STARBLADE BATTALION: ALINCOURT-MADE "DIAMOND"-CLASS CARRIER
"STARBLADE"

The first Diamond, the Starblade, proudly displaying SBB markings, shines under Rocinante's ligth like its namesake gem.
Source: PRCI archive
DATAWEB REFERENCE: HOLOPIC
GAME STATS:
x 100 Scale Starship , MA 361, 250,000 Tn, MV -0 (unscaled weight 71 Tn + Fuel), MP +200%, 1,446,315 CP;
Armament: 1 spinal Megastarbolt ("Big Berta"), 2 laser cannons, 10 laser turrets, 6 torpedo racks, many antimecha guns, 780 suits, crew of 6,000.

SERVOS AND ARMOR:
Main HullAH Torso (1800K, 18 spc)
2 x Bow WingsAH Wings (900K, 9 spc each)
2 x Stern WingsAH Wings (900K, 9 spc each)
2 x Engine WingsAH "Heads" (900K, 9 spc each)
2 x Rotating DecksSL Pods (2 Spc each)
Weapon PodSL Pod (2 Spc)
All ten servos: LW Scaled Armor, Alpha (SP 200, DC 200 each
Ship's pic adapted from art by
Youichi Kadoi without permission
- no copyrigth offense intended!

COST MULTIPLIERS (total multiplier x4.88)
Supercharged powerplant (x0.3)
ACE +100% (x0.2)
Virtual Controls (x0.33)
16+1d10 (A-grade) Crew (x1.0)
(this ship is Redding Frost's commanding! Anything less would be an INSULT!)
Cloacking Shunt & fast Subligth drives (x2.4)
+5 MV Verniers mated w/ Thrusters (x0.5)
Space, EM and Re-Entry protection (x0.25) & Transat (x0.15)
Alincourt modiffier (-x0.2)

WEAPONS:


- "Big Berta" Megastarbolt: Portfolio 3 E-Pool, 60 CP, 1300 Kills, FF fire arc, on Gunpod;
Long Range Fire mode: 500K, WA +2, Long Range 0.48 AU (!), Shots inf
Intensive Fire mode: 500K, WA +0, Range 450, W-Up 3, Megabeam
Maximum Fire mode: 1000K, WA +0, Range 650, W-Up3, Megabeam,
must draw 30 energy points from the capacitors BEFORE start charging time
- Capacitors: Power 5 Portfolio 1 E-pool, 6 CP, 400 Kills, on Gunpod
(can divert 5 points of power to the big gun per turn, per standard rules)
- Laser Cannons: Portfolio 2 E-Pools, 400 Kills, 10 CP, A fire arc, one per Engine Wing Weapon Mount;
Long Range mode: WA +1, range 55,125 Km, 200 K, W-Up 1, Long Range
Short Range mode: WA +1, range 400, 100 K, BV 5
- Secondary Laser Turrets: 300K, WA +2, unscaled range 1.75, BV 5, Var. Anti-Mek split as ten 30K, 30 Kills each, Range 175 laser turrets, 22,6 CP total (2,26 CP per turret), A fire arc, one per servo,
- Deluxe CIDS (WA +0, range 13, 10 K, BV inf.), on Main Hull, 0.344 CP
- 6 x Torpedo Rack: 150K, WA +2, Range 140, Shots 20 each, 200 Kills each, 10:1 Scale, Smart 2 Skill 15, 0,7 CP, A fire arc, one per Wing

SENSORS AND SUBASSEMBLIES:

MH Sensors, Backups, Spottting Radar, Target & Radio/radar annalizer, x256 Res., on Main Hull
ASP, Level 5 ECM/ECCM (Radius 100 Beaming 600) on Main Hull Weapon Mount
Bridge, Battle Bridge, Main Deck, Engineering Deck, Escape Pods (one bank per deck) on Main Hull
8 x Crew Decks (space for 6480 people), 4 x Cargo Decks (16,200 Tn), half on each Rotating Deck
Fligth Decks, Mecha Hangars, Magazines, on Bow Wings (1 crew spc, 5 mecha spcs -one x10 Scale shuttle, 5 EVA pods, up to 390 meks- per wing) - 780 mecha
Thrusters and Verniers on Stern Wings, Engine Wings (7 MA each), Main Hull (8 MA), 100.7 CP
Stereo (Come on!... Wath would you think if not), Damage Control, 10 Spotligths, 4 x Docking Clamps (micromanipulators) on Main Hull
QCM & E-Sys to eject Rotating Deck Crews, Powerplant
1 x Weapon Mounts (one per Engine Wing, 1 on Main Hull)
110,000 Km reaction mass on Main Hull
Space eff: 67,8 (90.5 x 0.75 Alincourt modifier) total

