NationStates Jolt Archive

The following are the vessels currently used by the Free Peoples of the Feazanthian Dominion. These vessels were either designed during or directly after the war against the Collective, a conflict that nearly annihilated the Feazanthian people. Feazanthian warships are designed for maximum survivability and efficiency, sacrificing superior numbers for advanced technology. This was intended to minimize losses to the Collective, which had superior numbers and firepower.

Note: Not all vessels displayed here are currently deployed with the Milky Way task force headed by Admiral Terrance Hood. Some vessels were unable to make the journey with the task force (such as the Berserker-class frigate), were too advanced to be serviced by the mobile shipyards of the task force (such as the Paladin-class dreadnought), or were not yet put into production at the time of the task force's launching (such as the Cathedral-class carrier). It is likely many, if not all, of these vessels will become active in the Milky Way once the Slipstream bridge between the Coruc-Tel system and the Feazanthia system is completed.


FIGHTERS
Feazanthian design philosophy often scorns smaller strike craft, as they were easy targets for Collective harvesters during the war. However, after the war, strike craft became invaluable in combating the various pirate militias that cropped up across the Dominion's influence.


Acolyte
The Acolyte-class heavy interceptor is a staple in the Feazanthian strike craft force. It is perfectly designed to outrun anything it cannot outshoot. It is unmatched by any Feazanthian craft in quickly moving in and disabling enemy small ship formations, and its only equal in dogfighting is the Bulwark-class light interceptor (and this is highly debated between Acolyte and Bulwark squadrons). Its twin rapid-fire rail cannons shred enemy fighters at close range, and its four Banshee missiles give it long range firepower to disrupt formations and even soften up larger vessels.
The Acolyte is a two-mode craft. In Cruise Mode, the majority of the fighter's power is directed towards the rear ion engine. The maneuvering/missile pylons on either side of the fighter are retracted, presenting a smaller target. Though the Acolyte loses a good deal of maneuverability in this mode and targeting is nearly impossible, its speed is unmatched.
In Battle Mode, the twin pylons extend outward from the craft's body and drive plasma is shunted to the numerous maneuvering thrusters along the pylons. This is what gives the Acolyte its famed lethality. It can turn on a dime and face its opponent before the enemy can complete a full turn. A favored tactic in this mode is to narrowly pass the enemy fighter before doing a full 180 degree turn on the ship's axis before pushing full thrust to the main drive. Though the stress of this maneuver is wearing on the craft (and its technicians), it racked up many kills during the war.

Acolytes are deployed in flights of five, and five flights make up a squadron.

Acolyte Heavy Interceptor (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/somtaaw/images/acolyte2.jpg)

Crew: 1
Propulsion: 1x Arrow-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: Dual-linked light railgun; 4x AFM-24 "Banshee" missiles
Note: Rumor amongst pilots and officers alike suggest a "Super Acolyte" version, capable of easily destroying even capital ships, being used as the Praetor's honor guard. Some claim to have seen sleek, golden fighters resembling Acolytes flying in formation around Torroth Halcyon's personal cruiser. This is denied by the Praetor's office, and by fleet command itself.

Hammer
The Hammer-class bomber was seen as a necessary evil by rebel fleet command at the early stages of the war. The long-range weapons of Collective capital ships were taking a heavy toll on the less-advanced Feazanthian equivalents, often destroying several human vessels before they could even get into weapons' range. The solution was to deliver heavy ordinance in a small, maneuverable package.
The idea of the plasma bomb was an old concept, an old captain's idea for an anti-capital ship weapon. The plasma bomb launcher shunts some of the ship's drive stream directly into the launcher system, effectively bottling high energy plasma inside a shaped magnetic field. The plasma charge moves by venting tiny amounts of the stored energy, allowing it to match speeds with its target, but does not allow for any extreme maneuvers. Once the charge impacts with its target, the front part of the field collapses first, venting all of the high energy plasma directly onto the hull of the enemy ship.
However, tests aboard frigate vessels had proven to be too short range to warrant their energy cost and the cost of the chassis. Luckily for fleet command, though, the short range was not as much of an issue on a fighter. Though slower and less maneuverable than the Bulwark or Acolyte, and lacking any sort of reliable anti-fighter armament or any projectile/missile technology whatsoever, the Hammer proved invaluable in disable enemy ion cannons before they could carve up Feazanthian vessels. Though losses among Hammer squadrons were high during the war, their pilots attest that this was due to the Collective's fear of what the versatile bomber could do.
Hammers are deployed in wings of five, and a squadron is made up of five wings.

