Freedom’s Ring

A massive box of steel mesh floats in space, like a giant cage. Or perhaps a nest, holding a great beast of the skies...

Her keel was laid in the Terran Hegemony, in the 27th century. She served the Star League with honor, from her birth through the dark days of the Amaris coup. Once the Usurper was felled by the sword of justice, she was sent to be decommissioned, one of the last of her class to meet such a fate.

Arc lights illuminate a giant coblike hull, studded with dropship rings and bristling with weapons. The irregular flashes of welders flicker, as the tiny lights of shuttle flit about.

She was being disassembled when the order came: Exodus. In a single day, momentum shifted, as her commander gave the word to make her ready for space. Five months later, she was reassembled, and slipped her moorings for New Samarkand with a full SLDF division on board. But she arrived too late; Kerensky was gone.

Slowly, one by one, the lights and motion fade around the mile-long ship. The work is nearly finished. Soon, this phoenix will arise once again, rebuilt from near death yet another time...

She folllowed Kerensky's path as quickly as she could, but became lost in the Periphery. Kerensky had turned; she had not. Not knowing she was off track, she continued east, searching in blind faith for her leader. She searched all the way to the edge of known space: the Widow's Veil nebula.

One by one, the moorings fall away. Slowly, she rises from the dock like a prehistoric giant...a relic of the past, come to challenge the future.

In 2785, she made her final attempt to find her way. She took a leap of faith, and jumped past the Widow's Veil into the dark unknown. Beyond, she found a sea of stars, that today is known as the Widow's Tears. And there, as she mourned her lost master and the shattered glory that was the Star League, her people founded a new nation.

The order is given, and the answer comes: C'EST LA!

She is VRS Freedom's Ring, a living relic of the Star League, and the pride of the
Veiled Republic. C'est la.

Code:

AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  VRS Freedom's Ring
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3067
Vessel Type:       WarShip
Rules:             Level 3, Modified design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              1,510,000 tons
Hull:              Cortex Duostress
K-F Drive System:  KF Mark LC
Length:            1,508 meters
Sail Diameter:     1,345 meters
Power Plant:       Chatham 7500 (4) Standard
Safe Thrust:       2
Maximum Thrust:    3
Armor Type:        Republic Ferrostar Lamellor Ferro-carbide
Armament:         
   32 RDC Jove III Heavy NPPC
    8 Republic Nebula Screen Launcher
   96 RDC Thunder Plus ER PPC
   32 Republic Bugzapper Laser AMS
Manufacturer:   Riga Interstellar Shipyards
  Location:     Terran Hegemony
Communications System:  RDC Starlink
Targeting & Tracking System:  RDC Captrack
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==Overview:==
VRS Freedom's Ring is a Potemkin troop cruiser. Her keel was laid in the 27th century, and she served the old SLDF up until the Exodus. Under Commodore Charles Normandy, she set out to follow Kerensky in 2784, with a full SLDF division on board. After losing Kerensky's trail, she passed the Widow's Veil and discovered the Widow's Tears cluster. There, her crew and passengers founded the
Veiled Republic in 2785. 

VRS Freedom's Ring has been religiously maintained and upgraded many times over the centuries. But as the VRNF grew and her military importance diminished, her fate became an awkward question. Eventually, it was decided to place her in reserve, and she was drydocked for a tuneup, to prepare her for retirement from active duty.

However, a combination of practicality and politics intervened to save VRS Freedom's Ring. The VRNF decided that since she was being tuned up anyway, it was a good time to replace some of her most outdated systems. That small gesture soon snowballed into a full third-generation update, and after that, the VRNF could not justify retiring her. And so this mighty ship still stands her watch, as she has since the very birth of the
Veiled Republic.   

==Capabilities:==
VRS Freedom's Ring is by far the largest known warship in the eastern Periphery. Many changes have been made to her over the years, but her classic Potemkin "corncob cruiser" profile is still very recognizable.

VRS Freedom's Ring has evolved through many refits, one of the first being major reinforcement of her structure and armor. She now carries the maximum load of Lamellor Ferro-Carbide armor for her size, giving her a level of protection comparable to modern battleships.

VRS Freedom's Ring has also had many changes made to her weapons array. Her naval lasers went away in an early refit, replaced by improved anti-fighter defenses. That made her capital missiles redundant, and so they were removed to make space for upgrades to her main guns. Now, her latest refit has completed the array begun in her last refit: 32 heavy NPPC's, backed up by modern layered defenses.

It begs explanation that VRS Freedom's Ring is far from the most heavily armed ship in space; by most standards, she is undergunned for her size. But she is not a battleship; she is a Potemkin troop cruiser. So when taken in context with her other abilities, her armament is more than adequate, and no less intimidating alongside her heavy armor and sheer size.

Defending VRS Freedom's Ring are two marine companies (one armored, one not) and a fighter wing. Like her own crew, these troops are among the best in the VRNF; it is considered an honor to serve on the Republic's flagship, and competition for the assignment is fierce.

In the course of her many refits, VRS Freedom's Ring has had her internal tankage and storage shuffled for better efficiency. This has made room for an HPG and LFB, while maintaining her long endurance, with only a small reduction in cargo room. She can still carry and support 25 dropships just as easily as she did when she followed the Exodus; a shuttle wing serves for additional support. She also has quarters for VIP's, trainees and other passengers, and all the other features common to VRNF warships.

==
Battle History:==
VRS Freedom's Ring has played some part in practically every conflict that has come to the
Veiled Republic.

