Ombrey Class III Light Freighter

NOTES:
Known Sphere Of Operation:  Alpha & Beta Quadrants
Data Reliability:  A
Major Data Source:  Orion Sector Intelligence

The Ombrey class of light freighter is a small, easily maintained, inexpensive and is considered that rarest of Orion designs – a good ship. Unlike most Orion built interstellar vessels, the Ombrey is surprisingly sturdy and capable, making it one of the most popular freighters ever produced by Orion shipbuilders. The Ombrey’s components are surprisingly standardized and can be swapped easily with components from other freighters or from other race’s ships when needed. This give owners and corporate book-keepers a sense of security as the ship can easily be repaired at most shipyards in the Federation, Orion, Klingon or ever Romulan systems.
The A-1 model was launched in early 2231 and was an immediate success. Less expensive than most other freighters, the Ombrey had a larger crew compartment than most freighters it’s size. Each of it’s 16 crew members had their own cabin and a small recreation center made serving onboard this ship popular. It’s relatively small cargo capacity was ideal for frontier work, where large cargo’s were often subcontracted to major corporation. Smaller luxury good or minor amounts of needed raw materials could easily be loaded and off-loaded. The A-1, like all models that followed, was renown for it’s cargo sub-systems which allowed for cargos ranging from livestock to industrial crystals. Each of the Ombrey’s holds had it’s own gravity, life support and monitoring systems. Many Ombreys were know to carry housing materials, luxury furniture, potable water and deuterium all in the same haul, with frontier outposts needing the smaller amounts of material.

To keep costs and maintenance requirements low, the A-1, along with it’s sister younger sibling – the A-2 model, were unarmed, trusting in speed rather than firepower to outrun most pirate vessels. The A-2 was equipped with a more powerful and efficient shield system, allowing the ship to take multiple weapons hits from small pirate craft, one of the few vessel types that could run-down the Ombrey.
The A-3 was launched at the tail-end of the Federation-Klingon Four Year War. This variant was armed, as many Orion families and corporate owners knew that the end of the conflict would not be the end of conflict. Orions were well aware that the Klingons would almost immediately begin pushing against the Federation and that less scrupulous pirates would quickly take advantage of this. Many shipbuilding facilities were already under contract to produce the very ships that the Ombrey would need to out-run or out-gun. However, the need for the sturdy and reliable ships was ongoing and production continued. Designers continued to incorporate the OWA-1 whos speed allowed the Ombrey to operate in more remote areas without the need for escorts. The OD-1 disruptors were easy to operate, and the improved OSH shielding gave the vessel better defense.

By 2261, the need for a more aggressive variant of the Ombrey was evident and the A-4 was soon on sale. While the A-4 could not be openly sold in Federation territory, is was a quick seller in the Orion colonies and the Triangle, where trouble was never far away. The A-4’s longer ranged beam weapons allowed the Ombrey to go on the offensive when needed. It’s excellent power curve was also beloved by captains and crews alike. Surprisingly, only a handful of the A-4’s were ever repurposed as raiding vessels, with most continuing in their freighter role for many years.

The following year, the A-5 was first put up for sale. Mounting more powerful aft weapons, the A-5 became a popular purchase in the Triangle, where being chased by pirate vessels was on the increase. The heavy aft weapons allowed the A-5 to dissuade many individual pirate vessels who could not afford to take heavy damage for the relatively light cargos that were typical on board most Ombreys.
Two years after the A-5 was fielded, the A-6 was put on sale. The A-6 added a forward disruptor as well as an enhanced shield system. However, the A-6 returned to the used of the more powerful but slower OWA-2 warp drive. This made the A-6 as powerful as most gunboats or even light attack craft at the time, but also made the ship more expensive and more difficult to maintain. This proved more popular with pirates than legitimate traders, and the A-6 saw far less success than earlier model, many of which were still in service.

The final ‘official’ version of the Ombrey was the A-7, a vessel geared more toward combat than freight hauling. The A-7 was designed to engage targets as very close range, overwhelming them with powerful but short-ranged disruptors. The vessels medium shields allowed the Ombrey to take several hits while closing and quickly devastate any potential attack craft. The Ombrey was still no warship, and several were known to have been destroyed after engaging Klingon or Romulan warships. The ships similarity to it’s significant number of sister-ships allowed many A-7s to continue operating in the more well traveled space lanes.

Orinco was the last major producer of the Ombrey class, ending official production in 2279. Since that time, it is believed that a further 30 to 50 highly modified versions of the Ombrey class may have been produced. Many Ombrey have also put-in for repairs, upgrades and equipment swaps, with the Ombrey being seen in drydocks as late as 2305. With a number of space-frames well past 60 and even 70 years old, the Ombrey is becoming less and less prevalent in the Orion Colonies and Triangle areas. A number of these ships still operate throughout the Federation and Klingon spheres of influence, with some know to range as far as the Cardassian region of space. Ferengi and Breen intelligence operatives have notes that several of these ships have been spotted operating in those regions of space. At best guess, well over 1,000 and as many as 1,200 of these ships have been produced over the years. Less than half are known to be used exclusively by Orion firms or families, with many races and governments purchasing these ships. In true Orion fashion, a significant number of these ships have been modified, some extensively. The Ombrey is named for the quasi-mythical leader of the ‘Orion Summer’ revolution.