SJ Sathanas
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the following storylines:
- Freespace 2
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Overview
The SJ Sathanas is the most powerful space-faring warship ever encountered by the GTVA. With four ultra-heavy beam cannons, a Sathanas outstrips even a Colossus-class vessel in terms of raw firepower. Indeed, this was tragically demonstrated when a Sathanas juggernaut destroyed the GTVA Colossus in the Capella system. The only apparent weakness of the Shivan juggernaut is that the massive beam cannons are concentrated at the bow. Aside from a comparatively diminuative anti-warship beam cannon at the stern, the other flanks of the massive warship are covered only by point-defence weapons. However, a Sathanas is still more than able to defend itself and project offensive power via the many hundreds of fighters and bombers it carries in its cavernous flightbay. Thus, stopping a juggernaut is almost impossible. Even the 'expedient' of disabling the massive warship is hardly worth considering due to the numerous redundant engines found on the hull. In essence, any attack on a Sathanas-class juggernaut can be considered almost suicidal.
History
The first combat appearance of a Shivan Juggernaut was in the nebula theatre, beyond the first Knossos portal in Gamma Draconis, when the warship destroyed a Vasudan taskforce assaulting a Shivan gas-mining operation. The GTVA immediately began to withdraw from the nebula, though not before sending a pilot in the new GVF Ptah class stealth fighter to scan the vessel. Based on this information, the Alliance launched a targetted bombing mission to eliminate several of the forward beam cannons (there is no canon consensus concerning exactly how many were destroyed, but at least two were taken out) in the Gamma Draconis System, and the GTVA Colossus engaged and destroyed the weakened juggernaut after it jumped to the Capella system.
After that victory, the GTVA were confident they could eliminate any threats the Shivans could present, and returned to the nebula with the objective of locating and capturing Admiral Aken Bosch. However, that goal failed to be achieved as GTVA forces discovered that multiple Sathanas-class juggernauts were en route to GTVA space. Gamma Draconis was quickly overrun by the swift advance of the juggernaut fleet, which shortly entered Capella. In a desperate gamble, the GTVA fleet held the Shivans at bay while civilians were evacuated to Epsilon Pegasi and Vega. During the closing stages of the battle, the GTVA Colossus was destroyed in Capella by a Shivan juggernaut while providing a diversion for the GTD Bastion, which was tasked with collapsing the jump corridor to Epsilon Pegasi. In a final startling turn of events, the Shivan juggernauts instigated the super-nova of the Capella star as the jump corridor to Vega was destroyed.
Conclusion
The Shivan juggernaut fleet is the single, most serious threat to the survival of the Terran and Vasudan species. The GTVA barely managed to stop one Sathanas, and even then it was with warship that took two decades to construct. An encounter with any more Shivan juggernauts will only be able to be stopped with extreme difficulty. As a final note, all technical data concerning Sathanas-class juggernauts has been classified Level Upsilon.
