This is the ship that my PCs will be on during the course of my Star Trek: Razor's Edge campaign. The U.S.S. Carmen De Falco has existed in one form or another in any Star Trek game or fiction I've played or written since about 1993. The real Carmen De Falco was a dear friend of mine, one of the finest people it's ever been my privilege to sit around a table with and share imaginations. She died in 1992, at the age of 26, and I've done everything in my power to keep her memory alive since then.
This incarnation of the De Falco is probably the smallest version yet, but it seems like a fairly tough ship, and it's quick, and it packs quite a punch for such a little thing. Carmen would get a real kick out of a ship like this, so I'm happy i was able to come up with this and get it more or less the way I wanted it.
I have to thank Doug Burke for providing me, much to his surprise I'm sure, with almost the exact visual I had in my head for this ship. This is why I named one of them in his honor, so you don't even have to ask.
U.S.S. Carmen De Falco
NCC-7566
"...we few, we happy few, we band of brothers...." -- William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act IV, Scene III
King’s Protector-class Heavy Escort
Production Data
Origin: United Federation of Planets
Class and Type: King’s Protector-class Heavy Escort
Year Launched: 2285
Hull Data
Structure: 25
Size/Decks: 4/4 decks
Length/Height/Beam: 148/20/70 meters
Complement: 43
Operational Data
Atmosphere Capable: Yes
Transporters: 2 standard, 2 emergency, 2 cargo
Cargo Units: 40
Shuttlebay: Yes
Shuttlecraft: 4 size worth
Tractor Beams: 1 AV
Separation System: No
Sensor System: Class 2 (+2/C)
Operations System: Class 3 (D)
Life Support: Class 3 (D)
Propulsion Data
Impulse System: Type IIIa (.6c) (C)
Warp System: Type Va (Warp 5/6/8) (D)
Tactical Data
Phaser Banks: Type VII (x2/B)
Penetration: 4/3/3/0/0
Photon Torpedoes: Type II (x1/B)
Penetration: 3/3/3/3/3
Deflector Shield: Class 4 (C)
Protection/Threshold: 14/3
Miscellaneous Data
Maneuver Modifers: +0 C, +2 H, +2 T
Description/History: With the expansion of the frontier in the mid- to late-23rd century, the need for a fast, sturdy, and relatively inexpensive escort vessel became more prominent. The King’s Protector class arose from that need. While capable of independent operation for short periods of time, they are meant to be deployed in packs of 3 to 5 vessels. Their primary missions, alone or in battle groups, have been border/system patrol duty and escorting colony ships and cargo carriers. Many have found themselves part of space station defense squadrons, especially if the station occupies a strategic area of space. These squadrons are typically 8 to 12 vessels in size.
The design was first approved in 2282, but there were a number of delays en route to the launch of the King’s Protector in 2285. One of the side-effects of these delays was the ability of the design and construction team to upgrade the ship’s deflector system to the slightly larger, but more reliable, Class 4 system instead of the original design’s Class 3 system. With its more-than-ample Class IIIa impulse drive system, the ship is remarkably nimble at sublight speeds. It is also somewhat faster at warp than many other ships of its class. Over the course of its short service life so far, the King’s Protector-class has proven to be a remarkably tough and dependable ship for its size.
Notable Examples: U.S.S. Aramis; U.S.S. Athos; U.S.S. Carmen De Falco; U.S.S. D’Artagnan; U.S.S. David Blanchard; U.S.S. Donald Mappin; U.S.S. Douglas Burke; U.S.S. King’s Protector (prototype); U.S.S. Louis Firetti; U.S.S. Patrick Riley; U.S.S. Porthos