Dominion Jem'Hadar Lich-class Dreadnaught

• INFORMATION CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET
• RELIABILITY CLASSIFICATION; A (multiple direct interactions by multiple Star Fleet assets)

BASIC STATISTICS

Lich-class Dreadnaught

• Class Name  : LICH
• Classification  : Dreadnought
• Type  : BB (Battleship)
• Model Number  : I
• Number in Service: 50 (estimated)
• Designations  :

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Length  : 602 m
• Beam  : 441 m
• Draft  : 126 m
• Displacement  : 9,700,000 mt

COMPLEMENT

• Total Standard  : 1,800
• Vorta  : 10
• Jem 'Hadar  : 1,790
  • Officers  : 90
  • Dedicated Crew : 700
  • Shock Troops  : 1,000

PROPULSION SYSTEMS

Supraluminal Propulsion System

• Drive Type  : DOM-Dr-BB
  • Number  : 3
  • Main Reactor  : DOM-Reac-BB

Sublight System

• Drive Type  : DOM-Thr-BB
  • Number  : 4
  • Secondary Reactor: DOM-Reac2-BB

Velocity (scaled to Federation warp factors - estimated)

• Standard Cruise Speed  : 5.6
• Maximum Cruise Speed  : 8.2
• Sustainable for 12 hours: 8.7
• Maximum Emergency Speed : 9.1
• Core Failure Immenent  : 9.3

ARMAMENT AND DEFENSE

Polaron Beam Emitter

• Number : 12
• Range  : 275,000 km
• Arcs  : 8 forward/port/starboard firing, 4 aft firing

Heavy Polaron Emitter

• Number : 12
• Range  : 250,000 km
• Arcs  : 10 forward/port/starboard firing, 2 aft firing

Plasma Cannons

• Number : 4
• Range  : 200,000
• Arcs  : 4 forward

Compressed Plasma Missiles

• Number : 12 launchers
• Range  : 4,000,000
• Arcs  : 8 forward firing, 4 aft firing

OTHER SYSTEMS

Transporters (folded space)

• Standard, 10-man  : 20
• Combat, 20-man  : 20
• Cargo  : 10

Shuttle Bays

• 4

Embarked Craft (Standard, estimated, specific ships may vary)

• Boarding craft  : 30
• Heavy dropships  : 10
• Shuttlepods  : 10
• Heavy Tank  : 2
• Medium Tank  : 4

TACFLEET Notes

The LICH is the heaviest known ship in the Dominion Navy. First encountered at the Second Battle of GAMMA, these massive firepower platforms proved to be fiercely powerful opponents, capable of decent maneuverability for craft of such size.

The LICH is armed with an impressive array of weapons, ranging from standard polaron beam emitters, to plasma cannons. All fields of fire are covered, though the aft portion of the vessel is relatively bare when compared to the other firing arcs. Commanders faced with the undesirable task of engaging these vessels are encouraged to remain astern of the LICH and to concentrate all attacks there.

These vessels will *never* travel alone. Rather, they will be accompanied by an escort of SPECTRE-class battlecruisers, WRAITH-class heavy cruisers, PHANTOM-class destroyers, and ZOMBIE-class frigates. Together, this battleship, and its escorts, will comprise a dangerous fighting unit. Long range sensor scans have positively identified seven of these fleets, and it is theorized that each of the approximately 50 battleships is similarly screened.

At SBOG, these ships were deadly opponents, capable of dishing out and receiving tremendous amounts of punishment. After-battle analysis has shown that the plasma cannons on each of these ships are about 75% as powerful as the phaser cannons mounted on a ZEUS-class battleship, and the compressed plasma missiles are somewhat less powerful than a standard quantum torpedo. The polaron beams are similar in power to type X phasers, and the heavy polaron beams are about 150% as powerful. The armor protecting the hulls of these craft is extremely tough, and is estimated to be made of a tritanium-duranium network, providing superior protection at a remarkably low density.

Housed on the LICH are an estimated 1,000 Jem 'Hadar shock troops. These troops can be beamed through the shields of a target by use of the Dominion's standard folded space transporters, and can rapidly overwhelm the defenses of the victim ship. Four Starfleet vessels have been reportedly captured by such actions, and numerous craft at SBOG were boarded by the Jem 'Hadar.

