Okay, the writing for the week being done..time for some fun stuff...
(4th Imperial Navy) Rumblefish-class Gunship
“Gunships are identical to SDBs in many ways, but are designed to be carried by other ships and deployed for combat. The Imperial Navy does not favor the concept, though there are experiments underway with gunship carriers. Their projected role is merchant traffic escort or to conduct long-duration sweeps of systems, with the carrier providing a mobile base from which a group of gunships can operate.”--
1248: Bk2 Bearer’s of the Flame, page 135:
Rumblefish Gunship
Class: Spacecraft/ Gunship”
Size: Medium (200)
Tech Level: 10,11,12,13
EP Output: 33 (+12excess)
Agility: 6 (+12 EP) Initiative: +6
Streamlining: Streamlined AF Wedge
1 Battery: Forward fixed wing “Guns”: 2x TL-B Plasma Guns; Attack Bonus +2 (+2 USP), Damage 2d12, Range Increment 4,500km.
2 Battery (Triple missile rack): TL-D Triple Missile (Bomb pumped Laser), Attack Bonus +3 (+USP), Damage 3d10 + 3d6, Range Increment 90,000km.
AC: 28 (+6 Agility, +12Armor)
AR: 12
SI: 115
Acceleration: 6-G
Fuel: 17 tons; Duration: 4 weeks
Repulsors: 0; Nuclear Dampers: 0; Meson Screens: 0; Black Globes: 0
Crew: 7 (1x Command; 1xPilot/Astrogator; 1x Sensors/Comms, 1x Medic, 2x Engineers, 1x Gunners)
Staterooms: 4 Small Cabins: 0 Bunks: 0; Couches: 0; Low Berths: 0
Main Computer: Model/6fib; Sensor Range: Extreme (300,000km) Comm. Range: Extreme/6 (300,000km)
Cost: Mcr 80.3456 (new) excluding missiles.
Cargo Space: nil
Atmospheric Speeds: NOE: 1475kph Cruising: 4425kph, Maximum: 5900kph.
Other Equipment: Medical Bay x 1, fuel scoops, 11x missile magazines (220x missiles each) AR 1.
Notes: Has 1 external grapples/locking clamp to tender. The Captain has the sole occupancy of 1 stateroom; all others share a stateroom.
Installed Components Tons Cost EP Notes
200 dton AF wedge hull +200 26.4 - Fully SL
Armor TL-C -52 26 - AR 12
Bridge -8 0.1 - -
Computer Mod 6fib (TL-12) -7.6 16.8 -5 -
• Flt avionics /2 (-1.6) (3.6) - +1 for Aerodynamics
• Sensors/6 (-3.6) (7.2) - 300,000km/10xS Hex
• Communications/6 (-2.4) (6) - 300,000km/10xS Hex
Maneuver 6 drive TL 10 -34 17 -12 -
Power plant-13 -33 - +33 -
Power Plant Fuel* ½ fuel rule -17 - - -
Fuel Purification plant TL-12 -6 0.032 - -
Hard points 2 - - - -
Triple turrets (1) -3 1 - -
Plasma Guns TL-11 (wings) -4.4 3 -4 -
Triple Missile rack (3) 3 - -
Missile magazines (11) -11 1.1 - -
Staterooms: 4 -16 1 - -
Med bay -8 5 - -
Cargo 0 - - -
Totals 100.432 Mcr, or 80.3456 Mcr w/ 20% discount*.
Based on the smaller Battle rider concept, or “Strike Boats” and their predecessors of the early hellish days of the Usdiki Torpedo Boat service, these smaller non-jump vessels are intended for small carriers or tenders in convoy escort roles. Like all ships of the 4th Imperial Navy, the Rumblefish is built in the TL A-C Shipyards of the 4th Imperium, with as few higher tech component part as possible (power plant, and missile turret being her two highest tech subsystems at TL-13), the
Rumblefish is a fast pursuit craft with economy of space, and budget in mind for the piracy problems of the Wilds trade routes facing Imperial shipping between the larger stellar nation states.
As with their noble predecessor “Torpedo Boats”, Gunships/Strike Boats are numbered, not named, although crews may have their own pet name for their craft, as is traditional in the small boat end of navies. This illustrated example here, craft # 1826, is the 6th boat of the 182nd Strike Boat Squadron, sporting the stylized larger version of the 4th Imperial Phoenix.
Rumblefish unarmored hulls are built at B-class shipyards of TL-A & TL-B then armored up at TL-12 yards after her TL-11 plasma wing “guns” are installed. Here, her TL-C fiber optic computer, sensors, and extreme range communications suite are added. Only one gunner is carried, as the Pilot/Astrogator from his station on the bridge fires the wing plumbed plasma weapons. For longer ranged patrols, an armored SL 20dton modular pod can be installed to the ventral side.
Pod Version 1 is AR1, (unpowered) and carries another 17dtons of fuel for an extra 4 weeks on station
Pod version 2 is AR1, and carries 8 small cabins (-16dt) for up to 16x Imperial Marines for boarding actions, and quick insertion strikes.
Version 3 is an attachment for a 20dton ASLT Launch.
by Liam Devlin, of CoTI. 
