Dolo Class

Dolo Class vessels are heavy system defense cruisers employed by the Cobalt Protectorate. A laser-based evolution of the Tetrain Class, the Dolo Class is notable for its 'over-under' configuration and significantly oversized radiator arrays, earning the class the 'Shotgun Angel' nickname.

Power Generation

Like the Tetrain Class, The Dolo Class can rely on several banks of regenerative fuel cells and capacitors to provide auxiliary power. Otherwise, power is provided by a combination of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) harvesting and Brayton-cycle generation in connection with the fusion torus drive system (see Propulsion).

Propulsion

The drive system of the Dolo Class is often considered underpowered, consisting of only a single fusion torus module of the same size used in the Tetrain Class that preceeded it. This module is trimodal, being able to operate in MHD scavenging mode for power production, high ISP/low thrust mode for long duration flight, and low ISP high thrust mode for evasive maneuvers. The Dolo Class features double the usual number of microwave electrothermal (MET) steam thrusters for manuvering than its Tetrain progenitor had. What the Dolo Class lacks in outright maneuverability it makes up for in much greater fuel and water ice afterburner reaction mass carrying capacity; a typical Dolo is equipped with a minimum of four fuel General Purpose Modules (GPM), with those expecting a protracted battle being equipped with as many as six to maximize thermal capacity (see Weapons & Armament).

Weapons & Armament

A Dolo Class vessel features a total of eight turret-mounted laser arrays - four mounted on each side - that also serve as the vessel's multispectral scopes and point defense systems. The Dolo replaces the forward force docking array of the Tetrain with a protected lens system for the fusion-pumped laser spine-mounted within the vessel; the Dolo is meant to turn opponents to slag at extreme ranges, not perform boarding actions.   The typical Dolo configuration includes one or two ordinance GPMs from which a variety of missiles or cell-launched miniature drones may be launched. Missiles launched from the dorsal and ventral cells leave these GPMs, fly out in a path orthogonal to the vessel's drive axis for a while, then perform a skew turn and bear down on the target from different directions. This ordinance is considered secondary to the Dolo's primary laser armament, which is significantly denser than that found on similarly-sized vessels.   A Dolo Class vessel is best identified by the pair large, truncated triangular radiators that sprout from its ventral and dorsal surfaces. The weapon systems of the Dolo produce prodigious quantities of waste heat despite the efficiency of Protectorate-designed systems, requiring a great amoung of cooling.

Armor and defense

Like the Tetrain Class, the Dolo Class features electromagnetic coils for deflecting particle radiation sandwiched between layers of graphene composite armor and undergirded with an inner caison of fieldproof meshing. The GPMs themselves are arranged such that any inhabited modules are all on one side, allowing the the crew to put the entire bank of modules on the opposite row between the habitation module and any enemy vessels that might prove a threat. This more than doubles the amount of protection a skilled Dolo crew may enjoy against kinetic and radiological threats. The huge amount of extra composite pycrete contained in the GPM walls also gives the Dolo Class exceptional heat rejection capability.

Communication Tools & Systems

The Dolo Class communicates with drones (see Hangars & Docked Vessels) and allied vessels through a combination of laser-optical and radio frequency communications.

Sensors

In addition to having twice the coverage in terms of multispectral scopes (see Weapons & Armament), the Dolo also has triple the number of Forward gravity sensors that a Tetrain has. Moreover, the larger size of the Dolo means that it has a wider field of view and, thus, has better targeting capabilities than its predecessor. A Dolo can define targets at extreme range and has a large enough spinal mount weapon that beam divergence is less a factor; even a vessel at long enough ranges that the laser will no longer pierce or cut will be illuminated and suffer an increase in absorbed heat, increasing its sensor signature against the Dolo even further. For this reason, Dolo Class cruisers make excellent spotters and, thus, are frequently employed in outer system roles involved with system defense, potentially highlighting targets for destruction by larger emplacements like the Scrapyard facility.

Hangars & docked vessels

The combat drone racks found on either side of the Tetrain Class are doubled on the Dolo Class, and, as a result, a fully equipped dolo must often employ an additional pilot with a brain-computer interface to keep all of them under control. A Dolo can field as many as 32 RD-1 "Razorbill" Space Combat Drones at a time, but more often one or both of the racks are instead occupied with electronic warfare packages or kinetic weapon mounts.   In keeping with the general Evermornan design ethos, the Dolo Class cruiser is nearly completely modular. The general purpose modules of the Dolo can be inserted or removed via large doors at the front of the spacecraft. The Dolo's 'consist' may include up to eight such modules, including up to six fuel modules, up to two habitation modules, and up to two ordinance modules.

Class
Nickname
Shotgun Angel
Owning Organization
Related Technologies
Width
100 ft (including laser arrays)
Length
250 ft
Height
500 ft (100ft core, 400ft radiators)
Complement / Crew
4
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
6, plus 10 per additional GPM


Cover image: by Beat Schuler (edited by BCGR_Wurth)

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