Majestic-Class Interdictor
Template:CapInfobox Template:Quote The Majestic-Class Interdictor is a battlecruiser manufactured by Gutamaya exclusively for the Empire. As a capital ship, the Majestic serves as the backbone of the Imperial Navy and the core of each of its fleets. In contrast with its Federal Navy counterpart, the Farragut-Class Battle Cruiser, the Majestic-Class prioritizes opulence over firepower, as seen in its prominent artificial gravity centrifuge which houses the crew barracks, as well as luxurious quarters and amenities for officials and guests. Nonetheless, it is still a fearsome warship that enemies of the Empire provoke at their peril.
Overview
Template:Quote The Majestic-class Interdictor is the latest of the Imperial Navy's long-running line of Interdictors. It was introduced in the late 3200s and continues the Imperial tradition of capital-class combat ships doubling as luxurious space-borne embassies.
As the face of the Empire's vast and formidable naval forces, Majestic-class Interdictors are frequently sent to participate in events that are of interests to the Emperor across the occupied swaths of the galaxy and beyond.[1] From high-profile political summits and colonial operations, a Majestic-class Interdictor can be deployed at a moment's notice by Imperial command to inspire awe and submission in the Emperor's subjects.
When it is not in use as a disquieting emblem of Achenar’s political clout, it serves as the Imperial Navy’s premier long-range assault platform that can instantaneously dominate any conflict zone it enters. Its bristling agglomeration of capital-class weaponry can summarily bring down death and destruction upon all those who oppose the Empire. If the enemies of a Majestic-class were able to survive the relentless onslaughts of its heavy beam lasers and railguns, the dozen-strong squadrons of Gu-97 fighters on-board— once deployed— could quickly sweep up any remaining survivors.
As of this moment in time, a Majestic-class Interdictor is one of the two most powerful weapon system to exist among human superpowers, the other being the Federal Navy’s Farragut-class Battle Cruisers. No ship nor weapon system in the galaxy can match the size, defensive or offensive capabilities of these two capital-class ships.
From 3278 to 3302, the construction of Majestic-Class Interdictors as well as other capital ships was restricted by the terms of the London Treaty, which was created to prevent an arms race between the superpowers that was projected to occur with the introduction of the Frame Shift Drive. Imperial Senator and Fleet Admiral Denton Patreus publicly spurned the London Treaty on October 21, 3302 in a speech in which he declared he would build as many capital ships as the Empire needed for its defence, marking the Empire's withdrawal from the treaty and heralding its dissolution.[1][2]
Since the outbreak of the Second Thargoid War in 3303, multiple Majestic-Class Interdictors have been destroyed by Thargoid Interceptors due to the former's vulnerability to Thargoid shutdown fields. Since the anti-xeno countermeasures developed for smaller ships have proven prohibitively difficult to scale-up for capital ships, the international research and defence organisation Aegis has declared that capital ships are ineffective at protecting outposts, planets, and shipping lanes from Thargoid attacks at present. Instead, anti-Thargoid efforts have been spearheaded by militias of personal-scale craft.[3][4]
During a period of increased tensions between the Empire and the Federation in late 3306 caused by the activities of the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army, Senator Denton Patreus convinced the Imperial Senate to approve a funding increase for the Imperial Navy in order to expand production of Majestic-Class Interdictors.[5] With assistance from independent pilots, this resulted in four new Majestics being fast-tracked for completion, with planned deployments in Chimechilo, Orannika, Theta Indi, and Zelano.[6]
Design
The Majestic-Class Interdictor is 1,904 metres from prow to stern, has a beam (overall width) of 477 metres, and is 469 metres high.[7] Compared to its rival design— the Federal Navy's Farragut-class Battle Cruiser— the Majestic-class is observably smaller as well as having a more svelte and sleek silhouette. This is not at all a surprising fact, especially when it comes from a Gutamayan design where form is ranked just as highly as function.
The most distinguishing feature of the Majestic-class is the artificial gravity centrifuge which houses the crew barracks, as well as luxurious quarters and amenities for officials and guests. The inclusion of the centrifuge is a testament as to the Empire’s philosophy of having a fleet of armed mobile embassies in space. This philosophy is driven home by the fact that, beneath the ship, is an entire docking port that is uniquely reserved for ambassadors. The harmonious (could even be described as bizarre to some) mixture between politics and military, business and leisure is apparent within the design.
However, as elegant and beatific as it is to behold, the Majestic-class is a veritable battleship and can quickly become a monstrous presence on the battlefield once its captain decides to deploy its hard points and mobilise its crews to battle station.
All in all, the ship is equipped with 17 capital-class hard points that, theoretically, can be integrated with any kind of capital-class weaponry. But as of this moment in time, all known Majestic-class Interdictors are fitted with three colossal dorsal beam lasers and fourteen sets (twenty eight turrets in total) of modular dual-mounted, rapid-firing railguns distributed all throughout the ship.
The laser weapons are mounted prominently on three substructures up on the top deck of the ship, alluding that they are meant to be the ship’s “primary” weapons.
