>>6331539Maybe a military industrial quest in a near future world?
Got some stuff to deal with IRL so updates might be delayed even further. For now have some more lore.
<span class="mu-s">On the Role of Strikecraft</span>
Strikecraft is a broad term encompassing all small combat vessels below frigate class size. Not every spaceborne military uses them and when they are deployed, they usually occupy a role analogous to atmospheric flying craft. However this is where the similarities end. Generally strikecraft are meant to be fast, agile and <span class="mu-i">expendable</span>; the life support systems and inertial dampeners required to support a pilot would reduce performance, all to put something with slower reaction times and decision making skills in control.
As such most strikecraft are unmanned drones loaded with pre-programmed routines and tasked by squadron leaders stationed onboard carriers. A squadron leader is less of a pilot in the traditional sense and more of a combat technician and strategist. They give the big picture orders, defend against hacking attempts and come up with more efficient combat routines to program the drones with.
There do exist rare instances of manned strikecraft. In such cases the craft is usually equipped with the most advanced technology the civilisation has to offer and the pilot is often augmented to better withstand g-forces and react as fast as their drone counterparts, if not faster. These elite or "heroic" strikecraft are incredible force multipliers. On paper they usually carry the firepower of a single advanced frigate but there are stories of ace pilots defeating entire battlegroups single handedly.
<span class="mu-s">Raihan Knight Frames</span>
Knight Frames are a type of elite strikecraft fielded by the Raihan Empire and NKH Defence Pact. They stand at around 10 meters tall, and are usually humanoid in appearance. Piloted by specially trained “knights” of the martial class or even members of the nobility themselves, each one is a bespoke machine, customized to the tastes of its user.
The technology to create Knight Frames was lost when the Old Empire collapsed. All existing frames are carefully preserved relics from the armouries of the various houses. Being a splinter of the Old Empire, the Pact has its share of Knight Frames though not as many as the current Imperial Regime.
