Invicta Class III Cutter

NOTES:
Known sphere Of Operation:  OFMA & Triangle
Data Reliability:  C for all models
Major Data Source:  Orion Sector Intelligence

The Invicta was the result of trade negotiations between the Orion Lifag Family/Lifag Corporation (the most prominent family and corporate entity in the OFMA) and the AOFW/New New Aberdeen. In response to increasing predation by Klingons (both IKS and Klingon Imperial Navy vessels acting as privateers), Romulan and various other pirate operations within the Triangle, a number of mutual access agreements were proposed to insure that OFMA and AOFW ships would be allowed use of each groups spaceports and docks in emergency situations and that citizens of each group would be guaranteed fair pricing for repairs and materiel at such facilities. The wary Scotsmen of New New Aberdeen sensed the usual Orion duplicity and initially opposed the arrangement. However, once the Lifag proposed purchasing ships built to Orion specifications from New New Aberdeen, the Scots grudgingly agreed to the proposed arrangement.

Based on design requirements provided for a light patrol craft capable of also serving as a fast courier vessel, the engineers at New New Aberdeen retrofitted a Skyhawk gunboat using all-Orion primary equipment. Pleased with the design, the Lifig Corporation provided Orion built control computers, warp and impulse engines and shield equipment for installation in Skyhawk hulls at New New Aberdeen which were skillfully interfaced to UFP-designed secondary systems such as transporters, life support, gravity control, sensor suites, food re-processors, etc. Weapon hard point superstructure was installed at New New Aberdeen, but the OD-2 disruptors were installed by Lifig Corp. technicians at Lifagport on Workday in the OFMA after delivery of completed Invictas.

Approximately 70 were delivered to the Orions by the end of 2285. The Scotsmen of New New Aberdeen, shrewd to the end, insisted on contract stipulations that the Orions purchase the rights (at a substantial profit) for further construction of Invictas at Orion facilities. Knowing the penchant of Orion ‘copying’ of other races technology and ship designs, the Scotsmen wanted to ensure they received appropriate compensation before seeing ships of the class appear that had not been constructed at New New Aberdeen.

Though most Invictas continued to serve legitimate OFMA governments and other individual trade operations, approximately 10 have been sold to or captured by Orion pirate cartels. Two of these rogue Invictas, the Ace of Spades and Ace of Clubs had additional disruptors installed paired with KCA Klingon cloaking devices. Still unaccounted for, these pirate vessels have a substantial bounty placed on the heads of their crews. They both have eluded numerous attempts to hunt them down by official local governmental space forces and contracted individual bounty hunting vessels. They continue to prey on merchant ships within the Triangle as of this update.

New New Aberdeen engineers coined the name Invicta from an old Spanish term meaning ‘undefeated’ which was derived from the Latin term Invictus meaning ‘unconquered’. It was meant as an ironic reference to the Orion tendency of being conquered by other powers and races over the course of their history and their penchant for maintaining their cultural identity despite the less than honorable use of Orion capitulation and guile to achieve their ends.

In 2274, it is known that 4 Invictas were purchased from the Lifag Corporation by Freeloader, a prominent member of the OFMA. The Invictas were purchased through direct negotiations with T’Planna, the Vulcan executive secretary of Tali Lithan, the Orion trade king of Freeloader. These cutters served as patrol craft around Freeloader for approximately 2 years before all 4 were removed from service due to ‘unacceptable operational costs’ and were reportedly scrapped.

Within a year, isolated pirate attacks made by cloak-capable Invictas began to filter out of the Triangle. For nearly two decades, successful attacks and raids carried out by such Invictas had been documented by a variety of sources in the Triangle and in near-space surrounding the Triangle.

A rare detailed scan of one of these Invictas was obtained in 2280 and confirmed that the OWA-1 warp engines had been replaced by the more powerful OWA-2 warp engines in this refit Invicta type. These engines had been configured to provide for better maneuverability while retaining the high-warp capability of the earlier OWA-1 warp engines installed in original-bulit Invictas. The OSJ sheild system had been replaced by the less efficient OSM shield system. However, the OSM shields provide for a higher shield yield in this size class while freeing up space for an additional bank of two OD-2 disruptors. Two ships, the Ace of Spades and the Ace of Clubs, are believed to have operated out of unknown bases within the Triangle. It was postulated that an Ace of Diamonds and Ace of Hearts likely also existed. Reports of coordinated attacks by three or four of this pirate raider type have been documented but confirmation that all vessels involved were of this particular configuration were validated.

While most of these vessels continued to operate well into the 2330s, most are believed to have been sold or scrapped at this time. These vessels occasionally appear for sale within the Triangle but rarely anywhere else.