Post by Darth Kairos on Apr 23, 2015 14:03:36 GMT
Production Information
Manufacturer(s):
Free Dac Shipyards
Unknown Chiss Ascendancy Shipyards
Model:
Ascendancy-class Heavy Cruiser
Class:
Heavy Cruiser
Technical Specifications
Length:
773m
Width:
221m
Height/Depth:
156m
Engine Unit(s):
4 ion engines
Hyperdrive Rating:
Class 2.0
Backup class 12
Class 1.5 (Chiss Ascendancy variant)
Backup class 8.0 (Chiss Ascendancy variant)
Shielding:
Equipped (comparable to half of those of a Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruiser)
Hull:
Alusteel/Tungsten Composite
Armament:
Primary Mass-driver cannon (1)
Secondary Mass-driver cannon (2)
Turbolaser Cannons (20)
Laser Cannons (20)
Tractor Beam Projectors (5)
Complement:
12 TIE Starfighters
3 Shuttles
Crew:
Crewmembers (3,200)
Gunners (140)
Minimum Crew:
Crewmembers (1,060)
Passengers:
210 (troops)
Cargo Capacity:
10,000 metric tonnes (Predominantly used for storage of Mass Accelerator rounds)
Consumables:
6 months
Usage:
Roles(s):
Destroyer
Era(s):
Obsidian Union Era
Affiliation:
Obsidian Union
Chiss Ascendancy
The Ascendancy-class Heavy Cruiser, also known as the Ascendancy-class Destroyer, was a model of warship designed jointly by engineers of the Obsidian Union and Chiss Ascendancy, and one of the most expensive cruiser designs fielded by either faction. It was first deployed by the Union during Operation Arch-Magister in 35ABY, and represented a significant shift away from common galactic warship designs due to its reliance on large-scale Mass-driver technology.
The Chiss Ascendancy and Obsidian Union, despite cooperating on the design, made several individual changes to the Cruiser’s final design before starting full production in their respective home territories, representing each faction’s particular strategic doctrines. This resulted in two slightly different variants of the same warship, though the majority of systems remained the same. It was designed first-and-foremost as an anti-capital warship, and its powerful mass-drivers gave it the ability to engage ships almost double its size when at range.
Characteristics
When compared to most warships, the Ascendancy-class appeared almost alien for its use of curving edges and sloped races, compared to the angular or boxy designs of most warships in use in the galaxy. The entire ship was based around three massive mass-driver rail guns the barrels of which ran the length of almost the entire ship.
Propulsion
The Ascendancy-class’ main propulsion systems consisted of four powerful ion engines which, whilst allowing for moderate straight-line speed in space, did not lend themselves well to speed in maneuvering, and were at a disadvantage when in close to a planet’s gravitational field. The vessel’s hull was lined with a number of maneuvering thrusters designed for precise yaw, pitch and roll maneuvering. This was essential in order to aim at targets moving potentially hundreds of kilometers away – though rapid and unpredictable combat movements and evasive maneuvers were beyond the ship’s abilities to compensate for.
Cost
The exact cost of a single Ascendancy-class Heavy Cruiser was never publicly released, as every possible security caution was taken to prevent information on the class falling into Galactic Alliance hands. Nevertheless, military analysts within the Union military-industrial complex estimated the cost of an Ascendancy-class as being as low as three-to-four-times as expensive, possibly higher, as a standard Victory II-class Star Destroyer, a heavy cruiser of greater size and renown. Much of this cost was believed to come from the mass-drivers themselves; the firing of a rail gun typically causes enormous damage to the rails themselves, usually to the point where they must be replaced immediately before another shot may be fired. The cost of researching, fabricating, and installing rails capable of withstanding multiple shots without sustaining damage substantially added to the cost of the vessel, as did its heavy armour.
The high cost was a prohibitive factor in the widespread deployment of these vessels; whilst Ascendancy-classes were extremely effective at engaging capital ships, they were not as versatile as most other warships. Designs such as the Venator- or Victory-class Star Destroyers, which were substantially cheaper, were more effective to produce and field, as the Ascendancy-class had little value outside of fleet combat.
Curiously, the Chiss Ascendancy did not seem as restricted by the vessel’s cost as the Obsidian Union was, and were able to field at least a dozen of these vessels in their (much smaller) Starfleet, complementing their Star Destroyer-designs. It’s believed that differences in design – or perhaps more efficient construction techniques – resulted in a lower production cost for the Chiss , though if these secret credit-savers exist it is unlikely they were ever shared with the Obsidian Union.
