【1/1250】SSM-45W Aggressor-class Assault Ship

Do you think that just because the Egret class is out, that's it

Then I ask you, do you want those two illegally modified Egret-class vessels that tried to attack the Submerged Dragon-class

Anyway, here it comes~ The unofficial modified Egret-class – SSM-45W Warlord-class

Overview

• Still 1/1250 scale
• An Egret-class vessel independently modified by the Roamer Fleet
  • Similarities:
    • Uses the Egret-class SSM-45 standard medium hull
    • Retains the SSM-45 fixed armament: Howler triple railgun
  • Differences
    • Subsystems:
      • Left side replaced with the "Longbowman" target acquisition system
      • Right side replaced with the "Clamorous Destroyer" super heavy projectile system
    • New LOGO: Roamer
    • New dedicated display baseplate
• Non-printed bill of materials: 4 pieces of 6*2mm N52 strong magnets

Settings and Assembly Instructions

Background Story - The Renegade

Jupiter X Asteroid Belt - Roamer Fleet's "Ruin" Secret Base

In Wang Chao's darknet chat window, another seller sent a "stock out" notification. He stared at the "Flagship-grade feeding machine + launch system" wanted post on the screen, tapping his fingers on the table — this was already the tenth seller to refuse him, either saying "the risk is too great to sell" or quoting a price that could buy half an Egret-class assault ship

“How’s it going, old pal, is my dreadnought finished?” Mark Roger walked in, cigarette in mouth, and slapped a stack of black market fuel manifests on the table. “The Blood Scorpion Gang intercepted another one of our shipments yesterday. Those damn scoundrels are getting more and more lawless. Although we stole it from elsewhere, by pirate rules, whoever grabs it, owns it!”

“Don’t they think the same way?” Wang Chao said without lifting his head

“Hey, you old man...” Before Mark could finish complaining, an unfamiliar encrypted window suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of the screen. The avatar was a tiger with a gold coin in its mouth, and the message had only one line: “Looking for a flagship projectile cannon? Lion-6, with an auto-loader, interested? Hit me up in private chat.”

“Who’s this?” Mark Roger leaned over, his finger on the gun at his waist. “Lion-6 is a super heavy land-based cannon, terrifyingly powerful. Will it work if we put it on our ship?”

“The thing I put together for you before was also a land-based cannon, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. Let's accept and ask for a price first,” Wang Chao replied. Immediately, he accepted the friend request

Silence fell on the other end of the window for two seconds, then a video of a feeding machine was sent – its metal casing gleamed coldly, and an automatic loading arm deftly clicked a dummy round into place, followed by a voice message: “How is it? Does the boss like it?”

“It's okay, but what do I call you, boss, and what's the price for this thing?” Wang Chao frowned

“Just call me 'Marshal Tiger,'” Marshal Tiger’s message came quickly. “As for the price… give me coordinates, and I’ll send the feeding machine tomorrow. If it matches your ship, we can discuss further; if not, just pretend I never contacted you — no loss for either party, right?”

“Marshal Tiger… I seem to have heard that name somewhere,” Mark Roger mused

“He's a well-known darknet financier, famous for spending lavishly, but he only contacts buyers directly, so many people impersonate him to swindle others,” Wang Chao replied, adjusting his electronic bionic eye

Mark Roger tugged at Wang Chao's arm and whispered, “How about this, let’s take it and test it first, and if it really works, then we can haggle over the price.” Wang Chao didn't object and replied to Marshal Tiger, “Send me the address, I'll send it to you right away, we want it tomorrow.”

The next day, the Lion-6 feeding machine arrived on time, even bringing 6 rounds of standard armor-piercing ammunition. Wang Chao then had Mark “procure” some related supporting equipment and began assembling the ship

“Marshal Tiger really has a knack for this, just giving away something like the Lion-6!” Wang Chao said excitedly

“Aside from the six tracking devices installed on it, which I find slightly annoying,” Mark said, taking a sip of his drink

“Ah! Then…” Wang Chao didn't know what to say

“Stop with the ‘ahhhs’! I definitely stealthily removed them after receiving the goods and put them 600km away,” Mark said shrewdly. “Let’s just say… I mean, let’s just assume he did it because he was afraid we’d just run off with the goods.”

