Cadmus Escort Carrier

**Key Features** | »» *"Orion"* combat jet-bikes (x3)»» AURA point defence network»» *"Spartoi"* unmanned combat air vehicles (x5)»» *"Thebes"* launch platform»» Reinforced twin hull w/ small waterplane area

*"Navigare necesse est. Vivere non est necesse!" - "To sail is necessary. To live is not necessary!"*

- Gnaeus Pompey Magnus

## Tactical Analysis

* **Dragon’s Teeth**: The Cadmus secures the Syndicate’s grip on the sea lanes. Its five *Spartoi* UAVs engage any aircraft from long range with their flechette missiles. While they can be shot down in turn, the Cadmus has an near unlimited supply of drones to throw at its enemies.

* **Wild Hunters**: To protect itself from harassing attack boats the Cadmus is constantly escorted by up to three *Orion* jet skis. While not capable of sinking most vessels on their own, these daring riders can distract attackers and are quite skilled in fouling up the aim of enemy of gunners.

* **Achilles Heel**: The Cadmus must be anchored in order to launch and control its drones, leaving it especially vulnerable to artillery fire. Its drones also don’t carry the best sensors, requiring spotters to make up for their short line of sight. Finally, due to interference created by multiple controllers, carriers must keep their distance from one another if they want their drone to operate at peek performance.

* **Helm of Darkness**: The latest *Spartoi* drones now come with advanced stealth systems that conceal them even when firing, though their expense means they are only available to crews with lots of money to burn. Such crews also hire professional bike riders for escorts, enticing them with high salaries, inexpensive drugs, and upgraded jet-bikes.

## Background

The Syndicate, being a conglomerate of various corporations, doesn't really have what one would call a proper navy. A large portion of the loosely organised "Syndicate armada" consists of little more than pirates bribed into service, their only strength being in numbers. The rest of this fleet is a jumbled collection of various ships, from privately owned (and heavily armed) merchant vessels to warships that officially belong to the navies of Syndicate-affiliated countries. These ships vary in shape, size and armament, from small, barely armed pirate boats to the comparatively huge ***"Cadmus"*-class Escort Carriers**, arguably the single most powerful element in the Syndicate armada.

Even the Cadmus Escort Carriers themselves are not true military vessels; these ships originally started out as civilian ships built for peaceful purposes. However, the exigencies of World War II saw the ships converted into escort carriers with minimal handling facilities for aircraft; while far less capable, these merchant aircraft carriers provided a valuable supplement to the Allies' own aircraft carriers, protecting their convoys from attackers and taking some of the strain off the overstretched Allied navies.

After the war, most of the merchant aircraft carriers were converted back to their original role. However, a few ships were not. These ships, rather than being converted back into merchant vessels, were instead bought up by Legion Security PMC, rich from contracts following the war. Retrofitted and upgraded with Syndicate technology, these ships became the Cadmus-class escort carriers. While paling in contrast to military aircraft carriers, these ships could nevertheless provide air support off their decks.

Since then, the Syndicate's Cadmus fleet has undergone several refits, the most recent of which has resulted in a complete overhaul of the Cadmus's systems. Just as the Allied Nations have embraced UCAV technology in the form of the Sky Knight, so has the Syndicate. The Cadmus is fully capable of transporting and launching its complement of five *"Spartoi"* unmanned combat air vehicles from the *"Thebes"* launch platform, though the Cadmus must come to a complete stop before it can launch the drones, for various reasons. The *"Spartois"* are A.I. controlled vehicles armed with long-ranged flechette missile pods, originally designed for the Von Esling-class but rejected for a number of reasons. In addition, the Cadmus has also been fitted to support three *"Orion"* jet-bikes, which maintain constant patrols around the ship, watching for potential hostiles.

New to the markets are the *Spartoi mk2*, which are now cloaked with advance technology that won't even break when it fires its weapons, and *"Vulture"* jet-bikes, a straight upgrade to the *Orion* with more armor, engine power, and using a railgun instead of gyrojets. However the price for both are exorbitant, even when bundled together with a discount, meaning only the most experienced, therefore taking more high-paying contracts, crews can afford them.

Those that do have the wealth to afford them also have the wealth to fire the Auxiliaries that piloted the jet-bike and hire actual professionals, mainly biker gangs, to ride the *Vultures*, whom they trust a lot better to not crash the more expensive bikes, though said gang tends to spray paint said bikes and make unauthorised modifications, but so long as they get the job done and keep the crew's reputation the captain doesn't care.

## Known Ships

* *MSS Tarquin*

* *MSS Nero*

* *MSS Caracalla*

* *MSS Caligula*

## Behind the Scenes

The Cadmus is an accepted suggestion by Renteria.