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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
Maelore
Totaly not a Romulan
- Location
- Fairfax, VA
So if the ration of improvement holds the Devoras will be passable but the Kehllian will be a combat monster. Has any preliminary stat lines for neighbor power ships passed through SDB or the discord?
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
I've been puttering away at Padani ships, but no idea if they'll be used.
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
No, foreign ship stats lines are an Intel thing, not SDB. We don't make foreign power ships.
There has been some work done on making Trill ships though, and I think that I have seen an OSA Ray Explorer, but we are not making or getting the designs of powers that are not at the very least our allies.
As for Kehlian being a combat monster.
The sum of all Kehlian stats except for D is 36, vs (old) Ex-As 29.
With the new Ex-A being 36, a bit more than 1/5 increase, that would make the Kehlian about 43 total stats, 7 more. Keeping the same stat distribution, we are looking at something like this:
Khellian C11 S8 H8 L11 P5
Which makes it about (new stat) Amby grade in combat, if far worse out of it. Cheaper though as it is about 2/3 the size, and has Cloak.
But.
2327 Excelsior-B Proposal
2400kt 4 Years +1% Crit +0% Ev +4% Pen
5O 7EN 5T 240 BR 210 SR SP 4.0
C11 S11 H9 L12 P10 E15 R11
Peacekeeping, Intel Ops
These or similar will fly in 4 years.
I am not worried.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I feel like this reasoning starts to break down when you're talking about capital ships whose performance is inferior to that of a modern cruiser or arguably a modern frigate due to not having had an upgrade cycle in a quarter century. If nothing else, because actually using those ships for serious tasks, with their antiquated equipment, becomes dangerous- and so you end up saddled with white elephant ships that require a lot of crew to train and can only be repaired in capital ship berths, but which don't have the corresponding high performance you need.
There will be one or two years after new platforms are researched and the prototypes using those are being build where you do not want to build more ships that is the best time for refits. we are planning an constellation refit wave in the years the new isolinniar prototypes are being build.
- Location
- Aotearoa
We do know what Disrupters look like, but those can't be every part in the Rommie playbook. If I plug those and a whole lot of assumptions into the designer (such as- Rommie Singularity Cores can be modeled adequately in the ship builder by our own Annihiliation Cores, and Cloaks are 'ohh, finger in the air 30, no 60SR on a capital ship), I might get:
With the exact same T0 tech level as the original Excelsior, and not even choosing all the best/most expensive parts either. Not having 5YM parts helps!
On this basis, it's not a terrible ship, if a little blind. Making a design with even S4 (let alone S3) takes a bit of effort to avoid science parts at this size.
And a T2 Khelian (i.e. roughly Kepler tech level, ahead of us on Intel Ops, behind on deflectors):
The Khelian tanks P a little presumably as a wartime exigency.
A whole heap of assumptions, as I said. These are not TBG canon!
(EDIT- word on the Discord from Swb is that the Devoras is "pretty close")
With the exact same T0 tech level as the original Excelsior, and not even choosing all the best/most expensive parts either. Not having 5YM parts helps!
On this basis, it's not a terrible ship, if a little blind. Making a design with even S4 (let alone S3) takes a bit of effort to avoid science parts at this size.
And a T2 Khelian (i.e. roughly Kepler tech level, ahead of us on Intel Ops, behind on deflectors):
The Khelian tanks P a little presumably as a wartime exigency.
A whole heap of assumptions, as I said. These are not TBG canon!
(EDIT- word on the Discord from Swb is that the Devoras is "pretty close")
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Omake - Confederacy of Amarki Navy - Ten Years Later
Article: For the Confederacy of Amarki Navy, the Gabriel War was the defining conflict of the last half-century. While it has fought in other actions, first contact with the Federation came too late to contribute a grand force to the Battle of Kadesh, and missed the border skirmishes of the Klingon Frontier by twenty years. Previous wars, against overt Orion Syndicate pirates and adventurism in Seyek and Qloathi space, have become history rather than memory, fading to the background like the skirmishes against the nascent All-Hives Fleet now centuries past. Much like Celos defined the Gendarmes, the lessons learned and traditions continued from the Gabriel War will define the Navy's future planning for the next two decades. It has also left a massive surplus of Navy personnel, both new-minded recruits and decorated veterans, both of which greatly influence Confederacy military thinking.
Starfleet Tactical Battle Review Division produced a large number of findings from the combination of the Arcadian War and the Gabriel Expanse pocket war and its finale leading to the Treaty of Gabriel. Among these was the need for specialized scouting and skirmishing assets, as well as a high-capability fleet backbone to support Starfleet's explorers inside and outside of battle. This pushed forward development of the Kepler-class science frigate, instigated development of the Comet-class rapid-response frigate, and informed the development of the Renaissance-A front-line cruiser.
The Order of the Lileac conducted its own review of the use of Confederacy of Amarki Navy assets during the Gabriel Expanse pocket war and produced the following findings, which were relayed as doctrinal, design and industrial requirements to the Order of the Arch and the Order of the Tower. I have taken the liberty of summarizing the main points for the perusement of command officers and cleared political staffers; the completed recommendations span over eighty reports and directives, with thousands of supporting documents, see Appendix A.
1. Contrary to certain pessimistic expectations, Starfleet enthusiastically made use of Amarki assets in their battle line, with an eye to capability over any other factor including group cohesion, chain of command, or member source. Although this seems obvious from a Starfleet perspective, it was not fully expected as many senior pre-contact members of the Order of the Lileac had a negative view of the pacifistic tenets of the Federation charter, especially the sections that forbid deployment of member fleets across sector lines. On the contrary, Starfleet seemed to openly welcome a martial contribution in crisis situations, a role that had been filled by the Andorian Guard in previous generations but fallen to the wayside as Andorian culture homogenized somewhat towards the Federation mean.
2. The investment in the Riala-class, thought of as the pride of the Navy but to detractors an anchor dragging down the size of the fleet, proved its worth in repeated high-intensity conflict. As next-generation cruisers are expected to be similarly sized to previous generation battleships, the class is now seen as a testbed for workhorse cruisers of the same size. Many lessons were taken also from Starfleet's use of explorers as primary combatants, perhaps over-emphasizing performances like the Endurance and Enterprise. Although the Confederacy Navy is not intended as a capship-first navy, it is now fully accepted that heavy capitals have a crucial anchor role to the fleet's battleline.
