Scorpion Class Gunship

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 03/10/2005)

Designed during the final years of the Tirolian Mercantile Empire, the Invid had finally begun to develop new tactics and strategies to use against the Zentraedi forces controlled by the hated Robotech Masters. While small in size compared to all Zentraedi ships, the Scorpion Class Gunship held an impress amount of firepower. This often led to the Zentraedi underestimating the Invid's new ship and being unprepared for its strength. Although still not very powerful in fleet actions, the Invid used the Scorpion gunship to assist in planetary assaults against heavily defended positions that would normally inflict huge losses of mecha. Unlike Zentraedi ships, the Scorpion gunship can functions extremely well in an atmosphere and was used more often in an there then in space.

As the number of Scorpion gunships increased, their uses changed from a support ship to an assault ship. It was used to attack planetary colonies and raid supply lines and escape before Zentraedi reinforcements could arrive. Given several more decades, the Invid would have designed larger and more heavily armed ships in the hopes of being able to fight the Zentraedi head-on, instead of forced to use guerilla tactics, but as fate would have it, the Tirolian Mercantile Empire collapsed and the Invid Regent never saw the need to develop many additional ship designs.

During the Sentinels' War, there were only a handful of Scorpion vessels in the Invid fleet, perhaps as few as 200, which had been build prior to the collapse of the Tirolian Mercantile Empire. While it is believed that some of the Invid Regent's forces escaped, all known Scorpion gunships were destroyed during the course of the Sentinels' War.

Ship Information:

• Ship Class: Corvette
• Year Commissioned: 1982 CE
• Crew: 7 (Pilot, 2 Co-Pilots, 2 Sensor Operators, and 2 Weapon Controllers, all 4th Stage Invid)
• Troops:
  • Air Group: 240
  • Troops: 120
  • Total: 360
• Total Crew and Troops: 367

Vehicle Complement:

• Inorganic Complement:

25	Cougar
25	Crann
60	Odeon
60	Scrim

• Mecha Complement:

120	Iigaa Armored Scout
120	Gurab Shock Trooper

• Power Armor Complement:

120	Malar Enforcer Power Armor

• Other Complement:

40	Malar Assault Speeder

M.D.C. by location:

• Weapon Head Main Lasers (2, one per weapon head) - 600 each
• Weapon Head Secondary Lasers (4, two per weapon head) - 300 each
• Tail Laser Cannons (2) - 500 each
• Airlock Access Hatches (10) - 100 each
• Legs (8) - 500 each
• Observation Deck (Center Head) - 800
• Bottom Thrusters (12) - 200 each *
• Dome Hanger - 800
• Weapon Heads (2) - 1000 each
• Main Head - 1000
• Hull Regions (20) - 200 each
• Main Body - 4000 **


M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 8
M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 16
Notes:

*	Destroying the main engines will severely impair the ship, forcing it to rely on its maneuvering thrusters and its anti-gravity engines. Reduce atmospheric speed by a quarter and rate of acceleration in space by 50%.
**	Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut down the entire ship, including life support, gravity control, communications, weapons, and engines. The command bridge will also be destroyed.

Speed:

• Fold Drive: Uses a Fold Drive with a maximum speed of 5 light-years per hour. The ship's navigational equipment cannot safely execute a fold jump of distances greater than 1 kiloparsec (3260 light-years) and it can only be activated once per hour.
• Sublight: Can travel at up to 15 percent of the speed of light (0.15c) and accelerate / decelerate at a rate of 0.15 percent of light (0.0015c) per melee.
• Atmospheric Propulsion: Uses an anti-gravity drive that has a maximum cruise speed is Mach 3 (2235 mph / 3600 km/h) and can enter and leave an atmosphere with Earth-like gravity.
• Maximum Range: Effectively unlimited by drive system, but onboard supplies for the crew and troops will last for 3 months before the ship needs to be restocked.

Statistical Data:

• Height: 154' (46.9 m)
• Width: 240' (73.2 m)
• Length: 490' (149.4 m)
• Weight: 110,000 tons (99,790 metric tons)
• Reactor System: Invide-style Protoculture Reactor with a life span of 20 years.
• Propulsion System: Anti-Gravity / Chemical Drive
• Gravity System: Internal
• Cargo: A single small cargo bay, usually filled with extra supplies for extended missions.

