The Drackmarian Navy
The Drackmarian Navy
The Drackmarian Navy is designed around principles of defense, putting it directly at odds with standing Coalition Second Wave practices and designs. Where warships like the Bulwark-class battlecruiser are built for speed and burst damage, Drackmarian warships are constructed for staying power and long-term damage dealing. Slow and massive, these titans of the Drackmarian Navy reflect the natural capacities of strength and durability inherent in their creators.
While not unwilling to order a retreat, Drackmarian commanders rarely attack unless certain of victory. As such, the nearly-ubiquitous speed limitations of Drackmarian vessels rarely prove problematic for those commanders.
The following is a basic analysis of Drackmarian military technologies and warship designs, to be presented to the Cooperative Council of Defense and the Coalition High Command in accordance with the phase one integration of the Drackmarian Armed Forces into the greater Coalition military.
General technology
Two key pieces of technology must be understood if one hopes to grasp both the history and tactics of the Drackmarian people:
Entanglement-based communications systems
The area denoted by the name “Unknown Regions” is fraught with spatial and hyper-spatial anomalies, and the region of space which the Drackmarians claim as home is exceptionally so. Early in Drackmarian expansion, it became clear that standard hypercomm systems would be insufficient for their needs. Networks of communications satellites and outposts had to be established to route messages around and between these anomalies, which proved impossible to maintain due to the militant acts of the Drackmarians' bloodthirsty neighbors.
A solution had to be reached, and it came through a technological―not military―achievement. Using principles of quantum entanglement, the Drackmarian Empire was able to construct a communications system which exploited this “spooky action at a distance” to encode and transmit information in the forcibly-varied quantum states of the entangled particles. The technology was refined over time, eventually equipped on all Drackmarian command ships, allowing task forces to maintain contact with Drackmarian Military Command at all times.
To reduce power and size, complex encoding systems were developed to maximize the usage of entangled particles. Existing Drackmarian entanglement systems do not support holographic transmissions, though the encoding/decoding computers often construct three-dimensional tactical maps from available information, using stored images and relevant data to sufficiently fill in the gaps.
The most significant drawback of the system is the fact that there is no cross-over. Each communications device is a dedicated system with specific partners. Drackmarian Military Command has ranks of entangled comm systems, each one linked to a specific outpost or warship. This becomes problematic, however, when fitting an individual warship as a communications hub. For this reason, most Drackmarian warships only maintain an entangled comm linkup with High Command itself, meaning there can be no direct communication between one command ship and another via entangled communications unless they are previously equipped to do so.
Drackmarian warships are also equipped with standard long- and short-ranged communications systems, as well as line-of-sight devices for transmission of data through jamming fields.
Static Hyperspace Shell
Known as the “Hyperwave Inertial Momentum Sustainer (HIMS)” by the greater galaxy, Drackmarian HIMS was developed independently and prior to the Bakuran-developed HIMS. It functions exactly like Bakuran HIMS, because it exploits the same hyper-physics laws that the Bakuran HIMS does.
It was developed, however, not as a tactical weapon, but as a necessity of countering the same hyperspace anomalies which crippled standard Drackmarian hyperspace communications systems. The Drackmarian HIMS opened whole new areas of the galaxy to the Empire, allowing them to bypass the more minor anomalies that filled nearby space.
All Drackmarian capital ships belonging to the Inner Sanctum Defense Fleet are equipped with this system, as well as many other designated Drackmarian counter-strike warships.
Drackmarian Warships
The warships of the Drackmarian Empire are dedicated naval vessels. They generally carry no ground forces, and are equipped only with those marine forces necessary to defend them from attempted seizure. The loss of a warship to capture is entirely unacceptable, and a Drackmarian captain will not hesitate to destroy his ship―crew and all―to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. More than a few tales are told of Drackmarian commanders depressurizing whole decks in order to prevent enemy boarding parties from capturing key areas at the Drackmarian Academy as an example of what should be done if significant enemy presence is achieved onboard.
Drackmarian identification protocols are fairly simple, and their translation to Basic has simplified them further still; as the Drakmarian fleets are composed of a relatively small number of warship designs, this simplified system has proven effective under these circumstances.
The Drackmarian Empire is not an organization that makes habit of unnecessary expense. As such, its designs are utilitarian in nature, generally resulting in hard lines and “unfinished” looks. However, this utilitarian mindset has proved to be of some benefit, as Drackmarian engineers and developers reuse existing systems and components whenever possible, cutting down substantially on the strains place on the logistical aspects of construction, maintenance, and repair of their vessels of war.
