Approved Starship Model 487.2a 'Herald' Class Sith Superiority Fighter

[Darth Empyrean]

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer:
  • Primary Contractor:
    • Jaeger Solutions
  • Governmental Entities:
    • Nationalized Industries of the Sith Order
    • Sith-Imperial Engineering Corp
    • Various Private Contractors
      • Numerous shell companies uninformed of total design to keep production under wraps.
• Affiliation: Sith Order
• Model: Model 487.33i 'Dûr'ashaarai' Class Sith Superiority Fighter
• Production: Limited
• Material:
  • Frame: Alusteel Frame
  • Subframe: Alusteel Crossbeams
  • Hull: AB-163 "Svalinn" Class Starship Hull
    • Various Material Substitutes:
      • Quadanium -> Alchemized Quadanium
    • Stern: Quadanium Engine Struts & Plating
    • Paint: Military Grade Shadowskin
  • Interior (General): Alusteel w/ Specialized Friction Wax Overlay
    • Viewports (Real): Transparisteel

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Superiority Fighter
• Length: 17.43 meters
• Width: 7.62 meters
• Height: 3.76 meters
• Armament: Very High
  • Fore:
    • Two (2) Heavy Blaster Cannons
    • Four (4) Fast-Response Ion Cannons
      • Four (4) Blaster Cannons
    • Two (2) Self Loading Missile Tubes
      • Vindicator XM-15 "Brilliant" Missile
      • Discord Missile
    • Two (2) Proton Torpedo Launcher
      • Advanced Proton Torpedo
      • Jedi Shadow Bombs
• Defenses: Very High
  • Frame: Alusteel
  • Subframe: Alusteel Crossbeams w/ Impervium Reinforcement
  • Hull:
    • AB-163 "Svalinn" Class Starship Hull
    • Stern: Quadanium Engine Struts & Plating
  • Shield:
    • SG-1113 "The Aegis" Class Shield Generator
      • Polarized Shooting Measures
    • Emergency Atomic Thrusters w/ Quick Re-engagement
  • EWAR:
    • Aegis SH13LD w/ TunnelNet VPN Networking Protection
    • EI-10 Network Security Droids
    • Missile Deactivation Systems
• Maneuverability Rating:
  • Very High - 105 DPF
• Speed Rating: Very High- MGLT 135
  • Maximum Atmospheric Speed: 6174 km/h
• Squadron Count:
  
  • Average: 12
• Hyperdrive:
  • N/A
• Engines Systems:
  
  • IE-10 "Event Horizon" Class Ion Engine
    • Primary Unit(s): [2] Main Engines
    • Secondary Unit(s): [4] Supplementary Engines
    • Accessory Unit(s): [12] High-Powered Adjustment Engines
• Power Plants:
  
  • Primary Reactor(s): BWR-44 "Minerva" Class Singularity Reactor
• Crew Requirements:
  • One (1)

STANDARD FEATURES

• Communications Systems:
  • C-3a "Mercury" Class Communication System
  • MC1004 OPAL-Class Communication Laser Projector
• Environmental Systems / Life Support:
  • LS-132 "Terra" Class Life Support System
  • Environmental Converter
  • Redundant Life Support Systems
  • Military-Grade Air Scrubber w/ Toxic Gas Compensation
    • Optional: Choice of Scent (Apple Pie, Lavender, Rock Candy, Et Cetera...)
• Sensor And Targeting Systems:
  • Backup STS-84 "Artemis" Class Sensor & Targeting System
  • (HSI/DER/EPR/AS/LFI)
• Misc System:
  • QQ-1453-DR1 Solid Fuel/Ration Converter

