| STARSHIP CLASS | |
|---|---|
| Archer-class | |
| |
| Affiliation: | Federation, Starfleet |
| Type: | Light cruiser Escort Vessel |
| Service period: | 25th Century |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 311.85 meters |
| Width: | 138 meters |
| Height: | 53 meters |
| Mass: | 190,000 metric tonnes (gross tonnage) |
| Specifications | |
| Decks: | 6 (1 extra sub-deck) |
| Crew: | 5 (minimal operating service) 20-37 (typical operating crew) 310 (maximum life-support capacity) |
| |
The Archer class was a highly classified Federation starship designed for deep space tactical assignments, including cargo transport, political and service escorting, scouting, and scientific exploits. Launched in the 25th century, it was a prototype, a test-bed for advanced and experimental technology.
History[]
The class was an experimental project developed by scientists of Klingon and Andorian collaboration with Daystrom in 2476, 4 years after Starfleet had a permanent presence within the Delta Quadrant, owing to the Federation's mandate that its member worlds research alternatives to dilithium. Equipped with an engine that would have allowed starships to be transported across thousands of light years in an instant, obviating the need for warp drive. The only prototype for this monumental design was stolen out of drydock from an orbital facility around one of Jupiter's lunar bodies.
Technical Data[]
As of its launch, vessels of this class were the fastest and smartest in the entire fleet, built to usher in a new age and era of space exploration, propulsion, and military activity. Indeed, the most diverse ship in the fleet also, borrowing technology and designs from more Federation members and allies than previously, including the Borg.
The ship was capable of entering a planetary atmospheres and landing on a solid surface, for which it was equipped with a single large landing strut beneath its center of gravity. The strut was wide and sturdy enough to withstand skidding across surfaces.
Specifications[]
The hull consisted of multiple layers which afford structural and atmospheric integrity for the spaceframe, integral waveguides and field conductive members for the structural integrity field (SIF), and pathways for other utilities (including deflector grids), as well as resistance to radiation and thermal energy.
Materials used in the Archer class construction included Trinesium and tetraburnium composite alloys to line the outer hull as "insulation" able to withstand temperatures up to 18,000 degrees allowing entry into gas giants and act as a natural radiation barrier for up to 42% of the spectrum while the bulkheads were comprised out of poly-tectic Monotanium with Horonium and Polyduranide as support for light-weight durability. It was seen as uncommon for a Starfleet ship to be constructed out of these materials as there was a almost complete lack of Duranium and Tritanium.
Configuration[]
Unlike other Starfleet ships, the Archer class had its navigational deflector mounted on the underside of the saucer instead of the engineering hull, which instead has a large loading ramp for entrance into the vessel and egress for land-based transportation vehicles. Otherwise, it beared familiarity to the Nova Class of the earlier 24th century, consisting of a saucer section with a curved triangular shape and a secondary hull that was directly attached to the underside of the saucer with two warp nacelles protruding to the rear.
Interior Design[]
Internally, Archer class vessels possess six decks with an additional sub-compartment making a total of seven habitable levels. These were categorised and labelled in the earthen alphabet - A deck, B deck, C deck, D deck, E deck, F deck, G deck.
Breaking from human designed interiors onboard starfleet ships, the interiors of the class were envisioned by Klingons and Ferengi.
Deck A[]
The nerve center of all command operations onboard these vessels, the location of the bridge, the briefing room, the captain's ready room, and the situation room.
The bridge was atypical among starfleet vessels, instead bearing more in line design wise to andorian ships. At the front was a front-facing viewscreen window with a heads-up-display and two helm seatings with control panels on the walls and mounted counter-top. The chairs could rotate around and possessed temperature regulators. Close to the helm station were two stations on each side of the wall using LCARS display interfaces. These four stations had designations in security/tactical, operations (internal systems control, communications, sensors, resource scheduling, and hardware and system usage), piloting and navigation, etc. The area was small, confined, and somewhat cramped.
Archer class command bridges were connected through a small corridor to a large hexagonal shaped room with a central table with LCAR computer interfaces embedded within it, along with panels on the walls and multiple chairs, designated as the briefing room for senior officers. Behind the briefing room was a mission control room, also known as the 'situation' room, marked by several computer displays and stations (including the environmental controls), with the monitors projecting status displays, and a small table. A table graphic was displayed on the table, and a plasma screen was used as a back wall monitor in the room.
