The Rebel Faction

S12 Shadowcaster

(The Prototype S12 Shadowcaster; only visually difference between craft is colour scheme and canopy colours)

Name/Type: S12 Shadowcaster-class Starfighter
Designer/Manufacturer: Contegorian Confederation / Stellar Enterprises
Combat Role: Interceptor
Crew: 1
Length: 6.8 Meters
Speed: 150 MGLT, 1650 Kph
Acceleration: 22 MGLT/s
Maneuverability: 125 DPF
Hyperdrive: x1
Shield Rating: 50 SBD
Hull Rating: 25 RU
Weapons: 2 KDI J-L5.2 Hybrid-Pulse Cannons, 4 KDI A-R8.5 Modular Hardpoints, 1 Rear Modular Compartment.
Other: Integrated AI, OSAIA system, Confederation Advanced Avionics.

Description: Loosely based on the A-wing, the S12 Shadowcaster is the joint Confederation and Stellar Enterprise response to the need for a starfighter that is easily mass-produced as well as cheaper than the stealth fighters currently employed by the Confederation fleet. Unlike previous Confederation fighters, it is not heavily dependent on somewhat rare and expensive materials. Instead, the S12 is based on more easily produced components as well as incorporating technology from across the Confederation. The greatest advances in the Shadowcaster is in avionics through the inclusion of an integrated AI and OSAA system.

Engines: The S12 uses a pair of twin fusial-thrust ion drives similar in nature and design to the A-wing’s Twin Novaldex J-77 "Event Horizon" Engines. Because the engines and Hybrid-pulse cannons are contained within the same tube-like structure on each side of the craft, engineers arranged for the cryon cooling systems for the said weapons to extend farther down towards the engines, where it cools engine’s heat signature and exhaust. Like previous Confederation fighters before it, the Shadowcaster’s engines uses many smaller vents to disperse the ion drive, leaving nothing to be traced with.

Stealth: Stealth has always been a trademark of Confederation fighters, and the Shadowcaster is no different in that philosophy. But due to the new constraints of using more commonly available materials, it is significantly different in most regards in how it achieves that end. Like other Confederation fighters, the S12 uses a non-angular hull, using many smooth and curved surfaces, which produces a much smaller FST signature to enemy sensors. The few FST waves that do manage to make it into the structure are trapped within re-entrant triangles. Once trapped, they bounce off the internal structures until they loose all of their energy. Lastly, the Shadowcaster is a platform alignment craft, meaning that even if the highly unlikely event that somehow the FST waves do bounce off, the crafts’ airframe design and surface angles will bounce it away from the sensor from where it came. All design philosophies used ensure that those common sensors are ineffective in detecting the fighter except at point-blank range.

Materials are still a key aspect in stealth design, and likely will remain so unless the craft is equipped with a full-scale cloaking device. To that end, the craft uses Quadanium Carbide, a refractory hard ceramic. As with other hard refractory ceramics, Quadranium Carbide has an extremely high melting temperature due to its strong interatomic bonding between molecules. A side benefit of this layer is that it does not conduct electrical energy at all, making it effective in stopping the effects of most starfighter-grade ion weapons. But the primary benefit of the Quadranium carbide is its low FST cross-section and dark colour. The armor is then covered by several coats of parylene, a dielectric coating, which further reduces the FST spectrum and keeps the electro-magnetic waves generated within the craft inside of the fuselage, completely reducing emissions from the craft to the outside. Lastly, the entire craft, which is black from its construction, is covered in the same gloss paint used on the original Deathsaber Mk I. Like the previous craft, this reflects the starscape. In order to ensure that it does not reflect anything else, the gloss coating has been manufactured to only show colors of the stars.

Cockpit: The S12’s basic cockpit design and layout is similar to many atmospheric fighters, with a ceraglass bubble canopy that gives the pilot an excellent view of space in all directions without cost in overall protection. Unlike the prototype depicted above, actual production Shadowcasters do not have neon green canopies for rather obvious reasons. Instead, the otherwise clear ceraglass is coated with the same gloss paint used on the rest of the ship along with a thin film of a transparent conductor, which keep any FST waves within the cockpit. In order to easily train pilots used to airspeeders and other atmospheric craft, the S12 uses similar controls to those craft in the same manner that an X-wing does. This allows inexperienced pilots easier mastery of the craft, making them more effective in combat than might otherwise be expected.

Weapons: The Shadowcaster carries a unique set of weapons that are suited

J-L5.2 Hybrid-Pulse Cannon: A weapon unique to the Shadowcaster, the hybrid-pulse cannon is an usually long weapon, measuring over two meters in length. The length of the barrel helps with accuracy and giving the weapon a slightly larger range than that of a typical laser cannon, but is no more powerful. As the name implies, the weapon is a hybrid, namely between a laser cannon and a DEMP/magpulse cannon. In a manner similar to the Blastech DL-23, the weapon fires two blasts in quick succession: an electromagnetic pulse that disables internal circuitry like an ion cannon and then a typical laser cannon bolt. The weapon is geared more for rapid fire rather than strength. As already noted in the engine sections, it has an extensive cryon cooling system that not only cools the weapons, but much of the craft as well. As such, it trades strength for a greatly enhanced rate of fire. In order to not give away the craft’s location, the cannon is equipped the Se23 prismatic crystal used on the A3 Nemesis and S10 Stormfire.

