Another High Guard ship:
The _Berlin_ class Light Rider
BM-1 Berlin BM-K6068F3-C00100-00009-0 MCr10,780.7 10,000 tons
batteries bearing A Crew=440.
batteries A TL=12.
Low=220. Cargo=218. Fuel=800. EP=800. Agility=6. Marines=350.
Notes: Has a frozen watch, fuel scoops, and purification plant. This
class normally operated in groups of four.
This is the original _Berlin_ class rider. 180 of these riders were
built, and the class was originally meant to serve as part of the core of
the NFN, along with the _Provence_ heavy riders. Riders of this class
were named for cities on Earth.
The class saw extensive action during 5627. In the Old Islands War, it
was found that the Amondiage _Sword_ class was almost perfect for
fighting the _Berlin_. In addition, the weaknesses of the rider concept
were dramatically displayed when half the NFN's riders were captured at
the Third Battle of St. Genevieve because they couldn't retreat from the
system. The disastrous showing of the riders during that war convinced
the Admiralty to drop the rider concept, although riders would remain in
service for several years yet.
During the Topas War, the _Berlin_ made just the opposite impression on
the Serendip Belt when a Light Rider Squadron and a Cruiser Squadron tore
up half the Belter Navy. The _Berlins_ of the Light Rider Squadron were
captured, but the performance of the NFN ships so terrified the Belters
that they later ran away rather than fight an Alliance force.
Following these wars, fourteen of the twenty _Berlins_ captured by the Belt
were given to Topas to serve as the core of its Navy, and the other six
were kept hidden by the Belt. In 5629, the NFN officially gave twenty of
its _Berlins_ to the Alliance Navy.
In 5631, the NFN decided to give their remaining _Berlins_ a Series A
refit. 60 riders received the refit before the Serendip War.
BM-1 Series A K6068H3-C00300-0000A-0 MCr10,755.6 10,000 tons
batteries bearing A Crew=440.
batteries A TL=12(14).
Notes: Has frozen watch, scoops, plant. The refit cost MCr347.6 per ship
and took 9 weeks.
40 of the Series A riders, along with the 80 remaining original model
_Berlins_, participated in the Second Battle of Neubayern, where the
Missile-A bays of the refitted riders helped pulverize one of the Belter
battleships. 73 of the riders were lost, however.
When the Imperials invaded, 20 Series A _Berlins_ were hidden in deep
space. The rest of the class was scuttled (very visibly) in the Neubayern
system to prevent capture by the Imperial Navy. When the Imperials were
thrown out, the 20 _Berlins_ were reactivated to act as system defence
boats for a few months and then were relegated to museums. They never saw
action again.
Kenneth G. Hagler
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