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FA - VARIATIONS COMP

The Paulum-class light cruiser is a hastily modified version of the Excelsior-class cruiser utilised by Starfleet during the Dominion War. In the Zealout universe encountered by the USS Ascension in 2403, Starfleet had made use of a number of part salvaged engineering sections of the class to act as emergency border defense vessels along the edge of the former Cardassian Union.

Exploration and Science

With the removal of the Excelsior-class saucer section from the design, the advanced scientific capabilities of the Paulum-class were, by and large, also removed. The ability for the class to undertake independant research and exploration operations were also redcued, with crews having to make sure of a small number of basic, multipurpose labs squeezed around the deflector array to maximise use of the vessels powerful deep space telescope and long range sensor functions. A number of specialist sensor clusters originally fitted to mothballed Constitution-class were retrofitted into the sturdy neck section retained from the classes' original format, and whilst they provided basic sensor functions their accuity was severly lacking for anything over basic scanning activity.

In service, science missions are often secondary to the classes border patrol responsibilities. Limited facilities, combined with a crew balance that heavily favoured the engineers necessary to keep the problematic vessels functioning correctly, hampered the classes usefullness as exploratory platforms significantly. Vessels of the Paulum-class were more often called upon to provide secondary and tertiary sensor support, validating and augmenting more advanced ships sensor systems, aswell as supplimenting the reslution of automated border platforms.

Diplomacy

Lacking any specialist diplomatic facilities due to the absence of the Excelsior-class saucer section, the Paulum-class is most useful in the background of diplomatic efforts where it's size and dominating appearence can reinforce diplomats during tense negotiations.

To date, no known Paulum-classes have been directly involved hosting or leading diplomatic operations, their severe deficit of facilities barring them from offering any useful 'in-the-field' services.

Engineering

Largely the same design as the original Excelsior-class engineering hulls, adaptations to the class were hasty and often only to fulfill the necessities of fielding a space going vessel. In many cases adaptations varied significantly by individual hull numbers, dictated by the availability of equipment and what had not been stripped already from the mothball fleet for use elsewhere. Whilst purpotedly no two Paulum-class vessels are the same, there are several common adaptaions across the deployed vessels.

The aft-dorsal shuttle bay has been converted wholly to house the impulse engines and support systems originally mounted to the original design's saucer section. In many cases the original Excelsior style systems were not available and the type and size of engines fitted varies between individual hulls, many feature the contained systems of reserve and salvaged Miranda-class vessels. Whilst initially believed to be underpowered for a vessel of this size, the absence of much of the vessels tonnage has made their fitting unexpectedly viable. Their placement at the aft end of the class has given vessels an extremely unusual sublight handling profile and Paulum-class pilots have found them extraordinarily fast in a straight line, but must make wide turning arcs, exposing its less well defended flanks from relatiatory attacks.

Internally, the size of dueterium and dry storage holds were significantly reduced to make way for communal bunk style crew accomodations and cargo holds were stripped to accomodate basic command and control facilities to operate the vessel. As a result the ship's supply period and long range reach is significantly reduced, and Starfleet has opted instead to operate regular resupply missions to ships stationed at the border.

The ships large engineering control compartments have been refitted to act as a makeshift bridges for vessel command and control, making use of the vessels redundant and auxillary control network to act as primary data transfer. This has led to a strange adaptation of the Starfleet norm where these command spaces have become central hubs built around a situation table, more akin to a CIC design rather than the traditional forward facing bridge that is the signature of Starfleet designs.

Tactical

The classes original design focused phaser capabilities into the saucer section, and in an attempt to keep this forward firing arc, engineers have retrofitted a number of these banks into the forward section of the retained neck compartments. As a result of this reduction in dorsal and ventral phaser arcs, vessels are exposed to targets approaching from oblique angles and a number of smaller banks have been retrofitted onto the open dorsal space between the nacelles to defend this exposed middle. In most all iterations of the vessel, the aft torpedo launchers have been removed to provide additional life support and auxilliary life support, leaving the class with no rear torpedo arc.

Taking lessons form the Defiant and Saber classes, these vessels focus their tactical doctrine into heavy, unrelenting hammer strikes against targets as they close and then making use of their overpowered engines to rush past them and out of striking distance before returning for another forward strike.

Shipboard Life

Life aboard the Paulum-class is uncomfortable and compact, with almost all crew members save the senior officers being required to share cramped, disorganised quarters. Many of the retrofitted accomodations are squeezed into any available space, leading to many strange configurations and layouts and turning the crew decks into warrens of oddly laid out compartments. All crew members below Lieutenant are housed in spartan bunk rooms, with shared welfare facilities fitted into converted storage spaces with up to a dozen other crew members, making privacy an extremely valuable commodity aboard active vessels.

To combat the stressful and uncomfortable quarters, significant efforts have been put into providing adaptable spaces for crew rest and relaxation. Several gym and physical activity facilities have been added to the cargo compartments adjoining the single aft shuttlebay, and yard engineers favoured the creation of smaller mess lounges that act as hubs for the sporadic crew quarters spread out throughout the hull. In some iterations of the class, these clusters of habitation have developed into 'villages', where crew members who regularly work together also live together, creating a curious esprit du corps where teams view themselves as suburbs of the vessel's larger city.

Service on the Paulum-class vessels was initially planned to only last 12 months, with the regular cycling of crew members expected during resupply visits from Starfleet Auxiliary assets. To the surprise of Starfleet Operations, transfer requests out of these cramped and uncomfortable vessels have been curiously low, with many crew members reporting a strange sense of attachment to these idiosyncratic vessels, who are becoming more and more individual as time goes by.

Class History

Following the Alliance retreat from Cardassian space, and the subsequent doctrine of containment enacted by the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet required easily deployable vessels that could fill the border spaces to monitor activties in the former Cardassian Union. Whilst the production of a wave of smaller ships was initiated, including the Defiant and Saber classes which were designed specifically for this purpose, Starfleet found itself immediatley under resourced to guard the border as the queues for repair hampered new shipbuilding efforts. It was senior members of the Starfleet Auxiliary that identified a number of aging Excelsior-class engineering hulls in mothballs that could be quickly retrofitted for deployment minus their saucer sections, which had been scavanged to make repairs to the fleet following losses at Chintoka and during Operation: Return. In just a few short months the newly designated Paulum-class was deployed alongside several hastily repaired in service hulls to relieve war weary crews assigned to the border.

Initially planned to be retired once the new wave of smaller patrol craft was produced, the class was a surprising success and with the Jem'Hadar zealots still operating heavily through the region Starfleet opted to keep the vessels in service, gradually decomissioning them as age and hull health required.