On the third day, the ship's hull assembly was complete, and Wang Chao invited Mark Roger for a test fire

“Blade Bro, wake up! I’ve cobbled together the ship for you, come take a look.”

“Ah! My Super! You truly are my idol! I'll be right there, 5 minutes!”

“You're disgusting.”

2 hours later

“This thing has great power and a long enough range. I can hit targets at 100km, 200km, and 350km. Logically, it’s our dream cannon.” Mark, who had just disembarked from the test ship, seemed to imply something

“I see it, the entire artillery subsystem is practically cracking apart, I'm not blind,” Wang Chao said. “I feel like our old approach – using black market prehistoric junk-grade Egrets for assembly – isn't going to work anymore.”

“Oh, and there's a minor issue: after each shot, due to the significant recoil, our heading shifts 3-5 degrees to the right, requiring a re-adjustment of the barrel. It's not a major problem though,” Mark continued to comment

“Hmm, by the way, did you see the news? Yesterday, Pinnacle Dynamics released an Egret-class gunboat called the 'Jungle Swordsman' class, claiming it’s incredibly powerful and specifically designed to counter you,” Wang Chao suddenly teased

“It's you, kid, alright! I bet the gunboats you've been rigging up for the Roamers have caused a lot of headaches for the big shots, and Pinnacle Dynamics probably felt they were losing face, so they just went ahead and made an official version…”

“Flashy stuff, I bet those 'nobles' with collecting obsessions will be getting them for their young ladies and gentlemen, hahahahahahaha…” Wang Chao said sarcastically

“By the way, we’ve tested the ship. Should we take this thing? I think it’s about time we replied to Marshal Tiger,” Mark Roger asked

“Yes, of course, I’ve already finished the artillery subsystem, why wouldn’t I want it? I even named it! It’s called ‘Clamorous Destroyer’! I'll contact Marshal Tiger now.” With that, Wang Chao dialed Marshal Tiger's channel

Within minutes, the red tiger avatar reappeared

“So, how is it, big brothers, is the Lion-6 powerful enough?” Marshal Tiger quipped

The two men paused, then Wang Chao replied, “Marshal Tiger truly has some supernatural ability, knowing there are two of us.”

“The famous 'Nightfall Blade' and his good friend, Brother Chao, the Roamer's genius engineer, who in the entire solar system doesn't know them?”

“This guy has a lot of connections,” Mark said to Wang Chao, feeling a chill down his spine. “He probably knows our location.”

“No need to be nervous, I'm just a simple businessman,” Marshal Tiger said unhurriedly. “Tell me, is the accuracy excellent? But the ship's hull can't quite handle it?”

“You’re spying on us!”

“Wronged, terribly wronged, my lords. This is merely my speculation.”

“Stop beating around the bush! How much does this projectile system cost? We want it, we need 5 sets.”

“Since everyone is straightforward, I'm relieved. My price is – free.”

“Free?!” Wang Chao and Mark widened their eyes, momentarily unsure of what the other party was up to

“Of course, it’s not entirely free. I just need 'Nightfall Blade' to help me deal with some impudent fellows, a quick favor, right? A quick favor.” Marshal Tiger paused. “In return, I will provide 3 projectile systems and 3 nearly new Pinnacle Dynamics SSM-45T standard Egret-class assault ships for free.”

“That’s fine, but I wonder who’s foolish enough to offend the Marshal?” Mark said, mimicking the other’s tone

“Not some big shot, just someone called ‘Blood Scorpion,’ a few ships in the lunar sphere scavenging your Roamer leftovers.”

“Blood Scorpion? Interesting.”

“So, I’ll take that as a yes? I have the coordinates of his lair. It’s actually just a makeshift junk pile converted from an abandoned mining platform. Help me blast it to smithereens, and all those treasures I mentioned earlier will be yours.”

