Commentary On Ships of Clement Sector 13: Strikemaster Class Brig By Michael Johnson For The Earth Sector Rpg

 "As the end of the twenty-third century approached, the United States authorized construction of a small warship to reduce the need for the USSN to use larger vessels for escort and patrol duties. Like other major national powers the United States was finding that maintaining a space navy capable of defending her interstellar colonies was an expensive exercise and the hoped for economic offset from those colonies was, in reality, much lower than the projected outcomes had promised. In order to reduce the operating costs of the fleet without reducing its strength, it was determined that a smaller and thus less operationally expensive warship class was needed."

"In 2293 Congress authorized the construction of the Strikemaster-class brig. The selection of the classification of “brig” caused some surprise as the US had not operated a brig for over four hundred years, that role, back in the age of sail, being replaced by fast frigates and corvettes. However, the use of the hull classification was revived with the new design performing exactly the same roles as those larger vessels but at a much reduced cost."

Ships of Clement Sector 13: Strikemaster Class Brig By Michael Johnson is a starship that I've talked about before. And there's a reason for that, the Earth sector is getting ready for war! War against whom is going to depend upon a lot of factors especially economics, factions, and more. And it's the more factor that has so much potential. And why have we come to this conclusion? We have our answer here; "the US had not operated a brig for over four hundred years, that role, back in the age of sail, being replaced by fast frigates and corvettes. However, the use of the hull classification was revived with the new design performing exactly the same roles as those larger vessels". 
The Earth sector is a corporate & interstellar nation based setting with lots of nations both backstabbing & taking full advantage of the outer expansion into the blackness! And whats in the blackness?! Mankind is still his own enemy! Forget the Pogo idiom, 'I have seen the enemy and he is us.' bit here. The fact is that the Frontier of Earth is one of war. War against pirates, opportunitists, other countries, and more. 

In point of fact the Earth sector heading forward reminds me of the golden age of piracy.  Forces that are acting as a pressure cooker in the Earth sector and the construction of the fleet has become a priority as a Earth is actually getting the squeeze by the Frontier from all sides. The wormhole's collapse has accelerated the economic impact of the colonies from within & without. And the Earth sector is mantaining itself or trying to despite the lower echolon of ship size that the blackness of space dictates. 
And yet the Space Western frontier feel of Independence Games books means that time & circumstances make strange bed fellows. Because the unknown is completely unknown. And the threats of space means that pirate, criminal, outlaw, and interstellar forces of law sometimes have ally themselves against the greater threats then they know. Renagade fleets of raiders, colonial corporate mercs, and bands of genocidal madmen all threaten many of Earth sector's colonies. The Strikemaster Class Brig By Michael Johnson is a perfect indicator of the types of threats that the black around Earth sector has produced. This ship represents the response to that threat!