Taiidan "Koraal" Gravwell Frigate

Homeworld Statistics

Class: Non-Combat
Build Cost
: 800 RUs
Build Time: 60 s
Maneuverability: Low
Acceleration
: 75 m/s^2
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Hit Points: 8,000
Repair Rate: 75/8 s
Firepower: -
Coverage: -
Mass: 10,500 tons

Salvage No.: 2
Nav Lights: 2
Special Abilities
Gravity Well

Required Tech:
Capital Ship Drive
Gravity Generator

Weapons: Damage: Range: Fire Time:
None - - -
Info

The Koraal gravity generator vessel was designed by the pro-capital-ship faction of Taiidani Fleet Command, who felt that having to train endless pilots to fight in fragile-but-expensive strike craft for the protection of other small, fragile ships was wasteful of both life and resources. When high-speed turrets failed to be the final answer in point defense, Taiidani field-effect scientists went to work trying to end the strike-craft threat once and for all.

Their solution was to construct a Frigate-class vessel around a massive gravitic field generator, which was capable a generating a field strong enough to seize any strike craft within range and hold it still in space until it could be targeted by heavy turrets and destroyed. Their initial success was impressive, and soon they were able to launch a prototype vessel that could generate an artificial gravity well strong enough to overwhelm the thrust of anything smaller than a frigate engine.

Unfortunately this technology arrived just as the Homeworld War began, and there was no time or resources left to perfect the technology; the prototype went into full production as the Koraal-class Gravwell Frigate. The energy demands of the graviton generator are still so high that the fusion drives soon overload from the power drain, rendering the ship useless. It takes nearly three work cycles to tow the Koraal back into a Carrier or base, strip out and replace the drive, and then recondition the graviton unit. The extreme stress of the grav field also makes it impossible for turrets or any kind of weapon to function on the Koraal's outer hull.

Despite this, the Koraal is a deadly surprise for any wing of strike craft, and Imperialist fleets often use them to ambush Republican and Hiigaran resourcing fleets. This tactic resulted in a near 100% success rate until the Imperialists encountered a Kiith Somtaaw mining fleet containing Minion-class heavy tugs. As the grav field built up and locked up the acolyte escort wing, a fast thinking Minion crew rammed the Koraal and pushed it out of effective range. The repeated impacts eventually destroyed the graviton generator.

I guess you could say it "corrals" the enemy fighters, eh? Sorry, couldn't resist.

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