3. Amarki cruisers, intended as the primary workhorses of the Navy, had fallen as many as two and a half generations behind cutting edge. This is mostly blamed on diversion of resources to the Riala program and over-specialization of the Hebrinda-A, which had been thought of as a generalist before the Constitution-B was studied. The Amarki Arsenal is currently developing a Riala-sized heavy cruiser, the Lufroil-class. Intended both for fully independent operation and response, but also squadron operations, the Lufroil will be the generalist backbone of the future Navy. Meanwhile the Order of the Tower has embarked on an incredibly ambitious berth upgrade program to service a two-megaton standard fleet. As a stopgap modern Amarki frigates will be upgraded to temporarily fill the gap left by the lack of upgrade to the aging Hebrinda-A, while the Confederacy leans on Starfleet for their spaceborne response needs. It's possible a Hebrinda-B may come about to further fill the void left by prototype builds stretching into the 2330s.
4. Repeated federal actions has led to a school of thought that the standard Amarki squadrons, while the ideal for crisis deployment and deterrence, should be thought of more flexibly in federal operation. As little as a single Confederacy ship can operate in a Combined Fleet with other Federation ships filling the missing roles. In particular, in conjunction with Starfleet, the abundance of specialists Starfleet has produced mean that any number of line frigates and line cruisers can contribute without need for specialized Navy support. The Riala-class has fought repeatedly in this manner, and it is expected that the upcoming Lufroil will find itself in similar situations due to its pre-eminent generalist ability, something Starfleet has repeatedly called upon.
5. Following on from the previous point, there is a school of thought among young Amarki theorists that a heavy combat reserve squadron would be extremely useful, as Starfleet or other members can provide the necessary frigate and battleship support if operating federally and a standard Navy squadron can provide such support if operating only with other Navy assets. While somewhat unpopular among conservative Combined Fleet theorists (including, perhaps unfairly, our own Admiral Lathriss), these Federal School thinkers have found support this idea in a number of unlikely places. Among them, the Seyek think-tank conceptualized the doctrinal use of the Sunrise-class and Audacious-class, a number of senior members of Starfleet Command who have seen action in the GBZ and RiBZ, the Rigellian Turtleship Team, and an Rigeillian-owned Orion design company known for its public-private ship design contracts. Working closely in concert with outside designers, they produced the experimental Lisettia-class, and convinced the Order of the Arch to back it as a cheaper, smaller, battle-economised component of a hi-low cruiser mix.
6) With the [File Closed by User]
"Yes yes, all very interesting, but it misses the point!" Ulanud exclaims from his office, lines of sunlight swaying across his datapad as the Alukk morning skyline threatened to peek through the curtains. The director of Hyperelite Technologies now commanded a view.
"It's not intended to give the full history," the Starfleet officer in intelligence pinks says, from across the table. "Just a detail brief for staffers on the present. The politicians and admirals get even less, since their staff summarize our summaries."
Ulanud tsks, and drums his grey fingers on the durasteel of his desk. "But what's this about young Amarki theorists? We brought the Amarki Arsenal to Project Ruby, not the other way around."
"Project Ruby was a dream, premised on the release of future military specifications to a non-government design bureau. Unlike the Emerald, you would never have gotten past the sketchpad stage without a military backer. And your backers in the Order of the Arch were overwhelmingly from the Federal School."
"We knew we needed government buy-in from the start," Ulanud points out. "The days of go-it-your-own corporate ops are gone, and the bigger corps are only just realizing it. The ones that didn't end up on the wrong side of the last revolution anyway. Laudon has us using the Rigellian model. Bring ideas to the government, and integrate our experts with their experts to produce a greater whole. We're contributors, not capitalists."
"As you say. Now, about my request..."
"You sure this isn't another inquest? You'd make the sixth security sweep if you were. Your gals in pink have been through here twice in the last four years."
"No, just gathering some personal perspectives to supplement the document with ship-specific briefs. Miss Zhranet's perspective, as principal designer of the Lisettia, would be invaluable."
"Jada won't be happy about your writeup either. Bad enough that she gets upstaged by the Arsenal project-" "Lufroil." "Yeah, that. But to write out her brainchild?"
"Interviewing her is to make sure she isn't written out," the Starfleeter argues. "You'd see commander Galan's name all over the Lufroil's brief."
"I see it's not up for debate, my apologies."
"No matter. Your file said you were a Rigellian with a Tellarite soul. Just think of me as a member of the media cleared for certain secrets."
"You say that, but that's even worse!"
--
The Lufroil-class heavy cruiser is a heavy generalist intended to update the Confederacy of Amarki Navy's cruiser fleet to the modern generation. It is designed for a wide array of tasks, from colony response to peacekeeping to fleet combat, and is specifically equipped for independent operation away from fleet elements and with minimal logistical support. Referencing the use of Navy assets in Starfleet task forces, the Lufroil-class is designed to be extremely desirable for this role while avoiding the draw of single Riala-class battlecruisers to non-combat forces, which has left Riala-based Navy squadrons without their primary component.
The Lufroil's development has been marred by significant delay. In order to convince the Order of the Lileac of the need for a new cruiser in the first place, much emphasis had to be put on the failure not only of the Breica and Perciar classes to adequately perform during the Gabriel campaign, but also of the Hebrinda's similar difficulties, which were not as immediately evident. Once the Amarki Arsenal initiated the project, they targeted an early-2320s prototype construction date, which Starfleet's Office of Naval Architecture sought to delay in consultation to allow for the deployment of modern phaser array and replicator technology. Finally, the design went through several last-minute revisions on the advice of a number of senior designers, including an intervention by High Castellan Pibrieh Istraia of Riala-A fame to add additional firepower, and a major revision from ONA's Lieutenant Commander Galan to incorporate a capital-sized warp core. This necessitated a total redesign of a great many systems, also on Galan's advice, even as the frame of the prototype was being laid down in Leas Akaam's newly upgraded 2mt Berth A in late 2325.
