Overview:
The SF Kraken is the most powerful and deadly Shivan fightercraft ever encountered. These were elite ships flown only by the best pilots the Shivans had to offer. They were first encountered by the GTVAA during the fourth Shivan Incursion.
Physical Characteristics:
The Kraken is very large for a fighter, it is wider but slightly shorter than the old Ursa bomber. It is a symmetrical design, with two split wings on the top and bottom, branching out into four aft spires at an angle. Several large and powerful engines dominate the rear of the craft, while the front is covered with weapon emplacements. It is a very sleek and aesthetic design, but GTVAA pilots tend not to notice this as they are usually too busy trying not to get killed by these ships.
Name:
Continuing the tradition of naming Shivan fighters after mythological beasts, the Kraken is named after a monster from Terran myths, described as a gigantic cephalopod that would attack and sink ships. The name is appropriate, as destroying ships is what this craft is best at.
Propulsion:
The Kraken is equipped with a set of incredibly powerful engines, producing more output than any other engines ever seen on a fighter up to that point. The engines are so powerful that they can cause minor engine wash damage to even shielded craft, which was previously unheard of for a ship of that size. The Kraken's base speed is 80 m/s, although with extra power shifted to the engines it can reach 110 m/s, and with afterburners, an incredible 250 m/s. For such a large fighter, it is also extraordinarily maneuverable, capable of stopping on a dime and running circles around even the GTVAA's best interceptors. It is also capable of reverse thrust, reverse afterburners, and maneuvers on all 3 axes, similar to the SF Scorpion.
Defenses:
The Kraken's shields are among the strongest ever seen on a fighter, rated at 8000 units. Its hull is also heavily armored, rated at 2000 units. Combined, this makes the Kraken almost as durable as a light cruiser. In addition, the Kraken is equipped with two automatic turrets, one on the bottom and one on the top of the craft. These turrets are typically armed with anti-fighter beams, but other armaments have been observed. The Kraken also comes equipped with 100 anti-warhead countermeasures.
Weapons:
In addition to the aforementioned turrets, the Kraken has no less than 20 primary gunpoints, capable of wielding 2 different primary weapon systems at once. The first system uses 8 gunpoints and the second uses 12. The Kraken is compatible with all Shivan primary weapons. The most typical armament is the weapon colloquially known as the "Shivan Uber Laser", combined with a Shivan equivalent to the Terran Maxim Cannon, although the Shivan version does slightly more damage and uses slightly less energy. The Kraken is capable of carrying up to 4 different types of warheads simultaneously, and it is compatible with all Shivan secondary weapons, save bombs and torpedoes used by bombers. Each of its 4 secondary bays is capable of storing an equivalent of 100 of the old Terran Tornado missiles.
Other Capabilities:
The power plant aboard the SF Kraken is more powerful for its size than any power source used by the GTVAA. It is capable of firing all 20 gunpoints continuously without needing to recharge, as well as regenerating the craft's shields at an unbelievable rate, and maintaining almost constant afterburner thrust.
Purpose:
It is clear that the Kraken is an elite fighter, only piloted by the best the Shivans have to offer, and its appearance is very rare in battle. Kraken fighters are rarely seen out of a Megido fleet or the Shivan home systems.
Contingencies:
The Kraken's greatest weakness is its rarity. During the fourth Shivan Incursion, of all of the Shivan fighters observed, less than 0.1% were Krakens. Despite this, these ships were a terror to any GTVAA pilot, and were even capable of threatening capital ships as large as destroyers. Another potential weakness was the fighter's large target profile, however its speed and maneuverability offset this somewhat. The GTVAA recommended avoiding fighter engagements with Krakens if possible, unless having at least a 10-1 numerical superiority as well as capital ship support. Even with this condition met, however, victory was far from certain.
