Art: Mirror Universe Ships [3]
Linked contents
2223: Project Halley (Lower Decks)
[X] Loading Deck (4 Engineering, 16 Type-F Shuttlecraft, 6 Cargo]
The loading deck is a compromise between shuttle capacity and internal cargo, but not one that is necessarily inferior. Four external doors are added to accommodate the new shuttlebays, each reinforced to help reduce their comparative weakness to hull plating. Meanwhile the core of the four decks being used are repurposed into easily accessible cargo bays, the content of which the shuttle complement will be able to rapidly deploy or stock as circumstances demand.
That leaves the lower decks the final part of the ship that remains largely empty. This is where you will install the second set of facilities that will enhance the ship's capabilities. There are two options of note. The first is a set of fabrication workshops, which will be able to take raw materials and process them into useful components. While anything especially complicated is beyond their capability and the raw materials must already be semi-processed it does allow the extrapolation of feedstock into otherwise difficult-to-acquire parts that may be useful on the frontier. This will enable the repair of all but the most critically damaged civilian technology and basic patch jobs on larger starship components that cannot be replaced outside of drydock. Certainly beneficial for a logistics vessel.
The second option is to lean more into the large interior and set up a triage deck. Medical emergencies are not unusual when responding to distress calls, and those that involve colonies rather than single starships can rapidly overwhelm the medical capacities of any vessel. In addition to carrying with it the bulk cargo often necessary in rebuilding efforts or setting up new colonies, the triage deck would also allow the ship to respond to crises in the outer Federation where its projected duties of supplying Starfleet's more far-flung endeavours would ordinarily take it.
[ ] Fabrication Workshops (+12 Engineering) [Fabrication]
[ ] Triage Deck (+6 Science) [Advanced Medical] [Triage]
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
The loading deck is a compromise between shuttle capacity and internal cargo, but not one that is necessarily inferior. Four external doors are added to accommodate the new shuttlebays, each reinforced to help reduce their comparative weakness to hull plating. Meanwhile the core of the four decks being used are repurposed into easily accessible cargo bays, the content of which the shuttle complement will be able to rapidly deploy or stock as circumstances demand.
That leaves the lower decks the final part of the ship that remains largely empty. This is where you will install the second set of facilities that will enhance the ship's capabilities. There are two options of note. The first is a set of fabrication workshops, which will be able to take raw materials and process them into useful components. While anything especially complicated is beyond their capability and the raw materials must already be semi-processed it does allow the extrapolation of feedstock into otherwise difficult-to-acquire parts that may be useful on the frontier. This will enable the repair of all but the most critically damaged civilian technology and basic patch jobs on larger starship components that cannot be replaced outside of drydock. Certainly beneficial for a logistics vessel.
The second option is to lean more into the large interior and set up a triage deck. Medical emergencies are not unusual when responding to distress calls, and those that involve colonies rather than single starships can rapidly overwhelm the medical capacities of any vessel. In addition to carrying with it the bulk cargo often necessary in rebuilding efforts or setting up new colonies, the triage deck would also allow the ship to respond to crises in the outer Federation where its projected duties of supplying Starfleet's more far-flung endeavours would ordinarily take it.
[ ] Fabrication Workshops (+12 Engineering) [Fabrication]
[ ] Triage Deck (+6 Science) [Advanced Medical] [Triage]
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
2224: Project Halley (Auxiliary Systems)
[X] Fabrication Workshops (+12 Engineering) [Fabrication]
Having installed the hefty material-processing facilities needed for a versatile manufacturing capability you move on to the final set of accessible spaces. There are three major areas towards the bottom of the primary hull that could house additional systems, and you have a couple of choices for each. The first space could be used for either antimatter storage to expand the Halley's operating range or a science lab to give the ship the ability to carry out basic investigations. If it ends up transporting cargo to undeveloped regions or the outer colonies the capability could come in handy.
The second space could be used either as a geology lab or a secondary computer core, both with the aim of boosting the Halley's ability to process data on its surroundings or areas of interest. Somewhat relatedly, the final empty area could be used for a geophysics laboratory to analyse planetary dynamics at any colonies the ship delivers to or to create a recreational space for the crew to take the edge off the long and repetitive journeys that are likely to comprise the vast majority of the design's service life.
[ ] 1: Antimatter Storage (+70ly Operating Range)
[ ] 1: Science Labs (+4 Science)
[ ] 2: Geology (+2 Science)
[ ] 2: Secondary Computer Core (+2 Science, Advanced Computing)
[ ] 3: Recreational Spaces (Crew Comfort)
[ ] 3: Geophysics (+2 Science)
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
Having installed the hefty material-processing facilities needed for a versatile manufacturing capability you move on to the final set of accessible spaces. There are three major areas towards the bottom of the primary hull that could house additional systems, and you have a couple of choices for each. The first space could be used for either antimatter storage to expand the Halley's operating range or a science lab to give the ship the ability to carry out basic investigations. If it ends up transporting cargo to undeveloped regions or the outer colonies the capability could come in handy.
