H-class Freighter

H-133 is escorted by the Resistance Navy while delivering important cargo.

The *H-class* Freighter was an armoured freighter and warship used by the Aesthetican Navy during the *Outer Rim War*. The vessel continues to see service within the Resistance Navy as a military supply ship.

## Description

Built in 2312 by Ar Aqa'at Fleet Systems, the *H-class* Freighter was a cargo vessel repurposed as an attack frigate by Aesthetics prior to his war on crime in the Outer Rim two years later, to which the vessel earned it's reputation and its suited nickname *"Hammerhead"*.

Inspired by older designs, the *H-class* is a 201m long freighter, famed for its reinforced, hammer-shaped bow. The vessel is powered by four JJ-Z92 Chilka engines, providing the freighter with substantial thrust and an impressive speed for a freighter.

The vessel is lightly armed with plasma cannons, anti-starfighter cannons, and a torpedo launcher; though these weapons lack the effectiveness of a thoroughbred warship. Slotted neatly under the hull, the large cargo crates provide the vessel with a spacious capacity for storing its freight.

Following their re-introduction into military service with the Resistance Navy in 2316, the dated and breakdown-prone *H-class* Freighters were stripped of their external hull plating and repainted with pink war stripes to make maintenance of the vessels easier. To avoid overheating, artificial ventilators were embedded into the hull of the vessel as a means of reducing the breakdown rate of the ageing ships.

H-class Freighters were never given names, and were instead identified by a "H-number" assigned to each vessel. One such vessel still in service with the Resistance is *H-133*.

## History

In 2312, Ar Aqa'at Fleet Systems developed a freighter to assist Aesthetican commerce in hauling cargo inbetween worlds. This freighter became known as the *H-class*, built to replace the aging *F-class* that had been in Aesthetican service for over two decades. The vessel quickly became popular among logistics companies, pirates, smugglers and eventually caught the attention of Aesthetics, who in 2314 opted to modify the vessel for use in combat during the eight month-long Outer Rim War.

These modified freighters saw service as attack frigates, hunting down and destroying piracy and organised crime operations in a series of decisive moves to lure the operators into a single system, where they were destroyed by the Aesthetican Navy. One such freighter, *H-133*, was renowned for its improvisation when its weapons systems failed, and resorted to dropping its cargo onto its target, destroying it. The captain of the vessel, Commander *Argon Juna*, won the personal favour of Aesthetics for his actions, and would later serve as one of the Commanders of the Resistance.

Another *H-class* vessel identifying as *H-186* used its reinforced bow to ram an enemy capital ship - another frigate of unknown design, into several corvettes belonging to the former Trident Industries that fell to the hands of crime lords and pirates alike. Following this action, Captain *Jersah Humwan* christened his vessel the *Hammerhead*, which later bestowed the nickname upon all ships of its class. *H-186* was destroyed at the *Battle of Sraati*, where a downed pirate fighter plowed into the reactor core of the frigate, severing the ship into two in a violent explosion that killed everyone aboard. Humwan and his crew were posthumously awarded with the *Pink Heart* for their bravery and sacrifice.

*H-133*, along with several other H-class Freighters, would also find themselves within the Resistance Navy in 2316. They were stripped of their armour plating for easy maintenance, and painted with war stripes as a token of their heritage. Today, these vessels serve as military supply ships, transferring cargo to and from Aesthetican worlds, stations and ships.

## Usage

Despite spending most of its life as a freighter, the *H-class* distinguished itself as a combat vessel during the Outer Rim War of 2314, utilising its speed and numbers to overwhelm the criminal syndicates it opposed, often fighting itself and coming out on-top. Its servitude to Aesthetica, alongside Commander in Chief Aesthetics' sentimentality for the vessels, allowed the *H-class* to continue its career as a military supply ship for the Resistance Navy.