LibriumArcana.Games

Acting Commander's personal log, Stardate 75569.8

"It can't be hopeless."

Two nights ago half a dozen crewmen and I crouched around a campfire on Placium III, trying to stay warm, and one of them said those words. He'd joined the crew of the Argonaut only three weeks earlier, pulled from the ruins of the colony on New India, and started talking to himself after a disruptor shot from one of the Borg heavy assault drones removed three fingers from his left hand. He squatted there in the dirt, repeating that sentence over and over again. If he was looking for reassurance or sympathy, he came up empty-handed. No one else said a word.

Tonight I'm sitting in my quarters room, fifty light-years away, remembering the way he screamed this morning when four borg drones beamed right through our shields onto the bridge around him, knocked the phaser from his good hand, and jammed their assimilation tubes into his throat. He kept on screaming until Ereshal shot him.

I never got his name.

The Borg War is in its seventh year, and I'm getting tired of recording this. Force of habit counts for something, I guess, but I've talked blue about so many half-hearted assaults, so many retreats - I don't know why I keep going on about it? Recording every every detail I could remember - the names of dead men and burning planets and the feeling of heat at our backs as we ran away, again - used to help me sleep at night. Now it's just something to do between fighting and sleeping.

Sometimes the sense of futility is overwhelming. Now that most of this blackened galaxy belongs to the Borg and their thralls, it's easy to become discouraged. Sometimes I feel that holding on for seven years means nothing, and chronicling this slow death of a galaxy and its people means even less. Our efforts seem to make no difference, and I wonder why I ever thought joining up with Starfleet was a good idea. My grandfather always told me I had a bad head. Sometimes he would strike it for emphasis.

In the last month I've dreamed about him repeatedly, for reasons I don't understand. I hated him as a child. When I was younger my sisters and I spent summers on his farm near Volgograd, performing the menial labor that any sane adult fobs off on children. His farm was like something from a Tolstoy novel, no technology at all, no replicators, no antigravs, just "honest labor" to build character or some similar idiocy, accompanied by endless lectures about the evils of our materialist culture. I couldn't wait for those summers to end, though they seem almost idyllic when compared with this summer. Maybe that's why I dream about it.

The only relief we had during those summers were the nights when the old man got drunk. He was a sorry drunk, especially for a Russian. A single bottle rendered him immobile for the evening, and his words ran together like rainwater. Sometimes the liquor ate a hole into the living parts of his mind, and he would forego his usual giggling stupor and tell us stories that had been told to him while he was young: About the great Captain Kirk, who, according to him, saved the galaxy from disaster about fifty thousand times.

I always found it odd that he venerated Kirk of all people, commander of the Starship Enterprise, when starships and all their associated technology were, in his opinion, the cause of the downfall of civilization. He wasn't fond of questions in that regard though, and would box my ears for asking them, that is when he wasn't proudly reminding us all for twenty-ninth time that Kirk would never have gotten anywhere without his "loyal Russian comrade Chekov". I thought it sounded like a bad holoplay even then, particularly when he turned his invective to the "so-called heroes" of his and my parents' days, the Picards and Siskos, all of whom he seemed to feel were collectively responsible in some way for everything that was wrong with Earth, Russia, the Federation, and the universe in general.

His other stories were equally patent nonsense, particularly the one about getting into a barfight with a Klingon in Minsk, but they were repeated to me enough that I suppose some of them stuck. I told myself that I did it for myself, that he had nothing to do with it, that I wanted to see the Galaxy by one means or another. But really, I just wanted to be what he hated, another Picard or Sisko, gallivanting about the Galaxy and saving the Federation while he squatted in the dirt and planted Turnips.

Nowadays I wonder if he wasn't right. Not about the Luddite crap, but about the notion of Starfleet's invincible heroes saving the Galaxy. Sisko vanished after the Dominion War, something to do with Bajoran mysticism. And Picard and most of the rest of Starfleet went down when the Borg torched Earth just a few years ago. Starfleet Command still broadcasts the old slogans and nominates new heroes every so often, but I'm reminded with a quick look over our ranks that we are not the plucky crew of the Enterprise, but a scruffy rabble ducking the Borg and occasionally trying to carry out the ever-more desperate orders of whatever's left of Starfleet Command. I seriously doubt that Captain Kirk will swoop in to save us.

Back when I joined up, back when the war was just starting, there was a mad Klingon who regaled anyone too tired to move away with his theory about the Edge of All - some kind of mystic line between the Milky Way and nothingness out beyond the galactic rim, where he claimed the Borg arose before they came to the Delta Quadrant. He claimed the Galaxy was "double-sided" and constantly spinning on some higher dimension, like a coin tossed in the air, bringing the native races of the Alpha quadrant into dominion, and then metaphysically pruning them back again. "... And so we and they hold dominion successively, and the galaxy belongs in turn to living people, or to the slaves of darkness." I got as tired of his affected vocabulary as I did of his idiotic ideas, but I confess I felt a small twinge of sadness when he died. I never got his name either.

For the last week the channels have been abuzz with the rumor that Starfleet Command have got their hands on something which can change the course of the war. Most of us are inclined to dismiss this as nonsense, but seven years of bloody battles with the tireless and seemingly infinite fleets of the Borg will do that. I admit it seems ridiculous. Yet another wonder-weapon that will keep us alive, that will somehow give us the strength to outwit and outlast the Borg? You'd think Command would have used it earlier. It's just a rumor anyway, and I've learned not to put much faith in rumors.

The crew of the Argonaut have heard too many promises that everything will get better any day now. No one wants to hear the words spoken out loud, so I keep mine to myself, like Ereshal does, and I suspect others nurture hope as well, though they don't talk about it openly.

Would we carry on, fantasizing of a future beyond war, if we actually didn't have a chance?

If we didn't, we wouldn't be able to carry on at all. And yet... here we are.

...

It can't be hopeless.

...

End Log.

In a time long past, the Borg came to the Alpha Quadrant. Their forces numbered in the uncountable millions, and the power of their weapons, and of their untiring legions of the assimilated were were without equal in all the great empires of the Quadrant, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, and the greatest of them all, the United Federation of Planets.

The end of the Dominion War had seen the ruination of attempts by the Gamma quadrant's rulers to extend their Dominion to the Alpha Quadrant, and the events surrounding the return of the USS Voyager had dealt what was believed to be a crippling blow to the Borg, slaying their queen, destroying their Unimatrix, and annihilating much of their battle fleet. In 2381, three years after the end of the Voyager mission, a long-range Starfleet probe confirmed what the people of the Alpha Quadrant had come to believe. Broken and battered, the Borg had retrenched around their core systems, no longer even sending scouting forays into the galaxy at large, a threat supposedly expunged for a generation or more.

The Alpha Quadrant's last days of peace were those of a golden age, little though it seemed at the time. The great alliance of the Dominion War held, albeit with strains on the part of the Romulans, and minor brushfire conflicts simmered around the borders of minor powers as usual. But the War had catapulted the Federation into the undisputed position of the mightiest power in the Alpha Quadrant, and left it securely allied with the the second-mightiest. Secure in its unassailable strength, the Federation reverted to its roles of exploration and diplomacy, adding new members to their ever-expanding union. For ten years, the Federation and its allies lived in relative peace, guarded by fleets of white ships that crossed the galaxy bearing the logo of the wedge and the stars.

And then the Borg came.

They came from the Delta quadrant, in numbers unguessable, not one cube, as before, nor a fleet of cubes, as the worst catastrophists in the Federation had guessed might occur, but an armada that darkened the skies and shook the very fabric of spacetime. Grouped into six titanic battlefleets, each one capable of laying waste to everything that might conceivably lie in their path, they came armed not only with Cube and Spheres, but with ships of alien design, encrusted with Borg weapons and technology, but plainly not of Borg make. And with these terrible weapons, they sought nothing less than to conquer the entire Quadrant, and to destroy that which could not be conquered.

In seven years, they reduced the great powers of the Alpha Quadrant to carrion and ash, leaving a trail of burnt or assilimated planets behind them. The Romulans, closest to the Delta Quadrant of the major powers, were overcome in a single week, their fleets caught off guard and gutted, their core planets bombarded with nanoprobe torpedoes and assimilated wholesale. The scattered remnants of their once-proud fleets were left to twist in the interstellar winds as the Borg consumed their populace and Empire out from under them.

The Klingons stood and fought, filling entire sectors with Borg wreckage, setting planets alight before falling back to new ones, fighting to the literal death in their thousands and millions. For three whole years, the Borg turned their fire against the Klingons and their allies relentlessly, but in the fourth, even their matchless skill was finally broken and subsumed in the tide of Grey.

The Federation fought, first to try and save their allies, then to try and save themselves, with all the fury of a people desperate to hold back the tide. They called on their fleets of sparkling ships, on their enormous and diverse population and matchless technology to stop the Borg. They devised super-weapon after super-weapon, prototype after prototype, desperate devices of such cataclysmic power as to sweep the Borg from before them, and yet it was not enough. For every cube that fell, the Borg deployed three more, and with them, laid waste to the Federation's planets and people despite all that Starfleet could do to stop them. After five years of bloodshed, the Federation gambled all on a last-ditch defense of Earth itself, calling to their aid all of the remaining powers of the Alpha Quadrant, old friends and bitter enemies alike. Shoulder to shoulder with the fleets of the entire quadrant, they faced down the Borg armadas, and lay such ruin upon them as to turn space itself red with blood. Yet even that was not enough. The battle raged for weeks, but the resources of the Borg proved inexorable in the end. The handful of ships who escaped the Battle of Earth spoke of the Borg invading the planet wholesale, so secure in their victory that their fleets began to skirmish with one another like wolves fighting over the spoils of a kill. And then there was silence.

Two years after the fall of Earth, with the Federation burned to ashes alongside allies and enemies alike, it came to pass that the sole remaining core world among the once-vast Federation, Bajor, now was all that was left to defy the Borg's dominion over the Alpha Quadrant. Bit by grasping bit, such ships as remained intact, with such crews as were willing to still obey the call to battle, began to gather there, in preparation for one final, desperate stand against the approaching Borg.

Heroes were born in the fire and bloodshed of the battles that followed, and their names and deeds will never be forgotten...

The Federation is dead. Its planets are in ashes or groan under the weight of Borg drones. What little remains of the once-mighty Federation and their former enemies and allies, is being remorselessly exterminated by the Borg. Such ships and crews as have survived seven long years of bloodshed have done so by a number of means, none of them orthodox, many unthinkable just a few short years before.

Players may have any ship, commanded by any race, and any crew, of any power in the entire Alpha Quadrant. You may have a Romulan Warbird with a Klingon Commander and a mixed crew of Tholians and Naussicans. You may have a Vulcan Admiral commanding a Ferengi Marauder, or an Orion Pirate in a stolen Akira-Class Cruiser. The Borg do not care what race you are, nor whose ship you command. They have likely devoured the better part of your entire species, your culture, and your family, and will do the same to you.

The only restrictions on you and your command are as follows:

1: No Dreadnoughts. Dreadnoughts were a rare enough class before the war, even amongst the most violent races in the galaxy, and absolutely none of them have survived this long, being long-since overwhelmed by the Borg. This means no Negh'vars, no Scimitars, no Jem'Hadar Battleships. Note that the Sovereign-class is technically a Battlecruiser, and thus is permitted, but with the reservation that I will be treating it like a Battlecruiser, and not like the invincible death machine it is often made out to be. Other Battlecruisers like the Vor'cha or D'Deridex will exceed the Sovereign's capabilities in some ways.

2: No prototypes. Many superweapons and ultra-modern ship designs were tried against the Borg over the course of the war. All worked to a point. None survived. Every prototype ship that was constructed was used to try and stop the Borg, and for all the Borg they killed, none managed to turn the tides. This extends globally, to weapons and other types of technological systems. It also extends to ships that are for all intents and purposes unique. No V'ger system-wreckers, no Planet Eaters, no crazy apocryphal bullshit. You get stock ships only.

3: Your ships are beaten up. The vast resources of the Federation and other empires have ceased to exist. Your ships have not seen the inside of a spacedock in years, and battle damage and incidental wear and tear have taken their toll. Every player is required to propose one major weakness in their ship relating to their time spent eluding the Borg. These weaknesses do not have to be utterly crippling, but are required to be significant. I will not accept that the recreational facilities are malfunctioning, or that the Captain has become "lost to pity by his traumatic experiences". Real weaknesses in a real setting.

All of that having been said, I will now explain the factor I'm allowing in compensation:

4: Within the above restrictions, you can have anything you want.