Weapon Systems:

1. Weapon Head Main Lasers (2, one per weapon head)
   The Weapon Heads are located on either side of the center head and they hold hold the main offensive capability of the Scorpion gunship. The devastating main lasers are identical to the main laser cannons used by the Zentraedi and they are concealed within the head until they are ready to fire.
   • Range: 100 miles (160.9 km) underwater, 200 miles (321.9 km) through an atmosphere, and 200,000 miles (321,869 km) in space.
   • Damage: 1D4x1000 M.D. per single blast.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 23
   • Rate of Fire: Each cannon can fire once every other melee.
   • Payload: Effectively unlimited
2. Weapon Head Secondary Lasers (4, 2 per weapon head)
   The secondary laser ports are located in the two eye-like sockets of the Weapon Heads. The eye lasers can be fired straight ahead or along an arc of fire of 45 degrees.
   • Range: 25 miles (40.2 km) underwater, 50 miles (80.5 km) through an atmosphere, and 50,000 miles (80,467 km) in space.
   • Damage: 2D4x100 M.D. per single blast.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 23
   • Rate of Fire: Each cannon can fire six times per melee.
   • Payload: Effectively unlimited
   • Bonus: +2 to strike
3. Tail Laser Cannons (2)
   The tail lasers are used to protect the gunship from small attacking mecha. The tails are very maneuverable and can point over the top of the vehicle, underneath, directly to the rear and side to side.
   • Range: 1584' (956.6 m) underwater, 3168' (956.6 m) through an atmosphere, and 60 miles (96.6 km) in space.
   • Damage: 2D6x10 M.D. per single blast.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 23
   • Rate of Fire: Each cannon can fire eight times per melee.
   • Payload: Effectively unlimited

Special Systems:

1. Protoculture Cell Energizer
   The ship's protoculture reactor is equipped with a special unit that allows the ship to recharge a limited number of Protoculture cells. The unit can recharge up to 5 Protoculture Cells per hour, but no more then 100 cells can be recharged per day.
2. Protoculture Cell Storage
   The ship holds a small number of Protoculture Cells used by all Invid mecha and inorganics in a large storage compartment deep within the ship's hull. The ship holds 300 Protoculture Cells that can be quickly moved from the storage to the mecha bay to be used in any drained mecha.

Standard Systems:

1. Life Support System
   The ship has a fully operational life support system that provides fresh atmosphere throughout the ship. The life support system can sustain a maximum of 400 people indefinitely or 550 people for a short period of time in case of an emergency.
2. Communication Systems
   The ship is equipped with one communication system, a Hyperspace Communications Relay, which travels at a rate of one light-year every 5 seconds. Hyperspace communications can travel through planets and other obstructions unhindered, are extremely difficult to intercept, and impossible to jam. The ship's communication array can contact with up to 50 ships simultaneously.
3. Sensor Systems
   The ship is equipped with two sensor systems. The first is a Protoculture Emission Sensor that can detect any source of Protoculture energy. The sensor can track tiny targets at a range of up to 75,000 miles (120,701 km), small targets at a range of up to 750,000 miles (1,207,008 km), medium targets at a range of up to 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km), and large targets at a range of up to 2.25 million miles (3.6 million km). The second is a Subspace Mass Sensor that uses gravity-based technology to detect target's at real time speed. The sensor can track tiny targets at a range of up to 100,000 miles (160,934 km), small targets at a range of up to 1 million miles (1.6 million km), medium targets at a range of up to 2 million miles (3.2 million km), and large targets at a range of up to 3 million miles (4.8 million km). See Invid Ship Systems for more details on sensor systems.
4. Targeting Computer System
   Connecting the ship's sensor systems with the weapon systems is the Targeting Computer System. The system is designed to control all of the weapons currently equipped on the ship. This system can track up to 50 targets simultaneously, providing detailed information about the targets from the ships data files. All direct fire weapons receive a bonus of +2 to strike. These bonuses are in addition to any previously stated bonuses or penalties.

Combat Summary:

• Combat Actions: 2
• Initiative: +1 to initiative
• Dodge: +4 to dodge
• Strike: +2 to strike with direct fire weapons.
• Targeting System: Can track up to 50 targets simultaneously.