--
The Lisettia-class combat cruiser is a vanguard specialist intended to serve as a heavy combat reserve squadron, deployed to supplement battlecruiser-led formations or existing Federation fleets when a last word in firepower is needed. It is not helpless in a peacetime and spaceborne response role, indeed it is as capable as a Renaissance-A and more than twice as capable as a Hebrinda-A, but the design is tilted towards winning slugfests against other cruisers. At half the size of the Lufroil, the Lisettia is far more economical in terms of added firepower for cost, and it represents a generational improvement over the Renaissance-A.
The Lisettia was conceived not by any Amarki, but by lead designer Jada Zhranet at the Orion-based Hyperelite Technologies, who saw the future-looking specifications released to her for the Emerald, Carbon, and Greenleaf projects, and imagined what a modern combat cruiser would look like with those same technologies. Project Ruby was unsuccessfully marketed to the Amarki Arsenal and to the Sarquel Treaty Organization as a best-in-class battlecruiser, but both preferred to pursue internally developed options alongside existing Starfleet classes. The design fell to the wayside for a few years. However, in early 2324, dissenting Order of the Arch theorists began to agitate that the projected expense of the Lufroil production run was diminishing the overall capability of the Navy fleet. Hyperelite Technologies's Project Ruby formed the base for a cooperative venture with the Amarki Arsenal and the Office of Naval Architecture, and Jada's design was updated into the lighter, more focused Lisettia-class, laid down at Leas Akaam's Berth C in early 2326.
--
It's speculated that the Confederacy of Amarki Navy's Amarki Arsenal will be looking to establish partnerships with at least one external design team to work on a Riala-successor battleship, to begin prototyping in late 2327. With the Lufroil taking the single-ship response backbone role, the proposed battleship should be a heavy combat design while also having flagship-grade capabilities in all areas at least equaling the Lufroil, while representing two plus generations of upgrade in capability from the Riala-B.
Would appreciate help pushing the ship descriptions to the wiki.
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- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
well damm that first one has a lot of phasers??
like them both not really up of what is or isn`t a good cruiser build but they are both builds i would not mind stealing for SF
like them both not really up of what is or isn`t a good cruiser build but they are both builds i would not mind stealing for SF
Omake - All About the Runabout - 75% Certain
75% Certain
25% horse thief
All About The Runabout
Pictured: An ex-Starfleet Zonghul-class aviso runabout operated by the Medusan protectorate
The unheralded workhorses of the Federation, runabouts exist in the liminal space between frigate and shuttlecraft and perform roles as varied as force reconnaissance and warpspeed infrastructure transport. These small starships can be found berthed at almost every Federation facility and make up a substantial majority of all commissioned Starfleet craft all while remaining largely beneath the notice of all but the most die-hard fleet enthusiasts among the general population.
Although the definition of the term 'runabout' is something that has fluctuated somewhat over time, in modern parlance it refers to any warp-capable starship with a length from 20 meters to 100 meters, or a displacement in excess of 15 kt and not exceeding 200 kt (although certain ships falling below that latter mark are exempted from the runabout category on a per-case basis). A runabout is also required to have the capability to operate independently for an extended period of time. While smaller runabouts are often assigned to, say, a starbase or even an Explorer on a permanent basis, a vessel that relies on their 'mothership' would fall short of these qualifications.
For those versed in human history, the name itself is somewhat confounding. First applied to small watercraft, the vessels so named were light boats meant for leisure and local transportation and which entirely lacked the wide range of utility for which modern runabout has become emblematic. The true origin of the term in fact lies with the small warp sleds that cluttered the space around Tellar Prime and her colonies, called thramgrult -- or, literally, "everywhere scamperers." When UESPA studied the Tellarite State's stellar logistics practices in the 2150s with an eye towards incorporating their innovations into the burgeoning human sphere, warp sleds were among the concepts 'borrowed' by the nascent program. In the process, the name was calqued into the simple "runabout."
As with most technologies, runabouts have progressed quite a long way from those simple utility and transport craft of yore. The earliest UESPA runabout, the C-3 class, consisted of little more than a warp drive and nacelles bolted onto a teardrop-shaped metal hull and was typically tasked with slowboating noncritical cargo to far-flung colonies where requisitioning a proper cargo vessel wouldn't make sense. Conversely, the modern Alarm-class vessel carries a crew of 70 and facilities to handle the predicted needs of the millions of colonists within its patrol corridor.
The course of runabout evolution over the past 170 years have diversified the category into a series of specialized subtypes:
Liaison Runabouts
These vessels are perhaps the closest to the 'prototypical' runabout mold, in that they tend to be relatively small and extremely fast. Stationed all across the Federation, liaison runabouts serve as a kind of 'pony express' that delivers both cargo and personnel from one end of the Federation to the other both rapidly and on short notice, with the parcel often hopping from one ship to another with mere minutes between arrival and departure.
The simplicity of the typical liaison runabout design combined with their ability to fit inside the shuttle bays of many Federation starships has served to encourage the development of a wide array of mission-specific packages, modules, and assorted modifications. With their unique ability to perform a variety of specialized roles and odd jobs, these ships can be sought-after assets and often spend their time sprinting frantically from one assignment to the next.
A typical liaison runabout will have a crew of approximately 15, although this can very by class from as few as 8 to as many as 34. By far the majority of those assigned to them represent trained engineers given the unenviable task of managing the immense strain placed upon the ship's propulsion systems, all while having to deal with every situational modification foisted upon their vessel by Starfleet command. Assignment to one of these ships is regarded as a crucible by the Starfleet engineering community, and those who thrive in the position find themselves as hot commodities within the fleet; by reputation, they're viewed as avid and inspired tinkerers who can manage a redlining engine without breaking a sweat.
Aviso Runabouts
The aviso, put simply, is the opposite of the liaison in every conceivable manner. Blurring the line between 'small frigate' and 'large runabout', the aviso sets itself apart from the former by way of ability. Or, more precisely, the lack of a very important one: quickness. Frightfully slow, the aviso sacrifices any semblance of speed in exchange for sensors and facilities that push the boundaries of what might be expected from a ship so limited in size. (It should be noted that these runabouts are capable of emergency sprinting, but not in a sustained manner.)
