Name of Ship: Moonreaver
Home Universe/Name of Franchise: StarcraftShip Class: Zerg Leviathan Role: Mobile HQ/Troop Transport
Physical Description: A biological ship, Moonreaver is much,
much smaller than similar creatures of its type. It has a more narrow body, and its carapace has a sleek, black coating. Its front end features a mouth, eyes, and tendrils, while its back end is much larger and has several massive sacs where Zerg organisms are stored. On the bottom end of the back half, there are a number of 'gills' where drop pods are deployed. This is also where flying Zerg are deployed in combat.
Physical Size (roughly): Around 1200 meters in length, and 500 meters in height.
Armament/Complement (roughly): -Multiple spiny tentacles at the front, melee-range but are good at punching holes in armor. Once they are inside an enemy ship, they can open up and send Zerg creatures inside.
-Can launch bile swarms, small Zerg organisms that are shot out like missiles, homing onto a target and exploding into acid on impact. They are a short-medium range weapon, capable of destroying exterior turrets or melting through armor, but are susceptible to being intercepted by point defense.
-Can deploy flying Zerg, such as
scourge,
corruptors, or
brood lords. This allows Moonreaver to act like a sort of biological aircraft carrier, and is often its main method of attack other than boarding.
-Can slow down its metabolism, helping reduce its heat and hide it from sensors. This makes Moonreaver slower, and is generally used only when not being detected is a necessity, such as approaching an enemy position.
-Can deploy Zerg units to the surface of planets using a type of biological
drop pod. These are grown by the ship and can be replenished rather easily, allowing for rapid deployment of forces to the surface.
-Speaking of deploying forces to the surface, Moonreaver is equipped with a large number of Zerg organisms for boarding and planetary invasions. This ranges from the small
zerglings and suicidal
banelings, to medium-sized creatures like
hydralisks and
roaches, and even a few of the massive
ultralisks.
History of the Ship: Most Leviathans are used mainly to transport massive amounts of Zerg organisms. They are typically very slow, very large, and usually travel together in large packs under escort by more agile organisms. Moonreaver was bred with a different objective in mind- to serve as a stealthy mobile base for distant operations. It traded durability and the ability to carry huge armies for stealth and speed.
It was created in 2505, during the Second Great War. Its speed and stealth capabilities were put to use in the Swarm's war against the Terran Dominion, where Broodmother Ikani was sent to attack outlying military outposts. It served well in this regard, and later joined the final battle over Korhal, destroying military stations in orbit to help the rest of the Zerg fleet advance on the planet. The vessel later fought in the End War against Amon's forces, where Ikani again made a name for herself as a commander.
After the war, it has served in covert operations against rogue factions, fighting off Terran pirates and feral Zerg. It was on its way to investigate a potential attack by rogue Terrans in Zerg space, before it disappeared.
Notable Crew:-Broodmother Ikani: The
broodmother in charge of this vessel, Ikani distinguished herself as a capable commander, as well as being able to work independently. Due to this, she is often sent on missions that require stealth, and being without support from the larger Swarm for extended periods of time. Being isolated from her kin for long stretches of time has left her a little eccentric, and she often occupies her time by talking with her advisors or checking on the underlings, since she has nobody else to talk to.
-Captain Brooke Shelley: Formerly a captain of a Terran mercenary ship, she was killed in an ambush by a rival group and left to die in space, before being found by Ikani. She was brought back to life as an
infested Terran, but still retaining her mind instead of becoming a mindless killer. She has since taken her place as an advisor on all things Terran related, including acting as a diplomat if necessary.
-Zalek: A lesser
Queen, she has been placed in charge of Ikani's forces in the case of any planetside action or boarding mission. She is obsessed with battle and winning glory, often to the extreme. Because of this, Ikani tends to oversee her missions to make sure she stays in line and doesn't do anything stupid.
Optional, but helpful:
Unique Technology: -Warp Drive: The "warp drives" of the StarCraft universe are not Alcubierre drives, but are more similar to slipspace drives from Halo, in that they open a portal to a dimension called "warp space" that allows them to travel quickly. Moonreaver is equipped with a biological version of this device, able to use psionics to open portals to warp space.
-Terran Communications: Not really a unique technology, but something to note. A few pieces of Terran technology have been installed in Moonreaver's control room. This includes a star map, which displays a holographic image of nearby systems, and a Terran communication terminal, allowing her to communicate with non-Zerg vessels. It has a screen and a camera, allowing face-to-face communication if need be.
-Zerg Hive Mind: The Zerg are a hive-minded species. The overwhelming majority of Zerg creatures are unintelligent, kept in line by intelligent commanders such as Broodmothers. To maintain their control, they are reliant on floating creatures known as
Overlords, which are necessary to maintain the psionic link between the controller intelligence and large numbers of underlings. While this means that Zerg forces can function with unparalleled coordination, their reliance on Overlords means that, if too many are killed, the underlings can turn feral, losing their connection to the commander and acting like animals.
-Biological Ship: Moonreaver is a biological vessel, a massive living organism. This has a few advantages and disadvantages. It can slowly regenerate wounds, but it can also bleed, and damage to vital organs can kill it.
Crew Size: Currently has around 1000 various Zerg organisms on board.
Faction/Operator/Owner: Zerg Swarm