These troops can also be ferried to a target by using the approximately 50 boarding craft carried in the LICH's cavernous shuttlebays. 30 standard boarding craft can hold an estimated 12 Jem 'Hadar each. Each standard boarding craft is equipped with a defensive screen system and a single, bow-mounted polaron beam. Each standard boarding craft is equipped with a respectable arsenal of equipment to be utilized in a boarding action. Additionally, these craft are equipped with a folded space transporter to facilitate boarding if it appears that attaching to a target ship will be difficult.

The 10 shuttlepods can transfer 4 Jem 'Hadar each, have navigational deflectors, and a pair of light bow-mounted polaron beams, and have some equipment stowed aboard.

The 10 heavy dropships can transport approximately 60 Jem 'Hadar and an assortment of boarding gear, including personal deflectors, hand weapons, grenades (capable of releasing poisonous gases or merely exploding), armor suits, and so on. These heavy dropships have quite good acceleration and manueverability, and are also equipped with defensive screens and a pair of rapid-firing bow-mounted polaron beams. These craft have two folded space transporters to supplement any boarding action, and will rely on these systems if it will be difficult or impossible to dock with a target.

In the event that transporters are not used, all boarding ships have an advanced hull-penetration mechanism that works by attaching a boarding tube to the hull by means of a gravito-magnetic interface. After attachment, the troops inside can either attach explosive charges to the hull and blast their way in via a controlled explosion, or they can (and usually do) activate a micro-cutting assembly to carefully and quickly drill through the hull.

When the hull has been penetrated, the gravito-magnetic field forms an air-tight seal and the troops can enter the ship. (Boarding craft will attempt to board not by merely crashing into a ship, bow first, but will endeavor to nestle their underbellies against the hull and activate the attachment/penetration systems -- standard boarding craft and shuttle pods have one such mechanism, large dropships have approximately three).

The boarding actions not only begin to seize control of a ship internally. And even if the boarders are repelled, the target ship will have a two-meter diameter hole in its hull at each point that a dropship attached. These breaches will require energy to be expended to drop force fields to maintain hull integrity after the dropships et al depart. In extreme cases, the hull breaches alone will have done sufficient structural damage to a target so that it will not be able to form a warpfield.

Yet, this completely disregards what sort of havoc the Jem 'Hadar boarders might wreak while inside the ship, planting explosives, killing crew, and blasting everything in sight.

Boarding actions are *generally* carried out by docking mechanism when the primary objective is to cripple a ship, and then escape. However, when transporters are damaged, the docking mechanism becomes the only means of boarding a vessel.

When capturing the target is desired, the transporters will be used to beam Jem 'Hadar to sensitive areas of a ship (the bridge, engineering, auxilliary control, etcetera), in hopes to rapidly gain control of the target. Alternatively, when it looks like the time required to successfully dock with the hull of a target ship will result in the destruction of the boarding craft, the transporters are obviously used.

When used as a planetary assault platform, the LICH can deploy 6 tanks to a planetary surface (2 heavy, 4 medium). These tanks are armed with polaron beams, plasma grenade launchers, and are shielded. The 50 boarding vehicles can double as air superiority craft, as each of these are armed.

The LICH also carries in its standard arsenal a large assortment of biological weapons, including sterilization bombs, death spores, viral warfare clusters, hydrocontaminating toxin bombs, teratogenic affectors, and so on. The purpose of these weapons is not to decimate a planet by burning off the atmosphere or shattering the planetary crust, but, rather, to punish rebellious worlds by subjecting them to generation after generation of endless suffering, hideous genetic deformities, tainted agriculture, poisoned water sources, etcetera -- worlds made an example of by these brutal means are frequently powerful enough symbols to quash even the idea of insurrection on other Dominion planets.

These bio weapons can be deployed from orbit, or launched from any shuttlecraft. It is not known whether or not the Dominion has antidotes to some or all of these agents.

The LICH is not a ship to be trifled with. The major weakness of the craft is its relatively low cruise / maximum speeds, which will keep Jem 'Hadar fleets cruising at speeds below warp 6. This craft alone can not pursue an undamaged opponent and expect to catch it - Federation commanders will need to keep this in mind. At present, the top speed of ANY Dominion craft is warp 9.7 - 9.8. As such, engagements *can* be avoided. However, there will be times when combat is unavoidable due to the constraints of geography, escape route vectors, and the potential risks involved with leaving a given site undefended.