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SVS TRIE MKII Series Starfighters
HISTORY
A project initially started over 20 years ago, the TRIE line of starfighters, developed by Sluis Van Shipyards, had a long and troubled development process. As the New Sith Imperium continued to build its military presence in preparation for war, prominent shipbuilders across the galaxy were asked to partake in a development challenge for a new, versatile starfighter to replace the venerable Mark VII TIE fighters. The winner would be offered an exclusive and lucrative contract to build the craft for the entire Imperial navy - an enormous contract worth trillions of credits. Like many others, Sluis Van Shipyards entered the competition.
True to their traits of quality craftsmanship and superior engineering, the Sluissi based their new line of star-fighters off the TIE/D Defender, a prime example of its era of superior engineering in all areas to create a capable and devastating interceptor mass production interceptor. The first result was the TRIE/P1 prototype. Though unarmed, the otherwise fully functioning craft showcased remarkable speed and agility while maintaining a visual similarity to the older TIE line.
However, the pilots often complained that the vessel's radical speed was too excessive - it made it difficult to target enemy strikecraft manually, an otherwise commonplace trait amongst TIE veterans, and the vessel, like many others of its type, lacked rear visibility. The prototype's triple ion engines, attached to the main fuselage, also presented a larger target then previous models. Ultimately, SVS was overlooked for the lucrative contract in favour of Sienar Fleet Systems' designs, and the project was officially discontinued. However, some Sluissi continued to develop the project in their own time, convinced that there was a solution to the problem and an opportunity to develop a truly outstanding fightercraft. As was typical with many Sluissi projects, development was considerably longer then anyone could have anticipated.
It would be almost ten years after the debut of the TRIE-P1 when the second prototype, the P2 was unveiled. Unlike the first design, the P2's triple engines were instead mounted on a ring that ran around the main fuselage and housed additional equipment that would not otherwise fit on the vessel. Sluissi representatives claimed that future models of the TRIE (should it enter production) would all share the same universal cockpit pod, which could not only be used on any variant of TRIE, but could also detach allowing starfighters to remove damaged components in an emergency, and even change payload mid-combat.
The cockpit itself was connected to the outer engine ring via power couplings, and maintained a constant position in the middle, buffered by a weak tractor beam effect that held the cockpit pod in position. These systems were isolated from the rest of the vessel's power grid in order to maximise protection against ion cannon attacks, which could otherwise be lethal. Though the Imperium initially expressed interest in the prospect, the cost of the individual vessels, as well as the level of training required to operate one of these craft once again led to the project being turned down. Though the engines were slightly less powerful then those of the P1, the P2 once again represented flaws that made it unsuitable for mass production across the Imperium.
It took another ten years for the craft to finally enter production. Confident in their own design, the Sluissi finally began building the first TRIE/LN starfighters as a part of the defence fleet for Sluis Van. With the addition of thruster ports at the wing-tips, as well as a cleverly programmed internal computer that allowed the cockpit pod to rotate independently of the outer ring, these powerful, if expensive craft also had other luxuries designed to maintain survival. Like the venerable Defender, the TRIE fighter possessed a hyperdrive and shields, allowing the vessel to have a considerable effective range. Coupled with the craft's speed and agility, as well as the six powerful rotating laser cannons, the ship proved more then capable in dogfights, provided the pilot was a capable and highly trained pilot. However, the vessel was not without its drawbacks. For one, the powerful cannons proved unable to handle sustained fire - even in the alternative staggered fire setting, the cannons overheated in under five shots per barrel before safeguards forced the cannons to cool down before re-use. The craft was also incredibly expensive, and required intensive training to operate correctly, and so was often overlooked by prospective buyers in favour of more cost-effective, albeit simpler alternatives.
Following Sluis Van's takeover by the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, these small craft became the preferred strikecraft of choice for Dark Jedi travelling abroad. However, this was not the end of development for the TRIE Series. In fact, Sluis Van continued to refine and improve upon their masterpiece with a pace and fever that was unusual for their race. Within only a short few years, a Mark II design was unveiled, revolutionizing starfighter design once more.
True to their traits of quality craftsmanship and superior engineering, the Sluissi based their new line of star-fighters off the TIE/D Defender, a prime example of its era of superior engineering in all areas to create a capable and devastating interceptor mass production interceptor. The first result was the TRIE/P1 prototype. Though unarmed, the otherwise fully functioning craft showcased remarkable speed and agility while maintaining a visual similarity to the older TIE line.
