Drone
The Umgah Drone is a study in the unexpected. At one moment it can be slowly moving away, only to reverse direction at a speed to make even an Arilou's head spin. The Drone boasts a powerful weapon, but like the ship itself, it is strange and unwieldy. The Drone has a unique system for regenerating energy. Instead of gaining one unit at a time, its reserves are completely replenished after a set period of weapon inactivity. If the drone uses either of its armaments, the recharge timer will reset. Conventional thrust does not affect this timer.
Propulsion
The Drone's rate of acceleration is reasonable enough, but this is overshadowed by slow turning and low conventional top speed. The Umgah rely on an unusual form of alternate propulsion intended specifically for combat. That subsystem is a bit of an energy hog, so both conventional and non-conventional thrust must be used in tandem.
Armament
Primary
The front of the vessel houses a massive anti-matter vent. When the Drone's weapon system is activated, it produces a flood of antimatter which extends outward a short distance in the shape of cone, rapidly deteriorating any form of matter upon contact. The cone is powerful enough to stop most projectiles, but is not usually very effective as a shield due to the Drone's slow turning rate. The anti-matter cone does not consume battery power, but the Drone will not recover energy while the cone is active.
Secondary
The Drone's retro-propulsion system allows it to move in reverse at high speed through what appears to be a series of rapid jumps. It can be used to catch enemy ships off guard during combat and trap them in the Drone's anti-matter cone as well as propel the Drone to safety amidst the heat of battle. Retro-propulsion is non-inertial, meaning that a Drone traveling in reverse is not affected by gravity and loses all momentum when the retro-propulsion system is deactivated. This system consumes power at a tremendous rate, so it must be used with forethought and precision.
Tactical Overview
- The Drone suffers from very low conventional speed and limited weapon range. Effective use of retro-propulsion is essential for bringing the antimatter cone to bear on enemy craft. Retro-propulsion allows the Drone to move faster than any other known ship, but is limited by its rapid energy consumption. Without precise use of this subsystem, the Drone will easily be outmaneuvered and blasted apart from beyond its reach.
- A short burst of retro-propulsion can be useful in some situations to sidestep an incoming projectile or come to a full stop instantly.
- The Drone is particularly vulnerable while it is waiting to recharge. Avoiding damage long enough to recover energy with the antimatter cone turned off is very difficult, sometimes impossible. The danger of this situation can be minimized by using only part of the battery for an attack run, then the rest to disengage, though this may not be feasible depending on what enemy the Drone is up against.
- Asteroid collisions usually send the lightweight Drone vessel reeling at a higher speed than its conventional top speed. Seeking out asteroids and bouncing off them is a good way to stall for time while the ship's battery is depleted.
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Not to be confused with: Ur-Quan Security Drone