The Black Aces

“Make fear your friend: the enemy will have you both to worry about.”

– Wing Commander McDevitt, Black Ace Leader.

No. 28 Squadron, aka the Black Aces, are the foremost strike fighter group of Task Force Second Sabre. They fly Albacores with an expertise only matched by their hunger for victory. As their nickname suggests, they are the bold risk takers of the Task Force – but usually have the skill and firepower to make chances taken pay dividends.

Second Sabre are the proactive military arm of the British Commonwealth; protecting the far flung colonies against alien aggression. The ‘Aces can strike and react quickly to threats. Their heavy rail guns were designed with anti-Wun’Tux stopping power in mind, though they have similar success against the Hirudin Blackfins which pervade the human Rimward Territories.

Base: The Chromedent Nebula
Commander: Wing Commander McDevitt
Strength: 12 Albacores, divided into wingpairs.

The Checkmates

Carrier Fighter Squadron 155, aka the ‘Checkmates’, are an American X-33 Squadron based out of Ursa Minor and frequent rival to the Knighthawks. Known for their monochrome colour scheme and chess-themed call signs, the Checkmates are profoundly different to the Knighthawks; preferring tactical nous over sheer force and ferocity.

True to their name to almost the point of cliché, the Checkmates practice highly complex flight manoveres until they’re second nature. A number of recruits have requested immediate transfer out due to the rigid discipline the squadron applies to practice and execution of such tactics.

Nevertheless the Checkmates are credited with the destruction or part destruction of over 100 Wun’Tux and Hirudin vessels in their short history – rivalling the incredulous Knighthawks.

Grumman-Knight

Grumann-Knight are the main manufacturer for the American armed forces, producing all manner of things from sidearms to starfighters. They have manufacturing bases around Venus and some on the border to the Rimward Territories; closer to the resources needed for the production of advanced ships and weaponry.

Their most well-known product is the X-33 Scimitar, a popular fighter with US Armed Forces.

X-33 Scimitar

X-33s in a 2×2 Lance.

The X-33 is a modern American carrier-grade fightercraft liked by it’s pilots and feared by it’s enemies. Tough and agile, the Grumman-Knight manufactured ship is a capable dogfighter, combat air patrol ship and skirmisher. It’s main flaw is the need for a carrier craft to carry it long distances. Nevertheless, It is used extensively by the USEF on their strike carriers and in defence of Highpoint. Veteran Scimitar pilots are usually the first picked for Tomcat strike fighter training.

It is comparable in performance and profile to the British Keepsake; the X-33 has better acceleration but the Keepsake has superior shields.

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The Knighthawks are the most well known of the X-33 squadrons; a veritable thorn in the side of the most aggressive Wun’Tux tribes.

Manufacturer: Grumman-Knight
Role: Space Superiority
Length: 9m
Crew: 1
Weaponry: 4 x Pulse Cannons (forward facing)
Shields/Armour: Medium/Medium
FTL: Incapable

The Black Belle

The Black Belle is one of the more famous mercenary ships of the Rimward Territories. She was originally laid down at a tug and pilot ship to assist large transports into star dock but has undergone extensive modifications. She is now a de facto strike fighter, a reasonably agile ship able to traverse FTL travel independently.

This de facto status places the ‘Belle and her crew in high demand. With a maximum occupany of five, the female crew of the ‘Belle live in close quarters whenever on a contract. Although they face jibes and derision for their gender and the colour scheme of their vessel, many a overconfident man has seen the error of his ways via a boot to the groin. The men who pick fights with the ‘Belle in space don’t get off so easy; her combination of particle cannons for short-range destruction and STS missiles for long range engagements have been the end of many an overconfident rival.

It is rumoured the crew of the ‘Belle has harboured Ex-Agency Assests in the past – namely the blind, telekenetic known as Blindside. There is a bounty for any information on her whereabouts, though most hunters who might collect it are wise enough not to target the Black Belle on their own.

Manufacturer: Unknown; heavily modified
Role: Gunship, space superiority
Length: 20m
Crew: 5
Weaponry:
– 4 x Particle Cannons
– 2 x STS missile launchers
Shields/Armour: Medium/Medium

Blackfin

The Blackfin is the first ‘crew-lite’ ship put into service by the Hirudin. Named after a ferocious carnivore of the Hirudin homeworld which was for hundreds of years the apex predator; until the Hirudin gained their powers of manipulation and brought it under their control. The Blackfin is designed to be swift and deadly; able to operate independently and mostly undetected until it decides to reveal itself.

This stealth is achieved via technology and tactics; clever ECM and sensor-ghost shadows forming the cornerstone of ship systems. The subset of Trinax enslaved by the Hirudin are viewed as cowardly thralls by their masters; it’s true that they have little stomach for battle and will flee at the first hint of defeat. The Blackfin is unique in that it features a collective of Hirudin – usually 4 or 5 individuals – as it’s captain. They control ship systems centrally via an advanced neuro-techno interface; any manual labour is performed by on-board drones.These robots require no life support, meaning the ship can prioritise other systems.

