Ika

“Don’t be fooled by the ‘resource development ship’ designation. The Shemarrians make little or no distinction between a support vessel and a warship, and the Ika’s armed like one of their cruisers. It will act like one too, if you’re dumb enough to attack one. Try claim-jumping a nugget-rock from the Shemarrians or blitzing a solette or other project they’re working on, and the ‘support vessels’ will round on you as a proper battle force. Worse yet, they have enough engineers aboard to get creative in combat; I’ve seen Shemarrian miners throw rocks, beam powersat microwaves, use solar furnace mirrors, and toss chemical bombs at raiders. They seem profoundly determined to get back any ammo they waste on an attacker in the way of battle salvage.”

## EShemar ‘Ika’ Resource Development Ship

aka ‘Squid’

The ‘Ika’ was first sighted in the Thundercloud by Oni scouts, who observed the vessel operating with Dark Waters units in exploiting the mineral asteroids in a backwater system. It was the Oni who gave the vessels their reporting name of ‘Ika’ (‘Squid’) (as with so many Shemarrian Star Nation vessels, it is unknown what they themselves call their various ship types).

### Description

The Ika is designed as an asteroid miner and tug, part of the large (and largely unseen) industrial infrastructure serving the Shemarrian warmachine. The ‘Squid’ is believed to be a development of the Kumo-rodosha-class cruisers, with which it shares a large number of common components and design features (indeed, the two vessels often operate together).

The Ika lives up to its namesake in appearance; though its forward hull (which holds the bridge and crew quarters) resembles the Kumo-rodosha, especially the ‘head’-mounted propulsion units, the rest of its hull trailing behind is much longer, finally trailing back to a set of four folded tentacle-like gantries. The central hull section is mainly used for material storage, but it can be outfitted with manufactory modules. The rear-most hull section is the working head of an asteroid miner, outfitted with cutting heads, drill mounts, and ore reduction gear which passes processed materials to the central holding bays (or to additional cargo modules/transport lighters docked alongside). Fabrication modules may be hooked to this central section, allowing the Ika to serve as a factory ship as well. The most prominent features of this section are the four long articulated ‘tentacle’ gantries that can be used to secure the ship to an asteroid (or large space wreck); each gantry incorporates its own smaller cutting heads, tractor beams, and automated conveyor systems running their entire length.

### Design

In contrast to the industrial space-mining rigs and deep space tenders of other powers and species, the Shemarrians have built their ships to be fast, well-armed, well-armored, and stealthy, to the same demanding standards as the rest of their fleet. Thus, though the Squid does not commonly serve as a warship, it can do so in a pinch, defending itself, attended mining operations, or the outposts it is operating around. Though, when discovered, the Squids have most often quit the system they were working and slipped away into deep space, on more than a few occasions enemies of the Shemarrian Star Nation have been rudely surprised to discover the ‘civilian’ vessels turning around and attacking them, or providing additional fire support to Shemarrian warships. On one observed occasion, a ‘Squid’ deliberately towed an asteroid into a battle zone, detached its forward hull as an escape craft, then left its rear hull, the powerplants deliberately redlined to overload, to fragment the oncoming rock into a giant shrapnel bomb, decimating an enemy fleet.

Besides sporting heavy armaments and armor, Ikas also carry a large complement of small craft, including warmounts. These all are primarily geosurvey, scout, and utility versions of common Shemarrian types, but as anybody who’s encountered the Shemarrians can attest, virtually EVERYTHING they have is capable of fighting.

The ‘Squid’ was first sighted operating with the Dark Water Tribe (who presumably developed it), but it has since appeared with the other space-based Tribes, the Silvermoons and the Hawkmoons. It has also been associated with the Fringe ‘tribe’ known as the StarForgers (aka Clan Scelptor), especially in conjunction with the construction of the Terrani Solar Shield.

Note: The Shemarrians have also been known to use modified versions of other peoples’ deep space mining gear, often substantially modified and/or unflagged as SSN vessels...with heavy automation....to conceal the true extent of their operations. Many of these ships are deep space salvaged, rather than new construction/acquisition, and are typically manned by R’mar.

