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ECS-Tempest
Class: Prototype/Long-Range Scout (SC)
Length: 750 m
Deadweight Mass: 1,240 kt
Crew: 850
Security Units: 30
Screens: Class V / Class VI
Max. Acceleration: 30 G / 44 G
Armor Rating: 89
ECM Rating: 128 / 157
Specials: Scanner, Extended Fuel Tanks, Secondary Reactor, Solar Power Array, Power Storage Unit, Internal Heatsinks
Weapon Mounts
08 Pulse Cannon
12 Laser Autocannon
08 Interceptors
02 Heavy Rail Cannon
6 Anti-Missile Missile launchers
Small Craft & Ordnance
08 Interceptors
05 Standard Shuttles
01 Large Shuttle
300 25 kg Ferrous Slugs
100 AMM Missiles
Notes on the ship:
SpoilerShow
The ECS-Tempest is a heavy refit the old Loroi Vortex Mk.2 class Group Command Ship of the same name. It is the ship that made first Loroi contact with Humanity. The Tempest was bought by the TCA and recommissioned after the war as a long-range recon vessel. Its' most remarkable features are its' numerous experimental systems: the Titan-III secondary reactor, the spinal rail cannons, the emmision-capturing heatsinks and the Vaino power storage unit (VPSU). The Vaino power storage unit is, in essence, a set of massive, high-efficiency rechargeable batteries provided by the Pipolsid. With a full charge, the Tempest can perform routine maneuvers and for approximately one week. At that point, the batteries must be recharged by the solar power arrays. The high-efficiency solar-power array itself was provided by the Neridi. In theory, this combination allows the ECS-Tempest to operate completely independent of supply routes for one year, possibly longer if the crew can restock food and water supplies on discovered planets. The humans themselves provided the Titan-III hot-fusion reactor, which provides the power output necessary for combat, as combat requirements would deplete the VPSU in less than two minutes. In combat, the Titan-III reactor entirely replaces the VPSU as the ship's power source. However, it is possible to use the power stored in the VPSU and provide a brief power boost to a single ship system. This temporary boost capability is reflected by multiple values in the ship specifications. The greatest drawback of the Titan-III reactor is actually it's enormous power output. If the energy it provides is not immediately used up by the ship system, the excess begins to build up in the reactor chamber as heat, eventually resulting in catastrophic system failure.
The humans also provided the main weapon of the ship, the two spinal-mounted rail cannons capable of accelerating a 25 kilogram slug to 1.28% of light-speed. Firing in turns, the two guns together can fire one slug every twenty seconds. Though still useless at long range, the rail-guns were intended to give the ship a fighting chance at close-range combat. The Basram, however, provided their experimental heatsink system, which allows trapping the thermal emissions of a ship inside the hull. The stealth system does have a limitation of about one to three hours, as the heat builds up and would eventually boil the crew inside. After use, the heatsinks need to be removed, loaded on a shuttle and cooled within a planetary atmosphere, a shortcoming which makes frequent use of the system impractical. The innovative technological combination has caused a considerable amount of tension between the Loroi and other members of the Union, particularly the humans.
Initially, the Loroi leadership had little interest in the Tempest Project. They saw it as nothing more than a human attempt to curry favor, a belief that was reinforced when other Union races jumped aboard the project. Then the combat simulations finished and showed that the ECS-Tempest was remarkably more powerful than its' size suggested. Among other things, the simulations showed that utilizing the heatsinks to get to point blank range, the main guns of the Tempest could cripple, or possibly sink heavy warships like the Umiak Type-T. The simulations also showed that the ECS-Tempest is likewise capable of sinking the Cataclysm class Sector Command Ship or even Cry of the Wind, the Emperor's flagship. This fact alarmed the Loroi military commanders due to their so-far minimal involvement in the Tempest Project. To keep an eye on the ECS-Tempest, the Loroi "generously" offered to contribute a Farseer and a number of other Loroi specialists to assist with the mission. Despite the political reasons behind the Loroi presence aboard ECS-Tempest, there is little friction between the Loroi and other species present. Most Loroi assigned to the Tempest quickly came to the conclusion that high command is just being excessively paranoid about its' loyal allies.
