Helldrake Battleship

*“Primary weapons at full charge. Secondaries on standby and locked on to population centers and secondary command structures: orders Col-Taros?”*

*"Standard orbital saturation bombardment protocols: strike the main HQ and spread fire from center. Send in the furies and war-riders via drop-pod after initial shockwaves have fallen to Force 2.”*

*“As you command Col-Taros. The Kolnari rats shall burn.”*

## Helldrake Battleship

The Helldrake is the main capital ship used by the Flamewing tribe of the Eshamarrian fringers. Using the Kittani “Taskmaster” as a base hull, the Eshemarrians’ have enhanced and refined the already immense destructive potential of the original parent vessel. The ventral mounted massdriver has been modified to fire much smaller projectiles but at far higher, near relativistic speeds (close to 1.5% C) using slugs forged from an ossmium / irridium alloy. Also, the Abyssals’ heavy plasma torpedo launcher has been retained. The fusion beam cannons have been swapped out with what have been identified as H.D.A.P.P. cannons (High Density Anti-Proton Projectiles) that fire bolts of anti-matter, while the number of neutron cannons has been halved and the remainder replaced with standard Eshemarrian rail-lance (loaded with the Flamewings’ exclusive “thunderbolt” fractional-C projectiles) & pulse-laser batteries. Other modifications of course have been the removal of redundant crew positions, the slave-pen cargo area and most life-support systems for increased shield power (higher recharge rate) and higher sublight speeds.

In appearance the Helldrake superficially resembles a synthesis between the “Taskmaster” & Abyssal Dragon Captial ships, but the wings are most definitely draconic in form and the bow retains the dragon head shape of the Abyssal. One addition to the hull is an 820 ft. (250 m) long tail, extending the length of the vessel by nearly 25%, which like the Sapphire Cobra’s Starcobra contains advanced ECM gear (all the better to allow for the Helldrake to close with their target).

## Abilities

### Crew

400, 10 Warchiefs and 360 Naval trained Warriors, plus 30 Spinsters.

### Troops

Standard of 1700. Maximum; 3000. Mixed Warriors (50%), Berserkers (25%), with Male scouts (10%) and NeShemar (5%); warsteeds are included in the numbers given.

Other combinations may occur dependant on available EctrozShemarr / NeShemarr.

### Vehicle Complement

1 warsteed (varies) for every 3 warriors; approximately 560+ warsteeds.

6 Scarab Assault-Shuttles (Typically troop-transport model).

24 Fighters (or an additional 8 assault shuttles)

### MDC

Bridge (Between shoulders)

In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ships’ armor. This ship also has an auxiliary bridge. Even if both bridges are destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the vessel out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

Destroying the engineering section means that ship FTL propulsion systems are destroyed and maximum sublight acceleration is reduced to ten percent of normal (using navigational thrusters).

Shield positions are variable and can be combined into one shield. The shields regenerate at a rate of 10% (1500 MDC) per melee round, unless the generator for that facing is overloaded / destroyed.

### Cargo

Cargo holds are scattered about the ship that allows for carrying up to 3 million tons of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition.

### Drive Type(s)

Primary; Type-E CG drive rated for factor 600 FTL (6LY / hr.), sublight and atmospheric maneuvering.

### Special Systems

Other Systems [In addition to standard starship systems as
listed in ‘Fleets of the 3 galaxies’]

ECM generators. Advanced Sensor Package. Geologic Sensors. Targeting and combat computer (+2 to strike, +1 to dodge). Auto-pilot & Supernavigation computer (60% skill). Atmosphere recycling system. 40 staterooms & 360 basic accommodations (troops are housed in barrack style areas). 2 Launch-bays (with enough drop-pods for every ground-infantry warrior). Artificial gravity. 3 Recreation facilities. 300 Stasis pod facilities. Medical Facility (200 patients). 70 FTL
life-boats. FCE pod (bridge unit). Auto-Breach sealing.

#### Onboard Nanofacs

The Helldrakes carry a central axis nanofac assembly line that allows the ship to draw in space debris (including battlefield wreckage), break it down, and convert it into usable material, including rail gun ammunition, new missiles, ship repairs, and crew components.

#### Robotics/Bionics Bay

The Helldrakes come with a complete robotics/bionics ‘sickbay’ able to diagnose and repair just about any complaint or damage a SheMar is likely to suffer. The biomechanics bay also has the ability to manufacture and Awake new SheMar and NeSheMar bionic full conversions.

#### Command Linkage

The cyber-psionic command and control exercised by the EShemar give them faster response times: +1 to Initiative and +1 to strike.

#### Thermo-Kinetic Hull Plating

All high-velocity impact and plasma / heat based weaponry only inflict 1/2 damage.