## Abilities

When the tentacle gantries can swing out, increasing height and width to 1000 ft diameter circle.

Although normally the Ika has a speed of Mach 9, when under auxiliary power it make Mach 7.

### Auxiliary Craft

The Ika usually cares 10-40 Shuttlecraft, mainly Mining Scarabs, 200 Warmounts typically a mix of EcoS-K-25 Octas and EcoS-K-26 Nautika models, and 900 Robot Drones ‘Mooncalf’-style industrial drones.

### Sensors

#### Long Range GeoScience Sensors

The Ika mounts long range sensors for assaying asteroids and scanning for salvageable wrecks.

### Special Systems

#### Sensor Baffling

The Shemar ships can partially mask their sensor spoor, making themselves difficult to detect at long range. This acts as Stealth (-70% to detect while stationary, -30% when moving).

#### Tractor Beams (8)

The Ika sports eight tractor beams, all heavy models, four around the cutting head and one in each tentacle gantry. The heavy tractor beam is rated for 75,000 tons and can be used to tow small starships, and can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass..

* Range: 5 miles in space (NOT usable in atmosphere)

#### Detachable Forward Hull

The forward hull can detach and act as a separate spacecraft, carrying with it the bridge, crew quarters, main engines, main laser turrets, and FTL drive system. Detached from the rest of the ship, the escape hull can make speeds of Mach 11.

### Weapons Systems

#### Medium Lasers (4)

 Damage
 Rate of Fire

These powerful lasers are equally effective against warships and fighters, used to brake up larger rocks or even ship wrecks into slightly smaller manageable sizes.

#### Point Defense Rail Guns (8)

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Backing up the lasers are eight rapid-fire rail guns. Although these are classified as 'point defense' they have enough power to challenge frigates and small destroyers that threaten the Ika.

#### Long Range Missile Launchers (6)

 Damage
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

Retained from the Kumo-rodoshas, these launchers are typically used to fire deep penetration probes into asteroids, or launch rock-breakers. They do just fine reducing spacecraft into high-grade scrap alloy, however.

Payload: 120 missiles ready to launch; additional missiles may be carried and loaded from cargo, but will take at least 30 minutes (1 ton of cargo per 12 missiles).

#### Heavy Massdrivers (4)

 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The gantry arms can be used as massive G-cannon massdrivers, the gravitic conveyor systems running their lengths reversed to fire their payloads of mined rock as projectiles. In normal operations, these are typically used for throwing payloads of processed metals to other vessels, without the use of cargo lighters or shuttlecraft. The system is also used for tossing slag as reaction mass in adjusting the course of a snared asteroid. The system has been used in combat, however, although the ‘flingers’ aren’t very fast firing or accurate.

Exploding/Fragmenting Fletchette deals damage in a 120 ft wide cone/’cloud’. Targets are -2 to dodge the’shotgun spread’.

Reloading from the cargo hold takes 1d6 minutes (500 tons ammunition storage, 1 ton of cargo per 12 rounds).

#### Point Defense Turrets (16)

 Range2
 Damage
 Damage2
 Rate of Fire
 Payload

The standard Shemarrian-pattern rail gun/pulse laser combination in a common turret.

Additional ammunition can be stored as cargo, but will take 45
minutes to reload from stores.

#### Cutting Heads

 Damage
 Damage2

If used to assault a large spacecraft, space station, or asteroid, the cutting tools on the central mining head and on the ends of the gantry arms can be used to cut through hull and armor.

## Variants

### C/ADB-02Sm-CG02

This Silvermoon variant deploys large folding solar ‘wings’ between its tentacle gantries to gather available solar energy and boost the efficiency of its onboard laser systems. While in direct sunlight, boost the range and damage of the laser weaponry by 20%. The enormous solar parasol can also be used as a weapon in its own right.

#### Solar Parasol Weapon

 Damage
 Rate of Fire

Penalties: -2 to strike targets 100 ft or larger, -6 to strike anything smaller.