Zhuangzong

ship size:
~48 meters long, ignoring radiator fins
basic shape & rhythm:
- The Zhuangzong has a large and bulbous rear, very similar to the one on the Shizu, but not exactly the same, despite housing an identical reactor
- Like the Shizu, the rear portion is wider than it is thick and longer than it is wide
- Sprouting amidships 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 emitters 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. These fins are identical to those on the Shizu.
- In front of the rear section are the cockpit and frontal weaponry, four weapon bulges and one cockpit
- The cockpit has more girth than a weapon bulge, but is shorter, the four weapons bulges cradling it from below
- The weaponry is entirely gravitic in nature
- Each of the four weapons bulges sprouts an identical weapon, facing dead forward, naked of armor or normal Rlaan-hull-covering epoxy, covered instead in coils and coolant tubes all the explicit machinery of the business of death
- The cockpit is, similar to the Shizu's cockpuit, mostly non-descript except for the thickness of the armor that surrounds it and the docking hatch
- The docking hatch faces up and forward, allowing a docking spine to come in between the radiator fins from above front.
textures & paneling:
As with the Shizu, 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. In contrast to the Shizu, however, much more of the weaponry on the Zhuangzong is naked of exterior coatings.
materials:
Armor is a layered sandwich of metals and ceramics and fibers and shock-absorbing polymers. However, 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. In this case, the weaponry is very prominently exposed for much of the front of the ship, showcasing various metallics, crystal structures and ceramics in addition to the usual polymers and resins.
colors & factions:
Military version in standard Rlaan military reds, burgundy, purple. Zhuangzongs used by Enforcers, Rlaan-Briin, or Rlaan bounty hunters will be marked as such with the appropriate color and insignia changes.
modular pieces:
The weaponry mounted on the Zhuangzong is also found in anti-fighter turret emplacements on larger Rlaan vessels. The reactor is the same as in the Shizu. The radiator fins are identical to those on the Shizu.
weapons and armor:
The Zhuangzong is solidly armored, but, as with most Rlaan ships, if the armor is breached, its internals are comparatively fragile. Likewise, its weaponry is quite exposed. The weapons mounted on the Zhuangzong are extremely potent at point blank range, but dissipate in effectiveness quadratically. Thus, while a single square hit from all four guns at point blank range can devastate an opponent's shields, if not crack their hull outright with a sledgehammer-like blow, the Zhuangzong must get close to do its best work - a difficult task as the strike craft of most other species can out-accelerate it. Even less effective blows, however, can rattle the aim and nerves of an opponent, making it easier for the (presumably many) other Zhuangzongs to score hits.
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:
Like other Rlaan strike craft, it is extremely maneuverable in rotating about its own center, and like all Rlaan ships, can thrust omni-directionally, but has a fairly mediocre acceleration curve.
power/ reactors:
Single, large reactor at rear.
functionality/ role:
Superiority fighter, deployed both offensively (with Taizongs and Jannissaries) and defensively (with Shizus). Even the modern production runs of Zhuangzong are based on a very old design, but they have been produced in stupifying numbers. While the basic craft is a sluggish and relatively broad target as strike craft go, weaponry is usually kept up to date on all front-line ships, so, should it ever manage to get close enough for long enough to fully engage an enemy strike craft, it remains an entirely lethal, if somewhat limited vessel.
utilities, arms grabbers, etc:
none
lighting, how well lit is the ship:
Generally dimly lit in red around sprinkler mounts and main hatch.
command center:
Cockpit only.
crew size:
1 Rlaan.
cargo space:
Individual survival supplies only
range capability:
Depending on fuel consumption, can operate independently for up to nearly two weeks.
sensors:
Much less prominent and numerous than in the Shizu but deployed in the same equatorial arc.
docking/ interactions:
Cockpit hatch preferred, internal possible.
common maneuvers/tactics:
Engages other strike craft, usually in squadron maneuvers, not individual dogfights. As it is often the most numerous of any single spacecraft type in an engagement, it attempts to use numbers to overcome its limited acceleration curve, deploying squadrons in patterns that invite an attacking enemey to become flanked on all sides in many-on-one engagements.
civilian or military:
Primarily military, completely non-civilian. Smaller numbers exist associated with the Rlaan Enforcers as opposed to the Rlaan military. Likewise, small numbers exist in the armed guard forces of
significant technologies description:
Rlaan drives, Rlaan radiator fins, gravitic weapons, Shield strength is low, but recharge rate is exceptional.
Redundancy:
Radiator, shield/drive and cooling apparatus redundantly over-engineered for graceful degradation, otherwise minimal.

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