After speaking, the other party sent a hologram. There was a marked point approximately 800km away in the lunar sphere. Zooming in, it appeared to be a rudimentary outpost with virtually no defensive structures around it. Three CIC Valiant-class assault ships, in a semi-damaged state, were docked outside the spaceport

“With this setup, it's quite simple,” Mark whispered to Wang Chao. “Our three warships should be able to finish the fight in one or two volleys, a matter of two minutes.”

“We’ve looked, and yours isn’t simple at all. The other side also has warships, and there might even be other ambushes. How about another gift for us?”

“Please state it.”

“The next batch of treasures you send, don't put any tracking devices on them, and I also want the Jungle Swordsman's ship manual.”

“Jungle Swordsman… you have good taste! But this is a rare item that just came out, a big deal! However… if you can successfully complete the mission, the Jungle Swordsman’s ship manual will be presented to you with both hands.”

A week later, three virtually brand-new Egrets were again delivered to the previous drop-off point. After Mark thoroughly inspected them, he brought all the equipment back to the secret base

Another week passed

“My Chao, I have to say, you really are something,” Mark said excitedly. “This is my 'dream ship'!”

“This is the SSM-45T Roamer 'Officially Modified Assault Gunboat' — the SSM-45W Warlord-class.”

The two stood in front of the three massive black warships, chatting back and forth for a long time, like two dreaming teenagers

That evening, Wang Chao once again dialed Marshal Tiger's channel

“Marshal, the ships are ready. Our fleet departs tomorrow.”

“Excellent, may our Lord 'Nightfall Blade' be invincible…”

Before Marshal Tiger could finish, Mark took the communicator and said, “Marshal Tiger, your methods seem a bit rusty this time.”

“Oh? Do tell,” the voice on the other end of the screen remained unhurried

“You forgot to remove the trackers on these three Egret-class ships this time, did you forget? These three were given directly to us, no need for recovery, no need to bother reinstalling trackers, and also,” Mark Roger paused, “I found the Jungle Swordsman’s data by the roadside, quite new, so no need to trouble Marshal Tiger. Of course, I have a personal grudge with Blood Scorpion, so his lair will still be taken out by me, no thanks needed.” With that, Mark cut off the communication

On the other end of the screen

“Boss, we…”

“Do it.”

“Alright.”

Near Lunar Sphere - Blood Scorpion HQ - Two Weeks Later

The Blood Scorpion Gang was feasting when suddenly a subordinate rushed up to their leader, Carlo 'Blood Scorpion,' and breathlessly said, “B-Boss! Just now our outpost received a wide-area broadcast looking for you, saying it was some important information.”

“Wide-area? Who? Connect them.”

“Good evening, Boss Carl, your ordered armaments have arrived. I delivered them to the address on the order. Are you home?” a voice said

Carl glanced at his subordinate in confusion, who shook his head, then signaled a crew member to attempt to counter-lock the signal source. The crew member nodded and immediately began operating the console

“Armaments? What armaments? I didn’t order any! Who sent you? And which company are you with?” Carl asked unhurriedly, buying time for his subordinate to lock onto the other party

“I don't know what armaments, I'm from Deep Dive Logistics, and we strictly keep shipper information confidential. That's our basic professional ethics.”

Deep Dive Logistics, the exclusive logistics company of the interstellar darknet, handles most non-compliant delivery services

As he was speaking, a subordinate brought a terminal showing three targets 320km outside the base. Due to insufficient radar performance at the outpost, it was unable to accurately detect the signal radius or ship silhouettes

Carl smirked slyly, signaled his subordinates to prepare to launch the warships and seize the cargo. He then opened the video feed

“Yes, I’ve checked, it is indeed my cargo. Please wait a moment, I'll send someone to receive the goods immediately.”

“Boss Carl is indeed home, excellent! We’ll deliver the flagship-exclusive high-explosive rounds right away.” The tone on the other side seemed to have changed slightly

“Flagship?”

“Say goodnight to the world, idiot.”

4 seconds later, three high-explosive rounds directly hit the fuel depot and the two docked ships, triggering a series of explosions. The base immediately descended into chaos. 25 seconds later, a second volley of shells struck again, and this time the entire base fell into complete silence after the violent explosions

“The setup was too long, otherwise I could have saved another one or two minutes,” Nightfall Blade Mark Roger quipped to his subordinate