Utterly Mad

Intent: General fleet duty, act as an escort, patrol ship, and squadron flagship

Name/Class: Reaper Class Frigate
Affiliation: Rastal Guard - Fleet Arm
Estimated Number In Service: <1000

Crew Compliment: Min - 150, Optimal - 350, Max - 425

Other Passengers: 75 troops max.

Length: 225 meters
Width: 50 meters

FTL Capable: Yes
FTL Drive: Trans-Newtonian Element Based
Drive Type: Fusion-Ion
Speed: Very Fast, Highly Manueverable
Range: 30 Light years

Armament:

1x 15m railgun, spinal mount
2x SW-4 Mk.6 torpedo tubes, forward mount
2x 6m railguns, forward mount
3x 3m mass drivers, forward mount
2x 4m mass drivers, ventral turret

Defenses:

30x 10cm mass driver turrets
15x Anti-fighter missile launchers
Material disruption system

Armour (Front/Side/Rear): 20m/6m/6m
Shields: None
Special Equipment: Long distance scanners

Cost: 100 billion GSC

Description:

The Reaper is a relatively new class in Rastal services, designed as a fast, well armed multi-purpose ship capable of long-term missions and filling a variety of roles formerly held by a series of more specialized ships. A massive, spinally mounted rail gun allows it to hit far above it's weight, easily penetrating most capital ship armour, while relatively thick frontal and side armour gives it reasonable protection against other ships in it's class range. Powerful engines allow it to outrun most things it can't fight by itself.

As with most Rastal ships, crew accommodations, even for officers, are relatively sparse, the vessel designed to be a functional warship rather than a comfortable living place. Most quarters feature two bunks, though actual crew numbers usually exceed "maximum" specs, and hot-bunking systems are common. The mess hall and recreational facilities are functional, if unremarkable. As with most Rastal spacecraft, the design leans towards manpower rather than system automation.

As mentioned, the ship is designed around a massive weapons system, and much of it's internal space is dedicated to munitions storage. Explosion risks are minimal given the nature of the ammunition, though power loss or capacitor damage can have catastrophic results. Firing solutions for the forward facing armaments are provided by adjusting the ship's position, with the smaller weapons having a very limited amount of traverse. Beyond this, it is armed with 2 torpedo tubes capable of launching a variety of ordnance, though these are of the relatively inefficient Mark 6 conventional variety, and many Captains eschew the allotted compliment of torpedoes in favour of other supplies.

Power is supplied to all systems via four high efficiency cold fusion plants. In addition, the ship is equipped with a battery compartment capable of powering essential systems in the event of power loss.

A compliment of soldiers provides onboard security. This is augmented by a small armoury which is capable of arming a significant portion of the crew in the event of a boarding action. A series of powerful mass drivers, as well as anti-fighter missiles give the Reaper an acceptable defense against shuttles and fighter attacks. In addition to this, the Reaper features an automated material distruption system - should unauthorized craft approach within 500m of the ship, it will eject a 360 degree spray of super dense matter around the ship. While the matter is harmless against large, well protected vessels, it can be devastating to poorly protected craft flying through it at high speeds.

All in all, the Reaper represents one of the best all-around frigates currently in service in the galaxy. While it has few significant strengths, it is well balanced and has few weaknesses as well.

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