Archon-class Heavy Dreadnought

> “***Get Commander Purple on the line! 19 torpedoes fast inbound for the Starboard rammers - No evasion route! Contact Area 32 seniors, now stabilize the bow reactor cores, stabilize!***”
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> **-Second-class Helmsman Luye Jaber, in direct contact with First-class Staff Lieutenant Frate Kanzart during the Battle of New Earth, 2329-**
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The Archon-class was the one and only class of Heavy Dreadnoughts commissioned for the Commonwealth Navy and Task Force Manticore during a span of 50 years since its construction. The only vessel present in the class, ***CSV Archon***, was oftentimes branded as the mighty pride of the fleet once in active service, a deed that she managed to uphold for around 41 years before its deactivation from naval records in 2329. However, since its appearance in service, during 2288, the class has not only maintained the largest status of capital ship in the battlelines, but also fiercely defended the  traditional position of the admiralty over if the uses of cannon-based capital warships can still share usefulness amidst a modern battlefield of carriers, nimble fighters and fast-striking bombers. Still, the only ship of the class was two times the size of any contemporary vessel at its time, and only lost such achievement later, when the Commonwealth military finished projects for the equally as huge Project Gatecrasher during its fight against the Unbidden.

Despite sharing no other sistership or contemporary ally like such, CSV Archon has nevertheless carried the name of the class well; presenting military honours all the way from the troubled times of the 9 Month's War to the even more conturbated years surrounding the Ancestral War. Though sought initially to be built with cheap but sturdy material for ease of maintenance and running costs, the final result still claimed an enormous portion of the naval budget from 2286 and 2287 respectively, something that discouraged further development of newer classes and similarly sized warships as a whole. Overall, there were four projects for warships of the Archon-class, but inevitably only one of them ever reached further development than the drawing boards. The other three sister-ships were speculated to built with unique weaponry and defense systems, being also thought to be named: *CSV Kyoko*, *CSV Madoka* and *CSV Homera* before having the affair scraped for other wartime production of crafts. CSV Archon remained separated into its own Task Force for a great part of its career in the navy, and was also present in engagements against the Wraith of Fulaz, Yaanari League and even some Unbidden elements. She was eventually brought down by relentless fire coming from Imperial warships in the Battle of New Earth, and her crash is a staple for the end of the Ancestral War, between the Eternal Empire and the Commonwealth.

By the time the class found itself extinct, it had amassed a great amount of love, respect, pride and controversy. Without a doubt it had become one of the most iconic warships Manticore housed at the end of the 23rd. Century, and it still remained popular well further into the 24th. Century overall by the people and fellow officers of the force. Still, it marked a target for much of the criticism pointed at the cannon-based capital ship policies still under effect by the 2320s, and inevitably saw itself running against much less powerful but still as important fleet carriers when seeking for much needed budget support in the admiralty’s grounds. Apart from the political and economic downturn fueled by the warship’s influence, the courses of entire battles have been altered and saved by the presence of the great Archon-class of Heavy Dreadnoughts; it has undoubtedly left a mark in the Commonwealth and its enemies abroad and within the Galaxy.

## **A Moving Citadel**

Although the concept of a slow moving powerful vessel had been tried again and again beforehand, it would be the Archon design that would truly create a breakthrough over the matter. The doctrine of engagement for such a vessel, an overly ambitious plan to keep the vessel alive for just more than a ten minutes, was a bold one to be tried in a ship that could only support itself for so long before being swarmed by the combined forces of an enemy battlegroup. The countermeasure? A collective increase in armour, small-craft defense weapons and large caliber armaments in sacrifice of speed and structural integrity. The design saw the implementation of two PD ‘islands’ in its exterior, something that sought to mediate the defensive lacklusters of the ship, but also ruined the cores powering the vessel and its capital areas in the meantime. The defense against torpedo warfare was also greatly increased, especially during engagements with the Yaanari and their propulsed explosive weaponry when war broke out. Bit by bit, a once compact yet heavy-hitting idea turned itself into a bogged-down powerhouse of epic proportions; soon enough, CSV Archon would be receiving the Nickname ‘*Moving Citadel*’ by the men and women present in Manticore, and that name would stick until the end of its career.