Crew Requirements
The standard Ascendancy model required an optimal crew of 3,200 assorted crewmen and officers, with an additional 140 crewmen to operate the ship’s weapons. Advanced targeting computers, combined with a lower number of laser cannons overall, meant that a number of these gunners operated the ship’s main mass-drivers instead of the turbolaserturrets they typically would. A disproportionate number of these 3,200 crewmen were dedicated solely to constant examination, analysis and, if need be, repair of the three mass-drivers. Additionally, the Destroyer carried a complement of 210 Stellar Marines, charged solely with the defence of the vessel in the event it was boarded by enemy forces.
Offensive and Defensive Systems
The ultimate purpose of the Ascendancy-class was to serve as a mobile platform for the three mass-driver cannons it carried. Substantially heavier than mass-drivers normally found on warships, the weapons consisted of one primary cannon and two secondary cannons. The primary cannon, the shaft of which ran nearly the entire length of the ship, was capable of accelerating a projectile to speeds in excess of ten kilometers per second in open space, and was designed to engage and destroy heavy enemy capital ships such as Imperial-class Star Destroyers. Under ideal conditions, it had a firing cycle of about twenty seconds.
The incredible speed of the projectile generated enormous kinetic energy, which resulted in colossal destructive force when impacting on an unshielded target. These forces were capable of cleaving through the hulls of smaller warships and severely damaging those of heavier ones; especially precise shots, such as to a bridge viewport or into an interior hangar, were capable of temporarily incapacitating the entire vessel. The ranges involved usually made these shots impossible.
The two secondary cannons were smaller in scope, meant for closer-range combat and capable of firing a projectile at 6 km/s, with a firing cycle of about eight seconds. They could be fired sequentially, simultaneously or entirely separately, and were frequently used against smaller targets such as cruisers in lieu of the main gun. They were commonly used in conjunction with the main gun against large targets; a common application was for the two secondary mass-drivers to fire first and impact against a target’s shields to weaken them before the round from the main cannon impacted.
As with all projectiles, the projectiles launched from the Ascendancy-class’ mass-drivers were less effective in atmosphere, as air resistance would significantly slow them. Gravity too would affect projectiles, decreasing their maximum range when firing within noticeable range of a planet’s gravitational field or within atmosphere itself, as gravity would eventually pull the projectiles down to the planet’s surface.
The main drawback to these guns was accuracy – even traveling at speeds of multiple kilometers per second, the vast distances involved in space combat, as well as the speeds of space vessels, meant that even with advanced targeting computers there was always a distinct possibility that the shot would miss entirely. It frequently took multiple shots to merely hit an enemy vessel at extreme long-ranges, to say nothing of repeated hits; this was most prominent in the heat of space combat, where the ship’s computers would have to compensate for friendly starfighters and vessels and ensure the ship didn't accidentally fire upon allied vessels. However, this drawback was usually considered an acceptable loss, as even a glancing blow from the main gun was capable of dealing heavy damage to an enemy ship under the right circumstances.
The second main drawback to these guns was the level of power required. As the mass-drivers drew enormous levels of power from the ship’s reactors, substantially less was available to power the ship’s laser and turbolaser cannons. As a result, it fielded only twenty of both types, the former being primarily employed for starfighter defence and the latter being employed only in knife-fight ranges against enemy vessels. The Ascendancy-class was also equipped with five tractor beam generators; a disproportionate number given the vessel’s purpose and small starfighter complement, but useful in ensnaring enemy fighters such as heavy bombers before they could launch their payloads.
For defense, the ships were equipped with relatively weak shielding, designed mainly to fend off starfighters during retreats rather than withstand sustained capital ship fire. These shields were typically kept down during space combat, as raising the shields would result in the mass-driver round impacting on them after it was fired. Instead, it sported extremely heavy armour plating, a composite of alusteel (normally found on Star Dreadnought-class vessels) and tungsten designed to absorb and disperse turbolaser attacks, as well as defend against missile strikes.
This armour, whilst effective, added substantially to the cost of the vessel’s production, and impacted maneuvering when in range of a gravitational field. The heavy weight of the armour resulted in more and more gravitational pull when closer to a planet, necessitating greater use of engines and repulorlifts to keep the vessel stable and stationary. The armour, combined with the design of the vessel, made planetary landing all but impossible; emergency manuals advised that, in event of planetary impact, a vessel’s crew should attempt a water-based crash landing and hope for the best.
Finally, the Destroyers fielded a squadron of starfighters, stored in a ventral hangar located forward of the engines and main reactor. These were usually TIE-series craft held in launch racks for efficient use of space, short-range fighters meant primarily to form a dedicated fighter-screen around the Destroyer and partially compensate for its lack of anti-starfighter weapons. It also carried three personnel shuttles.
