Breen Starships
Breen Starships are designed for one thing: expanding the influence of the Breen Confederacy through destroying or enslaving their enemies. Built with a mix of organic and inorganic components, their ships are often asymmetrical and look more like monsters than spacecraft. Because the Breen are so secretive and xenophobic and because each vessel is, to a certain extent, "grown" as much as it is "built," Starfleet Intelligence has only been able to observe some of their classes.
General Characteristics
Breen starships have been developed almost exclusively for raiding and warfare. With a large section of the Confederacy's cultural mores and economy focused on raiding, most of their ships are able to carry troops to seize the goods and slaves of their enemies, and have the cargo space to make off with them. This means these ships usually have very cramped conditions to make room for barracks and cargo bays. With the Breen conducting military offensives against Starfleet in recent years and continued scraps with the Cardassian Union over the past quarter-century, many of their commanders are battle-hardened and know how to use their ships to best effect. They are, however, likely to be experienced with small border clashes or raiding engagements than full-on deployments, and there is little sign of the Breen Confederacy performing much by way of war games to practice operating in large units.
Starfleet captains are briefed to be wary of the rapid deployments of Breen ships - many of them are quick and highly manoeuvrable, and will use this to their advantage. They are also prone to deploying their landing troops as boarding parties if the opportunity or necessity arises. If trying to protect a location from Breen raiding, captains are advised that they are practiced in tying up their enemies to allow other raiders to get past and make off with their target. A less combat-focused Starfleet crew may occasionally struggle in adapting to the rapidity and versatility of Breen enemies.
Conversely, Starfleet ships have the edge in technology, even if they are less likely to be dedicated warships. A Starfleet captain using their ship's combat capability to capacity should be able to harness their more powerful engines and weapons to secure the advantage. Likewise, a Starfleet ship's scientific capabilities usually makes captains more able to use their environment to their advantage, or identify other weaknesses about their enemies. Starfleet crews that have been heavily trained for combat are likely to be more prepared for Breen tricks, and are more likely to have been drilled on working with other ships in larger-scale deployments.
Plesh Brek Frigate
The smallest warship observed in use by Breen forces, Plesh Brek-class frigates are used in swarms to overwhelm larger vessels. Unlike other Breen starship classes, they are ill-equipped for taking prisoners, as their purpose is to cause destruction and chaos on the battlefield. These are short-range vessels rarely observed outside of Breen space or without the support of larger warships.
They are built for fast strikes and their weapons are entirely forward facing. The primary energy weapon is a heavy disruptor located on a scythe-shaped extended bow and this is is complemented by two medium disruptors on spurs next to the body of the ship. They are extremely maneuverable, but their aft and side-facing shields are weak, which makes them deadly but fragile vessels.
In-Play
- While longer than the Jem'Hadar Fighter, these frigates have about the same internal volume, because their hull is stretched out to be more intimidating. They are about as well-armed, but have much weaker shielding.
- These are patrol vessels you might find around Breen space, but their range means that they usually stay in the system they're assigned to. It would be odd to see them outside of their own space. Their low top speed also means that they would be left behind by the larger fleet, so you'd find them behind the front lines.
- These vessels would be very dangerous in swarms, especially if they were able to surround your ship. Avoid their forward-firing weapons as best as you can.
Plesh Tral Heavy Raider
The Plesh Tral Heavy Raider is a fast and sturdy Breen warship, and the vessel most often encountered by Starfleet along the border. It is not a large vessel, designed to be quick and evasive rather than stand its ground in a fight, but is well-armed and armoured and more than capable of picking apart an enemy piece by piece. Starfleet Intelligence suspects it operates with a reasonably small crew, as the Plesh Tral is known to usually retain aboard a landing force for boarding or raiding actions, as well as having cargo space for anything looted. This leaves little capacity for a crew to operate the ship itself, and conditions aboard must be cramped even by the standards of non-Starfleet ships.
As a scout ship, it has consistently been used to perform reconnaissance of Federation territory, gauging local defences and identifying possible targets for raids or even larger attacks. However, the Plesh Tral is also effective in groups, and is sometimes deployed in wings with two or more other raiders. This can allow multiple raiders to act as a formidable opponent on their own, but is also a common deployment on escort operations of larger ships with more important duties. One raider, when spotted, might be all that's out there - or it could be the harbinger of a bigger strike force for which it's scouting.
These ships are easy to repair and cheap to build. This means lone captains are fond of hit-and-runs where they can take some strikes and patch up later, but it also means that strike force commanders are more willing to sacrifice them entirely to achieve their goals. Due to its size and role, the Plesh Tral often operates independently, and Breen captains are expected to use their own discretion in selecting targets - but this means there is often nobody coming to save them if they misjudge.
