Star Hammer (CCW):

Ever since the CAF learned about the fold engines that the REF uses, they have been trying to duplicate the process. Such a method of travel would give the CAF the same huge strategic advantages that the REF had in its war with the Kreeghor. Unfortunately all their efforts have so far come to nought. Fold travel remains out of the reach of the CAF. Most of their attempts at fold engines resulted in nothing at all, but one attempt did indeed fold. Unfortunately it never came out of the fold. Strangely enough the secluded sun around which the tests were conducted displayed some severe solar flares shortly thereafter. No one really paid much attention to it though, as they were concentrating on finding the flaw which prevented the experimental fold engine from reemerging into normal space.

When a second attempt with a similar engine resulted in another failure to unfold and more Solar Flares, someone DID notice. After some deliberation, and studying of the ships logs, the scientists noted that at the same time they had conducted their tests, there had been fluctuations in the gravity field of the sun. This in turn had led to the solar flares, some of which had been quite violent. It was clear that they were onto something. It might not have been a method of travel, but the scientists were unto something.

For the third (and last of the expensive tests) test, they asked one of the CAF Generals in command of the research department to attend. With both the General and extra equipment in attendance, the third test yielded the same results: A disappearing generator, and some spectacular solar flares. The General was sufficiently impressed to appropriate more funding for research into the phenomenon, and the extra equipment showed what had happened.

As the generator went into the fold, it fell into the solar gravity well, where it attempted to unfold. During the attempt to unfold, the generator smoothed out the gravity well in a small area in the center of the sun. This caused the core to expand, as there was no longer a gravitational force to keep it together. As soon as the generator appeared (inside the star!) the gravity field came to full power again, causing the stars core to collapse again, which caused solar quakes. These showed up as solar flares.

In the following years, the research team spend humongous amounts of money, all with the blessings of the General. But it could not last: As they were finishing the first full-size operational prototype of their "Stellar Core Destabilizing Gravity Wave Generator", the CAF performed a general audit and, to the horror of the auditors, they found that a amount of some 900 billion credit had gone into a sort of "Research Department Black Hole" as one auditor put it. The CAF general staff descended as hawks upon the hapless general and his researchers, and the end seemed nigh for the "Starhammer Project" as it was informally known. The only thing that saved the project and its proponents from oblivion was the fact that to disassemble the giant prototype Starhammer would have cost far more than to finish it. So, upon advise from the scientists and the accounting department, the prototype was finished and towed to a uninhabited star system. There it would undergo its live fire test. If it worked, the CAF would gain a new weapon. If it failed.......

After remote control sensor packages had been distributed around the system, and on the three lifeless planets, and all ships had taken a safe distance from the target star (about one light month out) the huge Starhammer generator was activated. A large spherical field enveloped it, and then it was gone. In the observing ships, everyone kept a close look at the sensor readouts. For nearly a minute nothing happened, and tension mounted. Then the sensors registered a enormous amount of gravitational flux and hyperspace disturbance, which faded away in less than half a minute. During that time, nearly two thirds of the sensors lost their remote FTL link. But the few sensors that remained painted a horrible picture:

As the Starhammer attempted to unfold in the hart of the star, it attempted to smooth out the stars Gravity field (causing the huge gravity and hyperspace disruptions). For a few seconds it succeed. With the pull of gravity no longer keeping the star together, it began to expand rapidly. When the generator appeared in the hart of the star, it was incinerated, and the stars gravity field returned. With a enormous crash the star collapsed again, and the huge shock wave compressed layers of hydrogen and helium that would not have begun fusion for billions of years far beyond the fusion limit. The star began to burn hundreds of times as bright as normal, and together with the light it emitted a vast Electro Magnetic Pulse sped out from its surface at nearly light speed. The EMP burned out every probe that it enveloped, but some of the outlying probes used their FTL sensors to gather more info before the EMP reached them. In the waiting ships the generals, scientists and everyone else present watched in utter horror as the star, now hundreds of times brighter than normal, began to shed its outer layers in a attempt to dissipate the flood of energy. Following behind the light and the EM Pulse, a wave of plasma swept across the system at a leisurely 50 percent of light. It incinerated everything in its path, and began broiling the planets as it passed by them. Having survived the EMP, even the last probes were obliterated as the waves of plasma swept over them. In effect, the star had gone Nova!!

In the observing ship one of the CAF admirals put everyone thought into words: "Well guys, it works. Now what in HELL`S NAME ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH IT?!"