Over the years, the eastern Periphery's pirates have come to know VRS Freedom's Ring all too well. The kill marks from her battles with bandits and spies would cover her whole nose arc, if the VRNF bothered to show off in such a manner. Instead, she bears only a small skull and crossbones, with a number next to it, beside the
Veiled Republic's banner on the side of her hull.

VRS Freedom's Ring played an important role in the brief but brutal battle with ComStar in 2970. She cut off the escape of the Com Guards by attacking their jumpships, destroying one and capturing another.

During the Shark War of the late 3060's, VRS Freedom's Ring did not see combat. Instead, she was used to move troops to the front. Her ability to move most of a division en masse had decisive effects on the ground; the
unexpected arrival of the whole Veil of Steel division disrupted Clan Diamond Shark's invasion plans, and helped hasten the war's end.     

==Deployment==
VRS Freedom's Ring is stationed at New Normandy. She is the VRNF's Battle Group One, the fleet flagship. She stands guard over the
Veiled Republic's capital, and provides a visible and tangible link to the Republic's past.

But VRS Freedom's Ring is more than just a symbolic sentry. Her dropship rings and huge cargo capacity make her ideal for seeding new colonies, and she has carried the first colonists to each of the
Veiled Republic's worlds, much as she did for the Republic itself. And as the Republic has reluctantly turned its eyes outwards, and conflicts have come and gone, the ability to move the VRDF's troops has become ever more important.

So even though her nation has grown, and her combat role has diminished, VRS Freedom's Ring is still more important than ever to the
Veiled Republic. Not just as a symbol, but in her original role as a high-capacity transport. It is rather ironic, yet somehow fitting, for this great ship to enter her next stage of life in this way. 

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Class/Model/Name:  VRS Freedom's Ring
Mass:              1,510,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass 
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                      181,200.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 2
      Maximum Thrust: 3
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive:  Compact (Integrity = 29)               683,275.00
Lithium Fusion Battery                                              15,100.00
Jump Sail (Detachable): (Integrity = 6)                                106.00
Structural Integrity: 90                                           135,900.00
Total Heat Sinks:    4,552 Double                                    3,906.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                  12,094.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:              3,775.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (300 days supply)                                     1,154.00
Hyperpulse Generator:                                                   50.00
Armor Type:  Lamellor Ferro-carbide  (2,772 total armor pts)         2,718.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                502
   Fore-Left/Right:                  462/462
   Aft-Left/Right:                   462/462
   Aft:                                 422

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Fighters (20) with 2 doors                                3,000.00
   Bay 2:  Small Craft (20) with 2 doors                             4,000.00
   Bay 3:  Cargo (1) with 10 doors                                 320,261.00

DropShip Capacity:  25 Docking Hardpoints                           25,000.00
Grav Decks #1 - 2:  (150-meter diameter)                               200.00
Escape Pods:  129 (7 tons each)                                        903.00

Crew and Passengers:
     79 Officers (72 minimum)                                          790.00
    295 Crew (268 minimum)                                           2,065.00
     68 Gunners (62 minimum)                                           476.00
      8 1st Class Passengers                                            80.00
     16 2nd Class Passengers                                           112.00
     32 Steerage Passengers                                            160.00
     91 Marines                                                        455.00
     40 Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals                        280.00
    140 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
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4 Heavy NPPC               Nose        60     60     60     60  900 12,000.00
1 Screen Launcher(10 scrns)Nose        --     --     --     --   10    140.00
6 ER PPC                   Nose     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --   90     42.00
6 ER PPC                   Nose     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --   90     42.00
4 Laser AMS                Nose        --     --     --     --   48      6.00
4 Heavy NPPC               FL/R        60     60     60     60 1800 24,000.00
1 Screen Launcher(10 scrns)FL/R        --     --     --     --   20    280.00
6 ER PPC                   FL/R     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
6 ER PPC                   FL/R     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
4 Laser AMS                FL/R        --     --     --     --   96     12.00
4 Heavy NPPC               L/RBS       60     60     60     60 1800 24,000.00
1 Screen Launcher(10 scrns)L/RBS       --     --     --     --   20    280.00
6 ER PPC                   L/RBS    6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
6 ER PPC                   L/RBS    6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
4 Laser AMS                L/RBS       --     --     --     --   96     12.00
4 Heavy NPPC               AL/R        60     60     60     60 1800 24,000.00
1 Screen Launcher(10 scrns)AL/R        --     --     --     --   20    280.00
6 ER PPC                   AL/R     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
6 ER PPC                   AL/R     6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --  180     84.00
4 Laser AMS                AL/R        --     --     --     --   96     12.00
4 Heavy NPPC               Aft         60     60     60     60  900 12,000.00
1 Screen Launcher(10 scrns)Aft         --     --     --     --   10    140.00
6 ER PPC                   Aft      6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --   90     42.00
6 ER PPC                   Aft      6(60)  6(60)  6(60)     --   90     42.00
4 Laser AMS                Aft         --     --     --     --   48      6.00
1 Lot Spare Parts (1.00%)                                           15,100.00
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TOTALS:                                            Heat: 9,104   1,510,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        68,175,141,248 C-Bills
Battle Value:      140,775
Cost per BV:       484,284.43
Weapon Value:      117,147 (Ratio = .83)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 5,485;  MRV = 5,093;  LRV = 3,733;  ERV = 1,389
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 648,230
                   (158,156 Structure, 287,978 Life Support, 202,096 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 966,150  (149% of MPV)
BattleForce2:      Not applicable