The second space could be used either as a geology lab or a secondary computer core, both with the aim of boosting the Halley's ability to process data on its surroundings or areas of interest. Somewhat relatedly, the final empty area could be used for a geophysics laboratory to analyse planetary dynamics at any colonies the ship delivers to or to create a recreational space for the crew to take the edge off the long and repetitive journeys that are likely to comprise the vast majority of the design's service life.
[ ] 1: Antimatter Storage (+70ly Operating Range)
[ ] 1: Science Labs (+4 Science)
[ ] 2: Geology (+2 Science)
[ ] 2: Secondary Computer Core (+2 Science, Advanced Computing)
[ ] 3: Recreational Spaces (Crew Comfort)
[ ] 3: Geophysics (+2 Science)
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
Art: Freighters
Art: Mirror Universe Ships [4]
Mechanis
Confirmed Extremely Screwed
- Location
- Absconding with Alacrity
DTI threat Report: Conqueror class Battleship
Monitoring of parallel timeline 002 (the "Mirror Universe") continues to show a disturbing and frequently alarming degree of militancy, xenophobia, and imperialism extremely at odds with our own policies and culture. The Conqueror class is a blatant example of this phenomenon—while in many ways significantly less sophisticated technologically than our own modern vessels, the Conqueror nonetheless boasts superior warp speed, vastly superior offensive capacity, and to some degree superior durability to our own top-line vessels. However, the methods by which this is achieved result in considerably greater technical complexity and cost, and significantly lesser efficiency, and flexibility compared to our own vessels. We estimate that most theoretical next generation Explorer designs would require no less than a three-to-one numerical superiority to engage a Conqueror in battle, but would likely cost only a quarter as much to construct, and one-sixth to one-tenth as much to operate—while remaining far more capable than a Conqueror in any arena save direct battle.
On the other hand, this performance is primarily achieved by highly inefficient, technically complex "brute force" solutions which are reaching a technical plateau—The Terran Empire has not benefited from the level of technological progression we in the prime timeline have, as the combination of xenophobia and literally cutthroat culture has caused many analogs to our own best scientific minds to be either dead, never born, or never sufficiently educated to make various breakthroughs in field as wide as mathematics, subspace field theory, and materials science. Further, like many empires of its type throughout history, the Terran Empire has in large part over-emphasized the development of certain technologies and neglected others, resulting in highly uneven technical development compared to the prime timeline.
In summary, our vessels are less capable as warships, but more capable in all other metrics pound for pound, including cost per unit. This is, to some degree, not surprising, as the Terran Empire is known to focus its designs on pure warfighting capacity over all other considerations.
Warp Systems
The Conqueror class is, like our own Sagarmatha class, a four-nacelle design, with each in a vertical pair. These are high-performance "Class C" warp nacelles, developed as effective counterparts to our own Type Three nacelles.
Nacelle Analysis
Similar to our Type Three, the Class C nacelle uses a field-focused bussard assembly; however, they have achieved even greater plasma density (and thus performance) through the addition of multiple small tractor emitters in a ring configuration, which "sweep" nearby interstellar medium into the main bussard field, at the expense of significantly greater technical complexity and cost per unit.
Similarly, unlike our own Type Three, the Class C utilizes a complex plasma-compression system with a two-stage high-low system with inner high-pressure coils and outer low-pressure coils with traditional plasma vents. This provides even greater performance than all but the most optimistic estimates for our own version of the constrictor technology, as well as effectively eliminating the "wind-up" time required (as the outer coil assembly can be activated while the inner, high-performance coils are "warming") but, obviously, requires twice as many warp coils per nacelle, substantially increasing both complexity and cost. The system is also dangerously vulnerable should the inner coils suffer from any significant casualty; theoretical analysis suggests that mechanical failures that our own version of the technology would have survived (albeit at reduced capacity) can result in the total systemic destruction of the entire nacelle, and severe enough overstress of the system can result in rapid unplanned disassembly of the entire nacelle assembly including pylon.
Like our own Type Three, the Class C utilizes a polyferride alloy for increased temperature tolerance, though the precise formulation is divergent from our own (see appendix 3) it does not appear to be significantly different in production cost or performance to that developed for the Type Three.
Similarly, the Class C utilizes cryonitrium intercooling systems routed through an external vane for higher performance, though the overall greater complexity of the double-coil system results in comparatively greater technical complexity and cost; especially as it must be highly pressurized and rapidly cycled during maximum performance due to the various other features of the Class C. We estimate that this functionally results in a lesser gain in performance overall compared to our own version of the technology, due to the high-performance nature of the other nacelle systems.
