• Registered: 2005-10-24
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Darkness on the Outer Rim: Ships of the Shadow Dragon Cartel

"Mike-Two, pull up close to Mama Bear, and stay tight. Last place you wanna get caught off guard is in this maze."

--As recorded on the black box of the ore transporter MV Houston Belle, found hulled along with its escorts in the Rho Charon system.

The Outer Rim is a dangerous place to do business, and enough unescorted bulk carriers have been toasted to scare all but the most well-prepared merchant fleets out of an Outer Rim prospect. Usually, "well-prepared" is defined as "armed to the teeth, and as far beyond as we can get away with, without cutting into cargo space."

This generally means that an Outer Rim convoy is as dangerous as a military task force of any Coreward race, and keeps the pirate wannabes in personal skiffs with coilguns bolted to the sides well out of the Rim. The pirates that do stay out here are loaded for this kind of bear.

The Charon sector is particularly vicious - filled with ore belts richer than any two Coreward sectors put together, but claimed by the Shadow Dragon Cartel, a crime syndicate with tentacles in illicit activities from slavery on the Rim to polluting on Coreward worlds. No coilgun-skiffs are found here - the Dragons rake in a whole system's GDP worth of income, their ships are original in design, and their weaponry is so far removed from any military predecessor as to be unrecognizeable.

Of course, they don't spill the beans about their ships' capabilities, so the information gathered here is compiled from encounters Dragon ships (largely off of black boxes) and the odd captured vessel. It is known that their systems, while scratch-built, are just as efficient as an average military's. (All TLs are +0.)

Their signature weapon is called the Drunkard Missile; a fast-moving ballistic weapon with an erratic flight path. While its sheer randomness limits range and makes hits unlikely, the warheads that do connect usually land on parts of the shield that automatic shield vectoring software is not anticipating hits from, defeating shielding much easier and striking the hull with considerably more force than expected.

Their only encountered fighter-class ship, codenamed Faultline, is a fast-moving interceptor with long-range particle blasters. A Faultline has never been captured, as its pilots activate their self-destruct if all Dragon ships have been destroyed and there is no hope of winning.

Faultline-class Fighter
Fast, Interceptor, Extended Range
Ships: 6 5 4 3 2 1
Speed: 12
Range: 2
+1 to hit vs. fighters, -1 to hit vs. starships

  • Registered: 2005-10-24
  • Posts: 4

Re: Darkness on the Outer Rim: Ships of the Shadow Dragon Cartel

CODENAME: FALLACY
Fallacy is the smallest non-fighter-class ship seen operated by the Shadow Dragons, and the ship most commonly captured. It isn't built for comfort, but rather speed and harassment capabilities. It won't survive a head-on engagement with a dreadnaught, but its most common use is to pull off smaller fleet assets and dice up fighter formations to allow bigger Dragon ships to move into slugging range.

Fallacy class Gunboat   (96)
Crew: 126    Displacement: 36 KMt
Hull: 3 2 1
Engines: 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AB
[b ] Pulsed Particle Blaster [1/2/3, 4+, 2/1/1, Doubled Range Modifiers, Repeating]
ABCDEF
Long Range Sensors [O], Sunbursts [OOOOOOOOO]
1[HES], 2[2EQ], 3[HEQ], 4[2Ea], 5[HEb], 6[ES]

CODENAME: FIREBALL
Fireball is a frigate-sized vessel that has been seen mostly as a secondary combatant. Its best-suited task, like that of Fallacy, is to contend with fighters and lighter vessels, but it has also been seen in the pursuit role; lobbing Drunkard missiles at departing ships' engines, using its (typically) superior speed to trail and dog the heels of fleeing enemies. Fireballs are called such because of the first several encounters with them - Drunkard missiles exploded inside their launch bays, setting them ablaze.

Fireball class Pursuit Frigate   (130)
Crew: 264    Displacement: 89.9 KMt
Hull: 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AB, AB
[b ] Shrapnel Driver [1/2/3, 3+, 1/1/1 Range-Based DMG]
AB, CE, DF
Hyperdrive [O], Anti-Fighter Batteries [O],
Overthrusters [O], Sunbursts [OOO]
1[HS], 2[EQ], 3[HQ], 4[Ea], 5[Hb], 6[E]

CODENAME: FULLBACK
Fullback is not commonly seen, appearing most often after engagements involving transports and other merchant vessels. It's armed and armored, but remains very much vulnerable unless guarded by other ships. Its sheer rarity means that it's never been captured.

Fullback class Armored Cargo Vessel   (111)
Crew: 233    Displacement: 189.6 KMt
Hull: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 3 2 1
Shields: 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AC, BD
[b] Shrapnel Driver [1/2/3, 3+, 1/1/1, Range-Based DMG]
EF, EF, EF
Hyperdrive [O], Cargo Bays, Armor Plating
1[Ha], 2[Eb], 3[H], 4[S], 5[H], 6[Q]

  • Registered: 2005-10-24
  • Posts: 4

Re: Darkness on the Outer Rim: Ships of the Shadow Dragon Cartel

CODENAME: FESTIVAL
Festival is sometimes categorized as a "stray cruiser" - designed to operate alone, and survive long an attack long enough to call in reinforcements. It is the smallest ship observed to carry Faultline fighters, though its shortage of high-power weapons usually condemns it to light-ship mop-up.

