Shizu

    • ship size:
    • ~40 meters long, ignoring radiator fins
    • basic shape & rhythm:
      • A large and bulbous rear, like a Giger-esque mating of a handful of mismatched wasp abdomens dominates the bulk of this ship's enclosed volume
      • It is wider than it is thick and longer than it is wide
      • It accounts for roughly two thirds of the length of the main body of the craft, and houses the reactor, safely separated from all other systems
      • Sprouting amidship from above and below its curvaceous bulges are eight radiator fins, four above and four below, symmetrical in destination and orientation, if not in origin, due to asymmetries in the rear body
      • Each radiator fin emerges like a flattened tree, supported by an almost fractal network of spines
      • They are large, but not ostentatious, adorned only with shield/drive emmitters and high efficiency radiative surfaces
      • Portions extend past both front and rear of the ship as they arc up (or down) and away from the ship at NE/NW/SE/SW orientations as well as past the sides
      • Much of front bottom and front top of the ship is "shadowed" by the overhanging radiator fins.
      • In front of the rear section are the cockpit and frontal weaponry, the smaller cockpit on the left, and the larger cluster of weapons mounts on the right
      • The weaponry is entirely gravitic in nature, and composed of a cluster of several rather small weapons clustered tightly together like a Rube Goldberg pipe-organ rolled into a bundle
      • The business ends are clearly of different material, substance and build than the hull around them
      • Some minor mechanical freedom of motion is possible among the weapons in the cluster, slightly varying the spread of exit angles, although it is all still fundamentally forward facing
      • The cockpit is mostly non-descript except for the thickness of the armor that surrounds it, which becomes apparent around the docking hatch
      • The docking hatch induces a bald patch in what is an otherwise uninterrupted forest of spines, lenses, and dishes that burst forth from the equator around the entire craft with a jarring change in material like piercings coming out of a nose or lip
      • These are both the sensors for the craft and its electronic weapons suite, arguable more capable than the modified point defense weapons mounted at front.
    • textures & paneling:
    • Much of the hull is coated in a thick resinous substance that hides the underlying materials, but it has patterns embossed into it like scars on skin, and is generally uneven and heavily textured, as if much of it has been sprayed on. Where the underlying materials are apparent, the individual panels can be seen to be extremely small, giving an appearance at a distance of a textured, but otherwise continuous smooth curving surface, but closer up is revealed as a fine mesh of tiny components.
    • materials:
    • While the armor itself, and there is much of it, even on so small a craft, is a layered Dagwood sandwich of metals and ceramics and fibers and shock-absorbing polymers, looking at an undamaged Rlaan ship is mostly an exercise in looking at the hardened space-epoxy that the whole thing has been sealed with, except where bits that must interact with the outside world spring forth.
    • colors & factions:
    • Standard Rlaan military reds, burgundy, purple. Some Shizu in use by Rlaan sub-factions, with appropriate insignia change.
    • modular pieces:
    • The weapons are slightly modified versions of other point defense weapons. The reactor is the same as in the slightly larger Zhuangzong.
    • weapons and armor:
    • For a ship of this size, the armor is quite thick, and covers almost all of the hull, especially the cockpit. The weaponry, converted point-defense is of limited effectiveness in dogfighting, except to harry, and is better used for its intended purpose of extending the point defense range of associated larger vessels. In concert with this role, and its exploratory role, the electronic warfare and sensor functionality is more key than the directly damaging weaponry.
    • propulsion:
    • As with all Rlaan ships, propulsion is achieved via modified shield emitters, the majority of which are integrated into the radiator fins, although hull-mounts also exist.
    • mobility:
    • The Shizu is extremely maneuverable in rotating about its own center, and like all Rlaan ships, can thrust omnidirectionally, but has a fairly mediocre acceleration curve.
    • power/ reactors:
    • Single, large reactor at rear.
    • functionality/ role:
    • Scouting, exploration, electronic warfare, point-defense extension. Equally likely to be found operating independently or as part of a much larger force, the Shizu is essentially an armed reconnaissance vehicle.
    • utilities, arms grabbers, etc:
    • Light emitters can be tuned to be used as spotlights
    • lighting, how well lit is the ship:
    • Generally dimly lit in red around sprinkler mounts and main hatch. Situationally can produce brief flashes of intense light or variable intensity directional spotlights as part of EW package.
    • command center:
    • Cockpit only.
    • crew size:
    • 1 Rlaan.
    • cargo space:
    • Longer-term supplies than in some other strike craft.
    • range capability:
    • Depending on fuel consumption, can operate independently for up to nearly three weeks.
    • sensors:
    • Exceptionally good, and exceptionally prominant
    • docking/ interactions:
    • Cockpit hatch preferred, internal possible.
    • common maneuvers/tactics:
    • Searches for threats, and interposes between assualt craft and more valuable targets.
    • civilian or military:
    • Armed versions are strictly military. A small number of variants, in civilian paint, with weapons removed, and EW package replaced with additional sensors, are in use alongside science and exploration missions.
    • significant technologies description:
    • Rlaan drives, Rlaan radiator fins, gravitic weapons, Electronic warfare packages. Shield strength is fairly limited for a ship of its size, even of Rlaan manufacture, but like all Rlaan shields (which tend to be weaker, as part of the drive interaction), recharges exceptionally quickly.
    • Redundancy:
    • Radiator, shield/drive and cooling apparatus redundantly over-engineered for graceful degradation, otherwise minimal.