The honours of commanding such a ship were also not taken lightly however. The suitable broadsider for the task, Commodore (And later Admiral) Fronds of Purple, had been selected and trained under the unique circumstances only suitable for a warship made to brawl against its enemies. Such was the initiative imposed to the sailors and shipwrights of the craft, meaning they also had to push themselves even further to maintain a huge entity like Archon from collapse at the sight of a crushing battle. The mediation of a supporting force was also implemented in the early 2320s, with the ship’s personal I.A.I system ‘Shelby’ at last reaching an adult form from its development phase and serving properly inside the ship’s command centers until the very end. It is safe to assume CSV Archon’s crew remained one of the best of Manticore, before being eventually surpassed by the more versatile sailors of Ortus-class Battleships from the 2300s.

## **Ship Characteristics**

The Archon-class Dreadnought is one with a sole purpose when deployed into the cosmic field of battle to brawl: Broadsiding. Because of such extreme shift from speed to armour and size, the warship also presents the largest silhouette amongst the Commonwealth navy. Its design, however, suffers from several flaws when taking into consideration the structural integrity of the vessel as a whole, coming powerful and sturdy in the outside, but extremely exposed if said defenses are at last penetrated by concentrated fire from an enemy. Archon also lacks the much needed point-defense weaponry present in most other Manticore ships, something, however, which is compensated by the sturdiest armour and the longest firing arcs of the force when taking into consideration the tonnage, measurements and ranges of the vessel in question.

* Length: 9 Kilometers
* Height: 2.8 Kilometers
* Width: 5.4 Kilometers

The class can most of the times be associated with its size and armour, but it surely can also be related to being one of the slowest movers around the Galaxy. The designers, noting such crippling capabilities, took another step to minimize such issue by installing two layers of **Wilada Jadida-class** shield generators, devices so costly they use enough power to sustain Codria for two days alone when engaged, but in return are the ones who conceive the class the merit of being an impenetrable fortress to enemy incoming fire. Armour can vary from 5 to 11 metres throughout the exterior of the warship, yet some critical budget cuts into the project have severely limited the widespread use of such measurements across the interior of the vessel, even in the critical capital weak spots spread across the warship. Nevertheless, the vessel can move on its own, provide an escort role or be escorted herself in times of peace or war, with the last two being mostly occurences of when it was present in Task Force Archon or Manticore officially.

### **Crew**

* **7200** Deckers, sailors and shipwrights.
* **1200** CMC Triggers.
* **2300** Utility Automated systems and robots.
* **600** Manticore Marines. Main defensive force of the warship.

### **Propulsion**

* **2x Mk. II 'Rhine' First-rate Plasma Engine.**
* **8x Mk. V 'Pegasus' Plasma Engines.**
* **5x Octavia-class Auxiliary Engines.**
* **1x R-L Wormhole FTL Modulator Engine.** The system that allows for Faster than Light traversing throughout systems. Still naturally experimental and unsafe when damaged, it also leaves many questions when utilized in emergency jumps before total cooldown, being one of many quirks present within space locomotion and jumping. The R-L variant is unique for being designed only for Archon, as it structure would usually fry a normal modulator and ensue a massive meltdown procedure inside the vessel, something critical during a FTL emergency jump procedure.
* **4x 8-Core 'Ancalagon’ Antimatter Reactor.** Being isolated from other sections and armoured with the finest materials, the Reactor powers everything; from engines of vending machines to defensive guns and electrical systems of the vessel. Being singular and therefore larger comes with a con however; as it is prone to enormous explosions once in complete meltdown stage, infamously leaving few survivors to tell the tales of the old vessel.

