Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser
From Sins of a Solar Empire
 TEC
Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser
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Like most of the TEC fleet, the Hoshiko was not designed specifically for combat, but it did find a natural niche in battle due to its unique shape, which offers a near 360 degree launch angle for its droids. Using swarms of unmanned repair drones, the Hoshiko can quickly patch up a damaged vessel and keep it in the fight. They also carry a supply of demolition bots that can wreck havoc on the engines and weapons of even the most heavily armored frigates and cruisers. Crewed by perhaps the most eccentric of the TEC roster, the Hokoes‘ are obsessive tinkerers and take great pride in their uniqueness and ability to engineer ultimate droids.
Extracted from the game manual
Tactics: A pair of Dunov Battlecruisers and a compliment of Hoshikos can help any fleet stay alive: the Hoshikos repair any hull damage, the Dunovs replenish shields. Particularly in concert with Kol Battleships and Kodiak Heavy Cruisers, a detachment of Hoshikos can keep a fleet in fighting condition for quite some time, synergizing with the TEC's already-spectacular armor. In addition, this repair effect helps offset the shield bypass damage of Phase Missiles and the damage propagation of the Advent, particularly the Progenitor Mothership.
Compared with the Cielo Command Cruiser, the Hoshiko is primarily a defensive unit while the Cielo is a mainly offensive unit. Both fill critical roles, though the Cielo is more difficult to acquire than the Hoshiko, which emerges with its repair ability at Tier 3. The Cielo compensates for the TEC's lower-than-average damage output by increasing friendly rate of fire and by increasing damage susceptibility in targets. Meanwhile, the Hoshiko augments the TEC's already-substantial defensive capabilities while simultaneously preventing damage at the source by shutting down enemy weapons systems. This is particularly helpful against the Advent because the TEC has very few area-of-effect damage abilities. Temporarily neutralizing attackers dramatically reduces the weight of this disability.
Of course, the offensive-defensive relationship between the Hoshiko and the Cielo is not strictly black and white: the Cielo's Embolden ability increases shield regeneration in addition to the rate-of-fire increase it provides, while Demolition Bots helps compensate for the TEC's mobility disadvantages by allowing the TEC to hunt down mobile targets.
Deployment: Hoshikos can be employed almost anywhere: in support of defensive emplacements, in the wings of a carrier fleet (to shut down attackers who wander too close, allowing fighters to pick off crippled targets at their leisure), and, of course, behind a wall of capital ships, frigates, or cruisers. Hoshikos tend to be at their most valuable in support of large, durable, obvious targets.
An additional note: Hoshikos can repair allied units as well, so a small detachment of Hoshikos can be used to shore up an embattled ally.
Trivia: Depending on the kanji employed, "Hoshiko" means either "Starlight" or "Star-child" in Japanese.
| Ship Type: | Cruiser |
|---|---|
| Primary Role: | Repair / Support |
| Shield Power: | Low |
| Hull Points: | Low |
| Armor Level: | Medium |
| Armor Type: | Heavy |
| Antimatter: | Very High |
| Weapons: | Forward Heavy Pulsar Laser |
| Compliment: | 500 |
 Repair Drones | Demolition Bots | | | |
 Attack |  Stop |  Move |  Tactics Management | |
