The Fast Attack Corvette (FAC) is an inter-stellar spacecraft widely used throughout the Free Worlds Alliance. It is a fast, highly maneuverable starship with both tactical and exploratory applications. FAC’s are primarily used as vanguard scouts and fleet escorts. Because of their ease of construction and operation, they are especially popular among the less advanced and less populated worlds of the Perseus Quadrant.
FAC’s were developed during the Second Aurelian War as a ship capable of countering the numbers and capabilities of Aurelian attack fleets. They were designed by Cloudbuster Spaceships of Sapphire Colony, built first at the Cloudbuster Hyperion Spaceworks, and then license-built at Free World Alliance colonies throughout the explored regions of the Perseus Quadrant.
Technical Specifications
An FAC is typically 300 meters long and carries a crew of around 150. It is designed with a forward command section connected to an aft engineering section by a long neck structure.
The forward section contains the Main Bridge on the top deck. The Bridge is highly automated and can be managed by a single officer. Below the Bridge is a Tactical Control, Telemetry, and Mission Operations section. Below that deck is the ship’s Infirmary. Lower decks contain the Ship’s Primary Braincore and usually a large holding tank contain a Memn; a species of highly intelligent jellyfish that serve as navigators. The Bridge can be ejected and become a self-contained lifeboat. It is equipped with Ion-Drive engines that would enable to reach a planet provided it is ejected within a star system.
The aft section contains most of the ship's mass. Three large, symmetrical “tailblades” surround the primary engineering and utility sections as well as the docking bays for the ten Neoaves-type shuttle craft. The tailblades themselves contain supplies sufficient for a five year voyage and the ship’s Graviton Drive Engines. A Quantum Reactor powers the ship’s drive and its systems. A secondary braincore is also located in the Aft Section.
The neck section between the Forward and Aft Sections contains the crew’s quarters. Officers quarters are on the top deck. The central deck contains a mix of crew quarters and recreational lounges. As this deck is the most heavily trafficked, quarters here are least desirable. The lower deck contains more crew quarters.
Tactical Systems
The primary weapon systems aboard FAC’s is a large proton gun mounted on the centerline and directed forward from the command area. This gun is capable of firing an Anti-Proton beam capable of penetrating anything but the Neutronium structure of a Starlock.
Additionally, the ship carries multiple Ionic cannons for point defense and an extensive shield grid. The ship’s weapons are supplemented by its speed and agility.
Crew
A FAC carries a crew of around 150. They typically represent a number of different colonies, as captains usually operate with broad autonomy within the Free Worlds Alliance, and are allowed to build and augment their crews as they see fit. Officers and crew are cross-trained on multiple ship systems and operational areas to make the most of their small size.
Crew quarters are relatively Spartan. On long interstellar transits, most of the crew goes into a state of deep hibernation to conserve resources. Sleeper units are equipped with neural interfaces to permit the crew to experience lucid dreaming or partake in pre-programmed dream scenarios to occupy their time in transit
Heavy Frigate Variant
Recognizing the need for a more capable version of the design that would fill the gap between the Corvette and the Battle Cruiser. These ships would provide more support to tactical operations. These ships are built and used only by the Free Worlds Alliance, and are built only at the Hyperion Shipyards.
A heavy frigate is 100 to 150 meters longer than a Fast Attack Corvette, carries a crew of ~300, with a heavier weapons load and extended range. Otherwise, its layout and crew quarters are very similar to those of the FAC. Their shuttle complement can be made up of any mix of Neoaves shuttles, Aesalon series (Falco Mark Six) Attack/Point Defense ships, and Aquila-type multirole ships.
Examples of the type
Free Worlds Alliance
- Dark Angel
- Fire Tower
- Achilles Dagger
- Star Hound
- Victory or Annihlation
- Halcyon Wind
- Firebird Rising
- Kshatriya
- Cerberus
- Apocalypto
- Steel Wolf
- Warspite
- Avenger’s Hand
- Deific Thunderbolt
- Monolith of Woe
- Tidings of Fury
- Marvelous Ferocity
- No Quarter Asked and None Given
- Relentless Onslaught
- Thundercat
- Arkan Sonney (Training Ship)
- Basilisk
- Blood Rain
New Commonwealth of the Galaxy
- New Melbourne
- South Beacon
- Mega City
- Mountain Home
- Prometheus
- Northern Light
- Stavanger
- Presidio Capitat
- Zarahemla
- Attenborough
- Concordia
- Bellerophon
- Hawthorne
- Corinth
- Kosmostrator
- Jordan
- Majestic
- Hexagon
- White Night
- Jordan
- Odeon
- Octavia
- Tau
- Erebus
- Acheron
- Foxglove
- Zenith
- Nimbus
- Urquhart
Heavy Frigates
- Atomic Dog
- Bad Wolf
- Ratatosk
- Wolverine Fury
- Aroused Fantod
- Marvelous Stag
- Fire Star
- Coelacanth
- Annoyed Panther
- Black Scorpion
- Tiger Claw
- Eagle Talon
- Manticore
- Fenrir
- Mighty Wombat