The Class C also uses an asymmetrical field stabilizer—unlike our own version of the technology, this has been standard for Terran Empire vessels since their own "Class B" nacelles, though the early versions of the technology were significantly less efficient than our own theoretical prototypes. The distinctive conical shape of the technology offers a very different visual appearance to our own standard models.
Finally, the Class C is significantly longer than our type three, with two warp coil assemblies—in effect, each Class C has four times as many warp coils as our own Type Three due to its coil-in-coil design.
In Summery, the Terran Empire Class C nacelle is capable of significantly greater performance than our own Type Three, but is approximately four times as complex and five times as expensive, whilst also being significantly more vulnerable to catastrophic failure should something go wrong with its high performance systems.
Warp Core Analysis
The Terran Empire has pioneered a "multi-chamber" warp core with intriguing technical solutions to otherwise limited technology. They have not, it seems, made a number of key breakthroughs in materials science and technical design which allowed our own linear reaction chambers to continue expanding in size, nor have they developed the central chamber design being pioneered for the Warp Eight engine currently in development. Instead, they have paired similar magnetic constrictor systems to those of the Warp Eight engine with multiple linear reaction chambers arranged in a multiplex array. This is significantly less space efficient, far less fuel efficient, more expensive and more technically complex than our single core designs, and projections suggest that certain subspace phenomenon could cause dangerous resonance effects in the core's plasma system, but allows high performance, equivalent to perhaps a theoretical "Warp Eight-Point-Five" engine. Combined with the high performance Class C nacelle, these allow vessels shocking speed despite their relative technical development being inferior to our own, effectively through "brute force" methods.
The Conqueror carries ten such reaction chambers in two linear arrays of five, occupying much of the secondary hull above the shuttlebay. Antimatter and the primary hydrogen tanks are located forward of the shuttlebay in an armored fuel bunker, and the vessel carries significantly more of both fuels than our own designs, with twelve large antimatter pods and three massive spherical hydrogen tanks. Despite this, the ship has an effective range of only sixty light-years due to its highly inefficient multi-chamber design.
Summery: In spite of lesser technical sophistication, the Terran Empire multiplex warp core provides higher performance than even our next generation Warp Eight design, at the expense of being four to six times as expensive, three to four times as complex, and having approximately a quarter the fuel efficiency of our own designs, as well as being substantially larger in hull real estate required.
Deflector Analysis
Unlike our own current-generation deflectors, the Terran Empire appears to have made fairly little advance from their initial designs (comparable to our own Type Ones) other than simply scaling them up as needed. This has, we estimate, resulted in a technical debt with regards to both their speed (with development focused on nacelle and warp core design in that order of priority) and scientific flexibility—our own, more sophisticated models are increasingly proving vital tools for a variety of functions beyond simple particle deflection, and we expect that this trend will continue. Increasing inefficiency as size increases has also resulted in an effective increase in cost similar to our own, but without the accompanying improvement in performance.
In Summery: Terran Empire deflectors are less sophisticated—even crude—less flexible, and less capable in effectively every way, despite similar manufacturing costs to our own current-generation deflectors. In this area our technology is unquestionably and objectively superior.
Weapons
The Conqueror class is, as its "Battleship" designation implies, effectively a pure warship with minimal scientific or engineering capacity despite its enormous size. Much of the ship's volume is devoted to weapons systems, additional power generation, and other warfighting machinery; even the vessel's hangar is primarily devoted to single-man attack craft ("Fighters") and assault-boarding/landing ships rather than the shuttles common to prime timeline vessels.
Weapons
The Conqueror class is extremely heavily armed with two different types of energy weapon mounts and a heavy torpedo armament that make it one of the most formidable fighting vessels of which Starfleet is currently aware in any capacity.
Energy Weapons
The Conqueror class is armed with two types of energy weapon mounts: the "Class F" Phase-Pulse Cannon is widely used on Terran Empire vessels. These weapons are derived from the same phase cannon technology used during the United Earth period, but the fairly early adoption of less technically sophisticated—and therefore cheaper—Disruptors as the "primary" weapon has resulted in a drastically divergent development path for these weapons. Rather than increasing particle density and firing dwell time which eventually lead to modern phasers, the Terran Empire has developed phase cannon technology for extreme rapid fire, target tracking, and arc-coverage ability, as well as additional miniaturization. The end result of this development is the "Class F," which mounts three individual xx centimeter emitters in a high-angle, rapid traverse turret, typically mounted in pairs. These weapons are relatively short ranged and low output, but their high rate of fire and tracking speed make them effective at targeting small attack craft, torpedoes, mines, and similar hazards before they can impact the ship's shields. Additionally, in close range combat, they have proven effective at suppressing shield regeneration and inflicting light but widespread damage to surface features of large vessels that are without shields. The low per second energy costs allow effectively all of these weapons to fire simultaneously off of the ship's main power grid.