In effect, the aviso is designed to be a sort of colonial watchdog, a cutter that meanders its way among the less vital colonies of the Federation with an aim to handle minor crises and emergency situations before they can spiral out of control into something that would demand the attention of a proper starship, up to and including defense against small raids that minor worlds find themselves inherently vulnerable against. Given this broad spectrum of abilities, outmoded aviso runabouts are commonly exported to Federation protectorates as a 'training wheels'-type starship for them to cut their teeth on while developing the ability to manage their local space responsibly.
Aviso crews, although small by Starfleet standards, are gargantuan in strict runabout terms. Some have had 'lean' crews of about 50, but modern designs push the envelope as high as the mid-90s. Serving aboard an aviso is said to be a unique experience among all Starfleet postings, as the crew are encouraged to form a close relationship with the population of the worlds within their assigned zone of space. While spending time at a port-of-call, it's not uncommon to spend as much time planetside as aboard your ship. Avisos are usually commanded by an outstanding young Lieutenant Commander fresh off a distinguished assignment as a junior officer, and their experiences riding the periphery tends to grant them an uncommon amount of presence even among the Federation's best and brightest.
Expeditionary Runabouts
Often mistaken as mere pint-sized science vessels -- an 'Oberthette', if you will -- by the unfamiliar, these ships are built for a more hands-on approach to the sciences. While an expeditionary runabout does boast impressive equipment and facilities for its size, the purpose of these starships isn't to operate in deep space scanner stellar phenomena. Rather, these ships are intended to slot into the 'research gap' between the transient attention of a proper starship and the resource-intensive investment inherent with a full-scale colony. In essence, the expeditionary runabout serves as a mobile base camp for Federation scientists to study on-site for months at a time (for example, at an archaeological dig) without the necessity of relying on constant supply drops. Moreover, the expeditionary runabout allows them to bring an array of instrumentation into the field that would be otherwise outside the reach of scientists operating out of, say, a prefabricated 'shack.'
The space and power required for a full suite of modern scientific sensors and equipment (plus their unnerving ability to find themselves in sketchy situations at the behest of their science-minded captains) demand that expeditionary runabouts be on the larger side of the spectrum, with some even sharing hullforms with their aviso counterparts. Expeditionaries are, however, unique among runabouts in mounting a full-scale deflector dish. Nominally unarmed, these vessels have been known to use those deflectors to jury-rig a makeshift phaser array for use in emergencies. More adventurous Captains have been also been noted to fire improvised photon torpedoes from the probe bay.
Outside of Starfleet, expeditionary runabouts are a fairly common sight in civilian use. Most well-funded universities and research institutions operate at least one such vessel at a minimum, and the Vulcan Science Academy on its own fields a small fleet of them. 'Races' to promising research sites between VSA runabouts and those belonging to the University of Betazed have become an amusingly common scene, often third-partied by various Gaeni institutes.
Due to the immensely variable nature of their assignments and the wide variety of specialists involved, the crew complement of an expeditionary runabout can fluctuate wildly from one mission to the next. Larger examples generally maintain a skeleton complement of approximately 25 aboard as a baseline with accommodations for as many as 50 more, but given the unforgivingly remote (and for non-scientists, incredibly dull) nature of most deployments, each expeditionary runabout maintains two separate crews that rotate between missions.
(One particularly interesting aside is that these crews are among the only ones in Starfleet with extensive experience taking such a large vessel into planetary atmosphere under operational conditions.)
Spaceliners
Midscale runabouts, these vessels are essentially militarized versions of the ever-present civilian passenger runabout. Lacking the raw speed of liaison runabouts, the spaceliner is generally able to carry a significantly larger amount of people in relative comfort over large distances at a reasonable pace. Although accommodations lean more towards spartan functionality compared to their civilian peers, they still boast a wide array of leisure amenities. Many classes feature a ventral observation deck that spans the entire length of the ship, with the modern Anzajath-class even sporting a ventral 'viewing pod' from which passengers can properly enjoy planetary descent.
The civilian origins of these ships give them a technological simplicity and straightforwardness that leaves them prime candidates for conversion into a variety of specialized roles. Sensor pickets and antimatter tankers are by far the most common, but a fair few have found their way into the hands of Starfleet Intelligence where they've doubtlessly undergone further sundry espionage-related modifications. Of perhaps more interest to the lay-citizen, a select number serve as transportation for the President of the United Federation of Planets and their senior officials and staff; these vessels have been equipped with a top-flight communications suite to ensure the continuation of effective and responsive government in the event of a sudden and catastrophic attack against Earth.
Crew requirements vary wildly depending on class and configuration, but trend towards the smaller end of the scale. For obvious reasons, the crew of an executive transport will massively exceed that of an antimatter tanker cruising at low warp between depots. The inherent prestige also varies considerably. For example, while most runabout commands are sought-after posts, being the CO of 'Starfleet One' is arguably the single most meritorious Commander-grade assignment in the entire service. On the other hand, drawing 'tanker duty' tends to suggest that one was caught having a one-night stand with an Admiral's offspring. While in uniform.
Utility Runabouts
As much as irate sector commanders might protest otherwise, the simple fact of the matter is that the vast majority of blue-collar 'Space Jobs' do not, in fact, warrant the valuable attention of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers' limited fleet of dedicated engineering ships. Enter the humble utility runabout, which is tasked with the heavy lifting that keeps Starfleet operational on a day-to-day basis. Size-wise, these ships can run the gamut from 'shuttles, but very ugly and also a little larger' all the way to 'I can't believe it's not frigate!' Most, however, find themselves somewhere in the middle: just barely large enough to mount a heavy-duty tractor beam while also carrying some respectable on-board industry. Some larger 'Utes' are known to sport low-powered phasers for use in asteroid mining.
The majority of these ships find use as harbor tugs or dedicated repair ships for orbital industry, but a handful of the faster ones are employed as small warp tugs. These are by necessity much faster than their cousins, but otherwise are the same designs but with a better warp engine. Runabout warp tugs are without a doubt very useful craft, but find themselves hindered by their limited range. Long-distance tow jobs require the attention of one of Starfleet's full-sized warp tugs, which are typically outdated frigate hulls pressed into the menial labors of logistics after a minor end-of-service retrofit.
