design by Morgan Donovan
NOTES:
Known Sphere Of Operation: Empire-wide use
Data Reliability: B
Major Data Source: Romulan Sector Intelligence (Type 1 and Type 2), repeated Star Fleet scans (Type 3)
As the 24th century dawned, the Klingon Empire was rebuilding, and the Federation was organizing a new wave of exploration and settlement. The Khitomer Accords meant that relations between the two were at an all-time high. The situation placed Romulan Star Empire in a precarious position.
The High Command campaigned the Praetor and the Senate from 2298 to 2302 for an expansion of the Star Navy and concurrent expansion of the Empire’s ground forces. They presented refit plans for many classes of existing ships as well as a number of new designs. The Senate seized on the V-104, an enlarged version of the V-61 Storm Talon-class cruiser, to be fast-tracked for production.
Designated the Hvai’khenn s’Saeihr, or Star Storm, the V-104’s basic design was drawn from the Klingon hull-form that influenced many Romulan ship classes of the last quarter of the 23rd century. A command pod on the end of an elongated ‘neck’ was attached to a wing-like secondary hull. The design proved simple, relatively inexpensive, and major structural components could be manufactured quickly at most Romulan shipyards.
Coming in at 315 meters in length, the prototype was launched in 2305. The primary computer for the new ship was the powerful, modern R-6M1. A combination of RWG-1 and RIG-2 impulse engines provided an excellent power base. The RSR shield system was considered potent and effective. But the stand-out feature of the Star Storm was its tactical systems. The class mounted the RPL-4, the last, most powerful version of the venerable plasma weapon, as its forward torpedo system, with a robust RP-7 torpedo covering the aft arc. Two state of the art RB-13 disruptors served as the ship’s forward beam weapons, and 4 RB-12s provided excellent multi-vector coverage.
The ship was crewed by 458 officers and crew and carried a reinforced Combat Company 120 of 120 ground forces personnel. Minimal provisions for a small number of passengers were also included. The Star Storm’s small craft complement included four standard shuttlecraft, and four drop ships for the ground forces in the event local conditions made use of transporters inadvisable. The RCE cloaking device gave the ship effective cloaking capability, though it required a substantial amount of the ship’s available energy.
A total of four V-104s were completed before tensions came to a head and the Empire faced off with the Federation during the Tomed Incident. After agreeing to the Treaty of Algeron, the Romulans withdrew from general contact with the other known Alpha and Beta Quadrant powers. Star Fleet Intelligence kept a close eye on the Empire all the same, and reported that construction of the V-104 continued, though the class seemed to be primarily serving on the coreward/spinward areas of the Empire. Exactly what was so important as to warrant that deployment remains a mystery to this day.
Sometime in the 2340s, the class was refit to the Type 2. Computer upgrades were made, and the RWL-series warp system (believed to be based on the quantum singularity technology) was installed, along with an upgraded impulse drive. The torpedoes were both replaced with RPT-2 plasma torpedoes, and all disruptors were upgraded to RMD-8s. The new weapons gave the class almost half-again the firepower of the Type 1, and the RSU shield system contributed to a similar increase in its defensive capability.
Intelligence reports suggest that the V-104 was reassigned to internal patrol duties within the Romulan Empire for the next three decades, until renewed tensions between the Federation and Klingons, along with the burgeoning threat of the Dominion, prompted another refit. This would lead to the introduction of the Type 3. The warp drive, impulse engine, and shields were upgraded again, but no changes to the weapons systems were made. The Type 3 would serve as a second-line support ship and heavy scout throughout the Dominion War.
At the end of the war, the surviving V-104s remain in service, but Star Fleet Intelligence believes they were withdrawn from front line service soon after the war, having reached the limits of it’s upgradability.
Of the 39 Star Storm’s fielded, all were upgraded to the Type 2 model. 1 Type 2 was destroyed along the Klingon border. The remaining 38 were upgraded to Type 3 for service during the Dominion War. 3 Type 3s were destroyed, 2 were scrapped and 1 was captured. 30 of these vessels are used as transports for the Romulan Free States and 2 are believed to be in use with other Romluan splinter groups.