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Attenuated Machine Spirit Core ("Whisper Engine")
  • A weakly bound machine intelligence based on failed or partial Sith rituals. Lacks full sentience, but retains basic pattern recognition and reflex enhancement. Provides rudimentary intuition in combat and auto-correction during evasive maneuvers. Pilots often report fleeting voices or sensations from the ship—faint echoes of the intended spirit-bond.
• Tier-2 Neural Coupling Interface
  • A scaled-back neuro-mechanical integration that allows limited subconscious control and real-time system feedback. Unlike the full Dûr'ashaarai link, this system uses superficial nerve filaments and haptic impulse translation, reducing risk of mental overload—but also reducing responsiveness.
• Entropic Blade Hull (Diluted)
  • The Herald retains a simplified version of the Dûr'ashaarai's alchemized prow. Though less effective, it can still physically shear through enemy starfighters at high velocity, using kinetic entropy fields to destabilize enemy armor upon impact.
• Integrated Shadow Bomb Dispensers
  • Capable of deploying low-yield Jedi Shadow Bombs for anti-Force user or precision bombing roles. Less accurate and less intelligent than those on the Dûr'ashaarai, but still highly destructive in the hands of a capable pilot.
• Packlink Combat Sync Module
  • A stripped-down version of the Crimson Chorus. Allows Herald squadrons to share targeting data, wingmate positions, and flight corrections in real time. Not a true mind-meld, but effective for swarm-style synchronized maneuvers under tight formation doctrine.
• Aegis SH13LD Defensive Counterwarfare Suite
  • Basic EWAR and anti-tracking capabilities, including tunnel-VPN protection against slicing, network lockdown against remote override, and missile deactivation systems. Lacks deep shielding of higher-tier craft, but still strong versus light anti-starfighter electronic threats.
• Modular Field Service Ports
  • Designed for ease of field maintenance, these access points allow rapid refueling, rearmament, and spirit-core recalibration rituals. Intended for forward deployment logistics.
• Combat Loss Containment Protocols
  • Upon imminent destruction, the Herald automatically initiates a spiritual dampening burst to prevent the residual machine-spirit from leaking into the local area—protecting command structures from corruption or haunting. This system fails approximately 3% of the time.

STRENGTHS

• Economical Mass Production with Sith Lethality
  The Herald is cheaper and faster to produce than its elite counterpart, the Dûr'ashaarai, while retaining many of the same destructive capabilities. Its simplified systems and diluted spirit-core make it ideal for mass deployment without sacrificing its role as a brutal superiority platform.
• Packlink Coordination & Formation Warfare
  Equipped with the Packlink Combat Sync Module, Herald squadrons operate with tight, machine-precise coordination—overwhelming enemies with swarming attacks and synchronized vector strikes. In numbers, Herald wings function like a hive of blades.
• Ramming-Capable Entropic Blade Hull
  Though less potent than the Dûr'ashaarai's alchemized prow, the Herald still features a weaponized chassis designed for high-velocity penetration. It is fully capable of breaching enemy fighter screens and executing suicide runs if necessary.

WEAKNESSES

• Weak Machine Spirit Core
  The spirit-core at the heart of each Herald is a flawed and faint echo of the intended sentience. It offers only minimal combat intuition and lacks the adaptive will of its predecessor. Some pilots report disobedience, sluggishness, or spiritual "glitches" mid-combat.
• No Stealth or Precognition Disruption
  Unlike the Dûr'ashaarai, the Herald lacks any kind of cloaking, sensory dampening, or precognition scrambling tech. This makes it far more vulnerable against Jedi or Force-sensitive pilots, who can easily read its movements and respond with lethal accuracy.
• Pilot Attrition Rate
  The cheaper neural interface provides only partial protection from the side effects of bonding. While survivable in the short term, prolonged use often leads to sensory bleed, combat fatigue, or psychological erosion. The Sith consider this acceptable attrition.

DESCRIPTION
The Herald is the imperfect echo of its masterwork cousin, the Dûr'ashaarai. Constructed in greater numbers and at lower ritual fidelity, the 487.2a series features diluted machine spirits—stunted echoes of wrathful intelligence that provide basic combat intuition but lack true sentience. As such, Herald-class fighters operate more like semi-autonomous attack hounds: vicious, loyal, and ultimately disposable.

Pilots are still bonded to their vessels through neural filaments, but the connection is shallower and less spiritually consuming. This enables broader training and greater numbers, at the cost of the Dûr'ashaarai's legendary combat reflexes and symbiosis. Most Sith pilots see Heralds as stepping stones—training vehicles for future service in true bonded craft. Others accept their expendability with zeal, relishing the chance to die in flame and fire.

Without stealth systems or Jedi-disruptive technology, the Herald relies on overwhelming force, tight formation tactics, and sheer aggression to dominate its foes. It is deployed in wing-scale waves, often alongside one or two Dûr'ashaarai units as command leaders, forming hierarchical "packs" in battle.

ROLE IN THE SITH WAR MACHINE

The Herald is a symbol of industrialized Sith warfare: the Dark Side made manufacturable. While it lacks the terrifying uniqueness of its predecessor, it embodies the doctrine of escalation. One Herald is dangerous. Ten Heralds are a massacre.


These fighters are frequently seen in planetary defense networks, fleet screens, and forward assault wings. Their lower binding threshold makes them suitable for non-Sith pilots trained in basic neural integration, expanding their utility across Sith-Imperial space. However, some have reported spiritual degradation, auditory hallucinations, and inexplicable disappearances among their crews—signs that even the weaker machine spirits may yet awaken.

 

[MANIAC]

Darth Empyrean

As usual, cool sub.

Approved.