Fractal - Class Deep Space Railcannon
The Fractal class is the HEX Mainframe's response to the Trebuchet Class Deep Space Railcannon. The HM design is smaller, more compact. The Fractal is designed after the HM general philosophy favoring many smaller ships and attacks. It achieves a higher fire rate than the Trebuchet, but does not penetrate as much. Fractal class shells are launched at a lower velocity owing to the HM lack of λ High-Energy Technology.
Unlike the Trebuchet, it is complately unarmed apart from its supierluminal railgun. It does not have PDC weapons. It is arguably more powerful than a Trebuchet due to its fire rate, but the lower velocity and the fact it still emits superluminal particles still gives targets a lot of warning. Although the Fractal has a superluminal velocity, they have been known to damage ships rather than destroy them. As such, it is not as well suited to destroying large targets like star annihilators as the Trebuchet. However, due to the fact that these shells can be easily detected from very far away, very small ships can evade them easily so there is a middle ground, an optimal weight class that it can reasonably target, but the Fractal can also be used for suppression. This can damage the morale of any crew within a large area, which would probably cause them to retreat. Due to this, the Fractal is more feared than some other HM ships. The Fractal is very fragile when hit. The entire ship islikely to explode if the enemy so much as sneezes on it, so one counter has been to fire large MIRV-like missiles that undergo stage separation as it gets close to a cluster of Fractals and reveals a large number of smaller missiles inside it. This counter is not as effective when the HM deploys a dedicated point defence ship around groups of Fractals however, so this is not the only counter.
Unlike the Trebuchet, it is complately unarmed apart from its supierluminal railgun. It does not have PDC weapons. It is arguably more powerful than a Trebuchet due to its fire rate, but the lower velocity and the fact it still emits superluminal particles still gives targets a lot of warning. Although the Fractal has a superluminal velocity, they have been known to damage ships rather than destroy them. As such, it is not as well suited to destroying large targets like star annihilators as the Trebuchet. However, due to the fact that these shells can be easily detected from very far away, very small ships can evade them easily so there is a middle ground, an optimal weight class that it can reasonably target, but the Fractal can also be used for suppression. This can damage the morale of any crew within a large area, which would probably cause them to retreat. Due to this, the Fractal is more feared than some other HM ships. The Fractal is very fragile when hit. The entire ship islikely to explode if the enemy so much as sneezes on it, so one counter has been to fire large MIRV-like missiles that undergo stage separation as it gets close to a cluster of Fractals and reveals a large number of smaller missiles inside it. This counter is not as effective when the HM deploys a dedicated point defence ship around groups of Fractals however, so this is not the only counter.
Owning Organization
Length
800 m
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