Mother Ship
The Mother Ship, most notably the Supreme Leader Class, represents the summit of Sirian technology and scientific achievement.
Built in sections while orbiting Sirius IV or other conquered worlds, the Supreme Leader Class Mother Ship is 3.2 km or more in circumference, and 900 m tall at the center. It houses a crew of 6500, consisting of 3000 troopers, 1000 support personnel, 2000 technicians, and 500 officers, political personnel, and other VIPs. There are 170 decks on the ship, consisting of 15 docking and fighter bays, 55 command and living quarters, 75 service/storage units, and 25 engineering/drive units. The main structure is a stressed alloy of a sylenium-berillium-soldorite compound. The hull plating and outer skin are composed of a honeycombed sylenium-boronite plating with a self-sealing inner skin to inhibit pressure anomalies and hits by space debris.
Power for the ship comes from three fusion reactors located in the lower third of the hull. Propulsion is achieved with focused-beam gravity drives; the main emanator ring is below the lower hull, and secondary stabilizers are throughout the saucer. The ship is effectively unlimited in range, and can travel up to 200% the speed of light. The ship’s weaponry includes two batteries of 1,000,000 Joule, gas-dynamic lasers suitable for planetary bombardment. Fifty batteries of 120,000 Joule lasers also surround the ship for defense, in addition to the numerous Skyfighters and squad ships onboard. A magnetic jamming envelope and ECM blisters surround the Mother Ship, activated by computer control. In case of emergency, lifepods are located along the ship’s rim, as well as parachutes should there be an evacuation in an atmosphere.
The most deadly weapon in the ships’s arsenal is ironically the one which will destroy even itself. All three fusion reactors can be ordered to overload, resulting in a catastrophic nuclear explosion. In some cases, Mother Ships have been used as suicide weapons, maneuvering into the midst of an enemy fleet and self-destructing.
In the Terran Fleet, the storage space in the lower section of the ship has been converted into massive storage vessels, each capable of housing billions of gallons of processed water for transportation back to Sirius IV. In addition, much space is devoted to mass hibernation-stasis chambers, which keep the protected subject in a safe state of suspended animation. These chambers were originally used by two-thirds of the ship’s crew on their long journey to Earth.
Skyfighter
The Skyfighter is the backbone of the Sirian striking force, and is capable of both atmospheric and space travel.
The craft is 11 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and about 15,400 kg. The ship holds a crew complement of six, including a pilot, co-pilot, gunner, and three troopers. A small fusion reactor powers the ship and its gravity drive, effectively providing unlimited range. Cruising speed is Mach 3 within a class-M atmosphere, and 20-30% the speed of light in space. The main skin of the ship is composed of a honeycomb of a titanium hybrid alloy, coated with a micro-thin heat-dissipating armor plating. The armaments on a Skyfighter include four 120,000 Joule cobalt lasers, two mounted forward and two aft. Computer navigation and astrogation is provided by an onboard system with redundancy features for autopilot, weapons, and navigation in the event of damage or failure.
Squad Ship
The squad ship is a direct modification of the Skyfighter, with its midsection expanded from a single compartment to three cabin sections. These ships are used primarily for troop transport, and specialized variations also serve to transport prisoners, refrigerated items, wounded personnel.
The squad ship is 18 meters long and 10 feet wide. It carries a crew complement of twenty, including the pilot, co-pilot, and 18 troopers. Like the Skyfighter, it is powered by a small fusion reactor, but it has only two laser weapons pointed forward as opposed to the Skyfighter’s four lasers. Cruising speed is slower than the Skyfighter, 1.5 to 2 Mach within an atmosphere, but spacial velocity is the same. Composition and other specifications are identical to the Skyfighter.
Transport
Transports come in either 5-, 8-, or 10-cabin sections configurations, and are used primarily for shuttling large numbers of personnel or ground support supplies.
In an 8-cabin configuration, transports are 38 meters long, 10 meters wide, and capable of carrying a crew of 52. Transports are slower than Skyfighters and squad ships, traveling 0.9 Mach within an atmosphere and 10-20% the speed of light in space. Power source, propulsion, and composition are identical to that of the Skyfighter and squad ship. Transports normally do not carry any armaments, although they can be pressed into service as armored scout vehicles with the addition of a high-output weapons pod. Transports are also often fitted with more powerful propulsion units and luxurious appointments for the shuttling of Sirian VIPs, as evidenced in John’s historic first-contact with Earth.
Tanker
Tankers are used to shuttle materials which cannot be efficiently loaded onto transports or squad ships. Tankers are similar to transports in 8-cabin configurations, but tanks replace the inner six compartments.
Tankers are 38 meters long and 10 meters wide, and support a crew complement of only four: pilot, co-pilot, one technician, and a safety engineer. Tankers are similar in speed to transports: 0.9 Mach within an atmosphere and 10-20% speed of light in space. Power source, propulsion, and composition are similar to that of the other shuttlecraft. The navigation system is a simplified version, capable of automated control for pre-programmed journeys. Tankers also have reinforced landing gear and structural bracing, as well as pressurized storage cylinder tanks composed of a self-sealing, non-osmotic alloy. Tankers do not carry any armaments.
Particle Beam Triax
The Triax is a deadly weapon usually attached to a combat group of Mother Ships. These ships are primarily used to patrol convoy routes and other secure areas.
The Particle Beam Triax derives its name from the ship’s three particle beams, which are combined into a single, devastating pulse during the weapon’s ignition. The pulse can vaporize an entire small world, as evidenced by the destruction of one of Sol V’s many moons. The ship has a crew complement of 10, including pilot, co-pilot, two weapons officers, and six technicians. Power is generated by five hybrid fusion reactors, three of which alone are required to drive the beam. The speed of the Triax is 35-50% speed of light, and atmospheric flight is not possible.