Secondly, the "Class D" Disruptor is a beam weapon comparable in power to our own modern phasers, being approximately two-thirds as powerful. Unlike our own vessels, these weapons are powered primarily by local dedicated fusion reactors, allowing many to be fired simultaneously without overstressing the ship's main power grid; though it should also be noted that each battery has its own dedicated power trunk directly from the ship's warp core. Overall the Conqueror outputs energy fire well in excess of the capabilities of prime timeline vessels, with twenty disruptors (arranged in ten paired batteries, nine of which are located in the ship's saucer section, with the tenth in the engineering section) and nineteen pairs of phase-pulse cannons, twelve distributed around the saucer's circumference with six on each surface, and seven covering the engineering hull.
Torpedoes
The Conqueror carries an extremely heavy torpedo armament split between four separate bays, two four tube arrangements in the saucer section to fore and five aft tubes split into a twin and triple bay in the engineering hull. Combined with its heavy firepower in energy weapons, the Conqueror is more than a match for any other starship of which Starfleet is currently aware.
In summary: the Conqueror is extremely heavily armed, capable of outputting more firepower than any single vessel of which we are currently aware.
Other Systems
Shields
Terran Empire shield technology notably lags behind our own. They have largely compensated for this by both retaining energized hull polarization and investing in a redundant shield grid which allows a second shield to be raised inside the perimeter of the first just before it collapses, though this has significantly impacted the costs of their hulls and effectively doubled the cost of their shield systems; the latter of which are in current generation only approximately a third again the strength of our now well outdated Type One shields.
Small Craft
The Conqueror carries only two conventional general purpose shuttlecraft similar to our own. The majority of the ship's large hangar is devoted to attack craft, carrying twenty single-seat fighters armed with three disruptor cannons, and four large "Pinnaces" which serve as boarding and landing craft for the ship's complement of marines. Two standard shuttles (functionally identical to the Type F in most respects) supplement this.
Sublight Engines
Similar to shield technology, Terran Empire impulse engines notably lag behind our own in effectiveness. Their engines here are little advanced from those of United Earth prior to the founding of the Federation, and as a consequence the Conqueror requires a whopping six individual impulse engines to achieve what we would call an "average" level of maneuverability, with the obvious fuel consumption and significant cost increases compared to our own vessels.
Other Capabilities
The Conqueror has extremely minimal ability in non-combat roles; while it possesses a number of cargo bays and an onboard machine shop, the ship has effectively no scientific capability whatsoever outside a medical bay primarily to serve its marine complement. It can be assumed that in any situation other than direct combat, the Conqueror will be inferior to a Starfleet vessel even a quarter of its size.
Overall Summary
The Conqueror is big, heavily armed and very fast, but less durable than a Starfleet vessel of equal size would be, drastically less capable in any situation other than combat, and hilariously more expensive to construct and operate both. Whilst certainly impressive in battle, we do not recommend attempting to develop an equivalent unit at this time, though certain design elements may be discreetly inserted into the discourse of our current design think-tanks.
General Statistics:
Saucer Diameter: 180 meters
Engineering Hull Diameter: 40 meters
Engineering Hull Length: 120 meters (top), 58 meters (bottom)
Maximum Warp: 8.7
Maximum Cruise: 7.6
Efficient Cruise: 6.5
Effective Range: 60 LY (120 LY with resupply at destination)
Maneuverability: Low Medium
@Sayle
Got the Big Lad for you. You may now go "GOOD LORD" at those nacelles.[/hr]
2224: Project Halley (Name)
[X] 1: Antimatter Storage (+70y Operating Range)
[X] 2: Secondary Computer Core (+2 Science, Advanced Computing)
[X] 3: Recreational Spaces (Crew Comfort)
The final fittings of the ship mark the end of a long process. The Halley has now been fitted with extra antimatter tanks to expand its range, a secondary computer core to allow more non-critical shipboard operations, and some recreational spaces to assist in crew comfort. There is something to be said for a well-stocked bar and a small cinema to make long and repetitive hauls tolerable.
The ship itself stands out for more than just its utilitarian objectives. The orb gives it a rather stocky and compact appearance compared to the more classical Starfleet lines that give the impression of speed or sleek flight. As if that wasn't eye-catching enough, the new golden hue of the duratanium-enhanced hull is certainly a new look that will define the next generation of Federation starships. Fortunately it takes a very close look indeed to identify the microfractures in the plating's microcrystalline structure, which is currently being studied planetside. At least corrections to the manufacturing process should iron that out in a reasonable timeframe.
