The Pegasus is a pilotable ship in Tachyon: The Fringe.
Overview[]
Background[]
The Pegasus serves as a light intercept fighter in the GalSpan fleet. Built for speed and agility, its performance has earned it the nickname "Thruster with Wings."[1] This fighter can catch up to nearly any ship at any speed so it excels at distracting key targets in combat and speeding away before their quarry can respond with return fire.[2][3] The small size of these fighters also makes them popular back-up fighters to be deployed by capital ships in a battle.[4] The Pegasus's great handling and speed make it an ideal scouting ship.
The Pegasus sees use beyond just GalSpan's fleet. Advanced Ganymede Technologies features these as a small part of its own fleet. In fact, Jake Logan is one of the few who owns one during his time working as a contract pilot for AGT.
While the Pegasus enjoys excellent flight and dogfighting capabilities, its biggest drawback is its low shields and hull which limit how much direct fire it can take. Navigating heavy combat in a Pegasus demands awareness of which ships are currently in pursuit so that an enemy does not take the Pegasus out in one lethal barrage. When used effectively, the Pegasus's tremendous speed can make it nearly impossible to finish off in most engagements.
Design[]
The Pegasus is a small ship with broad laser-tipped wings that flank either side of its narrow body. The canopy is large and takes up most of the nose of the fighter to give pilots a wide field of view, which highlights the ship's role as a scout.
The fighter is designed to be as fast and light as possible at the cost of all other ratings. While it has a decent shield, the hull is its weakest attribute. This would ordinarily make a ship like it ineffective in heavy combat, but wise Pegasus pilots use its speed and small size to cut in and out of conflict in short bursts to avoid taking damage. The Pegasus is so fast that it can easily outrun missiles.
Armaments[]
The Pegasus has two cannon hardpoints and one rack hardpoint. The primary cannon fires from the mounts on the wingtips. The secondary cannon fires from the nose of the ship with centered precise shots. Due to the small size of the ship, the Pegasus can accommodate only one missile or rocket, which gives it few additional combat options when intercepting an enemy fighter. The racks launch ordnance from either side of the cockpit.
Like all GalSpan fighters, the Pegasus features a special mount that can equip the Tractor Wave device.
As a cost of its design, the Pegasus has seven CPU slots: five normal slots and two engine upgrade slots. This offers minimal room to outfit the ship with system upgrades, though it is likely that pilots who favor this ship already use specific loadouts that make the most of the ship's cramped space.
Notes[]
- The Pegasus is unlocked by completing the contract Cracking Virtue. It is the third unlockable ship in the GalSpan storyline.
Notable appearances[]
- The Pegasus is first seen in Jake Logan's hangar at the start of a new game.
- In the mission Bonus Incentive Program, two Pegasus fighters briefly attack Logan in Apollo Research before they flee the sector.
Shipyard description[]
The following text is copied from in-game. Typos and inconsistencies preserved.
The SF-155L Pegasus is Sol’s lightest fighter craft intended for fast recon and high maneuverability. A titanium hull and passive reflex shields afford light protection, but its agility and speed more than make up for its thin skin. The Pegasus is simply the fastest registered ship class in USG space, commonly referred to as a “Thruster with Wings.”
Trivia[]
- The Pegasus has the lowest hull rating among pilotable ships in the game.[5]
- The Pegasus is the fastest pilotable ship in the game. Its highest speed, 3,098 SLU, can be attained by equipping the Boosters system, zeroing the Afterburner energy allocation, activating the kessel run cheat, and engaging the Afterburner.
- The shipyard description says that the Pegasus is the fastest registered fighter in Sol,[1] but this is not true as Star Patrol Enforcers, which appear in Sol, have a higher top speed.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 In-game shipyard description.
- ↑ Pegasus fighters intercept Jake Logan when he tries to attack the blockade of Poseidons in the contract The Blockade.
- ↑ Lakita Ramos's friends briefly attack Logan using Pegasus fighters before fleeing the sector in the mission Bonus Incentive Program.
- ↑ A GalSpan destroyer launches multiple Pegasus fighters in the contract Aftermath of Destruction.
- ↑ Tachyon: The Fringe: The Official Strategy Guide From Mars, pg. 14.