable from her bow as weapons-pods and her party-piece: Four transaetheric shock arrays – able to function in a standard long-distance snipe-strike mode or a unique thin peppered rapid-fire bolter mode: four terrifying dimension-defying half-kilometer long machine-gun.

Forty fighter, bomber and armour wings are housed inside the Exile's vast hangers, launched from 12 independent light and heavy rapid-launch bays simultaneously – with a subspace catapult allowing the Exile to inject an attack directly into the cavity left by its shock array – and wide radius hyperspace systems negating the need to recover assets until well out of harm's way, solving one of the biggest threats to carrier vessels.

Hauling the Exile are six independent syncronized hyperspace FTL drives, massive aether-plasma drives and a wormhole aetheric-denial system gutted directly from the ruins of the crashed Daiclonius Sourcian gunship 'Maras'. She can separate into six independent ships and moves with a carrier-group of up to thirty gunship sized vessels at a given moment.

Uniquely, the Exile contains its own shipyard bays (two C class, one B class and one A-class)and mining facilities: allowing her to operate with complete independence of any traditional supply-line - maintaining and evolving not only itself but its battle assets.

In theory, the Exile should be a logistical nightmare crewed by over five thousand. Instead, she is almost entirely automated, with only a small portion of the vessel designed for occupants - buried protectively deep beneath her hull. Exile can operate under complete automation, crewed by ROM constructs – or support fifty untrained residents indefinitely.

Its major design influences are quite unusual sources, with contributions from the Freespacers, Chelti, Gartigan and even the NMX.

How the Exile is used

Primarily, the purpose of the Exile is to act as a threat – that is, to be too big to take on without 'unacceptable' losses as a form of intimidation through shock and awe tactics to prevent a conflict from actually taking place. That is, the entire purpose of her fangs is to ensure she is left alone.

A typical attack of the Exile first consists of gathering intel with an advanced scout in the form of a disposable probe or reconnaissance vessels. Her many engine systems are gradually charged and a tiny point to point wormhole is opened, akin to that of the Maras, though the Exile does not enter. Instead, it launches the probe through the wormhole to assess the enemy threat. Almost always, nothing more than this ever happens and the probe promptly self-destructs, imploding.

The probe lasts perhaps only moments, sending back vital information. Next, the Exile may send recognisance units through the same means minutes later, beginning to select targets, attack positions and ideal methods of assault automatically.

At this point, working on intelligence, the configuration of the Exile battlegroup is altered, its main guns are usually charged, turrets assuming firing solutions for the position the Exile will arrive in and its mass torpedo launchers are opened and warmed up, ready for fire.

The instant before her main weapon and her torpedos fire, the Exile performs an FTL jump to an ideal calculated position: its munitions already oriented to their chosen positions and firing solutions already made. Instantly, her transaetheric shock array opens fire, punching a hole in enemy defences.

Bombers, heavy fighters or even anti-starship missiles are loaded and launched from four of her heavy bays, slaved to Exile's subspace catapult: an FTL function used to throw units into enemy territory for deep penetrative strikes: straight through the hole the transaetheric cannon has just made.

Her torpedos, already launched, are calculating trajectories and locking on after launch in alpha-strike: a single shot from each of the Exile's 106 independent launchers – each thrown toward the enemy with a weaker suggestion of the subspace catapult and away from the Exile out in every direction: an interception nightmare.

At this point, her turrets are already firing on targets and performing CIWS duties or providing support fire for other vessels the Exile has brought with her for the journey.

This opening strike all takes place within 0.5 seconds of the Exile arriving on the battlefield.

Within twelve seconds, the deep-striking units are usually returning to the Exile at maximum speed FTL. Subspace arrestor-hooks: specially designed shockvanes that ensure the units don't overshoot the Exile as her pre-charged capacitors warm. As they come into contact with her, their velocity is greatly reduced, moving into an orbital flight path around her.

Rather than requiring proper recovery with deck landings, the units fielded by the Exile only need to be in proximity of her hyperspace distortion when she jumps: taking them with her – taking whatever fleet assets were launched in the attack.

At this point, the enemy have suffered a serious symbolic blow from the Exile and as quickly as it has appeared, it has left – discouraging attackers from following it and establishing a reputation of breaking an enemy line almost instantaneously on arrival.