'Utie' crewmen are, as a rule, tough, resourceful, and dedicated. Many of them go so far as to resist transfer into the regular fleet, preferring the camaraderie and lifestyle of their current role. Those who do make the switch immediately become valued members of any engineering staff in the fleet, made conspicuous by a trademark sardonic wit that seems to thrive in the cramped confines of a 'Ute' runabout.
Pictured: An ex-Starfleet Zonghul-class aviso runabout operated by the Medusan protectorate
The unheralded workhorses of the Federation, runabouts exist in the liminal space between frigate and shuttlecraft and perform roles as varied as force reconnaissance and warpspeed infrastructure transport. These small starships can be found berthed at almost every Federation facility and make up a substantial majority of all commissioned Starfleet craft all while remaining largely beneath the notice of all but the most die-hard fleet enthusiasts among the general population.
Although the definition of the term 'runabout' is something that has fluctuated somewhat over time, in modern parlance it refers to any warp-capable starship with a length from 20 meters to 100 meters, or a displacement in excess of 15 kt and not exceeding 200 kt (although certain ships falling below that latter mark are exempted from the runabout category on a per-case basis). A runabout is also required to have the capability to operate independently for an extended period of time. While smaller runabouts are often assigned to, say, a starbase or even an Explorer on a permanent basis, a vessel that relies on their 'mothership' would fall short of these qualifications.
For those versed in human history, the name itself is somewhat confounding. First applied to small watercraft, the vessels so named were light boats meant for leisure and local transportation and which entirely lacked the wide range of utility for which modern runabout has become emblematic. The true origin of the term in fact lies with the small warp sleds that cluttered the space around Tellar Prime and her colonies, called thramgrult -- or, literally, "everywhere scamperers." When UESPA studied the Tellarite State's stellar logistics practices in the 2150s with an eye towards incorporating their innovations into the burgeoning human sphere, warp sleds were among the concepts 'borrowed' by the nascent program. In the process, the name was calqued into the simple "runabout."
As with most technologies, runabouts have progressed quite a long way from those simple utility and transport craft of yore. The earliest UESPA runabout, the C-3 class, consisted of little more than a warp drive and nacelles bolted onto a teardrop-shaped metal hull and was typically tasked with slowboating noncritical cargo to far-flung colonies where requisitioning a proper cargo vessel wouldn't make sense. Conversely, the modern Alarm-class vessel carries a crew of 70 and facilities to handle the predicted needs of the millions of colonists within its patrol corridor.
The course of runabout evolution over the past 170 years have diversified the category into a series of specialized subtypes:
Liaison Runabouts
These vessels are perhaps the closest to the 'prototypical' runabout mold, in that they tend to be relatively small and extremely fast. Stationed all across the Federation, liaison runabouts serve as a kind of 'pony express' that delivers both cargo and personnel from one end of the Federation to the other both rapidly and on short notice, with the parcel often hopping from one ship to another with mere minutes between arrival and departure.
The simplicity of the typical liaison runabout design combined with their ability to fit inside the shuttle bays of many Federation starships has served to encourage the development of a wide array of mission-specific packages, modules, and assorted modifications. With their unique ability to perform a variety of specialized roles and odd jobs, these ships can be sought-after assets and often spend their time sprinting frantically from one assignment to the next.
A typical liaison runabout will have a crew of approximately 15, although this can very by class from as few as 8 to as many as 34. By far the majority of those assigned to them represent trained engineers given the unenviable task of managing the immense strain placed upon the ship's propulsion systems, all while having to deal with every situational modification foisted upon their vessel by Starfleet command. Assignment to one of these ships is regarded as a crucible by the Starfleet engineering community, and those who thrive in the position find themselves as hot commodities within the fleet; by reputation, they're viewed as avid and inspired tinkerers who can manage a redlining engine without breaking a sweat.
Aviso Runabouts
The aviso, put simply, is the opposite of the liaison in every conceivable manner. Blurring the line between 'small frigate' and 'large runabout', the aviso sets itself apart from the former by way of ability. Or, more precisely, the lack of a very important one: quickness. Frightfully slow, the aviso sacrifices any semblance of speed in exchange for sensors and facilities that push the boundaries of what might be expected from a ship so limited in size. (It should be noted that these runabouts are capable of emergency sprinting, but not in a sustained manner.)
In effect, the aviso is designed to be a sort of colonial watchdog, a cutter that meanders its way among the less vital colonies of the Federation with an aim to handle minor crises and emergency situations before they can spiral out of control into something that would demand the attention of a proper starship, up to and including defense against small raids that minor worlds find themselves inherently vulnerable against. Given this broad spectrum of abilities, outmoded aviso runabouts are commonly exported to Federation protectorates as a 'training wheels'-type starship for them to cut their teeth on while developing the ability to manage their local space responsibly.
Aviso crews, although small by Starfleet standards, are gargantuan in strict runabout terms. Some have had 'lean' crews of about 50, but modern designs push the envelope as high as the mid-90s. Serving aboard an aviso is said to be a unique experience among all Starfleet postings, as the crew are encouraged to form a close relationship with the population of the worlds within their assigned zone of space. While spending time at a port-of-call, it's not uncommon to spend as much time planetside as aboard your ship. Avisos are usually commanded by an outstanding young Lieutenant Commander fresh off a distinguished assignment as a junior officer, and their experiences riding the periphery tends to grant them an uncommon amount of presence even among the Federation's best and brightest.
Expeditionary Runabouts
Often mistaken as mere pint-sized science vessels -- an 'Oberthette', if you will -- by the unfamiliar, these ships are built for a more hands-on approach to the sciences. While an expeditionary runabout does boast impressive equipment and facilities for its size, the purpose of these starships isn't to operate in deep space scanner stellar phenomena. Rather, these ships are intended to slot into the 'research gap' between the transient attention of a proper starship and the resource-intensive investment inherent with a full-scale colony. In essence, the expeditionary runabout serves as a mobile base camp for Federation scientists to study on-site for months at a time (for example, at an archaeological dig) without the necessity of relying on constant supply drops. Moreover, the expeditionary runabout allows them to bring an array of instrumentation into the field that would be otherwise outside the reach of scientists operating out of, say, a prefabricated 'shack.'
