Aranoch Class Carrier

The **Aranoch** Class Carrier was a specialized variant of the Markaz II designed to take over the carrier roles of the Ahmaq class and the original Markaz class.

## Technical and Development History

With the Twin Worlds of Rodull up against larger threats, and the production of larger mobile weapons like the Muejaza class, a new dedicated carrier was needed to be up to the task. While the Markaz was used in a carrier role, it was primaryily a mobile construction yard, leading to many vulnerabilities and inefficiencies.

The Aranoch class derives its name from the *Aranoch* the Markaz class vessel used by the Ghaz Preseveration Initiative, as part of the Ghaz and Vordr Expeditionary Fleet. The vessel was originally the flagship of Aemal Industries and reproduced for the exploratory endeavor as their mothership. The *Aranoch* being the first Markaz to receive the refit into the new class was done to help smooth relations between the Initiative and the Combine.

While the Markaz got a more traditional refit, the Aranoch is specialized for combat carrier role. Its interior is arranged to optimally maintain and deploy battlesuits such as the RBS-05 Warith as well as the Muejaza. While the Muejaza is largely an independent craft and capable of FTL travel by itself, the Aranoch serves as a mobile home base for repair and resupply.

Similar to the Scorpio, the Markaz primarily uses transporter technology to launch craft rather than magnetic, gravitic, or subspace manipulation. Though the transporter technology of the Twin Worlds of Rodull is not as sophisticated as the CAST, relying on launched drones to deploy forces at long-range.

Further improvements are its fire-support role, replacing the particle lances with the longer-ranged and more powerful tachyon cannons. This allows the carrier to remain an active combatant even at extreme ranges.

In addition to the class' namesake *Aranoch* the repaired *Murban*  was also refit into the class. The *Sayyeda* is a newly constructed vessel named after the real name of Sayyeda ibn Shirāzi, who is usually known simply as Báb**.**

## Equipment and Design Features

* Many x *Anti-Particle Dispersant Launcher:* Fires a canister that can be remote detonated to disperse a cloud of material that absorbs the heat from particle weaponry.
* 40x *Quantum Information Translator:*Also known as 'Transporters', these bays allow the vessel to teleport personnel and machinery to and from the vessel. 20 bays are large enough to accommodate battlesuits, shuttles, and other small craft. The rest are used to easily move personnel and supplies around the vessel as well as to and from it.
* 6x *Industrial Replicator:* An improvement over the 3D Forges used previously by the Ghaz. In a similar manner as the transporter, the replicator works by rearranging subatomic particles, which are abundant everywhere in the universe, to form molecules and arrange those molecules to form the object. However, unlike transporters, which duplicate matter at the quantum level, replicators must be capable of a large number of different materials on demand. If patterns were to be stored at the quantum level, an impossible amount of data storage (or a set of original copies of the materials) would be required. To resolve this, patterns are stored in memory at the molecular level. The drawback of doing so is that it is impossible to replicate objects with complicated quantum structures, such as living beings, or neutronium. It does however, greatly reduce the amount of materials the ship needs to carry, and increases decreases construction time over 3D Forges. While exotic armor materials are difficult to replicate, Ghaz scientists have found a way for it to cheaply produce nanolaminate armor, which while complicated in design, is made of easy to replicate materials.

* *MIC-Pattern Ahab Deflector:* Using advances in Ahab particle field manipulation and compression, the Ahab Deflector completely replaces the original energy shield of Skapari-origin. This efficient system allows the Ahab field surrounding the vessel for propulsion to also be used for defense. Future iterations are planned to include phase modulation.
* 6x *Utility Drone Launcher:* Used to deploy a variety of specialized drones.
	+ *Force Projection Drone:*A drone deployed with a sophisticated, yet specialized sensor network. It is designed to relay back to the vessel delicate information needed to use the transports to deploy battlesuits and other craft at long range.
	+ *Slipspace Sensor Drone:* Deployed in Slipspace, the drone can safely be sent long-distances to seek out and detect enemies in either Slipspace or Realspace.
	+ *Shield Projector Drone:* A remote drone that contains an energy battery that is capable of generating a powerful energy shield for a brief time. Works as an emergency deterrent against enemy fire.
	+ *Decoy Drone:* Similar to Formian decoy drones, can be used to create illusionary vessels with exceptional detail.
* 4x *Spatial Torsion Array:* Similar to the vessel's Spatial Torsion Driver, this array can be used to disorient smaller approaching craft and misdirect enemy missiles.

## Fixed Armaments

* *32x Denizcilik-Pattern Type-0 TAchyon De-Accelerator (TADA):* Tachyons are particles that defy Special Relativity, possessing the ability to travel faster than the speed of light. Constructed from Formian technology, Tachyon weaponry actually applies drag to ambient Tachyons, generating vast amounts of energy. Mounted as turrets on the spinal and torso aft-section, while capable of impressive ranges, the weapon possesses escalating power the more one limits the effective range of the weapon by slowing the particles. The weapons are mounted in two rows on 8 on either side, giving the ship heavy broadside fire power as well as from above and below, though its forward and aft fire power is relatively small.
* 100x *MIC-Pattern Particle Blaster CIWS:* Replacing the typical shredder CIWS of its predecessor, advancements in cooling and energy production has led to particle based CIWS systems. Due to the longevity of Tibanna-based particle weapons, the vessel can put up a staggering barrage of defensive fire without worrying about running out of ammunition.