Editing Setting:Cloudburst/Navy (section)

=== Unique Territory and Ships ===

As with many Sectors that border regions of space that contain large numbers of hostiles, the Cloudburst Imperial Navy enjoys a few rare models of starships, made locally to suit local needs.  These ships are the Mangonel light cruiser and the Peregrine recon bomber.  These are manufactured at the Hapster and Thimble yards, and their success has pressured the Cognomen shipyards to accept their template.  However, Cognomen is quite aware of the scrutiny of Mars towards their custom design of Dreadnought, and so are very carefully examining the ship models before they risk adopting them.
The Mangonel is based loosely on the Endeavour series of light cruisers, with an emphasis on armor over firepower.  Its ability to keep up with ships with far lighter guns and armor means that it makes a decent command vessel for Rogue Trader expeditions, as well.  However, the ship not being on the list of Mars-approved designs means that it is not easy to replace, and it is far less heat-efficient than its progenitor.  It is classified as a Pursuit Cruiser similar to the Punisher model used by the Arbites, since it focuses on straightforward engine power and armor instead of guns.  They have a relatively small crew complement, but their purpose is not slugging it out with ships of equivalent tonnage, it is catching and crippling ships of lesser tonnage.

The Peregrine is a recon bomber, one somewhere between the sizes of the Starhawk and Marauder.  The origins of the template stem from an attempt to expand the capability of Explorator and Rogue Trader ships to engage moving targets of greater than Escort size in the murk and radiation of the Cloudburst Circuit.  The hot gasses and unpredictable swirls of rock make it challenging for small ships like bombers to accurately target moving objects in the flurry of battle.  Thus, using the hull of a simple cargo shuttle since airflow isn’t a concern, the Rogue Traders responsible for the ship created a recon bomber with the payload of a Marauder, the sensor capability of a Starhawk, the long-range travel capabilities of an Aquila, and the close-in point defense of a Bratan.  Bristling with radar and LADAR pods and carrying enough rapid-fire energy weapons to shoot down a corvette-weight torpedo, the Peregrine can detect moving objects by a vast number of means: optical, LADAR, radiation emission, vibration, metal content, thermal, even a very limited artificial gravity sensor system.  Just like the sensors of the larger Claymore and Viper ships, the Peregrine is able to detect vessels moving far beyond its actual ability to engage them, and employs a variety of engine types to get close enough to unleash its plasma bomb payload.  It has a few simple ionic vacuum engines to travel like all Imperial bombers, as well as two small chemical rockets to provide emergency boosts to speed or enhance evasion or braking.  Its interior is cramped but serviceable for a crew of four: a pilot, a primary gunner, a defense gunner, and a payload technician who doubles as a comms officer.