Saber-Class Strike Cruiser

The Saber Class is a workhorse design for an agile, light cruiser from the Forge World of Novae IV and used in large numbers by the expeditionary fleets of certain Legiones Astartes, most notably the Obsidian Wyrms. It is armed with a mix of macro-cannons and torpedo tubes and is capable of fulfilling a number of roles including but not limited to vanguard, planetary assault support and long-range patrol. They are deadly to smaller ships and capable of providing appreciable support fire against large capital ships.

Core Components
At the center of the Saber-Class design is a Jovian Class 8.2 Plasma Drive, this pattern sacrificing a small amount of power generation to protect the Drive Assembly with additional armor, failsafes and bulkheads to prevent catastrophic cascades in the event of battle damage. The bridge of the ship is similarly protected with additional layers of heavy armor. For its Warp Drive, the Saber uses a Miloslav H-616b model, which is capable of faster travel through the Warp. Superstitious minds claim it shines brighter and tends to draw in Warp predators more easily, but the reduced travel time - and thus exposure time - makes up for it. Its Gellar fields are also equipped with emergency auto-activation failsafes which will automatically deploy if a sudden and unexpected Warp force or rift is detected.

For its Void Shields, the Saber makes use of a Repulsor Shield. While only providing basic protection, Repulsor Shields are optimized for navigation in hazardous areas of space and allow it to pass through nebulas, debris fields and other such zones with no reduction in speed or maneuverability. The Clemency-pattern life sustainer systems are also fitted with many redundancies and emergency void suit stations scattered across the ship, helping save crew and allowing rapid intervention in the case of sudden depressurization or battle damage. Its Crew quarters are somewhat larger than the cramped average of the Armada Imperialis and its menials and armsmen are bonded in clans and brotherhoods that keep their loyalty and morale somewhat higher. Finally, the Saber is equipped with BG-15 assault scanners, specialized in pinpointing and targeting power sources and weakpoints in space stations and planetary targets.

Weapon Systems
The Broadsides installed on both the port and starboard sides of the vessel are made of batteries of plasma-based macro-cannons of Hecutor pattern. These types of plasma macro-cannons have slightly lower striking power than the more common Ryza pattern but in return have significantly higher effective range. This range - which is longer than most common types of macro-cannon batteries - allow the Saber to keep larger or dangerous foes at arm's length while bombarding them with massed plasma charges. At its prow, the Saber mounts a Mars-pattern bank of torpedo tubes with massive anti capital-ship torpedoes. Against low-threat foes, standard plasma warheads and guidance systems are carried, but against the most dangerous of enemies, the Obsidian Wyrms make use of fearsome Vortex Torpedoes with improved guidance systems capable of mid-flight course corrections.

As a Strike Cruiser for the use of the Legiones Astartes, the Saber features large barracks capable of housing considerable amount of troops - be their legionnaires or auxillia - and their equipment, as well as launch bays for drop pods. The Anvillus-pattern Dreadclaw is favored by the Obsidian Wyrms for its great versatility, being able to take off from planetary surfaces on its own power just as easily as serving as a boarding craft in ship-to-ship combat.