Osiris

The Osiris (0913) was an Orion-class assault ship in service of the Colonial Fleet during the Cylon War. She was among the many Orion-class ships pulled from near-retirement by an increasingly desperate fleet. Thanks to her powerful armament and relatively small size, she was often lovingly called a "pocket battlestar." Her final action came over the ice planet Djerba, where she rammed and destroyed a Cylon basestar at the cost of her own destruction.

History#

The Osiris was, most notably, part of a secret Colonial fleet hidden deep within Cylon territory and preparing for the Ghost Fleet Offensive. This force consisted of numerous Colonial ships reported destroyed in various engagements during the first ten years of the First Cylon War, when in reality the vessels and their crews had been assigned to a covert formation known as the Ghost Fleet.

The ship was tasked with deploying one Dr. Kelly to the ice planet Djerba, a former Colonial winter resort destination deep within Cylon territory, on a classified mission believed to be key to bringing about the end of the war. While over Djerba, the Osiris encountered a basestar, and to provide cover for the deploying Raptor, Commander Ozar decided to engage. Due to damage sustained in the opening salvo from the basestar, the Osiris could not fire its nuclear weapons, the blast having damaged its outer launch doors. With her Vipers outnumbered ten to one, Commander Ozar set a collision course with the enemy basestar. The subsequent detonation of her nuclear weapons destroyed the Osiris, the basestar, the Raiders, and all remaining Vipers in the vicinity.

Armament#

The main armament comprised twelve dual kinetic energy weapon batteries. While not the same caliber as those of the Jupiter-class and closer in caliber to the main batteries of the Valkyrie-class, they still posed a significant threat to smaller and medium Cylon vessels. Secondary armament consisted of forty-two dual kinetic energy weapon batteries, which, while no danger to basestars or larger Cylon support ships, could inflict significant damage on smaller Cylon escorts and incoming fighters.

Defenses#

Orion-class assault ships possessed a three-layered defense, one active and two passive. The active layer consisted of thirty-two quad point-defense kinetic energy weapon batteries, mainly located on the stern of the ship, which were capable of producing impressive flak screens against incoming Cylon fighters.

Unlike other Colonial support vessels, whose only passive defense was thick armor plating, the Orion class possessed some of the best stealth technology in the Colonial Navy. While imperfect, this stealth coating allowed these ships to operate for several minutes near a Cylon basestar without being spotted. It can be presumed that smaller ships carrying older or less powerful DRADIS arrays would have had an even harder time detecting this relatively small and agile vessel.

Fighter complement#

The Orion class was capable of supporting a small complement of Viper space superiority fighters, presumably up to a squadron, as well as carrying several Raptor multipurpose craft. It is unknown whether it could support these small craft for long-term deployments or only briefly for short missions. Lacking any flight pods, the pilots of these craft had to land in a relatively small hangar beneath the Orion's engine assembly, a notoriously difficult and unpopular docking maneuver among Colonial pilots.

Computer systems and crew#

Very little is known about the systems of the Orion class. It is presumed that, like other ships of the First Cylon War era, its computer systems were extremely simple and non-networked, which allowed it to resist Cylon infiltration better. Some advanced technology, such as holobands used as a briefing tool, was nonetheless present. The Orion class required a crew of only about 150 to operate, excluding the flight complement, a figure reflected in its cramped onboard design, which was more akin to a submarine than to the larger warships serving during the war.

Propulsion#

Ships of this class had four main rearward-facing sublight engines attached to pods mounted on the stern, one on the port and one on the starboard side, along with numerous maneuvering thrusters scattered throughout the ship's length.