The humans also provided the main weapon of the ship, the two spinal-mounted rail cannons capable of accelerating a 25 kilogram slug to 1.28% of light-speed. Firing in turns, the two guns together can fire one slug every twenty seconds. Though still useless at long range, the rail-guns were intended to give the ship a fighting chance at close-range combat. The Basram, however, provided their experimental heatsink system, which allows trapping the thermal emissions of a ship inside the hull. The stealth system does have a limitation of about one to three hours, as the heat builds up and would eventually boil the crew inside. After use, the heatsinks need to be removed, loaded on a shuttle and cooled within a planetary atmosphere, a shortcoming which makes frequent use of the system impractical. The innovative technological combination has caused a considerable amount of tension between the Loroi and other members of the Union, particularly the humans.
Initially, the Loroi leadership had little interest in the Tempest Project. They saw it as nothing more than a human attempt to curry favor, a belief that was reinforced when other Union races jumped aboard the project. Then the combat simulations finished and showed that the ECS-Tempest was remarkably more powerful than its' size suggested. Among other things, the simulations showed that utilizing the heatsinks to get to point blank range, the main guns of the Tempest could cripple, or possibly sink heavy warships like the Umiak Type-T. The simulations also showed that the ECS-Tempest is likewise capable of sinking the Cataclysm class Sector Command Ship or even Cry of the Wind, the Emperor's flagship. This fact alarmed the Loroi military commanders due to their so-far minimal involvement in the Tempest Project. To keep an eye on the ECS-Tempest, the Loroi "generously" offered to contribute a Farseer and a number of other Loroi specialists to assist with the mission. Despite the political reasons behind the Loroi presence aboard ECS-Tempest, there is little friction between the Loroi and other species present. Most Loroi assigned to the Tempest quickly came to the conclusion that high command is just being excessively paranoid about its' loyal allies.
Rear Admiral Gabriel Pire [pai-EH]
Nationality: Human-Mars
Age: 47
Career History: Bachelors in Physics, Masters and PhD in Astrophysics, drafted and commissioned by TCA for command training. Assigned the rank of Captain on completion of training. Served 6 years aboard ECS-103 Europe. Promoted to Rear Admiral. Served 6 years aboard ECS-200 Mars. Was awarded two medals for his actions in the Last Battle of Naam. Turned down promotion to Admiral. Served 4 years as commander of the Alpha-Centauri fleet training center. Transferred to ECS-Tempest.
Rear Admiral Pire is a veteran commander from the Umiak conflict and the only human ever to command a battle where both TCA and Loroi forces were present. Thanks to his ability to rally the battered Alliance forces at Naam during the last Umiak offensive, Rear Admiral Pire is known as the Hero of Naam. After his actions at Naam, he was essentially retired to a desk position, training new officers for the TCA. The reason for bringing him out of retirement was almost entirely political. The TCA wanted the captain of the ECS-Tempest to actually outrank the Loroi Liason assigned to the ship.
As a commander, Pire is a quiet, calculative and harsh man. He cares for little besides results and expects the best from his subordinates. Though he rarely voices his disappointment out loud, his silent condemnation and his steely gaze are enough to push anyone into increasing their performance until they reach Pire's expectations.
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Bridge Crew - As the bridge crew is divided into three shifts, the positions listed here are actually tripled (there's one of each for shift). The exception to this is Shift Commander position. The ranks of the three possible commanders are listed in the first set of parentheses. In the parentheses is also noted the seat in the Tempest bridge concept art.