Gallery[]
Deck B[]
The ship's commanding officer had individual quarters, located on B deck, which featured a large comfortable bed with non-federation standard issue sheets embedded in an alcove within the wall by a window that featured plasmatic filters, a work station, wall-mounted display screen, tables, and shelves with greenery and a comfortable warm environment. Water-based private showers and a toilet was located in a room aft of the captains quarters separated by a door. There was also space within the walls dedicated to storage of the captains personal belongings such as clothing.
A small holodeck dedicated to crew recreational activities was located on this level also, along with nacelle access jefferies tubes.
Gallery[]
Deck C[]
Most prominently the location of Main Engineering, the department and location dedicated to the operation of its systems, most notably propulsion, navigational, and computer array.
The focus of the Engineering deck is the ship's core grid, racks and racks of massive cylindrical field condensers mounted on both sides of the walls connected through interlocked gas-canisters hooked to the nacelles. In the front of the room was a area surrounded by security rails where a large monitoring station referred to as a central station with master systems access and display was situated having 2 computer panels ahead of it mounted to the floor, and an open work area for special projects or situational analysis.
Deck C was the only source of Magnesite onboard vessels of this class, having been used in construction of the experimental engine core which also disrupted transporter activity throughout Engineering, acting as a scattering field to prevent beaming in during hostile invasion.
Gallery[]
Deck D[]
This section housed large deuterium fuel tanks, reserved for the impulse reactors. The deuterium tanks are constructed of forced-matrix 2378 cortanium and stainless steel and insulated by alternating parallel and biased layers of foamed vac-whisker silicon-copper-duranite. An individual compartmentalized deuterium tank has enough space for 63,200 cubic meters of deuterium, although the normal load is 62,500 cubic meters, which is sufficient for three years of multi-mission operations. While in storage, deuterium is cryogenically held in the tanks in slush form at 13.8 Kelvin.
There were at least three cargo bays of varying size and equipment located on this deck, which were close to the transporter room responsible for all transport-operations onboard. The brig was also located here, a heavily guarded room that employed force fields to keep those incarcerated segregated from the general population.
Deck E[]
This class of starship had a communal mess hall, with at least three protein replicators. Each station had two dispensing slots with a transparent sliding door in a stacked formation, with the higher one being slightly smaller than the lower one. Once the order was produced along with a tray and any eating utensils, the door automatically retracted upward, and the tray extended outwards so that it could be removed from the slot, as a single tray virtually took up all the horizontal space within the slot.
There was several large windows and a buffet-style environment; pre-made food was stored in a serving case located on a bulkhead adjacent to a drink dispenser and three protein re-sequencers.
Directly off the mess hall, there was a large gymnasium which was dedicated to physical fitness and exercise of the crew, containing a large martial arts sparring platform, treadmills, weights, et cetera. It was customary for male crew members to be shirtless within the gym.
Much of the ship's crew were berthed in the bunk room, located on E deck, where individuals shared bunk beds in alcoves with limited privacy. Close to the bunk room was the communal sonic showers and the hydroponics bay.
Deck F[]
Housing the medical bay, the sickbay was the main medical center aboard, supported by multiple holographic personnel, including a doctor and nurse. The facility was open-plan, with laboratory equipment in the main sickbay area and isolated through a bio-filter EM field to prevent spread of any contagions from leaving the area. The room also contained a main operating table, as well as several side beds for recovery of patients and an imaging chamber with biofunction monitors. To either side of the imaging chamber were monitors. Containing vast and valuable medical equipment including medical tricorders, hyposprays, genetronic replicators, quarantine chambers, anti-grav lifts, etc.
Furthermore, just off of sick bay connected through a small corridor, there was a decontamination chamber similar to the 22nd century NX class. Used for decontaminating crewmembers after exposure to the potentially dangerous environmental conditions, lifeforms, materials, airborne bodies, or other contaminants found in alien environments such as planets or spacecraft which might be missed by the ships biofiltration system. It was not much larger than a turbolift, featuring two benches and a window looking out into the sickbay corridor. Utilizing a combination of ultraviolet radiation and various skin gels to achieve its effect, the chamber offered very little privacy, requiring officers to disrobe and remain in the cramped chamber naked for sometimes extended periods.
Guest quarters were also located on this deck, similar to the crew quarters on previous decks.
Deck G[]
The shuttlebay was located in the lowermost section of the secondary hull. It was equipped with a vehicle replicator which could be used for the production of shuttlecraft. It also served as practical storage and deployment of ground vehicles and the disembarkation and boarding point for the crew on planetary surfaces. In addition, there was a compartment where workbees were stored. There was a separate section for shuttlecraft fuel storage.
