*Burst Fire.
Burst length: 1.4 s; Burst wait: 1.1s.
The Taiidan
heavy Interceptor, code-named "Triikor" after the
Kharakian predator cat, is one of the most feared
silhouettes throughout the Galaxy's Spinward sectors. The
Triikor was the natural evolution of the Fiirkan scout, but
whereas the Fiirkan sacrifices firepower for speed, the
Triikor is almost as fast, achieving a level of threat
matched only by the relatively recent development of the
Hiigaran Blade Fighter.
Taiidan Fleet
commanders asked for a next generation fighter built around
an ultra-high-velocity rail gun. Initial designs placed this
large weapon in a spinal mount, but the resulting fighter
was slow and easily damaged, with most of its crucial
function placed in a thin layer around the weapon. In an
innovative move, a rarity among engineers who labored under
Imperial tyranny during the pre-Republic era, the designers
of the Triikor decided to create a pure maneuvering fighter
and then place the weapon on a lateral mount. The result is
a unique looking fighter that is tricky to fly but deadly in
the hands of a skilled pilot.
The
laterally mounted rail gun gives the Triikor a center of
gravity shifted a full meter from the cockpit/engine line,
and this gives the fighter some very interesting handling
characteristics while rolling or turning. Novice pilots are
given a wide berth when flying formation, as this
arrangement causes the fighter to swing wildly under high-G
maneuvers until the pilot is intimate with this unusual
center of gravity. But in the hands of an experienced pilot,
this initial disadvantage becomes a dogfighter's dream, as
the right touch can make the Triikor wheel around nearly
twice as fast as standard fighter designs. A wide barrel
roll maneuver unique to this fighter is known as
"rolling the gun," and is used by Triikor aces to
roll out of the gunsights of a pursuer while braking to end
up just behind and below them. Many a Hiigaran pilot's last
words have been a surprised curse as a Triikor rolls out of
her sights and tears the bottom of her ship to shreds a
moment later.
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