Starship Design Bureau

[Sayle]

You spend the day after coming to terms with the fact you almost died. Or worse than died. On Earth. Heart of the Federation, home to Starbase One, Utopia Planitia, San Francisco, and enough starships to swat anything hostile out of space. Except it wasn't. How the hell did this happen? You use your credentials to get access to the Starfleet Tactical reports and pour over them in an increasingly furious mix of anger and horror. Subspace-enhanced lasers, anti-graviton missiles that disassemble both shields and warp fields in just a few hits, plasma charges in a self-contained field bottle with energy densities three times higher than the cutting-edge. No wonder the damn thing could outright disintegrate half the saucer section of an Excelsior in a single hit. Ninety million tons of moving death, and it just ran over anything that got in its way.

You order an immediate status report on the current projects at the bureau. After 2345 the main team had been split up into three subsidiary groups focused on designing starships that reused components and production systems. Over time these teams had blossomed into working groups that each rivalled the size of the bureau as a whole just a couple of decades earlier as ships became on average larger and more complicated. There had been a temporary consolidation for a few years for Project Galaxy, but afterwards there had been a split again to work on the Nebula, Cheyenne, and New Orleans. You don't have any marching orders from command to consolidate the teams again, but there is nothing to say you can't shuffle personnel around.

Team one is working on a retrofit for the Galaxy-class and are currently in the final stages of overhauling the EPS and tactical systems, which you order finished as soon as possible, cancelling the later internal changes planned for the project. Team two is working on a new short range science ship, designated Project Nova. You promptly have them archive their current work and make ready for a new assignment. Team three is finalising specifications for a refit of the Ambassador-class, codenamed Project Narendra. With reluctance you have the project archived, thus freeing up your final team.

With essentially the entire bureau available in the near future, you outline the elements of a new fleet composition that will be needed for a new generation of starships with an active focus on tactical abilities. The Galaxy-class is a triumph of engineering, but there's a reason there are so few of them. Nearly five million tons is a lot of material. The same applies to most other starships designed over the last fifty years, all of which were made with the focus of being able to defend themselves rather than making their armament a core focus of the design, and often capable of multiple mission profiles with a great deal of competence. Which has been wonderful, but clearly that era of largess is at an end.

Effectively designing a new fleet from scratch with more focused roles is intimidating at best. That said, the bureau will be working from smaller designs upwards, using the opportunity to integrate lessons learned from lighter ships into their larger counterparts. Each team will take one project, then after a period of consultation and exchange of experience a second, larger project. Finally the whole bureau will get together to put out a capital ship capable of posing a real obstacle to a Borg incursion. Sure enough a few weeks after Wolf 359 the order comes down to pivot the bureau to designing ships explicitly capable of combating the Borg, and you are well on the way to starting early. You will be heading team one, which has agreed to take on designing…

[ ] An Escort - Project Defiant
[ ] A Heavy Frigate - Project Steamrunner
[ ] A Light Cruiser - Project Saber

Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.

 

[Sayle]

Order -> Spaceframe -> Warp Core/Nacelles -> Tactical -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Retrospective​

[X] A Light Cruiser - Project Saber

With the choice made as to what project to take on, the question now becomes how best to tackle it. Pouring over the logs and reconstructions of the Battle of Wolf 359 you notice a number of common themes for the smaller vessels - while the Miranda-class starships were quickly immobilized and destroyed, the more modern New Orleans-class managed to outright evade some of the Borg Cube's fire. You quickly make a note to all teams that any designs should present a minimal profile to enemy weapons fire and ensure decent engine profiles versus mass factor. This will likely mean eliminating the traditional secondary hull as much as possible, giving the proposed ship a sleeker form factor.

But as with all things, you need to start with the primary hull. There are three main proposals for Project Saber, each of which are intent on maximising a single useful trait on the small starship. The first idea is to elongate a saucer section forward to provide a clear arc of fire around the entire primary hull, which would allow a long phaser strip to build up as much power as possible before discharging. Back-of-the-napkin calculations suggest you might get a total phaser array length of around 250 meters, which would give them quite a punch. Certainly an attractive start to a combat-focused starship.

The second idea is to do the opposite, widening the saucer instead of lengthening it, putting the bow of the ship closer to the center of mass. This would present an attractive opportunity for an access point to the heart of the saucer, allowing the placement of a shuttle bay for attack fighters or off-ship operations - or perhaps the primary deflector, allowing you the very limited verticality you have to play with to be devoted to other useful systems.