Want Triocobalt torpedoes salvaged from the ruins of the Vulcan science ministry? Have fun with them. Illegal subspace-disrupting phase rift projectors grafted onto your deflector array? Make sure to keep them polished. A platoon of berserk Klingon Dahar masters who live only to shed the blood of the Borg living in your cargo bay? Hope your replicators serve good Blood Wine. Seriously, while I reserve the right to reject things that are total patent bullshit, you are all encouraged to go hog-wild. Planetary-grade disruptor arrays, self-replicating mine launchers, quantum singularity drives, nukes, knives, sharpened sticks, whatever the hell you want, and whoever the hell you want to have them. All I require is that you make the backstory of your ship reflect where and how you picked these shiny toys up, and that you restrain yourself from going too insane. I'm not gonna set discrete limits, but if I wind up with four players who have two toys each, and one with fifteen, chances are I'm gonna intercede.

The Borg are approaching, gentlemen. What you do about them, is entirely up to you.

Character sheet is as follows:

Captain's Name:
Captain's Species:
Captain's Background:

Ship Name:
Ship Class:
Crew composition (as detailed or approximate as you like):
Special Systems and other Acquisitions (give some idea of what the bloody things do):
Ship's Weakness:

Service history to-date:

Captain: Kadon zantai Khemera

Race: Imperial Klingon

Background: Tall, lean, and broad shouldered, Kadon zantai Khemera has by Klingon standards, a fencer's build. His hair and beard and kept short and neat. Kaden was a cadet during the Dominion War and rapidly rose in rank during the war and in post war skirmishes on the borders thereafter. A long standing feud with his older brother lead to him founding his own line when he was given command of the Riskadh.

Then the Borg came and the Empire burned. Kadon fought bloody battle after bloody battle, winning Pyrrhic victories and retreating from crippling defeats. Kadon fights on. Perhaps the last strategist left in a race notable more for tactical skill than strategic brilliance, Kadon fights on. There is too much klin in him to fall to despair.

Ship: IKV Riskadh, Vor'cha Class Attack Cruiser

Crew Composition: Over ninety percent Klingons. The remainder are non Klingon citizens of the Komerex Klingon (Klingon Empire).

Crew Notes: Junior officers and crew rescued from the dying IKV Koloth have brought the Riskadh to just over normal crew strength for the first time in years.

Marines: Force Leader Menmoth commands a full contingent of heavily armed Klingon Marines.

Ship Notes: The Riskadh was built after the Dominion War and, as typical with post War designs, includes upgrades and modifications in line with the lessons learned from the conflict and the technological improvements of the era.

Special Weapons and Upgrades

Enhanced Capacitors: The Riskadh, as a late model Vor'cha, can devote larger amounts of power to its disruptor array and handle overcharge with only a small chance of blow out.

Impact Shielding: The Dominion War taught some ugly lessons about the effectiveness of ramming. Tying in navigational deflectors and tractor emitters to main shields allows the Riskadh to have a good chance of deflecting ramming attacks by smaller ships instead of suffering a direct impact.

Tricobalt Torpedoes: The Riskadh, in addition to its standard load out of high yield photon torpedoes, retains a store of highly destructive multistage tricobalt warheads. There are currently 2522 tricobalt torpedoes on board.


Ship Weaknesses

Light superstructure and armour damage: Lacking down time in a major dockyard, stress damage to the superstructure from high speed maneuvers is beginning to accumulate and cruiser's tough armour has been weakened in several places.

Weak flank shields: Power conduits and shield generators have been stripped and rerouted to repair and replace damage to forward and aft shield systems. As a result, port and starboard shields can muster just over sixty percent of standard strength.

Notable crew Biography

Force Leader Menmoth sutai Vorbash: Of average height but built like a stormwalker, Menmoth has lead his men in countless engagements against Cardassians, Jem Hadar, and the Borg and has a staggering amount of scars to prove it. Ruthless, relentless, and almost fearless the Marine commander has a veteran's swagger. He favors high powered disruptors and projectile weapons as personal weapons and nerve gas for clearing Borg ships.

Executive Officer Arikel "Resh" sutai Labarga: The executive is known for her almost Vulcan like calm and her mastery of physics, leading to a few jokes about her being a Vulcan fusion despite being clearly a member of the Imperial race.

Chief Engineer Trakka Seragal: A squat reptilian barely a meter and a half tall, Seragal is a Shelvanian, a member of a species that joined the Klingon Empire almost a hundred years ago when Klingon intervention on the side of one their world's nation states made them masters of their world. Seragal isn't a fighter, but he's a damn good engineer. As a citizen of the Empire's periphery, he hopes that many of his species made it off world before the Borg arrived.

Weapon Master Kallor vestai Robash: In another age, Kallor would be looking for a position that would allow him a chance of dying in battle. Now there are no shortage of opportunities for an elderly Klingon to die. His skill and knowledge are tremendous assets and he seeks to pass them on to his juniors while he still lives. He spends much of his time maintaining and repairing the ship's combat systems as his specialized engineering knowledge is formidable.

Operations Leader Morizan sutai Suhlash: A friend of Kadon's from childhood, Morizan is responsible for hanging the nickname "Thought Captain" on him. Morizan is deceptively jovial and good natured for a Klingon, making it is easy for many of the Riskadh's officers forget that he rose to high rank in Imperial Intelligence. There is no tactic, strategum, or manipulation Morizan will not consider and his preferred weapons are the people he uses as tools.

Lieutenant Khedira vestai Labarga: A young woman approaching her thirtieth year (Klinzhai standard, slightly longer than Federation standard), Khedira is from a long standing family that is one of the components of the Labarga line. She is, by the standards of the Imperial Race, slender and on the shorter side of average. Her reflexes are superb, rivaling those of her captain and her mastery of the helm is unequaled on the ship.

Lieutenant Aaveroke tai Rostev: An almost painfully young officer who has somehow not lost the young cadet shine despite surviving the destruction of the Komerex Klingon. A surprisingly unmartial Klingon officer, he is the ship's unofficial mascot. A long running joke is that he is actually Starfleet and got lost in a paper work shuffle. He is extremely intelligent and his technical skills are intimidating in one so young, attributes that have earned him a place on the Riskadh's bridge.

Service history to Date: The Riskadh was commissioned just before the Borg invasion began as the latest and most formidable upgrade of the fearsome Vor'cha class attack cruiser and incorporated several advances that were product of the Dominion War. The first six months of Kadon's command consisted mostly of showing the flag in the empire's border areas. Then the Borg came.

What followed was even by Klingon standards a long, waking nightmare of war. The Riskadh was redeployed to the main lines after the initial invasion and fought battle after battle. A year's worth of fighting left the Riskadh with a fearsome array of wounds and the ship retreated to the Navy base at Moscatal for refit and rearming. Then the Riskadh plunged back into the fight. The Riskadh claimed kill after kill but it was not enough. The Empire was dying.

Kadon was made Squadron Leader and given a squadron of three and he lead his ships. It didn't last. The Borg advanced was slowed but never stopped. Losses were titanic. The Empire fell and the Riskadh was one of the survivors that made it to Federation space where the ship continued to fight. Too far away to participate in the Battle of Earth, prevented from reaching there by the Federation's own scorched subspace tactics, the Riskadh learned of the planet's death by subspace radio. The losses they have suffered and the death of the khomerex have taken their toll on the captain and the crew, but the klin still fills them. They fight on.

god damn you Havoc....

I'll write up the U.S.S. Heritage and her Captain and crew sometime later today....

I'm only sad that it's the Borg, and not the Trow...so the Heritage's nick name can't be used (It was the "U.S.S. Bob Drops" by the way)

Captain: Commander Galan Cretak

Race: Romulan

Background: The Cretak family was an influential family with ties to the Tal Shiar. Galan was the third of his parents children and the oldest male child. He attended the Imperial War College where he graduated near the top of his class. Upon his graduation, he served as a sublieutenant aboard the D'Deredix class warbird IRW Terix. He participated in this capacity during the Dominion War, climbing the ranks steadily through a combination of competence, leadership and political maneuverings in the home front by members of his family. When his aunt Kimara was charged with treason, his career was almost ended.

By the end of the Dominion War, he had attained the rank of subcommander and seemed in line for command of his own D'Deridex class warbird. He was instead approached by elements of the Tal Shiar who indicated that his name had been moved to the top of the list regarding a command position aboard the Empire's latest warship class. He received the sixteenth warbird that was produced and was immediately tasked with patroling the borders between the Federation and the Romulan Empire.

Ship: IRW S'harien, Valdore Class Warbird

Dimensions: Length: 604 meters, Width: 900 meters, Decks: 24

Crew Composition: 700 crew (80% Romulan, 15% Reman, 5% Vulcan.)

Weapon Systems:
6x Type 20 Disruptor Banks
4x Type 16 Disruptor Cannons
4x Plasma Torpedo Launchers (240 plasma torpedoes)
4x Tractor Beam Emitters

Weapon Breakdown

Type 20 Disruptor Banks: The Type 20 disruptor bank is the core of the Warbirds armament. Each bank is capable of firing in either a beam or pulse mode. The beam mode offers performance similar to a phaser, increasing accuracy at the expense of damage. The pulse mode, fires a devastating burst of energy that is effective at shorter ranges. These massive weapons are located in the center of the vessel near the beak and underneath the wings and can angle their fire enough to cover the entire frontal arc of the S'harien.

Type 16 Disruptor Cannons: The four surviving type 16 disruptor cannons are located in two spread out pairs. Two cannons are located on top of the S'harien in locations near the junction points near the wings. The final two cannons are located in the bottom of the S'harien in a similar position. Each cannon can rotate up to 180 degrees allowing for relatively wide coverage. Their location does not grant perfect coverage when facing forward or aft. The S'harien possesses a small blind spot extending the length of its spine.

Plasma Torpedo Launchers: Three of the torpedo launchers are placed to cover the forward arc. One of these weapons is placed near the center of the vessel by the beak, while each wing incorporates one launcher. The final launcher is placed to cover the aft of the vessel. The torpedo launchers incorporate the latest advancements and can fire up to four torpedoes in short succession.

Tractor Beam Emitters: Two tractor beams are placed to cover the forward arc while the remaining two cover the rear arc. These tractor beams are utilized both offensively attempting to snare smaller ships in their grasp in order to facilitate their destruction as well as defensively, modulating tractor beam pulses are capable of negatively impacting the strength of direct fire weapons and may deflect or hinder incoming projectiles.

Weapon Arc Breakdown
Fore: 6x Type 20 (full coverage), 4x Type 16 (limited coverage), 3x Torpedo, 2x Tractor Beams
Port: 2x Type 16 (full coverage)
Starboard: 2x Type 16 (full coverage)
Aft: 4x Type 16 (limited coverage), 1x Torpedo, 2x Tractor Beams

Auxiliary Craft: 8 Shuttles, 6 Scorpions.

Crew Notes: A slight majority (51%) of the S'harien crew are survivors from its original crew at this time. Thirty percent of the original crew was killed in a single engagement when the S'harien entangled itself with a damaged Borg Cube and was nearly assimilated. The Vulcan crew members are with a handful of exceptions low ranking members of the crew given an opportunity to avenge the losses of their families and homes against the Borg. One Vulcan has earned the right to rise to prominence the ship's medical officer.

Ship Notes: The IRW S'harien was the sixteenth ship of its type and was completed in the waning days of the Dominion War. It incorporated all the design modifications and upgrades that were taught by the harsh lessons of the Dominion War. By the time that the ship had left space dock, the battle of Cardassia had taken place and the Dominion War was over. Eleven months prior to the Borg attack that would devastate the Romulan Star Empire, the ship was brought in to a Tal Shiar facility and received its final refit. This refit incorporated all the modifications to bring it in line with the current generation of Valdore type warbirds.

Special Weapons and Upgrades

Borg Enhanced Quantum Singularity: Shortly after the Battle for Earth, the S'harien stumbled upon a damaged Borg Cube. It was one of the few times that Galan Cretak lost control of his emotions and made a mistake. Still bitter over the loss of Romulus, still keenly aware of the defeat in the battle of Earth, he chose to take his ship into direct conflict with the Borg Cube and remove it from existance. At first, the damage to the Borg Cube appeared to be overwhelming. Its shields were down, its communication systems were down and it had suffered significant hull damage. Most importantly its weapon systems appeared to be completely without power.

Galan believed that a sudden and overwhelming strike would quickly destroy the Cube. The S'harien decloaked, its type 20 disruptor banks rending deep gashes into the borg Cube while its plasma torpedoes bathed internal systems awash in plasma fires that consumed hundreds of drones. The Cube seemed to reel underneath the powerful impacts and then its holding beams lashed out. Within the span of five minutes, the Borg Cube was nearly destroyed but the S'harien itself had taken a pounding. It was then boarded by borg drones who promptly began to fight and assimilate their way towards Engineering. With their cube crippled, it was the Borg's apparent intention to take over the S'harien in its entirety in order to make their way back to Borg lines.

The battle for the S'harien took over thirty eight hours and took a dreadful toll both in personnel and equipment. The recapture of the S'harien was only possible due to the supplies and equipment that Romulans had been given by the federation in preparation for the defense of Earth. The kinetic weapons provided by Starfleet proved their weight in latinum, allowing for the liberation of the S'harien at the cost of thirty percent of its crew killed or assimilated. Ultimately, it was the shuttles of the Warbird that launched and whose plasma torpedoes finished the crippled Borg Cube.