The space and power required for a full suite of modern scientific sensors and equipment (plus their unnerving ability to find themselves in sketchy situations at the behest of their science-minded captains) demand that expeditionary runabouts be on the larger side of the spectrum, with some even sharing hullforms with their aviso counterparts. Expeditionaries are, however, unique among runabouts in mounting a full-scale deflector dish. Nominally unarmed, these vessels have been known to use those deflectors to jury-rig a makeshift phaser array for use in emergencies. More adventurous Captains have been also been noted to fire improvised photon torpedoes from the probe bay.
Outside of Starfleet, expeditionary runabouts are a fairly common sight in civilian use. Most well-funded universities and research institutions operate at least one such vessel at a minimum, and the Vulcan Science Academy on its own fields a small fleet of them. 'Races' to promising research sites between VSA runabouts and those belonging to the University of Betazed have become an amusingly common scene, often third-partied by various Gaeni institutes.
Due to the immensely variable nature of their assignments and the wide variety of specialists involved, the crew complement of an expeditionary runabout can fluctuate wildly from one mission to the next. Larger examples generally maintain a skeleton complement of approximately 25 aboard as a baseline with accommodations for as many as 50 more, but given the unforgivingly remote (and for non-scientists, incredibly dull) nature of most deployments, each expeditionary runabout maintains two separate crews that rotate between missions.
(One particularly interesting aside is that these crews are among the only ones in Starfleet with extensive experience taking such a large vessel into planetary atmosphere under operational conditions.)
Spaceliners
Midscale runabouts, these vessels are essentially militarized versions of the ever-present civilian passenger runabout. Lacking the raw speed of liaison runabouts, the spaceliner is generally able to carry a significantly larger amount of people in relative comfort over large distances at a reasonable pace. Although accommodations lean more towards spartan functionality compared to their civilian peers, they still boast a wide array of leisure amenities. Many classes feature a ventral observation deck that spans the entire length of the ship, with the modern Anzajath-class even sporting a ventral 'viewing pod' from which passengers can properly enjoy planetary descent.
The civilian origins of these ships give them a technological simplicity and straightforwardness that leaves them prime candidates for conversion into a variety of specialized roles. Sensor pickets and antimatter tankers are by far the most common, but a fair few have found their way into the hands of Starfleet Intelligence where they've doubtlessly undergone further sundry espionage-related modifications. Of perhaps more interest to the lay-citizen, a select number serve as transportation for the President of the United Federation of Planets and their senior officials and staff; these vessels have been equipped with a top-flight communications suite to ensure the continuation of effective and responsive government in the event of a sudden and catastrophic attack against Earth.
Crew requirements vary wildly depending on class and configuration, but trend towards the smaller end of the scale. For obvious reasons, the crew of an executive transport will massively exceed that of an antimatter tanker cruising at low warp between depots. The inherent prestige also varies considerably. For example, while most runabout commands are sought-after posts, being the CO of 'Starfleet One' is arguably the single most meritorious Commander-grade assignment in the entire service. On the other hand, drawing 'tanker duty' tends to suggest that one was caught having a one-night stand with an Admiral's offspring. While in uniform.
Utility Runabouts
As much as irate sector commanders might protest otherwise, the simple fact of the matter is that the vast majority of blue-collar 'Space Jobs' do not, in fact, warrant the valuable attention of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers' limited fleet of dedicated engineering ships. Enter the humble utility runabout, which is tasked with the heavy lifting that keeps Starfleet operational on a day-to-day basis. Size-wise, these ships can run the gamut from 'shuttles, but very ugly and also a little larger' all the way to 'I can't believe it's not frigate!' Most, however, find themselves somewhere in the middle: just barely large enough to mount a heavy-duty tractor beam while also carrying some respectable on-board industry. Some larger 'Utes' are known to sport low-powered phasers for use in asteroid mining.
The majority of these ships find use as harbor tugs or dedicated repair ships for orbital industry, but a handful of the faster ones are employed as small warp tugs. These are by necessity much faster than their cousins, but otherwise are the same designs but with a better warp engine. Runabout warp tugs are without a doubt very useful craft, but find themselves hindered by their limited range. Long-distance tow jobs require the attention of one of Starfleet's full-sized warp tugs, which are typically outdated frigate hulls pressed into the menial labors of logistics after a minor end-of-service retrofit.
'Utie' crewmen are, as a rule, tough, resourceful, and dedicated. Many of them go so far as to resist transfer into the regular fleet, preferring the camaraderie and lifestyle of their current role. Those who do make the switch immediately become valued members of any engineering staff in the fleet, made conspicuous by a trademark sardonic wit that seems to thrive in the cramped confines of a 'Ute' runabout.
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Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
All About The Runabout
Pictured: An ex-Starfleet Zonghul-class aviso runabout operated by the Medusan protectorate
The unheralded workhorses of the Federation, runabouts exist in the liminal space between frigate and shuttlecraft and perform roles as varied as force reconnaissance and warpspeed infrastructure transport. These small starships can be found berthed at almost every Federation facility and make up a substantial majority of all commissioned Starfleet craft all while remaining largely beneath the notice of all but the most die-hard fleet enthusiasts among the general population.
Although the definition of the term 'runabout' is something that has fluctuated somewhat over time, in modern parlance it refers to any warp-capable starship with a length from 20 meters to 100 meters, or a displacement in excess of 15 kt and not exceeding 200 kt (although certain ships falling below that latter mark are exempted from the runabout category on a per-case basis). A runabout is also required to have the capability to operate independently for an extended period of time. While smaller runabouts are often assigned to, say, a starbase or even an Explorer on a permanent basis, a vessel that relies on their 'mothership' would fall short of these qualifications.
For those versed in human history, the name itself is somewhat confounding. First applied to small watercraft, the vessels so named were light boats meant for leisure and local transportation and which entirely lacked the wide range of utility for which modern runabout has become emblematic. The true origin of the term in fact lies with the small warp sleds that cluttered the space around Tellar Prime and her colonies, called thramgrult -- or, literally, "everywhere scamperers." When UESPA studied the Tellarite State's stellar logistics practices in the 2150s with an eye towards incorporating their innovations into the burgeoning human sphere, warp sleds were among the concepts 'borrowed' by the nascent program. In the process, the name was calqued into the simple "runabout."