Four turrets are mounted dorsally: one directly above the bridge and three on the bow. In combat, they can either be directed to augment the firepower unleashed by the primary laser beams or be re-purposed to protect the ship against top-flying enemy fighters or sub-capital spacecrafts.
Each side of the ship— starboard and port— is equipped with five turrets. Together, they can deliver devastating salvos of broadside fires to enemy’s ship in capital-to-capital skirmishes.
The underside of the ship is jam-packed with eight railguns spread across the angled belly of the Interdictor. Separated into two firing clusters, each with four turrets and facing either aft or prow, they can quickly neutralise any aggressor who wishes to try their luck at assaulting the ship from below. The last and twenty eighth turret can be found beneath the bow, protecting the ventral docking port from intrusion or ward off frontal attacks against the Interdictor.
The Majestic’s weapon systems compose just half of its offensive capability. The other half is made up of its attached Gu-97 squadrons. They can be quickly dispatched from the ship’s many docking hangars as quickly as the instance the ship got out of hyperspace to interdict and destroy enemy’s spacecraft or harass opposing capital-class ship.
Defensively, as the ship is virtually impervious to any type of weaponry save from the heavy-caliber guns and hard-pounding missiles of a Farragut Battle Cruiser, it can be assumed that it is thickly armoured and sturdily shielded. To what degree is currently unknown, however, with the Farragut-class's design philosophy being as perfect a space combat platform as could be, it is very likely that the armour and shielding of a Majestic-class is not as hardy as its arch-enemy.
In normal space, the ship is driven by three conventional engines. One engine is mounted on a large assembly directly behind the centrifuge. On this assembly, in the form of two “fins” protruding rearward are one of the many heat exhausts of the ship. The other two engines are stacked side-by-side beneath the centrifuge, seamlessly joined to the larger structure up front.
Majestic-class Interdictor is equipped with a capital-class Frame Shift Drive[1] with an undisclosed jump range.
Known ships
| Name | Last known location | Date of sighting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| INV Achenar's Courage | Paresa | Oct. 28, 3306 | |
| INV Achenar's Might | Siksikas | Nov. 4, 3302 | |
| INV Achenar's Pride | Jul. 6, 3305 | ||
| INV Achenar's Strength | Chimechilo | Dec. 7, 3306 | One of four vessels constructed by an Imperial Navy production initiative[6] |
| INV Achenar's Valour | Jan. 11, 3304 | ||
| INV Achenar's Will | Facece | Jan. 1, 3305 | |
| INV Aisling Duval | Napia | Jul. 29, 3304 | Named for Princess Aisling Duval |
| INV Aisling's Hope | Carthage | Dec. 2, 3302 | One of three vessels constructed by Lavigny's Legion to strengthen Imperial forces[8][9] |
| INV Anders Blaine | Pleiades Sector IH-V c2-16 | Named for Chancellor Anders Blaine | |
| INV Anders Duval | Ch'eng | Apr. 24, 3304 | Named for Emperor Anders Duval |
| INV Artemesia | LTT 9810 | ||
| INV Atticus Obellan Duval | Zelano | Dec. 7, 3306 | Named for Emperor Atticus Obellan Duval; one of four vessels constructed by an Imperial Navy production initiative[6] |
| INV Boudica | Sorbago | Part of Senator Zemina Torval's personal fleet | |
| INV Cleopatra | Ongkuma | Part of Senator Zemina Torval's personal fleet | |
| INV Credo | Pleiades Sector IH-V c2-16 | ||
| INV Dreadnought | Pleiades Sector AB-W b2-4 | Sept. 28, 3302 | Stationed above the Alien Crash Site on planet 9 A |
| INV Duval | Itzamnets | Named for the Empire's ruling dynasty, the Duval family | |
| INV Duval's Creed | |||
| INV Duval's Decree | |||
| INV Duval's Justice | Findja | Dec. 30, 3302 | |
| INV Duval's Judgment | Facece | ||
| INV Duval's Might | Orom Djugua | ||
| INV Duval's Pride | |||
| INV Duval's Shield | |||
| INV Duval's Sight | |||
| INV Elizabeth | Sorbago | Part of Senator Zemina Torval's personal fleet | |
| INV Emperor's Creed | Facece | ||
| INV Emperor's Faith | Theta Indi | Dec. 7, 3306 | One of four vessels constructed by an Imperial Navy production initiative[6] |
| INV Emperor's Fame | Facece | Jan. 1, 3305 | |
| INV Emperor's Fortitude | Achenar | Mar. 14, 3307 | |
| INV Emperor's Lance | Fidenef | Sept. 15, 3304 | |
| INV Emperor's Might | Ngalinn | Sept. 18, 3304 | |
| INV Emperor's Trust | |||
| INV Excalibur | Yupini | Jul. 16, 3305 | |
| INV Faveol | 40 Ceti | Named for the Faveol family, which runs the Empire-aligned organization Patron's Principles and controls the Liaedin system | |
