SCREAM

SCREAM, the far more insidious acronym for the Super Close Range Electronics Assaulting Munition, is possibly one of the most feared and misunderstood technologies in the galaxy. It may seem small and insignificant, but this device is able to even the odds in fighter combat, perhaps even tip them much more in favor of the deployer. The whole technology is based around the practice of using an attacker's own targetting system against them.

The SCREAM launcher is housed on the aft quarter of a starfighter or starship, with computer linkage directly into the onboard avionics and sensor systems. At the instant the onboard sensors detect that the parent craft is being targetted by an attacker, the weapon identifies the signal and produces a reciprocal solution. A split second later, a rocket is enabled and the weapon is "hot". It depends on the pilot as to if the launch trigger is set to automatic, where a rocket is launched as soon as there is a solution, or manual. The more advanced pilots tend to favor manual method, known to snap off SCREAMs based on chimes alone (the audible tones played through the helmet's headphones to the pilot). The rocket then immediately tracks back along the very targetting signal the attacker is using, and homes in on the source. Unless the attacker is aware or quick enough to turn their targetting suite off, the rocket invariably strikes, either disrupting the attacker's pursuit or damaging his targetting system. If the attacker is in a TIE -series craft or weaker, the a rocket strike may even destroy it.

Indeed, the SCREAM was developed to counter TIE -series craft appearing in combat with afterbuild-installed missile racks, pods, and launchers attached to them. Purists saw this move as cheating, while others saw it as an indicator in the change in Imperial doctrine when so many of their fighter pilots weren't coming back with intact craft, if at all. If the Empire was doing this, it went without arguement that pirates, raiders, and all sorts of riffraff would be doing the same -- bolting on cheap missile launchers in order to stand off at distance and overwhelm the two to three craft elements that Caspians deployed patrols in. Something had to be done.

CDMC's brilliant electronics engineer, Venifer Smythe, deduced upon the concept of utilizing an attacker's targetting system. In a matter of a few short weeks, the system was developed, and paired up with an aggressive little rocket newly-manufactured by StarShield. The result went first onto Z-100 Centurions for testing, then onto the entire line in one refit. Now, all new Z-100's and Z-110's have SCREAM already fit.

Typical magazine on an inboard SCREAM launcher is 12-15 rockets, so an equipped craft can go deep into a dogfight and survive.