Hammer-class bomber in formation (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/demo_091303_06.jpg)
Hammer-class bomber (hi-res) (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/hw2_03070202.jpg)

Crew: 1 pilot, 1 weapons controller
Propulsion: 3x unified Peld series ion engines, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x plasma bomb launchers in "wing" mount


Bulwark Mk. II
The Bulwark is the oldest fighter craft currently fielded by the Dominion, and is often one of the most overlooked. Bulwark-class light interceptors entered service shortly after the onset of the Collective war and the collapse of the Asrengarde Hegemony. They were initially three-gunned, slow-moving craft designed to knock enemy torpedoes and boarding craft out of space. However, their slow speed made them easy targets for Collective harvesters. As Bulwark losses mounted, the Mark II version began entering service. The Bulwark Mk. II shared the same body type as the Mk. I, but dropped the ventral rail cannon in favor of a more powerful drive system. The result was the most efficient fighter killer of its time.
The twin linked rotary rail cannons of the Bulwark Mk. II actually have limited mobility of their own, capable of tracking targets to an extent. This is handled by the onboard targeting computer. The computer is used for missile targeting and plasma control on the Acolyte and Hammer, respectively, but the Bulwark has neither of these systems. Once a pilot selects a primary target, the guns will attempt to track that target until the computer registers a kill or the pilot picks a new target. If the target moves out of their firing arc, they automatically reset to their default position.
The Bulwark Mk. II has the fastest acceleration of any ship in the fleet, and a skilled pilot can literally fly circles around a Hammer-class bomber. Though the Bulwark is gradually being phased out by the newer, more advanced Acolyte, many admirals and squadron leaders continue to use the venerable interceptor.
Bulwarks are deployed in wings of seven, and five wings make up a squadron.

Bulwark Light Interceptor (Guns Exposed) (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/kushan/images/light_defender2.jpg)
Bulwark Light Interceptor (Guns Withdrawn) (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/kushan/images/light_defender4.jpg)

Crew: 1
Propulsion: 1x Arrow-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x linked rapid-fire rotary rail cannons (roving)


To be continued....

Corvettes
Corvettes are the quintessential compromise between fighters and frigates. Though quick and maneuverable, they are armed with turrets which give them 360 degrees of coverage. These vessels are the lightest to mount a form of the "crew module" used by heavier frigate and capital chassis. In battle, should the corvette become too heavily damaged, the module will separate from the craft and act as an escape pod. Despite this, corvette losses during the Collective war were high. Only two corvette classes are still in service today.


Tempest
The Tempest-class gunship corvette tears through enemy strike craft with disturbing ease. Its twin rapid-fire rail cannon turrets have full range of motion, allowing the Tempest to plow through a battlefield and engage many targets at once. Though prone to massed interceptor attacks, and too lightly armored to survive going toe-to-toe with capital ships, the Tempest provides the perfect backup to Acolyte, Hammer, and Bulwark squadrons. No fighter is safe if a Tempest squadron is active.
Tempests are deployed in wings of three, and five wings make up a squadron.