GAME NOTES:
- Note that, after firing the gun on MAXIMUM FIRE mode, it has to recharge for a full 9 Turns! - most combats won't last so much!
- Laser guns identical to the ones of the Ruby Cruiser, one atop each engine pod.
- "Covered with mecha weapons..." well, it has the same CIDS as a Ruby cruiser, and also a number of secondary turrets to use as both anti-mecha and ligth anti-ship secondary weapons.
- Note that the "Rotating Deck-mounted" turrets are really on the wing, since the deck is wing-mounted :)
- Superb sensor and comunication capabilities, as befits a flagship and higer commander's ship
- Radius/Beam EW; This "Big Mom" takes care of his small children.
- Being an Alincourt design, you can count this design to have excelent safety measures for the crew, like the whole rotating crew decks acting as escape vehicles.
- Also because of the Alincourt production, it has a -x0.2 cost multiplier and a eff. cost of 75% of normal. This makes cheaper, gamewise, building SL pod with lots of eff instead of bigger ones.
- SAC and ODF policy is to cram the cruisers with suits and to have the carriers at 1/2 to 2/3 capacity. The Battalion has to conform with having its Ruby cruisers at 1/2 to 2/3 (thereby, carrying about as much suits as a SAC or ODF cruiser) and spare wath would be a full cruiser's complement (120 suits) for the Starblade (which carries about the same mecha as an Edelweiss usually does, and 1/3 of a Legend's usual complement)


"Look," Redding said as he activated the holo projector. Above their heads the Alincourt carrier took shape. "Diamond Class, expected to be finished in three days. One thousand, three hundred and sixty two meters long, a beam of one hundred and ninety meters, at its widest. Covered in Miss Belin's armour, everything in on the cutting edge."

Placide could not help but be impressed. She had never seen such a beautiful ship. It looked long, the bow section coming to a point. Just behind the bow were a set of short wings with, what looked like flatted sphere set in them. The hull widened slightly, but was still slim for most of its length. The last third got wider, the full one hundred and ninety meters. There on the stern there looked to be two sets of wings, one coming off the hull's top and one set on the bottom. On the tips of the bottom wing structures were pod like structures. Set into the bottom wings were structures similar, though larger, to the ones set in the front set of wings.

Set beneath the ship was a large, secondary structure. A huge weapons pod.

"What are those sphere like things?"

"Rotating crew decks."

"A little open aren't they?"

"The Alincourts would not be dissuaded. They say that Miss Belin's
armour will protect them. They also feel that no one is likely to be in
their quarters during combat."

"Why did you let a bunch of civilians design that ship?"

"As if I had a choice."

"Okay, so the rear wings, the top one look like they hold engines."

"Right. They also offer some protection to the crew decks on the lower
wings. Notice how they angle down, the tips of the upper wings actually
end below the lower wings."

"Nice. So, what are the pods on the lower wings?"

"Engines."

"The bow wings, what are they for?"

"They contain some of the mecha bays. Suits launch along the ship's path
of travel, and can be recovered at the rear of the wing at the same
time. " "

"Clever. Is it battle worthy?"

"We'll know when we take it into battle."


"So we have carrier. What are they calling it?"

"The Starblade."

"Isn't that the name of your ship?"


Redding simply nodded.

"Isn't having two ships named the same thing considered, unlucky or
something?"

"I don't know if it is unlucky, but I have been informed my ship has been
retired from active service. The carrier is my new command."

"Since when do they tell Admirals what to do?"
"What could I do? Tell them 'no'? What other ship am I going to command?"

"Well,"
Placide paused. "Congratulations?"

Redding smiled and shut off the projector. "I guess I don't have much
right to complain. It is a ship that any Captain would kill to command."


Notes on the Diamond Carrier (The Starblade)

If you are wondering what this ship looks like, and with my description who could blame you, I am thinking of the Super Strike TA-29 from the Manga Version of Yamamoto Yooko. What a sweet ship, and Yooko is so kawaiiiiiii! Take away the raised, bridge like pod from the ship's stern and its a dead ringer.

With the title and everything you may be able to find an image of this beautiful ship on the web somewhere, or find the manga itself. Dragon Comics, story by Takashi Shouji and art by Youichi Kadoi.

Now, this ship makes a nice carrier, plenty of room for suits and fighter. Sad part is that the Battalion will not be able to fill its mecha bays anywhere near full.

In battle it is supposed to use its fighters for protection and offensive operations, like most carriers. As pointed out its fighter complement is not at full.

The Carriers used by the ODF and SAC also seem to do double duty as battle wagons, with big, scary guns.The Diamond Class just did not manage that. It is covered with mekton scale weapons though, which makes it very difficult, if not suicidal, for mecha pilots to close on this girl.

There are also a few anti-ship weapons, but they are all fairly light, except...

There is a pod under this ship, which looks very ugly, which holds a big, honking cannon. Sort of your standard Anime big gun. Can be used accurately at extremely long range, though it delivers less power, or at shorter range (though still relatively long) on sort of a mega beam setting. Boom.

Comfortable cabins all around, new, new tech. Both the Battalion's and the Alincourt 's flagship.


Ship concept: Shawn Hagen (http://www.gweep.bc.ca/~hagen/ )
Game stats & HTML sheet: LITTLE LOCUS (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/6243/)


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