What isn't known by the enemy fleet is that under normal operational circumstances, the Exile - while very impressive when attacking with advanced knowledge or anticipating enemy first strikes, relies on information of the combat scenario ahead of time, preparing for it before arriving.

While this gives the initial impression of instant overwhelming firepower and rapid response impossible for a vessel of her scale (giving her an edge) to establish a reputation, the edge is mostly just a slight of hand: the Exile still taking time to mobilize and respond to threats.

Extended firefight

In an extended conflict, the Exile relies on group formation tactics and being able to field its units before its opponent, using its 12 rapidfire launchbays – along with the 12 of its disposable unmanned Casau autocarriers (fitted to its bow) which purge in combat, acting as massive gunship scale weapons-pods: each dumping torpedos and drones into the field of combat.

This in conjunction with whatever vessels the Exile is moving with as a fleet generally allow it to out-manoeuvre an opponent by moving as a single cohesive force without independent captains or commanders barking orders in conflict with one another, all the way to individual automated units: a level of micromanagement simply unheard of in other forces.

If the fight turns sour, the Exile is able to collate its forces quickly and leave.

Licking wounds

After a serious beating, the Exile is able to lick its wounds and repair and commission independently of a shipyard, factory or maintenance facility. Combat specific alterations and refits can also be performed in the field and a supply-line is un needed as the Exile contains its own mining equipment: allowing it to operate away from any drydocks for the bulk of its operational lifespan.

As a result, brief hit and run strikes can be used to gradually chip at an enemy vessel, battle-group or fleet: gradually wearing them down with brief opening strikes and attrition around the clock non stop for days or even weeks on end. This, combined with the independence of a supply-line or repair facilities and mostly automated systems mean the Exile can operate constantly without breaks. Coupled with the slight of hand response-times, enemy fleet commanders may be fooled into believing multiple vessels are in operation when really only a single vessel is present.

Statistics & Characteristics

Interior

  • Need map explaining how the vessel splits into smaller components.

Deck Layout

http://i.imgur.com/WRx7aEG.png

Unusually, most Lazarus designed ships do not follow the traditional deck-plan of a starship but instead adhere to a tri-spinal arrangement, in which three central corridors (united by a center fourth) run through the center of the vessel like a spine. Each β€œring” or clavicle of this spine can link not to three rooms at a dead-end (as is the case with ships using an obvious up or down) but instead can link to six large rooms, six medium sized rooms and six small rooms, as well as six large maintenance ducts (usually occupied by automata of the ship).

This pattern branches out into capillaries, usually descending from three triangular corridors to one in thinner parts of the ship.

Navigating through the corridors is relatively easy, since the corridors themselves are microgravity environments: A person pushes and glides through until they reach the room of their choice. They then grab onto a handle, orient themselves with the arrow on the door and enter.

On paper, this unique design style can eliminate up to 70% of space wasted by corridors while ensuring in the event any individual chamber or portion of the corridor is vacced, the rest of the corridor remains completely safe and operational. In the event the corridor is singled out, cut off or damaged, navigation through ducts (using vac-suits) is always an option.

Alpha-Type chambers: The simplest to navigate: A tunnel leads from the adjacent walls. Rooms 1 and 3 are always Alpha-Types. They are quite roomy and simple with an obvious down, though the ceiling too has its own gravitational down, meaning it is possible to walk along but the room is biased toward its exterior.

Example Alpha-Type chambers include communal and social areas (such as lounges, meeting locations, briefing rooms and so forth), storage areas and work-areas such as medilabs, fabricators and other equipment. Being the outermost wall, they also have special access to systems of the ship by removing specific panels. Room 1 will generally have a large open-airlock, leading directly to Room 3, making Alpha-type chambers very large and spacious. They also often feature three-stage decontamination and quarantine systems.

Depending on the situation, Alpha-Type chambers can use structol to very accurately replicate a given room from a real environment provided a reading has been made: for example, replicating the Lorath dorm-room Aiesu Kalopsia lived in based on ROM extracted memories. This system can in turn be used to create an chamber (akin to a bridge or tactical command room) wherever it is needed on the ship in a crisis β€” though the use of one of the six main bridges is always recommended in a combat scenario.

Beta-Type chambers: Usually personal chambers or storage areas, Beta-Type chambers have two downs along their floor and ceiling, with equipment and furniture on both. They are often connected to sub-rooms and are used as crew quarters in many cases.

