Minerva class Battlecruiser (Refitted):
The RFS Minerva somehow arrived into the Three Galaxies after folding. The REF scientists now believe that it was due to the ship having folded in an area that was a latent super nexus point in space. Since then, the REF in the Three Galaxies has been careful to never fold within a nexus point because of possibilities of accidents. They arived on the scene of a Kreegor Doombringer Dreadnought having attacked a liner. The Minerva was able to destroy the Doombringer and was able to capture most of the Doombringer's fighters and shuttles after the ship was destroyed. Due to some trades with the CAF intelligence branch, they were able to refit the Minerva with the advanced missile launchers and point defense weaponry. The Minerva was also able to get their fighters refitted with radiation shielding and CG engines for much greater accelerations and speeds. The ship operated on missions working for CAF intelligence for a period of time until the ship found two Doombringer dreadnought trying to lay siege on a planet in independent space. The Minerva was able to defeat both ships and found out that the Kreegor were interested in a tiny area of space that would act as a portal for large ships to be able to travel between the Corkscrew Galaxy and the Anvil Galaxy practically instantaneously. The REF took the system under their own protection using the RFS Minerva and a fleet of Hunter destroyers they had purchased. Eventually, the REF was able to find a Robotech factory that had apparently got lost in a similar manner to the RFS Minerva and the REF used this facility to construct more ships and equipment. Approximately half of the REF fleet's capital ships are modified Minerva class Battlecruisers. Ships of the Minerva class are named after gods of various Earth and Tirol mythologies. Shp names include Minerva, Isis, Freya, Sif, Hercules, Apollo, Astarte, and Raiden.
The hull of these ships are stronger than the original Minerva class due to the fact that armor materials in the Three Galaxies are stronger than those used originally by the REF. The ship also had conventional variable shields added for greater protection to the ship. The weapon systems have no been modified very much. The output of the ships four mega-lasers has been increased but other than that, there have been no changes to the ship main energy battery. The ships missile launchers have been greatly modified. Two of the long range missile bays have been replaced by two cruiser missile batteries. The other four bays have been replaced by the much faster and greater ranged missile launchers from the Three Galaxies. The ship has eight medium range missile launchers added to increase the ships defensive firepower. The ship has a greatly increased defensive firepower, the ship has added point defense particle beams, rail guns, and tachyon scatterguns. The ship will often carry 32 pepperbox launchers on external racks on the ship.
The fighter and mecha squadrons have been greatly modified due to the needs of the ship. The member of the Elite squadrons on the RFS Minerva have been spread around the various ships of the REF fleet to provide experienced troops for REF units. This has also been done with the ships crew. Many of the officers from onboard the RFS Minerva are now ship commanders themselves due to a lack of experienced personnel. The crew on the RFS Minerva is up to standards and many of them are highly experienced people from the CAF but they are not the original crew.
This starship design uses modified starship speed and ranges. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.
Vehicle Type: SFBC-3000
Class: Space Fold Battle Cruiser.
Crew: 1081 (Was 1031 but due to the additional weaponry and
the addition of the variable shields, the ship now requires more crew members
to operate all equipment.
Troops: 300 Veritech Pilots (Not including Hover tanks), 15
Hover tank Pilots, 40 Destroid Pilots (includes Zentraedi), 40 Glitterboy
Pilots, and 1500 Cyclone Riders.
Mecha Compliment:
Veritech Fighters/Hovertanks: 260 Total
84 | VAF-9C Contra Grav Alpha Combat Model Fighters | |
6 | VAF-9ECM Contra Grav Alphas with Hurricane Jammer. | |
24 | VAF-9STEALTH Contra Grav Alphas with Shadow Cloaking Device. | |
48 | VBF-3C Contra Grav Beta Combat Models. | |
24 | VBF-3STEALTH Contra Grav Betas with Shadow cloaking Device. | |
62 | Supers Vindicator Upgrade | |
12 | Hover Tanks |
5 | QF-4000C Star Phantom Unmanned Fighters | |
2 | QF-4000ECM Star Phantom Unmanned Fighters with Hurricane Jammer. | |
2 | QF-4000STEALTH Star Phantom Fighters with Shadow Cloaking Device |
5 | REF Excaliburs Upgrades | |
5 | REF Gladiators Upgrade | |
1 | REF MAC III Upgrade | |
4 | REF Raidar X Upgrade | |
4 | REF Spartan Upgrade | |
8 | REF Z-2 Zentraedi Officers Battle Pod with Vehicle | |
8 | REF Z-4 Micronised Female Zentraedi Power Armor Upgrade |
40 | REEF-USA-G14E Glitterboys |
1500 | VR-052 Battlers | |
100 | VR-048 Saber | |
400 | VR-038 Light |
2 | Horizant Transatmospheric Shuttles |
M.D.C By Location:
[1] Main Body: | 125,000 | |
[2] Main Bridge: | 30,000 | |
[2] Secondary Bridge: | 30,000 | |
[3] Main Engines (2 banks of 4 for a total of 8): | 10,000 each | |
[3] Secondary Engines (2): | 5,000 each | |
Zendraedi Laser Turrets (12): | 600 each | |
Quadruple Forward Mega-Lasers (4 lasers): | 2,000 each | |
Heavy Particle Beam Pod: | 30,000 | |
Point Defense Particle Beams (16): | 200 each | |
GR-1000 Rail Gun Turrets (16): | 250 each | |
Tachyon Scatterguns (8): | 250 each | |
Cruise Missile Batteries (2): | 1,000 each | |
Long Range Missile Batteries (4): | 600 each | |
Medium Range Missile Launchers (6): | 500 each | |
Hull Per 40 ft Area : | 200 per 40 ft area | |
Airlocks (lots): | 100 each | |
Hanger Bay Doors (10): | 2,000 each | |
[4] Main Variable Force Field: | 10,000 per side (60,000 total) | |
[5] Pinpoint Barriers (Force fields, 4) | 5,000 each |
Notes:
[1] Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the battle cruiser
out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life
support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable
floating wreck.
