Saucerer

ENCOUNTERED Katina CLASSIFICATION Extragalactic assault fortress OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES Invader II fighters, Core Energy Weapon DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES Impenetrable force field

INTEL This massive enemy mothership is among the true terrors of Andross's arsenal. It is siege engine, assault carrier, and weapon of mass destruction in one, and it is all but untouchable by conventional weaponry.

The Saucerer is capable of transporting hundreds of combat fighters, typically Mk II Invaders. These craft deploy from four hatches on the Saucerer's underbody to overrun and overwhelm a target's defenses. While the Invaders engage, the heavily shielded mothership positions itself for a direct attack of immense power.

That is, the ship's core functions as both power source and high-yield energy weapon. Given 60 seconds to charge, this Core Energy Weapon can discharge a blast powerful enough to atomize a fortified base in seconds.

Perhaps most alarmingly, remote data analysis suggests the technological basis for the Saucerer is entirely alien, indicating that Andross has access to extragalactic weaponry the likes of which our intelligence personnel have never seen.

ASSESSMENT The Saucerer's superlative shielding technology renders it virtually invincible in combat. However, in order to deploy additional combat fighters into the field, it is necessary for the mothership to extend its hatches beyond the range of its force field, rendering those hatches momentarily vulnerable to attack. It may be possible for a skilled pilot to exploit this design flaw.