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Fighters form the backbone of
any fleet's fast response arm, but despite the fact that
they can engage enemy assets quickly, their effectiveness
drops off considerably if capital ships are present. While
fighters can carry a variety of kinetic energy loadouts, the
most powerful directed-energy system they carry is their own
fusion drives. Plasma bomb technology allowed engineers to
funnel some of that maneuvering power directly into an
attack system. The plasma bomb launcher shunts some of the
drive stream directly into the launcher system, effectively
bottling high energy plasma inside a shaped magnetic field.
The plasma charge moves by venting tiny amounts of the
stored energy, allowing it to match speeds with its target,
but does not allow for any extreme maneuvers. Once the
charge impacts with its target, the front part of the field
collapses first, venting all of the high energy plasma
directly onto the hull of the enemy ship. Because of its
maneuverability limitations, the plasma bomb is nearly
useless against strike craft, but is devastatingly effective
against capital ships and slow-moving support vessels.
The Kaark attack bomber
carries twin plasma launchers mounted to either side of the
dual cockpit, and has a very narrow field of fire. The
forward crew position is manned by the pilot, who maneuvers
the bomber and sets up the attack run, while the back seat
is manned by a combat engineer who monitors the launchers,
warns of incoming threats, and activates various ECM
systems. The last task is especially important, as the drain
on the fusion drive from the launcher systems renders the
Kaark slower and less maneuverable than any other strike
craft.
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