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MEC 'Nocturna' Patrol Frigate (5-Slot)

(UPDATE: 9/25/2018) This ship is now updated to work properly with Combat Update Pt. II. It's also been given a pretty major general overhaul - see the change log for details.

Shortly after the development of the Vespa-class hive ship and Production Hive station, it became apparent that there was a need in the Muthos Engineering Consortium fleet for a new patrol craft to protect outlying outposts. For backwater sectors where the cost of a dedicated defense carrier could not be justified, or for sectors where a single 'Vespa' was not enough protection, engineers at the MEC drew up plans for a new frigate-class vessel. Dubbed the 'Nocturna,' this rapid-response frigate packs enough firepower to engage and destroy opportunistic pirates (or other invaders) that would otherwise prey on vulnerable, isolated stations.

Key features of the MEC 'Nocturna':

-5 upgrade slots
-Armored internals
-Internal frameworks for additional upgrades
-Maneuverable
-Low entry cost
-Good weapons coverage
-Low crew requirement
-Base hyperspace range of 8 sectors
-Comfortable bunk beds


Armament:

-2x size 2 forward coaxial weapon mounts
-2x size 3 ventral turret mounts
-2x size 2 dorsal turret mounts
-4x size 1 point defense hardpoints
-2x forward torpedo launchers


Known issues:

-No cargo bay
-All of the light switches are reversed

(Detailed statistics available in screenshots)

By default, the 'Nocturna' comes equipped with VCX-3 coaxial lasers, as well as VPD-1 and VT-4 custom turrets. If you'd like to use other MEC turrets with it, check out the MEC Signature Collection!

Additionally, two logo plates of the Muthos Engineering Consortium can be found in the hexagonal compartments on the sides of the ship's bow. Customers are encouraged, though not required, to replace these with their own logos or heraldry (you may need to remove the glass to get at them).

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The MEC 'Nocturna' took me about seven hours to build, start to finish. It was built at a large scale and then scaled down to half size - while I tried to use block sizes that would scale down cleanly, some blocks may have strange dimensions as a result. It has gone through several refits to keep up with new feature updates and improve its overall performance. The ship is named for a southeast Asian species of "night hornet," Provespa nocturna.

Note: The AI doesn't use coaxial weapons very effectively at the moment, so you can also use the coaxial mounts for two regular size 2 turrets if you like. This turret was designed specifically for such a scenario.