TCS Vesuvius
| TCS Vesuvius (CV-70) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Vesuvius-Class Heavy Carrier |
| Manufacturer | |
| Primary user | Terran Confederation |
The TCS Vesuvius (CV-70) was the first Vesuvius-Class Heavy Carrier commissioned by the Terran Confederation.
Construction
The Vesuvius was to be one of the largest and most advanced fleet carriers ever to be fielded by the Terran Confederation at the time of its inception. With a crew capacity of 7,800 and a grand total of 400 starfighters, it would have been one of the major workhorses of the Confederation Space Navy. It was constructed in orbit above Mars at Orion Station, where its sister ship, the TCS Mount St. Helens, was also being constructed. Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn personally oversaw her construction, assured of the vessel's superiority in combat. The vessel, with its massive starfighter complement and numerous defensive systems, was designed to be self-sufficient on the battlefield, not unlike the famed Bengal-Class Strike Carrier of the Terran-Kilrathi War.
By 2673, the TCS Vesuvius was in its final stages of construction. The Border Worlds Conflict had reached its peak along the Terran frontier, and with war between the Terran Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds seemingly imminent, the Vesuvius was well in place to participate in the new conflict.
Black Lance Service
Less than two weeks before the vote on a war declartion in the Confederation Senate, the TCS Vesuvius was activated and christened by Senator James Taggart, and the vessel became the personal flagship of Admiral Tolwyn. Unknown to the Confederation, Tolwyn was leading a secret faction known as the Black Lance, in instigating the conflict between the Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds. Tolwyn crewed the Vesuvius with Black Lance operatives, thus it became the flagship of the new Black Lance fleet.
The Vesuvius arrived in the Axius System shortly after its activation, with a full complement of starfighters comprised of F-106 Lance Heavy Fighters. It pulled into close proximity with the Axius Star Base, the secret headquarters of the Black Lance. Prior to its arrival, Colonel Christopher Blair of the Border Worlds forces had infiltrated the starbase and witnessed Tolwyn's speech before his men, learning everything Tolwyn intended to do once he had secured a war declaration from the Confederation government. Blair fled the facility and back to the BWS Intrepid, while Tolwyn transferred to the Vesuvius, intending to reach Earth before the Border Worlds forces could intervene.
The Intrepid tracked down the Vesuvius and eventually closed with it by passing through the Ella System, arriving in the Talos System just as the Vesuvius was preparing to jump to Sol. Tolwyn ordered the Vesuvius to cancel the jump and attack the Intrepid. Border Worlds forces fought against several of the Vesuvius' squadrons to allow the Intrepid time to escape. However, the Vesuvius was far more advanced than the ageing Intrepid and engaged it with its heavy lasers. At this point, the TCS Mount St. Helens, which had been commandeered by Captain William Eisen and his allies, jumped into Talos and attacked the Vesuvius, giving the Intrepid time to reach the jump point to Sol. The Vesuvius fought the Mount St. Helens while the three vessels sped towards Sol.
Destruction
The Intrepid and the Mount St. Helens chased the Vesuvius to Sol, inflicting extensive damage on the carrier prior to their arrival. The Mount St. Helens was severely damaged during the melee and was forced to retreat. Tolwyn continued onwards in his damaged flagship, so Colonel Blair personally led the assault against the Vesuvius. After fighting through the enemy fighter squadrons, Colonel Blair attacked the Vesuvius with the Black Lance's own Flash-Pak weapon, an incendiary device that superheated the interior of any ship, leaving only a burning hulk. The Vesuvius was equipped with an alloy that was too strong to enable an external attack, so Blair flew through the massive hangar bay of the Vesuvius, where the vessel was not nearly as well-protected.
The attack was successful and the Vesuvius was destroyed when the Flash-Pak ignited the oxygen within the vessel, killing its entire Black Lance crew. Only the burnt hulk of the Vesuvius remained.
