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Entry: 073
Subject: XX-9 Heavy Turbolaser Canon
Status: Canon
Capsule:



Remember when I menationed those Heavy Turbolasers that could annahiliate pretty much anything smaller than 20m in a single blast?

This is what one of them looks like.

The strongest defenses that can be made, these babies are usually only found on latge capital ships, space stations, and occasionly as defenses at important ground structures.

Let me reiterate: this turrent can destroy a SHIELDED vessel of starfighter size (20m or less) in A SINGLE VOLLEY.

Naturally, these things take a lot of power, and have a fairly steady cooldown rate. In fact, short of having a small personal fusion battery to power it, you will only ever find these on the larger Imperial bases, since those bases have the huge anti-matter reactors capable of powering all the defenses, shields, sensors, and other stuff the base needs.

But, the cannon is also slow. Capable of firing at a rate of roughly one volley every 1.5 seconds, it has abysmall accuracy against anything small and fast moving, unless it's moving in a straight line. So, if you have a speeder bike or a nimble starfighter and you AREN'T going in an easily tracked straight line, then you should be fine.

Entry: 075
Subject: Cardan-class Space Station
Status: Canon
Capsule:

The Cardan-class Space Station was conceived during the Clone Wars as a means to protect Republic planets and free up the use of warships like the Victory-class and Venator-class that were better served on the front lines.

These stations were built along major intersections (intersections of trade routes, that is) and also in orbit around various planets. In fact, almost every Imperial-held world from the Mid-Rim on up had at least one of these to defend it.

These stations provided a variety of roles: defenses (including laser, turbolaser, ion, and missiles) in the event of an attack, long range communications, customs patrols, military headquarters, and also could serve as the construction facility for Imperial vessels.

There were five basic models of this station, I to V:

The Cardan-class I was your typical station, along with the first design to come out. These could be erected relatively quickly, but provided little more than a visible Imperial presence. In short, they carried only basic laser cannons, shields, and sensors, as well as hangars and manufacturing facilities to construct only strafighters. Because of the small size and lack of defenses, they could be overpowered by pirate and rebel threats with ease.

The Cardan-class II featured only minor improvements on the weapons carried by space stations. The major improvement here was the addition of a maintenance arm, big enough to serve as a small shipyard. This allowed these stations to repair and build smaller warships, such as corvettes and small frigates, like the Tartan-class Patrol Cruiser and Acclamantor-class Frigate. For defense, they were served by Tartan-class Patrol Cruisers that offered nominal defense against enemy vessels.

The Cardan-class III featured even more weapons and defensive capability than the Class-II. Additionally, while it had the defenses to withstand attacks from large warships, it was also capable of producing them, with a staryard big enough to service large frigates and small destroyers, such as the Venator-class Destroyer and the Victory-class Destroyer. They were also serviced by Patrol Cruisers.

The Cardan-class IV did not feature a drastically large staryard, but was better armed than any of the previous classes. Carrying nearly seventy hardpoints, it had twice as many as the Class II. The major inclusion was that these ships now came with their own personal 'fleets' of frigate-sized vessels to defend with.

The Cardan-class V represents the pinnacle of Imperial space stations. These stations have enough weapons and defenses to prevent and stall attacks by even a major enemy fleet. More, these stations have construction yards big enough to build and repair Destroyer-class ships, such as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. These stations are also used to protect the most important of Imperial held worlds. In fact, the planet Kuat had at least three of these.

Entry: 077
Subject: Pre-Fabricated Garrison Base
Status: Canon
Capsule:

Whenever Imperial forces wanted to establish a presence on a world, they often deployed one of these.

Essentially, the PFGB was a large, manufactured structure carried aboard Imperial Star Destroyers and taken piece by piece down to the planet surface and assembled, a process which was claimed to be performed in as little as one standard day.

The base itself was divided into eight levels:

Levels One through Five were all the same level, and contained the vehicle bays, the barracks, the army, and the detention block.

Level Six held TIE Pilots and Officers' Quarters, along with various meeting rooms.

Level Seven included the launch bays for the TIE Fighters.

Level Eight was the deployment chutes and control towers for the base, as well as the command center, that coordinated the entire base, and led to the sensor and communication tower on top.