| INV Gábor Rénes | Yupini | Jul. 19, 3305 | |
| INV Glory | Potriti | Sept. 28, 3303 | |
| INV Goliath | Ribhniugo | Feb. 25, 3303 | |
| INV Hall's Memory | Facece | Jan. 1, 3305 | |
| INV Hall of Martyrs | Facece | Jan. 1, 3305 | Named for the Hall of Martyrs memorial beneath the Imperial Palace on Capitol |
| INV Hengist Duval | Neits | Named for Emperor Hengist Duval | |
| INV Imperial Freedom | Eotienses | Jan. 7, 3304 | The flagship of Fleet Admiral Denton Patreus |
| INV Implacable | Belobog | Dec. 30, 3303 | |
| INV Invincible | Huokang | May 26, 3303 | |
| INV Marlin | Ongkuma | Part of Senator Zemina Torval's personal fleet | |
| INV Maximillian Wrekcht | Wu Guinagi | May 20, 3303 | Named for the privateer Maximillian Wrekcht, a retired Commander of the Fifth Imperial Fleet who died in 2913 while raiding the Andceeth system[10] |
| INV Replicator | Mundjiga | Named after CMDR Replicator_ for contributing the most resources to the CG to construct the ship | |
| INV Rex | |||
| INV Shield of the Empire | Wu Guinagi | April 18, 3303 | |
| INV Shield of Martyrs | Facece | Nov. 5, 3302 | |
| INV Sid "Duster" Ashe | Yupini | Jul. 19, 3305 | |
| INV Succession | |||
| INV Sword of the Empire | Orannika | Dec. 7, 3306 | One of four vessels constructed by an Imperial Navy production initiative[6] |
| INV Thunderer | Wu Guinagi | July 12, 3303 | |
| INV Trasken Duval | Pleiades Sector IH-V c2-16 | Dec. 29, 3302 | Named for Emperor Trasken Duval |
| INV Trasken Duval III | Named for Emperor Trasken Duval III | ||
| INV Valiant | Gliese 3371 | May 30, 3304 | |
| INV Watcher | Facece | Jan. 1, 3305 | |
| INV Xanadu | Synteini | The flagship of Senator Zemina Torval | |
| Baconneggs | Arevakimos | Jan. 6, 3306 | |
| LLV Charybdis | Carthage | Dec. 2, 3302 | One of three vessels constructed by Lavigny's Legion to strengthen Imperial forces[8][9] |
| Orion | Potriti | Sept. 27, 3303 | Believed captured and operated by pirates |
| RZS Cerberus | Carthage | Dec. 2, 3302 | One of three vessels constructed by Lavigny's Legion to strengthen Imperial forces[8][9] |
| Vanguard | Potriti | Sept. 27, 3303 | Believed captured and operated by pirates |
| Warrior | Regulus | Dec. 10, 3303 | Believed captured and operated by pirates |
Notes
- David Braben describes the Majestic-Class Interdictor: "Where luxury comes is where you actually got gravity. That's why this thing is spinning using the centripetal force to actually give you the sensation of gravity as you move around. This ship is huge and that round section is also huge. The point is even a low level of gravity is very comfortable, you know water settles. The contrast with the Empire is for the senior people at least on this ship they get gravity for their sleeping quarters, for where they eat and all that sort of thing."[11]
- After destroying all of the Majestic-Class's Heat Relays the ship will escape from battle by activating its Frame Shift Drive.
- Most Capital Ships have an exclusion zone, and flying too close to one can provoke it into attacking even if the player is on friendly terms with its controlling faction. In these cases, the Capital Ship will issue warning messages to ships that invade its exclusion zone.
Trivia
- The length of the Majestic-Class Interdictor (1,904 meters) is almost as long as six Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers (337 meters) lined up end to end.[7]
Videos
Gallery
- Imperial Navy Fleet
- Empire Capital Ship
- Majestic-Class Interdictor in combat
- Empire Capital Ship
- Majestic-Class Interdictor rear
- The Majestic-Class Interdictor Xanadu
- Capital ship size
- INV Replicator
- A Viper MkIV resting on the front of an Interdictor
- Forward deck top of an Interdictor
- Gutamaya Majestic-Class Interdictor Blueprint
- MCI located at CHO (3rd of December 3302) High-Resolution (2253x1210)
- Majestic-Class Interdictor in action
- Majestic-Class Interdictor INV Achenar's Might
- Majestic-Class Interdictor INV Rex
- INV Aisling's Hope
- INV Emperor's Creed
- Majestic-Class Interdictor concept art
- Majestic-Class Interdictor emerges from hyperspace
References
- ↑ Galactic News: Economic Turmoil Ahead?
- ↑ Galactic News: Patreus Rails against London Treaty
- ↑ GalNet: Galactic News: Capital Ships Vulnerable to Thargoid Attack
- ↑ Community Goal: Operation Andronicus
- ↑ GalNet: Empire and Federation Increase Capital Ship Production
- 1 2 3 4 5 GalNet: Capital Ship Construction Initiatives Conclude
- 1 2 Elite ship scale 3.0
- 1 2 3 Community Goal: A Majestic Development
- 1 2 3 Galactic News: Latest Imperial Campaign Concludes
- ↑ Data taken from Tourist Spot Beacon 0134, Andceeth system
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4-gyDLRMXg&t=219