Following the consolidation of several Terra-based ship construction companies, the Highland design was turned over to the former Whitney Defense Corporation, now renamed the HomeCrew Defense Alliance. The HDA reviewed the schematics, and decided to incorporate new advancements in rail technology. This led to redesign of several major systems:
- Shuttle docking was updated and a logic system was implemented to raise and lower the shuttle.
- Hangar doors were added for both shuttle and repair drone bays
- Dual repair drones were replaced with a single, larger, and more powerful version
- Side beam cannons were replaced with additional missile launchers (old beams were drawing far too much power for minimal effect)
- Halyx-class cannon entirely removed
- Zealot-class anti-fighter turrets replaced with twin-barreled Apollo-class light machine-gun turrets
- Extendable sensor pods on top of ship
- Rotating sensor dish added to top of ship
- Removed extraneous systems
- Increased Overdrive to give small performance boost
The Highland Rail Refit now offers more of a system exploration ship, returning the original purpose behind the design. While capable of holding its own against light attackers, captains of this ship should note that combat is not its primary role. Any engagement with ships of corvette-class or higher should be withdrawn from as soon as possible.
Constructive feedback is welcome!
