Kittani Mantis Escort Cruiser

 

Technically a frigate, the Kittani Escort Cruiser is a small, nimble, fast-attack vessel with much heavier fighter support than most vessels its size. Keeping with the Kittani philosophy of speed and numbers, the Mantis is designed to be used in small to large fleets and are more akin to giant fighters than to traditional frigate-class vessels. They are engineered to maneuver like a fighter, zipping and weaving through enemy screening vessels to strike at an enemy fleet’s cruisers or an enemy space station, strafing in groups and dropping Kittani Robot fighters off inside the enemy’s defenses before dodging back out into space.

            The other use these ships often see is, as the name implies, in the role of escort vessel. Usually there are three assigned to every Kittani battleship and Kydian Assault Carrier.

Besides its speed and agility, the Mantis also carries a large compliment of fighters for its size. It does this by keeping a squadron of Kittani Robot fighters (12) in specially designed racks on the bottom and top of the craft between the two massive shield wings. The shield wings protect the fighters from enemy fire during launch. The drawback to this system is that the kittani robot fighter is the only type of fighter the ships may carry.

For armaments, the Mantis has two heavy plasma cannons in the “elbows” of the praying mantis-like “arms”, several laser turrets, and long and short-range missiles. The ships generally use their maneuverability to outflank slower, less agile vessels.

The ship is light on armor, relying on its speed and agility, numbers and fighter support. This is indicative of typical splugorth strategy, which includes a total disregard for the lives of their minions. Between the kittani and kydians, and numerous slave races, the splugorth are never short on manpower and most of the splugorth planetary collectives have militaries several times the size of civilizations with comparable populations. Indeed, through the extensive use of slave races 95% of all kydians are members of the armed services, while the kittani numbers are a much lower, yet still astounding 50%, the rest of whom generally work in engineering or another highly technical field. Less than 1% of each race can be found independently, outside of splugorth control. Most of those whom are include pirates who struck out for their own profit, and those individuals who just couldn’t stomach serving such vile, monstrous alien intelligences. The former tend to be some of the worst, most ruthless scourges of the spaceways, while the latter are generally recluses, trying to avoid running into agents of their former masters. There are even a couple recorded cases each of kydian and kittani cosmo-knights.

The Mantis is an old ship, harking back to the kittani’s encounter with the mechanoids, but it has been updated numerous times throughout the ages. They are cheap and easy to produce, crew efficient, easy to operate. They have served the kittani (and through them the splugorth) for generations.

Type: Kittani Mantis Escort Cruiser
Crew: 8 officers and 42 crewmembers for a total of 50, not including 12 pilots.

MDC by location
Wingshields (2) – 2,000 each
Heavy Plasma cannons (2) – 1,000 each
Light laser turrets (4) – 250 each.
Long-range missile launchers (2) – 700 each
Short-range missile launchers (2) – 400 each
*Forward Sensor Cluster (mantis-head shaped structure) – 600
** Engines (3) – 2,000 each
***Main Body – 3,500
Variable Forcefields – 1,500 per side (6)

*Destroying the forward sensor cluster will destroy long-range communications, primary sensors and firing control. Communications will be limited to .5 astronomical units, and the ship will rely entirely on gravity sensors with a 5,000-mile range (in space, that's effectively blind). Plasma cannons and long-range missile launchers are –6 to strike.

**Destroying an engine will reduce the ship’s speed by 2/3. Destroying all three will immobilize the vessel.

***Depleting the main body will leave the ship adrift and in tatters, with multiple hull breaches, failed life support and secondary explosions that will likely kill or space 90% of the crew. However the fighters can still launch and the short-range missile launchers can function. Reducing the vessel to below –500 MDC will result in a 2D4x100 MD explosion to a 600 foot radius.

Speed:

Sublight: The Mantis has a speed of Mach 16 in space (note that speeds in Phaseworld do not represent true groundspeed, but are relative to one another and more representative of comparable rates of acceleration. In truth the Mantis can reach up to .65 the speed of light with constant acceleration).

