Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To provide the Silver Jedi and allies with a smaller, escort carrier type ship like the old Nebulon B Escort Frigate
Image Source: Modified image of Spartan Games Carcinus Escort Carrier, originally found here
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Trieste-class Escort Frigate
Affiliation: Silver Jedi, Galactic Alliance, Directorate, closed market
Production: Minor
Material: Ferrocarbon-duravlex Frame, Chimera Composite primary armor plating, Agrinicrete internal shielding, Biolux organoform circuitry, Calor series Bio-Computers
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Frigate Carrier
Length: 300 meters
Width: 140 meters
Height: 90 meters
Armament: Low
20 Iris-class Turbolasers
10 Rhongomyniad-class Mass Driver Cannons
20 Rainburst-class Flak Cannons
8 Plumbata-class Defensive Batteries
12 Sentinel-class Point Defense Emplacements
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Defenses: Low
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Hangar: Very High: 3 squadrons
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Maneuverability Rating: Low
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Speed Rating: Moderate
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Hyperdrive Class: Average: 2
STANDARD FEATURES
Biocomms
Encryption Network
Escape Pods
Electronic Security Systems (Pyrowalls, Rapid Repetition Defense Measure programming, EI-9 network security droids)
Internal Security Systems (Embedded Mantraps, Automated Laser Traps, Internal Force Field Generators)
Oracle-class Communications Package
Standard Detention Cells
Standard Life Support Systems
Standard Navigational Systems
Standard Sensor Array
Tractor Beam Projectors (x3)
Aspis-class Shield System
Biolux Organoform Circuitry
Calor series Bio-computers
Chimera Composite Armor Plating
Dedicated Ion Shield Generator
Fortified Automation
Hyperwave Inertial Momentum Sustainer
Nimble-5 Ion Engines
Pocket Carrier: The Trieste-class Escort Frigate carries a large amount of starfighters for its size, allowing it to fulfill a similar role to the old Nebulon B Escort Frigate and Corona-class Frigate.
Fortified Automation: Trieste-class Escort Frigates are almost entirely automated using the conceptual basis of the Verne-class Armored Cruiser and instituted through the use of Lucerne Labs proprietary bio-computers and organoform circuitry, which makes it less susceptible to the traditional bane of automated designs: ion cannons. Nonetheless, the Trieste still requires a small physical crew, which oftentimes are composed of L1 Marinus droids to make it entirely unreliant on organics.
Advanced Engines: The Trieste sports a bank of exceptionally tuned Nimble-5 Ion Engines, which allow the escort frigate to obtain exceptional speed to escape more powerful craft or pursuer small raiders. Additionally, it has a HIMS device which allows it to better penetrate interdiction fields.
Low Defenses: The Trieste sports fairly average armor for its size, but its Aspis-class Shield Generators are fairly weak for its size, though they do sport good regeneration rates because of that.
Low Armament: The Trieste does not carry as many weapons as many ships its size, and those individual weapons that it does carry often tend to be lower end of the power spectrum.
Low Maneuverability: The Trieste is not very maneuverable for its size, with its engines being optimized for speed to allow it to escape pursuers rather than precise handling.
Technical Descriptions
Automation: The Trieste's automation is the company's first attempt to take the automation derived from the Rendili dreadnought derives and applied to Verne Armored Cruiser (itself a Rendili dreadnought derivative) to a different frame of starship. Like that latter design, it uses the company's propietary Calor-series Bio-computers and Biolux organoform circuitry as well as fluidics to interphase with mechanical components. This design allows parallel-computing and partial reconfiguration properties of the bio-computers to adapt the automation to different circumstances, such as routing processing power to better interpret sensor scans or direct damage control teams. Redundant biolux circuitry also allows various computers to take over another's task if the original dedicated computer's destroyed. Like the dreadnought of the slave-rigged Katana Fleet, multiple Triestes can be run through slave circuitry, allowing other Triestes to perform the computing processes of other vessels as needed. This allows Triestes to be undermanned but still functional, which is useful when manpower is low or the environment is low risk for actual combat. Building off this capability, the Trieste uses a droid brain network to run its own core functions. This gives the ship its own rudimentary set of intelligences allowing it to survive (but not thrive) without any other external input. In practice though, the Trieste needs direction from others in order to reach the normal potential of a warship for its size. In a way, this is a safety feature, as it prevents the Trieste from being able to be effectively corrupted against it creators and its users. The direction needed for optimal performance is typically by an internal crew of droids or biots, though the ship can also be commanded and operated remotely by other vessels for maximum performance or even use traditional organic crews. To help facilitate droid crews, the Trieste hosts over a hundred droid recharging stations, oil baths, automated maintenance stations, and other support facilities for its droid hosts. This makes the droid crew and the warship itself largely co-dependent on each other, which in turn helps ensure that they remain motivated to work together.