After any surviving drones had been found and destroyed, it became readily apparent that the entire engineering deck had been assimilated by the Borg. The artificial quantum singularity had been heavily modified with Borg technology. It was the estimation of the Romulan Science officer that it had been improved in order to be moved from the S'harien into the wounded Borg Cube at some point. The enhanced artificial quantum singularity generates an enormous amount of power. Current estimates by the science officers aboard the S'harien suggest that it is capable of generating roughly ten times more power than the original. In the words of the chief science officer of the S'harien "with the enhancement we now have an ocean of power to draw from, even if our power conduits will only let us effectively utilize a stream."

Aside from its massive energy generation ability, the enhanced singularity core had another advantage. It was able to be turned off on the field. The exact science behind this ability is beyond the scope of existing Romulan science but allows the S'harien to service its precious power core in the field. The crew of the S'harien have made extended efforts in an attempt to harness the ocean of energy that this new core provides with mixed successes. The power conduits of the S'harien were never intended to handle such an enormous amount of power, and were limited to a roughly thirty percent overcharge before permanent damage or catastrophic failure occurred. Engineering teams are currently trying to replicate the material science of the Borg assimilated parts of the S'harien in order to try and harness this new energy source with little success so far.

Currently, through the rewiring of the Borg infected Engineering deck a compromise has been reached which allows the S'harien to more effectively tap into its new power core. The S'harien can channel up to 40% more energy than the theoretical maximum of an unmodified Valdore into one or any of its four primary systems. By filtering this energy through the Borg provided power conduits, a single system may receive a 20% improvement with no chance of adverse effects. A 30% improvement is possible with some chance of adverse effects, a 40% improvement is possible for only small amounts of time. Commander Galan typically channels 20% of this power into the weapon systems and 20% into the S'harien's engines.

Transwarp Conduit Generator: As the borg subsumed the S'harien's engineering deck in order to modify its artificial quantum singularity they transferred the transwarp coil from the borg vessel into the S'harien itself. When the Borg were pushed out of the S'harien and the borg cube destroyed, the transwarp coil remained. The coil was in excellent condition and the science behind its utilization was well known and understood. Tal Shiar agents had managed to get their hands on rather complete logs from the Federation starship Voyager and had even managed to get their hands on information provided to the Federation by one Seven of Nine.

It was through the careful study of this information as well as through extrapolation from state of the art Romulan science in the fields of astrometrics and the generation of subspace fields that allowed the S'harien to expand the scope of its transwarp drive. Through the addition of two other borg transwarp coils and integration with its existing coil, and the implementation of the "Velal principle" a transwarp conduit could be generated that mimicked in many respects existing Borg conduits. The creation of this conduit allowed for several ships without transwarp to "piggyback" on the transwarp travel of the S'harien.

The creation of such a wide transwarp conduit requires an enormous amount of energy and is only possible due to the Borg's energy conduits linking the S'harien's power core to its original transwarp coil. The two additional transwarp coils exist in order to automatically shunt the strain into all three coils instead of one. The creation of a wide transwarp counduit requires a two hour charge time. During this time, the enhanced core generates an enormous amount of power. This energy signature is massive enough to make cloaking useless as the energy signature would easily pierce through even a state of the art Romulan cloak. After the two hour charge time, the energy is released and the conduit is formed. Any ship within a five kilometer radius of the S'harien is pulled into the Conduit along with S'harien. After it has been activated, the wide transwarp conduit cannot be re-utilized for anywhere from 8-12 hours due to the strain that it places on the S'harien's transwarp coils. If the S'harien chooses to utilize transwarp for itself, it merely has to accelerate to warp 2.3 and activate a single transwarp coil to enable the creation of a narrow transwarp conduit. This method of travel does not put a signifcant amount of strain on the system and may be used multiple times.

The Sword of S'task: As the conflict with the Borg progressed it became increasingly apparent that improved firepower was solely needed to stem the seemingly never ending tides of Borg Cubes. The S'harien was already one of the most heavily armed warships in the quadrant, like her sister ships. Still, when faced with the massive size and mass of a Borg Cube this truth was a small comfort. After the battle of Earth, it became readily apparent that unless bold action was taken the races of the alpha and beta quadrants were doomed to extinction or assimilation.

Commander Galan Cretak studied the battle of Earth as well as all existing data on his data banks regarding conflicts with the Borg seeking a solution. With the Romulan Star Empire broken and its worlds assimilated, he lacked the resources and the technical knowledge to create a super weapon. He struggled with the developing a system that would significantly improve the chances of his Warbird to survive in the days to come while increasing their lethality. Ultimately, fate intervened. In a scavenging mission seeking a Tal Shiar weapons depot in order to raid its stores of plasma torpedos the S'harien stumbled on the drifting hulk of the IRW Dominus. The Dominus was a Veldore-class warbird like the S'harien and was relatively intact aside from missing its entire engine section.

The S'harien scanned and eventually boarded the Dominus. There were no survivors and data taken from the striken ship's logs indicated that four cubes had plowed through the system as the ship approached the hidden Tal Shiar depot. Unable to cloak and aware that they were doomed, the IRW Dominus charged weapons and flew away from the depot at top speed. It was eventually caught and destroyed. The Borg took little interest in the ship as the few survivors abandoned the vessel. The S`harien downloaded all the data that was possible from the Dominus data banks and then tractored beam the ship into a new location. Once in this location, it assessed what systems or weapons were still of use.

Galan was thrilled to determine that the Dominus primary weapon systems, its array of three type 20 disruptor banks were relatively intact as well as its stores of plasma torpedoes. It was with this knowledge that Galan ordered the type 20 disruptor banks to be appropriated from the Dominus and incorporated into the S'harien. Even with the improved power core, the Romulan based energy conduits would not be able to power the newly recovered weapons systems without the risk of overloading key junctions and blacking out whole systems. As a result, the S'harien sacrificed all but four of its original twelve type 16 disruptor cannons. The loss of these secondary disruptors allowed for the power conduits that fed these weapons to be redirected to power its new weapon systems.

By doubling its primary weapon systems from three to six type 20 disruptor banks, the S'harien gained the ability to devastate targets in its forward arc at the cost of severely reducing its capability against smaller and more nimble targets. The Borg however were not known for utilizing small craft and the other races in the alpha and beta quadrants were no longer his predominant concern. The array of six forward firing Disruptor banks was named "The Sword of S`task".

Ship Weaknesses

Weakened Superstructure: The S'harien has not been to a Romulan or similar space dock in years. Due to this, its internal superstructure has begun to experience a series of micro-fractures beneath the strain of wartime maneuvers and lack of specialized maintenance. Once the shields are breached, the armor and internal structure of the S'harien is not as adept at absorbing and redirecting damage. These problems have been kept from deteriorating by increasing power to internal structure reinforcement fields but is a short term solution.

Power Conduit Problems: The S'harien has been almost completely rewired. Its power conduits were altered and modified by the Borg and arguably improved in some areas, while they have deteriorated in others. Attempts to harness more energy from the seemingly limitless energy supply from the new power core has led to dozens if not hundreds of additional wiring to take place within the ship. The removal of its secondary disruptor cannons to feed the Sword of S`task complicated matters. Finally, the presence of six planetary grade batteries which are plugged into the grid akin to giant inverters has not improved the situation. Upon taking damage, the chance of power conduit damage and complications is significantly higher in the S'harien than any other Warbird of her class at this point in time.

Partly Assimilated: The entire engineering deck was at one point assimilated by the Borg. This assimilation made it possible for the S'harien to continue being effective in the battlefield and has been harnessed as a strength by its crew but it stands as a grisly reminder of their ultimate fate. It is a testament to their enemy, an ever present reminder to their most likely future. Furthermore, should the S'harien have the misfortune of being boarded by drones in the future, they will have a readily available location to attempt to secure and utilize as a beach head. The engineering deck is an uncomfortable place, and is regularly monitored and patrolled by the S'harien's Reman contingent.

Borg Hunter: The Sword of S`task modification turned the S'harien into a specialized design to deal with enemies of over 200 meters in length. The removal of two thirds of its smaller type 16 disruptors makes it less capable of dealing with smaller threats.

Notable crew Biography

Riov Galan Cretak: Commander Galan Cretak is a relatively new commander. The S'harien was his first true command as the rare combination of natural leadership capabilities and political contacts manifested. During the golden years of the Alpha and Beta quadrant, he earned an impressive record of victories against a wide array of sub-standard adversaries. His professionalism was well known and respected, and while he served the Empire he longed for conflict against a foe that was equal to him in terms of might and capability. The occasional skirmish or face down against the emboldened forces of the Federation could not adequately satisfy his hunger.

He would eventually have an opportunity to combat a worthy adversary although the circumstances that led to such a conflict were not at all what he had imagined. The week of hell struck and he missed the first forty eight hours of the ensuing havoc due to positioning at the far edge of Romulan space. By the time that he had made it to the rapidly advancing Borg lines, the Empire was reeling and withdrawing to reorganize itself amongst over half a dozen fronts. The first exchange in which he participated against the Borg incursions went poorly. the S'harien assisted in the destruction of three separate Borg cubes and laid the finishing blows on two others before being forced to withdraw. Thirty seven Warbirds of various types took part in that engagement and only fifteen made it out. Of these, ten were D`deridex class and the other five were Valdores. No Warbird was without damage and some would withdraw for the reminder of the conflict.

The following day was not much better and fell along the familiar routine of massed conflicts where the Borg simply held a numerical and technological advantage. Always a pragmatic commander, Galan always played the odds. He was no Klingon to fight hopeless odds and die with Honor. He like many of his peers understood that the Romulan Star Empire was doomed and that it would exist only as long as it had soldiers and warships to protect it. The final days of the Empire was one long retreat where entire worlds where ceded to the Borg because their forces could simply not be stopped. He prided himself on pushing the envelope and he and others took great pains to make sure that as many civilian vessels could claw into space and into the relative safety of the warp as the Borg entered a system. Many brave men and women died during those delaying actions.

Currently, Galan has struggled to maintain in touch with as many concentrations of Romulans as possible. He sees this as his duty, even if every ragged ship holding its precious cargo of Romulan ships is another blow against his heart. Galan's people are suffering, and survival can no longer simply be taken for granted. He has devoted time for his ship to run aid from one convoy to another, has sold the services of his vessel to the Cardassians and Bajorans to allow refuge to Romulans in need as well as to secure medical services. He has become tender to his people and vicious towards his enemies. The Orion syndicate in particular has earned his enmity and the S'harien wastes no opportunity to destroy a vessel or base belonging to the organization. When it comes to the Federation Galan is torn. The Federation has struck out to his very family but it is the sole organization in the quadrant left with any sort of tangible power base. Galan has nurtured a neutral relationship with Starfleet, using it to his own ends for the betterment of his people. It is perhaps the last game that he allows himself to play.

Erei'riov Hanaj Dar: Hanaj is an experienced officer having served in four separate warbirds before being assigned to the S'harien. Originally, he was assigned to the S'harien in order to monitor Galan and make certain that unlike his aunt he held the Romulan Star Empire close to his heart. Over the years of serving alongside Galan, he came to respect the commander and has now become a loyal member of his inner circle. Hanaj is the traditional Romulan officer, taciturn with a keen eye and a dry wit. Hanaj supported Galan's decision to stand by the Reman commando crew after the fallout from the assassination of the Romulan senate. A move that earned the admiration and respect of the S'harien's commandos.

While Galan struggled with the decisions to be selective in their engagements against the Borg Hanaj felt no such dilemmas. He felt that there would come a time when the Empire and Romulan people would require the presence of every Warbird in the fleet. To throw away priceless warships in a fool's errand was the height of stupidity. Still, a day does not goes by that the subcommander does not mourn the loss of his wife and children in Romulus.

Riov Sindari N`vek: The highest rank survivor of the Tal Shiar contingenet abord the S'harien Sindari is a bitter woman. Keenly aware of the machinations of her people and her order, aware of the sacrifices both of herself and her people all for naught. The Tal Shiar inflicted both pain and fear on the citizens of the Empire with the promise that the future would be brighter because of it. Those unspoken promises are now nothing more than ash and Sindari has struggled to overcome the loss of the Empire and all its ambitions.

Sindari is a capable and motivated intelligence officer who once had nurtured a web of agents that spanned the alpha and beta quadrants ready to offer her a veritable flood of information. Most of that network was shattered with the Borg invasion, but enough of her agents and those that owed her favors survived to make her one of the best informed individuals in the quadrant. Sindari's information has been crucial to the continued success and existance of the S'harien. Her background with the Tal Shiar allowed her access to information regarding its hidden depots and agents. Sindari has harnessed her bitterness and channeled it along with her rage into her job. While all Romulan and Remans aboard the S'harien grieve the loss of the Empire, she has become aware of the commander's own emotional instability. She is still considering what part if any she will play in addressing this new found strength and weakness.

