Overview:       The design process of an Interceptor usually follows familiar lines and paths. Designs usually begin with set weight or performance limits, and then the enginners try to cram as much into the fighter as they can. There are very few fighter designs where the primary aim hasn't been that of 'the best it can be', that is, a design that simply tries to do everything well. As a rule, specialization of fighter craft versus a single foe does not exist, except perhaps focussing on a particular range band.       Perhaps one of the most scary assignments for a fighter crew to endure is the attack of an installation or, even worse, of the leviathan capital ships. Bristling with much defencive weaponry, plenty of power to drain into their shields and metres thick of armour, it is small comfort to the attackers that these targets are relatively immobile. It can take often times take many runs to scuff, let alone damage these behemoths. It takes the strongest of craft and the coolest of pilots to pull it off.       Put these two together, and you have the background behind the Tchak' Mul (Thunderbolt). Designed by the Albedo group, the fighter has been specialized for attacking orbital installations and capital ships. No other fighter craft can claim the power the Tchak' Mul does in terms of raw firepower when it unleashes... provided the target is willing enough to 'stand still'. Capabilities:       When the Albedo Design group began looking at the idea of an anti-installation fighter, the primary focus of investigation was, of course, the weaponry: how to pack the maximum punch into a craft of interceptor size. The more damage that can be dished out, the less time the craft spends exposed to enemy fire. Many combinations of weapon groups, coupled with missiles were looked at, with enocouraging results, but nothing was found that would significantly surpass fighters already in production.       Ultimately, it was a human engineer who came up with the radical idea needed to give the craft its teeth. She noted that, compared to most other targets, the targets destined for attack by the new fighter would be relatively 'immobile'. Installations were in a fixed orbit, and both they and capital ships were very large in comparison to fighters, and hence the fighters fly around them as though the leviathan was a new 'fixed point of reference'. What this means is that the weaponry fired at these targets didn't need to have the blinding closing speed of standard anti-fighter weapons, they could be relatively slow. When she brought this insight back to the design team, it didn't take long for the basic craft to be developed. Using the newer GMDC technology, the thunderbolt for the Tchak' Mul is provided by no less than 5 "Heavy" Gatling Mass Driver Cannons.       The actual strength of a shield, that is its pure stopping power, is generally irrelevant. The weaponry used in the modern theatres of war either penetrate the shield, or do not. What the team discovered in this case, however, is that when the shield generators grow to the size they are in capital ships, the field strength actually became powerful enough to stop a regular GMDC shot. This forced the group to approach manufactures to create a heavy model, one that would pack enough energy and mass to punch through the shield.       In the end, the Tchak' Mul sports 5 GAU-Team Avenger HGMDCs, all mounted menacingly in the bow. This gives the Tchak' Mul unprecedented direct-line firepower in the history of fighters, along with the added bonus of being shield ignoring. The Avengers, grouped together, are an impressive sight to behold when firing, the electrical discharge from the magnetic linear accelerators shooting out like a muzzle flash. The shower of sparks that occur on the target as it attempts to absorb the impact is no less impressive. The Albedo group also added 6 hardpoints for secondary fire and defence. These are often loaded with special torpedos for attacking heavier craft.       Though the fighter mounts no turret, the Tchak' Mul does carry a gunner, who's role is tri-fold: to keep a lookout when the pilot is concentrating on a run, to lock and fire the missiles (the pilot firing the guns during the run) and to manage the shields. The Tchak' Mul is the smallest craft to have adjustable shields. While not as adjustable as those in a corvette, this added flexibility proves very useful. The shields have three modes: normal, extra forward and extra aft. It is easy to determine the standard procedure. Extra power is shunted to the forward shields during a run, reversed towards the rear as the fighter shoots over its target.       All this specialization for anti-capital ship warfare leaves the Tchak' Mul rediculously vulnerable to fighter attack. Against fighter groups, the Tchak' Mul is forced to rely on it's missile load for defence. With 6 hardpoints, this is by no means something to laugh at, but it seriously limits any options for normal interceptor combat. Generally, if pressed into this situation, the Tchak Mul squadron will try to barrage fire it's missiles at the incoming fighter group, in hopes of overwealming them in a single, swift strike. Fortunetaly, as can be expected of a craft attacking well defended opponents, the Tchak' Mul has excellent all-round armour as well as shield ratings, which can help it escape serious damage and live to fight another day. Deployment:       The Tchak' Mul has just finished it's pre-production run, with a squadron having now been formed. Carefully planned raids with the new fighter have already taken place, and as expected, the results are nothing short of terrifying. In just a few runs, the Tchak' Mul can reduce a typical small outpost to orbiting junk. The results against VCLA's are even more violent and quicker. The craft has yet to be engaged by enemy fighters, however, and this could prove to be the real test. Until then, the Tchak' Mul has fufilled all expectations. Pilots too have taken a liking to the stubby and slow craft. It looks likely that the Tchak' Mul will go into full production in the very near future, striking out where others feared to tread before.

Class: Heavy Fighter Mass: 321 tons Cost: 4,453,000 Rating Power Mass Cost Right Engine 850 850 9 850000 Cnter Engine 800 800 8 800000 Left Engine 850 850 9 850000 Links 2 2 2 400000 Thrust: 4 Shields Rating Power Mass Cost Front 80 96 2 40000 Right 60 24 2 30000 Left 60 24 2 30000 Stern 60 24 2 30000 Armour Points Power Mass Cost Front 100 0 10 500 Right 100 0 10 500 Left 100 0 10 500 Stern 100 0 10 500 Weapons Location Power Mass Cost Hard Point Left Wing 0 3 10000 Hard Point Left Wing 0 3 10000 Hard Point Left Wing 0 3 10000 Hard Point Right Wing 0 3 10000 Hard Point Right Wing 0 3 10000 Hard Point Right Wing 0 3 10000 HGMDC Bow 15 45 270000 HGMDC Bow 15 45 270000 HGMDC Bow 15 45 270000 HGMDC Bow 15 45 270000 HGMDC Bow 15 45 270000 Crew and Cockpit Power Mass Cost Cockpit 1 1 1 10000 Crew 1 1 1 1000 Accel Comp 0 0 0 0 Atmospheric Controls Power Mass Cost A-G Drives 0 0 0 0 Streamlining 0 0 0 0 Power Mass Cost Totals: 247 321 $4,453,000 Excess Power: 2253------------------------

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