Communications: The Trieste uses a pair Oracle-class Communications Packages supplemented by several dozen comm lasers and a pair of Biocomms. This is a somewhat expansive communication's suite for a ship its size, but it also a necessity because of the Trieste's nature and its use as a command and control vessel for small convoys (a role similar to that of its conceptual predecessor, the Nebulon B Frigate). One Oracle is dedicated to maintaining the normal ship-to-ship communication abilities used by all normal vessels. The other Oracle, however, is dedicated to specifically to droid communications. Building off Lucerne Labs's experience with the IX-6 combat and security droid and the slave-rigging of the Katana Fleet, Triestes use this Oracle system to transfer data streams to each other ships and synchronize their actions for maximum effectiveness. Because this is a simple data stream protocol transfer, Triestess can also share information easily with other units, especially other Trieste Escort Frigates and Verne Armored Cruisers. This synchronization is not as fast or integrated, and consequently not as effective during most combat scenarios with other automated units like drone starfighters and battle droids.
Hull: The Trieste uses an unusual hull design that is something of a hybrid between its first generation biomemetic designs and traditional Mon Calamari star cruisers. Internally, the bow section of the ship is broadly based on those earlier Lucerne Labs designs with an internal CIC-style bridge located just behind an expansive hangar. The stern of the craft features its other core systems in a more a traditional mon calamari layout. In terms of structure, the Trieste uses a simplified version of the construction used in the Verne. Like that vessel, it has a frame made out of ferrocarbon mol-welded with duravlex to make an exceptionally durable frame to physical impact and high temperatures. Unlike that vessel, there is no secondary belt: alternating layers of Chimera Composite plating separated by thin layers of condensed-matter composite are directly attached to this frame. Because the ship relies so heavily on automation, several key areas of the ship, such as the bridge, the ship's primary computer banks, and engineering are also encased with agrinicrete, providing additional protection against radiation and ionic attacks, though it is by no means entirely immune to such attacks.
Hyperdrive: The Trieste uses a fairly standard x2 hyperdrive located in almost the center of the ship. With the prevalance of interdictor technology, this hyperdrive has been hooked up to multiple hyperspace coils to form a HIMS device, allowing it to better penetrate extensive interdiction efforts.
Security: The Trieste incorporates conventional Lucerne Labs internal security systems, making extensive use of code cylinders and droid-specific passcodes to control sensitive access to the ship and its systems. Tripping or attempting to force one's way into the system can not only trigger silent alarms that inform the ship's security complement, but also trigger any number of automated traps. Forced access to most restricted rooms triggers man traps concealed underneath the deck's plate in an attempt to immobilize the intruder. Key rooms, corridors, and junction points are further guarded by Class VI automated laser projectors and force-field generators. In terms of electronic protection, the ship utilizes typical pyrowalls and Rapid Repetition Defense Measure programming supervised by a dedicated team of a half-dozen EI-9 network security droids spread throughout the ship.
Shields: The Trieste is protected a single Aspis Shield System, which provides it with somewhat lower protection than typical for its size. Power typically budgeted for the ship's shields has instead been channeled towards the ship's engines.
Sublight Drives: The Trieste is propelled through space by several banks of Nimble-5 Ion Engines, which makes the ungainly looking craft actually fairly fast for its size. This speed allows it to effectively pursue raiders or run away from more powerful craft. Regrettably the unusual bulkiness of the bow combined with the relatively streamlined stern has made the Trieste a bit awkward to handle, especially at higher sublight speeds. Because of this, it's not uncommon for Triestes in orbit to rely more on their repulsorlifts for maneuvering in the atmosphere rather than their main ion drives.
Armament: The Trieste is primarily designed as a screening and patrol craft, which means that it does not carry the heaviest armament for a ship its size. The primary weapons of the Trieste are a network of Iris turbolasers and Rhongomyniad Mass Driver Cannons, which allow it to effectively take on many corvettes and other small frigates typically used by many pirates and enemy raiders. The Trieste's point defenses are much more impressive, featuring a relatively large number of flak cannons, projectile launchers, and quad autoblasters arrayed in layered zones. This is designed in order to let flak cannons destroy enemy craft from a distance and/or break up enemy starfighter formations before they reach the secondary middle range zone, which is covered by the multipurpose projectile launchers of the Plumbata batteries. Any craft or projectiles that survive engagement through those zones face fast-tracking quad autoblasters noted for their high rate of fire.
Carrying Capacity: Like its conceptual predecessors, the Trieste carries a relatively large amount of starfighters for its size: typically a full wing of average starfighters. These fighters are about co-equal to the ship's armament in the frigate's ability to project power. Because of their importance to the ship as a concept, the sole hangar of the Trieste is fairly advanced for its size, incorporating Lucerne Labs previous experience with carriers to incorporate pressor catapults at both entrances to the hangar as well as internal hangar tractor beams to help move damaged craft or to assist in loading up ordinance. When the ship's hangar is not in use, each entrance is secured by thick blast doors made out of Chimera Composite. As the Trieste was conceptualized as more of a patrol craft and screening vessel, it carries only a company of troops (~150 soldiers) to provide for shipboard defense and internal security duties. Because of the ship's ability to run as an automated unit, especially with a droid crew, oftentimes both the strikecraft and troop complements are entirely automated. By filling these slots with drone starfighters and battle droids, commanders can field an effective, entirely automated force which can be useful for low priority sectors or suicide missions.
