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Somtaaw "Minion"-Class Heavy Tug
Mass: 12900 tons
Firepower: 2500
Armor: 4700
Coverage: 6%
Maneuverability: medium
Max. Velocity: 398 m/s
Special Action: RAM

The Minion class of Heavy Tugs is another pre-landfall design, which has been resurrected and adapted to the unique needs of Kiith Somtaaw. The original Minion design was used for moving massive modular sections of the scaffold and Mothership into position for final lockdown. For the Somtaaw, this Frigate-class hull with a massive bow section, a heavy engine module and built-in grapple capabilities was exactly what they needed in an asteroid tug. With extensive modifications to the high-output fusion drive and a redesign of the armor layering, the newly christened Minion was ideal for pushing very large asteroids out of dense, dangerous belts of debris for fast processing close to the command ship. In circumstances where a larger mass needs to be broken down in order for Workers to harvest it, the Minion employs a short-range fusion torch to carve up the target rock.

Since the Minion is a relatively simple vessel to fly, the five-man crew is usually composed of non-combat flight officers fresh from training, in order to give them experience in the field. While this "on the job training" is highly efficient, and frees experienced personnel up for more complex vessels and tasks, it does lead to some unusual interpretations of the Minion mission profile. Recently, the mining fleet headed by the command-ship Kuun-lan was under attack by a Turanic Raider fleet, backed up by a Chieftain-class Carrier. Standard Somtaaw procedure has all non-combat vessels, including Workers and Minions, retreating to the command ship at the first sign of battle, but two Minion crews took it upon themselves to ignore this command. Realizing that the pirate Carrier would eventually overwhelm the Somtaaw Acolytes and Seekers, forcing a retreat from a highly valuable belt of radioactives, the Minions drove straight into battle and rammed the Chieftain broadside. After grappling on and giving maximum power to their fusion drives, the Minions were able to push the Pirate Carrier deep into a fast-moving pack of asteroids, where the larger ship was destroyed by rock impacts. From this event on, Minion pilots have jokingly referred to their ships as "ramming frigates" and have begun painting kill markers on their crash helmets.

Required Tech	-	AFTERBURNER
Upgrade Tech	-	ADVANCED ION CANNON REPAIR BOTS INFECTION VACCINE ARMOR LEVEL 2