Well of Souls Forums

Very nice page arioch. I can see why it took so long to do, the highland shuttle is going to be a very interesting ship for the next chapter.

as for air breathing jets you could also have th turbines running of the main space drives ( electrical power for the turnbines and heat for the air expansion)

I wonder what type of ship Alex and co are transferring to? Beryl said it was an escort but that could be any thing from a Cutlass Light Cruiser to a Herald Courier Corvette.
My guess would be a Blaze Frigate because it is fast, it is likely to be escorting a supply column, and it is more likely to have space for extra passengers and cargo then a Courier.

What does everyone else think?

Aygar

Aygar wrote:I wonder what type of ship Alex and co are transferring to? Beryl said it was an escort but that could be any thing from a Cutlass Light Cruiser to a Herald Courier Corvette.
My guess would be a Blaze Frigate because it is fast, it is likely to be escorting a supply column, and it is more likely to have space for extra passengers and cargo then a Courier.

What does everyone else think?

Aygar

I'm hoping it's a halberd class ship. Just love the design of it and would get all giddy if we where to see it.

Don't worry, Captain Alexander Jardin! Fireblade feels at least as happy strongly about the travel arrangements as you do!

That being said... woo! Update!

Looking forward to more.

Beautiful ship, Arioch. I admire the power and grace that your designs combine, and the unique styles, too. I can't draw worth crap, and though I've dabbled with 3D myself, I'm forever a mere beginner. Now I feel inspired, however, to try (try!) modeling the Highlander shuttle in Blender, unless you object, of course, as it's your original design.

Timefly wrote:Beautiful ship, Arioch. I admire the power and grace that your designs combine, and the unique styles, too. I can't draw worth crap, and though I've dabbled with 3D myself, I'm forever a mere beginner. Now I feel inspired, however, to try (try!) modeling the Highlander shuttle in Blender, unless you object, of course, as it's your original design.

Thanks. Of course, you're welcome to try your hand at it.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 102!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
..........
............
...............
...................

That is all.

Jericho wrote:

Aygar wrote:I wonder what type of ship Alex and co are transferring to? Beryl said it was an escort but that could be any thing from a Cutlass Light Cruiser to a Herald Courier Corvette.
My guess would be a Blaze Frigate because it is fast, it is likely to be escorting a supply column, and it is more likely to have space for extra passengers and cargo then a Courier.

What does everyone else think?

Aygar

I'm hoping it's a halberd class ship. Just love the design of it and would get all giddy if we where to see it.

Not gonna be a Halberd - those are battleships - I'm sure we'll see them if/when Alex finally gets to Loroi systems.

In no particular order (other than the order they're on teh Insider page in), the possibilities that I see as being the top five: Rapier-class Escort Cruiser, Cutlass-class Light Cruiser, Warhammer-class Destroyer, Curved Knife-class Destroyer, or Blaze-class Frigate. I'd say that a Cutlass is least likely, being the slowest, and apparently relegated to defense fleets, as it's too slow to keep up with the raider fleets
Technically, I suppose transfer to a Hidden Dagger-class Scout or Herald-class Courier are remotely theoretical possibilities as well, however, neither has a shuttle bay, and Arioch doesn't have even a profile image up on the Insider.


Hrmmm ... of my probable top-five, I find anomalies in several.
What's the difference between a "Warhead Launcher" and a "Torpedo Launcher"? The Blaze-class apparently has one of each, in addition to an AMM Launcher. The Curved Knife apparently has two "Warhead Launchers" in addition to its AMM Launcher; the Cutlass has a Warhead Launcher as well; and the Warhammer has a "Warhead Launcher", but has torpedoes on its ordnance list.

Under the presumption that Arioch would have spent somewhat more time, effort, and attention to detail on whichever class of ship Alex is being transferred to ... it would seem likely that he would have noticed such anomalies, although it's always possible that since he knew what it was supposed to say, something slipped through during the editing process.

javcs wrote: Raper-class Escort Cruiser

That takes the naming conventions in a slightly different direction...

fredgiblet wrote:

javcs wrote: Raper-class Escort Cruiser

That takes the naming conventions in a slightly different direction...