Arrain Arrenhe Velal: Arrenhe Velal has always been a brilliant mind. Her family was low born and lacked any political connections but Arrenhe still attended the Imperial War College when her theories in astrometics and subspace caught the attention of an influential senator in Romulus. Arrenhe graduated at the top of her class and was immediately posted on the D'Deridex class Warbird IRW Terix where she served for the duration of the Dominion War. When Galan Cretak was secured his own command, he offered her a position aboard his vessel. Curious about the new Warbird class, she agreed to join him as the chief science officer of the S'harien.

The "Velal" principle is the theory that allowed the S'harien to develop its transwarp conduit system. Arrenhe was also in charge of rewiring the S'harien in order to harness existing Borg technology in the ship and utilize for their ends. Arrenhe is an invaluable addition to S'harien and arguably the most competent living Romulan engineer in the quadrant.

Service history to Date:

Golden Years

During the golden years of the alpha and beta quadrants the S'harien was predominantly tasked with the patrol of Romulan territory between the Empire and the Federation. While the Federation were ostensibly allies, the Romulan senate felt that showing the flag on these areas would deter the likelyhood of trouble along the neutral zone. There are three events that transpired during this time that were relatively noteworthy.

a) The USS Magellan incident: The S'harien assisted the USS Magellan when the Federation Galaxy class ship inexplicably lost power and drifted into a nebula on the Federation side of the neutral zone. The S'harien was the first allied ship to reach the Magellan and assisted the Federation vessel with the repelling of half a dozen Orion ships. The S'harien Reman contingent boarded the Magellan and assisted in the repelling of Orion slavers aboard the Federation ship.

b) Escort of Senate Members to Earth: The S'harien along with three other Valdore type warbirds escorted a single D'deridex class warbird carrying four high ranking members of the senate to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth. The S'harien remained in orbit over Earth for the duration of the talks. Commander Galan Cretak himself visited the Federation homeworld.

c) Operation Lamari: A Tal Shiar operation, the S'harien was tasked with tracking Section 31 forces to a system held in the periphery of the Breen confederacy. Section 31 forces were accused of meddling with the internal affairs of the Empire. Furthermore, information provided by the Tal Shiar suggested that Kimara Cretak had fallen afoul of Section 31 agents. The section 31 forces had gathered in a hidden asteroid belt and were protected by a series of minefields and a series of converted ships. The S'harien engaged these forces and utilized photon torpedos as well as modified Disruptors attuned to seem like Breen weapons. All Section 31 forces vessels were destroyed and the asteroid base was obliterated.

The Fall of Romulus/Borg War

The S'harien was like the rest of the Romulan Star Empire caught unaware by the massive incursion of Borg forces. The Romulan Empire had never dreamed that its reign would be ended in a week's time. By the time that the S'harien had moved into position from the periphery of the Empire, the Star Empire was in its death throes. The S'harien participated in over two dozen engagements against the Borg each more desperate than the last. When it became abundantly clear that the Empire was dying and that no amount of wishing would change that fact the S'harien withdrew. The choice to live and continue to serve the surviving Romulans rather than fight and die a senseless death was not a hard one for Commander Galan to make. His duty to his people far outstripped his pride.

a) The Battle of the Chaltok system: The sole victory of Romulan forces during the fall of the Empire, if a temporary one. The Battle of Chaltok was punctuated by the first truly organized resistance by the naval forces of the Empire. At the loss of over sixty Warbirds, three borg Cubes and supporting craft were destroyed. The victory was a momentary one as within six hours, Eight Borg cubes were on their way to the system. Romulan forces retreated from the system and sought to rendezvous with more forces in a nearby system.

b) The battle of Unroth: The battle of Unroth broke the back of the Romulan Navy and made it abundantly clear that the naval forces of the Empire could not realistically protect its citizens. Of the four hundred and thirty seven ships that took part in this engagement less than fifty made it out. The batte of Unroth is stated as being the point in time where the Romulan Empire seized to exist as a unified power in the quadrant. Surviving Romulan ships scattered and left the remains of the Empire to its Borg conquerors.

c) The battle for Earth: The S'harien participated in the battle for earth the definitive engagement against the Borg. After the battle of Unroth, the S`harien settled on attempting to assist Romulan survivors flee the Empire. When Starfleet made its call for assistance, the S'harien made haste and arrived over a week before Borg forces arrived on the Sol system. The S'harien claimed no less than eight separate kills during the week long exchanges until it was battered and forced to withdraw near Saturn. As the S'harien limped back towards Earth, it became known that the USS Enterprise and her entire task force were presumed destroyed. By the time that the S'harien reached Earth, the loss of Earth was the only apparent logical conclusion to the battle. In a fevered pitch, the S'harien managed to repair its cloaking device mere minutes before Borg forces breached the defenses around Mars. The S'harien was one of the last ships to leave the Sol system.

d) The Massacre at Argelius: Argelius became a stronghold for the Orion syndicate when the local Federation outpost was evacuated pending the expected arrival of Borg forces. When the Borg arrived they found nothing worth assimilating and press onward, the Orion syndicate quietly moved into the system. Argelius became a primary node of activity and it was quietly reinforced as a transfer point for the Orions slave trade. The S'harien became involved when lone Romulan refugee ships began to vanish. The S'harien tracked these disappearances and eventually discovered the Argelius system. The Orions were keenly aware of Romulan weakness and had developed a taste for Romulan flesh. The exotic nature of his people made them desirable in the black markets. Incensed, Commander Galan ordered his eight shuttles to depart under cloak down to the planet and his Reman contingent in conjunction with select Romulan crew hit the Orion facility at night.

As the Remans and Romulan forces began their assault on the planet, the S'harien dropped its cloak behind the largest Orion vessel in the system, a cruiser that crumpled beneath the withering assault of the sword of S'task. Stunned by the destruction that had been brought down upon them, the surviving four Orion frigates were ill equipped to fight the S'harien and quickly joined its larger brethren in destruction. Orion attempts to negotiate were met with silence. Their pleas to surrender went unanswered and while eighteen percent of the captured Romulans were killed by the Orions the facility was captured.

The S'harien then entered cloak and waited as its Reman and Officers led by Colonel Sindari went to work. The Orion leaders were broken and in less than six hours, were persuaded to send out a distress message to other nearby Orion forces. A single Orion frigate responded first, thirteen hours after the message was sent out and was quickly destroyed. A second frigate arrived three hours after the first and it too was reduced to stardust. No other forces came. After three days of waiting, Commander Galan ordered for all Orions to be killed and left as a warning to others. The Orions were left mutilated, with terrible disruptor burns throughout their bodies. The forces of the S'harien and the Romulan survivors returned to the S'harien and the Warbird left the system.

Captain's Name: Matthias Solheim
Captain's Species: Human
Captain's Background: Joined Starfleet at 18 years old, Solheim was hand-picked for the Elite Force program two years after graduation, serving with distinction for six years.

Shortly after that, he was drafted by Section 31, serving as an operative with distinction. During this time, he took part in some terrible things, ostensibly for the greater good of Starfleet and life in the galaxy.

He became Captain of the Gilgamesh after the previous bridge crew (all but the science officer and head engineer) were all killed during the initial Borg attack on the science base where this particular prototype was being shaken down in final trials.

Captain Solheim sees his time now as a way of redemption for some of the things he's done during his time with Section 31, which led to his rescue of the remaining crew of the derelict d'Deridex Vampaja, and integrate them into his crew to take advantage of their expertise. As a result, his crew has grown in cohesion swiftly, growing close together as a family over the years. This has become true to the point where he and his XO consider themselves married through a small ceremony a year ago. This has had the result of others in his crew doing the same, and the former crew of the Vampaja fully considering themselves members of the Gilgamesh's crew, and the ship their home.

Ship Name: USS Gilgamesh
Ship Class: Defiant-class variant (Tactical escort)
Ship Dimensions: Length: 175 meters, Beam: 97 meters, Height: 28 meters

Ship Design Notes: The Defiant class itself was originally created to fight the Borg. Though repurposed for the war against the Dominion, the Defiant class design proved itself very well during that conflict, giving encouragement to Starfleet to begin experimenting with the design.

This variant looks at first glance to be Defiant made somewhat too wide, with slightly more graceful-looking nacelles, closely resembling the Vigilant-class variant of the Defiant.

Crew composition: 35 officers & crew. Maximum capacity is an additional 150 people.

Maximum Speed (FTL): Warp 9.875 maximum sprint, Warp 6 with cloak engaged

Weapons Systems: The Cometfall platform was the primary reason for the ship's redesign, though her other weapons work very well to supplement the mass driver weapon.

- "Cometfall" Mass Accelerator Platform: The main reason for the ship's different design, this weapon runs the entire keel of the ship, firing a solid iridium slug weighting approximately 200kg, fired at at 40% the speed of light.

This weapon has its own drawbacks, due to the experimental nature of its design. First, simply due to space concerns, wherein facilities to process and manufacture each slug are required on the ship as well, the Gilgamesh simply doesn't have the physical space to store more than 30 shots at a time.

While the ship is capable of manufacturing new slugs, this requires days of concentrated work, and most certainly cannot be done during combat. Secondly, the tremendous energy this weapon needs to fire each shot requires nearly all power from the ship (including shields & weapons, but not life support or sensors) be diverted to the Cometfall system for the duration of the firing sequence, which takes ten seconds total. The ship must remain motionless for the full ten seconds, though it can immediately use the ship's power for other purposes after the shell is fired.

The designers also offered this sage advice in regards to firing this system within an atmosphere: "Don't if you like living."

- Phaser Cannons: Located at the top and bottom of each nacelle in this design as a slight departure from normal Defiant design, the Gilgamesh has a total of four forward-facing phaser cannons.

- Phaser Emitters: These are standard Type X beam emitters found on most starships prior to the newest designs, the Gilgamesh has one mounted on the back of the craft, and one on the top and bottom of the craft. Their primary function is point defense in combat, and mining operations otherwise.

- Torpedo Launchers: The Gilgamesh has four forward-facing torpedo launchers, and two aft-facing. All six are capable of firing both quantum and photon torpedoes, though the Gilgamesh only has a supply of photon and phased plasma.

- Phased Plasma Torpedoes: The other experimental weapon system aboard the Gilgamesh exists as an optional addition to a torpedo. This particular sort of torpedo does about as much damage as a regular photon torpedo, though the design will bypass most known stock shield configurations entirely, striking the hull of the target directly. Unfortunately, there are only 37 of these particular systems remaining in the ship's weapons hold, and no way to replicate more.

- Photon Torpedoes: The mainstay of the torpedoes used over the years, the Gilgamesh is now down to 21 regular photon torpedoes.

Special Systems: A number of special systems were added to the stock Defiant-class design of the Gilgamesh either during the blueprint phase, or well after the Borg struck.

- Cloaking Device: Found from the D'deridex derelict Vampaja near Romulus along with their current XO, the crew of the Gilgamesh have managed to nearly seamlessly integrate the cloaking device into the ship's systems. Maximum speed with the cloak engaged is reduced to Warp 6, as any faster will render the ship detectable. Unfortunately, the ship is not capable of firing the ship's weapons while being cloaked, due to the integration of systems as well as power management issues. However, standard procedure is to "run silent" during combat missions regardless, with emissions baffled.

Ship's Weakness: No ablative armor coating on the ship's hull. Unlike other Defiant-class ships, due to the Cometfall system integrated into the design of the ship, as well as the Gilgamesh not being completed when the Borg came, the ablative armor hull coating was never added.

Service History to-date: Responsible for many guerilla-style assaults on Borg-held (and other) installations over the years, the crew of the Gilgamesh have honed their skills at being a precision-strike platform, striking at the heart of their enemy before fading into the night without a trace.

The ship's service history under Captain Solheim begins with the impending battle of Earth, and the evacuation of a small shipyard where the Gilgamesh and a few other ships were under construction. The station was hastily evacuated, and the two ships that were capable of travel were preparing for emergency departure to Deep Space 9 for supplies when the Borg struck earlier than predicted. Almost the entire bridge crew was killed, as their shuttle was destroyed by the Borg en-route to the ship. Solheim, being the highest-ranked officer aboard the ship, assumed command from then on.

- 3 months post battle of Earth, finding the derelict of the Vampaja in the Romulan system, intent on salvaging what they could. This is where they found the original store of the phased plasma torpedoes, as well as Commander Inzeti, and the remainder of her crew.

- 6 months post battle of Earth, several crewmates were kidnapped by Orion slavers - this led to a vendetta campaign that lasted several years, though the crewmates were all recovered safely. This incident helped solidify the relationship between the crew, and the integrated survivors of the Vampaja. This was when the crew first encountered the S'harien and her crew.


