Comm-Link:Flying Fortress - The Aegis Retaliator

A Millennium of Memories: Photos in Flight
The top 500 iconic images from the last thousand years of traveling the stars.

#312: The Bombing Run

Date: 2544-10-01

Photographer: Renzo Oui

After the beginning of the First Tevarin War, the United Times/Tribune decided to embed Renzo Oui with the 71st Carrier Wing to provide exclusive material on this historical conflict. For over two years, Renzo chronicled the successes and struggles, both personal and professional, of a Naval carrier and its pilots, bringing the realities of front line combat and military life to public.

For his award-winning series, Renzo would accompany the pilots of the 391st Squadron on torpedo runs against Tevarin capital ships, but it was this image that would become one of his most remembered. Captured during Operation Nemesis, the Retaliators of the 391st were tasked with a daring run on one of the Tevarin’s devastating planetary defense systems that were keeping the UPE Navy at bay. This shot, taken remotely via Renzo’s camera, captures the moment where the Alpha Flight opened fire and has since been regarded as one of the iconic images of the war.



WHAT MAKES THE RETALIATOR COOL?
The Retaliator is one of Star Citizen’s premiere multi-crew fighting ships! While crewed ships are not uncommon in the ‘Verse, the larger options tend to be oriented more towards transport and exploration than fighting. The Retaliator is a fighting bomber covered in turrets which carries a heavy bomb load; the perfect thing for striking at enemy bases and capital ships! It’s also an extremely modular ship. The asset has been created with customization in mind, and entire hull segments can be swapped out: players will eventually be able to replace their bomb bay with entirely different configurations for different roles (imagine swapping in some quarters, or a cargo area.)

DOES THE RETALIATOR INCLUDE WEAPONS?
YES. We’re aware of a long-running discussion on the matter and would like to put it to rest right now. The version of the Retaliator available for pledge today (and previously) includes the bomb bay and defensive turrets. (The ship won’t include pre-stocked munitions in the bomb bay, it will be up to players to load their own ships in that regard!)

WHERE IS THE RETALIATOR IN DEVELOPMENT?
The Retaliator was concepted by Ryan Church, who designed the Constellation, and has since been passed to Foundry 42 to implement in the CryEngine. The base ship is currently in the engine, and the team is working on subsystems, such as turrets (which should be installed next week!) Our goal is to launch the Retaliator in Arena Commander 2.0, which will be the earliest point in development that large multi-crew ships will be fun to play.

WHAT INSPIRED THE RETALIATOR?
The Retaliator’s role was inspired by World War II strategic bombers like the B-17 Flying Fortress and Lancaster. We envisioned a crew of players (or a player and NPCs) operating the different crew positions and defensive turrets during bombing missions. The idea of civilians flying surplus bombers also came from the period after World War II, when the United States Army Air Force sold off B-17s to be converted for everything from passenger flights to firefighting duties. We’re looking forward to seeing people work as a crew to make the ship successful. The image of a bomber squadron coordinating an attack on a large capital ship, complete with escort fighters, bomber interceptors and space borne flak has excited our imaginations!

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION
The Retaliator is the United Earth Empire’s premiere, if aging, jump-capable heavy bomber. Massive formations of these spacecraft running long-range strike missions is not an uncommon site around the fringes of the empire. With a distinctive elongated silhouette that is dotted with turrets and carrying a massive bomb load, the Retaliator is an effective symbol of Imperial might. As such, they are the frequent centerpiece of Space Force recruiting posters. Retaliators are ground-based, with all but the largest carriers unable to operate them effectively. Heavily modified Retaliators are becoming commonplace on the civilian market as the design ages and earlier production runs are sold off en-mass. Outfitted to carry cargo instead of antimatter bombs and with the waste turret positions typically swapped for makeshift living quarters, they make a good medium freighter or a basic explorer. Some have even been converted into long-hop passenger spacecraft!

Do I need to buy a Retaliator?
NO! Remember: we are offering these pledge ships to help fund Star Citizen’s development and because of player demand. All of these ships will be available for in-game credits in the final universe, and they are not required to start the game. The design goal is to make additional ships available that give players a different experience rather than a particular advantage when the persistent universe launches. Every sale supports expanding Star Citizen’s overall development, but none are required to gain full enjoyment from the game.

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