Description
Barsoomian fliers are sleek, streamlined aerial craft that glide effortlessly through the thin Martian atmosphere, propelled by the mysterious Eighth Ray, an anti-gravitational energy harnessed from Barsoom’s natural forces. These vessels range in size from small one-man scout fliers, no more than thirty feet long, to massive battleships stretching over a thousand feet from bow to stern. Despite their size, even the largest of these vessels can hover motionless, ascend vertically, or dart across the sky at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour, their motion almost silent, save for the faint hum of their power generators. The Eighth Ray accumulators store and release energy in controlled bursts, allowing for both effortless levitation and incredible speed, making them the dominant form of transportation and warfare in the sky-lanes of Barsoom.
Most war fliers are heavily armed, bristling with Radium rifles, deck-mounted disintegration cannons, and boarding grapnels for mid-air combat. Their primary armament, the radium rifle, fires explosive projectiles that detonate upon exposure to sunlight, making daylight battles particularly lethal. Larger ships carry broadside batteries capable of devastating cities or rival fleets, while smaller craft rely on speed and manoeuvrability to outpace enemy fire. Defensive measures include hardened Orichalcum plating, energy-deflecting screens, and sometimes camouflage hulls that allow them to blend into the red Martian sky. Many fliers also bear retractable landing struts, allowing them to settle atop Barsoom’s vast deserts or upon the soaring towered docks of Helium, Zodanga, and lesser city-states. Though they dominate Barsoomian warfare, these fliers are also symbols of prestige, power, and exploration, with the mightiest warlords and noble adventurers often staking their destinies on the decks of these magnificent aerial leviathans.