For a while now I've had an idea for a new GTVA fighter... a Terran-Vasudan version of the Mara (speed, maneuverability, strength, and weapons capacity).
Here is a quick, rough-draft of the history of the Gladiator Project:
Due to the love of the SF Mara from the pilots of the SOC mission, the GTVA decided that they needed to create ships as good as the Maras in speed, maneuverability, strength, and weapons capacity. The GTVA had actually captured 6 Maras, but the scientists kept two to study. Shivan technology and miniaturization techniques are far more advanced then the GTVA, but by studying the Maras--and with the newly developed fusion reactors--the GTVA as able to begin designs for a GTVA Mara... the Gladiator Project.
The first set back came in the power of the ship. For what was wanted in the ship it required a lot of power and so the engineers were going to use a fusion reactor. However, they could only get the fusion reactor so small but it was still almost as big as the ship. This meant that they simply had a flying fusion reactor with no weapons. They thought to use two fusion reactors, giving plenty of power for speed, maneuverability, and shield strength, but the ship was bigger than a bomber--it's one great drawback. The Gladiator Project sat on the drawing boards for a few months until an engineers conference. Here one of the scientists from the Gladiator Project overheard a young engineer who was working on a fighter/bomber mountable AAAf beam. His problem was that it required too much power from the small ships. The Gladiator Project scientist met with him and they found that the two fusion reactors on the Gladiator was enough to power the beam, and the beam provided the extra defense needed for the Gladiator's size. Thus the GTVF Gladiator was born. However, this large ship is very expensive to produce and are only flown by the most skilled pilots in the most necessary missions.
Since I'm way more of an idea person (and web person) then I am a modeler/modder, I'm wondering if anybody (whenever you have time, this doesn't have a deadline) would like to bring this ship to life.
If anyone's interested, I'll have to sketch out my idea of the ship (image the body mostly two spheres with big engines and big missle banks, a nose-cockpit sticking out, six spikes (steering thrusters) sticking out, a beam turret snug between the two big engines, and with all the lines and swoops of a join Terran-Vasudan design).
As a Terran-Vasudan version of the Mara, the idea for this ship is to be very fast, have tight turn radii, and have a bomber-type weapons capacity and fighter-type primary capacity.
I do have a campaign idea (still working on the idea) for this ship, but I don't want to limit it to one campaign and think it should be publicly available when it's done.
If anyone's interested let me know. If not, I guess eventually I might have to learn how to make it on my own... but then I know it won't be as good as the really good models I see around here.
Thanks,
Joe.