Dramatis Personae:

- Captain Matthias Solheim: Called upon at times to walk as much a political tightrope as a military one, Captain Solheim has found that all the experience of his life has led to this time, equipping him with the skills needed to safeguard this ship and her crew - as they are all he has now. An exceptionally proficient tactician and commander, Captain Solheim has personally overseen the development of the Jotun commando training program, and has taken personal pride in their results. Though over the past several years he hasn't had much of a sense of humor, he is a philosophical man, driven by his duty and responsibility.

- First Officer Commander Samara Inzeti: She commanded the Vampaja for 27 years prior to this, and chose to stay behind on the ship rather than leave as the Borg tore it apart. She was known for keeping impartial and fair even with Tal-Shiar or those with connections, though it resulted in her being promoted more slowly, and more left out of the greater Romulan military as a result.

Found half-starved and injured, but alive aboard the derelict D'deridex Vampaja along with a platoon of Romulan marines guarding her, once she and her marines got over their initial mistrust, they integrated quickly into the ship's crew. She quickly found a kindred spirit in Captain Solheim, and frequently plays games of chess with him.

- Chief Engineer Lt. Commander Lilith Dawson: The only bridge member to survive the original attack by the Borg, Chief Dawson keeps her "baby girl" working with rare grace and ingenuity, though at times creative solutions for ship issues were the beginnings of some rather interesting adventures over the years. Known to croon and talk to the innards of the ship as she works, as well as having a severe weakness for true alcoholic beverages of any type, having a nearly pathological loathing of synthahol.

- Tactical Officer Lieutenant Mechle Adranis: Once the commanding officer for a group of Romulan special operatives, he found himself pressed into defending a ship's officer against all comers aboard the wreck of the Vampaja as they awaited rescue. Now as tactical officer of the Gilgamesh, he's in charge of ship's weapons' firing solutions, and with planning of away team missions.

- Navigator Lt. Commander Arichu Nevola: Working on the Vampaja as ship's navigator and pilot, Lieutenant Nevola found herself working in the same role aboard the Gilgamesh after her rescue from the derelict that once was the first ship she served on. A keen student of geometry and navigation both, Lieutenant Nevola's disquieting skill as a pilot and navigator, as well as her sharp tongue have quickly earned her the nickname "Swift."

- Chief Medical Officer Lieutenant Shoshannah Melisande: Known as a heavy drinker and chain smoker (and making no apologies whatsoever for any of it), Doctor Melisande is a remarkably skilled surgeon, doctor, and researcher, even if her demeanor would make one utterly incredulous about the fact. She has on more than one occasion played drinking games while on duty (taking a shot whenever a patient went into cardiac arrest) - but even with all of this, the only people who've entered her sickbay that she has been unable to save were the bridge crew killed during the initial attack. All others are healthy, and well-cared for - though some of them are less voluntary about it than others.

- Chief Science Officer Lieutenant Armand Vela: Found aboard a barely-functional space station, Lieutenant Vela has stated as a joke that he has an "empathy for machines," made amusing by his pureblood Betazed heritage. Despite the jokes, he has demonstrated a rare gift for both science and engineering, usually found idly designing random things while not on duty.

Though the science facilities aboard the Gilgamesh aren't quite as roomy as most other vessels, they are still present, and Lieutenant Vela has used them to their fullest. He and Lt. Commander Dawson frequently get into arguments while repairing or maintaining the ship.





(work in progress, v.1.3)

USS Empryean

Class: Modified Luna-Class Recon Science Vessel

Crew Complement: 350 (70% Human, 10% Bajoran, 5% Vulcan, 15% Mixed, including Trill, Betazoid, Andorian, Bolian, etc.) 330 crew are holographic representations, 20 are physical life forms.

Dimensions: 450m

Weapons Systems: 5 Beam Arrays, 3 Torpedo Tubes

Auxiliary Craft: Four Type-9 Shuttlecraft (Normal Complement is Six), Captain’s Skiff

Design Notes: The Luna Class was designed for long distance scientific survey and study into the Gamma Quadrant. Though the project was sidelined by the Dominion War, upon its conclusion exploration of the Gamma Quadrant with Luna Class vessels leading the way. The first of its class, the USS Titan, was commanded by William T. Riker, former first officer of the USS Enterprise-D. Designed to operate for long periods of time without resupply or support, the Luna Class is capable of handling itself in a fight if pressed, but is designed for research. Building on the advanced computer systems of the Intrepid Class, the much larger Luna Class contains some of the most advanced computer systems ever installed on a starship.

Combat Profile

Total Weaponry: 5 Beam Arrays, 3 Torpedo Tubes

Arc Breakdown:
Fore: 3 Beam, 2 Torpedo
Flank: 5 Beam
Aft: 2 Beam, 1 Torpedo

Supplementary Systems

Sensors:
The Empyrean has been fitted with some of the most powerful sensors on board any Federation ship. It possess greatly increased range and resolution compared to the sensors of most other ships, which can further be increased by launching sensor drones, linking to other ships, or a combination of the two. It has been theorized that under the right circumstances, it is possible that with enough power to the sensors and an appropriate linkage to ships or sensor nets, that cloaks could be defeated, but doing so would make the Empyrean vulnerable due to the power requirements.

Electronic Warfare Suite:

Electronic Warfare is one of the Luna-Class’s primary functions in a fleet action, and can be achieved by channeling power from weapons and shields to the ship’s sensors and deflectors. The effectiveness of the defensive bonuses granted by ECM increases the further one is from the target, and appropriately decreases the closer one is. Each function requires more and more power to operate (with the limit to be set by the GM for how much power it takes from weapons and shields and how many functions can be allowable at once).

ECM Functions:

Jam Communications: This mode is capable of brute-force jamming communications of given area, preventing enemies from coordinating properly.

Degrade Sensors: This mode is capable of reducing the effectiveness of enemy sensors within the zone, reducing the accuracy of enemy weapons.

Spoof Attack: This mode attempts to focus defense on a single target, greatly increasing its survivability, particularly against missiles and torpedoes.

Counter ECM: This basic ECCM mode allows for the Luna-Class to level the field against one hostile ECM function at a time.

Reduce Hostile ECM Range: This mode reduces the range of all enemy ECM functions, limiting the utility of hostile ECM.

Ship Enhancements

Computer Assisted Control/Holographic Crew: Under normal operations, the ship is able to react with increased speed due to the enhanced automation on board the ship. Additionally, the ship is resistant to boarding actions due to the holographic nature of the crew.

Salvaged Polaron Beams: Salvaged technology, these beam weapons do not seem to be affected by Borg frequency adaption technology, meaning that they can be used effectively in extended engagements, though their overall damage output is somewhat less than Federation Standard Issue Phaser Arrays.

Quantum Torpedoes: The Empyrean has a full complement of 116 Quantum Torpedoes.

Borg Matrix Incursion System: Through extensive study of the Borg Matrix, the Empyrean can perform several operations to compromise the Borg Matrix in the local area, including isolating small groups of Borg ships from the Collective, masking itself and other ships with Borg signatures, and so on.

The two most common functions include linking to other ships within 100 km of the Empyrean in order to have each ship within the link transmit signals that report the ships as assimilated and under Borg control, including mimicking Borg life signs and technology. The cover is not perfect and will not stand to scrutiny at closer ranges.

The second most common function involves isolating the communications of Borg ships from the Collective. The range on this mode is greater than the Borg masking systems, but requires that the targeted Borg ships remain within standard combat ranges (Roughly 20,000 km). It is capable under normal operations of subverting communications from the Borg ships and the Collective, sending false signals to each, allowing the destruction of Borg ships without the immediate knowledge of the Collective.

Normally, these functions are mutually exclusive from each other. However, by draining virtually all power from shields and weapons, a limited version of each can be run simultaneously. The range of the Borg Masking Function is reduced to 50 km, and the Collective Subversion Function will only be able to subvert the signal of the local Borg ships to the Collective, not the signal of the Collective itself to the local Borg ships.

Ship Weaknesses

Ghost Ship: The Empyrean has only 20 living crew members. The remainder of the ship is crewed by holographic recreations of the original crew. When the ship needs to perform any extensive diagnostic, use its Borg Matrix Incursion System, or is compromised in any significant way, the ship’s computer system must shut down the crew’s holographic matrices, leaving the ship with only the living crew. Additionally, any benefits of Computer Assisted Control are lost, as the ship’s automation system is now simply attempting to compensate for the lack of crew. The holographic crew are unable to leave the ship, and if the holoemitters in a section of the ship are destroyed, they are unable to manifest there.

Heavy Modifications: In order to remain operational, the Empyrean has had to make several major modifications to nearly every aspect of the ship. As a result, the ship is prone to several glitches, often at the worst possible times. The ship itself must undergo low-level diagnostics fairly frequently, and high-level diagnostics more often than normal.

Crew

Holographic Crew: Unlike Voyager’s notable EMH “The Doctor”, the holographic crew on board the Empyrean are not programs, but rather living beings that have had their brains recorded into the ship’s computer system and given form through the ship’s holoemitters. The crew does not commonly discuss what happened before their existence as holographic life forms, preferring to rather focus on the present and possible future.

Living Crew: Very few of the original crew survived the terrible event that resulted in the loss of over 90% of the souls on board the Empyrean. These are the only members of the ship that can leave its confines for away missions.

Command Staff

Commanding Officer

Captain Marcellus C. DuBios (L): (Human Male)
Captain DuBois has held several positions in Starfleet, finally rising into his own as a Captain after many years. DuBois has always had the ability to make difficult decisions even under terrible circumstances, traits he has demonstrated during his service in the conflicts that have raged through the Alpha Quadrant since his graduation from Starfleet Academy in 2351. While many of his postings have been on scientific vessels, studying phenomena instead of engaging in wars or battles, he has seen his share of action.

During the periods of Ferengi Aggression in the 2360’s, DuBois served as the First Officer on board the Oberth-Class USS Waverider, and was instrumental in protecting the ship from the rogue Ferengi ship that harassed the Waverider, waiting until it was vulnerable and then striking. In the final conflict, then-Commander DuBois had been expecting the return of the Ferengi, and so was prepared to offer them a deal. In return for their immediate surrender, he would let them return to Ferengi space unharmed. With no signs of Federation support, the clearly underarmed Oberth seemed in no position to make demands, which caused the Ferengi to blindly rush into a carefully designed trap crafted by DuBois. The spatial anomaly the Waverider had been studying had shown curious properties that DuBois used to detain the Ferengi ship and force their compliance.

Promoted to Captain in 2372, DuBois was given the command of the Nebula-Class USS Nexus, with his initial mission being one of exploration, using the re-purposed sensor array to study anomalies in deep space. However, not long into his tour, the Dominion War disrupted the Alpha Quadrant, and orders from Starfleet Command brought him into the conflict. In one of the final conflicts of the war, the USS Nexus suffered catastrophic damage. Ordering the surviving crew to evacuate, DuBois set the ship on a collision course with a weapons platform. Seconds before the ship was lost, he beamed out to one of the escape pods, watching the battle rage around him. He watched as escape pod after escape pod was picked off by Dominion fire, until finally the firing stopped.

For the four years after the Dominion War, Captain DuBois took a desk position within Starfleet, working on new projects, including getting involved in the Luna Program and diplomatic efforts in the Gamma Quadrant as well as teaching a few courses at Starfleet Academy. After a trip to Deep Space Nine, meeting with Bajorans interested in exploring the Gamma Quadrant, he put in an application for the new line of Luna Class Science Ships.


First Officer

Commander Joshua Stone (H): (Human Male)
Commander Joshua Stone is the grandson of Admiral Aaron Stone, who once held Courts Martial of James T. Kirk. After the encounter, Stone’s grandfather developed a working relationship and respect for the man. Growing up to stories of the great James T. Kirk combined with cautionary tales of men who would go too far, Joshua was instilled with a strong moral center and a sense of duty.

Stone’s first posting after his graduation from Starfleet was as the tactical officer on board the Excelsior-Class USS Bastion in 2371, a ship that served with distinction during both the Klingon-Federation War and the Dominion War. Stone received several field promotions and commendations for his actions during these conflicts, as well as several new commissions due to the high attrition rates of the battles. Despite his aptitude for battle, innovative tactics, and a cool head under fire, he requested transfer to an exploration vessel after his promotion to Commander late in 2378. When he was told of a position on board the USS Empyrean, he jumped at the chance, seeing the ship’s mandate as a chance to learn more about the Dominion and the other races in the Gamma Quadrant, to better understand the reasons behind the devastating wars he had found himself in.


Chief Engineer

Lt. Commander Reginald Barclay (H): (Human Male)
Reginald Barclay has a long and colorful history with Starfleet. A complex individual, Barclay has dealt with severe social and interpersonal issues his entire life, despite being a very capable engineer and a brilliant individual. After his assignment on board the Enterprise, he used his expertise with holographic programming to assist in the creation of a series of Emergency Medical Holograms, and later still used his engineering and programming knowledge to help establish contact with the long-stranded USS Voyager. Upon the return of the Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant, Barclay was promoted for his efforts in its return, and decided to once more take to the stars and put in a commission to the USS Empyrean to explore the Gamma Quadrant.


