Thr35Fingers
Umbra-Class Heavy Cruiser
When the Stakkadian Order collapsed thanks to the efforts of the Allied Worlds, it signalled the end of a long and brutal occupation of the Elmorian Sectors. Finally liberated and free to determine their own destiny, the Elmorian Federation found itself with all the responsibilities of protecting their small and fledgling dominion. Drained from fighting the Order, their fleets heavily depleted and coffers nearly empty, with their people already tired of paying increasing taxes, the Elmorian Senate decided on a radical solution. They would try for a cost-effective solution to secure their borders and restore piece to their systems, and deter all future aggressors.
They went to the Confederation of Republic Systems, the main benefactor in their fight against the Stakkadians, and asked for their permission to commission the Carrackian Docks to build them their warship. The Confederation, in a unprecedented move never since repeated, allowed a foreign power to enlist the Carrackian Docks to design and build a fleet warship. With their permission secured, the Elmorian Naval Service Command needed only now to determine exactly what kind of warship they wanted, and how they would pay for it. They long debated over what their main strategy should be, what policy they should adopt that would both protect their worlds and be affordable. All their ideas would either be too expensive or not effective enough, and the Carrackian Docks themselves nearly cancelled the contract after being kept waiting for so long, but a junior admiral finally came up with a solution. The most effective policy, she said, would be one of deterence. Now, this was not in itself a radical idea, but most deterence was achieved by means of a massive fleet that could crush anything in its path. How could the Federation afford such a fleet? It couldn't, responded the admiral, but it didn't need to. And so the concept was born for a stealth ship, one which could sneak undetected anywhere it wanted, and strike any target with impunity. What leadership would order an attack, knowing an undetectable ship could come at any time to wipe them out? What pirates would risk a raid with an enemy possibly right next to them?
From this, the Umbra-class heavy cruiser was born. Only a very few were ever built, and their current service record is unknown but thought to be relatively sparse. These are the largest class of stealth ship in the galaxy, and are hugely capable. Their sheer technical complexity is staggering, and are among the finest ships ever to come out of the Carrackian Docks. Their exorbitant price tag leads most experts to conclude only around a half-dozen were ever built given the budget of the Elmorian Navy, but both the Elmorian Federation and the Carrackian Docks (therefore by extension the Confederation) refuses to confirm the true number actively in service.
To secure the right to commission the Carrackian Docks, the Elmorians first had to promise the design would be available to the Confederation. Seeing as the two factions were bound by a powerful bond, this was no problem. The Confederate Admiralty briefly considered building their own Umbra-class ships, but soon balked at both the price and fragility of the ships.
The Umbra has very little armour, to make room for ordnance and sensors, only minimal shields to protect against radiation, solar debris and the weakest of weapons, the better not to be detected by a strong energy signature. Their engines are a completely different kind than most ships, using gradual ion-acceleration to slowly but surely increase their velocity while remaining undetectable. Their main weapons are chiefly huge kinetic torpedoes, long-range weaponry with a high degree of accuracy and damage, very effective at taking out large ships. Their secondary weaponry are laser and plasma missiles to deal with smaller, more nimble targets. There are very few point-defence systems on the Umbra, under the theory that the class isnt meant to be in close range to any enemy and is instead meant for striking from the shadows. Reflective panels help hide it from visual scanners, and powerful Phased Arrays help jam and confuse both passive and active detection devices.
Although not proven in combat, one could argue this very characteristic is what makes the Umbra-Class a success.
Umbra-Class Heavy Cruiser
When the Stakkadian Order collapsed thanks to the efforts of the Allied Worlds, it signalled the end of a long and brutal occupation of the Elmorian Sectors. Finally liberated and free to determine their own destiny, the Elmorian Federation found itself with all the responsibilities of protecting their small and fledgling dominion. Drained from fighting the Order, their fleets heavily depleted and coffers nearly empty, with their people already tired of paying increasing taxes, the Elmorian Senate decided on a radical solution. They would try for a cost-effective solution to secure their borders and restore piece to their systems, and deter all future aggressors.
They went to the Confederation of Republic Systems, the main benefactor in their fight against the Stakkadians, and asked for their permission to commission the Carrackian Docks to build them their warship. The Confederation, in a unprecedented move never since repeated, allowed a foreign power to enlist the Carrackian Docks to design and build a fleet warship. With their permission secured, the Elmorian Naval Service Command needed only now to determine exactly what kind of warship they wanted, and how they would pay for it. They long debated over what their main strategy should be, what policy they should adopt that would both protect their worlds and be affordable. All their ideas would either be too expensive or not effective enough, and the Carrackian Docks themselves nearly cancelled the contract after being kept waiting for so long, but a junior admiral finally came up with a solution. The most effective policy, she said, would be one of deterence. Now, this was not in itself a radical idea, but most deterence was achieved by means of a massive fleet that could crush anything in its path. How could the Federation afford such a fleet? It couldn't, responded the admiral, but it didn't need to. And so the concept was born for a stealth ship, one which could sneak undetected anywhere it wanted, and strike any target with impunity. What leadership would order an attack, knowing an undetectable ship could come at any time to wipe them out? What pirates would risk a raid with an enemy possibly right next to them?
From this, the Umbra-class heavy cruiser was born. Only a very few were ever built, and their current service record is unknown but thought to be relatively sparse. These are the largest class of stealth ship in the galaxy, and are hugely capable. Their sheer technical complexity is staggering, and are among the finest ships ever to come out of the Carrackian Docks. Their exorbitant price tag leads most experts to conclude only around a half-dozen were ever built given the budget of the Elmorian Navy, but both the Elmorian Federation and the Carrackian Docks (therefore by extension the Confederation) refuses to confirm the true number actively in service.
To secure the right to commission the Carrackian Docks, the Elmorians first had to promise the design would be available to the Confederation. Seeing as the two factions were bound by a powerful bond, this was no problem. The Confederate Admiralty briefly considered building their own Umbra-class ships, but soon balked at both the price and fragility of the ships.
The Umbra has very little armour, to make room for ordnance and sensors, only minimal shields to protect against radiation, solar debris and the weakest of weapons, the better not to be detected by a strong energy signature. Their engines are a completely different kind than most ships, using gradual ion-acceleration to slowly but surely increase their velocity while remaining undetectable. Their main weapons are chiefly huge kinetic torpedoes, long-range weaponry with a high degree of accuracy and damage, very effective at taking out large ships. Their secondary weaponry are laser and plasma missiles to deal with smaller, more nimble targets. There are very few point-defence systems on the Umbra, under the theory that the class isnt meant to be in close range to any enemy and is instead meant for striking from the shadows. Reflective panels help hide it from visual scanners, and powerful Phased Arrays help jam and confuse both passive and active detection devices.
Although not proven in combat, one could argue this very characteristic is what makes the Umbra-Class a success.