The Scarab

The Scarab is a fighter often seen among the Surrian Guard. Scarabs are known for their flexibility to work on any planet and in any atmosphere.

This flexibility makes the Scarab an essential tool in maintaining the territories of the Surrian Bankers and especially as escorts for the infamous Surrian debt collectors.

The Scarab can reorient itself from a horizontal to a vertical position to land on a smaller footprint than most other fighters.

Fighters are built for speed and agility; therefore, most fighters are designed with limited vertical landing or only horizontal landing capabilities.

This is not the case for the Scarab. To reach every corner of the galaxy, any small outpost that might be owing money and attempting to avoid collectors, the Scarab is a specifically useful tool as it can land essentially anywhere, with its enhanced vertical landing features.

To support both vertical and horizontal platforms, the cockpit of the Scarab rotates on an axis. This rotation allows the pilot to stay upright, facing the optimal direction for steering and guiding the craft.

Although most aspects of the craft are run by automated systems, pilots do take control from time to time to help guide the ship in particularly tricky or unusual situations.

The Scarab seats a single person, but the cockpit can be easily adjusted to suit different species of the galaxy. However, the default Scarab is set up to match the anatomy of Surrians.

The Scarab is equipped with two weapon systems, the frontal rail guns, and 12 lancer missiles hidden underneath the craft''s side panels.

In addition the Scarab features a powerful frontal force shield to deal with incoming frontal attacks, however the back of the Scarab is far more vulnerable as it features no shielding or weapons, and instead giving direct access to the main engines of the Scarab.

As the Scarab is powerful in the front and weak in the rear, the typical strategy of Scarab pilots is to strike fast once, launching and firing all weapons as quickly as possible, eliminating the threat before engaging in a dogfight, where other fighters might have the edge.

The main function of the Scarabs is to serve as escorts for Surrian debt collectors or as guardians for key individuals of interest to the Surrian Bankers.

As protective fighters, the Scarab is not particularly well-suited; an attack from raiders would usually catch them by surprise, and typically, more agile fighters would be a better match. However, the attack capabilities of a Scarab are somewhat feared. If they attack a Surrian fleet from the wrong angle, the assault might be over before it even begins.

Good formations and tactics are key to the success of the Scarab. With the right commander and strategy, the Scarabs are some of the most feared fighters in the galaxy.

If a Scarab is damaged or destroyed in battle, the pilot might need to escape. Fortunately, the Scarab''s cockpit doubles as an escape pod that can be launched from the center outwards towards safety.

The escape pod can be put into orbit, sending out a distress signal for pickup, or it can be launched towards a planet''s surface.

The cockpit is built to withstand the high temperatures experienced when decelerating into the atmosphere. The cockpit can reorient itself in any direction, but it does not have any thrust, so the pilot has little control over where it might land, beyond the trajectory set as the escape pod was launched from the Scarab itself.

As the cockpit enters the atmosphere, it launches a parachute to further decelerate the capsule.

When the cockpit nears the planet''s surface, it deploys a set of inflatable balloons to cushion the fall and provide the cockpit with the ability to float if it lands on water.

The escape pod has a natural air and water supply to sustain a person for a week, with rationing. But in this state, any pilot is only looking out for an eventual rescue.

Features like the Scarab''s versatility, weapons, defense, and escape options make it a truly iconic and formidable fighter in the galaxy of Black Horizon.