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Beast Cruise Missile
Mass: 490 TONS
Firepower: -
Armor: 68
Coverage: -
Maneuverability: high
Max. Velocity: 650 m/s
Special Action: None

The Beast Cruise Missile was first seen in Seera Tel system, when a Kiith Manaan frigate squadron sent a frantic message that it was under attack by unknown drone craft. When no further word was received, Manaan Fleet Command sent in a full Carrier group to investigate, but initially all that was found was the wreckage of one Assault Frigate; the remaining four Ion Beam Frigates were nowhere to be found. Eventually a lone escape pod was found with one alive-but-nearly-insane Manaani bridge officer aboard. When an psi-tech was finally able to piece her psyche back together again, the mystery was finally solved. It seems that soon after issuing the report, the incoming drones closed at ramming speed too fast for the Ion Beam Frigates to track. As the drones impacted, it became obvious they were huge missiles carrying a warhead of Beast plasma; the missiles blew through the frigate's hull, the plasma warhead burst, and the infection spread through the ship in seconds, subverting the ship and dissolving her crew. The battle took less than two minutes, as the three infected Ion Frigates turned on the one assault frigate that had managed to destroy the cruise missile targeted on it before impact. The lone surviving officer had been shoved into an escape pod by her captain, along with the battle telemetry; she was ejected moments before the last frigate was cut to pieces.

The Beast Cruise Missile is nearly the size of a corvette, and packs a high thrust drive capable of pushing the missile to near fighter speeds. While not a threat by itself, the Beast tends to use these missiles in massed attacks, either forming multiple vectors or one vector which is likely to be missed in the middle of a massive battle. Both tactics minimize the chance of successful interception, and any fleet that does not keep up constant combat patrols can find itself in deadly danger. Sentinel shields are no defense against the Beast missiles; the drone's organic tip absorbs the field charge and allows the missile to slip through.

Required Tech	-	FIGHTER DRIVE MISSILE LAUNCHER BIO-WARHEAD BEAST INFECT WEAPON
Upgrade Tech	-	ADVANCED FIGHTER DRIVE (upgrade/captured) ARMOR LEVEL 3 (upgrade/captured)