Starfighter
| Starfighter | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Spacecraft |
| Universe | Cytoverse |
“You pull the trigger, smart boy, doesn't take a brain to use a destructor. The IMP though, that’s another matter. Inverted Magellan Pulse. It breaks any shield—including your own —within fifty meters. ”
—Cobb[1]
A starfighter is a spaceworthy fighter plane.[2] A number of different starfighters are in production by the machines of Igneous Cavern.
Maneuvering Systems
Boosters
Central boosters are necessary for high acceleration for ships. Regular boosters can be found in junkyards and on hovercars, but grade-A central boosters can only be found on DDF military tech.[3]
The speed of a starfighter is measured in Mag. One Mag is equivalent to about three hundred miles per hour.[4]
Types
Rig informs Spensa that an A-17 through A-32 central booster would fit in M-Bot.[3]
After the sanitation worker comes in and talks to their class, Spensa asks Rig what type of central booster is used on the current version of Poco-class starships. Rig immediately responds that it is an A-19 booster.[5]
Atmospheric Scoop and Wings
Whether there is atmosphere makes significant difference in flying techniques. Although starfighters can fly in space, in atmosphere, they have atmospheric scoops to reduce wind resistance and wings to provide extra lift and maneuverability. They enable turns that cannot be performed without them.[6]
Acclivity Ring
An acclivity ring is a ring made of acclivity stone, a powerful substance that acts as anti-gravity when powered.
The DDF, the Superiority, and the orbital debris field around Detritus use one or more acclivity rings to keep their ships in the air. They allow a ship to remain in the air even if the ship is motionless. These rings are very rare and their amount basically limits how many fighters human can utilize. Therefore, the salvage and recovery of these rings is one of Admiral Ironside's top worries and priorities.[7]
Acclivity rings can be rotated or angled to perform sharp turns and other advanced maneuvers.[8]
In addition to their use on starships, smaller acclivity rings are used for vehicles such as hovercars, hoverbikes, and the floating platforms Captain Hesho and the kitsen use to move around.[9][10][11][12] They are also used as tools to assist lifting and handling heavier objects: such as the maintenance gear Spensa uses on M-Bot.[13]
Several acclivity rings can be used in conjunction to lift something larger, such as the orbital ship yards.
GravCaps
GravCaps, or gravitational capacitors, are a main functional part of DDF starfighters, allowing for more maneuverability than would otherwise be possible.[14] When making sharp turns, the GravCaps prevent gravitational force from affecting the pilot for about 3 seconds,[14] allowing more flexibility than would otherwise be possible. As DDF fighters do not limit maximum acceleration to protect the pilot, the G-force produced when accelerating can easily crush the pilot, so starfighters are equipped with GravCaps. Standard DDF GravCaps can absorb forces up to an extent of a certain maximum and several seconds.[clarification needed]
M-Bot is noted to have superior GravCaps than DDF ships, which can absorb larger g-forces for longer than than the GravCaps used by the DDF. Additionally, M-bot's cockpit is equipped with a mechanism that can adjust the direction of the pilot's seat, reducing the vertical forces on the pilot.[3]
Weaponry Systems
Light-Lance
A Light-lance is a weapon and tool used by the DDF[14] and M-Bot[15] to grapple to debris or other ships, allowing slingshot maneuvers otherwise impossible, rescue maneuvers, and other maneuvers to drag debris into Krell ships.
It functions by shooting a beam of light at the target, attaching the two until the pilot releases them.[14]
It is described as a larger, more powerful version of the light-line.[14]
Destructors
The Destructor is a weapon used by the DDF and the Superiority to damage and destroy enemy ships.[14] Depending on the sequence of buttons pressed, the Destructor can fire a single projectile or a burst volley. The buttons can be held to charge and fire a concentrated beam.
A destructor is an energy beam weapon, and the primary means to shoot down enemy vessels. One destructor burst contains about 30 kus of energy.[1] One shot of it would be enough to take down a fighter if it hit the right spot, but it can be blocked by force-fields generated by shield igniters. DDF shipboard shields can withstand 80 kus which amounts to about three shots.[1] The Krell have both superior destructors and shields than those of the DDF and it usually requires six shots to disable the shield of a Krell fighter.[14] However, DDF ships have two advantages: the light-lance used for grappling and IMP that can disable enemy shields.[expand]
Inverted Magellan Pulse
The Inverted Magellan Pulse is a weapon used by the DDF to disable the Krell starship shields.[14][1]
The IMP emanates from the ship, instead of being fired like other weapons. When used, it has a radius of fifty feet, neutralizing all shields, including those on the user's own ship. This leave all ships in range vulnerable for a time, until they fire up their shields again.[14] This is useful for team fighting, where one ship neutralizes a shield, and their wingmate picks off the vulnerable Krell ship.
It is unknown how old the technology is, as both M-Bot and the DDF fighter ships have this capability.[16]
Notes
- ↑ a b c d Skyward chapter 23#
- ↑ Skyward prologue#
- ↑ a b c Skyward chapter 22#
- ↑ General Twitter 2018
— Arcanum - 2018-11-20# - ↑ Skyward chapter 2#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 13#
- ↑ Skyward interlude I-3#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 32#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 11#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 31#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 34#
- ↑ Starsight chapter 20#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 36#
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Skyward chapter 14#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 30#
- ↑ Skyward chapter 43#