The V-104 was produced at the Corill, Mandukaham and Southern Defense Complex shipyards at a rate of 3 per year. The class is named for the “Storm of the Stars”, referencing the periodic coronal mass ejections of Romulan home-star, Eisn.
| Construction Data: | |||
| Model Number — | Type 1 | Type 2 | Type 3 |
| Ship Class — | XII | XII | XII |
| Date Entering Service — | 2305 | 2341 | 2371 |
| Number Constructed — | 39 | Refit | Refit |
| Hull Data: | |||
| Superstructure Points — | 35 | 52 | 52 |
| Damage Chart — | C | C | C |
| Size: | |||
| Length — | 315.1 m | 315.1 m | 315.1 m |
| Width — | 212.1 m | 212.1 m | 212.1 m |
| Height — | 67.4 m | 67.4 m | 67.4 m |
| Weight — | 207,535 mt | 189,354 mt | 192,564 mt |
| Cargo: | |||
| Cargo Units — | 528 SCU | 528 SCU | 528 SCU |
| Cargo Capacity — | 26,400 mt | 26,400 mt | 26,400 mt |
| Landing Capacity — | None | None | None |
| Equipment Date: | |||
| Control Computer Type — | R-6M-1 | R-7M | R-7M |
| Transporters: | |||
| Standard 9-person — | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Combat 20-person — | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Emergency 20-person — | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cargo — | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cloaking Device Type — | RCE | RCE | RCE |
| Power Requirements — | 38 | 38 | 38 |
| Other Data: | |||
| Crew — | 458 | 430 | 437 |
| Troops — | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| Passengers — | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Shuttlecraft — | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Engines And Power Data: | |||
| Total Power Units Available — | 78 | 88 | 99 |
| Movement Point Ratio — | 4/1 | 4/1 | 5/1 |
| Warp Engine Type — | RWG-1 | RWL-2 | RWN-1 |
| Number — | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Power Units Available — | 24 ea. | 26 ea. | 31 ea. |
| Stress Charts — | G/L | F/K | H/J |
| Max Safe Cruising Speed — | Warp 7 | Warp 7 | Warp 7 |
| Emergency Speed — | Warp 9 | Warp 8 | Warp 8 |
| Impulse Engine Type — | RIG-2 | RII-1 | RIL-1 |
| Power Units Available — | 30 | 36 | 37 |
| Weapons And Firing Data: | |||
| Beam Weapon Type — | RB-13 | RMD-8 | RMD-8 |
| Number — | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Firing Arcs — | 2 f | 2 f, 1 f/p, 1 f/s, 1 p/a, 1 s/a | 2 f, 1 f/p, 1 f/s, 1 p/a, 1 s/a |
| Firing Chart — | V | V | V |
| Maximum Power — | 11 | 16 | 16 |
| Damage Modifiers: | |||
| +3 | (1-10) | (1-14) | (1-14) |
| +2 | (11-16) | (15-17) | (15-17) |
| +1 | (17-21) | (18-21) | (18-21) |
| Beam Weapon Type — | RB-12 | – | – |
| Number — | 4 | – | – |
| Firing Arcs — | 1 f/p, 1 f/s, 1 p/a, 1 s/a | – | – |
| Firing Chart — | W | – | – |
| Maximum Power — | 9 | – | – |
| Damage Modifiers: | |||
| +3 | (1-10) | – | – |
| +2 | (11-15) | – | – |
| +1 | (16-20) | – | – |
| Torpedo Weapon Type — | RPL-4 | RPT-2 | RPT-2 |
| Number — | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Firing Arcs — | 1 f | 1 f, 1 a | 1 f, 1 a |
| Firing Chart — | T | T | T |
| Power to Arm — | 12 | 4 | 4 |
| Damage — | RL-4 | 40 | 40 |
| Torpedo Weapon Type — | RP-7 | – | – |
| Number — | 1 | – | – |
| Firing Arcs — | 1 a | – | – |
| Firing Chart — | R | – | – |
| Power to Arm — | 1 | – | – |
| Damage — | 20 | – | – |
| Shield Data: | |||
| Deflector Shield Type — | RSR | RSU | RSZ |
| Shield Point Ratio — | 1/3 | 1/3 | 1/3 |
| Maximum Shield Power — | 24 | 24 | 35 |
| Combat Efficiency: | |||
| D — | 168.6 | 203.4 | 209.4 |
| WDF — | 84.5 | 129.4 | 129.4 |