Unreviewed JPJ-230 "Baleful" Omni-Eye Sensor Array

[Helix]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create an in-house starship sensory suite for the Helix Privateers and the wider Dzara
• Image Source: N/A
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Helix Privateers
• Affiliation: Helix Privateers / The Dzara
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: JPJ-230 Baleful
• Modularity: Yes
• Production: Minor
• Material:
  
  • General Construction: Helsteel
  • Electronic Components: Helglass

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Pre-calculative abilities
• Feeds data directly to the brains of droid crew
• Wide-ranging sensory capabilities

STRENGTHS

• The Eye Opens: The Baleful possesses a very wide-ranging instrument panel, utilizing everything from laser spectography to electromagnetic radiation sensors. In-atmosphere, these can even include olfactory and fine-tuned radar capabilities.
• Third Eye: Like the smaller systems upon which it is based, the Baleful can detect not only the current position of nearby objects or signals, but calculate their approximate future position as well.

WEAKNESSES

• User Error: The Baleful is prone to calculative errors under the strain of excessive incoming data. Under these conditions, it becomes increasingly unreliable.

DESCRIPTION

In effect a starship-grade upscaling (and combination) of the Aftershock and Carrion systems, the Baleful is the standard sensory array for Dzara voidcraft.

Found on everything from fighters to battleships, the system is versatile and easily adapted to vessels of all shapes and sizes.

As with the smaller systems it is based on, the Baleful utilizes powerful calculative software to estimate the approximate future position and trajectory of every ship, projectile, and fighter within its effective range. This data is fed into the instrument panels (or in the case of droids, brains) of bridge crewmen, offering an unparalleled degree of real-time battlefield data analysis and unity of action.

Incoming fire trajectories and nearby potential threats also manifest themselves as actual visual overlays through the vessel's observation deck or viewport, allowing fire to be easily traced back to its source. While it cannot properly defeat cloaking technologies, it can give a crew some idea of where unknown fire is coming from, and how best to react accordingly.

Likewise, the Baleful system utilizes the same esoteric scanning technologies when analyzing other vessels, ground targets, or incoming signals. 3-D laser spectrography creates real-time images and models of scanned subjects, allowing deeper and more thorough analysis. This analysis is typically advanced enough to acquire detailed 3-D imagery of ground targets from orbit, a trait that ground troops have more than once had occasion to praise.

When all works as intended, vessels equipped with the Baleful can seem almost supernaturally prescient, reacting to actions that have technically not occurred yet, or firing at places where enemy vessels will be, rather than their actual positions. Still, wise captains know to avoid over-reliance on the system's pre-estimative abilities.

Such calculations can simply be incorrect, an eventuality that becomes more likely in particularly-chaotic battles where an enormous amount of data is incoming at once. Doing split-instant calculus many times per second is a useful capability, but regrettably prone to error under excessive data load. The more outnumbered the vessel, and the more chaotic and unpredictable the enemy, the less perfect the Baleful's estimations can be.

The Baleful is thus a useful aid to the modern raider, but only an aid. Older pirates often grumble that grit and a strong arm are what really decides a battle.