Festival class Stray Cruiser   (302)
Crew: 351    Displacement: 136 KMt
Hull: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 4 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AC, BD
[b ] Shrapnel Driver [1/2/3, 3+, 1/1/1, Range-Based DMG]
ACE, BDF
Hyperdrive [O], Armor Plating, Long Range Sensors [O], Overthrusters [O], Fighter Bay, Fast, Intc, XRng [O], Sunbursts [OOOO]
1[HQ], 2[EQ], 3[Ha], 4[Eb], 5[H], 6[S]

CODENAME: FORTUITOUS
Fortuitous is larger than Festival, and is usually found operating in hunter-pairs supported with several Fallacies and a few Fireballs. It was the first Dragon ship seen to carry a Gravity Field Emission Coil, a dangerous weapon capable of bypassing standard-spec shielding altogether. Fortunately, its mount is extremely inflexible, and it has proven to be a difficult weapon to hit with.

Fortuitous class Heavy Cruiser   (637)
Crew: 507    Displacement: 189.9 KMt
Hull: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 4 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AC, BD
[b ] Gravity Field Emission Coil [5/10/15, 5+, 3/1/2 Ignores Shields]
AB
[c] Shrapnel Driver [1/2/3, 3+, 1/1/1, Range-Based DMG]
EF
Hyperdrive [O], Armor Plating, Long Range Sensors [O], Fighter Bay, Fast, Intc, XRng [OOOO], Security Team [OO]
1[HQ], 2[EQ], 3[Ha], 4[Eb], 5[Hc], 6[S]

CODENAME: FRACTIOUS
Fractious is the biggest ship yet witnessed operating under the Shadow Dragon Cartel's banner. It has only been seen once, when the Republican Pathfinders attempted to secure a route through Epsilon Charon with a full-size task force. The Pathfinders were sent packing. Fractious has been called a battlecruiser by some races, although it is certainly on-par with some battleships.

Fractious class Battlecruiser   (1204)
Crew: 999    Displacement: 359.8 KMt
Hull: 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 4 3 2 1
Shields: 5 4 3 2 1
[a] Gravity Field Emission Coil [5/10/15, 5+, 3/1/2, Ignores Shields]
AB, AB
[b ] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AC, AC, AC, BD, BD, BD
[c] Shrapnel Driver [1/2/3, 3+, 1/1/1, Range-Based DMG]
ACE, ACE, ACE, ACE, ACE, BDF, BDF, BDF, BDF, BDF
Hyperdrive [O], Armor Plating, Armored Gun Batteries, Fighter Bay, Fast, Intc, XRng [OOOO], Long Range Sensors [O], Launch Bay [O], Security Team [OOOO]
1[HQ], 2[Ea], 3[Hb], 4[Sc], 5[Hc], 6[Q]

  • Registered: 2005-10-24
  • Posts: 4

Re: Darkness on the Outer Rim: Ships of the Shadow Dragon Cartel

CODENAME: FURY
The latest engagement in the Charon sector revealed a new surprise from the Shadow Dragons - hordes of ships between a Fireball-class and a Festival-class in size. Designated "Fury", these destroyer-class ships are different in that their Drunkard Missile launchers are vertically arrayed, not horizontally. They also were seen deploying remotely-detonated mines into the battlefield in the heat of battle - another first for the Dragons.

Fury class Destroyer   (191)
Crew: 294    Displacement: 111.9 KMt
Hull: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
ABC, ABD
[b ] High-Speed Particle Blaster [5/10/15, 4+, 2/2/1, Doubled Range Modifiers]
AB, AB
Hyperdrive [O], Mine [OOOO], Long Range Sensors [O], Sunbursts [OOOOOOOOOO]
1[HS], 2[EQ], 3[HQ], 4[Ea], 5[Hb], 6[E]

CODENAME: FOUNDRY
The Second Fleet of the Erinyes Concordance entered Alpha Charon with the intent of wiping out the Shadow Dragon presence there. What they found was a horde of Dragon ships, both known and unknown. Most notable was a combined carrier and fighter design previously unseen, which proved to be a dangerous combatant. Foundry is the name of the new carrier, and has been seen to be faster than many ships of equal or lesser size. It is very much vulnerable to attack, but the thirty-six bombers it carries (described below) are equally dangerous to starships.

Foundry class Fast Carrier   (759)
Hull: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields: 3 2 1
[a] Drunkard Missile Launcher [3/6/9, 4+, 1/2/2, Must Re-Roll To-Hit Dice, Re-Rolls Penetration Dice]
AC, BD, EF, EF
Hyperdrive [O], Fighter Bay, Fast, XRng, Bmbr [OOOOOO]
1[HQ], 2[EQ], 3[Ha], 4[E], 5[H], 6[S]

Foundry carries six squadrons of a new fighter-class ship that is essentially engines and an offset cockpit installed around a huge frigate cannon and tracking system. Effective against starships but somewhat lacking against fighters, they were observed in Alpha Charon operating under cover of Faultline squadrons during their attack runs. They have been coded as Flagstaff-class bombers, and anti-fighter defense operators are advised to treat them as a threat.

Flagstaff-class Bomber
Fast, Bomber, Extended Range
Ships: 6 5 4 3 2 1
Speed: 12
Range: 2
+1 to hit vs. starships, -1 to hit vs. fighters.