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Fighter TOG Gladius2

Fighter TOG Gladius4

The Gladius´ cut-away view presented in the Interceptor rulebook.

Fighter TOG Gladius3

The turret weapon system of the Gladius actually consists of two linked and synchronised turrets mounted on the wings.

Fighter TOG Gladius5

Pilot and weapons operator seated in the Gladius´ cockpit.

Renegade Return To Jacob's Star

Gladii and Space Gulls in combat on the cover of the Renegade: Return to Jacob's Star video game.

The Gladius is a heavy two-seater starfighter produced and operated by the Terran Overlord Government. In keeping with modern TOG fighter doctrine, it is primarily missile-armed.


Etymology[]

The gladius (pl. gladii) was a broad, short sword carried by ancient Roman legionnaires and used in close combat after an exchange of thrown spears. It was used for quick strikes, flickering out from behind the heavy shield and withdrawn. While the blade was short, its weight and sharpness gave it the ability to inflict severe wounds.

Design Philosophy and Tactical Role[]

The current tactical doctrine of the Terran Overlord Government views fighters mostly as mobile platforms to deliver as many missiles as possible. Side armour and secondary armament are often kept light to maximise thrust. The Gladius was introduced fairly recently, in 6820, when this doctrine was at its height. (Currently, TOGSOG - TOG Strategic Operations Group - is re-evaluating its reliance on missiles in the face of the enemy´s familiarity with the tactic and recent Commonwealth developments like the anti-missile Safeguard laser system.)

The Gladius has good acceleration for its class and reasonably strong armour and shields protecting the front and rear. In keeping with its strike role, its sides lack the all-around armour of a space superiority fighter. Five hardpoints can deliver a strong salvo of missiles. Once this punch is thrown, the Gladius falls back on its secondary armament, two 18-aperture heavy Electron particle cannon mounted along the fighter´s fuselage in two long sponsons and two turret-mounted medium mass driver cannon. The turret is operated by a second crewman who engages intercepting craft while the pilot concentrates on the target.

While the Lancea´s and Spiculum´s mission profile involves firing their missiles early at long range and then retreating to reload, the Gladius is used where the missiles need to be delivered in the teeth of aggressive resistance. Since it is too slow to emulate the Spiculum´s fire-and-retreat tactic, the Gladius usually stays in the fighting after it has delivered its load. Its stronger armour, secondary armament, and 360° field of fire enable it to engage in protracted dogfights as long as it can keep its side armour out of the enemy´s sights.

Currently, there is no high-thrust modification kit avaliable for the Gladius as there is for other fighters.

Deployment History[]

Standard TOG doctrine calls for rotation of crew members within a Gladius squadron, so that no pilot flies multiple missions with the same weapons operator. According to the official explanation, this is meant to spread expertise evenly throughout the squadron and discourage unseemly familiarity between enlisted weapons operators and flight officers. A rumour travelling through the border Gladius squadrons says that each squadron has an ISS agent posing as a weapons operator, and that the rotation policy was created to give him the opportunity to check periodically on the loyalty of each pilot. The ISS, which normally refuses to discuss its operations, emphatically denies that it is conducting such a program.

Regardless of the rumor´s veracity, units of Gladii seem to have difficulties "gelling" into a cohesive fighting formation and tend to have an inordinate amount of trust issues between their crewmembers. Even if the rumour may be unfounded (or have been placed by Renegade underground agents), it has definitely served to undermine morale and comradeship on the border.

Legionnaire RPG Values[]

Hit Location Sub-Location Damage Boxes / Damage
[1] Structure - [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] []
[2] FTL Drive - None
[3] Shields - [][][][][]
[4] Engines / Thrust - [][][][][] [] ::: Thrust 6 g
[5] Armour - [][][][][] [][][][]
[6] Crew [1-5] Pilot

[6-10] Gunner

[][][][][]

[][][][][]

[7] Weapon Computers - [][][][]
[8] Sensors - [][][]
[9] Life Support - [][][]
[10] Weapons[1] [1] MDC 10 Damage 8
- [2] MDC 10 Damage 8
- [3] EPC 18 Damage 7
- [4] EPC 18 Damage 7
- [5] Hardpoint *
- [6] Hardpoint *
- [7] Hardpoint *
- [8] Hardpoint *
- [9] Hardpoint *
Fighter TOG Spiculum6

Gladius in the night sky on the Legionnaire RPG´s cover.

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Leviathan Values[]

Fleet Action[]

In naval engagements, Gladii prove their worth. Reasonably tough and resilient, they also pack a large missile punch; after that is delivered, they are still dangerous at close range with their secondary armament. Long-range engagements are not their forte; Gladii are best sent in to attack other fighters or capital ships up close and personal.

Raiding Action[]

Their ability to deliver a strong missile load makes Gladii a reasonable choice for hard strikes against border systems. They may not be as fast as other fighters, but they can virtually guarantee the destruction of their target.

Fighter TOG Gladius Hermes FG

Gladii issuing from a Hermes FG´s fighter bay.

Group (72 Fighters) Armour Missile Attack Value CRA LRA Thrust
Armour Row 6 [][][][][][] [][][][][][] [][][][][]- - 100 202 83 6
Armour Row 5 [][][][][][] [][][][][][] [][]-- - 168 69 -
Armour Row 4 [][][][][][] [][][][][]- - - 134 55 -
Armour Row 3 [][][][][][] [][]-- - 101 41 -
Armour Row 2 [][][][][][] -- - 67 28 -
Armour Row 1 [][][][][]- - 34 14 -
Flight (24 Fighters) Armour Missile Attack Value CRA LRA Thrust
Armour Row 3 [][][][][][] [][]-- 100 67 28 8
Armour Row 2 [][][][][][] []- - 45 18 -
Armour Row 1 [][][][][]- - 22 9 -
Squadron (6 Fighters) Armour Missile Attack Value CRA LRA Thrust
Armour Row 1 [][][][][]- 25 17 7 10
Single Fighter Values Armour Missile Hardpoints CRA LRA Thrust
Gladius 85 5 56 23 6

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Annotations[]

  1. In the Legionnaire RPG rulebook, the weapons loadout for the Gladius erroneously(?) lists one fewer EPC-18 and an additional missile hardpoint. The fighter detailed there would have a displacement of 201 tons, cost 3,902,500 talents and be armed with the following: - MDC-10 ::: 8 Damage Points - MDC-10 ::: 8 Damage Points - EPC-18 ::: 7 Damage Points - 6 Missile Hardpoints In this entry, the original stats given in the Interceptor rulebook were used instead.