Redjack Tiger Shark-Class Attack Frigate

ST/HP: 500

Hand/SR: +1/5

HT: 14

Move: 6/250 (+12)

LWt.: 600

Load: 140

SM: +8

Occ.: 15ASV

DR: 1000/400*

Range: 200,000, 7 jumps (Rating 2)

Cost: $230M

Loc.: g6t4rL

Stall: 0

Total Chase Roll: +13

*Nanocomposite Polymer; double DR vs plasma attacks. Higher DR protects against attacks from the front. Additionally, it has a Force Screen that provides 750 ablative, hardened DR.

Notes

Redjack Corvette Electronics:

• Ultrascanner Open Mount: 150-mile search range, 15-mile scan range; low probability intercept (detectable at 225 miles); 360° rotation.
  
  
• Night Vision Sensors: +9 nightvision, ×8 magnification (up to +3 to aimed attacks, if the vehicle aims for three turns).
  
  
• Targeting Computers: +5 to Gunnery projects provided a sensor lock is gained.
  
  
• Distortion Jammer: -4 ECM rating.
  
  
• Tactical ECM: +1 to dodge missiles.
  
  
• Large FTL Communication Array: 30-parsec range.
  
  
• Large Holographic Radio: 10,000 mile range (orbital); “palm sized” holographic console.
  
  
• Security and Safety: Simple Locks;
  
  
• Accommodations: 1 cabin; 15 bunks. One workshop, gym and a sickbay large enough for 1.
  
  
• Hyperdrive: Rating 2, with sufficient fuel for 7 jumps.
  
  
• Ruggedized Hyperium Reactor: 30 days endurance.
  
  

The Tiger Shark two computerized control stations for piloting the ship (as well as one for each of its 6 turrets). The engine section contains a robotic control station where a robot can directly plug in.

The Tiger Shark has one, forward-mounted large, “corvette scale” blaster turret with two cannons (total RoF of 2), four modular “fighter” turrets that can mount all standard Redjack 2-ton cannons, and a single, rear-facing turret with an ST 160 tractor beam.

Weapon	Dmg	Acc	Range	Ewt	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl	Notes
Corvette-scale cannon	6d×30(5) burn	9	10mi/30mi	25t	1	NA	M	-10	2
NOV-4 Heavy Plasma Cannon Module	6dx30(2) burn ex	6	4 mi/12 mi	4000	1/3	15/2F	M	-10	3
MIN-3R Mining Laser Module	5d×15(10) cut inc	12	500/3 mi	4000	1	25/5E	M	-10	1
SP74-TR Heavy Plasma Gatling	6dx15(2) burn ex	6	3mi/ 8mi	4000	8	88/ 3F	M	-10	3
Isomeric Torpedo Bay	6d×500 cr ex	3	300/ 10 mi	2500	1	3	150M	-15	1

Hardpoint Modules

The Tiger Shark-class Attack Corvette has two rear-mounted “hardpoints.” These come equipped with clamps, air-locks and boarding torches. They can be used for a variety of purposes, especially in conjunction with the rear-mounted tractor beam. They can pull smaller targets to them, latch onto them, and then board them. More commonly, the Tiger Shark can mount two Grappler-class attack boats, which it can support with its attacks, disabling a target and then sending its on-board crew to attack it.

Finally, it can also mount external pods, which can be thought of as external modules, with their own DR; these can be targeted separately from the rest of the craft. Each Tiger Shark can mount two pods or two Grappler-class assault boats.

All pods can be detached either manually (taking 1d minutes) or with a simple push of a button from any control system (1d seconds to fully separate).

Engine Module (Plasma Thrusters)

Cargo Pod

DR 150; HP 75

40,000 lbs; $250k

This simple, cubical pod contain nothing but cargo space for up to 17 tons of cargo and a large hatch that allows easy access to the detached pod.

Fuel Pod

DR 150; HP 75

40,000 lbs; $250k

This rounded, oblong pod can contain up to 5000 gallons of refined hyperium. Each such pod allows another two hyperdrive jumps, or another month of normal operations. The tanks are not self-sealing and will explode dramatically if damaged, but if they explode while attached to the Tiger Shark, this causes on external damage. Pods filled with refined hyperium explode for 6dx50 cr inc while pods filled with unrefined hyperium will explode for 6dx100 cr inc.