### Weapon Systems

#### Relativistic Massdriver (1)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Located along the length of the keel is a 12 inch (30 cm) massdriver. While the 12 inch, 3.5ft. long projectiles may be radically smaller than the 10 ton boulders hurled by the Kittani ‘Taskmaster’, they are much denser and leave the muzzle at nearly 1.5% the speed of light. The result is a weapon that has more ammunition & better utility in ship-to-ship combat without giving up the destructiveness against terrestrial targets.

Damage: 1D6X1,000 MD plus critical damage result against space-stations, asteroids & starships, X3 damage on a natural 20. Against a planetary target (with atmosphere) the damage is 1D6X100,000 MD to a 5 mile (8km) diametre impact epicentre, with an additional 1D4X10,000 MD to the next 5 miles (8km) out from heat-flash and shockwave damage with another 4D6X10 MD to a further 10 mile (16km) diametre. The final result is a crater 1000 ft. (305 m) deep and 4 miles (6.4km) wide.

Payload: 40 high-density rods. It takes 30 minutes to forge a new rod from raw materials. Nickle-Iron can be used as an alternative but the damage will be only 10% of normal.

Capitol Ship scale: -14 to strike small targets.

#### Heavy Plasma Torpedo Ejector (1)

 Range2
 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Located in the “mouth of

the 'dragon is a capitol ship scale version of the plasma torpedo batteries used by the Eshemarr navies. When activated, the forward section of the ‘head’ opens up like a set of jaws and the firing gate is revealed; filled with compressed plasma. A few seconds later the plasma is expelled as a sphere almost 250ft. wide!

This weapon remains unchanged from the original Hawkmoon configuration.

Range: X10 to X100 range when in strategic combat.

Damage: Damage is inflicted to all exposed areas, and in the case of capitol ships, the blast will damage at least 2 shield facings (GM‘s call).

Payload: Effectively unlimited, but total of 30 per hour. Recharges at rate of 1 shot every 2 minutes.

Capitol Ship scale: -14 to strike small targets.

#### High Density Anti-Proton Projectile Cannons (8; 4 port, 4 starboard)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Located port & starboard in forward facing turrets. Each cannon has a 180º arc of fire. While still technically directed energy weapons, they in fact fire close packed anti-proton clusters wrapped in short lived gravitic force bubbles at near light-speed. On impact, the force bubbles rupture allowing the anti-matter to interact with normal matter & energy. The result is E=MC2 of equivalent mass matter to anti-matter.

Damage: Even targets protected by ‘Impervious to Energy’ (spell or supernatural immunity) will still take 10% damage.

Payload: Effectively unlimited, but only a total of 100 shots per gun in the anti-proton magazine may be stored safely. Recharges 1 shot every round (15 seconds).

Heavy scale: -6 to strike small targets.

#### Neutron-Particle Cannons (20)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Taken directly from the

Kittani ‘Taskmaster’. The turrets may be manually operated or set to auto-fire,
and are even spaced around the hull so that at least 3 guns at a time may be
able to fire at the same target.

Note: The rotating turret gives a +1 to strike (plus any WP, weapon system lock-ons and sensor bonuses). If set for auto-fire, the guns are +4 to strike (+6 if lock on has been achieved).

#### Point Defense Turrets (20)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload
Laser Unlimited

Standard Shemarrian-pattern rail gun/pulse laser combination in a common turret; they are normally concealed under hull panels.

X2 to X10 range in strategic combat.

Damage: (Rail Gun) 4D6x10 M.D. per blast; “Thunderbolt” rounds use micro CG motors & micro force-field devices to continue accelerating the projectile to nearly 0.01% of lightspeed. On impact, the projectile sublimates into plasma, inflicting ½ damage to a 40ft. blast radius, while the primary target takes an automatic critical damage result.

(Laser) 3D6x10 M.D. per blast. X-Ray based so reflective armour coatings are ineffective.

Payload: (Rail Gun) 2,000 rd drum (25% are Thunderbolt rounds). Additional ammunition can be stored as cargo, but will take 45 minutes to reload from stores.

#### Vertical LRM / Torpedo Launchers (4; 1 each wing, 1 dorsal & 1 ventral)

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

10-tube batteries mounted under flip-up armour plating. Typically these launchers are loaded with plasma or gravitic warheads. Occasionally during a retribution mission, the launchers will be loaded with high-yield anti-matter warheads, cobalt sheathed “dirty bombs” or the dreaded “Final Judegment” fractional-C weapon.

* Range: Varies by missile type (Long Range); Final Judgement missiles have a range of 1.5 A.U.s (distance between Sol & Terra).

* Damage: Varies by

missile type; Final Judgement missiles do the same damage as listed for the
massdriver.

* Payload: 100 missiles per launcher ready to launch (400 total); additional missiles may be carried and loaded from cargo, but will take at least 1 hour (1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles).

Only a total of 10 Final Judgement weapons may be carried at any one time.