Nightward
09/21/03 07:35 PM
132.234.193.118
|
Type: Sovetskii Soyuz-Class WarShip, the Dire Wolf
Technology Base: Clan, 3050
Mass: 830,000 Tons
Chassis: WolfStar Reinforced Structure
Power Plant: StarFire-12s
Cruising Speed: 1.5 Gravities
Maximum Speed: 2.5 Gravities
Armour: Armoured Heart Lamellor Ferro-Carbide
Armament:
12 Thor’s Vengeance Naval Autocannon-30s
6 Thundersrike Light Naval PPCs
8 Stormreaver Heavy Naval PPCs
2 Kraken-T Missile Launchers
36 Wrath of Ares Large Pulse Lasers
24 Scattershot-X LB-10X Autocannon
46 Point-Defense Chainguns
Communications System: Wolf CommandCon XLR
Targeting and Tracking System: Wolf Hunter-X
OVERVIEW
The massive Dire Wolf, formerly the SLS Karkhov, is known and feared across the known galaxy as the flagship of Clan Wolf. What is less well-known, however, is how heavily the WarShip has been modified by the Wolves.
CAPABILITIES
The Dire Wolf has been upgraded twice in its 332 years of service with the military. Most obviously, the vessel has been modified to accommodate an additional DropShip. This required heavy reinforcement of the vessel’s internal structure; the Dire Wolf’s superstructure is almost 20% heavier than that of the standard vessel. This additional bracing also allowed for the conversion of large amounts of cargo space to additional crew quarters; the Dire Wolf has facilities for up to 149 ‘guests’ on board. As the vessel served as the Clan’s command Flagship, and Wolf Clan Khans served as the Clan’s first ilKhans, the Dire Wolf was also equipped with a Hyper Pulse Generator, facilitating communications with Wolf colony worlds or allowing travelling ilKhans to mediate disputes.
The vessel also possesses an upgraded armament; larger, more powerful Naval AutoCannon-30s have replaced the old Class twenties, providing a 50% increase in firepower over the old weapons. The old Class 45 Naval Lasers were replaced with Light Naval PPCs, granting a 33% increase in firepower at the cost of some range. This range loss is countered by the fact that the old Medium Naval PPCs have been upgraded to Heavy PPCs, providing 67% more firepower. However, recent alterations to the Dire Wolf necessitated in the removal of the old Missile Launchers; it now instead possesses a pair of Teleoperated Kraken missiles.
In 3050, after Tyra Miraborg rammed the Dire Wolf, the vessel was heavily damaged. Its nose armour was badly warped, and the entire bridge section had to be replaced. The then-Khan, Ulric Kerensky decided to perform a more complete upgrade of his Flag vessel; the ship’s vulnerability to AeroSpace assaults was still a fresh memory, and he ordered several alterations to the Dire Wolf. First and foremost, the ship’s AeroSpace contingent was expanded to a full Cluster in strength. The fact that the ship now carried over seven times its old complement of fighters required the removal of several old systems; Khan Ulric had his technicians reverse-engineer Kraken launchers from specs given to him by Focht; the vessel now uses a pair of them in place of its old missiles. The old launch tubes were altered to serve as AeroSpace launch platforms; the fighters are stored where the missile magazines used to be situated.
Second, Ulric ordered that the vessel be equipped with some anti-fighter and anti-missile systems. Each arc of the vessel is now home to 6 Large Pulse Lasers and 4 LB-10X AutoCannon, placed in twin-gun turrets and scattered across the hull for overlapping fields of fire. There are also a variable number of Anti-Missile ‘deck guns’ scattered across the vessel’s hull, totaling 46 in all.
In order to make these alterations, technicians had to increase the vessel’s mass by 7,000 tons. Although this is minimal in Naval terms, the feat was only able to be accomplished because the Dire Wolf’s infrastructure had already been heavily reinforced in order to accommodate the extra DropShip Docking Collar. Since most of the vessel’s armour had to be re-cast to fit the new turret assemblies anyway, the technicians also replaced the Dire Wolf’s ageing and battered Ferro-Aluminium armour with Lamellor Ferro-Carbide plating, providing almost four times the armour protection of a standard Sovetskii Soyuz. These alterations also cut heavily into the mass the vessel uses for cargo-the Dire Wolf devotes only 70,000 tons to Cargo-barely a third of the mass a standard Sovetskii Soyuz carries. This is barely adequate for extended operations, but the Dire Wolf is rarely found away from Alpha Galaxy and its logistical chain, so this does not cause any problems.
Technicians also approached Khan Kerensky with a proposal to upgrade the vessel’s engines. In the days of the Star League, the engines fitted to the Sovetskii Soyuz were the best available. However, three centuries later and thanks to Clan engineering, a more powerful engine system that occupied the same volume, though having greater mass, was capable of being built. Since rumours of InnerSphere programs directed at the development of WarShips were beginning to circulate, Ulric authorised the massive overhaul of the ship’s engines. With the massive StarFire-12 engines fitted, the Dire Wolf is nearly twice as fast as a standard Sovetskii Soyuz and is as swift as most WarShips. Because of the larger amounts of fuel this engines needed to move the Dire Wolf, its integral fuel bunkerage was increased six-fold. This supply allows for a year in space without refueling.
