Consortium Alchemist class Fast Mobile Factory:

This class of ship is presently an experimental design with only a single prototype completed. Often, a fleet may be some distance away from logistical support. Generally, a fleet will have a force of supply ships and repair tenders along with the fleet to support the force. Trying to keep a force properly supported however may very easily result in long supply line.

The idea is to simply create a ship that can manufacture support materials onsite. Starting with raw material, the ship can create virtually all of the supplies needed to keep a fleet operating. These include missiles of all sorts, other ordnance, repair parts, electronics, and hull materials. It does not have the facilities to do full ship repairs. Such jobs are the roles of tenders. As well, the fast factory ship does not have the facilities to manufacture either fighters or power armors.

These ships are designed to be able to actually mine the raw materials needed from asteroid belts, refine the materials to the alloys and composites required for manufacturing, and then process the materials into the final products. These ships embark two dozen specialized shuttles designed for ore extraction for this role. Impressive in its ability to manufacture supplies, the ship is still limited in how much it can actually manufacture in a given time. A single engagement may easily wipe out days, if not weeks, of manufacturing.

Provided the ship has the proper supplies, the ship can manufacture about 20 capital missiles, 40 long range missiles, 80 medium range missiles, 160 short range missiles, and 360 mini-missiles per hour. That still means that the ship will require around a weeks to make enough missiles to reload the magazines of a Protector class battleship and likely another week or two to refill the magazines of escorts. The ship can also make up to 20,000 point defense rail gun ammunition per hour. Other materials are made at various rates. The ship has extensive material and electronic testing facilities as well.

As one might expect, the ships require huge crews. Total crew is almost twenty-five hundred. This is even with extensive automation. Only a relatively small number of personnel are required for ship operations. Most of the personnel is required for the factory facilities. Personnel is all military due to the fact that the ship is expected to operate in harm’s way. Unlike tenders, these ships do not have extensive medical facilities.

If the ship works out well in testing, eventual plan is to built a number of these ships and, along with a repair tender, assign one to a main battle fleet. Right now, with only a single ship operational, the plan is to use it to work out any problems with the system. One of the essential features of the ship is that it is designed to operate with a fast moving fleet. The ship is not quite as fast as the fastest Consortium warships but is still capable of four and a half light years per hour. There are civilian factory ships which are slower and are set up to non military materials. They are often assigned to support the initial setting up of a new colony.

These ships are huge with a loaded mass of three times that of a Protector class battleship and a fair amount more massive than a Packmaster class carrier. The design is based on a fast heavy clipper hull design. Power is actually fusion instead of anti-matter. The ship is designed to manufacture anti-matter for missile warheads although in most cases, X-Ray laser warheads are produced for capital missiles.

The fast mobile factory is relatively well armed for self defense. Still, it is not expected to fight as a warship and expected to flee from any potential engagement if possible. Usually as well, several escorts will be assigned to the fast mobile factory. This likely will include a cruiser and several destroyers. Weaponry includes four long range missile batteries, two 12 cm heavy laser batteries, eight mini-missile batteries, eight point defense particle beams, and eight point defense rail gun mounts. In addition, the ship does mount military class variable force fields. Still, they are fragile and only able to withstand a fraction of the damage of a true warship of its size.

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

Model Type:

Vehicle Type: Fast Mobile Factory Ship

Crew: 2,450 total [185 (25 Officers and 160 Enlisted Crew) for ships operation, 2080 factory facility personnel)

Vehicles:

Fighter Compliment:

Mini-Tugs

Shuttles:

	24	Mining Shuttles
	12	Cargo Shuttles

M.D.C. By Location:

	12 cm Laser Cannons (2, top and bottom):	800 each
	Gravity Auto-cannons (8):	200 each
	Particle Beam Cannons (8):	150 each
	Long Range Missile Batteries (4):	800 each
	Mini-Missile Launchers (8):	100 each
	Outer Hull (40 x 40 ft/ 12.2 m x 12.2 Area):	100
	Inner Hull (40 x 20 ft/ 12.2 m x 12.2 Area):	75
	[1] Bridge:	10,000
	[2] Main Engines (2):	12,500 each
	[3] Main Body:	60,000
	[4] Force Field:	6,000 side (36,000 total)

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s hull. This ship does not have an auxiliary bridge. Even if the bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[2] Destroying the main engines means that the ship’s faster than light systems are destroyed and maximum sublight speed is reduced by half.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the cargo ship out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

[4] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (1,800 M.D.C.) per melee round.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light maximum due to military shields. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.7 percent of light per melee.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 100 mph (161 kph), can enter an atmosphere and can leave but is not designed for atmospheric flight. The ship would likely come apart in an atmosphere and are only operated in space.

Stardrive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship to reach a maximum of 4.5 light years per hour.

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either drive system. Carries about two years worth of supplies on board as well as a small hydroponic section for the small crew but normally does not operate for that long without resupply.

Statistical Data:

Length:6,500 feet (1,981.20 meters).

Height:1,000 feet (304.80 meters).

Width:1,400 feet (426.72 meters).

Weight:65 million tons (59.0 million metric tons)

Power System: Advanced Fusion with a 20 year life span. The ship normally only goes 5 years between refueling and refitting.

Cargo: Can carry up to 12 million tons (10.9 million metric tons) of cargo in addition to crew’s supplies. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ship’s officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship’s spaces are take up by extra ammunition, armor, troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.

Market Cost: Cost around 25 billion to manufacture. If sold, likely would cost around 40 billion credit

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Two (2) 12 cm Heavy Laser Cannons: The cannons are capable of destroying frigates and destroyers. They are also capable of damaging larger ships. All the 12 cm laser cannons on a side may be combined as one attack or used separately. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities. Weapon has standard penalties to hit fighters and small targets. The barrels can be can be rotated 180 degrees in all directions. Up to two may be fired as one volley.

Maximum Effective Range: 16 miles (25.8 km) through atmosphere and 16,000 miles (25,800 km) in space.

Mega Damage: 2D6x100 M.D.C. each. Two laser cannons can be combined for 4D6x100 Mega Damage.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of two (2) times per melee each.

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Eight (8) 20 mm Point Defense Gravity Rail Guns: Used as an anti-starfighter and missile weapon and against targets that are impervious to energy. Each rail gun is in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. Projectiles come out of weapons at a significant fraction of the speed of light. Rail gun uses a 20 mm projectile. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 2 miles (3.2 km) through atmosphere and 200 miles (320 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: Rail guns inflict 2D4x10 M.D.C. for a 20 round burst.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: 10,000 Rounds (500 Bursts) each cannon.
Eight (8) Point Defense Particle Beams: These weapons are used for anti-missile, anti-power armor, and anti-star fighter defense. Each particle beam is in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 600 miles (960 km) in space and range is 6 miles (9.6 km) in atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 3D6x10 M.D.C. each.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Four (4) Long Range Missile Batteries: Long range missiles have a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, battery, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets, unlike cruise missiles, and are all considered smart missiles. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Long Range Missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,897,000 km/9.7 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), sixteen (16), or thirty-two (32) per battery, per melee attack.

Payload: 1024 Total (256 long range missiles per battery) in ready magazines.
Eight (8) Mini-Missile Launchers: These are missile turrets used for point defense against enemy fighters and missiles. Even though short ranged, most mini-missiles used in the Three Galaxies are guided. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration.) Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Mini-Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile type (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of four (4) or eight (8) mini-missiles.

Payload: 128 per launcher for a total of 1,024 mini-missiles. Ready cargo holds have an additional 2,048 mini-missile. Reloading launchers from cargo hold takes 1D6 minutes.

[ 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 Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Return