Sub-Rooms are used for the storage of items and equipment, which are collected by Duct-Droids and delivered throughout the ship. They are often linked to crew quarters and also used as bathrooms or on suite showers: expanding a Beta-2 type room into a three-room apartment of sorts.

Duct-Rooms: Occupied by duct-droids, ducts are for maintenance and delivery robots which move material throughout the ship, conducting automated internal repairs. At all times, the wall facing the sub-room posesses the gravitational bias, allowing a person to walk through the duct in the event of a malfunction or primary corridor failure. The droids are mindful of living occupants and can be used to hitch a ride through the ship if navigation is a problem: Delivering the person not unlike a taxi or a three dimensional lift: interconnecting the habitable areas of the ship with the inhospitable areas. It is advised if travelling duct-routes that the traveller wear a vac-suit at all times since not all ducts contain atmosphere.

Procedure

Delivery A duct-droid will come alongside a sub-room, taking specific goods into an atmosphere tight space. Moving through the ship, it will then come alongside the room it is to deliver to (alpha, beta or another sub-room) and promptly deliver its cargo through a waiter-lift: a gap in the wall or space used for the transportation of items.

Quarantine In the event a person is quarantined, they are held in an alpha-type room. In the event they need to be transported, the duct-droid will arrive, pick up the individual through hemetically sealed airlock connection and then transport the individual to the destination chamber. This skips the corridor and living space and does not require special attention of medical personnel.

The same protocols and procedures apply to individuals requiring special environmental conditions β€” with environments being formed adhoc based on when they are needed - meaning many different species can co-exist in almost the same space.

Bridge Fabrication

A micro-gravity environment, the bridge uses volumetric walls to replicate the external environment accurately and volumetric holograms to provide abstracted representations of the battle environment. Stations are held from a cradle in the ceiling, each fitted with the same equipment though usually specialised based on what the crew is doing at any given time - playing to individual strengths and weaknesses of crew. In an emergency, the vessel can be crewed by just the captain or a surviving crewman.

If a ROM-HIVE is active, the vessel has no need for a bridge and can command itself during combat.

Systems

Imagery (to organize)

Armaments

Sub-Fleet Elements

Corus Autocarrier

The Corus auto-carrier is a revival of a discarded Lorath experiment with automated starships supplementing motherships to act as miniature fleets. As a platform, the Corus is of an inferior build quality: compromised to make the unit take less time to build, as so it can be manufactured in the field. What it brings to battle however, is more than the sum of its parts: eight twin-barrelled L-Mark II turrets, twenty ejectable torpedo launchers (each with five torpedoes) and room for a compliment of 20 full sized fighter drones and 80 armour drones, all launchable with its subspace catapult.

http://i.imgur.com/f95ZPUG.png

http://i.imgur.com/YjZvTi2.png

Beyond its armament, the Corus has very little going for it: a weak hull, a generator strangled for even basic performance and only a single very minimal room for a maximum of two living occupants, who ideally shouldn’t even be onboard. To save costs, it packs high performance capacitors in place of secondary power systems and requires recharging between sorties.

Fortunately, all these compromises mean a Corus can essentially be fixed with tape and a wish, taking less than 7 days to build.

Its hull is almost literally glue for other systems and equipment.

Aruss mobile torpedo launcher

While normally, the torpedo launcher of a vessel is linked with other systems and integrated hard into the deck of the ship, the Aruss mobile torpedo launcher is meant to be modular: Modular munitions, modular in its form-factor and mounting point and even modular in terms of where it is used.

http://i.imgur.com/kWAl7Fu.png

Able to carry a wide variety of munitions, the Aruss packs four rounds and can be ejected as a weapons-pod to be used in an environment (hidden tactically), used as a cheap sentry or to surround an enemy, launching torpedoes from all directions.

In this sense, the launcher doesn’t count as a small ship in and of itself but instead as a unit fielded, much like an escape pod - borrowing many parts from cheap existing systems.

The Aruss can also be mounted to a standard torpedo feed: firing the five torpedos loaded into it simultaneously in rapid sequence, then taking 8 seconds to reload for another volley: or firing a constant stream at a much slower fire-rate.


Quality:
wip_2023_or_older/corp/lazarus/exile.txt Β· Last modified: 2023/12/27 08:10 by wes