A mainstay of planetary siege operations conducted by the Empire of the Queil, designed to exert absolute control over combat and other traffic through local space and atmosphere. Orbital bastions are disc-shaped spaceworthy facilities several kilometres in diameter, primarily distinguished by their ability to project four equidistant “wings” of impenetrable magnetic force. These fields, which prevent descent to or ascent from the planet’s surface, are slow to deploy but, by cannibalising the basic elements present in the atmospheric shell, can envelope an entire world on a long enough timescale. Sadly, most native flora and fauna tend not to survive such environmental disruption.
Beyond these shield wings, the orbital bastion is outfitted with a formidable arsenal of both anti-air and surface bombardment weaponry, along with countermeasures ranging from minefield launchers to sensor scramblers. As a carrier, it can accommodate a full division’s worth of smaller starships, with docking ports for up to five cruisers.
Usually among the vanguard of a Queil planetary attack, the orbital bastion is manoeuvred into position using a battery of directional thrusters affixed to tracks across its outward-facing side, while its large size provides physical cover to fighter squadrons and landing vessels. Once in place, the only point of access to or from the planet’s surface is via the bastion’s closely-monitored two-way hangars and docking facilities.
Though officially billed as a defensive and logistical unit, the immediate and enduring destruction brought on by the arrival of an orbital bastion has rightly earned them a reputation as planet-killers.
SEE ALSO:
Forfeit Twenty-Three [Planet]
Plume-class Fighter [Starship]
Admiral "Shrike" Shoroq [Personality]
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