VMF-3 Penthesilea

The Meltran Seloy Deparaa designed the Pentheilea before she married Anatole Leonard and joined him in the South American-based Southern Cross Bastion. The fighter attempted to merge Zentreadi and human technologies in a way that would be familiar to both sides. Though the battloid mode bears a strong resemblance to the Quaedluun-Rau power armor, this was more coincidence than many believed. The name chosen for the project was for an amazonian warrior that fought Achilles in the Trojan war as there was great interest in such stories by the meltran that adopted Earth as their new home, and Deparaa was no exception. Many within the Robotech Defense Forces called the fighter the Meltran Veritech Fighter due to the development history and coincidental design.
The Penthesilea is a multi-role aircraft meant to slot into any role it would be needed. Unlike its contemporaries, the Zentran Fighter and Vindicator, the Penthesilea balanced its performance between armor, firepower and speed. What truly made it unique from its contemporaries was that it adapted from the VF-1 the ability to utilize FAST packs, so while a base model could do a little bit of everything but not excel, with the right upgrade modules could fit the mission profile or combat style of ace pilots.
This feature would be why the RDF chose to employ the Penthesilea as its main workhorse veritech fighter, while the REF and State Militias chose other veritech fighters. For the RDF would have the logistical access and budget to maintain a wide array of FAST Packs for the fighter whereas the REF would find the space the fighter and all its parts too limiting for its long term missions, and the militas simply found it to be too expensive.

SMG Rules

• Required Rank: 2
• Designation: VMF-3 Penthesilea
• Stats
• Armor: 2
• Structure - Mecha: 2
• Hardware Points: 5
• Speed - Fighter Mode: 3300 km/h / 6 km / 11 Space Units
• Speed - Guardian Mode: 1500 km/h / 3 km / 5 space Units
• Speed - Battloid Mode: 650 km/h / 1 km / 2 space units

Weapons

• Gunpods: The Penthesileas is desinged to carry gunpods, but does not do so by default. It can utilize the GU-11 and GU-12 Gunpods.
• Tri-Barrel Lasers: Mounted in the forearms of the fighter in Battloid, the lasers serve as the primary weapons of the Penthesilea. They are longer-ranged than those mounted on the Quaedluun-Rau (able to reach Medium range) but are still accurate enough to fire into Melee without penalty. [M] [H] [H]
• Weapon Banks: The Penthesilea has two banks of tri-barrelled lasers and one bank of mini-missiles.
• Punch: The mecha can engage in melee.
• Missile Pods: The Penthesilea has a missile pod.

Features

• Indexing Hands
• Inertia-Vector Control System: Linked to Jink and Jive.

Equipment Suites

• Jink and Jive: See Macross Saga RPG page 143
• Mini Missiles: See Macross Saga RPG page 143, except uses is only 2

Upgrades

EWAC Pack

This system gives the Penthesilear EWACs capabilities for expanded radar, communications, and electronic warfare capability.

• Designation: VMF-3E
• Use the rules for the VF Tactical Array found in Macross Saga RPG page 120. The Tri Lasers count as integrated lasers.

Ship Defense Pack

This is a ship system designed to intercept various missiles directed at capital ships.

• Designation: VMF-3D
• Use the rules for the VF Missile Defense System found in Macross Saga RPG page 120.

Anti-Ship Pack

This pack is meant to provide anti-capital ship strike ability to the Penthesilea. As such it adds hard point support for Reflex missiles to strike at enemy ships.

• Designation: VMF-3A
• Required Rank: 3
• Hardware Points: +2

Equipment Suite:

• Reflex Missiles. Use rules from Macross Saga RPG page 101.

Interceptor Pack

This pack is meant to enhance the speed of the craft to intercept incoming forces. As a result, it grants speed superior to the VF-1 Super Pack, but carries a comparatively limited payload. This upgrade also technically covers three different equipment Packs, but as the variation is only which weapon it mounts they will all be covered here.

• Designation: VMF-3I
• Required Rank: 3
• Hardware Points: +2
• Speed - Fighter Mode: 5200 km/h / 8.5 km / 17 Space Units
• Speed - Guardian Mode: 2000 km/h / 4 km / 7 space Units
• Speed - Battloid Mode: 1100 km/h / 2 km / 4 space units

Choose one of the following: Rail Gun, Pulse Laser Array, or Penetrating Missiles.

• Rail Gun [L10], Range Long: Sniper Strike: Uses: 2, Skill: 3
• Pulse Laser Array [C5], Range Close: Spray and Pray: Uses: 4, Skill: 2
• Penetrating Missiles: See Macross Saga RPG page 104 under Jotun uprgrade

Armor Pack

• Designation: VMF-3P
• See rules for Armor pack on Macross Saga RPG page 103

Super Pack

The Super Pack is meant as the ultimate expression of the Penthesilea. It's an expensive and hard to produce pack, usually reserved for top aces or dire situations as there aren't enough of the Super Packs to equip to every Penthesilea. It mounts bot the pulse laser array and rail gun that the Interceptor pack can only equip one of and contains an optional mont for a single reflex missile.

• Designation: VMF-3I Required Rank: 3
• Hardware Points: +2
• Speed - Fighter Mode: 4700 km/h / 7 km / 15 Space Units
• Speed - Guardian Mode: 1700 km/h / 3 km / 5 space Units
• Speed - Battloid Mode: 900 km/h / 1.5 km / 3 space units
• Rail Gun [L10] [H] Range Long
• Pulse Laser Array [C5] [H] Range Close
• Reflex Missiles: Optional See Macross Saga RPG page 101