Avatar-class Heavy Cruiser

From Encyclopedia Hiigara

Avatar-class Heavy Cruiser Classification and cost Category Super Capital Ship Class Cruiser Cost 3,700 RUs Technical specification Mass 131,000 tons Length 391.9 meters Max. acceleration 50 m/s2 Max. speed 280 m/s Hyperdrive rating Short Jump Armament 2 x Large Dual ion cannon turret 6 x Heavy projectile cannon turret Usage Role Anti-Capital Ship Era(s) Homeworld Era Cataclysm Era Affiliation Kushan Hiigaran

The Kushan "Avatar"-class Heavy Cruiser is an expensive, but deadly capital ship invented during the Exodus. Mounting 4 ion cannons and 6 heavy turrets, it can single-handedly wipe out an entire frigate group. Its heavy armor and short repair time make it one of the most durable ships as well.

To offset the great firepower and durability of this ship, the cost and build time are among the highest in the game. Because of the high profile nature of the class, it is best used as a distraction while lighter ships engage the enemy. The Avatar's superior armor will allow it to soak up a great deal of damage that would have destroyed lesser ships in mere minutes.

[edit] Tech Detail

The Avatar is about four times the size of a Revelation-class Destroyer, the next largest capital ship in the Kushan fleet. This, along with its firepower and armor makes it a fearsome addition to any carrier group. Of the vessels in the Kushan fleet, only the Mothership is larger, and by far the Avatar is the most powerful.

The Avatar's weaponry includes six heavy gun turrets, each about half the size of a frigate, which together provide excellent coverage for a capital ship. These turrets allow the heavy cruiser some defense against nimble strike craft, which against most capital ships can be a real threat due to their evasiveness. Yet even more fearsome are the two ion cannon turrets, each sporting two individual cannons. These turrets allow an Avatar to engage multiple enemy capital ships at a time, making the heavy cruiser a true capital ship killer. Against the full power of an Avatar even a mothership class vessel can't last long.

For the fleet that can afford them Avatars are the stars of a fleet. The ship's complement of 150 engineers, gunners, and command crew, are the most vied-for positions in the fleet and the competition for them was even fiercer than that for bridge assignments to the Mothership during the Homeworld War. If there is an Avatar in a fleet it will always be the central target for enemy vessels as well as the key piece in any offensive. There is no better place for ambitious personnel to find distinction and recognition.

When complimented with a pair of destroyers, the Avatar group can shred apart even the largest targets in seconds, with enemy Qwaar Jet cruisers vanishing in crossing arcs of ion beams and withering mass driver fire

This reverence extends not just to the crew but also to the ship itself. If you regard Fleet Command as a goddess, as many jokingly (and later seriously) did, than the Avatar is seen as nothing less than projection of her divine wrath.

Yet the Avatar's job is not merely to serve as a loose cannon. Very often these massive warships are designated as "damage sponges," taking most of the enemy fire while smaller vessels move in for the kill. As a result the repair crews onboard an Avatar are often the best trained and equipped in the fleet.

[edit] Sources

• Homeworld Shipyards
• Just how big are the ships of homeworld?