The AJ-97 Vorpal Shadow...

Piloted by specially selected ace pilots that have proven themselves repeatedly in Vampires and similar starcraft, the Vorpal Shadows are the surgical scalpels of the heavy star fighter forces. These craft don't just rely on the hand control inputs of their pilots, but also share a hardwired neural link to them. Partially controlled by the pilot's thoughts as well as actions, these star fighters are extremely customized in terms of cockpit layout, controls, and weapons load out for their specific pilot. Unlike other starfighters which are maintained by normal maintainers, each Vorpal Shadow has it's own team of 10 maintainers and 2 specialists / supervisors that work ONLY on that specific craft, even though they have been trained on the predominance of the star fighters in use. To be selected to be part of the maintainers and loaders of a Vorpal Shadow is regarded as high an honor as being chosen to pilot one. The maintenance crew is hand selected in part by the pilot themselves.