Mass effect first contact war: war of tragedy, war of sorrow Codex

by DeafeningEcho

A single spark can ignite a flame that will consume the lives of many. From a battle over a lonely relay, to a treaty signed on a space station that has acted as the crypt for a thousand civilizations, this is the first contact war

14. Ships of the Alliance

In 2149, the Systems Alliance was formed to explore the galaxy beyond the Sol System. Only two years later, the Alliance had learned of the dangers within the universe and began building a combative force to protect humanity outside of Sol. In the only eight years between the Alliance's formation and the First Contact War, the Alliance had accrued hundreds of warships, and a comparable number of exploration vessels.

The Alliance mostly have only one class of vessel per ship type before first contact due to the short time between the war and the Alliance's creation, though there are some exceptions.

The only Dreadnoughts both of the Alliance and within human space before first contact are of the EVEREST class, which are 888 meters long and 3.5 million tons. Each of the two vessels operate as the flagships of the Alliance's two fleets.

The three Carriers of the Alliance belong to the EINSTEIN class. They are 720 meters long and 2.5 million tons. Each of the vessels operate in Carrier Squadrons and act as the flagships for each of the Alliance's Sector Commands.

The primary large Cargo Ship of the Alliance is the DRAGONFLY class. 600 meters long and a million tons, the 15 vessels of the class move cargo and personnel in large amounts across Alliance space.

The EGYPT class is a relatively new addition to the Alliance's roster, with the first vessel only completed in 2156, though. 655 meters long and 1 million tons, the class is designed to provide on site repairs to Alliance installations and vessels. This was originally done with other vessels hired out by the Alliance, but this was ended when a crew tried to smuggle antimatter from the SSV Athans when it was stranded and under repair, leading to the creation of the Alliance's own class of mobile repair dock. Only 2 such vessels are in operation.

The sole Cruiser class in use by the Alliance is the ANNAPOLIS class, which are each 600 meters long and 800 thousand tons. The 50 Annapolis class Cruisers in service are deployed with 10 in each of the Alliance's fleets and 5 in each of the 6 Cruiser Squadrons operated by the Alliance.

The FRANCIS DRAKE class was the latest Exploration Cruiser class as of first contact, and included the most advanced technologies mankind has to offer. 550 meters long and 620 thousand tons, the 45 vessels of the class are deployed within the 24th through 32nd Exploration Flotillas.

The PYTHEAS class was built alongside the first warships of the Alliance, and is equipped with a protective armament and Fighter complement alongside slightly more advanced equipment, though it is unable to fight anything more powerful than a Frigate one on one. 500 meters long and 550,000 tons, the Pytheas class makes up the bulk of the Alliance's exploration fleet, with the class's 80 vessels deployed within the 8th to 23rd Exploration Flotillas.

The oldest Exploration Cruiser class in the Alliance's service is the VASCO DE GAMA class (also commonly called the Explorer class). 500 meters long and half a million tons, the de Gamas were used in the earliest exploration missions done by the Alliance. They are entirely unarmed and had to be modified to carry a small number of Fighters for defense. The 35 ships of the class are mostly relegated to surveying the closer to Sol areas of Alliance space, deployed in the 1st through 7th Exploration Flotillas.

The 36 Monitors of the CANOPUS class were built to guard the Relays of Alliance space and protect minor worlds, acting more as deployable space stations than ships. 500 meters long and half a million tons, they work alone or in pairs or trios in orbit of their designated Relays or world.

The HASTINGS class Frigate is the only class of Frigate used by the Alliance. 160 meters long and 15 thousand tons, the 216 Frigates of the class are deployed across all Fleets and Squadrons of the Alliance in 54 Frigate Flotillas.

The 40 Gunboats of the BONAVENTURE class were designed more as flying fortresses than warships, being meant for ground support and planetary defense. Massing 4 thousand tons and 120 meters long, the class can be found across the colonies, usually anchoring off the shore, as the class is able to operate both on and under the water, providing tactical and strategic options during planetary defense.

The primary resupply vessel of the Alliance is the DRAGOON class Mixed Transport Schooner. 100 meters long and thousand tons, the 150 modified Delta class civilian Schooners resupply most Alliance ships and minor bases while also transporting Alliance personnel.

Designed to operate alongside the Dragonfly class, the DARING class Dropship transfers the cargo of the Dragonfly to the surface of planets. 90 meters long and 4 thousand tons, the 18 vessels of the class are paired with a Dragonfly with the exception of 3 kept in case another is made inoperable.

The ARCHER class Corvettes used by the Alliance act as police vessels for Alliance worlds, technically falling under the control of the Alliance Territory Administration Department instead of the Navy. 90 meters long and 3 thousand tons, the 300 Corvettes of the class are deployed across the Alliance by over a dozen separate Sector Police Forces.

The main Shuttle of the Alliance is the UT-29 KAMCHATKA, of a long line of Ulrich-Tomeson designed Shuttles, first started with the company's founding in 2091. 14 meters long and 20 tons, the class is deployed prolifically across Alliance vessels, with most larger than Frigates carrying one or two at least.

The UT-31 ATLAS is a cargo shuttle in use by the Alliance. 30 meters long and 150 tons, the class is used across Alliance space. Several variants exist, with the UT-31T ferrying supplies mixed solid and liquid supplies from planetary resupply depots to ships in orbit, while the UT-31P carries hundreds of Alliance personnel from place to place, and the UT-31M serves as the main transport for Marine vehicles.

The F-50 TRIDENT serves as the main Fighter of the Alliance. 15 meters long and 20 tons, the Trident is used on almost all Alliance vessels larger than a Frigate. The majority of Tridents used by the Alliance are of the DF-50 variant, drones controlled by their manned cosines with 3 to a single manned Trident.

The PF-51 BIDENT is a more economical, patrol focused version of the F-50 Trident, sacrificing performance for lower operation costs. 15 meters long and 24 tons, the Bident is commonly deployed to Alliance air bases, Exploration Cruisers, and space stations for patrolling and low cost protection. The majority of Bidents used by the Alliance are of the DPF-50 variant, drones controlled by their manned cosines with 1 to 3 to a single manned Bident .

The ship types have naming conventions like in the game's lore. Dreadnoughts are named after mountain, Carriers are named after famous humans, combat Cruisers are named after cities, Exploration Cruisers are named for famous explorers, Frigates are named after battles, Fighters are named after stabbing weapons, Shuttles are named after bears, and more supporting vessels (Corvettes, Monitors, supply ships, ect) are given a letter that all names must start with (A for Corvettes, B for Gunboats, C for Monitors, D for supply ships, E for Repair Ships, ect).

The Alliance does not use any Destroyers due to them not being invented yet in Alliance

space. This is also the reason for the single type of combat Cruiser unlike the 3 used by the Hierarchy in the compendium.