As with most technologies, runabouts have progressed quite a long way from those simple utility and transport craft of yore. The earliest UESPA runabout, the C-3 class, consisted of little more than a warp drive and nacelles bolted onto a teardrop-shaped metal hull and was typically tasked with slowboating noncritical cargo to far-flung colonies where requisitioning a proper cargo vessel wouldn't make sense. Conversely, the modern Alarm-class vessel carries a crew of 70 and facilities to handle the predicted needs of the millions of colonists within its patrol corridor.
The course of runabout evolution over the past 170 years have diversified the category into a series of specialized subtypes:
Liaison Runabouts
These vessels are perhaps the closest to the 'prototypical' runabout mold, in that they tend to be relatively small and extremely fast. Stationed all across the Federation, liaison runabouts serve as a kind of 'pony express' that delivers both cargo and personnel from one end of the Federation to the other both rapidly and on short notice, with the parcel often hopping from one ship to another with mere minutes between arrival and departure.
The simplicity of the typical liaison runabout design combined with their ability to fit inside the shuttle bays of many Federation starships has served to encourage the development of a wide array of mission-specific packages, modules, and assorted modifications. With their unique ability to perform a variety of specialized roles and odd jobs, these ships can be sought-after assets and often spend their time sprinting frantically from one assignment to the next.
A typical liaison runabout will have a crew of approximately 15, although this can very by class from as few as 8 to as many as 34. By far the majority of those assigned to them represent trained engineers given the unenviable task of managing the immense strain placed upon the ship's propulsion systems, all while having to deal with every situational modification foisted upon their vessel by Starfleet command. Assignment to one of these ships is regarded as a crucible by the Starfleet engineering community, and those who thrive in the position find themselves as hot commodities within the fleet; by reputation, they're viewed as avid and inspired tinkerers who can manage a redlining engine without breaking a sweat.
Aviso Runabouts
The aviso, put simply, is the opposite of the liaison in every conceivable manner. Blurring the line between 'small frigate' and 'large runabout', the aviso sets itself apart from the former by way of ability. Or, more precisely, the lack of a very important one: quickness. Frightfully slow, the aviso sacrifices any semblance of speed in exchange for sensors and facilities that push the boundaries of what might be expected from a ship so limited in size. (It should be noted that these runabouts are capable of emergency sprinting, but not in a sustained manner.)
In effect, the aviso is designed to be a sort of colonial watchdog, a cutter that meanders its way among the less vital colonies of the Federation with an aim to handle minor crises and emergency situations before they can spiral out of control into something that would demand the attention of a proper starship, up to and including defense against small raids that minor worlds find themselves inherently vulnerable against. Given this broad spectrum of abilities, outmoded aviso runabouts are commonly exported to Federation protectorates as a 'training wheels'-type starship for them to cut their teeth on while developing the ability to manage their local space responsibly.
Aviso crews, although small by Starfleet standards, are gargantuan in strict runabout terms. Some have had 'lean' crews of about 50, but modern designs push the envelope as high as the mid-90s. Serving aboard an aviso is said to be a unique experience among all Starfleet postings, as the crew are encouraged to form a close relationship with the population of the worlds within their assigned zone of space. While spending time at a port-of-call, it's not uncommon to spend as much time planetside as aboard your ship. Avisos are usually commanded by an outstanding young Lieutenant Commander fresh off a distinguished assignment as a junior officer, and their experiences riding the periphery tends to grant them an uncommon amount of presence even among the Federation's best and brightest.
Expeditionary Runabouts
Often mistaken as mere pint-sized science vessels -- an 'Oberthette', if you will -- by the unfamiliar, these ships are built for a more hands-on approach to the sciences. While an expeditionary runabout does boast impressive equipment and facilities for its size, the purpose of these starships isn't to operate in deep space scanner stellar phenomena. Rather, these ships are intended to slot into the 'research gap' between the transient attention of a proper starship and the resource-intensive investment inherent with a full-scale colony. In essence, the expeditionary runabout serves as a mobile base camp for Federation scientists to study on-site for months at a time (for example, at an archaeological dig) without the necessity of relying on constant supply drops. Moreover, the expeditionary runabout allows them to bring an array of instrumentation into the field that would be otherwise outside the reach of scientists operating out of, say, a prefabricated 'shack.'
The space and power required for a full suite of modern scientific sensors and equipment (plus their unnerving ability to find themselves in sketchy situations at the behest of their science-minded captains) demand that expeditionary runabouts be on the larger side of the spectrum, with some even sharing hullforms with their aviso counterparts. Expeditionaries are, however, unique among runabouts in mounting a full-scale deflector dish. Nominally unarmed, these vessels have been known to use those deflectors to jury-rig a makeshift phaser array for use in emergencies. More adventurous Captains have been also been noted to fire improvised photon torpedoes from the probe bay.
Outside of Starfleet, expeditionary runabouts are a fairly common sight in civilian use. Most well-funded universities and research institutions operate at least one such vessel at a minimum, and the Vulcan Science Academy on its own fields a small fleet of them. 'Races' to promising research sites between VSA runabouts and those belonging to the University of Betazed have become an amusingly common scene, often third-partied by various Gaeni institutes.
Due to the immensely variable nature of their assignments and the wide variety of specialists involved, the crew complement of an expeditionary runabout can fluctuate wildly from one mission to the next. Larger examples generally maintain a skeleton complement of approximately 25 aboard as a baseline with accommodations for as many as 50 more, but given the unforgivingly remote (and for non-scientists, incredibly dull) nature of most deployments, each expeditionary runabout maintains two separate crews that rotate between missions.
(One particularly interesting aside is that these crews are among the only ones in Starfleet with extensive experience taking such a large vessel into planetary atmosphere under operational conditions.)
Spaceliners
Midscale runabouts, these vessels are essentially militarized versions of the ever-present civilian passenger runabout. Lacking the raw speed of liaison runabouts, the spaceliner is generally able to carry a significantly larger amount of people in relative comfort over large distances at a reasonable pace. Although accommodations lean more towards spartan functionality compared to their civilian peers, they still boast a wide array of leisure amenities. Many classes feature a ventral observation deck that spans the entire length of the ship, with the modern Anzajath-class even sporting a ventral 'viewing pod' from which passengers can properly enjoy planetary descent.