Tempest-class Gunship Corvette (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/homeworld2_021803_001.jpg)

Crew: 1x Pilot, 2x Gunner
Propulsion: 6x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x dual-linked light rail cannon (ventral and dorsal turret mount)



Savior
Though research into ion technology would eventually develop the helix bundle and the devastatingly effective Berserker frigate, Feazanthian fleet command found that it was heavily lacking in the field of anti-corvette defense. The infamous harvesters of the Collective were a paradox to the Feazanthians. Their armor could turn away the light rail cannon slugs of the Bulwark, but were quick enough to avoid the heavy cannons of the Revelation. The cluster torpedoes launched by the Longbow were capable of dealing with harvesters, but the Longbow lacked the speed needed to cover the retreat of a wounded vessel - the harvester's favorite prey. The answer was found in a short-wave ion beam dubbed the "pulsar" by Feazanthian scientists. While the pulsar lacked the punch of its bigger brother, which could only be launched in a frigate spinal mount, it more than made up for it in size and rate of fire. Mounted on the Tempest chassis, pulsar corvettes were first deployed in the Battle of Skeel-Ra. They were so effective in destroying the Collective harvesters that captains began referring to the corvettes as their "saviors". The name stuck.
The Savior mounts a single pulsar turret in a dorsal mount, dropping the ventral turret in favor of a more powerful reactor needed to maintain the weapon. It is otherwise no less quick or maneuverable, and is just as well armored. However, the lack of ventral turret makes it vulnerable to massed fighter attacks from below.
Saviors are deployed in wings of three, and five wings makes a squadron.

Savior-class Pulsar Corvette (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/homeworld2_screen003.jpg)

Crew: 1x pilot, 1x gunner
Propulsion: 6x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 1x short-wave "pulsar" ion cannon

Frigates
The frigate is the unsung hero of any navy. It lacks the survivability of larger supercapital ships, and its crews seem to evade the glamor that comes naturally to fighter pilots. Regardless, the frigate is a cheap method of deploying heavy weapons en masse into any battlefield. Feazanthian frigates offer the most varied designs among any other ship class, and are often the test beds for radical new technologies. While capable of slipstream travel, all frigates lack an independent drive and can only jump when in the "wake" radius of a larger vessel's drive. Because of this, frigates are most often used in a support role for their heavier brethren.


Brushfire
Though ancient, the Brushfire assault frigate still has her place in the fleet. The twin burst-fire dual turrets mounted on the dorsal and ventral spines of the frigate are loaded with a new type of round with a ferrous core and an outer layer of tungsten carbide. Each round also carries a fairly powerful explosive charge. At a command from the parent vessel (which is handled via the frigate's targeting computer), the charge detonates and spreads immense clouds of "flak" in a large area around the initial blast point. Though capital ship armor is generally thick enough to turn away this shrapnel, the Brushfire is a serious threat to strike craft and, in decent numbers, frigate class vessels.
A recent upgrade to the Brushfire has been the addition of four missile launchers on the bow of the vessel, designed to carry eight AFM-24 "Banshee" missiles each.

Brushfire-class Assault Frigate (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/7/73/Flak_frigate.jpg)

Length: 208.7 meters
Crew: 100 (60 enlisted, 20 officers, 40 security)
Propulsion: 5x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x dual burst-fire kinetic turrets, 4x bow-mounted short range missile launchers
Armor: (TBD)


Longbow
The guided torpedo has long been a forgotten weapon in space combat. Small, cheap torpedoes lacked the warhead strength and range to be a factor, while torpdoes large enough to be a threat simply could not be carried in large enough numbers on even capital ships to make it worth the time and resources. Feazanthian scientists made a breakthrough in torpedo technology, however, when they successfully integrated Collective PDA technology onto their own vessels. The automated production facilities aboard carrier and command ship vessels was miniaturized and stripped down to produce torpedoes of sufficient strength to be a true threat. Longbow frigates are the culmination of this engineering breakthrough. Longbows carry twin bow-mounted rail launchers and enough space for a bridge and engineering module. The remaining space is used to carry the reactor and production facilities. The Longbow can produce two types of munitions - the Thunderbolt Mk. IV Anti-capital ship torpedo and the Arrow Mk. II Independent Warhead System (cluster torpedo). Up to 100 total torpedoes can be carried within the vessel at any one time, giving the Longbow at least limited utility away from primary fleet operations. However, they are most effective when accompanied by a carrier and the resultant constant supply of raw material.

