User:Vivaporius/Sandbox/League of Civilized Worlds/III: Difference between revisions

*'''Lancer:''' Lancers are the smallest voidships employed by the military, having tiny crew complements, and few if any marines aboard for customs duties and boarding actions. They almost always operate in pairs during picket duty, and generally only operate independently during patrols in the immediate proximity of the nearest established colony or station in the system. All lancers are, by size and design, capable of landing on any planet with a gravity well. It is thus common practice for a larger warship to have a pair of lancers docked within their structures, both to act as support craft as well as backup shuttles for crew heading to a planetary surface. Within the League's systems, lancers often perform a role similar to that of the larger interdictors, though they serve in areas where the size and cost of an interdictor would either be unnecessary or unjustifiable, as well as in an intelligence gathering role where the presence of an interdictor would be counterproductive. The smaller heat signature of the lancer would allow it to creep pass the observation of the opposing party, and remain within orbit of a target without raising suspicion. During larger military operations, lancers serve as a screen to the larger warships of a constellation, laying down a wall of fire from point-defense cannons or lasers for those with large enough power supplies, as well as harassing enemy vessels and using their superior speed to keep up with and destroy enemy lancers.