[2] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon
to hit the bridge through the ships armor. This ship also has an auxiliary
bridge. Even if both bridges are destroyed, the ship can still be piloted
from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be
at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the
ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.
[3] Destruction of all eight main engines will reduce the ships acceleration
by 80%, destruction of Secondary engines will further reduce the ships
acceleration by 15%. With all engines destroyed, the ship will only be
able to accelerate at 5% of normal acceleration using maneuvering thrusters.
[4] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one
shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (3000 MDC) per melee
[5] The ship has four mobile shields to support the ship main shields.
Each shield measures 200 ft (61 m) in diameter and can withstand 5000 MDC
each. Each shield regenerates all 5000 MDC every four seconds. The shields
when operated by a trained operator are +7 to parry (In addition to skill
bonuses) and the operator has eight parries per melee (unless hand to hand
gives more attacks per melee). An untrained operator has their normal parry
bonuses and their hand to hand attacks only. The shields can be used to
parry virtually any attack but follow special rules when attempting to
parry weapons like the heavy particle beam from a Zentraedi flagship.
Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not possible but can land on a planet
if absolutely necessary.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship
to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light. The ship could always
reach 60% percent of the speed of light by its engines but due to radiation
shielding, the ship was limited to 20 percent of the speed of light. Star
Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 1.0 percent of light per
melee. When ship is carrying the particle beam pod, the ship is reduced
to an acceleration of .75 percent of light per melee.
Space Fold: The ship is estimated to travel a total of 100
light years per hour in normal space and 500 light years per hour in deep
space such as between galaxies. This allows the ship to travel between even galaxies
very rapidly. Note: When the Minerva uses its space fold, it will also
transport all vessels /objects within 2 or 3 miles. Fold drive does not
work deep in a gravity well (Gravity wells interfere with fold drives)
Planet Bound: The Minerva can land on a planet if absolutely
necessary, but is not designed to maneuver in an atmosphere (uses anti-gravity
and conventional propulsion). The ship cannot land with the particle beam
cannon mounted on the underside of the ship.
Maximum Range: Unlimited, Combined power systems give it an
estimated life of 50 years of constant use. Sublight engines and space
fold offer virtually infinite range. Carries five years of supplies that
could be stretched to seven in an emergency.
Statistical Data:
Length: 1,901 feet (579.5 meters)
Height: 260 feet (79.2 meters) without particle beam cannon
pod, 320 feet (97.5 meters) with particle beam cannon pod
Width: 480 feet (146.3 meters)
Weight: 16.5 million Tons (Pod Weighs an additional 4 million
tons)
Power System: Anti-Matter with a 50 year life and has a Reflex
Heat Pile System to power protoculture systems. The anti-matter is stored
in a fourth dimensional location which removes the vulnerability of the
power system from critical hits to it.
Gravitational Control System: Internal and External
Cargo: Can carry up to 150,000 tons total extra material between
the various cargo holds.
Market Cost: The REF does not sell these platforms. Without
factory support, each platform would cost about 20 billion credits each.
The Kreegor, Nurani, and the Black Market would be willing to pay hundreds
of billions of credits for one of these ships for examples of the particle
beam, the special long range laser cannons, the pinpoint barrier system,
and the fold drive system.
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
[ Phase World TM, Naruni TM, Kreeghor TM, and CAF TM are trademarks owned
by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc.]
[ Robotech® is a registered trademark owned and licensed by Harmony
Gold USA, Inc. ]
Image drawn and copyrighted by Roman Kochnev (r_kochnev@hotmail.com) .
More Roman Kochnev artwork at
The Science Fiction Art and Design Portfolio of Roman Kochnev
By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).
Copyright © 1998 & 1999, Kitsune. All rights reserved.