Difference between revisions 23511085 and 23514337 on enwiki

In the fictional universe of the [[Homeworld]] series of [[computer games]], '''Kiith Somtaaw''' is one of many kiithid or extended family-clans that belong to the [[The Kushan|Kushan]] race. Originally a major religious kiith the '''Somtaaw''' made their living mining metal for another one of the kiithid, Kiith Soban, an ally of theirs during the terrible Heresy Wars.  

After the events of [[Homeworld]] however the '''Somtaaw''' were left with a substantially smaller portion of their kiith, most having been destroyed in the Kharak Genocide. After fighting against their own government to achieve rights to the [[Kushan_Mothership|Mothership]] facilities they managed to build three ships, two of command ship class and one science vessel.

They continued to use mining as their trade (though now it was asteroid resources they mined for, not iron) but were dispatched to rescue a Kiith Manaan destroyer that was stranded outside the Hiigaran System. When they got there they discovered an artifact that contained a tiny portion of [[the Beast (Homeworld)|the Beast]] and unleashed it on the galaxy, preferring the honest work of mining rather than the blood and violence of war. 

After the latest incursion by Imperial [[Taiidan]]i forces, they were dispatched to rescue a Kiith Manaan destroyer that was stranded outside the Hiigaran System. When they got there they discovered an artifact. The analysis yielded that the device was built by no known Galactic races and as such probably held great, unknown technology. The ruling Somtaaw council decreed that this would give them great leverage in the new Hiigaran government, and ordered that the Kuun-Lan keep this a secret within Somtaaw. The Kuun-Lan then met up with the Clee-San, and they opened the device up for analysis. What they didn't know was that it contained a tiny portion of [[the Beast (Homeworld)|the Beast]]. The infection rapidly spread, forcing the ship to abandon its entire lower section.

In [[Homeworld: Cataclysm]] they were forced to deal with this plague and destroy it and played the protagonist role throughout the entire single player campaign.

==Ships and Technology==
The Somtaaw are a resourceful people, and to this end their technology is based on designs created using any sources they can find, be it purchased from the [[Bentusi]], adapted from old designs collecting dust in their engineering libraries, reverse-engineered from salvaged derelicts or even all three in conjunction.
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Indeed, at an incredible 152'000-tons, the Archangel outweighs even the Heavy Cruiser of the Hiigaran Navy, the 131'000-ton Avatar. At a top speed of 864kmph, the Archangel will not get anywhere fast. But it more than makes up for this through sheer brutal firepower. A single Archangel can feasibly annihilate the common medium-strength fleet.

===Super-heavy===
Also Mothership-class,
 or Command Ship class, for all intents and purposes. These vessels are of such immense size that only large dedicated shipyards or the original Mothership itself are capable of building them. The two in possession by Somtaaw were built by the Mothership. Both have a default mass of 613'000 tons, maximum scanning range of 12km and a top speed of 504kmph. The six heavy gun turrets have a maximum reach of 6km each, but the actual effective range is significantly shorter. Both vessels are known by the '''Explorer''' name. Designed by the best Somtaaw engineers to be able to last a Hiigaran year or more on its own plying the mining routes in search of raw materials, and holding a crew in excess of several thousand people, the ships pushed the automated construction facilities of the Mothership to its limits.

====Fal-Corum====
The first Somtaaw vessel to leave the Mothership, the Fal-Corum would serve as the testbed for the technologies that would make the Kuun-Lan the superior of the two. Regardless, it is still a competent vessel.

====Kuun-Lan====
The Kuun-Lan, over the course of Cataclysm, turns from a huge mining vessel to an immense fully-fledged warship. Removing much of its original structure, the Kuun-Lan used the new space to house research facilities and the innumerable banks of storage and processor systems needed to keep a warfaring fleet in operation. In addition, the vessel boasts a feature no other Mothership-class spacecraft in the entire Hiigaran Navy can claim; a massive nuclear-based cannon that has a theoretical maximum reach of 900km. The target must however be significantly closer than 900km in order to maintain the effectiveness of the weapon.

[[Category:Homeworld series]]