Shrike was a Q-ship in the service of the Axelrod Corporation of Terra.
She massed almost five hundred thousand tons, carried the armament of a top-of-the-line destroyer or cruiser of her time period, and possessed sophisticated sensor suites, smart skins, and ECM equipment.
In 1543 PD, she and her sister ship Banshee were sent along with a force from the Royal Starforce of the Free Duchy of Barca to sent to complete the conquest of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. However, the invasion was unsuccessful and the joint Axelrod-Barca force was forced to retreat. (MA3)