The third and final suggestion is use a standard circular saucer, maximising internal area. This would require the secondary hull to accommodate both the main deflector and any potential armament, likely splitting them into two separate 'humps' off the saucer, but it would provide more space for the warp core and greater power generation. That can be parlayed into higher warp factors down the line.

Starfleet has given you free reign on this one. Let's prove you can be trusted with that latitude.

[ ] An elongated forward saucer section to maximise the power of a continuous phaser strip.
[ ] An angular, widened saucer to accommodate a forward-facing shuttlebay or deflector.
[ ] A standard saucer with dual secondary hulls.


Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.

 

[Sayle]

Order -> Spaceframe -> Propulsion -> Tactical -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Retrospective
​

[X] An elongated forward saucer section to maximise the power of a continuous phaser strip.

Choosing an elongated saucer section as the best option for the Saber, the team sets to work. The Type-X phasers you have selected are the same used on the Galaxy-class and have plenty of punch, and you are confident that this much smaller ship design will be able to match at least the Ambassador in terms of accessible phaser power for the forward firing arc. Not bad for a ship that will probably mass less than a fifth of that. The team focuses on a mostly flat-bottomed saucer with an elevated command and crew deck along the spine of the ship. With the phasers taking up a surprising amount of space, that completely eliminates any chance of putting the deflector in the primary hull. Fortunately you should be able to use the flat ventral profile to mount a relatively unobtrusive navigational dish beneath the ship.

But before you can do that, you need to decide where to put the warp core. And before you can do that, you need to decide what to do with the impulse engines. Unlike phasers, the sensor readings of Borg weapons suggest they follow the lock-charge-fire paradigm, which does yield higher energy outputs but also requires competent predictive algorithms. Allowing the Saber to rapidly change vectors would be a major advantage. Ironically the Type-5 would be perfect here, but they stopped being manufactured half a decade ago. Even Excelsior-class starships suffering engine problems are being upgraded to the Type-6, which is far too bulky for this small ship. No, you're going to need a smaller form factor.

The first option is the Type-7 engine. Despite never measuring up to promised specifications it would still give the Saber an enormous thrust performance. Too much for the manoeuvring thrusters to actually control it, unfortunately. Unlinking the dual engine cluster and just using one Type-7 thruster and you'll still get remarkable acceleration curves.

The second option is a scaled down Type-10, a next generation thruster that is undergoing final prototyping and assembly. It's unproven technology designed to be mounted as two separate impulse engines. Off-axis thrust would allow much more rapid course changes and the cutting-edge thruster system would allow the Saber to hit that sweet spot between acceleration and agility. The issue is it would take up more space, effectively monopolising the aft sections of the interior. That includes torpedo tubes.

[ ] Type-7 Thruster Assembly
[ ] Type-10 Dual Impulse Thrusters (Prototype) (No Aft Torpedoes)



Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.

 

[Sayle]

Order -> Spaceframe -> Propulsion -> Tactical -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Retrospective​

[X] Type-10 Dual Impulse Thrusters (Prototype) (No Aft Torpedoes)

After some debate you elect to install the Type-10s. The impulse reactor needed to drive the engines is massive, but the performance promises to be something else. The Saber will be able to rapidly turn its bow to port or starboard by varying thrust levels, and with its lighter mass the onboard thrusters should also be able to change orientation reasonably quickly. The disadvantage is that with no aft armament that it has a distinct blindspot, but you are hopeful the engine performance will make that an unusual scenario.

Now with a good idea of where the warp core is going to go, you need to manage the main deflector and nacelles. With your goal of keeping the ship's profile as minimal as possible, that rules out anything mounted above, below, or behind the spaceframe, which also cuts out the majority of Starfleet's favourite configurations. As you see it you have two main options: either integrating the nacelles partly into the saucer section, which will shield them from battle damage; or outriders off the edge of the primary hull.

For the protected variant you would have to clear the outer edges of the saucer, really pushing space to a premium in the interior. For a dedicated combat ship that seems entirely practical, and you know the Defiant Project is pursuing a similar strategy. The loss in efficiency will drive the practical range of the ship down, though. The outrider nacelles on the other hand would increase the ship's profile and present an obvious target. The Borg would probably blow through regardless, but you're thinking more of standard engagements.