Tactical Officer

Lieutenant Maren Rahl (L): (Bajoran Female)
Maren Rahl joined Starfleet shortly after the arrival of Benjamin Sisko to Deep Space 9. Despite the urging of her family, she left Bajor and began her training. When she graduated from Starfleet in 2373, she was thrust into the Dominion War. Having a personal stake in the conflict, she applied for a position as a Fighter Pilot and engaged the Dominion in Operation Return. Her ship was very nearly destroyed in the battle as she focused so heavily on Cardassian ships that a Dominion Attack Craft was able to get a weapons lock on her ship. Before she could react, Klingon reinforcements destroyed the ship before it could fire a fatal shot into her unshielded aft.

After the Dominion War, Maren Rahl was determined to do her part in the revival of her people’s culture through the Federation, and when the initiative to explore the Gamma Quadrant through the wormhole was announced, she was in a singular position to take advantage of the situation and did so without hesitation.


Medical Officer

Commander Dian Vares (L): (Betazoid Male)
Doctor Vares is a talented physician and surgeon from Betazed who felt the calling of the stars. With his empathic capabilities, he often received high marks for his bedside manner, though this was tempered with an often unexpected frankness that takes many people by surprise. The vast wealth of interpersonal experiences with alien races was one of the major reasons for Doctor Vares joining Starfleet in the first place, and the draw of the Gamma Quadrant was undeniable. Despite the oddities of new experiences, he seems more at home with aliens than his own kind at times.


Science Officer

Lt. Commander Dunok (L): (Vulcan Male)
To serve upon a science vessel and explore the Gamma Quadrant was only logical for Dunok. A brilliant scientific mind, Dunok has studied many different subjects over the years, but rather than focus on one, his objective was to become fluent in as many scientific disciplines as he could, so that when he served on board a starship he could more efficiently managed his science teams and process their findings. Humans, he had found, were quite adept at making new leaps in advancement, but were commonly poor examples of efficient communication and time management. He had published several papers on the subject based on observations he had made from both the Vulcan Science Academy and Starfleet Academy. When the posting on board the USS Empyrean was made available, he posted his necessary paperwork for transfer, post-dated for when the posting was made available several months in advance of when even Captain DuBois had been named as the commanding officer.


Security Chief

Lieutenant Fenas (L): (Andorian Female)
Fenas has served with Captain DuBois during the Dominion War on board the USS Nexus, and was in fact the officer that ensured he had the ability to beam out at the last second. She joined Starfleet shortly after the first encounter with the Borg, and her focus throughout her time at Starfleet Academy has been martial in nature. The ideals of the Federation were, to her, fine concepts that needed actual force to uphold and maintain. In her own way, she sees herself as the defender of the greatest idealists in the federation, the scientists and engineers.


Ship Counselor

Lieutenant Dirrina Kam (L): (Joined Trill Female)
The Kam symbiote is, itself, hundreds of years old. The host, Dirrina, is much younger. Having only graduated (again) from Starfleet Academy a year before the USS Empyrean went into service. Both idealistic and wise, the Trill is well experienced with a multitude of races and the complexities of their various mental and social issues. The natural wanderlust of the pair lead to a desire for a posting on one of the ships set to explore the Gamma Quadrant, which led her to the USS Empyrean.



Notable Crew

Lieuntenant Jowra (H): (Bolian Female) File loading, please wait...

Lieutenant Karl Forest (L): (Human Male) File loading, please wait...

Service History of the USS Empyrean

The USS Empyrean was commissioned in 2379, and after a brief shakedown cruise was sent on its mission to the Gamma Quadrant.

From the report of Admiral Takashi Isoroku to Starfleet Command, Stardate 70179.8

Archivist's Note: This report was submitted to Starfleet Command during the third year of the Quadratic War. Though incomplete and even erroneous in certain regards, it represents a remarkably concise summation of the various vessels deployed by the Borg in their attack on the Alpha Quadrant.

The Borg

Perhaps no word in any language in the quadrant conjures up a more atavistic reaction in those present than the chillingly efficient name of the galaxy's most obdurate and dangerous 'species'. The Borg are not a species per se, but a collective of thousands of different species, unified beneath a single hive-mind whose only known goal is the wholesale assimilation of all sentient beings and technologies which are capable of being assimilated, and the total destruction of those which are not. Our office has been charged with the acquisition of as much technical data as possible concerning the weapons, ships, and tactics employed by the Borg in their assault on the Alpha Quadrant powers. Full details are appended to the report below, but the facts in summary are as follows:


Borg Fleet Assets and Organization:

The total size of the Borg attack on the Alpha Quadrant is difficult to estimate. Borg ships display (on the whole) no distinguishing characteristics ship by ship, and their reliance on Transwarp technology renders it difficult if not impossible to determine overall Borg deployments. Current estimates place their overall ship deployment in the low hundreds of thousands, of which it is believed that at least several thousand are Dreadnought-level ships of Cube and other designs.

Archivist's Note: Both of these figures, as we now know, were wildly inaccurate, the former too high, the latter too low. Admiral Takashi was drawing upon Romulan estimates compiled during the earliest weeks of the war, which Starfleet Intelligence apparently did not scrub sufficiently, trusting too much to the reputation of Romulans as ruthlessly pragmatic even in the face of enormous odds.

The Borg have thus-far employed their ships in what we believe are six large Battle Group formations, each one comprised of many thousands of ships, and independently capable of waging a major campaign against entire regions of the Alpha Quadrant. These enormous formations, referred to as fleets for lack of a better term, are of uncertain number, as the Borg have been employing transwarp capabilities to insert and withdraw their formations at intervals, making them difficult to track.

Archivist's Note: Despite these difficulties, Admiral Takashi's estimate was correct in both quantity and composition. Despite battle losses, the composition of the major Borg fleets was to remain remarkably consistent from the beginning of the war in 2391 through the middle of 2398, when the dramatic events of that year resulted in a major shift in Borg deployments...

The various fleets in the Borg employ are massive, all-arms formations of tremendous power, quite capable of battering entire Alpha Quadrant powers into submission, yet our analysis indicates that these formations have generally been operating independently of one another. Even in so-called "coordinated strikes" such as the campaign against the Klingon Empire earlier this year, the Borg formations have not engaged in self-supporting activity, each fleet striking under its own auspices at the Klingons from different directions, with no attempt to coordinate timing and battle strategy. On the rare occasions when ships from the different fleet formations have engaged alongside one another, there have been sketchy reports of Red-on-Red hostilities from individual ships, though the nature of these reports leads us to believe that such incidents could well be a result of fog-of-war mistakes or accidental weapons discharges.

Archivist's Note: These 'reports' would remain unconfirmed for several more years, until, following the Borg victory at the Battle of Earth, the Borg Third and Second fleets engaged in a pitched battle lasting several weeks, which ended only after the Second Fleet withdrew to Sirius. Following this engagement, many efforts were made to identify and exploit a conjectured division within the ranks of the Borg. For reasons obvious in hindsight, no such efforts ever bore fruit.

Starfleet Asset Tracking has compiled the following summary of identified Borg ship units:



Identified Borg vessel classifications

Archivist's Note: Obviously, the list cited here is incomplete, restricted to the classical Borg-design vessels encountered by Starfleet on previous occasions, as well as the most visible of the so-called "auxilliary" Borg ships deployed in the attack on the Alpha Quadrant. The absense here of some of the most iconic Collective ship designs of the Quadratic War is explained by the nature of the information available to Starfleet Intelligence at the time of this report's compilation. For logistical reasons, the major assault waves at the outset of the war were comprised primarily of traditional Borg geometric ship classes, and only later on were large numbers of auxiliary vessels progressively deployed.

Following publication, Starfleet appended additional summaries as new Collective ships were identified.



Borg Cube:

The Borg cube is the most iconic and potent vessel in the Borg armada. Sporting immense firepower, unparalleled durability, and tremendous versatility, the Cube is a battleship in effect if not in name. Five kilometers to a side, encrusted with batteries of plasma torpedo launchers and heavy disruptor cannons, Cubes come equipped with heavy tractor beams, used to fix an enemy in place, anti-graviton beams, used to drain a target's shields, and focused Z-particle emitters, used to slice enemy ships to pieces for later assimilation. Their cavernous hulls can carry over a hundred thousand drones...

Archivist's Note: An exaggeration. While Cubes were indeed physically capable of carrying that many drones, such ships were well over normal capacity, and resulted in major impediments to the efficient running of the ship. Standard crew complement was 50-60,000.

... as well as a myriad of technical systems customized as needed by the ruthlessly efficient drone crew. As a result, Borg cubes can be found armed with any weapon system conceivable, from atmospheric-dispersion nanoprobe torpedoes, to launching facilities for the smaller ships in the Borg fleet. In addition, Cubes deploy extremely powerful reactive shields, and a regenerative latticework hull that gives them immense durability. Estimates indicate that Cubes can retain normal functionality even with 73% of their volume destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable.

Archivist's Note: Following the Battle of Quo'nos, Cube 8638 actually managed to return to a repair depot at seven days distance with only 8% of its systems active. Nevertheless, the precise threshold required to disable or destroy a Cube varied considerably throughout the war, depending on the weapons employed against them and the locations of each weapons strike.

As evidenced by previous encounters with the Borg, a single Cube is considered a match for entire fleets of Alpha Quadrant ships. Though previous encounters with the Borg generally were against solitary Cubes, the Borg have in the current war taken to deploying single Cubes as the center of task forces of smaller ships. Needless to say, this results in an even greater threat.



Borg Sphere:

Rated a Long-Range Tactical Cruiser, the Sphere is a less dangerous, if more numerous cousin to the Borg Cube. Though fully capable of dispatching ships pitted against it, Spheres do not possess either the durability or the firepower of their larger compatriots, and can generally be overcome by ships of Battlecruiser rating (or the equivelant) without undue difficulty.

Archivist's Note: For political reasons, Federation Starships eschewed the standard naval classifications for warships of Destroyer, Battlecruiser, or Battleship. Almost all Starfleet vessels were officially rated as some variant of Cruiser, with the occasional Frigate, even for vessels plainly outside of such classifications in terms of weight and firepower.

Between four and six hundred meters in diameter, Spheres carry heavy plasma torpedoes as well as disruptor banks and tractor beams, weapons that render them quite capable of overcoming lighter ships. Nevertheless, while Spheres are dangerous opponents on paper, their design mandates that their weapons and protective systems be spread around the surface of the Sphere. Concentrated assault against one section of the vessel can often overwhelm its defences, and result in a ship kill.

Archivist's Note: Evidence suggests that this weakness was not unknown to the Borg. Following enormous losses among Spheres during the first few years of the war, even when deployed in groups, the Borg began withdrawing most Spheres for close support work alongside "Carrier" Cubes (Cubes modified to deploy Spheres from within their hull), replacing them with the more survivable, though less numerous, Exterminator Frigates. The resulting degredation in Borg tactical reconnaissance capabilities allowed many refugee and civilian ships to escape extermination or assimilation, and may go a long way towards explaining the events of the "Great Pursuit".



Exterminator Frigate:

The "Exterminator" class of Strike Frigate is the most well-known Borg ship of plainly non-Borg design. While it has long been Borg policy to deploy formations of assimilated ships alongside their main strike fleets, the Exterminator's numbers and uniformity, along with the lack of obvious signs of battle damage (as one would expect a ship assimilated by force to sport) has led to intense speculation as to the nature and origin of these vessels. Though encrusted with Borg systems and ablative hull plating, the ship bears evidence of an aesthetic design entirely alien to all previously-encountered Borg ships.

Small and agile, the Exterminator is so-named because of its single-minded goal of destruction, rather than assimilation. While most Borg ships attempt to assimilate their targets in preference to destroying them, Exterminators seem to possess no means of doing so. They are, however, heavily armed, with powerful polaron beam arrays as well as the ubiquitous Borg heavy plasma torpedoes. Using their speed and tactical agility, these ships can decimate larger, more cumbersome targets, particularly when used in conjunction with heavier Borg fleet elements.

The most dangerous capability of the Exterminator however is the Tractor Net. A wide-angle tractor beam that uses warp fields to alter the mass of an inert target, the Tractor Net is not a direct anti-ship tool, being easily disrupted by a simple burst of Tetryon particles from a deflector array. The Exterminators use the net however, not against ships, but against inanimate objects such as comets, meteorites, asteroids, and even fragments of destroyed ships. Through a series of complex maneuvers and manipulations of the warp field projector, the Exterminator can seize large-mass objects and physically "throw" them at substantial fractions of the speed of light at an enemy warship, installation, or planet. Such projectiles, once at speed, are entirely unguided, but their sheer mass and velocity can cause catastrophic and total damage to anything in their path. Though weapons of this sort have been both technically and theoretically possible within Starfleet for years, their military application on such a wide scale by a race as uniformity-obsessed as the Borg yields disquieting questions as to their origin and original purpose.

