Trumpeter Swan-class frigate

The Trumpeter Swan-class frigate is a class of warship in the bird-based fleets of the Galactic Avian Union.

History
The frigates first appeared in a battle with the Wraith, who were attempting to cull the Trandoshans. 340 of them, fresh out of the shipyards, were sent to assist the far-outnumbered fleet of AdmiralAckbar and Grand Admiral Roach, who were struggling desperately against the Wraith threat. Upon their arrival, they played a pivotal role in preventing certain doom from falling upon the two's ships, but were still not enough to turn the tide of the battle. This was changed when more reinforcements came from other factions seeking to eradicate the Wraith. When a "Space Show" of ships was taking place over Kalahari, Ackbar also showed up, in 1 of these frigates, with Phoenix piloting it. The pleasantries and showing-off of ships was interrupted when s-t-n had his ship summon Wraith ships for all the ships at the Space Show to test their abilities. The frigate present was exceptional and exceeded all of Ackbar's expectations, even under an ace pilot such as Phoenix. Facing off against 50 Wraith cruisers larger than itself, it destroyed many using surgically-aimed salvoes of energy torpedoes and turbolaser barrages.

Characteristics
At 320 meters in length, the Trumpeter Swan-class frigate, going by its namesake, resembles a Trumpeter Swan with neck stretched out and wings folded. About 60% of its weapons are located in the wings, while 40% are on its "neck." Underneath the wings, the maneuvering thrusters are mounted, like with most of Ackbar's warships. The bridge is located where the "eyes" of the swan would be, further enhancing its birdlike appearance. The main sublight drive assembly has the thrusters exposed to attacks from above. To compensate for this, the maneuvering thrusters can be used to propel the ship if the engines are damaged. The frigate maintains a Class 1 hyperdrive. Powerful engines and deflector shields ensure good speed and exceptional durability.

Armament
Armament-wise, the frigate is a continuation of two projects in the Galactic Avian Union: The Atomic Manipulation Experimental Energy Torpedo Tube project, and the Hyper-power Triple Turbolaser project. It is armed with 10 triple turbolasers, 12 ion cannons, and 6 Atomic Manipulation (AM) torpedo tubes. The triple turbolasers are scaled-down versions of the Sea Eagle-class cruiser's massive tri-experimental turbolaser; however, thanks to advances and refinements of the technology, these weapons output 25% the damage of the cruiser's cannon. That is incredibly powerful, considering the turrets' small size. One cannon alone, with 3 shots, can vaporize corvettes. Shot 1: Batters down the shields. Shot 2: Sweaps away any remaining shields and penetrates armor. Shot 3: Reactor is hit, ship explodes. The triple turbolasers can decimate ships smaller than the frigate, and in large numbers, devastate capital ships. The AM torpedo tubes also further an experiment, as a 2nd-gen of the AME torpedo tubes on the Kestrelwing-class medium destroyer. Due to manufacturing of smaller but more powerful magnets, the size of the tube has been halved. As size decreases, the torpedo created by the tube is focused more, and contains more energy. Overall, the AM tube is a vast improvement over the Kestrelwing-class vessel's AME torpedo tubes. These torpedoes are so powerful, that if aimed correctly, can bore their way into the heart of a Wraith cruiser and set off a chain reaction that destroys it from the inside.

Known Flaws
As a strict capital ship-to-capital ship vessel, the frigate possesses no anti-fighter weapons, as well as no hangar. Therefore, it must be protected by starfighters in the heat of battle. Also, explosions too close to the energy torpedo tubes can ignite the fusion plasma, setting off a massive and dangerous blast. This would have been the fate suffered by Ackbar and Phoenix when attacked by Wraith fighters, had Phoenix not quickly ejected all the fusion plasma. Third, the frigate is next-to-useless as a transport, since it barely holds any cargo beyond 2 years' consumables. The power requirements of the engines, weapons, shields, and hyperdrive require an enormously powerful reactor, though the frigate maintains a top speed fast enough to chase down speedy corvettes.