Nephilim "Stingray" Interceptor
Name: Stingray Interceptor
Craft: Nephilim Stingray Interceptor
Type: Interceptor/Cap Ship Interdiction
Scale: starfighter
Length: 20 meters (estimated)
Skill: starfighter pilot
Crew: 1
Cargo Capacity: 800 kg
Consumables: 10 days
Jump Drive: x1
Nav Computer: yes
Maneuverability: 3D+2
Space: 12
Atmosphere: 450; 1,300 km/h
Hull: 3D+2
Shields: 2D
Sensors
- Passive: 40 / 1D
- Scan: 80 / 2D
- Search: 160 / 3D
- Focus: 4 / 4D
Weapons
- 2 Nephilim Light Plasma Cannons
- Fire Arc: Forward Narrow
Crew: 1
Scale: walker
Skill: starship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-10/20/40
Atmosphere Range: 100-1,000/2,000/4,000m
Rate of fire: 4
Damage: 4D
- Electronic Counter Measure Module
- Fire Arc: all
Crew: 1
Skill: sensors
Space Range: 1-13/25/50
Atmosphere Range: 1-25/50/100km
Effects: Enemy Sensors and Fire Control -2D
Gear:
- Akwende Drive: FTL Drive System. This drive allows the vehicle to make instantaneous FTL jumps
- Matter/Antimatter Power Plant
- Auto-Repair System: Adds 5D to all repair checks.
- External Docking Port x2
Description: An excellent example of Alien organo-technology is the simple but effective Stingray. Confederation pilots will encoutner these cluster ships early, and they'd better know what they are up against the first time out of the chute. These are ships with a purpose.
A sleek interceptor in its own right, the single Stingray is maneuverable and deadly accurate. However, it is designed to unite with two other Stingrays, and its primary goal is to cluster in this way and punch holes in the armored hulls of capital ships.
Stingrays travel in groups of three or more, fighting their way through enemy opposition in order to gain proximity to a cap ship. Each one has two light plasma cannon mounted at the nose of the ship, fully functional as offensive weapons, capable of firing plasma bursts at any target directly ahead of the individual Stingray. Though they act as fighters while separate, this is just an efficient way of conveying the three elements of a cap ship killer to the battle location.
Note that aside from the plasma cannon, however, they are unarmed. They carry neither missiles nor bombs, and can generally be expected to head more or less in the direction of their goal. In other words, although they will not hesitate to open fir eon any perceived threats, they won't be found performing search-and-destroy missions, or performing any form of auxiliary service such as escort duty.
Once in position, the nature of the Stingray changes dramatically. In groups of three, they unite into a single unit, fusing their plasma cannon at a central point, establishing a temporary hull lock through a magnetic/capillary cohesion, and uniting their onboard systems. In a very real sense, they unite to become one ship. At this point the cluster is of almost no danger to an individual fighter, as they will concentrate on their larger target.
As powerful as their combined plasma burst is, it is limited by the nature of the weapon. It is not as strong as a torpedo, or even as deadly as a concentrated missile attack. The Stingray is primarily a threat to weaker, lighter or damaged capital ships, but keep in mind that given the choice of targeting a swarm of Stingrays or a united Stingray cluster, the cluster is far and away the more immediate danger to the carrier, while the single Stingray is of more danger to you.
Source
- Wing Commander Encyclopedia: Stingray Interceptor/Cap Ship Interdictor
- The Wing Commander Role Playing Game (page 310)
- thedemonapostle