Kainan Wolfe
Shadow of War
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To expand the capabilities and story behind Wolfe's flagship
- Image Source: FractalSponge
- Canon Link: (Please link the canon link if applicable canon item.)
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Valiant-class Star Destroyer
- Manufacturer: Shrouded Republic
- Model: Modified Valiant-class Star Destroyer
- Affiliation: Shrouded Republic (Kainan Wolfe)
- Production: Unique
- Material: Laminasteel armor plating on a duralumin and durasteel-reinforced hull for the wedge section of the ship, durasteel for the engine section
- Classification: Star Destroyer
- Length: 1000 Meters
- Width: 501.6m
- Height: 267.1m
- Armament: Very High
- 1 Axial-mounted Composite Laser: Power output equal to that of a pair octuple barbette turbolasers like the ones used on Imperial-class Star Destroyers, but with half the rate of fire. Being an axial weapon, it is also unable to swivel and lock onto targets independently and requires the ship to face towards its target.
- 20 Heavy Turbolaser Cannons
- 10 Heavy Torpedo Launchers
- 6 Hypervelocity Cannons
- 4 Heavy Ion Cannons
- 10 Medium Ion Cannons
- 4 Tractor Beams
- 20 Turbolaser Batteries - Defenses: Moderate
- Laminasteel armor plating overlayed onto a duralumin-reinforced durasteel hull of a honeycombed design
- 2 Shield Generators - Hangar: [Very Low: 2]
- Maneuverability Rating:Low
- Speed Rating: Low
- Hyperdrive Class: Class 3 Hyperdrive (Main), Class 11 Hyperdrive (Emergency Backup)
- Axial-mounted composite laser beam projector firing a white beam for a sustained 1.093 seconds before having to recharge and cool down. Based on technology similar to what was used on Clone Wars-era LAAT/i gunships, on a larger scale, the Dark Star's axial beam weapon has a power output equal to that of two of the eight barbettes on an Imperial Star Destroyer, at about half the rate of fire.
- Durasteel hull plating reinforced by a honeycombed, duralumin structure, with laminasteel armor plating on all sides of the ship, except for the rear.
- Long Range Torpedoes: Being a Valiant-class Star Destroyer, the Dark Star can launch a powerful torpedo salvo from beyond the range of regular turbolasers
- Advanced Comms Suite: The Dark Star is outfitted with an even more advanced suite of communications equipment than the regular Valiant-class, allowing it to serve as a fleet flagship efficiently
- Modular Design: Like other ships designed by WDB, the Valiant was created with future retrofits in mind and as such it can be upgraded cheaply and quickly. The Dark Star is a result of that design, having been upgraded from the standard configuration of the Valiant-class
- Axial Weapon System: The Dark Star's most distinguishable feature is its axial composite laser cannon, an intimidating weapon that can have a devastating impact on enemy morale
- Low Maneuverability: Like regular Valiant-class Star Destroyers, the Dark Star is designed to serve as a ship of the line and its lack of maneuverability means it can easily be outflanked by a more agile vessel
- Low Hangar Capacity: The Dark Star's parent class was designed to perform in the role of brawler and featured a very small hangar as a result of that. Although the Dark Star's hangar has been slightly upgraded, its size is very limited, due to the inherent design of its parent class
- Vulnerable Rear: As with many Star Destroyer designs, the Valiant's shape and engine configuration makes it vulnerable to an attack from behind. The Dark Star's upgrades have not rectified this problem
- Cramped Interior: The Dark Star's many upgrades come at a cost. Internal space (especially storage space) had to be cut down to make room for the additional systems that this ship features and as such, the ship can only carry half the amount of supplies that a regular Valiant-class Star Destroyer does
Originally named Argent Dawn, this ship was built shortly before the outbreak of the Contingency crisis and served as the Shrouded Republic's flagship prior to and during the events of that war. While the Argent Dawn took part in a few minor skirmishes in its early days, a number of critical vulnerabilities were made evident early on during the Contingency's incursion, which led to the ship being pulled back from the front lines for retrofitting, thus resulting in the ship's absence for the duration of that conflict.
While the Valiant-class Star Destroyer is an excellent brawler, it was always intended to function more as a long-range support ship, thus suffering from poor performance in one-on-one engagements with larger, more balanced Star Destroyers such as the ones used by the Galactic Empire.
An extensive redesign process followed the recall of the Argent Dawn from active service, during which the military experts and ship designers of the Shrouded Republic attempted to address the original design's shortcomings. The armor was completely redesigned and the hangar capacity was slightly expanded.
The number of weapons has also been increased. The ship's quadruple weapons bank was redesigned to feature an additional two hypervelocity cannons, raising the number up to six and the ship also received four heavy ion cannons to supplement the ten medium ones that it already featured. Most notable was the inclusion of its ventrally-mounted composite laser cannon. Although similar in appearance to the superlasers featured on weapons such as the Death Star, the Dark Star's main weapon is based on technology which has very little in common with the dreaded superweapon of the ancient Empire. As a result, the power output of this weapon is less than a fraction of that, roughly comparable to two out of the eight turbolaser barbettes featured on the octuple banks of Imperial-class Star Destroyers, although the psychological effect of this weapon can be considerably more powerful.
Renamed the Dark Star, the ship was put back into active service shortly after the end of the Contingency crisis and continues to serve as the flagship of the Shrouded Republic and it has gradually garnered a fearsome reputation, primarily as a result of Shrouded propaganda, although the ship's capabilities should not be underestimated.
