The Fast Attack Corvette (FAC) is an interstellar spacecraft widely used by both the Free Worlds Affiliation and (in a variant) by the New Commonwealth of the Galaxy. 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 for rapid construction, minimal crews, and the ability to pack a wallop against Aurelian Diabolical, Devastator, and Dreadful Class ships. 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.
Construction of the ships takes place at Sapphire's Hyperion Moon and shipyards at Guelph, Wolf's Head, and Bella La Cava. The New Commonwealth Galactic Fleet variant is constructed in the Outer Republic System and the Moab shipyard in the Bountiful System.
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 drive section by a long neck structure.
The forward section contains the Command Module/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 contain ship’s Graviton Drive Engines as well as the components for trans-hyperspace navigation. Two Quantum Reactors power the ship’s drive and its systems (Three on the frigate variants). 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. Each crew compartment can also function as a lifepod in the event of emergency. Reinforced armor framework encloses the crew compartment for protection during tactical operations.
The New Commonwealth Galactic Fleet variant diminishes the tailfins in favor of a thick nacelles and engines clustered closely to the aft hull. The forward section contains multiple lobes. The NCGF refers to these ships as Medium Operational Long-Endurance Starships (MOLES).
Tactical Systems[]
The primary weapon systems aboard FAC’s is a large anti-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. Missile hatcheries fore and after provide additional weaponry. The ship’s weapons are supplemented by its speed and agility.
Crew[]
A FAC carries a crew of around 150. 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.
Crew are typically made up of inhabitants from multiple worlds. The New Commonwealth aggressively integrates and balances its crews among member worlds; although ships constructed by member worlds tend to be crewed primarily of people from those planets. Free Worlds commanders are given broad latitude and discretion to crew their ships as they see fit.
Examples of the type[]
Free Worlds Alliance[]
The Free Worlds Star Force operates a large fleet of FAC's, as do individual worlds within the Free Worlds Affiliation, including Sapphire, Wolf's Head, Furlong, Bella La Cava and others. Maru colony, though a member of the Commonwealth, operates the FAC Katanagatari in cooperation with Star Force. A partial list of the Star Force Order of Battle follows.
- 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
- Nightblade
- Harbinger of Anguish
- Katanagatari
- You Better Run
- Dancing Necromancer
- Valuable Experience (Training Ship)
New Commonwealth of the Galaxy[]
The New Commonwealth Galactic Fleet naming convention is for MOLES is to name them in honor of capital or major cities of New Commonwealth worlds. There is a Vessel Appellation Sub-Directorate within Galactic Fleet Operations on Chapterhouse that designates names for all Galactic Fleet vessels.
- 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
- Royal Oak
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
- Atomic Dog
- Bad Wolf
- Ratatosk
- Wolverine Fury
- Aroused Fantod
- Fire Star
- Coelacanth
- Annoyed Panther
- Black Scorpion
- Fenrir's Vengeance
- Tiger Claw
- Eagle's Talons
- Pillager
- Mighty Wombat
Medium Frigate Variant[]
The planet's Wolf's Head developed a smaller version of the Heavy Frigate, 400 meters in length and accommodating a crew of 240 - 280. Weapons load is equivalent to that of the Heavy Frigate. These are constructed in the ULV Heavy Industries Shipyard on Wolf's Head largest moon. Six of these ships were in service as of Solar Year 7390:
- Unyielding Chieftain
- Immortal Victory
- A Day to Remember
- August Burns Red
- Unleash Hell
- Til Valhalla
Schematic[]