Longbow-class torpedo frigate (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/a/af/Hiigaran_torpedo_frigate.jpg)

Length: 212.4 meters
Crew: 60 (10 officers, 30 enlisted, 20 security)
Propulsion: 5x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x rail torpdeo launcher (bow mount)
Armor: (TBD)


Firelance
Ion cannon technology was first deployed by the Collective at the start of their campaign against the Asrengarde Hegemony and the rebel Feazanthians. They were weapons with a single purpose - to disable vessels and make them easy targets for the Harvesters. From the very first battle, the ion cannon was a devastating weapon to both Feazanthian and Asrengarde due to their extreme range. Some time during the midpoint of the war, a Feazanthian strike team managed to sever a Collective vessel's link to its controller and took control of it. Feazanthian scientists were able to reverse-engineer the ion cannon from this vessel and improved upon it. The Feazanthian ion cannon is used primarily as an anti-capital ship weapon, used to slice through thick armor and disrupt both subsystems and shields. The Firelance has changed little since its initial deployment, and remains little more than a frigate chassis wrapped around an immense particle accelerator. The Firelance is deadly at long range, but suffers against smaller targets.

Firelance-class ion cannon frigate (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/thumb/1/14/Hiigaran_Ion_Cannon_Frigate.jpg/600px-Hiigaran_Ion_Cannon_Frigate.jpg)
Firelance frigates opening fire (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/533091_20030827_screen038.jpg)

Length: 220.1 meters
Crew: 60 (10 officers, 30 enlisted, 20 security)
Propulsion: 5x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 1x Ion Cannon
Armor: TBD


Infiltrator
A relatively new craft, the Infiltrator-class transport frigate is used to ferry marines into combat zones and, ultimately, onto enemy vessels. The Infiltrator, designed by the more frugal branch of the military R&D, is essentially a Brushfire frigate with 1/4th the weapons. In place of the ventral turret is a massive, bulbous troop module. In place of the missile launchers is an advance ECM and jamming suite, designed to knock out enemy transmissions and to mask the Infiltrator's presence. Infiltrators are packed to the brim with elite Feazanthian marines trained to quickly slice through the hull, neutralize enemy crews, and take control of bridge facilities. These marine crews are accompanied by advanced infiltration A.I.s, who bend the systems of the unfortunate ship to their will. However, because of its limited armament, the Infiltrator must be accompanied by strike craft at all times.
Infiltrators are also capable of terestrial landings, and are often used to bring in a larger force to secure assets after a beachhead has been established.

Infiltrator-class transport frigate (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/9/98/Marine_frigate.jpg)

Length: 208.7 meters
Crew: 200 (60 enlisted, 20 officers, 40 security, 100 marines)
Propulsion: 5x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 1x dual burst-fire kinetic turret, advanced ECM/Jamming suite
Armor: (TBD)


Berserker
The sight of ion beams lancing out from a Feazanthian fleet has become commonplace. The only drawback to these powerful beam weapons is that they are so large that frigate-sized craft can only support them in a spinal mount configuration...and this restricts combat coverage. Unwilling to simply admit defeat and rely on the battlecruiser chassis to mount ion turrets, Feazanthian fleet command began research into the helix bundle, which allows charged streams to be accelerated in a tightly curved configuration. The Berserker was built around such an accelerator helix, and uses a multi-path beam-splitter to direct the charged ion stream to any or all of its five focusing turrets. The turrets themselves are solid state devices that use magnetic fields to focus and direct the ion beam in a large firing arc. Using the cold vacuum of space to keep functioning at super-cooled temperatures, the focusing turret is highly efficient and capable of a high rate of fire. While these ion beams are not as powerful as the ones fired from a traditional Ion Frigate, this lack is more than made up by the increased coverage and decreased fire time.
Berserkers function best in the anti-strike craft role, where their rapid tracking ability allows them to tag enemy fighters with devastating firepower. The sight of a single Berserker living up to its namesake and plowing through a cloud of enemy strike craft with all beams firing is often enough to cause even the most dedicated fighter pilot to reconsider his options. Many pirate raids have been routed simply by seeing the unmistakable profile of the Berserker.
Unfortunately, a flaw in its power systems has caused an unexpected problem with the Berserker's slipstream drive. Berserkers, when entering slipstream, will move at a variable rate when compared with most capital ships (for instance, Berserker squadrons could either arrive minutes before the main fleet, or hours after the battle is over).While there are always "eddies" and "currents" within the slipstream, most modern craft can simply avoid them while in transit. The Berserker cannot. Multiple attempts have been made to correct this problem, but none have succeeded and maintained the lethal power the Berserker was designed around. As a result, Berserkers are often pigeonholed to a defensive role, and will only join in an offensive campaign when there is enough carrier space to deploy them into battle. Berserkers operate at peak efficiency when paired with Brushfires, eliminating any stragglers that make it past the Brushfire's main cannons. They are heavily armored to protect the vulnerable helix bundle, and their maneuver drive is amongst the most effective of the fleet's capital ships.