The civilian origins of these ships give them a technological simplicity and straightforwardness that leaves them prime candidates for conversion into a variety of specialized roles. Sensor pickets and antimatter tankers are by far the most common, but a fair few have found their way into the hands of Starfleet Intelligence where they've doubtlessly undergone further sundry espionage-related modifications. Of perhaps more interest to the lay-citizen, a select number serve as transportation for the President of the United Federation of Planets and their senior officials and staff; these vessels have been equipped with a top-flight communications suite to ensure the continuation of effective and responsive government in the event of a sudden and catastrophic attack against Earth.
Crew requirements vary wildly depending on class and configuration, but trend towards the smaller end of the scale. For obvious reasons, the crew of an executive transport will massively exceed that of an antimatter tanker cruising at low warp between depots. The inherent prestige also varies considerably. For example, while most runabout commands are sought-after posts, being the CO of 'Starfleet One' is arguably the single most meritorious Commander-grade assignment in the entire service. On the other hand, drawing 'tanker duty' tends to suggest that one was caught having a one-night stand with an Admiral's offspring. While in uniform.
Utility Runabouts
As much as irate sector commanders might protest otherwise, the simple fact of the matter is that the vast majority of blue-collar 'Space Jobs' do not, in fact, warrant the valuable attention of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers' limited fleet of dedicated engineering ships. Enter the humble utility runabout, which is tasked with the heavy lifting that keeps Starfleet operational on a day-to-day basis. Size-wise, these ships can run the gamut from 'shuttles, but very ugly and also a little larger' all the way to 'I can't believe it's not frigate!' Most, however, find themselves somewhere in the middle: just barely large enough to mount a heavy-duty tractor beam while also carrying some respectable on-board industry. Some larger 'Utes' are known to sport low-powered phasers for use in asteroid mining.
The majority of these ships find use as harbor tugs or dedicated repair ships for orbital industry, but a handful of the faster ones are employed as small warp tugs. These are as a rule much faster than their cousins, but otherwise are the same designs but with a better warp engine. Runabout warp tugs are without a doubt very useful craft, but find themselves hindered by their limited range. Long-distance tow jobs require the attention of one of Starfleet's full-sized warp tugs, which are typically outdated frigate hulls pressed into the menial labors of logistics after a minor end-of-service retrofit.
'Utie' crewmen are, as a rule, tough, resourceful, and dedicated. Many of them go so far as to resist transfer into the regular fleet, preferring the camaraderie and lifestyle of their current role. Those who do make the switch immediately become valued members of any engineering staff in the fleet, made conspicuous by a trademark sardonic wit that seems to thrive in the cramped confines of a 'Ute' runabout.
This is awesome!
75% Certain
25% horse thief
I just picked a small-sounding number, tbh, but TBG weights have always felt rather arbitrary.
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
So basically what you're saying is the Gorn are just ahead of the times?
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Or, alternatively, that significant advances in miniaturized warp propulsion between the 2320s and the TNG era will enable the creation of a much smaller category of runabout. Something closer to "big warp-capable shuttle" and farther from "small ship." Most of the classes described here are very much "small ship," by contrast. They're not something one or two people could plausibly hope to operate given that the usual crew sizes in the dozens.
Though I'd figured otherwise; back in early '17 I omaked a prototype shuttlecraft/runabout of manageable one-person size that could fit in a shipboard bay. It was based off the Robert April 'super prototype' from Nash's captaincy, and implicitly gave it low speed warp capability.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Am I reading the Lufroil right? Is that a fucking Cruiser that can spank an Ambassador in virtually every category?
EDIT: 4 more Combat, 2 less Science, 1 more Hull, 1 less Shield, 1 less Presence... Oh, that's where it pays for it, it loses 3 Endurance (Still a very respectable 12) and 3 less Reaction (Still a decent 10).
Getting all that in a hull 800 kilotons smaller though is monstrous.
Amarki really trying to get their druthers as the Shield of the Federation I see, holy hell that's a scary ass anchor ship to put in your vanguard, they're going to just run wild over anything we've seen to date.
EDIT: 4 more Combat, 2 less Science, 1 more Hull, 1 less Shield, 1 less Presence... Oh, that's where it pays for it, it loses 3 Endurance (Still a very respectable 12) and 3 less Reaction (Still a decent 10).
Getting all that in a hull 800 kilotons smaller though is monstrous.
Amarki really trying to get their druthers as the Shield of the Federation I see, holy hell that's a scary ass anchor ship to put in your vanguard, they're going to just run wild over anything we've seen to date.
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- Location
- Infraspace
Article: Warp drive systems are heavy in an unintuitive manner due to their interactions with subspace. On a line starship the effect is less noticeable, but there can be a significant tonnage increase on smaller vessels that mount long-range cores. To ensure stability over longer periods of time, these require a marked increase in subspace coupling compared to shorter-range examples, and thus also exhibit greater coupling to the Higgs field, resulting in an increased mass. In the Federation, the effect was first described by the Vulcan Science Academy approximately 600 years ago.
- Excerpt from Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Warp Drives but Were Too Afraid to Ask, 2285 United Earth Edition
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- Location
- Earth
The Lufroil is using state-of-the-art technology in comparison to to the Ambassador's last gen/last gen-and-a-half level of technology. There are some refit proposals for Ambassador-B floating around the SDB members in quest Discord that show off some monstrous stat gains.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Hoo boy, I need to get back in there now that TBG is alive again.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
...Have we finalized the Ambassador-A pack yet? Was I sleep
- Location
- Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There's a link on the Current Fleet Status threadmark, should be the first one.
- Location
- Aotearoa
You like the Lufroil? Lt. Commander Galan at the ONA also published some early collaborative design studies on that proposed next-generation Amarki successor to the Riala Battleship.
Ambassador-level responder or better, and...
Possible design for that future Amarki Battleship.
It's at least the equal of a Lufroil, indeed on par with an Ambassador-class as garrison responder, but fights, hmm, a touch more aggressively than the Starfleet flagship.
Predictive algorithms in the Isolinear Battle Core controlling advanced vectored impulse grants 9.333% Evasion, which rivals many of our second-line frigates (including the Kepler) and betters a Rennie-A.
Draws on some ideas from Swbs version, but c'mon, it's called a BATTLE CORE
Edit: Much less awesome Amarki Opsship
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