With arguments being made in favour of both you turn to the main deflector as the deciding factor. The standard deflector design would serve here, but in that case you really would have to use outrider nacelles to get decent performance out of the warp drive. On the other hand a new design is being proposed that would use an antiproton-charged dish to enhance the deflector field. If you could use that then you can offset the unacceptable performance losses from the internal nacelles.

[ ] Standard Deflector
[ ] Antiproton Deflector (Prototype)



Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.

 

[Sayle]

Order -> Spaceframe -> Propulsion -> Tactical -> Internals -> Prototyping -> Certification -> Retrospective​

[X] Standard Deflector

In the end you decide the standard design is the right choice given the priorities you need to juggle for such a small starship. You do make compromises based on security and damage control concerns, however. The primary nacelles are slightly tilted inwards to take advantage of the advances coming out of the Type-9 engine project that have developed field optimisations to reduce subspace damage caused by high warp factors. You also sheathe the nacelles in a thin layer of hull plating that won't stop a torpedo but should shield the nacelles against a grazing beam attack.

The main deflector is installed beneath the primary hull in a triangular secondary hull, given just enough space to give it a clear line of sight forward of the hull. Given how low-set it is and how small the ship is overall you doubt there's much chance of a successful targeted attack against it. The warp core is a small design, but it has more than enough power to supply the Saber with everything it needs.

But now you've come to the difficult choice of weapons system. While the Defiant Project is seeing very high sustained damage output from the new phaser cannons, you don't have the space for the notably extended profile of particle concentrators and linear accelerators needed for each cannon. That leaves torpedoes. As you see it you have two choices. The first is to mount a pair of standard tubes in the forward bow. They would have a wide field of fire and take up minimal space. The second is to install a launcher on the ventral surface, which would have a reduced firing arc but be capable of an increased rate of fire. It isn't an entirely proven technology, but it might be a useful advantage and is compatible with new torpedo formats.

The second question is one of warhead. The standard photon has been the gold standard for the past half-century, but the new Type-6 is on the verge of being completed. The photon warheads will be able to deliver more damage on target and a new torpedo casing is capable of accommodating alternate payloads. It is however a highly experimental package that might run into unforeseen complications in its final development stages, and requires a different torpedo storage mechanism.

[ ] Standard Tubes, Standard Torpedoes
[ ] Torpedo Launcher (Prototype), Standard Torpedoes
[ ] Torpedo Launcher (Prototype), Type-6 Torpedoes (Prototype) (Experimental)



Two Hour Moratorium on Voting, Please.

 

[Sayle]

Order -> Spaceframe -> Propulsion -> Tactical -> Internals -> Certification -> Retrospective​

[X] Torpedo Launcher (Prototype), Type-6 Torpedoes (Prototype) (Experimental)

The new torpedo launcher is primarily internal, with the torpedo bay and majority of the loading mechanism nestled into decks 7 and 8. Only the launcher itself and a protective hull blister actually protrude from the saucer section, allowing the deflector its needed line of sight towards the bow. Hopefully the increased firepower will make up for the internal space losses, because you haven't been left much to work with.

You have space for two small modules, and given that one of them almost certainly needs to be a cargo bay that just leaves one space free after all is said and done. You could add a second cargo bay to really focus on the idea that this is a design intended for servicing the Federation interior and rapid-reaction forces, or diversify into a more optimistically outfitted ship with some science labs for border work.

[ ] Utility-focused. (Extra Cargo Bay)
[ ] Science-focused. (Science Lab)

 

[Sayle]

 

[Sayle]

[X] Science-focused (Science Lab).

In the end after a fierce debate you decide to include some expanded science facilities. The hope is that if the Borg threat does not materialise that the Saber might have an extended lifetime thanks to its ability to do some routine analytic science. While it won't ever be going out into the great unknown it could certainly do basic surveys in Federation space. With the internals finalised all you have to do is wait for the primary systems to be installed for prototype testing. You don't have to wait long, given the small size of the ship and the frantic pace of the yards.

The Saber leaves the dock for the asteroid belt to undergo the battery of tests it needs for the prototype systems. The firing of the new engines shows that the downsize from the Type-10's intended use case in larger starships hasn't caused unacceptable performance losses. While there are some minor problems during full-thrust tests, this turns out to be a result of poor reactor containment and some component replacements quickly resolve the issue.

