Penetrator
The Syreen Penetrator is lightly crewed and not terribly powerful in terms of offensive weaponry, but it is able to use "wiles" to strengthen itself while weakening enemy ships. With the Mycon Podship and the Pkunk Fury, the Penetrator is one of the few ships able to come out of battle stronger than they went in.
Propulsion
The Penetrator has a good turn rate and a fair top speed but suffers from somewhat lacking acceleration. Its shape, center of gravity and turn rate can be masterfully combined into an orbiting maneuver, during which the Penetrator circles a planet until it finds the direction it wants, so as to use the Gravity-whip maneuver.
Armament
Primary
The Penetrator's primary weapon is a weak, forward-firing weapon with a fair range and acceptable firing rate. Each shot from the weapon kills two enemy crew members. Normally it is used for nothing but finishing off a Psi-resistant captain. This weapon is more commonly known as a "Particle Beam Stiletto", or alternatively as a "light Electron Dagger".
Secondary
To compensate for its lack of offensive power, the Penetrator captain employs the "Syreen Song", a short-range hypnosis field designed to lure enemy crew from their ships via the airlocks. The effectiveness of the Syreen Song decreases with distance. When the ships are right next to eachother, eight crew members may desert, but a ship will never be abandoned altogether. If the Penetrator picks up the crew, they will willingly serve alongside the Syreen as members of the Penetrator's crew; if the enemy ship reclaims their crew, they are able to counteract the effects of the hypnosis field -- at least for a while. During the war, crews on board Syreen ships became a surreal pastiche of alien races, with Ilwrath, VUX, Spathi and others working dutifully side by side with human volunteers under the command of beautiful Syreen officers.
The "Syreen Song" has no effect on non-sentient beings like the Slylandro Probe.
Tactical Overview
Against most ships, the tactic is pretty straightforward -- close in quickly, evade incoming fire, and use the "Syreen Song" to bolster your ranks and weaken the enemy's. Once you have made the enemy's crew your own, finish them off with a few quick shots. Slow ships are the prefereable targets for Penetrator captains. Ships with good turn rates and/or good firing rates are what Syreen captains fear most.
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