The Tal'kekar Arda is a 100-year-old, originally civilian freighter of the Plostrasinus class. However, for nearly three decades the ship has been owned by the pirate Siar'nivan, a deserted commander of the Jaffa Nation Navy, whose military training and experience is still evident in the command structure, tactical behavior, and technical precision of his gang.
The ship's current configuration significantly deviates from its original design. The Covenant's original sublight engines, gravimetric Nintusprimil Deilor Primsu, have been replaced by a heavily modified SAH-13 ion engine from Tech Con, which was not intended for this hull.
The ship's hull, which initially featured the distinctive black and white colors of the Coenant ships, now displays a series of significant repairs. Repairs made from standard Naquadah armor plates extend across the entire hull in a brown pattern. These repairs suggest a long history of violent service. In this state, the ship no longer looks like the civilian freighter it once was, but rather like a relic from a lost war.
The name Tal'kekar Arda, meaning "red-eyed demon," refers to two distinctive features: the striking red coloring of the windows and the documented brutality of the crew. The once unarmed freighter has been equipped with a variety of heavy weapons systems, which have been gathered from various sources over the years. The known armament includes: 8x Tertiariis Gravibus Tormento (caliber 700 mm), medium-weight plasma cannons from Covenant stocks, as well as 36x Empal'tel Na'kekell (Standard Staff Turrets, caliber 420 mm), the standard turrets of the Jaffa Nation.
The weapon systems were installed at different times, sometimes using improvised installation methods. Despite this, the arrangement of the systems is efficient and tactically sound, demonstrating the military expertise of Siar'nivan. The firepower of this platform is comparable to that of a modern destroyer or light cruiser, making the Tal'kekar Arda one of the most heavily armed pirate ships currently in service.
The combination of the Tal'kekar Arda's high firepower, robust armor, and an experienced and unscrupulous commander makes it an extremely dangerous opponent. In several instances during civilian escort operations, the mere presence of the Tal'kekar Arda was sufficient to completely destroy the respective convoy formation. This was due to the fact that each ship commander sought his salvation in (uncoordinated) flight. This dynamic has contributed to the success of the Tal'kekar Arda's raids, suggesting that the brutality exhibited by the gang under Siar'nivan's leadership might be more indicative of a calculated psychological warfare strategy than of psychological abnormalities. However, the possibility of the latter cannot be discounted either.
-----------------------------------
I know. I shouldn't have positioned the missiles so close together. Looks strange.
@Support @TaylorBaird @Alienizer @Mike @BKilburn
