[custom]Broadside-II Heavy Missile Cruiser

Ship Class: Star Frigate

Ship Role: Missile Boat / Artillery Vessel

Ship Length: 650 meters

Agility (A): 1

Defensive (D): 3

Offensive (O): 5

Speed (S): 1

Special Gear: 4 (TAT Targeting Sensors, Holotrace Device, Baffler, MRX Sensor Suite)



Description:

Throughout the history of the Empire it has been proven time-and-again that the ranks of the Imperial Navy cannot be adequately filled by Star Destroyers alone. While imposing and heavily armed, Star Destroyers often lack specialized weapons, systems or equipment that would allow them to compose a fleet in their own right. The Galactic Empire realized this too late and thus were quickly overcome by the much more diverse methods of the Rebel Alliance. The First Order wishes to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors and seeks to further adapt and improve the smaller, more specialized vessels that were largely forgotten in favor of bigger and more menacing Star Destroyers during Palpatine's New Order.





This brings us to the development of the Broadside-II Imperial Heavy Cruiser - a long range artillery vessel that sacrifices the large turbolasers and heavy armor of its larger brothers in favor of reach and accuracy. Designed to be stationed in the last line of a properly composed fleet, the Broadside-II has been most efficiently utilized if it has never been within the visual range of an enemy fleet. Instead of taking an enemy head as an Imperial Star Destroyer would, the Broadside-II seeks to be several kilometres behind the lines of skirmish - utilizing its advanced suite of scanners and targeting systems to place accurate missile fire onto enemy capital ships or fighter screens.





Some fleet commanders, however, might opt to utilize the Broadside-II in a screening role. Instead of placing the Broadside-II far from the front line of battle it is a viable option to place the vessel in the escort line of Imperial Star Destroyers or capital ships - utilizing the missile volleys to disrupt enemy fighter swarms. Both strategies come with their own risks as the Broadside-II is not a vessel that can hold its own in close combat. Distance is its most powerful ally and even if great distances it is advisable to assign a light escort to the vessels, generally in the form of fighter defense. The reasoning behind this is that the Broadside-II is a deadly foe at long ranges against both fighters and capital ships. Only the best pilots or largest swarms of fighters are likely to evade its endless swarm of missiles and flak fire - however those fighters that close the distance are largely safe from the vessel's armament, which lacks lasers of any kind.



Any Broadside-II caught in a one-on-one fight within a capital ship's range stands little chance. Also important to note are the two weak points of the vessel - one being the magnetic clamps holding the command module to the outer platform (these are located in the small crevice between the command module and platform and are largely impossible to hit accurately with anything above starfighter grade weapons). The second being the weapon platform itself as several thousand missiles are stored inside - enough damage could set off a chain reaction that obliterates the vessel and damages ships nearby.





The Broadside-II has been provided with a standard deflector and energy field for its class and utilizes a Durasteel frame reinforced by beams of Duralium/Lathanide composite. The barrels of the launchers themselves, as well as several critical points along the superstructure, are insulated with Dallorian alloys to keep the heat of constant missile fire from melting the ship from the inside out.





Detachable Hull & Ammo Capacity

The First innovation of the Broadside-II is its module based design. The bridge and command module of the vessel (the highest sitting section of the ship) is actually a detachable module where all vital instruments and sensors are stored. The outer platform of the vessel, including its engines, is a separate module consisting solely of mechanical parts, small engineering corridors and - of course - the missile bays and ammo storage of the vessel. The module connects to the outer platform via several magnetic locks and physical clamps that vacuum seal the two halves together to make one functional vessel.



This allows the command module to be easily placed into another hull if its outer platform is damaged it combat. It also allows for easy field replenishment of ammo during long defensive battles or properly planned offensives. Changing the outer platform, however, requires a minimum of two tow vessels to properly position the platform under the command module after the captain has ejected the original platform from its position. A second tow crew would need to be in place to retrieved the old module or else risk losing it to battle or the abyss of space. Any disruption to the process could lead to catastrophic failure. An experienced crew could completely change the modules within fifteen minutes, but doing so always carries with it high risk.