However, the pilots often complained that the vessel's radical speed was too excessive - it made it difficult to target enemy strikecraft manually, an otherwise commonplace trait amongst TIE veterans, and the vessel, like many others of its type, lacked rear visibility. The prototype's triple ion engines, attached to the main fuselage, also presented a larger target then previous models. Ultimately, SVS was overlooked for the lucrative contract in favour of Sienar Fleet Systems' designs, and the project was officially discontinued. However, some Sluissi continued to develop the project in their own time, convinced that there was a solution to the problem and an opportunity to develop a truly outstanding fightercraft. As was typical with many Sluissi projects, development was considerably longer then anyone could have anticipated.
It would be almost ten years after the debut of the TRIE-P1 when the second prototype, the P2 was unveiled. Unlike the first design, the P2's triple engines were instead mounted on a ring that ran around the main fuselage and housed additional equipment that would not otherwise fit on the vessel. Sluissi representatives claimed that future models of the TRIE (should it enter production) would all share the same universal cockpit pod, which could not only be used on any variant of TRIE, but could also detach allowing starfighters to remove damaged components in an emergency, and even change payload mid-combat.
The cockpit itself was connected to the outer engine ring via power couplings, and maintained a constant position in the middle, buffered by a weak tractor beam effect that held the cockpit pod in position. These systems were isolated from the rest of the vessel's power grid in order to maximise protection against ion cannon attacks, which could otherwise be lethal. Though the Imperium initially expressed interest in the prospect, the cost of the individual vessels, as well as the level of training required to operate one of these craft once again led to the project being turned down. Though the engines were slightly less powerful then those of the P1, the P2 once again represented flaws that made it unsuitable for mass production across the Imperium.
It took another ten years for the craft to finally enter production. Confident in their own design, the Sluissi finally began building the first TRIE/LN starfighters as a part of the defence fleet for Sluis Van. With the addition of thruster ports at the wing-tips, as well as a cleverly programmed internal computer that allowed the cockpit pod to rotate independently of the outer ring, these powerful, if expensive craft also had other luxuries designed to maintain survival. Like the venerable Defender, the TRIE fighter possessed a hyperdrive and shields, allowing the vessel to have a considerable effective range. Coupled with the craft's speed and agility, as well as the six powerful rotating laser cannons, the ship proved more then capable in dogfights, provided the pilot was a capable and highly trained pilot. However, the vessel was not without its drawbacks. For one, the powerful cannons proved unable to handle sustained fire - even in the alternative staggered fire setting, the cannons overheated in under five shots per barrel before safeguards forced the cannons to cool down before re-use. The craft was also incredibly expensive, and required intensive training to operate correctly, and so was often overlooked by prospective buyers in favour of more cost-effective, albeit simpler alternatives.
Following Sluis Van's takeover by the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, these small craft became the preferred strikecraft of choice for Dark Jedi travelling abroad. However, this was not the end of development for the TRIE Series. In fact, Sluis Van continued to refine and improve upon their masterpiece with a pace and fever that was unusual for their race. Within only a short few years, a Mark II design was unveiled, revolutionizing starfighter design once more.
TRIE POD, MKII
The core of the TRIE Fighter - and in fact the proper ship itself, so to speak - was a tiny, cramped control pod. While the TIE Fighter on which the TRIE was based boasted an already tiny and cramped cockpit pod that was barely the height of a full grown pilot, the central pod of a TRIE Fighter was even smaller, at just over a meter and a half in diameter. A thousand years of technological progress and miniaturization had proven vital to the design - without such small, delicate instruments to pack into such a small package, the vessel would have required control by a droid brain. However, the Sluissi of Sluis Van Shipyards managed to find space for essential components, as well as enough room for a single pilot - albeit in perhaps some of the most cramped and uncomfortable conditions imaginable, even by starfighter jockey standards. The Mark II TRIE pods pushed the envelope even further, in perhaps some of the maddest, most ambitious designs ever seen.