Each base was led by a Major General, and came with 1,720 base personnel, 1,280 combat troops, and the vehicle detahcment, as follows:

Personnel
300 command personnel
500 support/services personnel
200 technical personnel
200 science personnel
100 medical personnel
100 gunners/weapons technicians
80 walker technicians
70 trade mission/diplomatic personnel
60 ground crew technicians
25 controllers
25 sensor technicians
10 speeder bike technicians
50 Imperial Intelligence officers

Combat Troops
50 walker crewers
40 TIE fighter pilots
800 stormtroopers
200 perimeter support troops
150 base security/detention troops
40 scout troopers

Vehicles
30 TIE fighters and 5 TIE bombers
10 AT-ATs
10 AT-STs
40 speeder bikes
60 landspeeders
100 miscellaneous vehicles (construction, cargo, maintenance, etc.)

Additionally, the Base itself had its own defenses, including three Twin Turbolaser Turrents, six Heavy Laser Cannons, and multiple Tractor Beam Projectors.

The basement of the facility contained the shield generator as well as the power reactor for the entire base.

Also, the base was ringed by a ten-mete high electric fence, anti-vehicle minefield, as well as many emplacements for anti-infantry turrents. The fence was systematically divided into sections, with guard towers every hundred meters, and connected by catwalks under patrol by stormtroopers. Each guard tower included an alarm, search lights, and some electrobinoculars.

Entrance into the base was possible through one of four gates, one on each wall of the fence. These gates were made of forcefields, and could only be toggled on or off to allow exit or entrance through the command center.



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Entry: 079
Subject: TIE/In Starfighter
Status: Canon
Capsule:



One of the most infamous starship designs in history, and a symbol of Imperial tyranny, the TIE/In, commonly known as the TIE Fighter is the go-to ship for the Imperial Navy Starfighter Forces.

The ship was initially a prototype claled the T.I.E. Fighter. This design was first introduced in 22 BBY, just prior to the start of the Clone Wars. There were only two noticable differences to the prototype: Hexagonal wings, and a newer engine.

Whereas the T.I.E. had eight sided radiation panels to collect energy and stabilize the ship during flight, the TIE/In featured larger, six-sided wings. Also, the TIE/In (along wiht the TIE/Sa Bomber) featured the new P-s4 Twin Ion Engine.

Following this design was the TIE Starfighter. The TIE featured the same specs as the TIE/In, but was weaker and slower than the GCW-era TIE/In. It was replaced by 0 ABY.

The TIE/In Starfighter was first produced in 0 ABY. It was even faster than the TIE starfighter, fetauring stronger weapons and engines. By comparison, the T-65 X-Wing could outrun a TIE Starfighter, but not a TIE/In Starfighter.

TIE/Ins were designed to be a cheap, mass-produced craft for the rapidly expanding Empire. Because of this doctrine, the TIE/In was bereft of a variety of features. Whereas these starfighters did include engings, targeting systems, and a pair of chin-mounted laser cannons, it did NOT come with:

- Hyperdrive
- Moving Parts
- Deflector Shields
- Life Support
- Landing Gear

The lack of landing gear meant that Imperial ships and bases had to be retrofitted to include docking ports and braces to hold TIE/Ins, as the wings were not intended for use as landing gear.

Also, the lack of Life Support created another problem. While this did decrease the overall mass of the vessel (and thus increase it's speed), it meant that all pilots had to come equipped with sealed vacsuits that provided air and pressure during combat.

Lack of a hyperdrive also meant that these vessels needed carrier ships to ferry them between various planets.

Eventually, despite its impressive specs, The TIE/In was made obsolete. The first of these upgrades was the TIE Advanced, the ship piloted by Darth Vader during the Battle of Yavin. Shortly, the TIE/Interceptor was produced, not simply a prototype like the TIE Advanced, but as a true replacement. Eventually, the TIE/In was eclipsed by the TIE/Defender.

By 130 ABY, the latest TIE starfighter, the TIE Predator, was in use by the Galactic Empire.

Entry: 081
Subject: TIE/In Interceptor
Status: Canon
Capsule:



If the TIE/In was annoying, than the TIE/In Interceptor was terrifying.

