Weapons: Javelin

The Javelin is an experimental close-assault weapon fitted on a handful of newer Alliance warships. It consists of a "rack" of two or more disposable disruptor torpedo tubes bolted or magnetically "slung" onto the exterior of a ship's armored hull. Firing on converging trajectories, the torpedoes detonate in a precisely timed sequence that allows the warhead's dark energy to resonate and thereby magnify the resulting space-time warp effects.

Like fighter-launched torpedoes, Javelins are "cold-launched" for safety reasons, though they use a different approach. Resembling old-fashioned submarine torpedo tubes, Javelin torpedoes come packed in individual sealed tubes filled with compressed, inert gas. Opening the front of the tube causes escaping gases to push the torpedo into the vacuum, releasing a puff of crystals around the mouth of the tube. After completely clearing the tube, the torpedo ignites its thrusters.

Javelin mounts are most often fitted on swift frigates, which enter "knife fight" torpedo ranges as a matter of course. Javelins may also be fitted on heavier ships for short-range engagements such as trans-relay assaults. They are particularly useful in this role for dreadnoughts, which cannot lay their main guns on close-range assaults.

As missile weapons, Javelins are subject to highly accurate defensive GARDIAN fire. They must be launched in large numbers and at short range to have any chance of hitting their target at all.