Additionally, the number of actual active designs has been minimized to reduce the requirements of maintaining the overall fleet. The following is a list of the Drackmarian Navy's core vessels, and a brief description of each:
Drackmarian Destroyer
The centerpiece of the Drackmarian Navy, the Destroyer has served the Empire in one incarnation or another for thousands of years. It has been tested and tried in dozens of wars and hundreds of battles, and truly represents the militant heart and soul of the Drackmarian Empire.
The image of this vessel is as recognizable to Drackmarians as the wedge-shaped Star Destroyers of the Galactic Empire is to the citizens of the galaxy. Not altogether unlike the Imperial Star Destroyer in appearance, the Drackmarian Destroyer is composed of a pair of wedges, their bases overlapping partly to form a forked prow. Massive, solid, pyramidal fins extend up and backward from the convergence point of these two wedges, eliminating the potential weakness of what would otherwise be a fairly thin central axis.
At 1600 meters and built primarily as a defensive vessel, the Drackmarian Destroyer is equipped with the heavy shields and thick hull required to defend stationary targets for extended periods against numerically superior foes. To make that time worthwhile, the Destroyer is heavily armed, its most substantial firepower in the form of a small number of casemented forward-facing super turbolasers, which are adjustable, allowing a limited attack range of about fifteen degrees from the central axis.
The vessel's starfighter launch bays are divided into four segments, all of them located on the inner surface of the front prongs, exploiting the Destroyer's own mass and shape to help shield these potential weak points from enemy threats. As an added layer of defense, the launch bays are equipped with heavy blast doors to help shield them from enemy fire while in combat, and the bays' interior surfaces are fairly well armored as a secondary line of defense.
Along the outward-facing hull of the ship are docking points for support craft, as well as the remainder of the vessel's heavy weapons, composed primarily of variable output dual- and quad- turbolaser turrets, a moderate array of ion cannons, and a number of tractor beam projectors. The Drackmarian Destroyer does not possess warhead launch capacity of its own, instead relying on smaller support craft for such attacks when deemed necessary. While the destroyer is equipped with a number of flak guns for anti-missile defense, the vessel is designed to challenge enemy capital ships, and therefore relies heavily on accompanying support craft and additional fleet support craft to defend it against smaller and more maneuverable enemy starfighters.
Drackmarian Destroyers do not have a substantial central reactor. Rather, they implement a network of integrated reactors, most of which are assigned dedicated tasks. Redundant failsafes are in place to insure a single overload does not lead to a catastrophic chain reaction. This system has been implemented as a means of adding a degree of flexibility to the vessel's power distribution capacities, both maximizing energy use and minimizing the effects suffered from partial power loss.
The Drackmarian Destroyer is nothing spectacular, nothing flashy. It is a vessel designed to deal and receive damage, and it does both exceptionally well.
Drackmarian Cruiser
The Drackmarian Cruiser (sometimes referred to as the Drackmarian Heavy Destroyer) was created in response to the increasingly destructive tools of war which began to arise in recent history. It is quite simply a more massive version of its smaller predecessor, and is meant to serve as a command ship within the revitalized Drackmarian Fleets. At 3200 meters in length, the vessel keeps the forked, double-wedge shape of the standard Drackmarian Destroyer, including the fin-like protrusions which serve to strengthen the ship's central axis.
The vessel itself sports no single weapon more powerful than the super turbolasers found onboard the Drackmarian Destroyer, it simply houses a larger number of them. In addition to the proportional increase of weapons, the Cruiser carries a few larger turreted turbolasers, adding to its weapons' lead over the smaller Destroyer. The Cruiser's starfighter and support craft complement has naturally been increased in proportion with its size.
The Drackmarian Cruiser is a relatively new addition to the Drackmarian fleet. Prior to the Galactic Civil War, the only Heavy Destroyer in service was the Dragonfire, which served as the flagship of the Inner Sanctum Defense Fleet; this vessel recently suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of enemies of the Empire, and will remain in drydock at True Drackmar until repairs can be effected. Following the fall of Warlord Zsinj, Iron Fist was constructed to serve as the flagship of the rebuilt Drackmarian Outer Fleet.
Drackmarian Assault Frigate
The Drackmarian Assault Frigate shares a number qualities with the larger vessels of the fleet. It retains the focus on heavy shields and armor shared by its larger brothers, but has sacrificed a small degree of the traditional Drackmarian armament in order to free up its power grid for somewhat improved speed. This is the largest vessel to incorporate a significant degree of Morseerian engineering, as evidenced by its slightly concave outer hull, which the Drackmarians freely admit they embraced only because of the greater field of fire which the curved surfaces offer.
At eight hundred meters in length, the frigate's design has been simplified, abandoning the double-wedge of the larger destroyer and cruiser. Instead it takes on the shape of a three-sided wedge set on a rounded base, into which are mounted the vessel's engines. Heavy blast shielding extends out from the engines, offering some degree of protection while burning, and sealing to completely cover the drives while they are off-line or on standby.
