The Rebel Faction

TNO Cayman CPE-C

Craft: Cayman Class Command/Patrol/Escort Cruiser

Combat Abbreviation: CPEC

Mission Profile: Command, Patrol, & Escort

Designer/Manufacturer: Black Mantis Research and Development Division

Retail Price: Not available for sale. Produced exclusively for the New Order.

Consumables: 6 months

Cargo Capacity: 14 000 metric tonnes

Length Over All: 520 meters

Sublight Speed (Cruising): 10 MGLT

Sublight Speed (Flank): 14 MGLT

Sublight Speed (Emergency Full): 19 MGLT

Hyperdrive Motivator (Main): x1

Hyperdrive Motivator (Backup): x4

Shield Integrity: 4650 SBD

Hull Integrity: 2600 RU

Weapons:

• 04 Dual SH-F Turbolaser Cannons
• 12 Quad Heavy Laser Cannons
• 24 Dual Heavy Blaster Cannons
• 02 Proton Torpedo Clusters
• 04 Mine Launchers
• 02 Tractor Beam Projectors

Hanger Capacity:

• 03 Squadrons TIE Series Starfighters
• 06 - 12 Support Craft

Troop Capacity:

• 100 Enforcement Officers

Additional Equipment:

• Phalanx Anti-missile network
• Reactive Shielding
• Multi Track Shielding
• EMPIRE Project Automation
• Tactical Sensor Suite

Explanations
SH-F Turbolaser Canon

A superheavy (SH) emplacement designed to inflict heavy damage on enemy vessels from long range, the SF-F canon suffers from two significant drawbacks. The first is a lack of mobility - the canons are fixed (F), and therefore are unable to effectively target small, agile vessels. They are also slow to charge, requiring several times the length of a traditional turbolaser canon to accumulate a charge. These drawbacks, however, are erased when the SH-F fires. Significantly more powerful than a conventional turbolaser, these heavy guns can destroy smuggler or pirate vessels in a single firing.

EMPIRE Project Automation

Designed by Black Mantis as the next logical step of the EMPIRE Project, automation eliminates the need for many ship's crew by placing gunnery control in the "hands" of slave-rigged brains. These units offer superior reflexes to human gunners, and because EMPIRE Project cloning samples are among the best specimens in the Empire, and overall increase in efficiency.


Tactical Sensor Suite

A complex sensor system incorporating traditional sensors, electromagnetic locators, a miniaturized crystal gravity trap, and a variety of other detection systems pioneered by the Empire, the TSS is a powerful package giving the vessel the ability to render useless many devices used to conceal cargos popular with smugglers.


Phalanx Anti-Missile Point Defence Gatling Laser Network

The Phalanx, is made up of a network of small, turreted light blaster cannons. These weapons are able to pick out missiles and destroy them from long range. The Phalanx System reduces the percentage of successful short-range missile strikes to less than 20%, and long-range attacks to under 5%.


Reactive Shielding

Reactive shielding is a system designed to protect the Messiah from energy weapons. When the vessel’s shields are raised, a special battery bank is charged along with them. Then, when computers detect a substantial bombardment against any section of the vessel, the shield is immediately recharged with stored energy from this bank.


Multi Track Shielding

Multi Track Shielding uses a dedicated targeting computer imbedded in the shielding system to track approaching enemies and calculate approximate damage. The system automatically them distributes shields for maximum damage resistance. Combined with reactive shielding, this system gives the vessel an unprecedented edge in battle.


Proton Torpedo Clusters

A dedicated cluster of Proton Torpedo Launchers, each equipped with its own complete targetting array. Each of the clusters contains fifteen launchers, linked into three banks. When the cluster is fired, there is a second-long delay between each bank. The result is that the first wave of missiles can often create a small gap in the shields, allowing the second and third waves to penetrate and strike hull. The arrangement allows for maximum damage to be sustained from a single cluster firing.



Background Information

As the Empire continues to expand, the resources of the famed Imperial Fleet begin to stetch. While a number of vessels exist for the purposes of guarding convoys and patrolling the outersectors, no vessel has yet proved adapt at this task.

Developed by Black Mantis, the Cayman is a suggested answer to this problem. Originally designed alongside the Nebulon B Escort Frigate but ultimately scrapped, the totally redeveloped Cayman is a heavily armed, heavily armoured patrol ship. It is designed to perform two of the same duties as the Imperator class Star Destroyer (albiet scaled down considerably): space superiority and fighter deployment. The Cayman has neither the capability nor the need to land ground troops.

Following the implimentation of the EMPIRE ships, the Black Mantis team set about creating a new ship. Rather than full automation, this new ship is deemed a hybrid: while the ship still has a living command crew, many operations are taken over by cloned brains, with superior skills and reflexes to the crew that would generally be found on an outersector patrol craft.

The Cayman is equipped with a full command bridge, a rarity among ships of its class, in order to better facilitate the operations of a support fleet. Among the outersectors of the Empire, the Cayman is to enter circulation as a command vessel, supported by carriers, frigates, and light cruisers. To this end the ship is equipped with a powerful Tactical Sensor Suite, a full holocom communications package, and the afforementioned command facilities.

The Cayman is also an able patrol vessel: heavily armed to deter pirates and the like, the vessel's Heavy Laser Canons are more powerful than most turbolasers employed by pirates and smugglers alike. The vessel is also, naturally, equipped with four SuperHeavy Fixed turbolasers, giving it a powerful punch, though only in one direction. The ship is also equipped with a pair of proton torpedo clusters, one on each side of the ship, to ward off larger capital ships or starfighter clusters. The SH-F canons also make the Cayman an apt raider, though its slow speed works against it here.

Because most pirate and smugger vessels are significantly faster than the Cayman, it is also equipped with tools to reel in these types of enemies. Three full fighter squadrons are carried, generally two of TIE Superiority series craft, and one sqaudron of bombers. Also, depending on size, anywhere from six to twelve support craft can be deployed. To keep enemy craft from escaping into hyperspace, the Cayman carries four mine launchers: these devices launch interdictor mines, which keep enemy vessels from making the jump tp hyperspace until the Cayman can deal with them. 100 soldiers are carried for boarding operations.

The Cayman does not mount any ion canons: if a smuggler or pirate is intercepted by one of these fearsome vessels, it faces certain destruction.


The second duty of the Cayman is to defend the borders of the Empire. Relatively inexpensive to produce and mantain, and with a light crew requirement, the Cayman is an ideal ship to patrol the borders of the New Order. With its strong shields the vessel offers significant staying power, and its SH-F canons can bloody the nose of any aggressor attempting to fight through it. These vessels are expected to become commonplace on both the Coalition and BDE borders.


Heavily shielded and heavily armed, the Cayman is expected to become a common site near Imperial worlds as a patrol and enforcement ship.