In the unlikely event that such an action is necessary, the vessel has enough escape craft to be fully evacuated in under one minute.
Together, the enhanced capabilities offered by the Dire Wolf make it a deadly threat even to heavier WarShips.
DEPLOYMENT
The Dire Wolf always serves as the Wolf Clan Khan’s personal command vessel, and as such remains assigned to Alpha Galaxy’s Golden Keshik.
MY BLURB
In the Wolf Clan Sourcebook (on page 74), the Dire Wolf was described as having been modified to carry 6 DropShips. Since the Sovetskii Soyuz is a pretty weak WarShip and the Wolves were such a mighty Clan, I think they probably would have altered it even further to fit as the flag vessel of such a powerful Clan. I took it up to 830,000 Tons (the same mass as a Liberator, incidentally) just because I like even numbers. After that, I just gave it better weapons and anti-fighter capabilities (hey, the Wolves weren’t stupid. Once was enough, quineg?) to better suit its command role. Since the Warriors of Kerensky series describes the Dire Wolf as having additional crew quarters, I added some more. Although this is by no means a super WarShip, it is one that fits in with the fluff.
MASS BREAKDOWNS
K-F Drive: 375,575
Jump Sail: 72
Lithium-Fusion Batteries: 8,300
Engines: 149,400
Fuel: 12,581
Pumps: 257
Structural Integrity: 83,000
Lamellor Ferro-Carbide Armour: 1,660
Control Equipment: 2,075
Armament: 86,749
--: 12 N-A/C-30s with 100 Rounds Each: 42,960
--: 6 Light N-PPCS: 8,400
--: 8 Heavy N-PPCs: 24,000
--: 2 Kraken-Ts with 50 Missiles Each; 10,440
--: 36 Large Pulse Lasers: 216
--: 24 LB-10X A/Cs with 100 Shots Each: 480
--: 46 Anti-Missile Systems with 120 Shots Each: 253
Additional Heat Sinks: 1,500
6 DropShip Docking Collars: 6,000
150 AeroSpace Fighters: 22,500
10 Small Craft: 2,000
5 Elemental Points: 25
2 Grav Decks: 100
HPG: 50
1 Khan’s Quarters: 20
1 Galaxy Commander’s Quarters: 15
7 Star Colonel’s Quarters: 70
315 Warrior’s Quarters (Includes AeroSpace Fighter Pilots, Small Craft Pilots, and Elementals, plus Guests): 2,205
52 Officer’s Quarters: 520
208 Crew Quarters: 1,456
155 Life Boats: 1,085
155 Escape Pods: 1,085
Cargo: 70,000
GAME STATISTICS
Safe Thrust: 3
Maximum Thrust: 5
Fuel: 12,581 Tons
Points: 31,453
@39.52 Tons/Burn Day: 318 Burn-Days
Total Heat Sinks: 2,092 (4,184). Maximum Heat is 4,184. How convenient.
Notes: Armour is Lamellor Ferro-Carbide. Equipped with L-F batteries and a HPG.
ARMOUR DISTRIBUTION
Structural Integrity: 100
K-F Drive Integrity: 17
Sail Integrity: 7
Nose: 400
Fore-Sides: 350
Aft-Sides: 275
Aft: 263
BVs
Defensive: 57,597
Offensive: 155,181
Multiplier: 1.212778
Final: 175,497 (almost double that of the standard Sovetskii Soyuz)
LOCATIONS
Bay 1: Cargo. 70,000 Tons; 4 Doors.
Bay 2: AeroSpace Fighters. 150. 10 Doors.
Bay 3: Small Craft. 10. 2 Doors.
Nose Arc
--: 2 Kraken-T Launchers, each with 50 Krakens.
--: 6 Large Pulse Lasers. 3 bays of 2.
--: 4 LB-10X A/Cs with 100 Rounds Each. 2 bays of 2.
--: 8 AMSs with 120 Rounds Each.
Fore-Side Arcs-Per Side
--: 3 Light N-PPCs. 1 Bay of 3.
--: 6 Large Pulse Lasers. 3 bays of 2.
--: 4 LB-10X A/Cs with 100 Rounds Each. 2 bays of 2.
--: 7 AMS with 120 Rounds Each.
Broadside Arcs- Per Side
--: 6 N-A/C-30s with 100 Rounds Each. 3 Bays of 2.
--: 1 Heavy Naval PPC.
Aft-Side Arcs- Per Side
--: 2 Heavy Naval PPCs. 1 Bay of 2.
--: 6 Large Pulse Lasers. 3 bays of 2.
--: 4 LB-10X A/Cs with 100 Rounds Each. 2 bays of 2.
--: 8 AMSs with 120 Rounds Each.
Aft Arc
--: 2 Heavy Naval PPCs. 1 Bay of 2.
--: 6 Large Pulse Lasers. 3 bays of 2.
--: 4 LB-10X A/Cs with 100 Rounds Each. 2 bays of 2.
--: 8 AMSs with 120 Rounds Each.
Yea, verily. Let it be known far and wide that Nightward loathes MW: DA. Indeed, it is with the BURNING ANIMUS OF A THOUSAND SUNS that he doth rage against it with.
|