The Interceptor is, as it's named implies, designed to combat other starfighters. Design on the ship began several years prior to the Battle of Yavin, as enemy starfighters became more and more common, and a ship was needed to combat them. The ship itself was in the final phases of testing, in fact, a year before the Battle of Yavin, however it was this event that brought it into production.

The problem was simple. The Death Star was destroyed by an X-Wing, a craft which was nearly outrun by TIE/In starfighters. The trend was quickly seen: had the Imperial fighters been faster, they would've destroyed the Rebel craft.

Thus, the TIE/In Interceptor was pushed into production.

So, what's the difference?:

- Triangular radiation panels, more aerodynamic than the Hexagons of the TIE/In
- Faster enhines
- Wingtip laser cannons, PLUS chin-mounted laser cannons
- Increased stability
- Improved targeting systems

The plan was to replace the relatively new TIE/In with the Interceptor. Mere months after the Battle of Yavin, every Imperial Star Destroyer, base, and space station had at least one squadron of Interceptors per wing of starfighters.

By the Battle of Endor, this was upped to 20%, or 2 squadrons per wing.

Aside from these upgrades, the Interceptor featured the same lacking qualities as the TIE/In: no shields, hyperdrive, or lifesupport.

Conclusion: The TIE/In Interceptor was more powerful than most starfighters and the market, and was faster than all Rebel craft, matched in speed only by the RZ-1 A-Wing.

Entry: 083
Subject: Hyperdrive
Status: Canon
Capsule:


T-14 Hyperdrive Generator

The galaxy is some 120,000 lightyears across. Travelling at the speed of light- 300,000 kilometers per second- , it would take 120,000 lightyears to achieve this journey. More staggering, while there are some billion stars in the galaxy, the average distance between these stars is roughly 1 to 4 lightyears distance, or a minimum of 9,460,800,000 kilometers. Even with the most powerful sublight engines, which are capable of travel of 1,250 kmph, it would take at least 860 years just to travel a distance of one light year.

Brain hurting yet?

The fact was, even if you could travel as fast as the speed of light, a tall order in itself, space travel would be impractical for all but the most important missions. Light was the most powerful harnessable energy source, and it could only travel 300,000 kmps.

The answer to this solution was simple: travel faster than light.

Despite common knowledge, faster than light travel is quite possible. This travel was made possible by the Hyperdrive and the Hyperdrive Motivator.

After receiving commands from a ship's pilot via paralight system, the process of a hyperspace jump began with the collection of gamma radiation by the field guide. A motivator would build up and modify the energy in a fusion generator through several kilometers of looped superconducting wire. To enter hyperspace, the hyperdrive's horizontal boosters would provide energy to the ionization chamber to begin ignition that would release the radiation, causing ripples in the time-space matrix and allowing the ship to propel off the ripples into hyperspace. Inertial dampers were used to protect the ship, crew, and cargo from being crushed by the tremendous acceleration of the jump. Once in hyperspace, a null quantum field generator helped stabilize the vessel and kept it from prematurely emerging from the alternate dimension. Shields also protected the ship from fatal collisions with interstellar gas and dark matter particles. To prevent the relativistic passing of time while in hyperspace, starships used stasis fields attuned to hyperdrive levels to keep organic onboard crews or cargoes "in time" with the standard galactic dimension. (This Paragraph From Wookieepedia.com)

And here's the dumbed-down explanation:

A fusion generator absorbed and fused gamma radiation so much, until the resulting fusion created a tear in the space-time continuum that sucked in the spaceship at an incredible acceleration. The amount of this acceleration depends on the size and efficiency of the fusion generator: bigger, more powerful generators are capable of accelerating faster than smaller, less powerful onces.

The problem with travel through this space-time tear, or hyperspace, is that time travels much faster; the faster you go, the faster time around you passes. A simple hyperspace jump of one lightyear,even if you did travel faster than the speed of light, would still take a year; far longer for longer distances.

To prevent this from happening, ships were protected by stasis fields the moment the ship entered hyperspace. Simply, this shield protected the flow of time in and around the ship while it traveled through hyperspace, meaning that time would pass normally while in transit. Upon exit of a trip thta took only an hour in hyperspace, time in the rest of the galaxy would've passed only an hour.