The new systems are more expensive than their predecessors, but such is the price of progress. You are content that you have planned a design that does not simply compete with the Newton-class on simple cost but instead introduces alternate mission profiles. You're not likely to find much enthusiasm in Starfleet Tactical, to be sure, but other divisions will no doubt be more receptive. The shakedown cruise will determine your exact fortunes on that front when the final numbers on performance are in.
But before the Halley launches she needs a name. So far there are three themes in the running. The first is inspired by the project name and purports to name any further ships after famous comets. You could certainly do worse than some stellar inspiration. The second proposal is the Hemiunu, after the architect of the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt. Not an unsuitable choice given the constructive tasks the Halley is likely to undertake for most of its lifetime. Finally there is the Archer-class, since this is one of the last ships that will use Henry Archer's warp engine design. The remainder of the ships will be named after other famous engineers and inventors.
[ ] Halley-class. After comets.
[ ] Hemiunu-class. After famous builders and architects.
[ ] Archer-class. After famous engineers.
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
[X] 2: Secondary Computer Core (+2 Science, Advanced Computing)
[X] 3: Recreational Spaces (Crew Comfort)
The final fittings of the ship mark the end of a long process. The Halley has now been fitted with extra antimatter tanks to expand its range, a secondary computer core to allow more non-critical shipboard operations, and some recreational spaces to assist in crew comfort. There is something to be said for a well-stocked bar and a small cinema to make long and repetitive hauls tolerable.
The ship itself stands out for more than just its utilitarian objectives. The orb gives it a rather stocky and compact appearance compared to the more classical Starfleet lines that give the impression of speed or sleek flight. As if that wasn't eye-catching enough, the new golden hue of the duratanium-enhanced hull is certainly a new look that will define the next generation of Federation starships. Fortunately it takes a very close look indeed to identify the microfractures in the plating's microcrystalline structure, which is currently being studied planetside. At least corrections to the manufacturing process should iron that out in a reasonable timeframe.
The new systems are more expensive than their predecessors, but such is the price of progress. You are content that you have planned a design that does not simply compete with the Newton-class on simple cost but instead introduces alternate mission profiles. You're not likely to find much enthusiasm in Starfleet Tactical, to be sure, but other divisions will no doubt be more receptive. The shakedown cruise will determine your exact fortunes on that front when the final numbers on performance are in.
But before the Halley launches she needs a name. So far there are three themes in the running. The first is inspired by the project name and purports to name any further ships after famous comets. You could certainly do worse than some stellar inspiration. The second proposal is the Hemiunu, after the architect of the Pyramid of Khufu in Egypt. Not an unsuitable choice given the constructive tasks the Halley is likely to undertake for most of its lifetime. Finally there is the Archer-class, since this is one of the last ships that will use Henry Archer's warp engine design. The remainder of the ships will be named after other famous engineers and inventors.
[ ] Halley-class. After comets.
[ ] Hemiunu-class. After famous builders and architects.
[ ] Archer-class. After famous engineers.
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
| Class | Project Halley | Newton-class |
| Design Team | Utopia Planitia | San Francisco |
| Mass | 150000 | 130000 |
| Single Target Rating | 8 | 14 |
| Multi-Target Rating | 4 | 4 |
| Average Damage | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Max Sustained Damage | 11 | 17 |
| Alpha Strike Damage | 23 | 41 |
| Coverage | 50% | 38% |
| Maneuverability | Medium | High |
| Defense Rating | 30 | 23 |
| Engineering | 28 | 12 |
| Science | 4 | 4 |
| Efficient Cruise | 5.2 | 5.6 |
| Maximum Cruise | 6.2 | 6.4 |
| Maximum Warp | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| Operational Range | 140 | 86 |
| Ratings | ||
| Cost | B- | B |
| Tactical Rating | C- | B |
| Engineering Rating | S | B- |
| Science Rating | D- | D- |
Art: Sagarmatha-class Explorer
2225: Project Halley (Retrospective)
[X] Archer-class. After famous engineers.
It's ugly and I hate it. I'll take ten.
-- Admiral Wright, Starfleet Logistics
…of the three ships entering service in the second half of the 2220s, the Radiant deserves a small mention for its production run of only four ships and for being the first ship to be built with an additional set of nacelles for cruise-cycling. The Radiant-class was able to cruise at a maximum of warp 6.7 by alternating the nacelles generating the warp field, allowing one set to cool while the other took up the load. The 25% increase in raw speed proved useful when time was short, but ultimately did not justify the extra expense. Faced with a classical dilemma where the ship could not showcase its advantages unless it was one of the closest ships to an emergency but could not be the closest ship to an emergency without a much larger production run skewing probability in its favour, Starfleet opted to scrap the idea entirely.