While the original TRIE pod was essentially a glorified life pod, the Mark II became one of the cheapest, most affordable forms of civilian personal transport, completely by accident. Equipped with a minimal life support system, a tiny yet remarkably efficient single thruster and one of the smallest hyperdrive motivators ever developed, the TRIE pod created a market of its own in single-person long-range transport for the masses. Though there was literally no room for any luggage whatsoever, the tiny pod allowed free movement across the galaxy in a way that was never experienced before - much to the chagrin of larger cruise companies, who found their profits being eaten away by more and more people purchasing the tiny pods and flitting about the galaxy without need of larger, slower bulk transports.
In addition to these systems, the Sluissi also managed to cram a small twin laser cannon into the craft as well, as a deterrent to would-be pirates seeking an easy score. Though the cannons themselves were minuscule and were civilian grade, they were enough to persuade such lowlifes and vagabonds to often seek more vulnerable targets - such as bulk transports and cruise liners. The addition of even these basic weapons was not without difficulty, however - in fact, the pilot seat was actually saddled over the top of the cannons' components in a manner that was considered rather undignified - and, ironically enough, outright physically impossible for the serpentine Sluissi that designed the craft in the first place. This additional weaponry also proved to be an interesting surprise trick for more talented starfighter jockeys, who enjoyed the free, independant rotation of the 'eyeball' Pod to swivel around inside the 'socket' of the armament ring, firing one or two light shots at enemy fighters who otherwise thought themselves safe. A truly gifted pilot could rotate the pod a full 360 degrees within seconds, providing a small window of opportunity to even fire upon chasing starfighters that were dogging the pilot's tail.
The pods were also considered incredibly practical for military purposes - a suitably outfitted carrier vessel would cram their hangars full of pods, using external racks to hold armament rings. This allowed carriers to hold far more TRIE fighters than other comparative strikecraft without sacrificing flexibility or firepower - a pilot needed to only disengage his or her armament ring and dock with another to change their payload, a process that only took a scant few seconds.
Cost (pod only): 40,000 credits
Dimensions: 1.43m long, 1.55m diameter.
Armament: 2x Civilian-grade light laser cannons.
Equipment: Rudimentary atmospheric shielding (Re-entry purposes and life support containment only), hyperspace motivator, minimal life support, auxiliary booster engine.
Speed: 80 MGLT
Hyperdrive Rating: Class 1 with armament ring, Class 6 if pod only.
Maneuverability: While the vessel is considerably less agile without the main engines from an armament ring, the tiny size of the central pod, as well as the complete lack of weight make the craft exceedingly responsive and incredibly difficult to target.
While the original TRIE pod was essentially a glorified life pod, the Mark II became one of the cheapest, most affordable forms of civilian personal transport, completely by accident. Equipped with a minimal life support system, a tiny yet remarkably efficient single thruster and one of the smallest hyperdrive motivators ever developed, the TRIE pod created a market of its own in single-person long-range transport for the masses. Though there was literally no room for any luggage whatsoever, the tiny pod allowed free movement across the galaxy in a way that was never experienced before - much to the chagrin of larger cruise companies, who found their profits being eaten away by more and more people purchasing the tiny pods and flitting about the galaxy without need of larger, slower bulk transports.
In addition to these systems, the Sluissi also managed to cram a small twin laser cannon into the craft as well, as a deterrent to would-be pirates seeking an easy score. Though the cannons themselves were minuscule and were civilian grade, they were enough to persuade such lowlifes and vagabonds to often seek more vulnerable targets - such as bulk transports and cruise liners. The addition of even these basic weapons was not without difficulty, however - in fact, the pilot seat was actually saddled over the top of the cannons' components in a manner that was considered rather undignified - and, ironically enough, outright physically impossible for the serpentine Sluissi that designed the craft in the first place. This additional weaponry also proved to be an interesting surprise trick for more talented starfighter jockeys, who enjoyed the free, independant rotation of the 'eyeball' Pod to swivel around inside the 'socket' of the armament ring, firing one or two light shots at enemy fighters who otherwise thought themselves safe. A truly gifted pilot could rotate the pod a full 360 degrees within seconds, providing a small window of opportunity to even fire upon chasing starfighters that were dogging the pilot's tail.
The pods were also considered incredibly practical for military purposes - a suitably outfitted carrier vessel would cram their hangars full of pods, using external racks to hold armament rings. This allowed carriers to hold far more TRIE fighters than other comparative strikecraft without sacrificing flexibility or firepower - a pilot needed to only disengage his or her armament ring and dock with another to change their payload, a process that only took a scant few seconds.
