Nicander

The Nicander, as an interceptor, is among the most naked of Aeran vessels, forced to trade somewhat on aesthetics for functionality. The demands of its interceptor role lay bare the raw components the Aera use to construct their spacecraft.

• ship size:
• ~25 meters long, ~30 meters wide, ~6 meters thick
• basic shape & rhythm:
  • Bilateral symmetry, flying wing. Heavy front-back definition
  • Two vertically thick "wings", teardrop in cross-section make up most of the body, thick side facing front, tapering slightly as they go out from the center
  • The center side of the wing terminates in an almost half-pipe crescent of armor, much thicker (vertically) than the wing itself
  • The two crescents (one from each side, opening inward, do not come close to touching each other. In the space between them are, from front to back, sensors and weapon mouths
  • cockpit and weapons, life-support/linkages to wings and ammo feeds, ammunition storage, radiator tail - a plus-shaped cross of coolant pumps and then radiator panels that extends out some distance behind the armor protected area
  • Four weapons, all short artillery pieces surround the cockpit area, facing dead forward
  • Each wing has a large radiator panel on both top and bottom that juts out at a 30 degree angle relative to horizontal starting from about half the width of the wing and going up and in towards the center, stopping a bit short of the armored crescent
  • Missile hardpoints are between the radiator and the wing
  • The radiator extends back past the rear edge of the wing, and there are naked support struts connecting the rear of the armored crescent, the center radiator tail, and the four side radiators
  • Each wing is tipped with a reactor. At the front and rear of each reactor are four clustered engine exit arrays, slightly angled relative to each other
  • On the side and top of the reactors are short additional radiator panels in a 4-sides of a hexagon arrangement, rising toadstool-like from the reactor surface, top and bottom parallel with the horizontal.
• textures & paneling:
• While displaying, where visible, the tell-tale smooth synthetics and ceramic tiling of other Aeran vessels, much of the surface, except for the armored crescents protecting the crew area and the surface of the "wings" is nakedly visible in its purpose. Additional mass for beauty's sake would hamper the design parameters.
• materials:
• The radiators mounts, coolant plumbing, and support struts are clearly mostly metallic. The armored crescents make heavy use of ceramics. The hull covering the "wings" is clearly some synthetic composite. The cockpit and sensor areas are covered with lenses. The sensor area features significant amounts of naked metallics. The weapons appear to be a mix of metals and ceramics. The interconnect between the various components appears to be mostly synthetic composites.
• colors & factions:
• Where visible, primarily on the wings between the engines and radiator, the standard Aeran color scheme of mustard, and beige is present and insignia are seen. Variations in color and insignia are used for Nicanders in service as convoy escorts rather than with front-line military squadrons.
• modular pieces:
• Almost unique among Aeran vessels, it is easy to see some of the distinct components. The weapons themselves are clearly not unique to this design, and could be swapped out for other similar weapons. The missile mount points are generic. The reactors, here almost nude, are of the same manufacture as others used in small Aeran craft, although the engine attachments are custom. Shield emitters, seen between the wing-radiator and the engines, are modular, the same as in other Aeran strike craft.
• weapons and armor:
• Only the pilot and weapons are particularly well protected, and much of the protection is from the ship's own engines. Armor on this craft is otherwise quite minimal - its job is to get to the target as fast as possible and interdict it. Sustained combat survivability is not what this craft was designed for.
• Frontal weaponry is ammunition based and fairly compact. These shell-throwers don't have to achieve the velocity of kinetic impact rounds, instead relying on the destructive power of the individually much more expensive penetration warheads they launch. Once ammunition is exhausted, the Nicander must return and re-arm or flee.
• Missiles are designed for engaging assault craft, not enemy fighters or interceptors, and are thus usually not as maneuverable, trading warhead yield against chase potential.
• propulsion:
• The bi-lateral arrangement of the engines gives the Nicander equal stopping and starting power, but asymmetric turning characteristics, yawing much faster than pitching. Petite, fine-maneuvering ion engines (for docking without harming the other ship and such) are built into the lips of the armored crescents.
• mobility:
• Very fast linear acceleration. Will often coast and spin during strafing run to keep forward-facing guns pointed toward enemy while decelerating during overshoot.
• power/ reactors:
• Twin reactors, one on each wing. Either one supplies plenty of power for the energy-using systems, but both are needed for effective flight. If one is destroyed or too damaged, the Nicander is best served to limp home.
• functionality/ role:
• Interceptor. The
• utilities, arms grabbers, etc:
• Docking tube hatch at top of life-support section.
• lighting, how well lit is the ship:
• Cyan lighting strips are present on the front and rear facing surfaces of the the "wings"
• command center:
• Cockpit only. The pilot cannot easily leave or enter the cockpit during flight.
• crew size:
• One. This is a solo-flown ship.
• cargo space:
• Personal support only.
• range capability:
• Depending on fuel consumption, the Nicander can operate for a few days at a time between resupply for patrol or convoy operations. In combat, however, it will rapidly deplete its limited ammunition supplies, sometimes within minutes of engaging the enemy. Military Nicanders are jump-capable, whereas convoy-escorts tend to employ parasite attachment for jump. Nicanders cannot cross interstellar distances unsupported except via jump.
• sensors:
• While it has sensors on other parts of its body, the sensor density is highest at the front of the ship - the Nicander is usually less intent on finding the enemy than in making sure that the enemy is exactly where the Nicander has been told they are. The cockpit is studded with lenses, evoking at once a giant multi-eyed spider and studded leather armor. These lenses are also present, in lower density, on other parts of the ship, many within or on built into the armored crescents around the crew area.
• docking/ interactions:
• Requires either internal docking or a docking tube extended into the life-support region just behind the cockpit.
• common maneuvers/tactics:
• Charges enemy. Releases missiles at primary targets while setting up strafing runs on secondary targets. Will overshoot after strafing targets, minimizing defender engagement windows, and then either pursue remaining targets of opportunity on the way back to re-arm, or match and engage from rear, depending on nature and degree of threat posed by enemy vessels.
• civilian or military:
• Military design. Used as escort by Aeran merchant marine, which is as close as Aera get to civilians in terms of operating space-craft.
• significant technologies description:
• As an effort in miniaturization, the relative proportions of this craft are very different from that of a capital ship, or even a corvette.
• Redundancy:
• Computer compensation in thrust variation will allow the Nicander to continue to operate with as much as one entire wing destroyed or inoperable, but at greatly reduced efficacy. Otherwise, the minimalist nature of the interceptor role has stripped most redundant components from the vessel.