An excerpt from "Selling the Gazelle," by
Sir Eneri Achter-Altermann, Imperial Navy, Retired. Published in the Holiday
Annual issue of 1110 of the Proceedings of the Imperial
Naval Institute. (Permission to repost this article on private
websites is granted.)
So how did the Cobra-class of close
escorts acquire a reputation for being mutiny prone?
In fact the crews of Cobra-class escorts
were no more prone to mutinies than the crews of any other class of
Imperial warship under normal conditions. But it was during the Imperial
Civil War that a statistical blip occurred as a result of the sloppy
manning practices in effect at the time.
When Admiral Plankwell unloaded his sidearm into Empress Jacqueline he
not only disconnected the Imperial Navy from legitimate civil authority,
he violently disrupted the bond of comradeship within the officer corps
and enlisted ranks of the navy. If Plankwell -- an unwashed lout from the
farthest frontier -- could by force of arms proclaim himself to be
El Numero Uno, reasoned one would-be claimant
to the throne, then anyone could. And anyone who could gather a battle
fleet would do just that.
Prior to the assassination of Empress Jacqueline the Imperial Navy
guarded the frontiers and kept the peace between the worlds, to be
permitted to serve in the Navy was an honor and privilege granted to a
select few. But when Plankwell planted his posterior upon the Iridium
Throne he converted the various sector fleets, and the Core Fleet in
particular, from being guardians of the empire to being in effect bands of
pirates that any sufficiently warm body could join.
Sector Admirals seeking to plant their hindquarters on the throne would
gather a fleet for an expedition to the core, and as a general rule would
place personnel who are the most competent -- and certainly the most loyal
to themselves -- aboard their flagships. The less powerful the unit being
manned, the less loyal or competent the embarked crew. The loyalty and
competence of close escort crews were often the last thing on the mind of
the would-be rulers. To further aggravate matters, bureaucrats (usually
ground based) would use the requisitioning of fleet units by would-be
claimants as an opportunity to rid themselves of incompetents and other
unwanted personnel.
All of this was in no way conducive to the creation of a sense of
comradeship amongst the crews of Cobra-class
escorts. Normally a military unit, from the infantry fire-team to the crew
of a first line battleship, is also a social unit. But the crews of close
escorts in the claimant fleets were little more space-going mobs. It
should not have been a surprise to see a high rate of disorder aboard
units of the Cobra-class. Nor should it have
been a surprise if the captain of a Cobra
decides to turn pirate, as many did during the Civil War.
The notable exception to the aforementioned misadventures in personnel
management was the task force organized and led by Grand Admiral
Alkhalikoi to put down what she called "The Great Mutiny," and restore
civil authority over the Imperial Navy.
Whereas most escort captains in the claimant fleets were flakes and
losers, Admiral Alkhalikoi hand picked the commanders of her close escorts
and gave them license to head-hunt for their own crews.
The close of the Civil War and the restoration of rational personnel
management practices (along with the hunting down of the remaining
renegades) brought an end to the mutiny problem in the close escort units.
However, the aforementioned statistical blip would become an issue when
the time came for the Imperial Navy to replace the
Cobra-class escort.
CE-13 COBRA CE-4144452-300000-44003-0 MCr 334.92 400 tons
batteries bearing 22 1 Crew=12
batteries 22 1 TL=13
Passengers=0. Low=0. Cargo=4. Fuel=180. EP=17. Agility=1. Marines=0
Tonnage: 400 tons (standard), 5600 cubic meters.
Crew: 4 officers, 8 ratings
Performance: Jump 4, 4-G, Power Plant 4, 17 EP, Agility 1.
Electronics: Model/5 computer.
Hardpoints: 4 hardpoints.
Armament: One twin fusion gun turret (factor 4x2),
One triple missile turret (factor 3),
Two triple beam laser turrets (factor 4x2).
Defenses: Armored hull (factor 3)
Craft: 20-ton gig.
Fuel: 180 tons, on board scoops and purification plant.
Cost: MCr 334.92 standard, MCr 267.936 in quantity.
Const. Time: 16 months individually, 11 months in quantity
Comments: Built by Ling Standard Products, the CE-13
Cobra class was designed to meet a
specification for a revenue-collection/anti-piracy vessel which could also
perform reconnaissance/courier duties with the main Imperial fleets. Each of
the fusion guns in the two-ton double turret are fired separately by the
Chief Gunner and thus are each counted as a separate battery.
Cobra-class close escorts have a unfortunate
reputation for crew mutinies, although some historians believe that this was
due to special circumstances occurring during the Imperial Civil War.
Although a number of CE-13 Cobras have been
transferred to private owners (such as Oberlindes Lines), units of this
class continue to serve in backwater areas and client states of the Imperium.
Armed Gig (Imperial Data Package-TL13/14 design).
GG (IDP13/14) EB-0106B21-000000-20000-0 MCr 27.65 20 tons
Agility=6 one battery Crew=1. TL=13/14
Passengers=7..Emergency Low Berths=3 (for 12). Cargo=2. Fuel=2.2.
Tonnage: 20 tons (standard), 280 cubic meters.
Crew: Pilot
Performance: 6-G, Power Plant , 2.2 EP, Agility 6.
Electronics: Model/2 Computer.
Armament: Beam laser (factor 2).
Defenses: n/a
Fuel: 2.2 tons, on board scoops.
Cost: MCr 27.65
Const. Time: 24 weeks individually, 19 weeks and 2 days in quantity
Comments: Standard unit designed by the Imperial Bureau of Naval
Construction and adopted for use on the Cobra,
Carronade, Gazelle,
and Fiery classes of escorts.