With the Starhammer technology the CAF has without a doubt the most powerful weapon in the three galaxies in its possession. Without a doubt it is also the most expensive weapon ever built by them. With the power to destroy entire systems, and a cost of dozens of battleships, it is in doubt that the CAF will ever build another Starhammer, for when the leaders of the CCW heard of the weapon, they were even more horrified than the military had been. Some even proposed to destroy the designs, and to forget about the entire thing. The power to destroy entire systems was almost too fantastic and too horrible for them to contemplate. As is, the CCW has locked away the plans for the starhammer in a very safe place, and has destroyed all references to it, even to the point where some of the more talkative people allied with the project have met with some rather fatal "accidents". Currently only the general staff, and some of the highest civil leaders of the CCW know of the whereabouts of the starhammer plans. The team of scientists has been broken up for good, and CCW intelligence is keeping close tabs on them.

This starship design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details

Note: The writeup for this Starhammer is for a military version, with drives, shields and a small crew section. This is only so that the Starhammer can be flown to its target under its own power. Even so, it has no armament of itself and will require a escort. No one is aboard at the time of firing (they`d better not be...) GM`s, it should be noted that such a weapon is often utterly useless in a military campaign, and should not be used in most campaigns.

A possible use would be as a plot device, someone has stolen the plans, and the players have to get them back before the thieves sell them to the Kreeghor. Or the players can BE the thieves, and not know just what they have stolen. All of a sudden they would have CAF security hot on their tails....

Model: Starhammer Generator.
Crew: None, fully automated(requires 100 man to fly though)
Vehicles: 8 Proctor Heavy Starfighter (only meant for getting the crew off the Starhammer.)

M.D.C. by Location (Per Generator):

	Main body:	300.000
	Fighter Hangar:	3,000
	[1] Life support/Command section:	7,000
	[2] Drive system:	20,000
	[3] Shields:	5000 Each side

Notes:
[1] The command module is the only part of the Starhammer to have life support. It is a small target, partially imbedded in the generator: -2 to hit.
[2] Destroying the drive system means that the generator can no longer maneuver, it will drift at its last heading.
[3] The shields are variable, and can all be combined into one shield. The shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (1,500 M.D.C.) per round.

Speed:
Sublight: Can accelerate at a speed of 0.3 percent of light per round
Stardrive: Gravitonic, maximum speed is 3 light-years per hour.
Stardrive(special): Can perform a single FTL Hyperspace Fold operation. Effective range: 15 light minutes.

Statistical Data:
Length: 2.6 Miles (4,170 meters)
Height: 4,200 feet ( 1,260 meters)
Width: 4,200 feet (1,260 meters )
Weight/Mass: 520 million tons
Power System: Antimatter with a five year live span (normally refueled every year)
Cargo: None
Market Cost: 700 Billion credits for a starhammer. The Kreeghor and the black market will pay enormous amounts of money (100+ Billion) for the blueprints for the starhammer. IF they knew about it off course.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Starhammer Generator.: The generator folds into the nearest Stellar mass, and during re emergence into normal space cancels all gravity inside the star. This causes a rapid expansion of the star. The force with which the gravity inside the star is canceled creates waves of gravitational and hyperspace disturbance which will severely damage any active (as in anything but cold shutdown) FTL drives and FTL communicators.
As soon as the generator emerges into real space it is incinerated in the heart of the star, and gravity returns, causing the star to contract again. The contraction is so powerful that layers of helium and hydrogen which normally wouldn`t reach fusion for billions of years are compressed until they DO start a fusion reaction. When this happens the Star starts to "burn" hundreds of times as brightly as normal, and a huge electromagnetic Pulse is thrown outwards. Because the temperature of the star rises greatly too, the outer layers of hot gas are thrown off in the form of a expanding cloud of superheated plasma moving at half lightspeed. This process continues for several days, and sterilizes the entire star system.
Maximum Effective Range: The starhammer has to be within 15 light minutes of the star in order to work.(no penalties to hit, if you can get it there, IT WILL WORK! period.)
Effects Taken:

[ Altara TM, Brodkil TM, Bushido Industries TM, CAF TM, Catyr TM, CCW TM, Consortium of Civilized Worlds TM, Coyles TM, Free Worlds Council TM, Gene Splicers TM, K-Hex TM, Kankoran TM, Kittani TM, Kreeghor TM, Kydian TM, Machine People TM, M.D.C. TM, Mega-Damage TM, Metzla TM, M’Kri Hardware TM, Monro TM, Mutants in Orbit TM, Naruni Enterprises TM, Noro TM, Paradise Federation TM, Phase World TM, Psylite TM, Rifter TM, SAMAS TM, S.D.C. TM, Seljuks TM, Splugorth TM, Sunaj TM, Trans-Galactic Empire TM, Tri-Galactic Military Service TM, United Worlds Warlock TM, U.W.W. TM, Wolfen TM, and Zembahk TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

Writeup by Mischa (E-Mail Mischa)

Minor revisions by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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