Malicious-class Heavy Battlecarrier

The ***Malicious*-class Heavy Battlecarrier** (*Tionscadal 2108*) is a class of Fourth-Generation Astral Dreadnought designed and built for the Communal Navy for usage in the Labyrinthine War. The class of twelve planned ships will replace the Second-Generation Flirtatious-class Battlecarriers, starting with the *CNW Malicious* (R340) replacing the *CNW Flirtatious* (R099). The *Malicious*-class utilizes technologies developed for the Tionscadal 2108 program, including new catapults and electronic warfare suites, new spinal coilguns, new shield generators, and a better hull composition plan along with other amenities to increase crew efficiency. The class was named after the first standardized class of Eanic Cylinder Ships, the ***Type-1959 Malicious*-class Dreadnought**.

Compared to the previous Incomparable-class Heavy Battlecruiser, the *Malicious* is almost twice the size of its predecessor, and carries nearly twice the strike craft. Additionally, being purpose built as a flagship, the *Malicious* is much more capable of Command & Control operations than the *Incomparable*, being more like the older Flirtatious-class Battlecarrier in terms of doctrine.

## Role

As the brainchild of Chéad Aimiréal an Chabhlaigh Epona Doirend-Sadhbh, the *Malicious*-class was the product of a doctrinal shift towards a focus on powerful capital ships to counter those of the Holy Imperial Navy, particularly the monstrously large *Compellor*-class Battlecarriers.

Like the *Flirtatious*-class, the *Malicious* features a massive, multi-level Command & Control Center along with it's CIC. This, along with a powerful subspace transmitter and receiver, allows the ship to easily serve as a command vessel for entire regions, coordinating attacks between multiple battle groups.

On top of it's Command & Control role, the *Malicious* is a formidable carrier and direct-fire capital ship. Carrying substantially more than its predecessors, the *Malicious* is capable of launching a large air wing of strike craft without compromising its own fighter defense screen. Due to increased hangar capacity and reinforced flight deck, the *Malicious* can carry heavier strike craft, such as the Type-2045 Retaliator torpedo bombers, allowing for heavier anti-ship operations. Additionally, like the Courageous-class Battlecarrier and the Incomparable-class Battlecarrier, the *Malicious* operates dorsal and ventral flight decks on its flight pods, however unlike the *Courageous* and *Incomparable*, they are not retractable.

The *Malicious*-class's direct-fire capabilities are rather impressive, utilizing a large array of sixty-eight 460-millimeter naval coilguns arranged into thirty-four twin turrets situated around the hull. The coilguns are designed to be able to fire both short-range guided munitions as well as dumb-fire rounds like the *Type-2000/406* Flechette shell. This is also combined with a battery of fifty-six 125-millimeter naval coilguns arranged in twenty-eight twin turrets. The *Malicious*-class's thick nanolaminate-composite armor provides a massive amount of protection from the electron cannons of HKM vessels, greatly reducing the damage of larger cannons and, in the case of the smaller cannons, can completely block and disperse the electrons.

However, due to the heavy armor, the *Malicious* is comparatively slower to accelerate than its predecessors and contemporaries, making it ill-suited for fast-paced direct combat. Due to this limitation, task forces containing the *Malicious*-class are generally slower than others and are usually more vulnerable to ambushes.