The fifth of five candidates for the initial generation of Oraki star fighters, the Wasp was an order of magnitude more complex than it's immediate brethren, yet judged to have sufficient advantages, mostly in sheer firepower, to be worth production.

Consisting of a single central cylinder, surrounded by six interconnected nacelles laid in a hexagonal pattern, the Wasp at first appears to be an ungainly vessel, especially to eyes used to judging atmospheric craft, although a massive central thruster to the aft, and it's six secondary companions, one per nacelle promise ample acceleration, a promise born out readily. With the secondary engines being so far of center of mass, the ship is also surprisingly nimble. However, with the seven thrusters all fed from the central fuel tank, with only small emergency supplies within the nacelles, the Wasp's Nest burns through its' supply of reaction mass with astonishing alacrity, limiting it to service from carriers or in close defense of a space station. With an average of less than 60 minutes of full delta-v available, it is unable to perform deep patrols.


I seen it happen. We were getting close to that airless hell-hole they call home, warming up the bombs. I saw this strange hexagon of stars appear, popping up over the disc of the planet. That meant maybe six of him, sixteen of us. I liked them odds, until it opened fire. The first salvo tore us apart like a hot knife through butter - me? I ran. Wasn't worth the paycheck.

-Tseng Shang, mercenary.

Each nacelle, meanwhile, also bears a forwards facing heavy maser, each rotating through a 120 degree cone to permit a coordinated, combined assault on foes, either from the onboard systems, or fed through from a carrier or Baleful Eye. Yet, despite this firepower, this is listed as the secondary weapons system on the Nest. The star fighter also carries a complement of 'Wasp Venom' missiles - four on each nacelle, and twelve centrally, for a total of 36 missiles per vessel. Rather than a traditionally explosive ordinance, the shaped charge on this missile is not intended to deal damage directly, but rather, to boost the total velocity of a packed wad of depleted uranium mini-rods - a kind of hyper-velocity shotgun capable of correcting for its target's flight pattern.

Finally, in addition to the solid armor on the ship, the cockpit of the vessel is buried within a nacelle - Normally, this serves as concealment for the pilot - a good marksman cannot count on disabling a single nacelle to kill the pilot. Indistinguishable from the other nacelles, it is difficult to count on disabling the pilot, servicing as a form of protection - most weapons can only hit one of the linked sections of the ship. Technically, this location is not randomized, but each pilot tends to find his own preferred orientation, effectively making shooting at the nacelles a shell game.

The great majority of existing Nests are flown by Sanctuary Home forces - Insufficient production makes them rare in allied militaries and on the grey and black markets.

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