~

The hyperdrive was first developed by the Rakata, who built the firts known hyperdrive through use of the Dark Side of the Force. After the fall of their empire in 25,200 BBY, the Rakatan Force Hyperdrive found its way in the hands of various species like the Humans of Corellia and the Duros, whom reverse engineered the device and created their own hyperdrives.

Typically, the latest, and fastest hyperdrives were limited to experimental and military vessels, with commercial and civilian spacecraft limited to slower classes.

The Hyperdrive's capability was based on a Class-system increasing in speed the smaller the number was, with 20 being the slowest class. By 30 BBY, the fastest known hyperdrives were Class 3, and considered experimental. By 0 BBY, most military ships has a Class 1 or 2, industrial freighters and haulers used Class 3 or Class 4, and everyone else up to Class 5.

As of 0 BBY, starships with hyperdrives faster than their class of ship was allowed, such as a civilian vessel having a Class 1 hyperdrive, was considered illegal, and a prisonable offense.

The exact differences in speed between two consecurive classes was unknown. It was speculated, but never prooven, that the number assigned to a class (I.e. Class 1, Class 2) denoted how much longer it took to travel a given route. For instance, if a Class 1 Hyperdrive could travel a given distance in one hour, then a Class 2 Hyperdrive would travel the same distance in two hours; additionally, a Class .5 would travel that distance in half an hour.

Most starships had two hyperdrives, a primary one with a high rating like Class 1 or 2, depending on the model of the ship, and then a back-up, much slower hyperdrive, such as a Class 15 or Class 20.

Only recently have vessels as small as starfighters been equiptable with hyperdrives. Almost all Rebel starfighters are equipped with hyperdrives, while most Imperial starfighters don't have one.

Hyperspace travel is only made practical, however, with the use of navicomputers, a computer system that plots the course the ship will travel while in hyperspace. Otherwise, you would just carreen into a straight line, eventually run into a star, planet, or blackhole, and die a very quick, very painful death.

Entry: 085
Subject: Alliance Assault Frigates
Status: Canon
Capsule:

As the Galactic Civil War drew on, several starship manufacturers showed favor to the Rebel Alliance, instead of the Galactic Empire. One of these companies was Rendili StarDrives.

Rendili was the brainforce behind the renown Dreadnaught-class Cruiser, a crew heavy vessel designed shortly before the Clone Wars. The Alliance had need for a vessel of similar power, but less heavy. Thus, Rendili created the AAF Mk. 1



The AAF Mk. I was an impressive warship. While it could only carry a single assault shuttle, the vessel had far more weaponry than the original Dreadnaught: 15 Laser Cannons, 20 Quad Laser Cannons, and 15 Turbolaser Batteries.

Minumum crew was a resounding 1,500, a far cry from the 16,000 requirred by the Dreadnaught. This was made possible through extensive use of droids and slave systems. Also, the amount of weapons a vessel only 700m long (compared to the mile-long Imperial Star Destroyer) heavily strained the power systems of the vessel. It could only carry 7,000 tons of cargo and 100 passengers.

Hyperdrive is Class 2, with a Back-up Class 12.



The AAF Mk. II however was a drastically different ship. While it was roughly the same length as the Mk. I and needed only one hundred more people to operate, the vessel looked nearly completely different.

Otherwise, it is basically the same ship as far as it's specs except for one difference: The AAF Mk. II features a new Mon Calamari Shield design, giving it shields far stronger than most vessels the same size. However, this strained the power systems even more.

Typically, these were the largest warships the Alliance fielded, short of the Mon Calamari Cruisers.

Entry: 087
Subject: Missiles
Status: Canon
Capsule:



Also known as rockets, missiles were any projectile fired from a missile or rocket launcher at a target, usually with the intent to destroy it.

Existing since the earliest known times of warfare, missiles were cylindrical shaped explosives, propelled by internal fuel, and equipped with targeting systems that allowed it to home into an enemy target and destroy it.

Size and lethality of these varied, the smallest being caried and launched by infantry soldiers to destroy vehicles. The largest were fired by capital ships, capable of destroying other warships and devastating planets.

Missiles are also armored, protecting it before from stray fire until it hits its target.