User:Teylasramar/Sandbox/Malem class
The Malem-class bird of prey is a small, agile, and powerful platform that has become the mainstay of the Romulan Republic Navy. A ship originally developed by the Romulan Star Empire in the wake of the Dominion War but never seeing actual construction, the Romulan Republic revived the design, modernized it, and deployed it throughout its space as a deterrent to any who would seek to capitalize on the newfound polity.
Exploration and Science
The Malem is first and foremost a bird of prey, and therefore a ship of combat. Its mandate is not, in any sense, as a ship of exploration. However, as an interstellar spacecraft it still possesses all of the strict and bare functionality that would be required of it to transverse the darkness of space. The Malem wouldn’t be assigned or expected to chart interstellar phenomena, but it would be able to scan basic phenomena as it moves along its course. If something of interest were noted, a larger, more capable warbird would be sent to follow up.
Diplomacy
Similar to exploration, the Malem is equipped with the most barebones of diplomatic facilities. It could, theoretically, entertain a small diplomatic contingent if the need arose or an emergency diplomatic incident was at hand. However, much like exploration, the Malem would be more likely than not to report its findings back to the nearest starbase or outpost so that a more equipped warbird could be deployed.
Engineering
The Malem-class was the first bird of prey design that the Romulan Star Empire had developed or even considered in over 100 years dating back to the T'liss-class bird of prey launched in the 2260s. Because of that, the Romulans spent a lot of time on the original development stage where their current ship building methods of increasingly larger, more powerful powerplants were at odds with the mandate of the Malem.
However, the engineering of the ship was simple: repeat the successes of the previous birds of prey designs that dominated the Romulan Star Navy for centuries previous. When the design was rebirthed by the Romulan Republic, the mandate was the same. Add to that, the ship was to be a simplistic design with less room for failure.
Tactical
The Malem was originally designed by the Romulan Star Empire as a direct combatant to the Jem’Hadar attack fighters seen during the Dominion War, as a direct challenger to the Defiant-class starship, and, to a much lesser extent, to combat the Klingon B'rel-class bird of prey. In the same vein as the Defiant-class, and as a ship that follows its own design lineage through the years, the Malem is overpowered for a ship of its size.
The bird of prey is primarily a vessel that relies on its maneuverability and the element of surprise through its advanced Romulan cloaking device to make forward attack runs. This allows it to bring its four forward disruptor cannons to bear as well as its primary forward torpedo tube equipped with high-yield, high-energy plasma torpedoes. In addition, it has a rear torpedo tube to aid with emergency escapes and, primarily for utility purposes, a ventral disruptor array.
Tactically, the single best way to take down these birds of prey, like any ship in its category, is to attack it from the rear. However, given the maneuverability and sheer power that the Malem has, the chances are slim of being able to find yourself in its aft quarter.
Shipboard Life
Much like her contemporaries, the Malem was not built with long-term assignments or creature comforts in mind. The Malem does have basic recreational facilities, a small crew mess with a lounge, and a holodeck; however, it does not boast these in copious amounts meaning the crew do have to take turns using these facilities.
The ship houses its crew in two types of quarters: a one-room shared two-person bunk cabin for lower ranked junior crew members, and higher ranking officers enjoy a one-room cabin with a small living/work area. Other than the ship's commander and senior staff, much of the crew is often swapped out on shorter term, months-long assignments which makes the living conditions on the Malem tolerable for most in exchange for the experience of serving on a bird of prey.
Class History
Originally designed in the twilight hours of the Dominion War, the design for the Malem-class bird of prey eventually ended up in a gridlock within the Romulan Star Navy between those who wanted to push the design forward and diversify the Navy's ships versus those who wanted to continue to build increasingly larger, more powerful, and therefore more intimidating ships. The former group felt that the Jem'Hadar were the perfect example of an enemy that was not deterred by intimidation, and the latter group felt that the Jem'Hadar were an aberration that could be countered with superior firepower.
Like most things on Romulus, the design ended up in the hands of the politicians who bickered to a stalemate. The stalemate, however, found itself as inconsequential with the knowledge that the Romulan star was to go supernova.
In the immediate aftermath in the dawn of the formation of the Romulan Republic, the new military leaders of this daughter empire of the Romulan people sought to shift their ship building techniques into a more diversified portfolio. As all of the monstrous, resourceintensive D'deridex-class warbirds were being dismantled for raw materials and to create the first buildings on New Romulus, it became apparent that a small, quick to build, easy to maintain starship was needed. That was when the Malem design was brought out of the archives and given a second look. The ship was modernized slightly as several years had passed, but the design was exactly what the Republic needed.
The first Malem was constructed in the hastily built fleet yards above New Romulus and launched in 2391. After that, several dozen were ordered to be put into mass production. By 2400, the Malem is easily the most common vessel in the Republic Navy, serving in multiple roles in the Republic as a scout, border and internal patrol vessel, and a generalist frigate in fleet formations.
In Play
- The Malem is the Romulan version of the Defiant. Treat it as such. These are not to be taken lightly and are extremely dangerous in packs.