Starfighter

A Starfighter is an armed typically single pilot military vehicle design to operate in the vacuum of space rather than an atmosphere. They are stored in the Fighter Bays of certain military starships and while similar to an orbital fighter are distinct in that they are not designed for entering a planet's atmosphere. While a Starfighter can be designed for such they are often not due to the re-shielding that must be done after entering a planet's atmosphere along with such craft lacking enough thrust on their own to escape a planet's gravitational pull.
See; Catalogue of Starfighters for a list of those presently in the game.
==Weaponry==
Being designed for operation in the vacuum of space a Starfighter lacks traditional fire arms. Beam weapons and rocketry are the typical combination.
* Rocket Launcher - Each Rocket launcher carries a single Rocket that deals 15d10 points of damage on a successful hit. Each Launcher adds 5000 credits to the Starfighters value but also increases the craft's weight by 15 kg. A Starfighter must return to a Hanger in order to rearm it's rockets launchers. Armored Hull and Inertial Dampeners are protections against these rockets.
* Light Laser - They do 1d10 points of damage per SEU used with a max setting of 10 SEU per shot.
* Medium Laser - They do 1d10 points of damage per SEU used with a max setting of 20 per shot.
* Heavy Laser - Heavy Lasers deal 1d10 points of damage per Standard Energy Unit used with a minimal setting of 5 SEU (5d10 points of damage). Pilots can adjust the SEU output to increase the damage to a max setting of 100. Each Heavy laser adds 6000 credits to the Starfighter's value but also increases the craft's weight by 20 kg. Albedo Screens and Reflective Surface are protections against these.
==Protection==
All fighters have some form of radiation shielding to protect pilots. This shielding does not impact the vehicles stats but the following do;
*Armored Hull - Decreases explosive and physical damage but increases the weight of the craft- potentially diminishing it's speed.
*Albedo Screen - Like those used for infantry this is a powered screen that absorbs damage from laser weapons. The Starfighter's energy supply is drained with each hit taken and to prevent the total cut off of life support the shield will be cut off to conserve power after taking a certain amount of damage. This is most important on Starfighters that use Ion Thrusters as they need power to move and thus return to the hanger.
*Stealth Screen - While not a true 'cloaking' device the Stealth Screen is a holoscreen that works the same as that used by military ground forces. It projects an image of what's on top and below a fighter onto the fighter making it invisible to the eye but not to sensors. This makes them harder to hit when an enemy fighter is unaided by computer targeting. The system is known to glitch occasionally when two starfighters with holoscreens on this setting pass over one another giving other pilots a moment of visual contact with the two starfighters.The holoscreen is capable making the vessel appear as another craft with the proper recording though it's limited by the ship's natural form just like a holoscreen is limited by it's user's form. This means it's unable to appear as a ship of greater size.
*Reflective Surface - A reflective surface protects against laser weapons but also makes a fighter more noticeable to the eye and thus easier to hit. It does not consume energy when used but also doesn't absorb damage so much as diminish it as heat rather then light is what makes lasers harmful.
*Inertial Dampeners - Inertia Dampeners decrease explosive and physical damage- such as that from collision. They work like an Inertia Screen and thus consume power when absorbing damage.
== Propulsion ==
* Chemical Thrusters - faster, less maneuverable, fueled by any number of combustible gases and oxygen supplied for ignition.
* Ion Thrusters - slower, more maneuverable, fueled by xenon gas ionization through electrical charge from the starfigher's power supply.
==Airsupply==
Starfitghters using chemical thrusters can 'bleed air' from the gas compression stage of the engine system. Feasibly allowing a pilot to breath so long as they have fuel. But this method has the risk of causing aerotox syndrome especially if the craft is ill maintained or the compressor damaged allowing toxins from the fuel to be inhaled. It's treatable with the Medic's Neutralize Toxin sub-skill but until then the pilot will experience the effects potentially to a fatal degree if they do not return to the hanger and get comparatively cleaner air before inhaling lethal levels of the toxins. Ion Thrusters using Xenon Gas for Ionization can not bleed air this way but rather must keep a supply of air separate from the gas compressors. As such pilots of Ion propelled fighters do not have to worry about Aerotox Syndrome.
==Starfighter Computers==
Starfighter's have rather simple computers compared to those of a starship. The computer has to manage the internal atmosphere of the fighter (a level 1 Life Support program) and typically has some form of targeting system to aid the pilot. It's level 1 maintenance program is capable of detailing damage to the craft- informing flight crews of the fighter's condition. In some cases it can communicate with a military starship's computer allowing that computer to direct it's maintenance robots to complete needed tune ups, calibrations, and other maintenance related tasks. The whole unit weights 3 kilograms. Since Starfighters are not meant to travel far from a starship and do not often leave much behind when destroyed they rarely have flight recorders though those that do keep only a galactic standard year's record of communications, maintenance logs, and flight time as a level one Information storage program.
== Power Supply ==
Starfighters are powered by a Type 4 rechargeable Parabattery which contains 4,000 SEUs, weight 200 kilograms, and cost 4,500 credits which is factored into the factory price. Some chemical propelled Starfighters use smaller batteries. When a ship's energy supply runs out it's screens will no longer function and unless the ship also has a back up power supply (Typically a Type 1 Parabattery with 500 SEUs, a cost of 600 credits, and a weight of 25 kg) life support will cut off. A Starfighter that can not move is easier to hit and with the exception of rockets incapable of any offensive action.Category:Star Frontiers