Engine Pods

DR 150, HP 75 (Each)

80,000 lbs; $18M

This set of two long engine pods (and they must always take up both hardpoints, otherwise the ship becomes unbalanced in flight) contain a plasma thruster and sufficient fuel to run the plasma thrusters for 15 hours. While active, the plasma thrusters improve the Handling to +2/5 and improve the move to 10/375 (+13) for a total Chase roll of +15. The fuel in the pods are explosive. If destroyed, they explode for 6dx30 cr inc damage (doubled for unrefined hyperium).

Look and Feel

Redjack designed the Tiger Shark to serve in an explicitly military role. Technically, it serves as a long range “raiding” frigate, which makes it excellent for piracy, which is its primary use throughout the Galaxy.

The Tiger Shark has a familiar and ominous profile. The bulk of the ship is a rounded, blunt “nose” which contains the “eyes” of the control room in a wide, short glass screen; beneath the nose sits its “heavy” corvette cannons in a forward-mounted turret. Behind this nose, the rest of the vehicle tapers to a long “spine” or “tail.” The ion thrusters point out and back from the body. The light “fighter” cannons rest on this spine and can fire unobstructed in all directions. The end of the “tail” or “spine” sits a heavier section of body which mounts the hardpoints and tractor beam turret.

The spartan interior of the Tiger Sharks meets typical Redjack specification. When a Tiger Shark rests on its four landing-gear legs, one can access the interior via a wide cargo hatch in the rear base of the craft, which leads to a cargo bay that can hold up to 30 tons of ill-gotten gains, or via a couple of walkways that lead into the accommodations. The core interior is taken up mostly by a set of bunks for the crew, a nice galley/rec room, a gym, an armory with sufficient weapons and armor for 15 soldiers, and a simple sickbay, which sits adjacent to the cargo room. Higher up in the ship, one reaches the engine room, the workshop, the captain’s cabin and the command section, which consists of two seats facing a board of customizable computer controls, control yokes, and a few cup-holders. All these sections are firmly divided from one another by large bulkheads with sturdy doors, so the destruction of one section doesn’t cascade into the destruction of another section. The interior décor, furnishings and walls have a pre-fab quality to them, constructed of stark olive brown and drab grey polymers and metals, with exposed support struts and arches.

When one reaches the top, they can leave them main body and enter the spine or tail, which mainly consists of suspended metal walkways and great metal doors that can shut off the tail from the rest of the ship. This section is even coarser in construction than the rest of the ship, and leads to workspaces for maintaining the engines and the primary turrets; one must walk the proper gang-plank to reach the turret, and then drop down into its controls. Finally, the rear-most section consists of a single, well-armored room which leads the tractor beam turret and to two spacious airlocks which lead to whatever is attached to the mounted on the external clamps. If engines or cargo spaces are mounted, the crew leaves these airlocks open for easy access to the cargo or the external engine workspace. If the Tiger Shark mounts grapplers, then the airlocks lead to the grapplers. Finally, if the ship has latched onto another ship and has successfully carved a hole in the target ship, then those in the room can board. This room tends to be poorly lit, often with a dim, emergency glow, and the room is sealed from the rest of the tail, preventing anyone on the boarded ship of the rear section from escaping and attacking the rest of the ship.

Tiger Sharks excel at chasing down and attacking other corvettes. Without mounted engines, they can keep up with all but the fasted corvettes equipped with ion thrusters. With additional mounted engines, they can outpace almost any corvette. Most will mount grapplers, which will disembark and attempt to board a corvette that the Tiger Shark has disabled. Their powerful “corvette scale cannon” is enough to damage anything but heavily armored frigates. When facing more powerful ships, Tiger Sharks need to either attack in a fleet or, more commonly, they’ll turn and run.

When Tiger Sharks aren’t preying on shipping lanes, they make acceptable escorts for light capital ships, as they can usually outmaneuver and defeat any anti-capital ship corvette. They also make a decent secondary troop transport, provided you only need 5 to 10 soldiers or a couple of vehicles. They can, also, haul cargo themselves, and tend to be extremely quick when doing so; some people use them as a means to transport high security cargo, though rarely exclusively.