UNSC Ambrose's Refuge

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The MSV Ambrose's Refuge (: FS-1630), formerly christened as the SS Unwanted Savior, is a highly-modified Cutlass-class attack corvette operated by the rogue Merlin-D032. Constructed by Baal Naval Works over Shinar, the Refuge was stolen by Merlin after his conscience forced him to leave.
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== Operational History ==
=== Construction ===
== Specifications ==
=== Armament ===
The Gladius-class corvette is renowned for having powerful weapons for it's size, easily capable of dispatching anything up to light frigates with appropriate tactics. The Ambrose's Refuge is no different, featuring a combination of missiles, naval coilguns and even a MAC, all tied to automated systems which allows Merlin to concentrate on flying the corvette. All these weapons are specialised towards smaller ships, and as such care must be taken to ensure that he does not draw attention from destroyers or cruisers.
The primary weapon, one that Merlin attempts to avoid using on all occasions, is the 39DA1B2 MAC. An upgrade over the older 20DA1C2, the 39DA1B2 is the Refuge's main ship-to-ship weapon capable of causing severe damage even to cruiser-weight vessels. However, it's main benefit is it's ability to fire two slightly-weaker shots on a single charge. This has often saved Merlin's life more times than he liked, especially as privateers have began wielding ships that are invulnerable to most of his corvette's other weapons. However, Merlin always used his MAC as a last-resort, especially because the Ferrous-Tungsten rounds it uses are expensive to replace.
Supporting this are two pods of , two on each side. A general-purpose missile equally effective against both strikecraft and warships, the Archer is a modular missile system which specialises in creating swarms to bypass any point defence system. However, this is only possible when there are at least half a dozen pods, something which is impossible for Merlin to afford. Instead, Merlin prefers to outfit his Archers with , although these warheads are expensive and many a time the young man is forced to use only the standard high-explosive warhead. As one would expect, Merlin uses these missiles as a long-range anti-fighter solution, and his reliance on them as well as their abundance means he keeps them well-stocked.
Mounted on the top of the shuttlebay expansion port are two powerful M37 "Suppressor" naval coilguns, each which mount two barrels with a 279 millimetre (11 inches) bore size. The smallest turret that's designed for use against warships, the Suppressor has seen service on many UNSC warships, and are most prominently featured as the broadside guns on the . This is because they can be both a deterrent against corvettes and other frigates and a punishingly-effective anti-fighter weapon, capable of obliterating even the most heavily-armoured and shielded bomber in a single shot, let alone when it fires high-speed bursts. Most importantly for Merlin, these turrets have an automated targeting computer that independently selects and executes targets, and can be hijacked by a to make them even more effective - a functionality the Spartan disabled during the . To add the icing on the cake, the Suppressor is rugged, reliable and utilises cheap components, meaning that even if they break down Merlin can easily visit the nearest arms dealer for replacement parts.
The Refuge also has three pairs of point-defence guns, which consist of a in the front and a heavier facing towards the back. Both are intended for different roles, with the M870's higher firerate, smaller 50mm rounds and better tracking capabilities making for a great anti-missile defence, while the M910's more powerful 105mm rounds taking aim at incoming fighters. Because point-defence requires reflexes and accuracy humans are unable to meet, they are equipped with "dumb" AI gunners. However, due to poor maintenance and modifications from Merlin, these AIs are fussy and hot-tempered, often seen arguing between each other and their owner. For this reason, despite their assurances that they are loyal, he carries a failsafe which deactivates individual turrets when he's off the ship.
=== Communications and Sensors ===
Unlike most other ships in the Post-War galaxy, the Ambrose's Refuge featured a set of unusually-powerful communications devices, the most powerful being a supraluminal communications transmitter 'adapted' from the . Although the physics of the device are not well understood, the device is capable of setting chat networks that remain lag-free even when the responder is lightyears away, somehow speeding up the slower transmitter to allow for real-time communication. Unfortunately, the device can only communicate with other supraluminal communications devices and authorised transmitters, meaning that it is only good for listening in on heavily-encrypted transmissions - encryptions which Merlin is not capable enough to crack.
Because it is new technology that has yet to see widespread use, a backup MASER dish and Radio antennae is installed for day-to-day communication needs. Based on technology centuries old, MASER is among the most-common means for communicating with others in a given system thanks to it's reliability and power. However, light-lag ensures that real-time communications are nearly impossible to sustain at range and instead only messages can be sent and received, with face-to-face discussion only performed in times of high importance.
== Trivia ==
Category:Corvettes
Category:Insurrectionist ships
Category:ITU Vessels
Category:Into The Unknown
Category:BDS vessels