Undead Rocket Launcher


Over the last 70years or so, the attacks by undead creatures in space have steadily increased. Before this time, perhaps the occasional rogue necromancer would crew a ship with skeletons and the like and then die in space leaving his crew to continue carrying out their deceased master’s commands, sailing and pillaging until they were destroyed. These stories existed, but it never happened often enough to be a concern.

Then the stories became more frequent. Undead taking over ships. Undead taking whale bones, strapping scrap planks to them and constructing make shift ships, or even animated whale skeletons that the other undead would ride on. The reports kept coming in more and more that the undead were a serious threat in space. It was suggested not too long ago that there may be intelligent undead leading the masses. That suggestion was pretty much confirmed when the Rocket Launchers started to attack ships.

Undead Rocket Launchers are purpose built ships made by the Undead (or by some group that is aiding them as their true origin is uncertain.) They are designed to meet the Undead’s unique needs. They have no windows, no concern for comfort, air, food or most other supplies. They are technically flying cargo holds for entire undead armies stuffed into their hulls.

Most notable about these ships are their unique attack/ boarding style of combat. Each Undead Rocket Launcher carries a supply of Dart Rockets. These Metal cones with Solid rockets mounted on them are designed to carry one human sized undead to an enemy ship and penetrate its hull with it’s piercing ram, thus allowing the undead inside access to the ship. These are usually piloted by the more dangerous and elite undead. The Darts can also be loaded with a more average skeleton to guide it and however much explosive material they can cram into the Dart. These devastating guided rockets can take out smaller ships in one hit.

The Rocket Launchers have two metal covered housings that hold five launch tubes each. The Darts are raised from below decks through a hatch and are moved into position by undead crew and a cart that can raise the Dart up to the firing tube where it is inserted into place. It takes some time to get the Darts set, but the Launchers almost always travel with Darts in their tubes. After the first wave, they usually have plenty of time to load for a second barrage as the victims are dealing with the first wave.

Launchers have never been boarded themselves but they are presumed to have mostly open interiors with undead packed in them. There may be a single room for whichever undead general is running the ship. Few if any supplies are needed as the crew do not eat, drink or breathe. They are rumored to use a type of helm unseen in the Known Realm before called a Soul Furnace where the actual souls of people, trapped inside gems are fed into the furnace to give it power.

A favorite tactic of the Launchers is to lie in wait outside a shipping lane out of site, or perhaps behind an asteroid or some other form of debris. They then quickly maneuver into place, and fire their Dart rockets from a far distance. While the vessel under attack deals with the undead threat now onboard their ship, the Launcher or an accompanying ship will pull up next to the vessel and unleash a horde of undead soldiers to kill everything in site and take the ship.