Battleplate
Description
Big, flat, polyhedrals, 3000-8000m on a side, 300-1000m deep, three to 15 big annie plants. Battleplates are named for the big craters -- the sorts of events they exist to prevent (or, truth be told, cause.)
Battleplates were originally designed to protect planets from the sorts of events that create the geographical features for which the Battleplates are named. The student of geology should only need to hear names like "Chicxulub", "Vredefort", and "El'gygytgyn" to know that we're talking about large rocks landing where rocks ought not land.
While it might seem like overkill to have close to a hundred giant ships like these in one planetary system, that's because once you've moved all of the naturally occurring rocks-o'-doom from dangerous orbits, you begin to worry about someone else sending one at your homeworld from an oblique angle, and at velocities more typically associated with charged particles or recklessly-piloted warships.
Should a relativistic rock the size of a house hit your planet, it will ruin your entire day. Battleplates, with their swarms of long-range, hypernetted sensor drones, are insurance against that sort of event. And with their massively overpowered annie-plants, they're good for all kinds of things, including the odd spot of intimidation.
The UNS currently fields at least two classes of battleplate, the three-sided Tricorn class 2015-05-03 and a larger pentagonal design demonstrated by the Morokweng.
Battleplates are known to be equipped with breacher missiles the size of troop transports 2004-02-23.
File:Http://static.schlockmercenary.com/comics/schlock20040224a-manhattan.png?1297712539
File:Http://static.schlockmercenary.com/comics/schlock20060511.png?1297712547
History
[Insert the known history of this class of vehicles]
Notable Battleplates
- UNS Battleplate Vredefort
- UNS Battleplate Tunguska
- UNS Battleplate Sudbury
- UNS Battleplate Popigai
- UNS Battleplate Motagnais
- UNS Battleplate Morokweng
- UNS Battleplate Manicouagan
- UNS Battleplate Kara-Kul
- UNS Battleplate El'gygytgyn
- UNS Battleplate Chicxulub
- UNS Battleplate Chesapeake
- UNS Battleplate Azuara
- UNS Battleplate Acraman
- Jumpstar Prime
Appearances
First appearance
[Insert a brief description of the circumstances of the vehicle's first appearance in the comic and a link to that strip.]
Other notable appearances
[This section is for examples of this class that do not appear frequently. For example, an appearance by the Post-Dated Check Loan would not be listed here, but an encounter with the Staff of Unyielding Order (also a Thunderhead Superfortress) would.]
Author's Note
[This space is reserved exclusively for Howard!]
Speculation
[Insert uncertain and speculative facts about vehicles of this class.]