Poor Alex - death by SnuSnu.

Trantor wrote:

fredgiblet wrote:

javcs wrote: Raper-class Escort Cruiser

That takes the naming conventions in a slightly different direction...

Poor Alex - death by SnuSnu.

Whups.

your mouth say, poor him, but your head say: WHY NOT MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Karst45 wrote:your mouth say, poor him, but your head say: WHY NOT MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Ummm...


scnr.

javcs wrote:Not gonna be a Halberd - those are battleships - I'm sure we'll see them if/when Alex finally gets to Loroi systems.

In no particular order (other than the order they're on teh Insider page in), the possibilities that I see as being the top five: Rapier-class Escort Cruiser, Cutlass-class Light Cruiser, Warhammer-class Destroyer, Curved Knife-class Destroyer, or Blaze-class Frigate. I'd say that a Cutlass is least likely, being the slowest, and apparently relegated to defense fleets, as it's too slow to keep up with the raider fleets
Technically, I suppose transfer to a Hidden Dagger-class Scout or Herald-class Courier are remotely theoretical possibilities as well, however, neither has a shuttle bay, and Arioch doesn't have even a profile image up on the Insider.

I'd say Blaze, Hidden Dagger, or Herald. It would presumably be something that would travel with a resupply squadron (or fleet? whichever organizational level would be used for that). Even if it isn't a Hidden Dagger I wouldn't be surprised if there are one or two in-system for resupply of their own (assuming that scouts get used to observe the Steppes, of course). It could also be a Trade Wind tanker, Zephyr freighter, or either a Sojourner or an Anvil transport, though I'd be doubtful of an Anvil.

Beyond that, it would probably have to be a ship assigned to defend the resupply ships, as I don't think that there's any other way to justify a combat ship on anyone but the highest-ranking of diplomats. If there were, then they might not have done the switch-over at the supply convoy.

And don't think too much about whether any of these ships have docking bays, I'm certain that they all have standardized airlocks to transfer crew and supplies through, which should be all that the Highland requires.

javcs wrote:Hrmmm ... of my probable top-five, I find anomalies in several.
What's the difference between a "Warhead Launcher" and a "Torpedo Launcher"? The Blaze-class apparently has one of each, in addition to an AMM Launcher. The Curved Knife apparently has two "Warhead Launchers" in addition to its AMM Launcher; the Cutlass has a Warhead Launcher as well; and the Warhammer has a "Warhead Launcher", but has torpedoes on its ordnance list.

As I best recall, warhead launchers fire (duh) warheads instead of being just an ejection system for a torpedo. They can presumably be used for both purposes, but since they're basically mass drivers, and therefor not primary weapons systems, they presumably have lower projectile velocities. I assume that they're primarily used against TTKs and random terrain/debris that the Loroi want to destroy. The Scimitar has one, the Katana two, the Great Sword and Vortex one, and the Halberd two. My guess is that they're utilitarian in purpose. I wouldn't be surprised if warhead launchers are the standard method of "scuttling" a warship for the Loroi. It does look like the Bellarmine's corpse was finished off by a missile, which could be a point in favor of this theory, since it has torpedoes, but no torpedo launcher (not that I recall if Loroi used a torpedo or a missile on the Bellarmine, mind you).

tl;dr: Warhead launchers are probably the lower-performance cousin of the torpedo launcher (and the higher performance cousin of the Mk.1 boot).

Absalom wrote:

javcs wrote:Not gonna be a Halberd - those are battleships - I'm sure we'll see them if/when Alex finally gets to Loroi systems.

