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After 10 months of service, a few ELEPHANT-Class ships had been so radically modified they no longer really qualified as cargo vessels; The First of these was the TABLOE, which had been outfitted
Unfortunately, the old sailor's superstition proved to be right; EMIL LANG was plagued with troubles, with an engine room fire within six months of her re-christening, a fiji failure during her First active working cruise (killing a BM¹ and injuring a BM² and a pair of Seamen), and a unexpected side wind that threw her hard against a brick building, destroying an apartment, killing a 2 yr old, injuring several people, and badly damaging the ship- Three days before the anniversary of her re-christening. With that final mishap, the Earth Defense Forces (Terra's RDF before it was re-named the Terran Defense Authority) ordered her mothballed at Ft. Lauderdale Dockyards to be used as a "training and research vsl" for further development. Most sailors will not board the vsl though unless every single light is on, and the grav pods were removed, shore power permanently attached, the engines pulled, and she's now a static "training facility." Only a few people at FLD know her true history. Most EMIL LANG-Class vsls have not had this run of bad luck though and every single settled and developed planets in the UGC have at least one (some are converted ELEPHANT-Class barges). Model Type: Repair/Construction Crew: Reflects a militry, combat-zone crew. Ship's Crew: About 20. Bio-Maintenance Engineers: 10. Mechanical Engineers: 15. Hull Fitters: 5. Electrical Engineers: 10. Weapons Engineers: 15. Damage Controlmen: 5 Passengers: Few if any; These are working boats, and don't typically have passenger space. MDC By Location: | |||||
| Hull- Bridge compartment- On Water Props (generally 4)- Boom Towers (generally 4-10)- M-16 Turret Gunners Compartment- M-16 Turret Upper Arms (2)- | 8,000 MDC 500 100 each 100 each 300 150 each | M-16 Turret Cannon Barrels (4)- M-16 Turret M.R.M. Launchers (2)- M-16 Turret Gatling Gun- M-16 Turret Radar Array- Anchor Cables (10)- | 100 each 150 each 100 100 20 each | ||
| Note: Usual conditions apply. Speed and Statistical Data: | |||||
| Maximum Hover Speed: 20 knots. Maximum Hover Ceiling: 100 feet. Maximum Sailing Speed: 10 knots. Range In Hover: No limit; You could easily raise the anchors and continuously cruise forever, especially if you ran ONLY on sails for both propulsion AND power. Length: 100 feet. Beam: 25 feet. Height: 50 feet from keel to top of mast, 15 feet from keel to top of deck. Weight: Around 20,000 tons. Displacement: Around 15,000 tons. Cargo: Around 10 tons. Power System: These ships are usually equipped with THREE types of power; The captain holds full discretionary powers WHICH is to be considered primary, secondary, and tertiary. 1: Small Nuclear Reactor; Output: 2,500 KWh at 100,000 hsp; Lifespan: 10 to 15 years. 2: Large Hydro-Cell Engines; Output: 1,500 KWh at 75,000 hsp; Lifespan: Though exact ranges vary based on use, generally there is 1,000 gallons per every 100'³ feet of hull below the weather deck. Every gallon equals ABOUT 20 running hours; at maximum speed, this would equate to 400 nautical miles. Higher speeds reduce fuel efficiency up to 15%. 3: Solar Sails; Also can be used for wind sailing. Output: 1,200 KWh at 65,000 hsp; Lifespan: Unlimited. | Power System (cont'd): 4: Reserve Batteries; Used for emergency power and at night if running low-power (basically hovering at anchor). Output: 700 KWh at 5,000 hsp; Lifespan: 400 hours before serious drain shows; will usually last another 40 before grounding/stalling at sea. NOTE: This is by no means a primary power source; The batteries MUST be recharged as often as possible. Flight Systems: Grav Pods. Thrust Systems: Primary: KKS-451 Traction Drive; Output: 21,000 hsp at 43,000 pounds thrust; Range: Unlimited. Secondary: HCS-413 Hydro-Cell Scram Jets; Output: 20,000 hsp at 39,000 pounds thrust; Range: Varies on use. Tertiary: Solar Sails; Solar sails are the preferred method of thrust for passenger liners. Output: Varies GREATLY by weather conditions; Range: Unlimited if favorable weather. Quadiary: 1 to 4 screw propellers; Only useful in the water Output: 10,000 hsp at 25,000 pounds thrust; Range: Unlimited. Hull Life: 200 years before SLEP, 100-150 after. Cost: 10,000€ per ton; 500 tons equals 5m€. Availability: From 5'×5'×1' rafts to 20'×10'×10' yachts: Always available from your nearest dealer; 20'×10'×10' to 10'×20'×10' cargo ships: Special order, generally taking 6 to 8 weeks for delivery; Above that will take 6 months to 1 years at a shipyard. Black Market Cost and Availability: Stolen ships are occasionally available, but the market for these HIGHLY EXPENSIVE platforms just isn't big enough to justify anything over a yacht. Still, they can be had for a "reasonable price" on an almost constant basis. | ||||