The Type-10 performs to specifications.

The torpedo launcher is not quite so fortunate. You are dismayed to find that the dedicated launcher doesn't quite perform to standard, primarily due to the increased plasma exhaust from the new torpedo casings. The problem is only resolved by increasing firing intervals, which reduces the four-torpedo salvoes that it had been intended to produce down to three torpedo launches instead. Not the end of the world, but a disappointing performance. Starfleet Tactical will no doubt issue a new model that solves the problem, but only time will tell if it is backwards compatible with existing installations.

The torpedo launcher is not as effective as designed.

Fortunately the Type-6 torpedoes are a little more cooperative. This has clearly been a labour of love for Starfleet tactical, with plenty of options to alter the payload and subsequent yields. The photons are notably faster to accelerate as well, reaching the target that much sooner. Less fortunately the experimental warheads are more temperamental, causing substantial wear and tear to the launcher assembly and the enhanced detonation sequences sometimes fail to complete correctly. Tactical is reluctantly forced to send their new quantum torpedoes back to the laboratory for further refinement. But at least you've laid some groundwork for them to build off of.

The type-6 torpedoes perform flawlessly with above-expectation results, but the early quantum prototypes fail testing.

The only thing remaining is for the supervisor to sign off on the design and issue a recommendation to the brass while she undergoes final fitting-out.


Project Saber Mission Certification

The Saber design specification is for an anti-Borg light cruiser.

It is the judgement of this report that the Saber meets these requirements. Details follow.

The Saber has a medium operational range at a cruise of Warp 8 with a maximum speed of Warp 9.4. As such the Saber is certified to operate eight months from the nearest refuelling depot at standard cruise. Crew lodgings are noted to be standard and the Saber has a small multi-purpose space for recreation. Standard complement of 55 crew.

The Saber is equipped with a Type-7 shield matrix, two Type-10 phaser strips, and a dedicated ventral torpedo launch system. It utilizes the new Type-6 torpedo standard. Its weapon systems are exceptional for a vessel of its size.

The Saber is equipped with a pair of downsized Type-10 impulse thrusters, mounted port and starboard on the aft saucer. It shows extreme manoeuvrability and acceleration.

The Saber is equipped with a standard navigational array. Her isolinear computer system is capable of standard computation and data storage, supported by a scientific laboratory able to process basic samples.

The Saber has no shuttlebay and one small cargo bay. The Saber is therefore certified to carry out low-capacity bulk cargo deliveries only.

The Saber has a standard sickbay with ten biobeds. It is not equipped to act as a hospital ship or emergency relief. It has two transporter rooms and is capable of 36 transports per minute under optimal conditions.

The Type-6 torpedo standard is recommended to become regulation standard for all future designs. As the launcher system is undergoing further development, the Saber will require a dedicated production facility for the existing model. The Saber is able to exploit existing production for the Type-10 phaser.

In concordance with the findings of this review and in consultation with Starfleet Command, Supervisor Utopia Planitia authorises one (1) production run of thirty vessels, further orders to be reviewed after a performance analysis in five years.


You're quite happy with the result of this - an order of thirty ships is quite a gesture of trust in the design. The only thing remaining is a name.

[ ] USS Saber. The project name is just fine, conveying the martial intent of the design.
[ ] USS Ushaan. The Andorian honour duel calls back to a time where combat and survival went hand in hand.
[ ] USS Wolf. Not just a nod to the battle, but also to the pack hunters of Earth's wilderness.



Project Saber Results
Ease of Maintenance: B
Ease of Manufacture: B
Tactical Score: A+
Scientific Score: C
Comfort Score: B
Warp 8/9.4

 

[Sayle]

The news that the Borg were coming was greeted with absolute dread, and for good reason. It had been five years since they last made a push for the core of the Federation, and the legacy of Wolf 359 hung heavy over everybody. But this was what the overhaul of the fleet had been designed for, to contest the Borg on equal footing. It was a motley fleet of whatever Starfleet could scrounge up in time to intercept the Borg and a second group to make a defense at the edge of the Sol system.