In no particular order (other than the order they're on teh Insider page in), the possibilities that I see as being the top five: Rapier-class Escort Cruiser, Cutlass-class Light Cruiser, Warhammer-class Destroyer, Curved Knife-class Destroyer, or Blaze-class Frigate. I'd say that a Cutlass is least likely, being the slowest, and apparently relegated to defense fleets, as it's too slow to keep up with the raider fleets
Technically, I suppose transfer to a Hidden Dagger-class Scout or Herald-class Courier are remotely theoretical possibilities as well, however, neither has a shuttle bay, and Arioch doesn't have even a profile image up on the Insider.

I'd say Blaze, Hidden Dagger, or Herald. It would presumably be something that would travel with a resupply squadron (or fleet? whichever organizational level would be used for that). Even if it isn't a Hidden Dagger I wouldn't be surprised if there are one or two in-system for resupply of their own (assuming that scouts get used to observe the Steppes, of course). It could also be a Trade Wind tanker, Zephyr freighter, or either a Sojourner or an Anvil transport, though I'd be doubtful of an Anvil.

Beyond that, it would probably have to be a ship assigned to defend the resupply ships, as I don't think that there's any other way to justify a combat ship on anyone but the highest-ranking of diplomats. If there were, then they might not have done the switch-over at the supply convoy.

And don't think too much about whether any of these ships have docking bays, I'm certain that they all have standardized airlocks to transfer crew and supplies through, which should be all that the Highland requires.

Well, it was said he was going to be transferred to an "Escort". Ergo, not a transport, but a combat vessel, though not a heavy combatant, but a lighter combatant.
While Alex isn't high-ranking from the Human perspective ... from the Loroi perspective, he's the only living example of a brand-new species that evidently has incredible natural Lotai, and he was technically recognized as Plenipotentiary Ambassador. He's the only one who can tell them where he came from, and thus, if they're not an Umiak bioconstruct, the only way to get to them first. He's considered important enough that Fireblade (and two other Marines) are being sent back with him as his guards/first response team to him being a threat.
As for combat ships (escorts are combat ships) with the resupply ships, IIRC, Arioch said (sometime in the past) that we were going to see a Farseer being transferred to/from the Strike Group, plus the resupply ships would require a number of guards.
I'm inclined against a Herald or Hidden Dagger for multiple reasons, the lack of a shuttlebay is only one of them, far more relevant are the need for there to be sufficient space to have Alex in secure and guarded quarters, likely largely isolated from the crew; a more meta-reason is the lack of a profile on the Insider - Arioch has had things planned for long enough where any ships we're likely to see anytime soon are largely fleshed out in whatever degree of detail is necessary.

Absalom wrote:

javcs wrote:Hrmmm ... of my probable top-five, I find anomalies in several.
What's the difference between a "Warhead Launcher" and a "Torpedo Launcher"? The Blaze-class apparently has one of each, in addition to an AMM Launcher. The Curved Knife apparently has two "Warhead Launchers" in addition to its AMM Launcher; the Cutlass has a Warhead Launcher as well; and the Warhammer has a "Warhead Launcher", but has torpedoes on its ordnance list.

As I best recall, warhead launchers fire (duh) warheads instead of being just an ejection system for a torpedo. They can presumably be used for both purposes, but since they're basically mass drivers, and therefor not primary weapons systems, they presumably have lower projectile velocities. I assume that they're primarily used against TTKs and random terrain/debris that the Loroi want to destroy. The Scimitar has one, the Katana two, the Great Sword and Vortex one, and the Halberd two. My guess is that they're utilitarian in purpose. I wouldn't be surprised if warhead launchers are the standard method of "scuttling" a warship for the Loroi. It does look like the Bellarmine's corpse was finished off by a missile, which could be a point in favor of this theory, since it has torpedoes, but no torpedo launcher (not that I recall if Loroi used a torpedo or a missile on the Bellarmine, mind you).

tl;dr: Warhead launchers are probably the lower-performance cousin of the torpedo launcher (and the higher performance cousin of the Mk.1 boot).

Logically then, "Warhead Launchers" would have something in the Ordnance list.

Absalom wrote: Warhead launchers are probably the lower-performance cousin of the torpedo launcher (and the higher performance cousin of the Mk.1 boot). --- My guess is that they're utilitarian in purpose.