Archivist's Note: The origin of the Tractor Net continued to elude Starfleet for the majority of the war, likely due to its counter-intuitive simplicity. The Tractor Net was originally derived from similar systems used by bulk mining and ore carriers common to dozens of races throughout the Delta Quadrant. The source of its original weaponization is unclear, but unlikely to have been derived by the Borg themselves, due to the aforementioned particularities of the Borg Hive-mind.

It is presently not known where Exterminator Frigates came from, if not from the Borg. None have ever been captured intact or even partially intact, as the ships invariably self-destruct once disabled or threatened with imminent capture. They are equipped with high-powered Transport inhibitors, preventing normal boarding proceedures, and the few occasions in which crew managed to board the Frigates (generally by shuttlecraft) resulted in total loss of personel, and no useful data. Research continues into these enigmatic vessels.



Arsenal Ship:

Belying the Borg tendency towards enormous beheamoth warships, the Arsenal Ship is a relatively small vessel, slow, unprotected, and only lightly armed with the most basic of disruptor weaponry. Cruiserweight in size, though not in armament or shielding, the Borg Arsenal Ship is feared for one reason alone: The Skipjack Anti-ship Missile.

Skipjack Missiles are custom-designed long-range warheads deployed in barrages by Arsenal Ships. The missiles themselves are generally cloaked, rendering them impossible to detect, save only for their peculiar behavior of periodically de-cloaking to acquire fresh targetting data during their approach run. It is these moments of visibility which provide the only defence against Skipjack missiles, indeed often the only warning that the missiles themselves are incoming. However, given that both Klingon and Romulan cloaking devices permit continuous sensor use while under cloak, and that Borg technology is uniformly more advanced than either power, it is not certain just why Skipjack missiles find it necessary to uncloak at all.

Archivist's Note: The answer (which Starfleet inferred eventually from experiential data) was due to the Borg shield-penetration algorithms, with which Skipjack missiles were equipped. The advanced telemetry data required to obtain a precise frequency for the target's shields necessitated that the missile periodically re-appear, as a scan of that precision could not be performed while the missile was cloaked.

The missile's warhead is a standard matter/antimatter charge, capable of inflicting great damage against its target. However the warhead also deploys a shower of high-energy Gluon particles, which destabilize particulate matter in the immediate area, transforming them into other Gluons. The result can be truly horrifying, as a cascading Gluon reaction gradually disolves the ship and its entire crew alive.

Archivist's Note: Not true. Urban legends to the contrary, the Borg (along with the rest of the galaxy) were incapable of harnessing non-rest-state Gluons, and employed instead a complex particulate reaction cocktail (including rest-state Gluons) that would produce a similar effect as the one described, but only against certain very specific types of metal alloys commonly used in starship construction (Tritanium, Durasteel, etc...). Reports of crew in affected ships being "consumed alive" were likely due to panicked reports of the effects of instantaneous decompression (as well as other attendant hazards of ship-to-ship combat). While the Borg did employ various weapons capable of dissolving humanoid subjects in a manner similar to the Gluon warhead, such weapons were generally acid-based, rather than particulate.

Arsenal Ships themselves are not cloaked, and generally fairly vulnerable to direct attack, if their withering barrages of missiles can be evaded. The Borg have however been known to occasionally equip these ships with weapons other than the Skipjack Missile, making engagements with these dangerous weapons platforms risky business even in the best of circumstances.

Captain: Gabriel Ethan Anderson

Species: Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Human)

Background: Captain Anderson joined up during the Dominion War and rose through the ranks during and in the aftermath. As a result of his experiences he became a part of the Militant faction of Starfleet. His service record and his membership in a powerful faction within Starfleet gave him a command of an Akira class starship (USS Thunderchild), at the end of the 5 year mission, he was promoted to command of a Sovereign B-1 class ship. Then the Borg appeared. In the fighting since then he and his ship have suffered a number of wounds and scars. He has lost his left forearm and hand. His right lung and his left eye and ear. His missing limbs and organs replaced by cybernetics, which at time seem to make him part Borg give him a grim and foreboding look. It also brings a sense of security to the crew, who have started to believe in a Supernatural relationship between Captain and ship, some on the lower decks even claiming that as long as one live, the other cannot be slain but will be summon back to life. Others claim the Borg don't kill him because they believe he is one of them. Lastly others believe the Captain to simply be to stubborn for Death to claim.

Ship Name: Immortal
Ship Class Sovereign B-1
Length: 685 meters
Decks: 26
Crew Assignment: 855
Current Crew: 781
Speed: Warp 9.985
Armament: 12 phaser arrays
1 forward quantum launcher*
3 forward photon launcher*
4 aft photon launchers*

*Canon wise the armament was 1 quantum launcher and 3 photon launchers forward and 6 aft photon launchers. A discussion between the GM and the player agreed that was a retarded design and switched them. A standard Sovereign would then have 6 forward launchers as well as 16 phaser arrays. Due to the NRA's space and power requirements however, the B1 stays at 12 phaser arrays and 4 forward and 4 aft launchers.

Special Systems:

Nuclear Rail Accelerator Stripping out two forward photon torpedo launchers, created the room for this system. Mounted within the lower decks of the saucer section this weapon fires metallic hollow slugs. Within the slug, sheltered by Inertial dampers and small shield systems is a high yield megaton nuclear fusion device. The shell buries itself within a Borg Cube and the nuclear event burns and rips it to pieces from the inside out. Only 54 shells remain, the ship lacks the ability to create more as they are highly complex and complicated weapons and cannot simply be replicated en mass.

Rotating Frequency Shields The shields rotate frequency at random intervals and random frequencies in order to make the Borg's life more difficult. At least in theory.

Genesis Torpedoes During the battle for Andoria, the Captain realized the planet would fall and lead an away mission to the doomed planet. He grabbed from an Imperial Depot a batch of weaponized Genesis Devices, Genesis Torpedoes. He would use the greater part of those torpedoes to fight his ship and a number of others out of the Andoria system. His hope is to find a system or polity capable of reverse engineering the weapons and mass producing them for deployment against the Borg. He has 4 left.

Weakness: The USS Immortal has seen combat across the Beta and Alpha Quadrants. As such it has collected a number of wounds and scars.

I: Fluctuating Gravity in the Engineering section, it changes from 2 Gs to .2 Gs without warning, to fix it would require a major refit.

II: Deck 17, No lights.

III Deck 20, No heat.

IV Secondary Med bay destroyed.

V: Structural Integrity Field weak on Saucer rear. Not able to stand up to weapons fire without shields.

VI: Shuttle Bay Open to Void: All work must be conducted in suits

VII: Transporter system is a total lost. During a boarding action 2 years ago, the primary transporter system had to be... detonated. In addition the secondary transporters rooms were fried during fire fights and use of anti-personal explosives. The only working transporters on the ship are on the shuttlecraft... In the shuttle bay... With no atmosphere.


Service History: One of the last Sovereigns commissioned before the Borg, it saw service primary against them. It fought in the Rihannsu Imperialium, the Komerex, the Gorn Hegemony, the Ferengi worlds and lastly the Federation. It has been holed, it has been burned, rammed, shot up, fried and worse but always survived with Captain Anderson at the Con. It's last stay at a major dock was to long ago but the ship paces on. Only 45% of the crew are members of the assigned roster, the remaining 55% being "irregular volunteers serving for the duration" Of those IVSD's many are from outside the Federation, ranging to Gorn, Ferengi, a small group of Breen, Edo, and Horta.

Crew Personale: First Officer Shran Tak. One of the few known surviving Andorians. Shran would never admits it but believes his species to be doomed and fated for extinction even if a miracle happens and the Borg are defeated. His one hope is to save some part of the Federation so his people can live on, even if only as memories. He is aggressive to that end and a firm with the crew. Strangely enough he is a regular at Rog's card games and even drinks with the Ferengi. It's a friendship no one can figure out.

Chief Medical Officer Danzen Rei. A joined Trill who joined Starfleet only when the Borg invaded Rihannsu space. He's been a medical officer through the entire Borg war. Despite his loses and the pain he must feel at the fall of Trill, he's a serene man, almost appearing Zen. He's been acting not only as the doctor but as the private confessor of most of the bridge crew at this point, as the ship's consulor shot himself a long time ago. No one knows what happened to the symboints when Trill fell, but he is confident that they were not destroyed.

Chief Science Officer Cerezi. Unjoined Trill, she's served with the Captain before the Immotral and knows him best out of the crew. Along with Danzen she ends up as his voice of reason, it also helps that she's saved his life at least twice that everyone knows of. She's one of the few people that the Captain spends leisure time with as he usually prefers to maintain a distance between him and the crew. She's also something of a moral officer, keeping activates going to keep the crew busy and away from having to much time to think of their situation.

Geneticists in chief Rog. A Ferengi that was picked up during the fighting in the Ferengi worlds. Rog has a crew of 12 other Ferengi including strangely enough 3 female research assistants. While he would harass them via a varity of sexist and crude comments, he never laid a hand on them. Explaining once to the Captain “They're more profitable if I keep my pants on.â€

Frigid, your ship has almost the "cursed to be free, out to sea" feel to it, and I dig it. It also seems like you have the advanced version of the Cometfall, which is even better. ;)

As for replies, both Cyncat and I have "spoken" twice, whereas Marcao and Hotfoot are only once each. To avoid monopolizing conversations, I'll wait for the others to reply at least once.

EDIT: Except in reply to Marcao.

Note on inspections. The Captain isn't gonna be checking uniforms and polish, those are just one kind of inspections. He'll doing a last inspection over the Ship's gear and systems to see just what is working and what isn't. Ship crew will also be reporting what personal gear is what shape.

Given the irregular nature of the crew and circumstances, a standard uniform simply hasn't been possible. So Captain focuses more on insisting on discipline and performance from the crew.

Captain: Gul Elan Tarka

Species: Cardassian

Bio: Born and raised on Cardassia Prime, Tarka attended military academy as a child. During training, he showed a rebellious and independent streak, preforming at an average level in team based exercises, but excelling during individual training. His career was seemingly going nowhere, stuck as a Glin in command of a Hideki scout ship.

And then the Dominion War started. The first few months, he was part of a squadron, escorting the big name ships into battle. Eventually attrition landed him in command of a Galor class destroyer.

And then this was where the story of the 'Cardassian Scourge' began. Or 'Spoon Head Pirate', depending on who you ask. His destroyer squadron commander saw Tarka as a problem. Far too independent, always breaking off from formations to attack on his own. So, when a scandal bubbled up involving Tarka and a Legate's daughter, his CO saw his chance. He detached Tarka's Galor and told him to go find trouble, pointing out a viewport towards the Feddie lines.

And find trouble he did. For the rest of the war, Tarka's Galor darted in and out of feddie supply lines, accounting for nearly a two hundred Federation Transports and Frieghters lost or missing in the war, along with quite a few escort shps. By the end of the war, survivors were telling of a Galor that struck faster than anything they had seen, armed to the teeth with bolted on torpedo tubes.

But Cardassia lost. The people were devastated, morale at an all time low. Even the new Civilian led government fell back on old tricks. Tarka was promoted to Gul, and given one of the few Keldons unscathed by war. His exploits became know across Cardassian's space. He was a hero.

When the Borg struck, Tarka led his squadron against them, striking small ships on the fringe of their lines. Knowing he was overmatched in terms of firepower, Tarka fell back on old tricks. Hit and runs against isolated ships, working with a squadron of remaining cardassian ships to destroy what they could.

Now, he travels to Bajor, hoping to hold the line here, or Cardassia itself will once again come under the guns of a foreign power.

Other Notable Crew:

Dal Datav: Datav was born and raised on Cardassia. Raised with Tarka, the two were friends since childhood. After the academy the two went their seperate ways, Datav serving on Galors and Keldons through the various wars. When Tarka was given command of the Katara, he choose Datav as his XO, giving his childhood friend a promotion to the rank of Dal. He is very much a by the books Cardassian. Datav mans the Ops console.

Glin Markat: Markat was born on a colony world. Originally a Garresh in the Cardassian Mechanized Infantry during the Cardassian Klingon War, he met Tarka when he was tasked assigned to lead the soldier contingent aboard Tarka's Galor. As the son of a poor family from a colony, his best hope was to attach himself to Tarka's career, rising with him. When Tarka recieved the Katara, Markat was promoted to Glin and assigned as Tarka's ADC and bodyguard once the Borg Invasion began. When aboard the Katara, Markat mans the tactical console.

Gil Sorak: Sorak was born to a high ranking military family, yet another Cardassian living up to his family's tradition. His first few postings were on Galors near the end of the Dominion War. His father was able to pull strings to allow Sorak to be stationed aboard the Katara. When the Borg came, his father and older siblings were on the Cardassian ships at Earth. They fell, leaving Sorak as the last son of his family, the weight of the entire family on his shoulders. He mans the Helm.