The Radiant finally got its day in the sun during the Four Years War, during which three of the four commissioned vessels were destroyed while undertaking vital relief and emergency efforts during the opening stages of the conflict. It is estimated that prompt delivery of supplies and medical assistance prevented the deaths of thousands to preventable illness and resource scarcity before the increasingly dangerous forays into Klingon-overrun territory eventually caught up with the ships and their crews.
Between 2225 and 2230, the berths at Utopia Planitia and San Francisco were dominated by two ships: the Newton and the Archer. Of these the Newton was the more popular design, being a much needed intermediary in mass between the austerely kitted and last-generation Selachii and the heavier Saladin. As interior transport and emergency response ships they were well suited thanks to their doubled shuttle complement, and the manoeuvrability provided by their twin impulse engines allowed their heavy forward armament to engage both Klingon raiders and Orion pirates on if not equal terms then at least practicable ones.
Starfleet Tactical considered the Newton as an acceptable replacement for the Saladin in terms of capability, if not in terms of cost. While a scattering of Saladin-class ships continued production as increasing concern developed over Klingon encroachment the cruise speed of the single-nacelle ships was becoming increasingly concerning, the majority of drydocks switched to the Newton. Despite the Newton massing less for the same cost it became the favoured tool for plugging the increasing patrol and control issues the Federation was facing with the accession of new member worlds expanding its territory. The accession of the Arcadian, Deltan, and Zaranite homeworlds bringing Federation membership to a round twenty species was straining the service to its limits.
Starfleet would launch sixteen Newton-class ships in the six years leading up to 2230, with a further fourteen in the decade thereafter. This blistering pace consuming more than half of the Sol System's fleetbuilding capacity would persist until the end stages of the Heavy Cruiser project. The time before the Four Years War was the time of the Newton-class, its pearlescent-white hull and distinctive silhouette becoming the face of Starfleet for an entire generation. Unfortunately it would struggle in the high-tempo campaigns of the Four Years War due to its top speed and inability to face the fearsome Klingon D7 - a ship which had the unfortunate habit of outpacing Starfleet and the firepower to turn every engagement into an unequal fight.
Less sung but perhaps more groundbreaking was the Archer-class. Sometimes classified erroneously as a tug by unofficial sources, the Archer class would quietly become the backbone of Starfleet logistics for the next fifty years. Credit should also be given for its pioneering efforts in the adoption of new technology: it perfected the Duranium-alloy hull and made massive strides towards standardising new impulse engines. Starfleet was not enthusiastic about the Archer, viewing it as underarmed for anything beyond self-defense against non-state actors. This capability nonetheless served it well over its lifetime against piracy, but the number of Archer-class ships that survived direct engagements during the Four Years War can be counted on one hand for good reason. Those that did manage to repel the Klingons were those accosted by individual Birds-of-Prey which could be drawn into warp and then dissuaded by aft torpedoes. Encounters with heavier-weight vessels were universally fatal.
Tactical capabilities aside, the Archer nonetheless filled a vital niche in the expanding Starfleet. With Federation territory now encompassing an uneven bubble of over 150 light years across it could take over a year for the current cadre of Starships to transit from one border to another. This was even more pronounced in the civilian sector, where a ship launched from Earth could expect to take over a year and a half to reach the border, and almost certainly more than a year to arrive at new colonies. By comparison the Archer could handle similar loads to the majority of the cargo service and make the trip in a third the time. Reasoning that an improved logistical situation in general and improved response time in particular would reduce the strain on Starfleet deployments in the border regions, Starfleet Logistics ordered a run of ten Archer-class ships.
The postings were not prestigious, as demonstrated by the fact that the majority of Archer-class captains held the rank of Commander, but in the following years a rapid perfusion of supply and infrastructure into the extremities of the Federation's influence resulted in a sharp drop in colonial emergencies and accelerated the deployment of Starfleet border outposts. In 2232, after a two-year gap in the construction of the Archer-class, a further twelve ships were ordered. Another run was being planned but the outbreak of the Four Year War spelled an end to construction. But following the conclusion of hostilities Starfleet was compelled by necessity to replace its losses, and between 2245 and 2260 another eighteen Archer-class vessels were constructed.
The ships became a common sight at both the Pharos Bases and smaller Starfleet outposts, forging logistic routes from port to port as they travelled from the core member worlds out towards the edges of Federation influence. The majority of their duties consisted of bulk transport, but the ships soon developed a warm reputation in the outer colonies as the ships that would arrive to assist with major infrastructure or supply shortages. The Archer-class UFS Stephenson was the first responder to the Tarsus IV Massacre, having transported over forty kilotons of grain to relieve the famine. Their reputation was somewhat less warm among the crews of combatants in the Four Years War, where the Archer-class was sometimes derisively referred to as 'the Vulture-class' due to its assignment of hanging back a fifth of a light year behind its accompanying fleet and then only moving in to assist with repair and rescue after any victorious engagement had concluded.