Escape pods were also located on this deck. Close to this section was the central armory, possessing 14 weapon lockers typically accessed through a simple touch interface or voice command to authenticate authorized access and use by Starfleet personnel. A control panel in the center of the room monitored access to the weapons. Among the weapons in its inventory were sonic grenades, photon grenades, plasma mines, ordinance systems, compression phaser rifles, tasers, type 1 / type 2 / type 3 phasers.
Furthermore, G deck has a 'vault', a highly secure room guarded by holographic security with rows of benamite crystals in its raw geode form stored in racks where a hydraulic robot arm administers its allocation. Access to this area was restricted to those who passed a breath print successfully and fingerprint scan.
Gallery[]
Tactical systems[]
It was designed with an unprecedented level of automation, and, combined with its advanced tactical systems, was one of the most powerful combat ships in the entire Alpha Quadrant. Compared to the likes of the Prometheus class and Defiant.
- Tractor beam: The class also features multiple tractor beam emitters: a total of four, which project an attenuated beam of gravity outward toward a target that allows the manipulation of said object's trajectory, either to attract or repel.
- Cutting beam: Adapted from Borg cutting beam tactics, the Archer class tractor beam system is additionally capable of projecting narrow beams of high-energy gravitic energy at a target which is able to act like a high-precision scalpel powerful enough to slice a multi-kilometer long asteroid apart in a matter of moments.
Offensive[]
Class 9 phasers[]
An expansion on the phasers used by the Excelsior-class starships, the Archer class was armed with numerous linear arrangements of phaser emitters covering the dorsal saucer arc, ventral saucer arc, and ventral aft secondary hull arc.
During the firing sequence, phaser energies would travel along the emitter strip and converge at the best position for targeting to emit coherently pulsed orange-red beams of directed rapid-nadion particle discharge at a target with a rated power output of 'at least' 6 MW (megawatts)/per second of sustained barrage.
Energetic plasma is harnessed from the impulse reactors and auxiliary secondary systems which is then pumped into a pre-fire beam-focusing chamber made out of fushigi-no-umi / gallium arsenide. There, it undergoes a rapid-nadion effect in which strong nuclear forces are liberated and a protonic charge forms before being released in pulses to the emitter made out of the same superconductive crystal. A beam of electromagnetic energy is released from it, at speeds approaching the speed of light and can also be fired at warp speeds due to the annular confinement beam jacket.
The energy emission used a rotating multi-phasic resonance frequency normally spread in the high narrow bandwidth thus aiding in preventing the Borg from adapting to a Archer class' phaser strikes.
Pulse Phase Cannons[]
In addition to its class 9 phasers, vessels of this configuration boast twelve pulse phase cannons as an improved version of the previous phase cannon technology which Starfleet had developed by 2154. First tested onboard the Defiant class. They were mounted on retractable turrets which extended from the ship's hull when deployed and rotated as they were being targeted with a maximum power output of 500 gigajoules per cannon.
Torpedo Launchers[]
Boasting 3 forward, 1 ventral and 2 aft magnetic rail torpedo launchers, each launch tube was capable of firing at least seven photon torpedoes simultaneously, each torpedo capable of being independently targeted with calculated precision. The torpedo launchers were also capable of launching automated probes.
Considered 'heavily armed', vessels of this class had an impressive payload of seventy five photon torpedoes fitted with a type-6 warhead yielding 20-25 isotons. Additionally carrying 30 quantum torpedoes fitted with a class-3 warhead (52.3-70 isoton yield at maximum) and 10 tricobalt devices, spatial charges, gravimetric charges, and magnesium charges.
Defensive[]
Polarized hull plating[]
To minimize potential damage from weapons fire and other space hazards, Archer class incorporates a polarization matrix in its armored hull plating. Through the application of electromagnetic power, the metal hull of the ship can be made several orders of magnitude harder than it is in its non-polarized state while still enabling use of transporters.
Deflector shields[]
Employing regenerative technology tested onboard the Prometheus class, the shielding system of these ships were multi-faceted - an outer layer of graviton infused EM energy which is actively powered by plasma from the impulse generators was designed to block kinetic strikes (meteorites, torpedoes) and scatter focused energy attacks such as phasers or disruptors, bouncing as much as possible back into space; and an inner layer that captures any energy bleeding through and diverts it into capacitors that then reradiate that energy into the vessel's own EPS grid essentially allowing it to recharge from attacks to a certain degree. Depending on the situation, the efficiency of each layer can be adjusted; the physical barrier can be weakened and its projectors used to store energy for the inner layer, or the inner layer can be used as an extra battery, fed from the ship's own power source, to strengthen the outer layer.