In Play
- The Plesh Tral is the ubiquitous 'small' enemy Breen ship - on its own, only a threat to the weakest or smallest of Starfleet ships, but often deployed in wings.
- It's also the most multi-functional of Breen ships. It scouts for appropriate targets, conducts raids against the weakest for supplies or slaves, and provides escort for larger vessels. This means sighting one doesn't mean the Breen want a fight - they might be conducting recon, or they might be expecting lighter opposition than a Starfleet ship and decide against a confrontation.
- The Breen keep a landing force aboard to support their raiding operations, so they can grab goods or slaves and turn tail. But they're not above sending boarding parties in a straight-up fight if they think it'll help.
Chel Grett Cruiser
The Chel Grett-class cruiser, also known as the Breen Interceptor, is a fast, powerful warship that packs significant firepower into a compact frame. These ships are a well-known and feared sight on all of the Breen's borders, and they were used en masse in the Dominion War. These ships are built to take out hostile starships and to return slaves and resources to Breen space. This class is numerous and appears to be the Breen's preferred platform for most mission types.
Bringing the deadly energy dampening weapon into combat, they are a dangerous opponent for much larger Ferengi Alliance and Federation capital ships, to the point that Starfleet has adopted a rare "shoot first" doctrine with these vessels. While the energy dampening weapon is not as effective against modern starships as those in use during the Dominion War, the Breen have continued to fine-tune this weapon to ensure that it will be a threat for the foreseeable future.
As with other Breen vessels, these cruisers have weapons biased towards the front. They are wide but not tall, which presents the smallest target profile for frontal assaults. Bringing together the energy dampening weapon, disruptor cannons, and torpedo launchers, they are capable of withering barrages. The space within these vessels not devoted to weapons or engines is given over to cargo space, where plunder and captives are stored.
In-Play
- This is the Breen Interceptor seen on Deep Space 9 and Lower Decks. We know from LDS that the energy dampening weapon still works to some extent, but the Cerritos was not fully immobilized by it. If you wanted it to be a major threat to your ship, you could definitely write it that way.
- One-on-one, these ships are threat to any Starfleet cruiser or smaller vessel. They're less of a threat to larger Starfleet ships.
- These ships make up the bulk of the Breen Fleet.
Chel Boalg Warship
The Chel Boalg warship lies at the heart of the Breen military. A large, multi-role combatant, it is an impressive warship more likely to be under the command and control of Breen central or regional leadership than the smaller heavy raiders. On borders it is assigned to protect key locations, and has a fairly tight patrol area so it can keep vulnerable or important regions safe. It may still be assigned on raiding missions against tougher targets, and is the largest of Breen ships seen beyond their borders outside of outright war.
With multiple weapon emplacements, a high level of manoeuvrability, and an impressive complement of troops aboard, the Chel Boalg is a versatile and dangerous foe. While nowhere near as fast as the heavy raiders, in a fight it is as quick as any Starfleet ship of its size. If fighting with escorts it tends to hold the centre of any Breen battle lines, drawing and directing fire. On its own, or in larger operations where more of its class are fielded, the Chel Boalg may single out key enemy ships and use its manoeuvrability and firepower to close and pin them down. If the Breen need to get troops on the ground under heavy fire, raiders will often protect a Chel Boalg making a run for the planet or station so it can drop troop transports before returning to the fight.
The presence of a Chel Boalg warship means the Breen have come to fight, especially if accompanied by an escort of heavy raiders. Alone, they are a fair fight for many Starfleet ships, and not easily dispatched by any. Their captains have often been battle-hardened by the recent hostilities with Starfleet and historical conflicts with the Cardassians and Tzenkethi.
In Play
- A run-in with a Chel Boalg warship usually means the Breen expect and are ready for a fight. While it has been seen on its own conducting raids in Federation space against tempting and more well-defended targets, it is often accompanied by heavy raiders.
- In a fair fight, a small Starfleet ship should think twice about engaging. All but the mightiest Starfleet ships should bring reinforcements, tactical brilliance, or not expect to get through the fight unscathed.
- When fighting alongside other ships, the Chel Boalg's role depends on if it is the lone warship. If so, it forms the centre of a flight of heavy raiders and tries to draw enemy fire so those raiders can inflict significant widespread damage. If not, and without other mission objectives to divert it, a Chel Boalg may single out notable enemy ships and use its manoeuvrability and firepower to keep them contained.