Regardless of reputation, the Archer ceased to be produced after 2260 and remained in general service until 2310. By that point the difficulty of sourcing replacement parts and the reduced usefulness of its now limited cruising speed resulted in the remaining vessels being recalled for decommissioning. Of the remaining fifteen ships that had survived both combat and advanced age in service, eleven were broken up for raw material and scarce components while four survived by being transferred to the civilian sector where they were fitted with standard fusion plants to power the warp drive. As of 2360 two Archer-class ships remain active: the former UFS Whitworth and UFS Gresley, relaunched as the Fortuna and Thessaloniki.
By comparison the Newton-class was shorter lived, heavy attrition during the Four Years War and the increasing obsolescence of its warp drive rendering its limited internal facilities an increasing hindrance to effective deployments. Its role was entirely superseded by ships designed during the New Fleet Program between 2270 and 2280, and the Newtons were gradually decommissioned until the final vessel was broken up for scrap in 2282.
Archer-class Light Cruiser [2225]
Mass: 150,000 Tons
Single Target Rating: 8
Multi-Target Rating: 4
-Average Damage: 5.3
-Max Sustained Damage: 18
-Alpha Strike Damage: 30
-Coverage: 50%
-Maneuverability: Medium
Defense Rating: 30
Engineering: 28 (20 Type F Shuttles, 6 Cargo)
Science: 2 (Duotronic Computer Core)
Warp (Efficient Cruise): 5.2 (140c)
Warp (Maximum Cruise): 6.2 (238c)
Warp (Maximum Warp): 7.2 (373c)
Operational Range: 140ly
Ratings
Cost: B-
Tactical Rating: C-
Engineering Rating: S
Science Rating: D-
Commissioned: 40 [2225-2260]
Decommissioned 2310
It's ugly and I hate it. I'll take ten.
-- Admiral Wright, Starfleet Logistics
…of the three ships entering service in the second half of the 2220s, the Radiant deserves a small mention for its production run of only four ships and for being the first ship to be built with an additional set of nacelles for cruise-cycling. The Radiant-class was able to cruise at a maximum of warp 6.7 by alternating the nacelles generating the warp field, allowing one set to cool while the other took up the load. The 25% increase in raw speed proved useful when time was short, but ultimately did not justify the extra expense. Faced with a classical dilemma where the ship could not showcase its advantages unless it was one of the closest ships to an emergency but could not be the closest ship to an emergency without a much larger production run skewing probability in its favour, Starfleet opted to scrap the idea entirely.
The Radiant finally got its day in the sun during the Four Years War, during which three of the four commissioned vessels were destroyed while undertaking vital relief and emergency efforts during the opening stages of the conflict. It is estimated that prompt delivery of supplies and medical assistance prevented the deaths of thousands to preventable illness and resource scarcity before the increasingly dangerous forays into Klingon-overrun territory eventually caught up with the ships and their crews.
Between 2225 and 2230, the berths at Utopia Planitia and San Francisco were dominated by two ships: the Newton and the Archer. Of these the Newton was the more popular design, being a much needed intermediary in mass between the austerely kitted and last-generation Selachii and the heavier Saladin. As interior transport and emergency response ships they were well suited thanks to their doubled shuttle complement, and the manoeuvrability provided by their twin impulse engines allowed their heavy forward armament to engage both Klingon raiders and Orion pirates on if not equal terms then at least practicable ones.
Starfleet Tactical considered the Newton as an acceptable replacement for the Saladin in terms of capability, if not in terms of cost. While a scattering of Saladin-class ships continued production as increasing concern developed over Klingon encroachment the cruise speed of the single-nacelle ships was becoming increasingly concerning, the majority of drydocks switched to the Newton. Despite the Newton massing less for the same cost it became the favoured tool for plugging the increasing patrol and control issues the Federation was facing with the accession of new member worlds expanding its territory. The accession of the Arcadian, Deltan, and Zaranite homeworlds bringing Federation membership to a round twenty species was straining the service to its limits.
Starfleet would launch sixteen Newton-class ships in the six years leading up to 2230, with a further fourteen in the decade thereafter. This blistering pace consuming more than half of the Sol System's fleetbuilding capacity would persist until the end stages of the Heavy Cruiser project. The time before the Four Years War was the time of the Newton-class, its pearlescent-white hull and distinctive silhouette becoming the face of Starfleet for an entire generation. Unfortunately it would struggle in the high-tempo campaigns of the Four Years War due to its top speed and inability to face the fearsome Klingon D7 - a ship which had the unfortunate habit of outpacing Starfleet and the firepower to turn every engagement into an unequal fight.