Berserker-class Multibeam Frigate (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/somtaaw/images/multibeam_frigate3.jpg)

Length: 190 meters
Crew: 60 (10 officers, 30 enlisted, 20 security)
Propulsion: 2x Arrow-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 5x accelerator-fed ion turrets

Destroyers
The destroyer has long been the mainstay of the fleet. They are fast, hard-hitting, and can take a pounding. Two destroyers are currently in use by the Feazanthian navy - the Revelation and the Deacon. Destroyers tend to favor heavier firepower over any other quality, and hence live up to their name. All destroyers are equipped with a "smart" A.I., and sport a SENTINEL-class shielding system that is far superior to the energy shields used by frigates and smaller vessels.


Revelation
When the war against the Collective was in its darkest days, the Feazanthians found themselves desperate for heavier firepower and the vessels to mount it. While the capture of advanced ion cannon technology and the PDA construction system would eventually lead to the awe-inspiring battlecruiser, it would not have come in time if not for the Revelation destroyer. Armed with eight heavy kinetic turrets and two bow-mounted torpedo launchers, the Revelation can turn withering broadsides of solid weaponry into a target. Its five oversized Peld-series drives and independent slipstream drive give it unmatched maneuverability in a combat situation amongst capital ships. The Revelation, since its initial inception, has been upgraded with an armor scheme similar to the Avatar and a stronger internal structure, and continues to be one of the most adaptable and dependable of the Feazanthian navy's capital ships.

Revelation-class destroyer (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/b/b8/Hiigaran_destroyer.jpg)
Revelation-class (ventral view) (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/0/04/Hiigaran_destroyer_gun.jpg)

Length: 620 meters
Crew: 140 (40 officers, 60 enlisted, 40 security)
Propulsion: 5 Peld-series ion drives, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 8x heavy rail cannons (4 dual mounts), 2x rail torpdeo launcher (bow mount)
Armor: TBD
Shields: SENTINEL system


Deacon
The Deacon was not seen until a good ten years after the official conclusion of the Collective war, and was initially designed to be the Revelation's replacement as the navy began to focus less on massive capital ship battles and more on dealing with pirates and the odd flareup of a Collective infection. The Deacon's odd configuration gives it just over half the firepower of an Avatar-class battlecruiser while maintaining the Revelation's maneuverability. It mounts its impressive armament in a stocky, box-like shape that actually makes it smaller than its older relative. Unfortunately, power plant costs to maintain the shields, engines, and weaponry in combat situations simply left no room for even a short-jump slipsteam drive. The Deacon also suffered from a prohibitive cost, making them very un-economical to use en-masse as the Revelation was. These two factors have limited the Deacon's deployment despite its impressive statistics, and has mostly been pushed into the role of monitor. Deacons can be seen patrolling the trade lanes between worlds and striking fear into the hearts of any would-be pirates. Recent fleet exercises have experimented with grouping Deacons alongside frigate assets for "wake" jumping, though many commanders feel this goes against the purpose of the heavy capital ship.

