Project Abrion
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Name/Type: Pandora-class Minelayer
Designer/Manufacturer: Corellian Engineering Corporation / Kashan Defence Industries
Designation: Covert Minelayer
Crew: 16 + 12 Gunners
Length: 125 meters
Speed: 20 MGLT, 850 Kph
Hyperdrive: x0.6
Shield Rating: 400 SBD
Hull Rating: 300 RU
Weapons: 6 KDI XIV-3 Retractable Light Turbolasers, 2 Starflare Missile Tubes, 2 KDI Mine Launchers (32 Wraith Pulsemass Mines, 64 KDI Shadowwrath, 40 Merr-Sonn Ion Defenders, or 80 Arakyd Industries Types A, B, C, etc).
Fighter Complement: 4 S10 Stormfires.
Troops: 10 passengers (typically intelligence agents or mission specific personnel), 8 SM-series Droids.
Support Craft: None.
Miscellaneous: SOS
Description: The Pandora-class Minelayer was the result of a joint KDI-KDF think tank. Each ship is converted from an existing CEC Action VI Transport and is equipped with multiple false identities based on actual vessels.
Hull Construction: Each ship is converted from an existing CEC Action VI Transport. The engines are the only systems that are upgraded. Because it is designed to act as a war vessel, cargo capacity has eliminated in favor of a mineholding area, a small hangar, and the retractable weapons. Because some of the mines are explosive, the mine hold is completely armored and encased by Ferrocarbon and Neuranium, making it exceptionally hard to destroy. Aside from armoring the mine, these materials also shield the mine hold from a sensor scans.
Kashan Hyperdrive: The Hyperdrive found on the Pandora is a miniature one of that used on the Seraph-class, which was derived from that of the Acclamator-class Military Transport. While the design team did not have an actual Acclamator hyperdrive available to them, they did have several engineers and mechanics who worked on them during the Clone Wars. To the best of their abilities, it was reconstructed. Nonetheless, it still was slower than that of the Acclamators. In the end, the hyperdrive’s rating was raised to Acclamator levels by brute force engineering. It was modified to accept more power. In order to prevent the engine from overheating and melting, it was made with Dallorian Alloy and given an advanced cyro-cooling system.
Weapons: All of the weapons of the Pandora are concealed behind a meter thick durasteel blastdoors that appear to be typical hull plating. As a safeguard, the backs of the doors facing the weapons are plated with a thin layer of Neuranium, making them impossible to detect unless the doors are open.
KDI XIV-3 Retractable Light Turbolaser: This smaller turbolaser is a light, multi-purpose weapon, designed for use against starfighters and small capital ships. Most often, it is used to rapidly send out flak bursts in an effort to destroy opposing starfighters and warheads because of its high rate of fire and its tracking abilities, which are on par with most quad laser cannons. However, it is still a capital-grade weapon, and as such, can deal out light damage to opposing capital ships. As the Pandora-class is also designed as a minesweeper, these weapons are used to destroy enemy mines at range.
KDI Starflare-class Missile Tube: Like most Kashan warships, the Pandora-class does carry SMTs. Unlike other warships, the Pandora can only carry a single type of warhead type; typically it is of the Electrite Crystal variety to detonate minefields.
KDI Mine Launchers: The ventral mine launchers onboard the Pandora are little more than retractable chutes upon which the mine slides via gravity down to be released in space. The momentum from the procedure is minimal, just getting the mines past the engine exhaust of the vessel.
Sensor Blind: The Pandora carries a sensor blind that is activated at all times. “unlike traditional countermeasures which try to conceal an object or interfere with sensor operation, sensor blinds attempt to disguise an object by emitting energy patterns to make it appear natural(CUSWE).” Sensor blinds on the Pandora-class vary from mission to mission, and thus, the hold could appear to be carrying anything from bacta to banthas depending on its setting.
SM-8M Series Droids: The SM-Series droids were used for years by the New Republic for wreckage-retrieval. The SM-8 is the latest model produced thus far. KDI has modified the droid for work in remotely finding and detecting mines in space by using Nutorium plating( in order to prevent the mines from going off on the droids) and adding a mine de-activation program. Most often, the droids find the mines and transmit the mine’s location back to the Pandora, which then destroys it via turbolaser bolt or by the SOS.
SOS (Sensor Overload Sweep):This system sends out a wide-beam stream of sensor data that triggers most mines detonation devices, such as proximity or homing, etc. It is exceptionally easy to detect when used. It also is effective in distorting enemy sensors, and can disrupt targeting computers when the SOS is aimed at the enemy vessel. Most of the time, the SOS’s dish is concealed behind a retractable door that is built like the weapon and hangar doors.
Hangar: There is a small ventral hangar bay in the middle of the ship which holds 4 S10 Stormfires for reconnaissance, scouting, and escort duties. The hangar facilities are minimal, having no room for starfighter repair and are barely capable of reloading the craft’s weapons. The entire hangar is built in the same way as the minehold is. The hangar doors are built the same way as the doors that conceal the weapons.
