The Beta series of starship hulls was General Design Hull’s first large-scale implementation of the techniques and methods adapted in creating the Delta series hulls into an entirely different design. Created early in the Delta series’ life, the Beta hulls were aimed more towards the civilian and haulage markets. This was chosen as that market was forgiving in terms of design specifications, given that combat was not their primary purpose and thus suitable to prototype many of the design features while retaining a way to recoup some of the design costs.
The bulk of the Beta series does not see much military use, though Beta transports remain a common sight in civilian haulage.
The largest of the Beta series hulls, the stock Light Carrier is capable of carrying two squadrons on fighters as standard. The apparently excessive size (vertically 40m square) of their hangar bays is due to their being designed to be spacious to accommodate larger smallcraft, such as many subcapital civilian transports. About 15% of the remaining mass and volume is reserved for cargo and supplies, or more commonly, for the addition of end-user modifications.
The Light Carrier is little more than a transport barge. As such, it has an acceleration of only 5mc and 50 MEUs make its manoeuvrability sluggishly at best. Shields of 1000TXq and modest armour with an AIC of 600TXq give it some protection, but it fares poorly against a sustained attack. The ship’s only weapons, four point-defence laser turrets, each with an engagement sphere of 0.9Ym³ and an output of 450TXq provide equally modest defence against missiles and fighters.
Like all the other General Designs hulls, it is configurable into all manner of duties, from transport to troopship. The Beta Heavy Transport is essentially just the Light Carrier with the hangar bays replaced with more cargo holds. This version is the one most likely to be seen plying the spaceways.
The Herosine Empire itself uses the Beta Light Carrier hull as the basis for the Valentinian (VA/CV) Carrier. The Valentinian expands the starboard hanger to house twenty-four fighters and four Alpha or Beta screen drones. The other hangar hols a pair of Galba Assault Shuttles in lieu of the vessel typical basic shuttles.
The defences are shored up, with the addition of a point-counter-measures (PCM) system, and the shields increased to 1800TXq and the armour doubled. Finally, additional mass is devoted to the engines, pushing the Valentinian up to a more respectable 8mc and 86 MEUs allowing it to keep up with the rest of the fleet.
The Valentinian-I (VA-I/CV) overhaul upgraded the shield arrays to the new improved standard. The laser point-defence turrets were upgraded to more modern 485TXq output lazer systems in line with the rest of the Herosine fleet. It is likely that over the next few decades, the Valentinian-I will be further upgraded to a VA-I2/CV version, using the sixth generation hyperdrive, sensor and communications systems that Empire has begun to put into production in the 2342.
The Valentinian serves as the Herosine Imperial Fleet’s primary carrier, though a number of Pompeii Escort Carriers remain in service. The Pompeii is built on an extensively modified Eta series hull, which are themselves retroengineered from the Cybertank Particle class.
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