SpoilerShow
Shift Commander (RADM Pire, one Torrai Torret, one Commander) (Con 1)
Tactical Officer (Tac) [Senanthes: Torrai Sorimi Sunbloom]
Intelligence Officer (Intel)
Chief Security Officer (Sec)
Main Gun Fire-Control Officer (Fire 1)
Point-Defence Fire-Control Officer (Fire 2)
Navigator (Nav 1)
Pilot (Con 2)
Damage Control (Aux 1)
Chief Engineer (Aux 2)
Reactor Specialist (human, Unmarked lower tier seat)
Stealth System Specialist (Barsam, Unmarked lower tier seat)
Mission Specialist (sensor analysis) (Unmarked lower tier seat, sends analysis to Intel or Tac)
Mission Specialist (xenobiologist) (Unmarked lower tier seat)
Tactical Officer (Tac) [Senanthes: Torrai Sorimi Sunbloom]
Intelligence Officer (Intel)
Chief Security Officer (Sec)
Main Gun Fire-Control Officer (Fire 1)
Point-Defence Fire-Control Officer (Fire 2)
Navigator (Nav 1)
Pilot (Con 2)
Damage Control (Aux 1)
Chief Engineer (Aux 2)
Reactor Specialist (human, Unmarked lower tier seat)
Stealth System Specialist (Barsam, Unmarked lower tier seat)
Mission Specialist (sensor analysis) (Unmarked lower tier seat, sends analysis to Intel or Tac)
Mission Specialist (xenobiologist) (Unmarked lower tier seat)
Crew jobs - Aside from the bridge crew, there are not that many really notable positions aboard the ECS-Tempest. Still, there are the interceptor pilots and the ground-assault commandos.
SpoilerShow
Fighter Wing 1
1 Tenoin Arrir
3x Tenoin Arrat
Fighter Wing 2
1 Major [TheUnforsaken: Nathaniel Simeon Wolfe]
3x 1st Lt
Expeditionary Unit 1 (Loroi Teidar)
1 Teidar Pallan
7 Teidar [sunphoenix: Stormrage]
Expeditionary Unit 2 (TCA Marines)
1 Captain
2 Sergant Majors [Gudo: Mord Aedin]
30 lower ranks
Expeditionary Unit 3 (Barsam Assault Tanks)
1 Squad Commander
2 Tank Commanders
3 Tank Operators
[3 Medium Tanks]
Other notable positions
Chief Engineer
Chief Medical Officer
Quartermaster (food, drink, other supplies)
1 Tenoin Arrir
3x Tenoin Arrat
Fighter Wing 2
1 Major [TheUnforsaken: Nathaniel Simeon Wolfe]
3x 1st Lt
Expeditionary Unit 1 (Loroi Teidar)
1 Teidar Pallan
7 Teidar [sunphoenix: Stormrage]
Expeditionary Unit 2 (TCA Marines)
1 Captain
2 Sergant Majors [Gudo: Mord Aedin]
30 lower ranks
Expeditionary Unit 3 (Barsam Assault Tanks)
1 Squad Commander
2 Tank Commanders
3 Tank Operators
[3 Medium Tanks]
Other notable positions
Chief Engineer
Chief Medical Officer
Quartermaster (food, drink, other supplies)
Mission Briefing (Terran)
The war is over. The Umiak have been crushed and their worlds are ours for the taking. Or so the civilian population believes. We cannot blame them for that. I'm sure you all know of how the tide of the war was turned by deep-striking against their largest industrial centers. And how the Umiak failed to overrun the fine combination of Alliance forces with their last-ditch offensives. After their crushing defeat at Naam, it seemed that they lost hope and surrendered to the combined forces of the Alliance.
As a tired warrior, I want to believe that they have surrendered. As a veteran who knows well the ferocity of our enemy, I doubt this is the case. Our highest commanders in our respective navies agree. Hence, the need for our mission. Our mission is to go into the farthest reaches of Umiak chart the systems and planets there. We must confirm that the Umiak have not built a well-hidden industrial center from which to rebuild their fleet in the event of a defeat.
