*Burst
fire. Burst length: 1.4 s; Burst wait: 1.1s.
The Interceptor
research project, code-named 'Blade' was a disaster for
Kushan scientists and engineers from the very start. Saddled
with too many capability demands from the Intelligence arm,
the first 4 prototypes resulted in an Interceptor that was
capable at performing multiple roles, but was competent at
none of them. The specs called for a heavy version of the
Scout, upgraded engines for higher speed, wings for
atmospheric flight, and multiple light hardpoints for
weapons and recon sensors. Versions 3 and 4 both blew
themselves apart when plasma ducts burned through the
magnetic couplings. The project was about to be abandoned
when a single engineer and a test pilot executed an
off-shift redesign which resulted in the wing sections being
cut away and bonded to the inner hull as thermal insulation.
The resulting ship had lost all atmospheric capability,
along with its multiple hardpoints, but retained most of the
other desired characteristics and, most importantly, it had
ceased to be a guided fireball.
With the need for a radical redesign demonstrated to both
the research scientists and the military, work went ahead to
further strengthen what was now a considerably durable
frame.
The Blade Mk.5 went into final production with a heavy
rotary cannon mounted partially inside the nose armor plates
and a reinforced plating around the drive core and main
plasma vents.
While its checkered past still clings, (Blade pilots still
carry the nickname 'Bomb Jockeys') this heavy interceptor is
slowly gaining acceptance as a space superiority fighter to
be reckoned with.
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