A Defender Ship is a large, long-range starship designed for the defense of Explorer Ships and Tactical Space Operations.
The Defender and Explorer Ships grew out of the platform originally developed for “Phase II” of the Odyssey Project; conceptualized as ships revisiting colonies contacted by the Pathfinders. The high cost of building and crewing Pathfinder Ships, coupled with the imminent threat posed by the Aurelians, led to both a change in philosoph for exploratory missions and an accelerated schedule of construction for new ships.
Henceforth, Exploration and Missions would be undertaken be fleets of ships consisting of an Explorer Ship, a Defender Ship, and auxiliary vessels as deemed appropriate. The new ships would lack the ability of the Pathfinders to function autonomously for decades; but this was deemed unnecessary due to the discovery of surviving colonies where the ships could be serviced and by advancements in propulsion technology that allowed the ships to reach their destinations faster.
Defender ships are typically 2,000 meters long and contain 40 – 50 decks. They are propelled by a pair of Heavy Graviton Drive engines housed in the ship’s aft sections. Defenders use standard AI Braincores to process collected data and operate the ships' autonomous systems. Many of the ships are piloted by Memn navigators. They carry provisions sufficient for a five year voyage and have some capacity for fabrication of consummables on board.
Their armament consists of armored hull plating over key sections, ion cannons for point defense, forward anti-proton guns for orbital assault and defense against capital ships, and a large complement of missiles.
All New Commonwealth Defender ships are flagged to the New Commonwealth and operated under the direction of the New Commonwealth Galactic Fleet Defense Command. Under the articles of the New Commonwealth of the Galaxy, no New Commonwealth world may operate a heavy capital ship outside the Galactic Fleer. Free Worlds Defender Ships may be operated under the flags of the individual worlds that commissioned their construction, but more often are commissioned and operated under the Free Worlds Star Force.
Defender ships of the New Commonwealth Galactic Fleet can be distinguished from their Free Worlds counterparts by the shape of the forward hull. Commonwealth ships close the forward hull while Free Worlds ships have a split or notch in the forward section.
Defender ships typically carry twenty Tactical Aquilae series spacecraft, which can be outfitted for transport, logistical, reconnaissance, and tactical roles. These ships operated as a single squadron under a single Flight Captain. A Defender Ship houses a single large hangar bay which is accessed for landing through a large hatch aft of the lower hull. Aquilae are launched from the bay through special launch tubes (four) located below the Hangar Deck that launch them after of the ship. Free Worlds ships often carry Falcon or Pandion class shuttles in addition to or in place of Aquilae.
Note: Sapphire Colony operates the more robust “Battle Cruiser” variant of the Defender ship, but cooperates with Star Force on their deployment.
Crew[]
A typical crew complement of an explorer ship is 1,000 – 1,200 crew. On Free Worlds Ships, half or more of the crew are specially trained, combat-capable warfighters who operate alongside the ship’s crew and take on multiple responsibilities. New Commonwealth ships tend to segregate operational functions on a Defender Ship from tactical functions; i.e. normal ship’s activities like navigation, systems operations, and engineering are undertaken by specialized, non-combat personnel. Tactical personnel are compartimentalized for use in tactical operations.
Quarters and Amernities:[]
Crew quarters provide single occupancy compartments for officers and visitors, crewmen are bunked in arrangements of two-to-four. Aboard New Commonwealth ships, civil and tactical personnel quarters are segregated in different areas of the ship. Crew compartments typically contain a sleeping unit, storage space, shared hygiene pod, and work space. Meals are taken in any of several dining halls of various size. Lounges permit access to entertainment. Recreational facilities are maintained for morale and physical fitness. Virtual environments are also accessible for purposes of recreation and training.
Examples of the Type[]
Free Alliance[]
- Magnificent Bastard
- Song of the Damned
- Iron Man
- Axiom of Force
- Every Shade of Terrible
- Flawless Aggression
- Outright Vindication
- War Blossom
- Effective Vengeance
- Challenge Accepted
- Terse Reply
- Stream of Anguish
- Killing Time
- Violent Disagreement
- Marvelous Retaliation
- Lord of War
- Radiant Cheer
- Into the Maelstrom
- Favor the Bold
- Valuable Experience (Training Ship)
New Commonwealth of the Galaxy[]
- Broadsword
- Security
- Fortitude
- Protector
- Jericho
- Guardian
- Vigilant
- Champion
- Assurance
- Determination
- Shield
- Resolute
- Enforcer
- Barricade
- Stalwart
- Majestic
- Rampart
- Dauntless
- Judgment
- Heroic
- Safeguard
- Persistent
- Nightwatch
- Vanguard
- Allegiance
- Indefatigable
- Redoubtable
- Formidable
- Truculent
- Trident
- Sentinel
- Valorous
- Imperator
- Artifex