The Rebel Faction

Gladiator Class Modular Defense Station

Gladiator Class Defense Station
Name/Type: Gladiator Modular Defense Station
Designer/Manufacturer: Stellar Enterprises
Combat Role: Orbital battlestation
Personnel: 670 + 304 Gunners
Size: Main Body: 1800 Meters long, 1800 Meters wide, 380 Meters high
Shield Rating: 25,000 SBD, Backup Shields:15,000 SBD
Hull Rating: 5480 RU
Weapons (typical Layout): 1 Heavy Hypervelocity Slug Cannon, 85 Heavy Turbolaser Batteries, 80 Dual turreted Turbolaser Cannons, 16 Heavy Ion Cannon Batteries, 50 Ion Cannon Batteries, 90 Heavy Repeater Laser Cannons, 45 Rotation Warhead Launchers (30 warheads per launcher), 20 Turreted Tractor Beam Projectors.
Fighter Complement: Normally 6 Squadrons, but upto 18 squadrons (When almost half the weapons are removed)
Troops: 300 Marines, 1000 Defense droids.

Description: This is Stellar Enterprises first attempt at a fully modular station that could serve a variaty of different purposes for different missions. Instead of a fixed design, most system within the station could be swaped out for different ones. All weapons and sensors could be replaced with modules contained other systems or other weapons types.

These modular sections are fully prepared containers. Each one contains the necessary systems and operating stations for quick installation or removal. Once moved into the hull, the sections are connected to the stations computers and power relay stations making them quickly operational. They are designed to be primerally plug-n-play type units.

If a customer ordered a fighter defense platform, the heavy weapons modules could be removed and more antifighter modules could be put in their place. The same was true for the stations fighter compliments. With some weapons modules removed, the station would be host to eighteen fighter/bomber squadrons.

This station has a massive single hypervelocity slug cannon installed into the top square platform. This gun is covered with massive armor clamshell blast doors. These retract in battle and allow the cannon to emerge from the hull to engaged targets further than any turbolaser or missile system.

The magnetically accelerated rounds were only limited by accuracy at longer ranges as well as the power it consumed. Its power demands were massive on any scale. While the gun fired, other weapons systems could not. It was a fair trade off, however, since the cannon could quickly destroy or disable larger ships from great distances and if ones made it closer, the cannon could be powered down and the power transferred to the other weapons systems. To help with long range target tracking and more accurate weapons firing, the station utilizes an advanced sensor array. It so also holds room for 4 EagleEye Drones and can recieve targeting data from other ships in the area.

The 90 Heavy Repeater Laser Cannons could lay down massive volumes of laser fire yet required somewhat longer cool down times. Because of these the onboard computers usually fired only half the lasers at one time, while the other half fired when the others were in cool down. The cannons are installed on fast tracking turrets to allow them to quickly and seemlessly follow fighters. They are also each linked by computers so that each cannons knows where another one is firing or what fighter the other is tracking. This allows another guns to resume tracking and engaging the same target even after it passes out of one of the cannon's ranges or engagement zones.

The 45 Rotating Warhead Launchers are specially designed launchers and can quickly send out a wave of torpedoes and fire almost every 2 seconds. As one warhead was fired, another one is autoloaded into another tube. Once fired the expanded tube rotates out of the way and the just loaded one takes its place. While the other fired, the just expended one would be reloaded, and so on. Each tube was launched using magnetic accelerators and pushed out the warheads as high speeds without the need for them to use their own propulsion. This increased their ranged and also disguised their launching, giving no clues except visual and when the warhead actually ignited its own engines and seeker head.

In addition to the heavy shielding, this station is also fitted with heavy reinforced armor plating. Its interior bulkheads are also heavily strengthen and allow it to take a conciderable beating. A compartmentalized design helps to keeps damage limited to just the areas hit. The design also keeps all vital systems deep within the stations main structure. These vital systems are redundent and sometimes even feature three sets of backup systems.

Finally, the stations crew requirements are greatly reduced with the use of sophisticated automated systems and station management software. These advanced systems process vast amount of information per second. They monitor every meter of the state through the use to sensors and monitor droids. If something wrong is detected droid repair crews are quickly sent out to investigate and resolve the problem.