Deacon-class Heavy Destroyer (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/somtaaw/images/destroyer5.jpg)

Length: 550 meters
Crew: 130 (30 officers, 60 enlisted, 40 security)
Propulsion: 2x Arrow-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 2x rotary rail torpedo launchers (dorsal mount), 2x Heavy Ion Cannons (forward-facing), 4x single rail cannons (2x port, 2x starboard)
Armor: TBD
Shields: SENTINEL system

Carriers
The term "carrier" is a rather broad term in the Feazanthian navy. Ranging from the small, heavily armored Monk to the gargantuan Cathedral, all carriers can serve the vital function of ferrying strike craft into a battlefield through the Slipstream, as well as acting as mobile strike craft bases where the fragile craft can dock, repair, and rearm. However, carriers also carry a Phased Disassembler Array and the construction facilities needed to produce fighters, corvettes, and even frigates. All can also act as a relay point from which raw material is moved from resourcing operations to battlefields within moments from across star systems. Because of this, most military assets are deployed in "carrier groups", consisting of one or more carriers and their escorts, along with the necessary Workbees and Refineries needed to maintain a fleet far from Feazanthian space.


Monk
The Monk-class carrier follows the no-frills approach to capital ship design common in the early days of the Feazanthian resistance. The Monk can actually trace its heritage back to the days of the old Feazanthian Empire, which had initially intended it to be little more than a mobile resourcing base with the service bays for maintaining mining craft and a few escorts. However, when the Empire fell and the Asrengarde Hegemony began enslaving the Feazanthians, the Monk's service bays weapons, armor, and reactor were all upgraded to full military strength. While not an elegant vessel by any stretch of the imagination, the Monk is heavily armored and mounts four medium rail cannons that are a threat to any slow-moving vessel that gets to close. As the Feazanthians became better equipped over the course of the war with both the Hegemony and the Collective, the Monk was further upgraded with a SENTINEL-class shield system and, eventually, a basic PDA construction system to produce replacement parts for strike craft. The Monk is the standard battlefield carrier of the new Feazanthian Dominion, where frigates and strike craft can retreat behind its heavy armor and shields and repair while war rages around them.

Monk-class carrier (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/somtaaw/images/carrier2.jpg)
Monk-class carrier (ventral view) (http://shipyards.relicnews.com/somtaaw/images/carrier3.jpg)

Length: 532 meters
Crew: 160 (20 officers, 80 enlisted, 60 security)
Propulsion: Arrow-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 4x medium rail cannons
Armor: TBD
Shield: SENTINEL system


Prophet
The Prophet entered service near the midpoint of the Collective War as a highly mobile shipyard that could travel efficiently with the main fleet. Unable to stay in one place for very long, the Feazanthian rebellion relied on the Prophet to be their primary means of ship production on the front lines, with the last remaining large shipyard being in orbit over Feazanthia Prime. The Prophet was the first vessel to be designed with the captured PDA system already installed. Each carrier's main hangar bay is capable of producing frigates and receiving wreckage from destroyed ships for reprocessing into components and ammunition. The forward section houses two small hangar bays for fighters and corvettes, and a large sensor array. The rear section contains a small resource handling bay, the bridge and the engines. Modern Prophets can also serve as mobile research bases when the deployment of an Explorer-class command vessel is either impossible or not considered necessary. Though it is neither as durable as the Monk or has the production capacity of the Cathedral, the Prophet remains an important asset to the Feazanthian navy, and the majority of carrier groups deployed around the Coruc-Tel system are anchored around a Prophet.

Prophet-class carrier (http://images.wikia.com/homeworld/images/6/61/Hiigaran_carrier.jpg)

Length: 670 meters
Crew: 200 (50 officers, 100 enlisted, 50 security)
Propulsion: 5x Peld-series ion drive, plasma-fed maneuvering thrusters
Armament: 4x light rail cannons, 1x torpedo tube (bow-mounted)
Armor: TBD
Shields: SENTINEL system