Atmospheric Propulsion: The Mantis can operate in a limited fashion in atmosphere, with a top speed of Mach 4.5. It has been known to strafe ground targets and deploy robot fighters. Often escorts Kydian Assault Carriers to a landing site. They never truly land, but instead hover over landing fields and lowers crew members on an antigravity platform or a small flying skiff reminescent of a high-tech, magically powered longboat.

Stardrive: About 70% of Mantis cruisers in existence use an FTL gravity drive with a top speed of 5 lightyears per hour. However, the remaining 30% use a rift jump drive capable of 20-light year jumps every 5 hours. Most of the ships using rift jump drives sighted in the Three Galaxies are sent by splugorth with holdings outside of the Three Galaxies. These ships also are capable of simply opening a dimensional portal to 2D4 predetermined, known dimensions once per day as well. Splynncryth has three of these ships on Atlantis, just in case. However he has a few hundred dispersed between the other three worlds he controls.

Statistical Data

Length: 500 feet

Width: 120 feet

Height (main body) 110 feet (with wingshields) 360 feet.

Mass: 40,000 tons

Power system: Fusion powerplant with a 5-year lifespan (ships found outside of Splugorth control usually replace this with an anti-matter drive with a 20-year lifespan).

Cargo: 500 ton cargo capacity, making it a servicable light transport or light raider.

Range: The Mantis generally has provisions for six months as per typical splugorth allocations. This can be extended to 2 years by independent owners.

Market Cost: 480 million credits, not including fighters. These vessels have been in service so long that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, in the hands of independent operatives, pirates, and planetary defense services. Due to their reputations most reputable groups do not use them.

Weapon Systems

1. Heavy Plasma Cannons (2): Two heavy plasma cannons make up the “arm”-like structures on the vessel’s underside. They can fire independently or in tandem and have a 60 degree arc of fire.

Primary Purpose: Anti-spaceship/anti-space station

Damage: Each cannon does 2D6x100 M.D. Both firing at the same target do 4D6x100 M.D.

Range: 6 miles, 2 miles in atmosphere.

Rate of fire: Each cannon can fire four times per melee.

Payload: Unlimited.

 

2. Long-range missile launchers (2): Two long-range missile launchers are placed on the bottom section of the wing shields and are used for long-ranged assaults. Mantis groups often open up with a storm of long-range heavy plasma smartbombs. Destroying a wingshield will disable the corresponding launcher.

Primary Purpose: Assault

Damage: Typically 4D6x10 MD for heavy plasma missiles, but varies with missile type.

Range: Varies with missile type, but generally 3,600 miles, 1,200 miles in atmosphere.

Rate of fire: Each launcher can fire missiles individually or in volleys of 2,4,6,8, 10 or 20.

Payload: Each launcher has 200 long-range missiles which are fed from the main hold.

 

3. Short-range missile launchers (2): Located on the dorsal and ventral hulls (top and bottom) these launchers are used primarily as an anti-missile defense grid, but also work as back up anti-starfighter or anti-ship weapons as well.

Primary Purpose: Defense

Damage: Varies with missile type.

Range: varies with missile type, usually about 15 miles in space or 5 miles in atmosphere.

Rate of fire: Each launcher can fire missiles individually or in volleys of 2, 4, or 8.

Payload: Each launcher has 80 short-range missiles.

 

4. Light laser turrets (4): These turrets are the vessels main anti-starfighter defense with two located on the ventral and dorsal hulls and two on the port and starboard hulls just forward of the wingshields, giving the ship complete coverage.

Primary Purpose: anti-starfighter.

Damage: 3D6x10 M.D. per turret.

Range: 3 miles in space, one mile in atmosphere.

Rate of fire: Equal to hand-to-hand attacks of the gunner, usually 4-6.

Payload: Unlimited.

5. Sensors: Has standard starship sensor systems and is +4 to dodge.

Image © Newton Ewell