The ship’s slow speed, heavy armour, minimal fighter complement, and the fact that its main weapons were unsuited to close-range combat and the maneuvers that usually accompany it meant that the Ascendancy-classes were rarely deployed without support. They were most useful as part of a larger fleet, providing heavy support whilst their weaknesses were compensated for by friendly starfighters, gunships, and more conventional warships.
The difference between the Union and Chiss variants are not fully known, owing to the notorious secrecy and isolation of the Chiss. The Union has confirmed the presence of a more advanced Hyperdrive and a larger hangar bay to accommodate two squadrons of Nssiss-class Clawcraft, but further details are scarce.
History
Development of the Ascendancy-class Heavy Cruiser began as early as 32 ABY, several months after the end of the Snowfall Campaign. Union starship engineers approached the Chiss Ascendancy with a proposal to jointly develop a warship class designed around the use of mass-drivers as opposed to conventional turbolaser weaponry. The Ascendancy agreed, and work began on the outskirts of the Chiss Ascendancy. The vessel’s design was completed shortly before the Second Union Civil War, and the Union/Chiss design team separated to begin individual work on their own finalized designs for the warship. As a gesture of thanks to the Chiss, who had been instrumental in the ship’s design, Union engineers proposed the class’ name, to which the Chiss agreed.
The Second Union Civil War, and the unrest following it, impeded the work of Union engineers in finalizing a version of the vessel geared for the Union Spacefleet. The Chiss, however, were largely unaffected by the war, and this, in conjunction with their own excellent starship building capabilities and the fact that they had already produced several chassis in advance, allowed them to have their variant of the vessel finalized and its production started a short time after the conflict ended. The first two vessels of this class, Ascendancy and Void Guard, were estimated to have been completed by the start of the second month after the Second Union Civil War. The Void Guard would participate in the Battle of Dol Gorath later that month.
The Union, meanwhile, experimented with their variants of the Ascendancy-class for several months before beginning construction. Initially, the Stellar Navy experimented with modifying the chassis and hull of an Acclamator-class heavy cruiser, but these designs were ultimately scrapped in favour of building the vessel from the ground up. The Union variant chose to lessen the number of laser cannons, as the prevalence of Tartan-class Patrol Cruisers acting as gunships made it an acceptable loss. In turn, they increased the number of Turbolaser cannons, granting it a better chance of surviving close-combat with enemy starships, and increased the size of its hypermatter fuel tanks, increasing its hyperspace range.
The first ship of this class, the Ascension, was completed shortly after the Battle with the Antilles-Fett Taskforce. The substantial losses suffered during the battle halted the production of further Ascendancy-class, as the Union Starfleet’s focus shifted to repairing the damage and replenishing the losses they had taken. The raiding operations conducted in the Southern Outer Rim mitigated concerns somewhat, but it wasn’t until the discovery of several Clone Wars-era Banking Clan Treasury stations with attached shipyards that production could resume. The Stations afforded over two hundred additional vessels of varying classes to the Union, and a portion of the vast wealth recovered was spent on refitting these vessels to operate with Union crews, as well as finance the repair of the remaining damaged vessels.
With resources now to spare, production of the Ascendancy-class resumed. Two more vessels were completed by the time of Operation Arch-Magister, with a fourth, fifth and sixth under construction, and played an instrumental in the opening battles of the campaign.
Behind the Scenes
The physical design for the Ascendancy-class doesn’t come from Star Wars. Rather, it comes from an entry into the MMORPG EVE Online’s design-a-starship contest; specifically, the ‘Ascendancy’ entry by BlueRogueVyse, which made it to the competition's semifinals. This explains the ship’s rather different appearance to normal Star Wars ships, especially its rear concentric circle and its rather small engines. The vessel’s overall introduction into the fanon was the idea of Darth Lucifer, who also obtained permission for the use of the design from the original creator.
The original EVE model incorporates only one railgun jutting out above the landing bay, compared to the New Sith Brotherhood design where there are three railguns positioned in the long spar at the top of the ship which run its whole length. The idea for the Ascendancy was first introduced in early 2012, but it wasn’t until almost two whole years later in early 2014 that the Union finally began deploying these vessels.
Mission Appearances
• Heretic’s Hammer 2: The Search for Dol Gorath (First appearance)
• Swarm Crisis: Briefing Session (Mentioned only)
• Swarm Crisis: Spaceborne Showdown (Mentioned only)
• Swarm War: Briefing Session (Mentioned only)
• Swarm War: Convoy
• Swarm War: Vjun