Name: Hammer Kaiser
Alignment: Zian (Universal)
Family: Shark (Hammerhead)
Registration Number: Zi-101
Height: 80.8 Meters
Length: 200 Meters
Weight: 895 Tons (unloaded)
Top Speed: Mach 1.0/1225 kph (air), 130 knots/241 kph (water)
Weapons: Dual AZ Heavy Missile/Torpedo Pods, Dual 16-Shot AZ Missile/Torpedo Launchers.
Special Abilities: Zoid Carrying, Swimming, Multilock.
Cost: $325,000
Level: Transport
Bridge Crew: 6 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Captain, Executive Officer, Gunnery Sergeant/Tactical Officer, Chief of Operations)
Minimum Crew Requirements: 20
Standard Crew: 100
Maximum Personnel: 150 ((That can be continuously supported and sustained by the Hammer Kaiser.))
The Hammer Kaiser is the first and the smallest of the large flying transports, but is still quite massive. It’s really considered to be the first transport that’s too large for any individual to own (unless he’s quite an extraordinary individual), and is also essentially the most heavily armed dedicated transport there is. As odd as it sounds, the Hammer Kaiser is the much larger cousin of the Hammerhead, and some of its weapons systems are remarkably similar. Also, though the Hammer Kaiser can fly well enough, its still a shark at heart. However, you’ll only rarely see a Hammer Kaiser in the water. Strange, no?
Anyway, the Hammer Kaiser was originally developed covertly by Hiltz, the alleged creator of the Death Stinger, as a weapons platform for his monstrous creation. It needed to be a combat transport for that purpose, and needed a couple of other unique functions as well. One of these was the ability to reach LPO (low planetary orbit). Oddly, that particular function has been retained by all Hammer Kaisers, which possess the unique ability to reach orbit through a series of special engines and physics tricks. The entire process takes about two hours, and then the Hammer Kaiser is in space. Note that it can only stay up there for a few hours, though, before it runs out of oxygen.
Though the first Hammer Kaiser was shot down out of orbit by modified Guardian Force Storm Sworders, the design remains and enjoys significant use today. Militaries often use it as a combat transport, and large teams use it for a transport for all their members’ Zoids.
As for the other design specifications of the Hammer Kaiser, there are quite a few. Firstly, it can carry a whopping 25 Zoids, more than four times the capacity of a single Hover Cargo. Secondly, it has extremely thick armor, just better than the Hover Cargo’s own. Thirdly, the Hammer Kaiser has reasonably good performance for a Zoid of its size, being slightly more agile than a Hammerhead in the air. Lastly, the Hammer Kaiser, like the Hammerhead, has a unique propulsion system that makes it VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing). Aside from that, it’s like most transports: sturdy and reliable.
Weapons:
Dual AZ Heavy Missile/Torpedo Pods:
On the fins that extend out from the Hammer Kaiser’s head are a pair of odd, blocky pods. Upon closer examination, it’s rather clear that each pod has two separate sections, which probably slide back to reveal something. That’s because they do. Both pods are missile/torpedo pods, and both pods have two separate missile launchers/torpedo tubes. That’s a total of four launchers/tubes. Underwater, they use active sonar to lock onto another aquatic target (which they need not do in their tubes, launch ‘em and they’ll do it on their own). Once launched, they’re slow-moving, but relatively well-armored and able to track and home in on a target for kilometers if necessary. Also, since they’re Heavy AZ, they have roughly four times the damaging potential of a standard missile. Out of water, they lock on like any other multipurpose missiles, and are fired as normal as well. (They can lock onto both aerial and ground targets, but it takes 1.5 times as long to lock on as a standard missile.) The mechanics of the switch are very simple; they must deactivate the turbine and turn on a rocket booster. Also, they still have four times the explosive power while in the air. As a final note, the Hammer Kaiser stores a single nearby reload for each tube, and the reloading process takes 3 seconds. It has other stores otherwhere, but they can’t easily get across the fins to the pods in the heat of battle.
Dual 16-Shot AZ Missile/Torpedo Launchers:
The Hammer Kaiser was partially designed to be able to shoot down the other large transports, like the Whale Kings, and just generally hold its own in combat. To this end, there are 16 missile launchers in either side of the Hammer Kaiser’s tail. They can lock onto any target anywhere around that side of the Hammer Kaiser, and simply go and hit it. (Ground or air targets, but lockon time is 1.5 times as long. Each 180 degree arc surrounding the Hammer Kaiser is covered by one of the two missile batteries.) They’re AZ missiles, meaning that they have twice the standard explosive power. In the water, the turbines become active instead of the rocket boosters. Underwater, of course, they’re much slower but much more persistent, and will follow a target to the ends of the Zi unless they’re destroyed. They’re still twice as powerful underwater. (Note that underwater, they don’t require a lockon prior to launch. They use active sonar to track the nearest target that doesn’t respond to their IFF transponders.) Note that these can also be reloaded from the Hammer Kaiser’s essentially infinite internal stores, but the process takes a full 8 seconds to complete. Also note that the Missile/Torpedo Launchers are normally concealed behind heavy armored plates, which much slide back in order for the weapons to be used or to lock on.
Special Abilities:
Zoid Carrying:
The Hammer Kaiser is a massive, heavily armed Zoid, but very little of its internal space is devoted to helping or protecting itself. A great deal of the Hammer Kaiser (whatever’s not engines and storage) is taken up by one large Zoid bay, roughly the entirety of the Zoid’s lower decks. (The lower 30-40 meters.) This bay can hold 25 Zoids, and has three entrance/exit points, a ramp in its chest, another in its tail, and a last one in its mouth. All three of the ramps can be magnetized such that Zoids’ feet or lower extremities stick to the rail. This allows them to be used as impromptu weapons platforms, even in orbit. However, they can’t catapult launch Zoids.
Repair Bay:
The Hammer Kaiser is the smallest transport to tout a full repair bay. It’s got the equipment and the personnel to get damaged allies back on their feet quickly, an essential component for any large transport. The Hammer Kaiser is fully capable of repairing up to 2 Zoids that it’s carrying at once at full speed -- none of this do-it-yourself crap.
Swimming:
Despite its massive size, the Hammer Kaiser is capable of swimming with maneuverability only a few notches below its smaller cousin, the Hammerhead. It can also move at the reasonably brisk pace of 130 knots. Note that the Hammer Kaiser fully compartmentalized, and, if its hull is breached, can usually seal a nearby bulkhead and stop the breach from sinking the ship. However, the Hammer Kaiser should not attempt to fly if any significantly large part of its body is flooded. Also note that the Hammer Kaiser’s crush depth is roughly 2000 meters, much deeper than that of the Hammerhead.
Multilock:
The Hammer Kaiser is ridiculously well-armed for a vessel that was only designed to fight one opponent at a time. That’s because it wasn’t. The Hammer Kaiser has a unique system that allows each of its missile launcher systems to lock onto multiple targets at once, with a designated number of missiles locking onto a single target. (IE: 10 missiles on one opponent, 6 on the other. A single missile cannot lock onto two or more opponents.) This gives it some very real and relevant defenses, and helps it against swarm attacks. Note that underwater, the torpedoes lock onto the nearest or most prominently apparent sonar target that doesn’t respond to IFF. Since this isn’t part of the Hammer Kaiser’s shipwide locking system, multilock doesn’t effect the torpedoes. That’s just a downside of torpedoes not having a lock on time.
Available Modifications:
