The Defender Battlecruiser
By Dave Pilurs
All Material © 1995 West End Games
The Defender was introduced as the modern legacy of the old Standard class battlecruiser. Its armament is updated and its drives are improved, but the spirit of the ship remains the same. In service for over 40 years, the Defender is hardly a new ship; but it's fairly large, extremely potent, and dedicated to the destruction of the Consortium's enemies. The Defender is more than a carboncopy of the ship it replaces. Where the Standard is outfitted with marines and fighters intended fox a variety of operations, the Defender carries only fighters. These are capable of atmospheric operations, but their missile loads are restricted to AP and SD rounds. Clearly, the Defender is intended for space combat. For this role, it's well-prepared. It pos. sesses a 24-gun point defense system, six twin-missile turrets, two maxi-blaster quadturrets, and two heavy mass driver quad turrets. Its drives can generate 7 PP per round, and its hangars stow 30 C/W Arrow fighters which it can launch in flights of six at one time. The Arrows the Defender carries have been modified. Their ejectable cockpit pods have been replaced with life-supported cabins and Coldsleep tubes. The fighter fills the role of either the Dart or the Fenris, and this gives the Defender added flexibility in meeting its mission. requirements. The battlecruiser carries just under 1,600 Brodie Starstrike missiles and 800 shots for its mass drivers. Its computers can provide 4,500 CPs and its reactors can produce 4,600 EPs. Fleet often deploys the Defender in tandem with assault ships like the Aggressor. The assault ship lands marines on the Surface while the battlecruiser provides cover from orbit. The ship is also deployed as a flagship for small strike groups operating in hostile space. Its escorts are usually Barracuda class destroyers, though it's occasionally deployed with light cruisers or privateers. In some missions, the Defender deploys its fighters, Q-Syncs them, and jumps into Q-space. The group emerges in the target area as a fleet of 31 ships, ready to fight. The Admiralty is delighted with the Defender's performance. It specified the desire for a ship to resemble the Standard as much as possible while. providing enhanced performance at an equivalent cost, and the Defender has exceeded their lofty expectations. With 610 hulls now in service and 100 more on order, the vessel will project the image of Fleet hegemony in the Near Colonies for years to come. Total Tonnage: 18,854 tons
Cargo Capacity
Sensors
Weapons
Hull Toughness: 35
Aux: 2 PP Maneuver Rating: -7 Quantum Drive Rating: 38 (Main and Backup installed) Energy Plant: 23 Value 13 Fusion Units Total Energy Points: 3,400 w/17 plants operating @ 50% Efficiency
Vital Energy Points: 2,197
Computer Point Value: 4,500 cps
available from 3 Value 16 computers.
Vital Computer Points: 2,566
Notes:
Equipment Bays contain 2 5-man Boarding Tubes. Equip Lockers contain 200 ENVI suits, 20 EVMS units, and 60 Mag Clamps. Five Hangar Bays house 30 C/W Arrow fighters. Hull coated with Fleet Grey chromatic stealth paint. Six Launch Bays capable of launching/landing 6 fighters at one time.Pod Bays contain 40 EV5 Escape Pods. Weapon Lockers contain 200 Brodie LX4 Military Blaster Rifles and 400 extra magazines. Ship carries 6 Comm Scramblers, 2 Distress Beacons, 2 ECM Pods, 2 IFF Transponders, a Q-Syncer, a T-Syncer, a Q-Sync Disrupter, a T-Sync Disrupter, and a set of Shield Blinds. Ship equipped with two 20-man and one 10-man Airlocks, 100 main and auxiliary bridge stations, 20 gunner stations, a 40-bed Infirmary, 50-man Deluxe Lounge, 200 Coldsleep modules, 5 Alert Crew Quarters, 55 1-Man Rooms, 70 2-Man Rooms, 10 VIP Quarters, a 20- prisoner Brig, and a 20-man Repair Shop. External Damage Chart
3-4: Reaction Drive (1-6: Main, 7-10 Aux) 5-6: Shields 7: Weapons
4-5 Scatter Laser Battery (1-6) 6-8 Heavy Mass Driver Turret (1-2) 9-10 Missile Launcher Turret (1-6) 8: Maneuver Rating 9: Sensors
3-5 Radar Type B (1-6) 6-8 Radar Type C (1-6) 9 -10 Visual 10: Airlock Stock Ships: The Missing Vessels An Official Supplement for West End's Shatterzone
The Defender Battlecruiser Lockheed-Mikoyan's Guardian Class Patrol Craft Barracuda Class Destroyer Kereteka's Explorer Class Scout Back to Shadis #20 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. |