Ship: Keldon Class, the Katara.

Modifications:

Phased Polaron Beams:The only DET weapons left on the Katara are a pair of Polaron Beams, one at each wing tip.

Improved Targetting Sensors: Scavenged from a SWAC pod equipped Nebula, installed into the upper portion of the hull, removing troop and shuttle space. The sensors allow for long range engagements. While not quite the full range that a Nebula can reach, the Katara can still hit from 6,000km.

Torpedo System: Installed in Drydock, a number of extra tubes that after years of use are down to six working tubes, each with a rapid loading system.

Torpedo Casing manufacturing: Sophisticated replicators provide guidance packages to be installed into torpedo casings.

M/AM Storage: An increased number of M/AM tanks have been installed, allowing the Katara to create torpedoes without having to return to a dry dock for M/AM

Cloak: The original Flight One Keldons, used by the Obsidian Order, were equiped with cloaking devices and when the Borg came, the Katara was fitted with one of the few remaining.


Weakness: 20% Impulse speed reduction normal, 40% when cloak is engaged. Maneuverability is also similarly effected.

All right, I hate to do this, but following many different questions that have been directed my way concerning Fisher's ship, I am going to open the floor for comments from the peanut gallery as to this ship's capacities. Those who have objections to it, are invited to explain their objections here.

My practical issues:
- all those extra systems would ensure that there would be no way this ship could possibly "run quiet."
- I get that the ship was upgraded, but that's a lot of shipyard-requisite changes there, and most of them were done in-field.
- The ship's weakness is weak sauce compared to the bonuses.

With those issues in mind, I quite honestly do not see how this ship could have survived over the years. It is not stealthy, it is not quick, and it is only powerful against single targets. The Borg do not attack as single targets any longer.

My personal issue:
- A Cardassian. A Dominion-allied Cardassian. A Dominion-allied Cardassian who attacked shipping. Wow. Really dude?

1. Nebulas have two tubes, not ten, or even four. The big part on the top? That's mostly sensor equipment. That's largely fluff, but still. The only Federation ship with 10 torpedo tubes I am aware of is the Sovereign after its refit, the baseline Sovvie only had 5. You want torps that's fine, I got no problem with that, but let's be reasonable.

2. You have three shields and two reactors? What did you empty out on this ship to fit that stuff? It's not inconsequential kit. Did you displace crew? Who does the jobs of these removed crew? Is your crew running harder shifts to compensate? What about your energy management system? Has it been modified to handle the higher load? Are your shields three times as awesome as anyone else's? How do you deal with the increased energy signature when "running quiet"?

3. You've added a LOT of additional energy firepower on to this ship, a Defiant has four cannons, so that's 1.5 Defiants, plus a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship, plus about half the original firepower of a Keldon, which as I recall, was largely forward arc already, but that's debatable, so, whatever. Anyway, that's 13 total energy weapons, most of which are directed energy. That puts you well above a Defiant, above the general firepower of a Sovereign, possibly above the Valdore, and approaching the Vor'cha. And that's WITHOUT the torps.

4. Ever heard of sympathetic detonations? These are nukes. You're wasting ammo by having such rapid fire capabilities, you run the risk of blowing up your entire salvo (and possibly yourself) as each torpedo detonates the one behind it. Your rapid fire tubes are a waste.

5. Both of your torpedo systems are on top? There's limited space up there, and, well, yeah. That's a bit of a nitpick, but won't these get in the way of the normal weapon systems?

6. You're a cruiser with extra mass. You're a wallowing whale. You might not be quite as bad as a standard Romulan Warbird, but adding all that extra stuff will load you down a lot more than you seem to think.

Personal issues are not in question here. If Fisher wishes to play a Dominion-allied Cardassian who attacked civilian shipping, he is absolutely free to.

Hotfoot wrote:1. Nebulas have two tubes, not ten, or even four. The big part on the top? That's mostly sensor equipment. That's largely fluff, but still. The only Federation ship with 10 torpedo tubes I am aware of is the Sovereign after its refit, the baseline Sovvie only had 5. You want torps that's fine, I got no problem with that, but let's be reasonable.

Actually, the Neb you're thinking of is the AWACS version, such as the Phoenix in TNG. The Nebs used during the dominion war were called war-refits with an attached weapons pod. The pod contained ten launchers, eight forward, two aft, and a large number of torpedoes.

Hotfoot wrote:2. You have three shields and two reactors? What did you empty out on this ship to fit that stuff? It's not inconsequential kit. Did you displace crew? Who does the jobs of these removed crew? Is your crew running harder shifts to compensate? What about your energy management system? Has it been modified to handle the higher load? Are your shields three times as awesome as anyone else's? How do you deal with the increased energy signature when "running quiet"?

Ok, Keldon's were designed to also carry a number of troops and shuttle craft. All that space was gutted and used to put in the core and storage for M/AM tanks. This was all done in cardassian shipyards for a proper refit. Remember, as of this time, Cardassia still hasn't been hit. Bajor is between them and the borg.

The shields when running normal are about half the strength of a galaxy, when the other generators are activated, the strength goes up to about 20% more than a galaxy class. The running quiet bit was just for atmosphere.

Hotfoot wrote:3. You've added a LOT of additional energy firepower on to this ship, a Defiant has four cannons, so that's 1.5 Defiants, plus a Jem'Hadar Attack Ship, plus about half the original firepower of a Keldon, which as I recall, was largely forward arc already, but that's debatable, so, whatever. Anyway, that's 13 total energy weapons, most of which are directed energy. That puts you well above a Defiant, above the general firepower of a Sovereign, possibly above the Valdore, and approaching the Vor'cha. And that's WITHOUT the torps.

You're right. I'm going to drop all but one of the phase cannons, sticking it in a turret on the bottom to traverse in all directions and also drop two of the compression beams.

Hotfoot wrote:4. Ever heard of sympathetic detonations? These are nukes. You're wasting ammo by having such rapid fire capabilities, you run the risk of blowing up your entire salvo (and possibly yourself) as each torpedo detonates the one behind it. Your rapid fire tubes are a waste.

Again, you're right. I'm dropping the missile pods and simply having an elevator running from the weapon pod down into hte ship, to access the ordinance lockers. As for the rapid fire, that's a standard practice, firing spats of torpedoes into a target at varying locations to help knock down shields.

Hotfoot wrote:6. You're a cruiser with extra mass. You're a wallowing whale. You might not be quite as bad as a standard Romulan Warbird, but adding all that extra stuff will load you down a lot more than you seem to think.

Having now dropped some weight, I think it should be fine.


Oh and as for being an unrepentant Cardassian, everything he did was in service to his country and to ensure a good future for his childern, he will make no apologizes for his actions during the war. After all, he only destroyed the transports that resisted too strongly. If they surrendered, he destoryed their engines, looted them, and then sent a distress beacon.

Agent Fisher wrote:Actually, the Neb you're thinking of is the AWACS version, such as the Phoenix in TNG. The Nebs used during the dominion war were called war-refits with an attached weapons pod. The pod contained ten launchers, eight forward, two aft, and a large number of torpedoes.

A source would be nice. I've been using Memory Alpha and Beta, and I've not seen a single source that lists that as some sort of massive torpedo bay. Never mind that it's likely bigger than the entire fore section of your ship.

Ok, Keldon's were designed to also carry a number of troops and shuttle craft. All that space was gutted and used to put in the core and storage for M/AM tanks. This was all done in cardassian shipyards for a proper refit. Remember, as of this time, Cardassia still hasn't been hit. Bajor is between them and the borg.

Okay, so you have no troops or transports? Then list it please.

The shields when running normal are about half the strength of a galaxy, when the other generators are activated, the strength goes up to about 20% more than a galaxy class. The running quiet bit was just for atmosphere.

Fair enough, though you have two reactors on a small ship, that's a lot of power, even at low operating levels.

You're right. I'm going to drop all but one of the phase cannons, sticking it in a turret on the bottom to traverse in all directions and also drop two of the compression beams.

Fair enough.

Again, you're right. I'm dropping the missile pods and simply having an elevator running from the weapon pod down into hte ship, to access the ordinance lockers. As for the rapid fire, that's a standard practice, firing spats of torpedoes into a target at varying locations to help knock down shields.

There's a difference of firing a spread of four torps, like we see in most of the shows and movies, and firing two hundred. That's a significant difference in scale. I don't mind if you have massive torpedo firepower, but if you want it to be effective, you have to be clever about it.

Having now dropped some weight, I think it should be fine.

Fair enough.

Oh and as for being an unrepentant Cardassian, everything he did was in service to his country and to ensure a good future for his childern, he will make no apologizes for his actions during the war. After all, he only destroyed the transports that resisted too strongly. If they surrendered, he destoryed their engines, looted them, and then sent a distress beacon.

Eh, whatever, my issue was with the ship and its capabilities, not your history as the Red Baron of cargo lanes.

I'm cool with your back story, the characters on my ship? Maybe, maybe not, but hey that's roleplay right? But's that a in character issue and not a problem for you joining the game.

I gotta ask, how do those extra reactors work? See I thought of it but I dropped it because of diminishing returns and I thought it would be impossible to turn a cargo deck into a engineering deck, lack of computers, lack of wires, lack of ability to run said power into the rest of the ship? How did you input the power relays, where did you get the governors? How did you get the power generators into the ship in the first place? Did you rip open a hole and lower them in? Without a ship yard? How do you tear a ship open and stich it back together in the field without experts and special equipment?

You would basically have to rebuild the ship from the keel up. And you did this in the field? Without any major equipment? Ah... No. Not buying it. Havoc forgive me if I'm being an asshole but I'm rising the bullshit flag.

Fisher mentioned that Cardassian space was still untouched by the Borg, and so could find shipyards.

I can't speak to that, but the number of things one needs to accomplish to move from A (stock Keldon) to B (yours) is very lengthy.

Given the timeframe, with some small changes to your backstory, you could justify getting a New & Improved Keldon to handle some of the bigger changes you want , and then welding on the smaller stuff in-field.

If this idea seems plausible to you, I would like to point out that a Keldon would make a truly disquieting missile-boat. Add on better shields and a way to manufacture new torps in-field (even photon), and you'd be set.

I feel compelled to point out that the Keldon is essentially a Galor with a dorsal weapons pod as part of the superstructure. How is this additional Nebula weapons pod going to fit on a ship which is essentially an upgunned Keldon that already has a dorsal weapons pod?

In going just by Memory Alpha, I've a suggestion.

The Keldon-class is basically an upgunned Galor-class, according to Memory Alpha. The Galor-class basically has phasers... and that's pretty much it.

The Keldon adds a cloaking device, better and more phasers, and torpedoes. Granting the cloaking device probably was Obsidian Order-only thing, and keeping the rest as a base, you have this:

Keldon-class (stock)
max. speed: warp 9.6
weapons: 8 heavy phaser emitters, 1 heavy disruptor cannon (aft), 6 forward-facing torpedo tubes, 2 aft-facing torpedo tubes
crew: 500, plus flight crew & marine contingents

Ok, cool. Let's wank it.
max. speed: warp 9.95
weapons: 8 heavy poloron beam emitters (lol adaptation), 10 forward-facing torpedo tubes, 2 aft-facing torpedo tubes
crew: 400, plus flight crew

Beef up the speed with better engines to warp 9.95 (to keep up with the cool kids), better computers (to need less crew and get more space for torps), get a small torpedo manufacturing facility on-board (to roll your own torps), and lose the marines.

As for weakness... give it faulty capacitors or something, so it has to spend downtime after engagements.

Rheonix, where did you find that info? I checked memory alpha and didn't see any of that.



And as it stands right now, I'm going to be redoing the stuff on the ship, so yeah. I'll post an updated version sometime today for you guys to review.

I may not be playing, but I am reading. So far, this is an interesting meeting of the races.

Frigid? I especially loved your description of the Immortal. I have to wonder what the Romulans would think of the name, and if that was why she and her crew were still fighting.

Let me explain:
The name reminded me of a quote from one of the novels of the Rhihannsu, where the captain and Xo were discussing the names of Federation ships and their histories. In the novel, Rhihansuu ships were named for the qualities they wished the ship to have. Thus the BloodWingwould be like the predatory bloodwing, a swift, deadly avian/raptor. The Vulcan science ship Intrepid was considered a fitting name, for its fearless exploration had lead to destruction (again), as well as started the conversation. The Enterprise was a name that had to be considered carefully, for the translation was not one a Rhihansuu would consider to be fitting for a ship. However, since one of the translated meanings for "enterprise" was an adventurous spirit and/or ingenuity, the Rhihansu officers had to wonder if that explained the reputation of the Federation Flagship and her captain.

So now, think of the Immortal, a word that would be in every sentient language. A ship that cannot die. A name that is ominous in portent, and moreso when seen gliding into orbit -- damaged, but still able and willing to fight.