UNMC Fleet Support Ship

Overview
The UNMC Fleet Support Ship (or Fleet Support Vessel, simply FSV) is a fairly large type of starship operated by the UNNF. Originally, the FSV was used to provide food, water, raw materials, equipment and the like to UNMC Colonization ships as humanity spread all over the galaxy. However, with the outbreak of the Rebel Insurrection the UNMC re-purposed their support ships to supply rations, weapons, ammunition, and other military necessities to any UNMC ships and the crews aboard. The FSV has stayed with this role ever since, and although limited numbers of them still remain attached to the UNMC Colonization Fleet, most are now used under the banner of the military. The Navy fields a fleet of around 500 of these vessels, dividing them among their own extensive starship fleet as well as providing support for the formidable but smaller UNAC Fleet.

History
The FSV was first introduced in 2122, in parallel with the development of humanity's first Colonization ships. Until the first departure of the Sol system, the few FSVs that were in service supported the new and growing UNC colonies spreading around Luna and Mars, as well as several under-construction space stations around Jupiter. With the launch of the Colonization Ships, FSVs began to see a long history of blazing the trail into the stars, travelling with the Navy to discover new opportunities for humankind. FSVs faithfully supported millions upon millions of colonists that ventured past Sol, and more of the ships were continuously constructed as their effectiveness grew more prevalent.

The Split
As the UNC was plunged into chaos in 2264, many human starships started to undergo a shift from peaceful colony vessels to capable war machines. With this jarring change, FSV's started transporting less colonization necessities and more stocks of ammunition, weapons, armor, and portable military structures to bolster the UNC's frontlines. Over the years, the UNMC Colonization Fleet became smaller and smaller, but FSVs only increased in production to fill the demand of the many UNMC starships attempting to drive the rebels out of the Core Systems. By 2315, this goal was met and some FSVs were returned to the UNMCCF.

EMPIRE Campaign
During EMPIRE's assault on UNC space from 2327-2336, several FSVs were stolen by the organization as they couldn't do much to defend from boarders. By 2333, the UNMC had started assigning UNAC soldiers to stay aboard FSVs, many times also training the crew to defend against hostile EMPIRE forces. This tactic actually prevented at least 22 boarding assaults over the course of the campaign and likely saved the lives of several thousand UNNF personnel as well as billions of credits in UNMC equipment.

Factions War
FSVs were unfortunately considered prime targets by the ARC during the Factions War, and if caught by an ARC fleet they would usually be hunted down. Although incidents of lone FSV groups being without UNNF or UNAC military forces were extremely rare, they did happen at least 5 times during the war and resulted in 24 FSVs being destroyed. Normally, the ARC would simply fire on sight but there were some instances of the ARC actually boarding the defenseless ships to steal UNMC technology. One such instance is remembered for being a clever trap by the crew of the UNS Fairchild, who after having their group pursued by 14 ARC ships, evacuated to another support ship: the UNS Gregorian. When the ARC came across the seemingly disabled Fairchild, they sent several boarding teams to scour the vessel, and upon the fleet gathering around the ship to release boarders the evacuated crew remotely detonated the Fairchild's supply of HP MK901 "Cherokee" Fusion Warheads. The trap effectively devastated the ARC battlegroup, destroying 7 of their ships and leaving another 4 disabled. In their honor, the crew of the Fairchild was invited back to Earth and commended, receiving multiple honors and were later re-introduced to the fleet aboard the UNS Fairchild II.

Current day
FSVs continue to support the UNMC fleets, although with the Human-Exohuman War in full swing they now typically carry much more supplies for the besieged Earth. Fortunately, the War is currently contained to the Sol System and allows FSVs to bring abundant supplies to the planet and its starship defenders in very short amounts of time.

Compliment
A single FSV can carry substantial amounts of provisions and military supplies, and even before their military history the vessels were capable of carrying more than enough supplies to sustain a significant colony for months and at times even years. Modern FSVs are lightly armored and as such can not stand up to even the smallest warships in a straight-up fight, although they are not meant for combat in the first place. In the event of detecting an enemy presence, FSVs are simply advised to transition to I.T. and escape the area immediately, a rule followed almost without incident throughout their military history. If escape is at the time impossible, FSVs are capable of limited offensive power, with modern ships being equipped with 6 railgun turrets and 7 STS missile silos, however this arrangement is sorely underpowered by modern UNMC starship standards. Despite this, there have been some recorded instances of FSVs inflicting considerable damage to enemy forces before being overrun and boarded, destroyed, or simply retreating.