We owe so much to the starships that warped out to meet the Borg head-on. Under a continual two-day assault of Starfleet swooping in and then disengaging they had to drop down from Warp 9.9 to Warp 8, which gave us time to get a dozen more starships to Earth for the defence. Twenty ships harried the Cube on its way to Earth, and thirteen of them were destroyed outright. Only two actually joined the battle in Sol: the Defiant, which needs no mention besides the tragedy we didn't have more of them, and the Bozeman, an Intrepid-class which had taken so much damage that by the time the fight started all she could do was hang back and fire torpedoes. Until the Borg had enough and fired back, which was enough to knock her out for good.

I like to think the Borg weren't expecting the kind of opposition they got. It was a very different fleet that opened fire, with very different ships and very different strategies. No more coming in piecemeal to keep clear firing lines, this time it was half the fleet at any one time. Fly in, fire torpedoes, phasers on the way out, disengage for another attack wave. I was commanding the USS Shran, a dinky little Ushaan-class. You could have fit 30 of her nose-to-tail along just one axis of the Cube. But she could move like nothing else I've ever been in and those phasers had a nasty bite. The Borg learned pretty quickly that they weren't going to have a good time trying to hit her with their plasma charges or beam weapons, so they switched to using their tractor beams. Just a single hit would rip half your hull plating off, but we still managed to dodge three attempts before they managed to latch on.

The Shran didn't last much longer than that. Suddenly losing one of our impulse engines and half of Deck 3 was about as close to fatal as it gets. Our only saving grace was that the Borg were still deadset on reaching Earth, and they didn't stop to finish us off as we drifted out of the engagement. If you read the after-action reports you could be forgiven for thinking the Ushaan were cannon-fodder: of the sixteen Ushaan-class ships that fought in the battle, only two were still intact at the end of it. Well, I suggest you look at the logs again. Of every ship design involved in the Battle of Sector 001, it's the Ushaan that managed the longest average survival time. I can tell you it sure as hell wasn't because the Borg weren't shooting at us. We were just the best at not getting hit.



In the absence of a wave of Borg incursions, things are beginning to calm down a little at Starfleet Command. While the possibility remains an existential threat, the idea that the new ships coming out the yards should emphasise tactical performance over every other consideration is beginning to wane. Unfortunately the Defiant Program has been labelled a failure precisely because of that overemphasis compromising its basic capabilities, although Commander Sisko is on record as being optimistic that future advancements will make the design more viable.

Future or not, that means the Defiant won't be available. Starfleet is now looking at how it can more effectively use the next-generation designs you are pioneering, and has several requests. The first is for a heavy cruiser capable of more conventional warp efficiencies and general work duties while still having the latest tactical systems. The second is for a long-range science ship with advanced warp capabilities and the firepower of a medium cruiser. The last is for a rapid-response tactical cruiser with some form of innovative firepower multiplier like saucer separation.


[ ] A Heavy Cruiser (Project Akira)
[ ] A Long-Range Science Ship (Project Intrepid)
[ ] A Tactical Cruiser (Project Prometheus)

 

[Sayle]

[X] A Long-Range Science Ship (Project Intrepid)

It is something of a welcome relief to start work on a science ship rather than something so heavily tactical focused, so you pay close attention to the brief. First off is the intent to prototype a new style of warp engine, the Type-9, which would use tricyclic injection to substantially increase plasma temperatures and warp velocities. Second is the requirement for high-endurance, which will mean plenty of antimatter storage. Other than that the only requests are to try and keep tactical systems as a high priority and make sure it has plenty of scientific payloads.

With that in mind you turn your attention to the primary hull. The first option is a triangular spaceframe, utilising the same sharply flattened ventral surface as the Ushaan to provide line of sight to the main deflector dish. It would have an almost domed appearance on the dorsal side, providing more of its space vertically than is typically found in a starship. It would also provide space for a secondary deflector to increase warp velocities.

The second option is a variation of the first, smoothing out the sharper lines for a more ovoid shape. In this design a longer and more gently curving primary hull would necessarily blur the distinction between the saucer and engineering sections, but like the first it would still have space for a secondary deflector towards the bow. The addition of a decks-thickness to the rim would allow the installation of lateral sensor packages.

The final option is to replicate the same design as the Ushaan at a larger scale, providing a shallower saucer with an elevated command deck. This would have the same advantages regarding phasers and internal space, but there would be no space for a secondary deflector.

[ ] Triangular Hull.
[ ] Ovoid Hull.
[ ] Ushaan Hull.

Two Hour Moratorium, Please