Unlike the original Normandy and her Cerberus constructed successor, which were intended primarily for stealth and reconnaissance, the MSV Normandy SR3 is a fully equipped warship. When first entering combat, the MSV Normandy's automated systems evacuate and depressurize the hangar and cargo bays, as well as all observation decks and the Commanding Officer's quarters. Now a Zero-G environment the hangar is opened to space for the expedient launch and recovery of the three fighter spacecraft stored therein. The Normandy's external lifting body or "shroud" retracts slightly to reveal the offensive end of her Thanix battery - eight forward firing compact Thanix Cannons with a combined yield of 95 Hiroshimas. Up to fifteen Alliance Redhawk ship-to-ship missiles - which are mounted to hardpoints within the shroud - are also armed and made ready to fire. Inside, the ladders between decks become the main mode of travel, with the elevator now be used to transport munitions and any wounded. The internal lighting dims to a dull red, which reduces any visual signature from the Normandy's windows and allows increased visibility of haptic readouts and displays. Combat operations are coordinated from the war room, with the CIC and bridge handling flight control and navigation. Theoretically, every area of the ship excluding the war room could be rendered uninhabitable and any survivors in the war room would maintain complete control thanks to massively redundant systems.
The primary reason for this massive overhaul of combat systems is the mandate by Commodore Moreau that the MSV Normandy SR3 be capable of single-handedly eliminating a Reaper Capital Ship (though a Reaper will likely never be faced again). Though this goal is still impossible in a shot-for-shot conventional fight, the SR3 is capable of a tactic known as the "blind run" which makes Reaper elimination possible. Developed by Moreau, this tactic involves fully polarizing the Normandy's forward plating and shields, and flying directly alongside the energy pulse from a Reaper's main gun. At the critical moment, the Normandy enters the energy pulse for only a few seconds, long enough to fire each Thanix Cannon once. Stabilized and protected by Mass Effect fields the Thanix projectiles travel down the beam and directly into the particle collector of the Reaper's main energy weapon, causing a catastrophic explosion which destroys the Reaper violently and completely, releasing almost all of its stored thermal energy. The Normandy would then break away and enter slipspace seconds later, avoiding the massive shockwave and dark energy event.
Modifié par CmdrSlander, 01 avril 2012 - 06:17 .
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