Less sung but perhaps more groundbreaking was the Archer-class. Sometimes classified erroneously as a tug by unofficial sources, the Archer class would quietly become the backbone of Starfleet logistics for the next fifty years. Credit should also be given for its pioneering efforts in the adoption of new technology: it perfected the Duranium-alloy hull and made massive strides towards standardising new impulse engines. Starfleet was not enthusiastic about the Archer, viewing it as underarmed for anything beyond self-defense against non-state actors. This capability nonetheless served it well over its lifetime against piracy, but the number of Archer-class ships that survived direct engagements during the Four Years War can be counted on one hand for good reason. Those that did manage to repel the Klingons were those accosted by individual Birds-of-Prey which could be drawn into warp and then dissuaded by aft torpedoes. Encounters with heavier-weight vessels were universally fatal.
Tactical capabilities aside, the Archer nonetheless filled a vital niche in the expanding Starfleet. With Federation territory now encompassing an uneven bubble of over 150 light years across it could take over a year for the current cadre of Starships to transit from one border to another. This was even more pronounced in the civilian sector, where a ship launched from Earth could expect to take over a year and a half to reach the border, and almost certainly more than a year to arrive at new colonies. By comparison the Archer could handle similar loads to the majority of the cargo service and make the trip in a third the time. Reasoning that an improved logistical situation in general and improved response time in particular would reduce the strain on Starfleet deployments in the border regions, Starfleet Logistics ordered a run of ten Archer-class ships.
The postings were not prestigious, as demonstrated by the fact that the majority of Archer-class captains held the rank of Commander, but in the following years a rapid perfusion of supply and infrastructure into the extremities of the Federation's influence resulted in a sharp drop in colonial emergencies and accelerated the deployment of Starfleet border outposts. In 2232, after a two-year gap in the construction of the Archer-class, a further twelve ships were ordered. Another run was being planned but the outbreak of the Four Year War spelled an end to construction. But following the conclusion of hostilities Starfleet was compelled by necessity to replace its losses, and between 2245 and 2260 another eighteen Archer-class vessels were constructed.
The ships became a common sight at both the Pharos Bases and smaller Starfleet outposts, forging logistic routes from port to port as they travelled from the core member worlds out towards the edges of Federation influence. The majority of their duties consisted of bulk transport, but the ships soon developed a warm reputation in the outer colonies as the ships that would arrive to assist with major infrastructure or supply shortages. The Archer-class UFS Stephenson was the first responder to the Tarsus IV Massacre, having transported over forty kilotons of grain to relieve the famine. Their reputation was somewhat less warm among the crews of combatants in the Four Years War, where the Archer-class was sometimes derisively referred to as 'the Vulture-class' due to its assignment of hanging back a fifth of a light year behind its accompanying fleet and then only moving in to assist with repair and rescue after any victorious engagement had concluded.
Regardless of reputation, the Archer ceased to be produced after 2260 and remained in general service until 2310. By that point the difficulty of sourcing replacement parts and the reduced usefulness of its now limited cruising speed resulted in the remaining vessels being recalled for decommissioning. Of the remaining fifteen ships that had survived both combat and advanced age in service, eleven were broken up for raw material and scarce components while four survived by being transferred to the civilian sector where they were fitted with standard fusion plants to power the warp drive. As of 2360 two Archer-class ships remain active: the former UFS Whitworth and UFS Gresley, relaunched as the Fortuna and Thessaloniki.
By comparison the Newton-class was shorter lived, heavy attrition during the Four Years War and the increasing obsolescence of its warp drive rendering its limited internal facilities an increasing hindrance to effective deployments. Its role was entirely superseded by ships designed during the New Fleet Program between 2270 and 2280, and the Newtons were gradually decommissioned until the final vessel was broken up for scrap in 2282.
Archer-class Light Cruiser [2225]
Mass: 150,000 Tons
Single Target Rating: 8
Multi-Target Rating: 4
-Average Damage: 5.3
-Max Sustained Damage: 18
-Alpha Strike Damage: 30
-Coverage: 50%
-Maneuverability: Medium
Defense Rating: 30
Engineering: 28 (20 Type F Shuttles, 6 Cargo)
Science: 2 (Duotronic Computer Core)
Warp (Efficient Cruise): 5.2 (140c)
Warp (Maximum Cruise): 6.2 (238c)
Warp (Maximum Warp): 7.2 (373c)
Operational Range: 140ly
Ratings
Cost: B-
Tactical Rating: C-
Engineering Rating: S
Science Rating: D-
Commissioned: 40 [2225-2260]
Decommissioned 2310
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Art: Archer-class Light Cruiser
Art: Zheng He (Merchant-class)
