Pandora-class star carrier

## *Pandora* class

The ***Pandora*-class fleet maintenance carriers** were the Terran Alliance Navy's supporting element during and after the Razorbird Crusade: largely ignored in comparison to their more flashy *Venus*-class battlecarrier counterparts, they nonetheless played a critical role as unsung heroes in the maintaining of the Alliance's vital starfighter forces during the war and after.

## Design

### Dimensions and Role

At twelve hundred metres in length, the *Pandora*-class carriers were on the lower end for Alliance heavy warships: their *Venus* counterparts were almost three hundred metres longer, albeit both thinner and shorter to present smaller profiles in the gunline. The *Pandora*s, by comparison, were very broad ships to fit their cavernous hangars and vital facilities.

The *Pandora*'s primary role was as a 'maintenance carrier': damaged starfighters and bombers could be transferred to a *Pandora* via heavy transport, where they could be repaired in mere hours by the thousands of technicians which worked day and night to keep the workshops operational. Even smaller starships could be repaired: anything up to a frigate in size could be accommodated inside one of the many large hangars of a *Pandora*, and spare parts were also carried for larger vessels—serious repairs for large ships, however, would have to be undertaken at a shipyard.

The *Pandora* also operated as a starfighter replacement carrier: while it had an impressive complement on paper, most of these starfighters were actually intended for other carriers, which could swap their damaged craft for new ships from the *Pandora* while their own underwent repair and refurbishment. This was not to say a *Pandora* couldn't get in on the action itself: at least one ship, *Unicorn*, went on to participate in the pivotal carrier strike at Djangor.

### Hull

The *Pandora*-class maintenance carriers had an unusual hull design, for an Alliance ship: their basic structure was an elongated delta shape, split neatly down the middle for almost three-quarters of its length into two distinct hulls. This empty space from the bow until almost the stern was occupied by the main hangars - which lined the sides and end of this split - and docking rings for larger vessels which needed interior repairs, as well as a number of auxiliary hangars for accepting material transports and ships transporting spare parts.

As with all Alliance ships, *Pandora*-class carriers were painted in the standard Alliance 'gunmetal grey' paint scheme: an economic choice (few other paint were produced in the quantities necessary), some ships also sported the Alliance's blue-and-bronze eagle logo and blue diplomatic immunity markings.

### Power Plant

The *Pandora*-class carriers had a sufficient power generation ability for their type and time, made possible by eight large reactors of the same sort used in other large Alliance vessels at this time: however, they did not require nearly as much power for their functions since they did not operate any heavy weapons or artillery.

### Propulsion

The *Pandora*-class carriers were among the fastest of all Alliance capital ships during the Razorbird Crusade: they could accelerate at 300 km/sec² if the situation demanded it. This high speed enabled a *Pandora* to reposition itself as needed, staying at a distance behind the main battle and consistently deploying and recovering fighters in a never-ending stream.

### Starfighters

The listed complement of the *Pandora* class was an impressive 560 starfighters: even the largest Alliance supercarriers to see service during the conflict, the *Alpha Centauri* class, did not approach half of this number. In reality, however, over two-thirds of these fighters were reserve ships for transfer to other carriers, or to provide pilots with a means to get back in the fight while their own damaged craft were repaired. The actual complement of the *Pandora*, therefore, was roughly comparable to the *Vesper* modification of the *Venus* class: ninety-six (96) MB9 *Broadsword* bombers, eighty (80) MR-2 *Rapier* fighters, and thirty-two (32) I-1 *Poniard*s.

At least one *Pandora* would be converted to full fleet carrier status for the battle at Djangor by transferring fighter personnel to the carrier, so as to make full use of all of its active and replacement fighters.

### Self-Defense Systems

For self defense against starfighters and gunboats, the *Pandora*s were well-equipped: forty-two (42) twin 10.5-cm long-range laser turrets dotted the hull of the vessel. These were the standard dual-purpose guns of Alliance warships, being useful against both smaller vessels such as destroyers and as point defense against starfighters and ordnance like torpedoes. They had an extraordinarily high rate of fire and were completely subdivided from the hull once 'closed up' for action, meaning that even if one was destroyed the ship would not suffer depressurization. This redundancy was a feature of all Terran designs.

Medium-range point defense was handled by a battery of eighty quad 65-mm laser batteries: upscaled 20-mm "snapper balls", they could reliably engage targets at about half the range of the 105-mm laser cannons, but outside the 'kill zone' of the 20-mm lasers: these weapons proved highly successful, being retrofitted onto a number of ships during the war for their heavier hitting power and good rate of fire.

For close-in defenses, the *Pandora*s were equipped with over a hundred 20-mm laser cannons in twin 'ball' mounts that were partially recessed into the hull and superstructure across the whole ship. Also known as 'snapper balls' - they could snap a crewman out of their seat from the G-forces if their harness was not secured - they could be controlled remotely or operated on-site by a single gunner. With a sustained 'burst' mode of 10,000 shots every minute, they were capable of burning clean through an entire swarm of torpedoes launched at close range and were one of the most well-regarded point defense systems in the entire galaxy.

To these already-formidable defenses was added the automated 'Aegis' laser defense network: a system of 13.2-mm high intensity lasers which operated remotely along the hull, either concentrating individually to simultaneously engage a large number of targets or take on a small number as a group in order to shoot down missiles and torpedoes which made it within the 'danger zone' of about 20 km.

### Protection

In keeping with Terran designs, the *Pandora* class was well protected: they were equipped with the latest in Terran sectored shielding and also had relatively thick armour for a star carrier. 350-mm crystalline-lasced nanocomposite armoured plates covered the hull of the vessel, with 500-mm plates protecting critical areas such as the 105-mm gun turrets and hangar bay doors. This was still relatively light protection for a Terran starship, but proved more than adequate: the class proved able to take substantial punishment.

## Notable ships in class

* *Unicorn*
* *Adventure*
* *Eagle*
* *Goliath*
* *Resilient*
* *Selfless*
* *Solidarity*
* *Laudable*
* *Steadfast*

## See Also

* *Alpha Centauri*-class star carrier — The Alliance's largest carriers during the Razorbird Crusades, converted *Terra* dreadnoughts.
* *Saturn*-class star carrier — The Alliance's dedicated supercarriers.
* *Venus*-class battlecarrier — The mainline combatant of the Alliance's patrol fleets.