A-R8.5 Modular Hardpoint: Unlike previous hardpoints, those used on the S12 are not on the wings nor jut out from the fuselage. Instead, the four A-R8.5 hardpoints are arranged in a square that is recessed into the craft itself complete with a sliding door (made in the same way as the hull) for each, making it more akin to bomb bay. This gives the craft better stealth capabilities by keeping the craft’s lines in conformity with the platform alignment as well as providing better protection from both enemy fire and sensors. However, this does come with a cost, as neither the autoblaster pod or the rocketbooster pod can be used by the fighter. When a weapon is launched, it is ejected out the door(which promptly slides shut again), and then is activated after the delay of a second. Otherwise, the A-R8.5 is similar to its predecessor.

Rear Modular Compartment: In between the two outside engine vents and aligned behind the cockpit is the space for a rear modular compartment. Essentially, it is little more than an empty space that carves into the fuselage of the fighter equipped with magnetic clamps and several datalink sockets. Any one of the several modular compartments, constructed in the same manner as the rest of the craft, can be fitted in place, from a simple box to carry a very small amount of cargo to a set of rear-firing missiles. The following Rear modular compartments are available:

Cargo: A basic box Allows the Shadowcaster to carry 100 kilograms of cargo. Useful for personnel going away on personnel leave or for clandestinely delivering small amounts of material. Occasionally, the cargo module is used to allow the fighter to act as a fast and stealthy courier.

Jammer: Allows the Shadowcaster to carry a Miradyne 4-x jammer complete with its own power source. The jammer, noted for its use on the A-wing, allows the fighter to jam all surrounding ships. Rarely used.

Dual Slugthrower Cannon: Two rear-firing slugthrower cannons, with limited transverse, can be installed, which when controlled by the AI system, give the Shadowcaster a limited amount of untraceable firepower with which to attack enemy ships or weapons behind the user ship. Most slugs are made from superheated carbon quenched in cryon in a pressurized environment, making them very hard and penetrating against most starfighter grade armor.

Rearing Firing Missiles: A simple rack of four Arakyd 315 Missiles used on the Sentinel-class Tank. While not an effective offensive in most cases because of its orientation, it is useful in discouraging/destroying pursuering ships.

Minelayer: A rack of ten mines that can be individually released to discourage enemy pursuit or to lay small minefields in space or land. Most often the 0.5 meter wide, disk-like mines are filled with explosives or clusters of explosives, making them effective against a variety of targets or a seismic charge, but other more esoteric payloads can be carried as well, such as molecular acid to melt or weaken metals, a homing beacon, and the viral mine, which briefly sends out a multitude of virus’ on all comm.-waves within a ten meter radius. The viruses disrupt/disable all nearby ships/weapons (provided that they are starfighter-size or smaller) for roughly a minute. Larger vessels are generally unaffected by it due to powerful ship computers and dedicated anti-virus software used on them.

Integrated Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence has longed help fighter pilots with their ships in the form of autopilots and the commonplace astromech droid. The Confederation Integrated AI takes it one step farther by making the fighter itself sentinient through the use of the Uffel-produced copies of positronic processors. With the computing power from them, the craft have exceptional knowledge and multi-tasking capabilities to aid the pilot’s intelligence. The AI, like the astromech droid before it, aids in powerflow regulation, navigation, and processing data collected from communications and the KDI advanced avionics. Because of their computing power, AIs not only do their jobs efficiently, but also tend to develop deeper and unique personalities based on their experience and pilot(s). Pilots and their AI’s often develop attachment through their shared experience in battle and in the craft’s well-being. Those that have used the OSAIA together tend to become more attached, for obvious reasons.

OSAIA (Organic Subconscious Articifial Intelligence Augmented): The OSAIA allows the ship’s Artificial Intelligence and the pilot’s brain to interface together, through the helmet, for improved combat performance. This substantially speeds up pilot reaction time to nearly uncomparable performance, as the pilot sees and perceives things directly from the ship’s sensors as they happen. Because the artificial intelligence is based on the positronic processor, this gives the pilot direct access to immense computing power which came make him/her/it aware of all of the possible courses of action and their outcomes along with their odds of success as well as noticing minute details that would allow the previously listed items. However, due to the nature of the system, it can create hallucinations for those users with poor mental strength, as the pilot’s own mood and thinking can influence the machine and be sent back in a feedback loop, which in turn can cause temporarily insanity. As such, the OSAIA system is rarely used regularly except by the most cool-minded and experienced pilots, albeit the most desperate, inexperienced pilot can use it with frightening results against the enemy and, just as likely, his or her own allies.

Confederation Advanced Avionics: The processing power provided by the AI allows the fighter to carry and use sensitive sensors to their fullest extent. Because of this, besides carrying the typical array of sensors used by most starfighters (DERs, EPRs, etc), the Shadowcaster carries a pair of Full Spectrum transceivers in its package aside from the standard one. One is of a low frequency variety, uses a long-wavelength, which when used against smaller vessels, generates a partial-wave resonance effect, which can suggest the presence of a stealth ship or weapon(depending on its specifications) in the immediate area. The low-wave transceiver is even then somewhat limited in terms of accuracy and range, and no precise location for the target can be found by this sensor alone. The other transceiver sends out high-frequency and high-energy waves beams in coordination with the other two full-spectrum transceivers onboard. Since each transceiver is located in a different position in relation to each other, it is possible for them to cross-check and filter out the results in a manner similar to passive radar systems used on actual modern-day Earth. All squadron commander fighters come equipped with the more expensive and effective SE Spectrographic Sensor Array.