The Rebel Faction

Dominion R&D: Mer’a Z’Syshal

Mer’a Z’Syshal Phantom Assault Cruiser, 335 meters

Armament: 60 Acrid Deliverance Modules, 30 Energy Disruption Modules
Carrier Capacity: None
Compliment: Uncertain, less then 30 Mer'a'Kora

The Mer'a'Kora are more legend then Dominion member. Offically, the Mer'a'Kora are the third members of the Dominion, after the Skey'g'aar and the Cree'Ar founded the union and set out on their quest. The Mer'a Z'Syshal is, much like it's creators, a phantom. During battles with the Yuuzhan Vong, the Mer'a'Kora appear as if from thin air, exploding in a burst of light, and moving faster then any Cree'Ar vessel. It's weaponry is powerful and yet elegant, and the vessel seems to absorb the energy of it's opponent's weapons with no ill effects. It is rumored that the Mer'a Z'Syshal is an advanced variant of the Ja'Mha Rerodon Cruiser, currently in testing. Others speculate that it is from the future. The fact is not quite as glamerous. The truth is that the Mer'a Z'Syshal was the inspiration for the Ja'Mha Rerodon Cruiser. In service when the Cree'Ar had not yet designed a cruiser design, the Mer'a Z'Syshal blew them away with it's advanced technology. The engines, the weapons, and the shield designs were all above what the Cree'Ar had at the time, and some of it is still more advanced then even their best efforts. The Mer'a Z'Syshal appears to be a jagged, mishapen, and slightly larger Ja'Mha Cruiser. The shape is similar, although the small command rectangle has been replaced with an enlongated command spike, likely containing the crew and the shield generators. One of the wings is bent and jagged while the other remains a gentle curve. The design of the ship is not asthetic, which only fuels speculation that it is an unfinished prototype. Not helping that is the advanced engine system on the Mer'a Z'Syshal. The ship appears to travel by rematerialization. The ship is engulfed in small but intense flashes of light until it is gone. The best guess of Cree'Ar scientists is that the flashes are pieces of the ship being torn apart and then accellerated, atom by atom, at uncalculable speed. The system is... unique, as the vessel does not need an Arbiter, making it the only ship in the Dominion able to travel between star systems without one. It is in reality an inneficent system; if the Mer'a Z'Syshal wants to enter a system, it must have vessels there to confirm that it's point of arrival is devoid of matter. If an atom jumps into space occupied by an atom of any matter, even space dust, the vessel will become unbalanced and be destroyed in a temporal implosion. This extreme hazard makes space exploration impossible for the Mer'a'Kora, only serving to heighten their introverted nature and allow them even more time to enhance their technological knowledge. Unlike Cree'Ar vessels, the Mer'a Z'Syshal is fairly weak hulled. Thus, it compensates with a technology referred to as flash adaptive shielding. When the tail atoms of an energy blast meet the hull, the Mer'a Z'Syshal activates a localized pulse of energy on the exact same wavelength. This pulse absorbs the energy of the weapon, although about 40% of the blast hits after the pulse has passed. The pulse then spreads throughout the ship, and the entire vessel is programmed to expect the incoming energy. The shield is not perfect; it is only effective against energy weapons and thus all projectiles do full damage, completly unaffected. The shield as well isn't compatible with the vessels engines, so when the ship jumps out of system, there is a small period where it is 100% percent vulrnerable and could be destroyed with a lucky shot. The weapons on the Mer'a Z'Syshal are a double-edged sword. It's lethal weaponry, the Acrid Deliverance Module, is not close to the effectiveness of the acidic, critical mass plasma delivered by Cree'Ar weaponry, and when fired it is not as densely packed, and thus has a tendency to disperse against a hull. The only upside is that unlike Cree'Ar plasma which is negligably effected by shielding, the acid delivered by Mer'a'Kora weapons gives off almost no energy, and thus is completely unnaffected by shields. It is really, however, not effective against capital cruisers, unlike the weaponry on the Ja'Mha, which can destroy even large capital vessels with repreated barrage. The Energy Disruption Modules, however, still baffle the Cree'Ar. Operating on the same principle of using modulated pulses of energy, the Mer'a'Kora does not need to spend the time that the Cree'Ar do on weapon's cooldown. This makes the weapon 3 times as effective, as the Cree'Ar weapon chains off 2 shots before stopping while the Mer'a Z'Syshal can fire off 5, and in the time that the Cree'Ar manage 6 shots, the Mer'a Z'Syshal can fire 20. This, when focused, can chew through a vessels electrical systems and can disable vessels of comparable size in mere minutes. The ship is however not without it's downsides. The vessels speed can act as a hinderance, as it has been known to, during tight turns, slam into opposing or allied vessels by mistake. The guuidance and sensor suites on board seem to have trouble operating at high speed while energy is funnelled to weapons and shields. As well, the vessel never communicates anything. The introverted nature of the species prevents them from reaching out and coordinating. The Cree'Ar can coordinate with the Mer'a'Kora, which implies they can intercept and comprehend tranmissions on the nexus network, although they do not have nexii on board, and it is entirely possible that they have no outgoing communications systems at all. The final downside of the ship is that is appears to be made of outdated alloys, and while resitant to blaster and ion energy, it is not thick enough to handle concussion weaponry, and the Cree'Ar plasma would melt the hull in a matter of minutes. Friendly fire could potentially be fatal, and given a lack of communication combined with jerky and often unpredictable movements, the Mer'a'Kora are fortunate to have lost as few vessels as they have and have not yet lost one to friendly fire. The Mer'a'Kora's pride, the Mer'a Z'Syshal could be the only vessel they have, or merely their most advanced, or most common. Regardless, it is to this point the Cree'Ar Dominion's only link to a trusted ally. The rare appearances have become rarer in recent years, but the ship remains one of the most technologically advanced vessels to fight alongside the Dominion, and will likely continue to be so for some time to come.