by Adjudicator » 05 Jul 2026 15:42
Not needing to move the large or capital ship with hangar facilities has even more implications than merely helping stranded fighters.
Firstly, a Starlite inside the Idris gives it the capability to refuel OTHER large ships using the Idris' own on-cargo-grid hydrogen/quantum fuel stores—use the Starlite as the "Intermediary"/"Buddy Fuel Pump" to get the fuel from the Idris' hangar cargo consumables, to the Starlite via the Idris' hangar services. The Starlite full of fuel can then fly out and relay the fuel to the stranded large ship.
The other use case is if stealth fighters or small surveillance ships are detached on extreme range patrols/surveillance missions deep into hostile territory, and the nature of their mission requires that they cannot stray too far from their objective.
Bringing the Idris towards the fighters that are keeping eyes on target is risky as its inherently large signature will reveal its presence if it gets close. As of the current patch, no stealth capital components are available for the Idris, and even then, it is safer to send a stealth-kitted Starlite close enough to a fallback position/rally point where the surveying stealth craft can take turns refueling their tanks.
Even better, since the Starlite has an interior, interior-less small craft pilots may also EVA into the Starlite to stretch their legs, open helmets and use the Starlite's kitchenette, dining table and shower/toilet to refresh themselves before re-boarding their small craft to return to station to resume surveillance of the objective.
Yes, one might bring up the Drake Herald surveillance ship, which does have an interior, but as of the current patch it has no shower (only a rudimentary toilet), and no cooking facility or meal table.
A Drake Herald supported by a stealth-configured Starlite can have its two-man crew take turns EVAing to the Starlite for a shower and freshly-cooked hot food. I also foresee the Starlite being used to rotate active crew members out from an extreme duration survey mission back into the Idris or other ship and rotate in fresh, well-rested pilots to man the small craft that never need to leave the assigned surveillance zone.
I believe the Starlite could be eventually replaced with the Aegis Vulcan which can not only refuel, but also do simple repairs and basic maintenance. This assumes the Vulcan stays at its current dimensions and doesn't get bloated up in size until it can no longer fit into the Idris hangar.
Obtaining the Starlite is a contingency against this worst-case scenario, as its a straight-to-flyable ship, and its size is already set in stone.