Cost (pod only): 40,000 credits
Dimensions: 1.43m long, 1.55m diameter.
Armament: 2x Civilian-grade light laser cannons.
Equipment: Rudimentary atmospheric shielding (Re-entry purposes and life support containment only), hyperspace motivator, minimal life support, auxiliary booster engine.
Speed: 80 MGLT
Hyperdrive Rating: Class 1 with armament ring, Class 6 if pod only.
Maneuverability: While the vessel is considerably less agile without the main engines from an armament ring, the tiny size of the central pod, as well as the complete lack of weight make the craft exceedingly responsive and incredibly difficult to target.
Armament Ring: TRIE/LN Starfighter, MKII
Cost (Including Pod): 165,000 credits
Dimensions (wings extended): 3.22m long, 9.54m wing diameter.
Armament: 6x Military-grade laser cannons.
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields, 3x ion engines,
Speed: 160 MGLT
Maneuverability: With an excellently balanced frame, as well as powerful engines for its size, the TRIE/LN is incredibly agile, even when compared to other comparative superlight starfighters.
Dimensions (wings extended): 3.22m long, 9.54m wing diameter.
Armament: 6x Military-grade laser cannons.
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields, 3x ion engines,
Speed: 160 MGLT
Maneuverability: With an excellently balanced frame, as well as powerful engines for its size, the TRIE/LN is incredibly agile, even when compared to other comparative superlight starfighters.
Armament Ring: TRIE/IN Combat Interceptor, MKII
Cost (Including Pod): 165,000 credits
Dimensions (wings extended): 2.16m long, 7.05m wing diameter.
Armament: 6x Military-grade heavy laser cannons.
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields (considered better than the TRIE/LN due to an improved coverage profile), 3x ion engines,
Speed: 180 MGLT
Maneuverability: Almost impossibly agile, the TRIE/IN's triple engines, as well as its tiny frame size and impressive power-to-weight marks it easily as one of the most nimble mass-produced craft of its era.
Dimensions (wings extended): 2.16m long, 7.05m wing diameter.
Armament: 6x Military-grade heavy laser cannons.
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields (considered better than the TRIE/LN due to an improved coverage profile), 3x ion engines,
Speed: 180 MGLT
Maneuverability: Almost impossibly agile, the TRIE/IN's triple engines, as well as its tiny frame size and impressive power-to-weight marks it easily as one of the most nimble mass-produced craft of its era.
Armament Ring: TRIE/SA Light Bomber, MKII
Cost (Including Pod): 185,000 credits
Dimensions (wings extended): 2.16m long, 7.05m wing diameter.
Armament: 3x Military-grade laser cannons. 3x missile launchers, containing either:
-4x Proton torpedoes each
-5x Concussion missiles each
-2x Space mines each
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields (considered better than the TRIE/LN due to an improved coverage profile), 3x ion engines,
Speed: 140 MGLT
Maneuverability: While sluggish compared to the TRIE/LN and TRIE/IN, the TRIE/SA is, when compared with most other starfighters, a tiny and powerfully agile craft that is still capable of dogfighting capably.
Armament Ring: TRIE/EL Elite Starfighter, MKII
Cost (Including Pod): 200,000 credits
Dimensions (wings extended): 2.58m long, 7.18m wing diameter.
Armament: 6x Military-grade laser cannons. 3x missile launchers, containing either:
-2x Proton torpedoes each
-2x Concussion missiles each
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields (considered better than the TRIE/LN due to an improved coverage profile), 3x ion engines,
Speed: 170 MGLT
Maneuverability: Easily on par with the TRIE/IN, the Elite only lacks slightly at top-end speed in comparison.
Armament Ring: TRIE/RC Recon Starfighter, MKII
Cost (Including Pod): 140,000 credits
Dimensions (wings extended): 2.58m long, 5.67m wing diameter.
Armament: 3x Military-grade laser cannons.
Equipment: Military-grade deflector shields (considered better than the TRIE/LN due to an improved coverage profile), 3x ion engines,
Speed: 200 MGLT
Maneuverability: The TRIE/RC is borderline uncontrollable - the tiny size an powerful power-to-weight ratio cause the craft to be incredibly sensitive to even minor adjustments, requiring extremely skilled hands to fly capably.
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