[CODA] T'kassan Class Strike Warbird (Valdore)

[Erik Filean]

The class name is my own fault, intended to dovetail with LUG's Way of D'era.

T’KASSAN-CLASS STRIKE WARBIRD

The T’kassan-class strike warbird is a design departure from the Romulan military vessels of the 2350s and 2360s, which were built as much for the psychological deterrent effect of their vast size as for their powerful offensive and defensive capabilities. The T’kassan class, with a tactical suite only arguably inferior to the much larger D’deridex-class heavy warbird, demonstrates that Romulan naval architects have yet to truly embrace the concept of a core fleet of smaller, more specialized vessels as Starfleet has in the last decade, but the T’kassan’s significantly smaller, lighter spaceframe does reduce the expense of fielding that tactical platform. For the post-Dominion War Star Navy, the ability to produce T’kassan-class vessels at a higher capacity than their larger cousins has sped up recovery from the heavy military losses of 2374 and 2375.

The T’kassan class as originally conceived in the mid-2360s was somewhat more lightly armed, had a lower maximum warp velocity, and had a significantly more durable spaceframe. The unpredictable but serious threat of the Borg and (later) the imminent danger of a Dominion invasion drove a partial redesign of the ships already under construction. The final version of the T’kassan class is, in essence, a rapid-response warbird, its hull stuffed with the most powerful shields available, multiple disruptor arrays and singularity torpedo launchers, and a warp system nearly equal to the high-velocity engines of the Federation’s Intrepid class. Able to move substantial firepower quickly from staging areas further behind the frontiers, the T’kassan class and several spinoff designs also on the drawing board allow the Star Empire a true defense-in-depth option that was long lacking.

One significant flaw has been noted in the T’kassan design: because so much of the original spaceframe reinforcement was removed to fit enhanced systems, an enemy that can get through the warbird’s shields may be able to disable the vessel more quickly would be possible on a larger, better-reinforced Romulan warship. This structural weakness enabled the usurper “Praetor” Shinzon, commanding a massive Reman warbird, to render both the Valdore and the D’retex dead in space when they intercepted him on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, leaving the Starfleet vessel Enterprise to deal with Shinzon’s unsanctioned attack on Earth singlehandedly. Official Imperial sources have downplayed the embarrassment of this incident, and the new Praetor has noted that Shinzon’s Scimitar was a one-of-a-kind vessel not likely to be duplicated. A few militarily experienced voices in the reconstituted Senate have wondered quietly whether a similar catastrophe might befall T’kassan-class ships were they to engage the Borg, but the need for unity in the months following the Shinzon treason has kept such debate to a minimum.


T’KASSAN-CLASS SPECIFICATIONS


PRODUCTION DATA:
ORIGIN: Romulan Star Empire
CLASS AND TYPE: T’kassan-class Dreadnought (“Strike Warbird”)
YEAR LAUNCHED: 2376

HULL DATA:
STRUCTURE: 35
SIZE/DECKS: 9/28 decks (3 space unused)
LENGTH/HEIGHT/BEAM: 604.5/93.9/908.3 meters
COMPLEMENT: 830

OPERATIONAL DATA:
TRANSPORTERS: 8 standard, 8 emergency, 8 cargo
CARGO UNITS: 90
SHUTTLEBAY: 2 fd
SHUTTLECRAFT: 27 size worth in 2 shuttlebays
TRACTOR BEAMS: 1 fv, 1 av, 1 fd
SEPARATION SYSTEM: No
CLOAKING DEVICE: Class 5 (rating 24)
SENSOR SYSTEM: Class 3 (+3/D)
OPERATIONS SYSTEM: Class 4 (E)
LIFE SUPPORT: Class 4 (E)

PROPULSION DATA:
IMPULSE SYSTEM: Class 7 (0.92c) (D)
WARP SYSTEM: Class 8 (Warp 8/9.6/9.95) (D)

TACTICAL DATA:
DISRUPTOR ARRAYS: Type X (x5/E)
PENETRATION: 6/6/6/0/0
SINGULARITY TORPEDOES: Type I (x3/E)
PENETRATION: 6/6/6/6/6
DEFLECTOR SHIELD: Class 7 (E)
PROTECTION/THRESHOLD: 17/5

MISCELLANEOUS DATA:
MANEUVER MODIFIERS: +3 C, -1 H, +4 T

[Cmdr Powers]

Nice ship. But I thought the class name was Nexoran.