The frigate does not possess any of the casemented weapons belonging to its larger companions, its most substantial individual emplacements being quad turbolaser turrets. While it boasts a number of quad laser cannons and point-defense lasers for anti-fighter and anti-missile duty, the focus of the Drackmarian Frigate's weapons layout is on challenging and defeating smaller capital ships, as well as supporting attacks on larger vessels. As the largest Drackmarian naval vessels to carry warhead launch capabilities, the Assault Frigate is generally outfitted with heavy, shielded proton torpedoes, providing the ordinance with greater survivability odds than the missiles and torpedoes launched en masse by smaller, dedicated missile frigates.
With no internal docking bay, the Drackmarian Assault Frigate's only on-board complement comes from a number of externally docked support craft spread along the hull of the ship.
Drackmarian Interdictor
Based on the same general hull design as the Drackmarian Frigate, the Drackmarian Interdictor has dropped almost all of its heavy weapons in order to maintain the majority of its defensive shielding and light weapons while still performing its primary role: serving as a mobile platform for interdictor field generators. The vessel's heaviest weapons come in the form of several dual turreted light turbolasers, designed as a deterrent against only the smallest and fastest of enemy capital ships. The remainder of its weapons systems are dedicated to anti-warhead and anti-starfighter duty.
The volume demanded of its interdictor field generators has left the vessel without a proper docking bay. The vessel's lack of starfighter complement is counteracted somewhat by its increased number of external docking points for light assault craft.
Drackmarian Missile Frigate
At three hundred meters in length, this warship is a dedicated ordinance launch platform, relying on heavy shields and a moderate array of light defensive weapons for protection. Essentially a flattened disk, the vessel's narrow profile makes it a somewhat difficult target at range, and also allows it to hide behind the superior mass of other fleet elements with relative ease. It carries no internal starfighter capacity, and its several arrays of missile and torpedo launchers make space for external docks almost nonexistent. Missile Frigates possess space for only six externally docked light support craft, meaning they require substantial support from larger warships when engaging in direct combat.
Drackmarian Missile Frigates often remain to the rear of the formation, using the mass of larger warships for cover and firing volleys either between or around the ranks of front-line vessels.
Drackmarian Gunship
The Drackmarian Gunship has received more Morseerian influence than any other Drackmarian capital ship. It takes on the form of three partly-merged spheres, arranged in a line, the central sphere being notably larger than the other two. The design helps to shield the vessel's substantial engines from forward-facing enemies, as well as provides room for a small launch bay.
200 meters long, it is a general-purpose craft designed to fill a number of roles, from starfighter screening to convoy escort. While not remarkably fast, the vessel is a far cry from its heavier Drackmarian counterparts. The majority of the heavy weapons have been done away with to make room for more general use quad laser turrets and light turbolasers, as well as a substantial point-defense laser grid and a number of relatively small ion cannons. The vessel has abandoned its warhead launch capacity in favor of a larger number of these light energy weapon emplacements.
In a main fleet engagement, a gunship would serve almost exclusively as an anti-fighter and anti-warhead platform, using its superior speed to deploy to those areas of the fleet most requiring such defense.
Drackmarian Gunships are sometimes employed in ground support duties; the ship's light naval weapons make for perfect precision ground assault support-weapons from within atmosphere.
Drackmarian Anti-Starfighter Craft
This 35 meter craft fits into a mission profile not filled by most fleets, though most fleets don't require such a craft. Essentially a flying disk, squadrons of these vessels serve as starfighter deterrents for whole Drackmarian task forces and fleets. Incredibly fast when compared to their motherships, these vessels nevertheless can't keep up for long with the kind of high-speed starfighters now used by the major forces in the galaxy. They make up for this shortcoming with rapid-fire quad laser cannons mounted at key points along the vessels, as well as advanced targeting systems and anti-starfighter missile launchers. While not specifically designed for missile interception, the vessel's advanced targeting systems do allow for some degree of success when employed in such a fashion. Additionally, they are equipped with chaff burst systems designed to destroy any tracking missile prematurely, reducing the explosion to something that can more easily be absorbed by the vessel's shields
These support craft are of sufficient size to survive brief encounters with larger enemy warships, while still maneuverable enough to evade the majority of heavy enemy fire. Rear-facing prongs serve as a degree of protection for the main engines, as well as providing mounts for maneuvering thrusters.
Though the vessel's Drackmarian designation most closely translates to “superfighter,” this designation was rejected for official use because the name suggests a vessel less substantial than this support craft has proven to be.