That's essentially correct. I can understand the confusion, as my nomenclature for the missile launch systems isn't very well worked out. I should be able to clean this up a bit when the Ship Systems page is finished.

On most Loroi vessels, torpedoes are carried on standardized racks and are launched by essentially kicking them out of a door; the torpedo's maneuvering thrusters propel it to a safe distance from the firing ship at which point the main drive is lit. These racks are not currently listed in the class manifests.

The "warhead launcher" is a multi-purpose launch tube used to give initial velocity to any projectile - torpedoes, AMM's, warheads. It is primarily used for launching warheads or "bombs", which are minimally-guided and will benefit from the boost, as they don't have a main drive. Bombs aren't listed in the ordnance list because they're basically just containers for starship fuel, which is drawn from the launching vessel's engines, so they're very inexpensive and generally on hand.

A "torpedo launcher" is a higher-performance version of the same thing specialized for torpedoes.

Arioch wrote:

Absalom wrote: Warhead launchers are probably the lower-performance cousin of the torpedo launcher (and the higher performance cousin of the Mk.1 boot). --- My guess is that they're utilitarian in purpose.

That's essentially correct. I can understand the confusion, as my nomenclature for the missile launch systems isn't very well worked out. I should be able to clean this up a bit when the Ship Systems page is finished.

On most Loroi vessels, torpedoes are carried on standardized racks and are launched by essentially kicking them out of a door; the torpedo's maneuvering thrusters propel it to a safe distance from the firing ship at which point the main drive is lit. These racks are not currently listed in the class manifests.

The "warhead launcher" is a multi-purpose launch tube used to give initial velocity to any projectile - torpedoes, AMM's, warheads. It is primarily used for launching warheads or "bombs", which are minimally-guided and will benefit from the boost, as they don't have a main drive. Bombs aren't listed in the ordnance list because they're basically just containers for starship fuel, which is drawn from the launching vessel's engines, so they're very inexpensive and generally on hand.

A "torpedo launcher" is a higher-performance version of the same thing specialized for torpedoes.

Thanks for the clarification. I'd suggest an appendix to the weapon pages ... or maybe just adding the information to the Q&A section on the Shipboard Weapon Profile page until you've gotten the Ship Systems page up; though I'm not quite sure if launchers should be under Ship Systems rather than Shipboard Weapons. :/

Sidenote: The Blaze-class Frigate has a torpedo launcher, but no torpedoes listed.

javcs wrote:

Arioch wrote:On most Loroi vessels, torpedoes are carried on standardized racks and are launched by essentially kicking them out of a door; the torpedo's maneuvering thrusters propel it to a safe distance from the firing ship at which point the main drive is lit. These racks are not currently listed in the class manifests.

javcs wrote:Sidenote: The Blaze-class Frigate has a torpedo launcher, but no torpedoes listed.

Just a guess, but I'd suspect that most of the Blaze class currently have empty ordnance racks, and that the torpedoes aren't listed because they're no longer issued to ships of the class in any ordinary situation.

Absalom wrote:

javcs wrote:

Arioch wrote:On most Loroi vessels, torpedoes are carried on standardized racks and are launched by essentially kicking them out of a door; the torpedo's maneuvering thrusters propel it to a safe distance from the firing ship at which point the main drive is lit. These racks are not currently listed in the class manifests.

javcs wrote:Sidenote: The Blaze-class Frigate has a torpedo launcher, but no torpedoes listed.

Just a guess, but I'd suspect that most of the Blaze class currently have empty ordnance racks, and that the torpedoes aren't listed because they're no longer issued to ships of the class in any ordinary situation.

I can buy that, I suppose. It does look a bit as though they'd likely not last real long in the ranges where Loroi doctrine usually employs torpedoes, and any torps that they hadn't launched would likely be lost with the ship.

Mmm... I'm guessing either a Warhammer or Cutlass class ship, with the latter more likely because it has slower acceleration (no need for speed as escort of a supply fleet).