### **Additional Support Systems & Equipment**

Cramped conditions and tight environments are perhaps one characteristic the sailors of Archon may lack considerably in comparison to the fleet as a whole. Apart from the extremely armoured exterior surface of the vessel, the class enjoys conditions similar to actual Merit citadels, sharing larger quarters, better recreational spaces and greater medical centers for the sailors and transported troops than other naval crafts. The warship arranges special quarters for political visits or transport of important figures, and even houses a separate area for non-combatants like the war correspondents posted in the ship's assignment. Even so, only the best are picked to embark upon the ranks of a vessel with such prestige and pristine star crew quality, making it a disputed role for newer cadets and veterans alike of Manticore and naval academies throughout the Commonwealth.

* 1x Main Artificial Gravity Generator.
* 2x Secondary Artificial Gravity Generator (One for each gun island).
* 8x 40\*50 Metres Medical Centers.
* 10.000 Crew Quarters.
* 12\*18 Metres Captain's Quarter.
* 350\*200 Metres Command Bridge.
* 3x 600\*400 Metres Storage Space (Spread by determined floor levels).
* 800 AL-58 Laser Rifles  (Spread by crew, amongst defensive forces within the warship).
* 300 AL-60 Laser Rifles (Exclusive for Manticore Marine forces).

60 Months worth of food and other maintenance supplies.

### **Weaponry**

The Archon Dreadnought class is one of the most heavily equipped for its time and for its position in the galaxy. During its launch in the 23rd. Century, it was famous for the saying that it could destroy a Commonwealth-advanced Cruiser in just four salvos, but to prove such theory it had to fight first. The combat trials performed just above Voice were a clear sign of its capabilities, and although lacking the PD weaponry so many other vessels have considered as crucial, the support provided by escorts and the two gun islands at each side of the main hull were deemed a great detriment to inbound small crafts in course to intercept the void behemoth. In 2312, a second redesigning project made plans for the rebuilding of Archon not as a battleship, but as a converted fleet carrier for Manticore. Such idea was scrapped after the estimated cost reached almost the same price as ordering a new Archon-class vessel, and with the soon incorporation of Nidira-class Fleet Carriers, just years afterwards, into Manticore, it came to be that the rebranding of the class never did end up occurring at all. Other designs further down its career called for the implementation of extradimensional weaponry, but no concrete reforms were enacted before the craft was destroyed in the Battle of New Earth.

* **6x 300cm Twin ‘Tsunar’ Main Plasma Accelerators -** Oftentimes branded as the largest guns of the Galaxy, the six mountings formed across the upper and lower superstructure of CSV Archon are the most powerful of Manticore and the Commonwealth as a whole when built. These high velocity plasma cannons not only carry enough raw firepower to tear small ships apart in a single salvo, but also serves as the main reason this warship to sustain itself in need of four great core reactors in peak performance. The tally of the weapons count 1 Destroyer, 6 Cruisers and 4 heavy classes of hostile capital ships.

* **24x 205cm Twin ‘Yudar’ Secondary Laser Turrets -** Usually the main armaments of Osiris-class Battlecruisers, these guns oftentimes find themselves pointed against medium sized war vessels or providing ground support to army invasions of an enemy planet. They were widely used during the Battle of Voice, and also proved crucial for close-quarters engagements during the Battle of New Earth.

* **42x 150cm to 80cm Kalea-3-type Ion Disruptor Batteries -** Varied sized weaponry directed specifically at ignoring the shielded opponents of the class. They are usually the first to be utilized, and act as a primary source for disabling hostile ships before other weaponry can take advantage of the already poorly shielded targets in question.

* **26x 90cm Shenyang-6-type Close Range Railgun Triple Turrets -** Weapons with the sole purpose of keeping screens away from the exposed hull of the vessel, the railguns of Archon make a large percentage of the primary defensive armament present in the class’ design. They are easily concealed into the ship’s structure, making the practice of luring a destroyer or corvette easier with an apparent lack of close range equipment. These turrets were widely used during Aasha and New Earth, and were treated as the main reason the dreadnought to have lasted as long as it did during its final showdown in battle against the Empire.