Meritech Shrike-class Raider

The Meritech-Shrike-class Raider is an infamous class of raider vessels built by the Meritech clans that reside in the border zone worlds of the Metates cluster within the Calixis Sector.

History
The Meritech clans were an infamous rabble of voidborn stargypsies, wanderers and scavengers, who came to reside in the border zone worlds of the Merates cluster during the final years of the 40th millennia. Initially content to forage for parts for their ramshackle fleets from ruined space hulks drifting into their territory, within a century they had embarked upon a lifestyle of piracy, and routinely attacked vessels passing between the Calixis and Ixaniad sectors. In 211.M41 mere banditry gave way to allout war when Meritech raiders ambushed a trio of Battlefleet Calixis Sword-class frigates. Only one Sword escaped. This plunged the entire region into a fifteen-year war which only concluded when Battlefleet Calixis crushed the Meritech Clan strongholds. Subsequent Inquisitorial investigations established, it is said, sinister tech-heretics behind the events.

Many of the deadly raider vessels utilised by the clanfleet survived, sold to pirates and other rogues to ensure safe passage for the upper echelons of the renegade clanlords. The vessel designated a Shrike class is typical of the Meritech ships of the period, and indeed formed the main strength of its bandit squadrons. A lithe, incredibly advanced vessel that utilised heretical technologies unknown to the Adeptus Mechanicus, few Rogue Traders are able to maintain these ships at their original performance levels, given their bizarrely innovative heretech, but they remain dangerous fast raiders.

Dimensions

 * Hull -
 * Class - Meritech-Shrike-class Raider
 * Dimensions - Approximately 2 kilometres long, 0.25 kilometres abeam at fins.
 * Mass - Approximately 4.5 megatonnes.
 * Crew - Approximately 15,000 crew.
 * Acceleration - 5.9 gravities max sustainable acceleration.