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Deep Space Mining Vessel
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Classification
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Purpose
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Fleet Command
Deep Space Exploration |
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Ship Type
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Modular Mining Vessel
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| Technical Information | |
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Mass
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613,000 tons
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Length
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1215.5 metres
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Acceleration
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10 m/s2
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Speed
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140 m/s
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Hyperdrive
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Armaments
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6 Large Mass Driver turrets
6 Energy Cannons (upgrade) |
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Eras
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Affiliation
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The Explorer-class Deep Space Mining Vessel is a command unit designed by Kiith Somtaaw to handle all situations the miners could find themselves in during their expeditions. Explorers were capable of circuit, harvesting, refining and trading for time of over a year without additional supplies. They were also highly modular, allowing for the removal and construction of other modules more appropriate for their current mission.
Overview[]
Each Explorer was equipped, by default, with an ore canister and a large hangar module with an extra set of drives and a full ore processing plant in the middle, complete with four ore drop-off points. Being modular as the main design point, this configuration could be changed relatively easily by jettisoning these original attachments, making room for other modules more appropriate for the situation. The Engineering Module, Armour Module, Weapons Module, and Advanced Engineering Module can replace the ore canister. In place of the large hangar module, a modified smaller hangar module and 12 support modules could be built in its place.
The hangar module was outfitted for the construction of Resource Collectors for mining operations, Recons for surveying points of interest and potential threats, and Acolytes for defensive duty. Larger ships can be built and launched from the underside of the hangar module, be it ore processors or any capital ships Kiith Somtaaw develop during their expeditions.
Additionally, Explorers possessed rather heavy weapons for a ship its class. An array of 6 large Mass Driver turrets were strategically placed around the ship, giving it a near-360 degree range of firing, allowing it great ability to fend off enemy strikecraft wings and lone frigates. When confronted with a threat, Somtaaw fleets usually retreated back to the Explorer, allowing the added support of these cannons to quickly dispatch unwary enemy units.
The ship itself operated with a crew of 1,150. On extended missions, Explorers could bring a total of 2,000 people, with all the extra personnel stored in cryogenic suspension. this allowed the crew to work in 3-month long shifts, preventing them from being overworked or overpopulated. These cryogenic crewmen could also replenish pilots who were killed in skirmishes with enemy units to maintain a constant number of fighters on escort duty.
History[]
The burning of Kharak and the arrival were not kind to Kiith Somtaaw. The majority of their members were on Kharak when it burned. Out of the hundreds of thousands of Somtaaw members, only 15,000 made it to Hiigara, most of which were men. This led to kiith Nabaal offering - if not forcing - Somtaaw into becoming a vassal Kiith. Somtaaw refused this, and after many other kiithid banded together with them and receiving the support of Kiiths Soban and Paktu, they ultimately overturned Naabal's proposal. This also gave Somtaaw the opportunity to seek their fortune in the stars, gaining access to the Mothership's construction systems. Realizing that this would likely be the only time Somtaaw would ever have access to the Mothership, Somtaaw engineers conceptualized a ship that would be versatile and modular, capable of building its own fleets and supporting the Kiith through all its endeavors. Within the first two days the design for the Explorer-class was finalized and put to construction.
The first Deep Space Mining Vessel to be built by Kiith Somtaaw was christened the name Faal-Corum. The second ship, Kuun-Lan, was built about 15 days after with more powerful conventional drives, an extra layer of armor, and 35% more module adaptability. This feat of ship construction was very impressive considering both Explorers were mothership-class vessels.
After construction, both Explorers searched the star systems around the Hiigaran System for resources to harvest and sell to the other kiithid. They also came back to offer support when Taiidani Imperialists attempted to raid Hiigara on several occasions. However, always looking for an advantage in the technological department, Kiith Somtaaw reverse-engineered ancient shipwrecks and bought technology from the Bentusi whenever the opportunity presented itself, and this mindset led to the discovery of the beacon pod and the accidental unleashing of the Beast, sparking the Beast War.
During this time, the Kuun-Lan took full advantage of its modular nature, gradually converting itself into a warship to combat the Beast. The Faal-Corum, on the other hand, retained most of its mining capabilities to support Hiigara with material income. In this timeframe, the Kuun-Lan built up enough military capacity to take on most threats that found the Somtaaw, replenishing its fleet of warships and acquiring an ancient siege cannon from Koreth's Rift. Eventually, the Kuun-Lan destroyed both the Beast Mothership and the Naggarok, effectively eradicating the Beast threat from the galaxy. After these events, Kiith Somtaaw earned a permanent place among the main kiithid of Hiigara, the Kuun-Lan present during the ceremony.
The fate of Explorer-class vessels after the Beast War remains unknown.
Triva[]
- In multiplayer gameplay, the Kiith Somtaaw command ship can have one of following names: Kuun-Lan, Faal-Corum, Gaal-Ten, Coor-Lan, Teer-Gig, Naab-Corum, Toet-Coy, Eheb-San. Some fans believe that this suggest more Explorer-class ships being built after the events presented in game.
- The Kuun-Lan, the Faal-Corum and the Clee-San were named for different temples on the Somtaaw's Shimmering Path: Purifying Flame, Silent Wayfarer and Truth Seeker respectively. The other Explorer-class vessels likely shared this theme.