SLCM-Space Ships

SLCM-Space

SLCM-Space is a mix of older, obsolete designs to survive the Leviathan War and solid, unremarkable new designs. SLCM-Space lags behind the EU Aerospacy, the Republic Aerospace Fleets, and the Guardian Space Fleet in terms of both quantity and quality. Perhaps the only exception is in Dragonspace, where large numbers of mines, fighter bases, and battlestations give SLCM-Space a decided advantage over any opposition. To be fair, the League lacked the magilyte necessary to field the large energy cannon and powerful missiles that dominate space combat. They tried to compensate with large numbers of smaller-calibre weapons, but the compromise failed. Fighter swarms also proved to be a disastrous tactic.

Predator Fighter

Meant to be the backbone of fighter swarms, the Predator is a “no frills” design, essentially a sphere with an antipode and a supervolt. It was so stripped down the pilot had to wear a pressure suit. Dead after one hit. Good maneuverability, but not as good as (say) the GSF Dactyl.

Predator II Fighter

Two Predator spheres stuck together. The left maintains its antipode and supervolt; the right mounts a missile bay and holds the necessary missiles. A dramatic improvement over the Predator, but still an average fighter at best. Still handicapped by short range and fragility. Still widely used for defensive purposes. Performance suffers greatly in an atmosphere, and the Predator II is incapable of atmospheric entry and takeoff on its own power.

Serpent-Class Carrier

A medium-sized warship meant to carry fighters. It could cram almost two hundred tiny Predators into its bays, and had antipode cannon for anti-fighter work. When the fighter swarms were overwhelmed, the Serpent was left defenseless and many were destroyed when confronting SRAN. Although comparable in size to a GSF Blackbird, the Serpent quickly proved to be far inferior. Those that remain use Predator II fighters.

Warhammer-class Dreadnaught

The largest of the legacy designs, armed with antipode batteries, disabling Thor torpedoes, and large batteries of electromag cannon. The Warhammer was an attempt to strike a balance between speed, firepower, and protection. It ended up inferior to its principle counterparts in almost all of these areas. It only advantage was that Thor torpedos would often disable enemy ships, but the Warhammer lacked the firepower to make a kill before the enemy ship recovered. The Warhammer’s nuclear core was also notoriously problematic, and a petrol engine for a ship of this size was deemed grossly impractical. Only a handful of Warhammers are still in service; they are judged adequate to fight smaller craft.

Faris-Class Destroyer

Named for the Tycoonese Admiral who was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous space experience in the Leviathan War, the Faris-class is a smaller midsize vessel bristling with antipode cannon and packing Thor torpedos to disable enemy craft. Emblematic of post-Leviathan War SLCM-Space designs, in that its probably not good enough to beat you, but it probably will piss you off when you’re killing it.

Cossack Cruiser

It is admittedly not saying much to describe this as one the finest Scandian spacecraft yet designed, but it is. The Scandians noticed that supervolt coils were highly prized among Unbound pirates because they could disable an enemy ship, especially a lightly shielded one (as most transports were). The Scandians designed the Cossack around three large supervolt coils and backed it up with antipode cannon. But that wasn’t enough for a commerce raider; the Cossack has a strange, angular, faceted hull design, meant to make it harder to detect on sensors. The Cossack is designed to be extremely stealthy; although far from invisible, it is much harder for enemy sensors to detect, especially at long ranges. The Cossack is the main project of SLCM-Space. It is designed as a commerce raider. Realizing they can’t defeat another big power’s space force outright, Scande has decided instead to be a pain in the ass. A variant of the Cossack replaces the Thor torpedos with space mines, which can be used to block important routes.

Teridex Space Combat Dracoform

“The unloved Dracoform”, more or less disowned by the SLCM Dracoforms Service; SLCM-Space Dracoform pilots are not allowed to wear the distinctive cloak. The Teridex has a Thor torpedo in each foot, and launches them look a swooping bird. The left arm is a Demolisher, and the right arm is a Luminaire cannon similar to that used on the Ahzam or Cyrus JetTank. However, the Scandians quickly abandoned their hopes of large space power through their skill in mecha building and chose to focus on their sea power. Preliminary results were impressive, but the Teridex was a limited production run. What Teridexes were built were assigned to a group of 12 modified Serpent carriers, this “seventh Dracoform regiment” calls itself the Zodiac. It serves as a sort of fire brigade, as one of the only units in Scande’s arsenal with a good chance of defeating another big power’s space forces in something like equal numbers.