- Intent: Start fleshing out the Krath fleet with the creation of a diminutive but capable carrier.
- Image Source: DeviantArt│TheUncannyKen
- Canon Link: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: The Krath
- Affiliation: The Krath
- Model: Resolute-class Ultralight Corvette, aka the Krath Recon Carrier
Production: Minor
- Material: Doonium-Duramentium Hull Plating, Duranium-Trimantium Frame, Turadium Shutters and Blast Doors, Agrinium Radiation Shielding, Plexalloy Viewports.
- Classification: Ultralight Carrier
- Length: 85 metres
- Width: 65 metres
- Height: 32.5 metres
- Armament: None
- Defences: Low
Light Deflector Shield - Reinforced Hull Plating
[*]Hangar: Extreme [2]
[*]Manoeuvrability Rating: Low
[*]Speed Rating: High
[*]Hyperdrive Class: Average: [1│8]
STANDARD FEATURES
The Krath Recon Carrier is outfitted with all the features and facilities one would expect from a vessel of its size and purpose.
This includes, but is not limited to, the following facilities: Command Bridge, Flight Control Bridge, and Lifeboats [2].
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
- N/A
- Hyper-Dedicated Carrier: With the majority of its space dedicated to a massive, relative to the size of the vessel, hangar, the Resolute-class is entirely dedicated to its role as a carrier.
- Full Speed Ahead: Outfitted with a powerful set of ion engines to allow the vessel to quickly get in, deliver its fighters, and get out, the Krath Recon Carrier is quick enough to outrun most enemies, even starfighters.
- Cramped: With around 70% of the vessel's open space dedicated solely to the hangar, the Resolute-class is able to carry an astoundingly large fighter complement for its size, though it is unable to carry certain larger kinds of vessels, and the lack of spare room means that these vessels require more frequent resupplying than most.
- Noncombative: As a result of dedicating so much space to the hangar, the designers of the Krath Recon Carrier were unable to find room and power for even the puniest of weapons, with its only offensive capability being a ramming action, though these are, for obvious reasons, quite rare.
- Maintenance Nightmare: Unable to fit a proper shield generator, the Resolute-class relies almost entirely on its durable hull plating to repel enemy assaults; while this functions well enough, it means that taking anything but the weakest of hits will slowly wear down its defences, with the hull frequently needing repairs after even minor skirmishes.
- Full Speed Ahead: Despite its powerful engines, the Krath Recon Carrier suffers from a scarcity in maneuvering thrusters, making it difficult for it turn quickly; to compensate for this, it was designed to be able to use its main engines to quickly spin around, though this carries with it great risk for the vessel in combat scenarios. It is, after all, not easy to dodge enemy fire while your main thrusters are being used to spin around, as opposed to taking evasive action.
Originally commissioned to complement the Endurance-class Destroyer, the Resolute-class Ultralight Carrier is an unconventional design, to say the least. Rather than being big and bulky like many carriers, the Krath engineers simply gutted the prototype of everything but the essentials, including weapons, proper shielding, and the officers' lounge, then stuck a massive hangar in their place.
Effectively a hangar with a ship around it, rather than a hangar in a ship, the so-called Krath Recon Carrier has still proven highly efficient in its niche; while entirely unable to contribute in active combat, its high speed will generally allow it to swoop in, deploy its two squadrons, and desperately dash to safety before the enemy can tear through its relatively feeble defences and render it nothing but space debris.
For this reason, the vessels are frequently used for patrol duty; safer regions might see them deployed alone or in pairs, though more dangerous or strategically important routes will typically see two to four of these vessels accompanying a single Endurance-class, with the Krath Destroyer being expected to rush any hostiles in order to shield its smaller and considerably weaker counterparts from enemy fire. Despite their fragility, these vessels are just as often assigned to larger fleets, though with the understanding that they ought to remain at the centre or rear of the Krath fleet, with larger vessels physically shielding them from enemy fire.
At the end of the day, the Krath Recon Carrier is a deeply flawed vessel, though one that more than makes up for this through its sheer specialisation, at least in the hands of a clever commander.