Ship Disguise: The transponders onboard the Pandoras are equipped with three false identities that can be rotated at will. Each one includes an aliase, a fake cargo manifest that matches the Sensor Blind’s setting, a history, and modified system specs. The disguise is kept activated at all times, even when the ship is at its base.
Mines:
Name/Type: Wraith-class Pulsemass Mine
Designer/Manufacturer: Kashan Defence Industries
Combat Role: Hyperspatial mine
Size: 15 Meters (fully extended), 7 meters in contracted from.
Shield Rating: None.
Hull Rating: 20 RU
Weapons: 1 KDI Hyperspace Pulsemass Generator, 1 Electrite-Crystal Self-Destruct.
Role and Deployment: The Wraith-class was originally developed as a means in order to protect the few entrances into the Kashan system. However, the strategic implications of the weapon are farther-reaching than anticipated, as the mine can be used offensively as well by laying the mine in enemy territory for ambushes. The mine is most often deployed by the Pandora-class, but any ship with a tractor beam and the space to hold the mine can theoretically carry and deploy it. However, due to the rarity of the mines currently, the mines are only issued on the minelayers themselves.
Construction & Stealth: The Wraith-class Pulsemass Mine is constructed with a Ferrocarbon frame and plating, making is reasonably durable. As Ferrocarbon is non-metallic, it is not detected by most sensors. Further enhancing the mines stealth, it carries cloaking revvers, particle-beam scatter projectors (both of these technologies are used on the Merr-Sonn Defender Ion Mine, “rendering it all but invisible”) as well as the more conventional stealth coating that can be found on the open market.
Hyperspace Pulsemass Generator: This weapon fills the vast majority of the space of the mine. With a ten meter long extending barrel, it creates tiny spheres of hyperenergy in a small select area of space. In essence, it creates a mini mass shadow that pulls parts of the object into realspace while the rest of the object continues to remain in hyperspace. As such, it basically shears the object while it is in hyperspace. It should be noted that hyperspheres do not prevent entry or exiting into hyperspace.
The HPG does suffer from several weaknesses. The weapon’s duration is limited to only a half of minute before the mine uses up its power charge. After that, the mine must be recovered and recharged in order for the HPG to be used again. The mine’s thrusters are not terribly powerful and the targeting system is rather basic. As such, it can only be used against capital scale vessels(<100 meters).
Electrite-Crystal Self-Destruct: Each mine comes equipped with an Electrite Crystal Self-Destruct mechanism in order to prevent capture. The mechanism itself is little more than the Electrite Crystal warhead used on the Starflare Missile. The self-destruct vaporizes anything within a 50 meter radius.
Name/Type: Shadowwrath-class Proximity Mine
Designer/Manufacturer: Kashan Defence Industries
Combat Role: Homing / Proximity mine
Size: 5 Meters
Shield Rating: None.
Hull Rating: 10 RU
Weapons: 1 Modular Warhead
Description: The Shadowwrath is a very simple mine based on the Starflare-class Missile. It is a five meter oblong mine similar in concept to the Derillium Mine; the mine lays dormant until a nearby vessel approaches and passively homes in undetected at the target. As the mine is constructed out of Ferrocarbon with stealth coating, it is exceptionally hard to detect. The weapon uses two Starflare missile warheads, and can use combinations. Thus, it could use a electrite crystal and a sonic warhead. Usually, a single Shadowwrath can only severely damage or destroy small capital ships at its best. However, in numbers, they can pose a significant threat to even the largest vessels.
Warhead Types:
Electrite Crystal: This is the most common warhead used by the Starflare. It is based on technology derived from the Elegance message drone. In it, two electrite crystals snap together, resulting in enough force to vaporize anything(unshielded) within a hundred fifty meter radius. It is mainly effective against groups of lightly armored targets, such as starfighters and sub-capital ships. Against heavily armored opponents like most capital ships, the force is equivalent to several concussion missiles. When used against starfighters and other clouds of objects, it is programmed to explode when its sensors indicate a specified number of opposing vessels within the blast radius (adapted from EGD).
Flechette: This warhead releases a cloud of explosive-tipped flechettes for use against multiple enemy missiles or starfighters. It is generally used to prematurely detonate enemy missile strikes. Flechette warheads are also used to detonate enemy minefields.
Magnetic Pulse: This warhead creates a powerful magnetic pulse that temporary short-circuits communications, droids, and hi-tech equipment. It is only effective against ships equal to or lower than sub-capital ships(>100 meters).
Proton: This is the most common warhead along with the Electrite Crystal. It carries proton explosives for heavy anti-shipping attacks.
Seismic: This warhead uses a devastating seismic charge similar to those used by Jango Fett, but on a larger scale. The weapon has been proven to be quite effective in asteroid fields.
Sonic: This warhead does no damage to the external hull plating or subsystems. Instead, when it hits the target, it suffuses a high-intensity sonic vibration(sound) throughout the hull which is capable of shattering smaller objects and producing various injuries to opposing crewmembers. It can also be set on a stun setting which instead releases a high-pitched wail that causes opposing crewmembers to lose their equilibrium and become unconscious. The effects of this warhead on crewmembers can be stopped by wearing specialty armor (adapted from Sonic Pistol, EGWT).