Michael-John Campbell's X2 Hydran Rules

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HYDRAN X2 SHIP OPPERATIONS

 During the X2 period the Hydrans developed several fairly unique weapon systems that retained their somewhat esoteric and rare cultural idiosyncrasies. These weapon systems were as follows.

 The X2 Fusion beam.
The Hydrans developed several “Improvements” for the Fusion beam at the start of their X2 construction period.
The first improvement was to lower the arming cost of the suicide overload to 6 points of power. This improvement6 in efficient was seen by the manufacturers as a way of fielding their product into the arsenal of the Hydran fleet. However it did not impress the admirals and thus the manufacturers quickly developed a secondary firing mode; the fratricide overload.
The fratricide overload cost 10 points of power to arm, inflicts triple the basic damage of the fusion beam and destroys one other randomly rolled SSD box (by invoking E7.421).
When the admirals realised the value of leading fusion armed X1 & X2 fighters with a fusion armed “spearhead ship” they began purchasing fusion beams for their new fleet construction.

The X2 Hellbore.
The Hydran Hellbore manufacturers were busy during the entire X1 period developing the design of their new X2 hellbore. The design, allowed for several advances as well as an impressive new firing mode.
The X2 hellbore could be overloaded and fastloaded. It could also be frontloaded (6+3 yielding a fully overloaded hellbore).
The hellbore could be fired in a “shaped head” mode. The shaped head mode required warp power to arm and warp power to hold. It could be fired as a conventional hellbore or fired in direct fire mode however when fired in direct fire mode, the entire damage of the hellbore would be inflicted on the facing shield (not just half). The shaped head hellbore could be front loaded or fastloaded but if fastloaded it required a period of cooling after use (invoking E7.22 upon the X2 hellbore).

The Phaser-Q.

The Hydrans developed a replacement for the Gatling phaser known as the “quick phaser” or Phaser-Q (or just Ph-Q). The phaser Q had a 3-point capacitor and fired Ph-6 shots for a cost of 0.75 each. It also had a rapid pulse mode that traded in 2Ph-6 shots for 3Ph-3 shots. The Phaser-Q spends 0.5 power for each Ph-3 shot it makes. Thus the maximum output from a Ph-Q per turn is; 4Ph-6 shots, 3Ph-6 & a Ph-3 shot, 2Ph-6 shots & 3Ph-3s shots, 1 Ph-6 shots & 4Ph-3 shots or 6Ph-3 shots.

The Ultra-Stinger.
The Ultra Stinger or Stinger-XX as it was commonly referred to was an X2 fighter.
It had three built in natural ECM and ECCM points and carrier two EW pods as standard. She could operate with a maximum of 8 ECM and 8 ECCM. She could also capitalise on a negative shift and was immune to small target modifier.
When controlled by a controlling vessel the Ultra-Stinger can fire using limited X Aegis.
The Ultra-Stinger was a semi-remote controlled fighter with three crew operating the non-pilot weapon systems via remote control and the pilot actually piloting the fighter from the cockpit in an attempt to reduce causualt6y rates.
The Stinger-XX can operate normally if within 35 hexes of the controlling unit…however once outside that range the Pilot can only operate the Chaff, Ph-2, and direction of the fighter. The pilot also has control of which ship shall be controlling him by remote control and may change the vessel he is receiving flight data from once every 8 impulses. This makes breaking the fighter’s lock on with a scout less deadly.
The Stinger-XX extensively utilises miniaturisation and is very similar to a super-sting. It is however a single space fighter and operates as a single space fighter.
The Ultra stinger can be launched for “free ranging operations” and is armed just before launch (like a PSS) as such. When operating under free ranging operations, the first fire from the stinger-XX shall fire all the forward facing weapons of the fighter and from then on the fighter shall operate its FA Ph-G as its only weapon.
Generally when the Hydrans send their fighters on long range missions away from the carry, the are taken by interceptor based Fi-Cons and which having crew aboard how can operate the semi-remote control equipment shall provide a much higher degree of flexibility than the standard hit and run tactics of the free ranging mode.

When a Stinger-XX is crippled it may still operate its Ph-2 as a Ph-2…unless crippled in free ranging mode when it shall still operate its FA Ph-G as a Ph-G.

INTERCPTOR-X Operations.

The Hydrans and the Lyrans both operated INT-Xs. The Hydrans aimed to give their fighter greater range and flexibility in operations independent of the carrier through the use of armed Fi-Cons and the Lyrans saw their interceptors as a cheap method of carrying out most of the high end functions of a frigate (escorting command cruisers and operating in squadrons with destroyers) without the cost of developing an X2 frigate (they also relied on X1 and GW era vessels to perform other frigate roles (such as freighter escort). The Lyran Int-X has a small ESG generator to provide protection from mine when carrying fighters on her mechlinks and then leading them into battle but this was performed in combat only on very rare occasions (usually base assaults). 

Although developed in the X2 era, the Interceptors are X1 technology. They have limited X-Aegis and three point BTTYs. They can generate up to 8 points of ECM and 8 points of ECCM and have three points of ECM and 3 points of ECCM free without spending power. They will also ignore the small target modifiers.
The Interceptors are large and are not limited in their number of Fighters (held by mechlinks) but they are interceptors and do take damage to their engines as interceptors.
The Hydran Int-X mechlinks are able to arm the Fusion beams and Hellbores of the Ultra-Stinger even though no repair is possible.
When Hydran X Interceptors are sent out to meet a carrier (or fully capable carrier) they bring one Ultra Stinger from the base (or factory) to replace the expected (probable) losses that will occur when the Int-X takes three fighters and leads them in a free ranging mission.