Drackmarian Missile Assault Craft
Built on the same basic design as its anti-starfighter cousin, this disk-shaped craft's wingspan is increased by a pair of fins that start at the engines and sweep forward and out. Sets of heavy warhead launchers are mounted on the forward face of the wings and vessel, and a pair of quad laser cannons (mounted at the ventral and dorsal center of the disk-shaped craft) provide a measure of anti-fighter defense.
It shares roughly the same speed, maneuverability, and durability aspects as the anti-fighter craft, making it more than capable of launching fast-paced surprise runs on enemy warships while still capable of surviving a brush with the superior firepower of their intended targets.
This ship serves a single purpose: provide a mobile platform from which to strike enemy capital ships, a niche which it fills rather well.
Drackmarian Bomber
Intended to be deployed under escort, this bomber is a dedicated assault craft. Basically a flying box with massive engines, the bomber's only dedicated anti-fighter defenses come in the form of a pair of forward-facing dual laser canons, effective at little more than discouraging head-on runs.
Warhead launchers are slung above and below the central ball cockpit. It can deploy either bombs or heavy strike missiles from its ventral heavy launchers, whose internal mechanisms can be shifted between forward-facing missile-launch mode and ventral-facing bomb deployment mode with little more effort than a flip of a switch. The dorsal general purpose launchers can also accommodate the Drackmarian heavy strike missiles, though they are often stocked with lighter warheads for smaller targets, or anti-fighter warheads if escorts may be lacking.
Equipped with a hyperdrive for tactical strike-and-fade runs and powerful sublight drives to allow it substantial speeds despite its heavy payloads, this bomber holds a substantial capacity for pain in as small a package as possible. The ship's many and varied systems are organized by an integrated droid brain which assists the two-man crew, filling the place of an astromech in some of the greater galaxy's more advanced fighters.
Drackmarian Superiority Fighter
Built to fit the overly large Drackmarian species, this heavy fighter is a rugged and durable craft. These fighters are designed to survive first, and kill second. Time has proven to the Drackmarian people that their best chances of victory lie in embracing those aspects which they naturally possess: strength and fortitude. While not a particularly slow or unwieldy craft, there are nevertheless a number of starfighters in the galaxy which hold higher speeds and greater maneuverability.
Almost as wide as it is long, and with a frame vaguely resembling an X-wing fighter, the Drackmarian Superiority Fighter has a somewhat cramped (for a Drackmarian) cockpit bounded on either side by the magazines for the ship's two warhead launchers, which are located on either side of the craft's blunt nose. A pair of high-performance engines are attached sturdily to the cockpit by reinforced frames, which serve to offer some additional armor to the volatile warheads they wrap around. A pair of wings extend out from each engine at angles, providing the mounts for the vessel's four laser cannons. Behind the cockpit is housed the ship's power and shielding core, as well as the integrated droid brain. The relatively heavy armor located here doubles as shielding against the fighter's exhaust, protecting the fighter's vital internal components. Equipped with hyperdrive to allow it to accompany bombers on medium or long-range missions, this is truly a superiority fighter.
Drackmarian Interceptor
Designed to keep pace with the fastest starfighters in the galaxy and sporting a burst-damage system capable of punishing any target unfortunate enough to venture into weapons' range, this Morseerian-piloted starfighter is the interceptor of the Drackmarian Empire. The ship is built specifically for Morseerian pilots, whose comparatively smaller frames, four arms, and increased brain size make them ideal candidates for the kind of fast-paced multi-tasking required of true interceptor pilots.
The fighter's weapons are arranged around the cockpit to give them a narrow attack corridor and assure that an on-target hit will deal maximum damage. Similar in design to the A-wing starfighter, the end result nevertheless looks significantly different and is moderately larger. The pair of engines are strapped to either side of the cockpit, the quartet of dual lasers above and below the points at which the engines meet the cockpit. The vessel's moderate shields and integrated droid brain are housed behind the cockpit, fit snuggly between the large engine pods. Sensors and anti-fighter missile launchers are mounted below the cockpit, meaning a direct hit on the vessel's ventral surface all but ensures death for the light interceptor.
Maneuvering thrusters branch off of the engine pods in multiple directions, allowing for incredibly fast turns and very complex maneuvers.
The interceptor has not been equipped with hyperdrive in an attempt to reduce both complexity and size, as well as the fact that it holds no real use to Drackmarians beyond large-scale naval engagements, in which case larger Drackmarian warships will be present to serve as launch and landing points. However, ages of war and conflict have taught the Drackmarian people to always be prepared, and so an attachable hyperdrive accelerator has been designed to accommodate the interceptor.
One of the greatest fears of Morseerian interceptor pilots is being ordered on a long-range mission in which one's hyperdrive accelerator is destroyed upon arrival, stranding the fragile craft in enemy territory.
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Fleet RP here: The Battle of Watchtower: Part One