Darket

The Darket light fighter was first introduced in 2668 by the Ki’ra Clan. Its lack of armor and light shielding were made up for in it's ability to evade enemy fighters making them difficult to track. Valued for its fast turn rate and acceleration, the sleek, fast design saw heavy usage near the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War. The Ki'ra Clan weren't dissuaded by the Empire's defeat, but continued to improve upon their design over the course of the Nephilim War, giving birth to at least 3 unique variants of the fighter equipped for various roles. They were also later adapted to include Blackfish-type cloaking devices, which made them an especially lethal threat in the post Nephilim era frontier, where piracy and general lawlessness were the norm. The Darket stalker, for example, was a pirate favorite around 2700 A.D. for its ability to ambush unsuspecting commercial traders on the space lanes.

A Comparison:

Stat\Variant	Darket (2668)	Darket Dragonfly	Darket Raptor	Darket Stalker
Length:	24 meters	24 meters	24 meters	27 meters
Mass:	12 metric tonnes	12 metric tonnes	12.5 metric tonnes	14 metric tonnes
Max Velocity:	520 kps	580 kps	515 kps	425 kps
Max Afterburner velocity:	1250 kps	1150 kps	975 kps	800 kps
Acceleration:	250 k/s^2	190 k/s^2	190 k/s^2	190 k/s^2
Max Y/P/R:	90/80/90 deg/s	110/110/110 deg/s	90/90/90 deg/s	80/80/80 deg/s
Shields:	80 cm	80 cm	130 cm	80 cm
Armor:	200 cm	270 cm	310 cm	390 cm
Guns:	Meson Guns (2)	Laser Cannon (2), Tachyon Gun (2)	Meson Blaster (2), Ionic Pulse Cannon (2)	Laser Cannon (2), Neutron Gun (2)
Missile Hardpoints:	1x2 (2HS)	2x20 (40DF), 1x5 (5HS)	2x20 (40DF), 2x5 (10HS)	2x20 (40DF), 1x4 (4VampHS)
Missile Decoys:	6	none	unlimited	none
Devices:	N/A	Engine Power Core, Cloak, Sonar	Shield Battery, Flares, Cloak	Gun Power Core, Cloak, Deployable Turret
Jump Capable:	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Images

A Darket flown off the KIS Sivar's Glory in 2669.

A Darket Dragonfly flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.

A Darket Raptor flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.

A Darket Stalker flown by a mercenary pilot in 2701.

Alternate History (the real world)

The Darket first appeared in Wing Commander III: The Heart of the Tiger. Three variants of the class are later seen in Wing Commander: Arena where the flyable fighters include the Darket Dragonfly, the Darket Raptor, and the Darket Stalker. Darkets also appear in the Novel False colors being flown by the Free Republic of the Landreich.

Works Cited

• Star*Soldier (Arena Manual)
• False Colors (Novel)
• Warbirds (WC3 Foldout)