Bortasqu' class
The Bortasqu'-class dreadnought is the current flagship of the Klingon Defense Force fleet and the largest vessel ever fielded by the Klingon Empire. Originally conceived along with the Mat'Ha-class raptor as the next generation of Klingon warships to birth from the lessons of the Dominion War, the Bortasqu' took several decades before it finally came to life. Now, in the 25th century, very few ships can stand directly against a Bortasqu' one-on-one in combat.
Exploration and Science
Much like the Negh'Var-class before it, the Bortasqu' was developed as a multi-purpose ship with several things in mind. One of those was deep space exploration and scientific capabilities. While no match for even an outdated Starfleet Galaxy-class starship in terms of scientific capabilities, the Bortasqu' does host a state-of-the-art sensor suite that is more than capable of handling nearly any spatial phenomena encountered.
Diplomacy
As the flagship class of the Klingon Empire, the Bortasqu' will often be the ship sent for any diplomatic functions with allies or enemies alike. Due to its size, the ship is capable of hosting hundreds of dignitaries if required and has entire sections of the ship dedicated to ambassadorial-style guest quarters and large auditorium-style conference rooms. The Bortasqu' is well equipped for any manner of diplomatic summit.
Engineering
The Bortasqu' is an immense vessel that is more complex than the average Klingon design tends to be. The new generation of warp engine design that was built for the Bortasqu' allows the vessel to generate considerably more power than previous Klingon designs. This allows the ship to channel primary power directly from the warp engines, through the spine of the ship, and into the "head" area where the ship's main weapons platform is located including the main forward disruptor cannons and the siege disruptors.
The complex intermix of the Bortasqu's interaction between the ship's weapons and engines requires that a full-time engineering staff of hundreds of warriors is required to constantly monitor and maintain the systems.
Tactical
Tactically, the Bortasqu' takes nearly every cue from the Negh'Var. The ship is equipped with four heavy disruptor cannons in the front of the ship, flanked below by two siege disruptors intended for stationary targets. Along the ship's hull are twenty disruptor cannons that can cover every arc of the ship in battle.
Unlike the Negh'Var, the Bortasqu' is more adept at utilizing its four fighter squadrons, double the Negh'Var, in combat with a combat center in the ship specifically for coordinating with the fighter squadrons. With two massive hangar bays on both sides of the "neck" of the ship, the Bortasqu' also deploys Kivra-class shuttles and To'Duj-class fighters adopted from the elder Negh'Var.
Additionally, a Bortasqu' very rarely travels alone. Due to their importance, they're very often flanked by escort ships.
Shipboard Life
Much like the Mat'Ha-class, the first of the new generation of Klingon ships post-Dominion War, the Bortasqu' takes a different approach to life onboard. Most lower decks crew are still packed into dorm-style accommodations, and troops are packed even higher into barracks-style accommodations, there are far more single occupancy rooms for officers and above. Additionally, the Bortasqu' has over a dozen holo rooms throughout the ship, several recreation rooms, and dozens of dining halls. Like the Negh'Var, the Bortasqu' also has a single Great Hall at the belly of the ship capable of accommodating hundreds of warriors at once.
Class History
The original concept for the Bortasqu' was born at the same time as the Mat'Ha-class in the aftermath of the Dominion War. The Klingon High Council desired a ship that could stand in the same size class as ships such as the Romulan Scimitar-class warbird, the Dominion battleships, and the Cardassian Hutet-class battleships. However, much like the Mat'Ha design, the Bortasqu' fell by the wayside as the priority for the Klingon Defense Force shifted to rebuilding their decimated fleet.
After the success of the Mat'Ha in 2391, the Bortasqu' was revisited by the engineers at the Ty'Gokor fleet yards. The Bortasqu' was meant to be the new flag of the Klingon Empire and was designed with that in mind. By 2398 construction on the first ship of the class began at Ty'Gokor and finished a year later in 2399. The initial ship of the class was deployed as part of a task group along the Klingon-Romulan border as a show of force and intimidation towards the Romulan people.
Following the disappearance of Chancellor Martok, and the ascension of Chancellor Toral, the new Klingon Chancellor ordered the full-scale production of the Bortasqu' -class in preparation for war.
In Play
- The Bortasqu' is the newest, baddest Klingon ship. The closest approximation is the Odyssey-class and even that falls short in what a weapon this beast is.
- These are still rare by 2401, but they're growing in numbers. You won't see a ton of them around, but you could encounter one in an important situation with the Klingons.