Blackfins are the smaller end of capital-scale, technically, but operate more like their namesakes than naval assets. Sometimes they stalk prey alone from the safety of their sensor-shadows. Sometimes they work in packs to track and trap convoys of precious cargo. The mere threat of Blackfin attack is enough to make a seasoned merchant panic; the ship’s name is spoken with hushed tones. Hirudin – like the Wun’Tux – have no formal peace treaties with any species. They are known to probe and test at the border shared with the European Union colony worlds. The Blackfins avoid formal combat and instead sneak around, engaging isolated ships when conditions favour them.

The auxiliary pre-War warships of the Union lack sufficiently clever and advanced sensors and fire control to hit the Blackfin very easily and several of the Cassard class have been crippled in such an engagement. The newer Union ships have turned the tide against these insidious invaders, using advanced fire control and detection to track and outfox the Hirudin. The ship’s flaws are not difficult to discern; her weaponry is potent, but short range and unsuitable for prolonged engagements. Aside from it’s ECM and stealth abilities, it has little protection from fightercraft. What armour it has is angled to deflect enemy sensors and integrity suffers accordingly. Additionally, due to their insistence on ‘seeing’ space, the Hirudin ship masters’ bridge is visible on the surface of the vessel. It is made of a transparent metal alloy but remains vulnerable. “Smash the fish bowl, win a prize,” is a Union Navy jape frequently used.

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Drone Monkey

‘Drone Monkey’ is the (mostly) affectionate name given to the unique individuals able to communicate and coordinate with multiple drone equipment wirelessly from a specialised control ship. These individuals will have undergone cybernetic implantation surgery, including the advanced Cocklear equipment they feature.

Although no studies into the precise reasoning has been done, the ability to control said drones seems to be stronger in people with atypical, eccentric personalities and almost always absent in anyone with military training or organisation. This has led to military forces having to subcontract these often strange individuals and the ships they travel on.

Above: A typical Drone Monkey, featuring data gauntlet and Cochlear implant

Sasori-class Missile Destroyer

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Fresh out of the Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries shipyards at Titan, the Sasori is a specialist ship in a small package. Almost exclusively found in the Japanese section of the Asian Coalition in both the Core and the Outer Rim, a few vessels have defected and work independently. The Sasori-class is a very modern warship produced in the aftermath of the Pan-Eurasian War.

The Sasori is equipped with long and mid-range warhead capacity along with flak defence. With only light armour and medium shields, the Sasori has to stay mobile and out of direct fire. Many an unimaginative captain has been sucked into a traditional slugfest and destroyed because of it.

The better commanders use the Sasori as a hunter-killer, stalking individual targets from range and hitting them with salvo after salvo of cruise missiles until they’re destroyed.

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Modern warships are equipped with some form of point defence themselves. Several Sasori-class ships have found real success out on the Rim where older fighting ships and transports lack such capability.

Manufacturer: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
Role: Long-range attack, capital ship hunter
Length: 86m
Crew: 60
Weaponry:
– 4 x Flak Turrets [top-mounted].
– 2 x Long Range Cruise Missile Launchers [dual-tubed]
– 1 x Mid-Range Missile Launcher [dual-tubed]
Armour/Shields: Light/Medium.

MD-7 Drone

Above: A MD-7 repairing a Union strike fighter in the field

The MD-7 (affectionately referred to as the ‘Mendy’) was one of the first drones produced by Syn-Tec. It features precise manoeuvring jets and a multi-functional appendage suited for remote repair and maintenance of space-borne assets.

The drone has a single arm referred to as a Smart-Limb. It is capable of heavy lifting, fine motor skills and can ‘plug in’ to access systems not capable of wireless communication. This adaptability makes the Mendy – or, in fact, several operating at once – a useful asset in several arenas. It is able to repair satellites in orbit, stranded spaceships and collect cargo. It’s true that humans in space suits and EVA packs are capable of doing some of these tasks, but the MD-7 can do so in conditions that might otherwise kill a human being , e.g. high levels of radiation. Whereas a human operator would be using equipment via bulky gloves or a control panel, the drone can perform tasks with surgical precision.

The military favour the MD-7 as it can repair a variety of damage to ships ranging from fightercraft all the way up to battleship; without the need for a dry dock. It can remove and replace armour plate, rearm ships exhausted of warheads and even pick up ejected pilots and return them to a rescue ship. The USEF are known to keep a Drone Monkey on retainer for just this purpose; to support the Task Force on extended forays into Wun’Tux territory.

Deutz-AG

One of the successful European Union companies, Deutz-AG produces equipment and parts for starship systems. They specialise in engines and propulsion, though their most successful product of recent times has been the Scanner/Jammer Drone.