Luckily the need for field replenishment is unlikely in most circumstances. The vessel has sacrificed its ability to self-sustain for long periods of time - carrying only enough food for three months of operation - and all of its hanger and passenger space . The trade-off for this sacrifice is a large missile and flak ammo capacity, much like the older Broadside-I. At full capacity the Broadside-II can hold 1,800 Assault Concussion Missiles and 2,300 Homing Cluster Missiles.





TAT Targeting Array

Short for Target Acquisition & Tracking, the TAT Array is an advanced computing package first used during the waning days of Palpatine's Galactic Empire. The system filters targeting solutions through several arrays that allow the vessel to place accurate fire at even the most extreme of ranges. The system works by first acquiring a lock-on signature for all vessels within an area designated by the operator. The operator(s) then designate primary targets at which time said targets are filtered into the second array while the first array continues tracking all secondary targets and offers alternatives at the operator's leisure. The TAT then records the speed, maneuvering and position of the target and compares its silhouette against the ship target database and filters it into the Counter Measure Compensation Computer - the third and final array within TAT. The C3 then analyzes any attempts the vessel made to evade lock-on and, if the enemy vessel was identified within the computers of the ship, analyzes known countermeasures aboard the vessel.



Based on these variables the computer will make variations to the weapons targeting up to the millisecond the weapon is fired. The TAT array will adapt and learn from the results of the weapon impact to offer better firing solutions in the future. In the case of the Broadside the TAT will filter missile settings up until the point the missile loses contact with the onboard targeting array. This allows the Broadside-II to offer pinpoint fire against fighter swarms and capital ships from outside most enemy sensor range. However, targeting individual fighter craft is impossible with TAT unless the fighters are within visual range.





Holotrace Device

The onboard Holotrace Device is not utilized as a secondary targeting option rather than a true tracking device. There are multiple uses for this method of targeting - which acquires a firing solution by tracing the source of communications and firing a missile based on the mathematical vector achieved by doing so. In this way the Broadside-II is able to fire a missile without acquiring a traditional lock-on. This is beneficial as being more accurate than dummy firing but has the downside of being unable to adjust course as a traditional lock-on would allow. This limits the effectiveness of the targeting and makes firing against fighter swarms nearly impossible.



Where the holotrace shines is when providing orbital bombardment or when the Broadside-II wishes to fire a missile at a capital ship without alerting its crew to a lock-on. This method of capital ship targeting is most effective when the enemy is unaware of the Broadside's presence or when the ship is moving to slowly to adjust course.





Baffler Device

The baffler on-board helps reduce the ability for capital ships to make a lock-on to the vessel, reduce enemy ability to pick up the vessel at long ranges and aids in ambush tactics by almost completely hiding the ship when in low-power states.







MRX Sensor Suite

Used to great effect in orbital bombardments, this advanced sensor suite allows gunners aboard the Broadside to pick out weak targets on the ground due to its advanced ability to, famously, count the number of individual leaves on trees from orbit. Aside from allowing the provision of unmatched accuracy in orbital bombardments, the sensors can also be helpful when used to observe enemy vessels from afar and up close. Able to pick out cracks in enemy hulls or pinpoint design flaws the sensors allow the crew of a Broadside call out areas worthy of attack and, in some cases, provide fire to those same locations.







Armament:

x40 Port Broadside Mounted Assault Concussion Missile Launchers

x10 Port Broadside Mounted Homing Cluster Missile Launchers

x3 Port Top Mounted Flak Guns

x40 Starboard Broadside Mounted Assault Concussion Missile Launchers

x10 Starboard Broadside Mounted Homing Cluster Missile Launchers

x3 Starboard Top Mounted Flak Guns

x20 Ventral Mounted Assault Concussion Missile Launchers