The Katarn Maneuver

[Darth Ayra]

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Summary: A fleeting maneuver/technique for boarding enemy vessels.
Image source: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120612164542/starwars/images/3/31/ZeroG_-_Kathol_Rift.jpg
Submission: Annihilator-class boarding shuttles.
Type: Fleeting

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Description: The Katarn Maneuver was a strategy used by Sith Commanders. Through the use of Annihilator-class boarding shuttles, the Katarn Maneuver was a three step process known as 'phases' which, by the third phase, successfully allowed a boarding party to then board an enemy ship and begin boarding procedures.

Phase one: The order would be given for pilots to begin preparations for their Annihilator-class boarding shuttles for take off, through a pre flight check. As the pilot checked over the shuttles systems, such as life support, fuel, plasma cutters, iron cannon and stygium generators, a boarding party of fifty would board the shuttle and secure themselves in the back of the vessel.

When the pre flight check came clear and the boarding party of fifty were secure, the go ahead was given for the shuttles launch. Activating it's cloak to protect itself from the scanners and sensors of enemy vessels, the pilot would then fly the shuttle and it's boarding party towards a designated target given from the bridge of the shuttle's mother ship.

Due to it's cloak, the enemy vessel in question wouldn't suspect that a cloaked vessel would then begin the procedure to cutting away it's hull (phase two) and subsequently there would be no shields to stop them from doing so.

Phase two: When a target was designated to the pilot, the Annihilator-class boarding shuttle would be flown to the enemy ship. Covered by it's cloak, the pilot would position the shuttle beside the enemy ship and activate it's plasma cutters. The activation of the plasma cutters in turn caused the shuttle to decloak due to the power diverted away from the stygium generators.

In coordination with the bridge of the shuttle's mothership, the pilot should have positioned the Annihilator on the enemy ship so that, if the enemy attempted to shoot it off, then they would in turn cause damage to something important. Phase two involved the Annihilator targeting an area of the enemy ship, such as it's engine room. The idea was to force the enemy to make a decision as to whether they would be willing to damage or destroy a section of the ship, such as it's engines or allow the enemy boarders to board and repel them with on board security teams.

Allied starfighters would be deployed to protect the shuttles in the event that the enemy deployed their own starfighters to destroy the Annihilator. Meanwhile, the pilot would begin boarding procedures by using the shuttle's plasma cutters to tear down the enemies hull.

Phase three: If the shuttle was successful in phase's one and two, then by phase three the pilot would have successfully torn away the hull of the enemy ship with it's plasma cutters and begin boarding procedures. Using the Annihilator's ion cannon, a shot of ionized energy would be fired into the exposed section. On board security devices, such as turrets and internal shields, would be ionized and rendered inert.

The idea of ionizing the exposed section was to allow the vacuum of space to claim any crew and/or security at the breach. When a section of a ship was exposed to space, a shield would normally be used to stop atmosphere from venting, until the breached section was evacuated, where blast doors would then seal the section to stop the rest of the ship from being exposed as well.

With no atmosphere, and the breached section of the ship hosting no atmosphere, the boarding party would utilize Zero-G assault stormtrooper gear to move out of the Annihilator and into the enemy ship. From here, a beachhead would be formed on the enemy ship, allowing the boarding party to then contest for control of the ship with it's crew and security teams.

Following the successful completion of phase three of the Katarn Maneuver, the fifty man boarding party had the choice of contesting control of the ship's hangar way, so more conventional transports such as the Delta-class transports could arrive with reinforcements or it's bridge, where they could then seize control of it's systems. They could also target other areas such as the engine room. The more Annihilator's utilized, the better the chances of success.

The Katarn Maneuver was a strategy devised by the League of Red, a band of Warlords that served the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Voracitos; and would later be taken into New Order and One Sith by one of it's former members, Darth Ayra, who was responsible for thinking it up. It relied heavily on the enemy not suspecting an enemy incursion or battle and the cloak of the Annihilator-class boarding shuttle, which was it's primary weapon.

It was a strategy that allowed a commander to get troopers onto enemy ships. Although unseen, in theory, a commander could also sneak a device, such as a WMD, on board an enemy ship and then evacuate his or hers boarding party back onto their Annihilator-class boarding shuttle before the devices detonation, destroying the enemy ship from the inside out.

The Katarn Maneuver is strategy solely devised for the Annihilator-class boarding shuttle due to it's heavy reliance of cloaking technology. It's use with more conventional transports, such as a Delta-class, would remove the surprise necessary phase one.

In a battle situation, where an allied vessel carrying an Annihilator was already in conflict with an enemy vessel, then the commander would be forced to target the enemies shield generators before the deployment of said Annihilator. This is because the opening phase of the Katarn Maneuver requires there be no shield active at the time to begin phase two.

Enemy commanders could compensate with the surprise tactics of the Katarn Maneuver through the use of crystal grav technology, which has the ability to track and monitor a cloaked vessel. This removes the surprise of the Katarn Maneuver and makes phase one difficult to begin.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

This looks good.

Approved.