| Weapons Systems: | |||||
1. Model-16 Anti-Aircraft Turret: Based on the upper body of the Mecha Knight Destroid, each military ELEPHANT  has these anti-aircraft turrets, each arranged differently. Each has 4 types of weapons: A pair of Laser Cannon "arms", "shoulder" missile launchers, quintary head lasers, and a "belly" 20ᴍᴍ, 5-barreled Gatling guns for anti-missile defense. Special bonus: The turret has its own built-in fixed forward radar, giving it +2 to strike. Loss of this radar negates this advantage, but the guns and missiles can still be trained by information from the Combat Information Center. | 2) Crews Weapons: No sailor worth his grog would be without a knife, and every manner of weapon has been found on these vessels; Some strictly forbidden to civilians. 3. Cutting Stick: Essentially nothing more than a blunt-tipped, heavily serrated knife on an approximately 3 foot pole. Ideal for cutting lines without getting too close. Purpose: Cutting line under tension. Damage: 1D4 SD; No PS bonuses apply. Range: 1 to 3 yards, depending on who made it and what mood he was in at the time. Attacks per melee: Per user. Payload: Unlimited (until some asshole breaks it). For more information click HERE. 4. Boom And Hook: The boom and hook ("crane") can actually be used as a weapon, though a fairly inaccurate and
Purpose: Destabilizing enemy vsls; Bashing targets into non-existence. Damage: 1D4 MD; However, it 'can' cause the other vsl to have steering issues, and each successful roll to strike causes a -5% to pilot until she cuts her way free or otherwise gets control. Range: The hook can be thrown beyond 60 feet, but can pay out to 600 feet. Attacks per melee: Once ever other melee until hooked; Then twice every melee. Payload: Unlimited. | ||||
| A) Laser Cannons (6): Based on the laser cannons on the Raidar X, these are the main weapon of the turret. NOTE: These guns fire in tandem, like pom-pom guns. If one barrel is damaged, reduce the damage and rate of fire FOR THAT ARM by a Third. Each gun must be targeting the same object as the other (can not be independently targeted). Purpose: Anti-Aircraft/Ship. MD: 2D10 short burst, 4D10 medium burst, or 6D10 long burst. Rate of Fire: 8 short, 4 medium, or 2 long bursts per arm per melee per gunner's attacks per melee. Range: 08 miles. Payload: Unlimited. B) MRM Launcher Shoulders (2): A pair of MRM launchers mounted at the approximate position as the shoulders. Purpose: Anti-Ship/Aircraft. Missile Type: Medium Range. Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 or all 24 per gunners attacks per melee. Payload: 24 per launcher (48 total); Reloading takes about 5 minutes for a full reload (10 missiles take about 1 melee). | C) Quintary Head Lasers: Toggled directly to the gunners eyes, this weapon shoots where they see. Based directly off of the old VF-1 lasers, there are 5 lasers, arranged in the lesser-known zulu configuration. Purpose: Anti-Missile Defense. MD: 5D6 per blast. Rate of Fire: Per gunners attacks per melee. Range: 2,000 feet. Payload: Unlimited. D) 20ᴍᴍ Vulcan Gatling Gun: This gun is actually automated. The gunner activates the weapon by flipping a red switch under a cover on the control panel. The gun can NOT tell friend from foe, only whether an object is closing with the ship and how fast it is moving. If it meets certain criteria, the gun fires, throwing a wall of lead that either shreds the missile OR causes it to prematurely detonate. Purpose: Anti-Missile Defense. MD: 5D6 per 10 round blast. Rate of Fire: Up to 6 per melee. Range: 6,000 feet. Payload: 6,000 rounds (600 bursts). Reloading takes 20 minutes. | ||||
| Civilian Features: | |||||
| Military Features: Only available on Military EMIL LANG'S; These are IN ADDITION TO the above. | |||||
M.D.C.: 5 Effects: The decoy has a 98% chance of fooling ordinary non military radars and non smart guided missiles, and a 90% chance of fooling military grade radars and advanced smart missiles. Range: Released to go wherever it wants. Can fly independently for about 30 minutes. Rate of Fire: Per pilots attacks per melee. Payload: 16 Decoys total. | Effect:01-50 Enemy missile or missile volley detonates in chaff cloud- Missiles are all destroyed. 51-75 Enemy missile or missile volley loses track of real target and veers away in wrong direction (may lock onto another target). 76-00 No effect, missile is still on target. Also note that the chaff cloud will also blind nearby heat sensors (and optically based sensors at night) for 1 melee. They will suffer the following penalties: Reduce melee attacks/actions, and combat bonuses by half. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds. Payload: 60 chaff/flares. Each time the system is engaged, the system fires off 04 chaff/flares. | ||||