The grid is made up of fourteen standard 400 MW output graviton polarity generators. All together, this results in a total shield strength of 1,822,500 TeraJoules meaning it can withstand 2.5 times what an Intrepid class starship can.
Also, when raised, they stay extremely close to the hull to conserve energy with the average range being ten meters away from the hull. Multi-phase graviton polarity flux technology incorporated into the shields allows it to better deal with more powerful weapons and sophisticated weaponry including that of the Dominion's phased polaron weapons, Breen energy dampeners, and Borg systems.
Command and computer systems[]
Described to "practically fly themselves", in fact, they were capable of operating with automatic helm control, yet were easy for anyone to pilot and chart courses. The computer core was further seen as "next generation", based in duo-positronics with polyphasic memory, to supersede the bio-neural circuitry tested onboard USS Voyager. It produced an artificial neural network, designed to imitate the humanoid brain to process information more efficiently, and hence speed up computer response time. Unlike the previous bio-neural gel-packs, the duo-positronic core could not be affected by bacteria and viruses but were still vulnerable to subnucleonic radiation. Capable of making billions of connections, it was an incredibly sophisticated and responsive computing architecture, allowing it to "think" in very similar ways to living organisms; by using "fuzzy logic", they could effectively operate by making a "best guess" answer to complex questions rather than working through all possible calculations. This was due in part to the inherent ability of organic neural systems to correlate chaotic patterns that eluded the capacities of conventional hardware such as isolinear.
Its control interface could be operated by touch or by simply moving one's hand over a control surface in motion patterns, furthermore the helm possessed a neural interface compatible with synaptic transceivers based on Haakonians neurogenic technology from the Delta Quadrant.
Ship-wide were isomorphic projectors, using particle synthesis adapted from species 116, it is explained that the particle synthesis works by exploiting, and altering, virtual particles on a quantum level to create interactive environments and tangible holographic matter. Poly-deutonic alloy was used in the construction of the emitters, and their primary purpose was to enable supplemental holographic crew access to every compartment of the ship.
Scanning Array[]
To be added
Communications[]
Equipped with a holographic comm system, two parties could communicate and converse with each other as if they were in the same room.
Life Support Technology[]
In lieu of Replicators, vessels of this class were equipped with protein resequencer stations which were considered an "outdated" form of food synthesis. Instead of using an energy-to-matter converter to create meals, it utilized powerful magnets to reorganise any kind of protein or polymer "slush" into other forms of either consumable food or inorganic material goods such as boots, clothing, etc. As designed for long-term missions with minimal crew, with an energy focus on propulsion and tactical systems, the design bureau did not want to distract valuable energy from other divisions and so the protein re-sequencers were upgraded from earlier 22nd century schematics and implemented onboard, fueled by waste products, any and all both from the crew and from ship waste byproducts.
The biofilters specifically screen for all known and unknown biological anomalies and when it detected such things such like viruses, it attempted to remove them from the protein stream. If it was unable to remove the contaminant, then production would be halted and an alert would flare on the monitor.
In the mess hall was a "drink dispenser" which could produce both hot and cold beverages for the crew, again as a substitute for the intensive demands of replicators. The dispenser had a small compartment where cups, bottles or mugs could be placed, which could be manually opened and closed, likened unto a vending machine. There were options for Coffee, Tea (in both vulcan, andorian, bajoran, tarkalean and human options), hot chocolate, Coca Cola, Sprite, Iced Tea, water (including tonic and carbonated), milk, orange juice, lotus fruit mocktail, Raktajino, algae soft drink (favored by the Ferengi), and Antarian cider, amongst presumably others but it was notable to have less options than a Replicator.
Like other ships, it utilizes fission scrubbers to generate a suitable atmosphere on board. When the crew inhales, they are absorbing O2, and when they exhale, they produce CO2. The fission scrubbers are essentially a more advanced version of more antiquated air scrubbers that were in use on earlier vessels. The system filters the exhaled gasses and uses fission torches specially tuned to break the C-bond to free the O2 to be cycled back into the air. This carbon was collected and transformed back into slush bio-matter by use of an matter scrambler assembly for use of the protein resequencer systems. The fission scrubbers use charged positron rods to stabilize the ion matrix in the atmospheric processor, which carried out air filtration. Failure of the coolant system would eventually cause the matrix to detonate in a large atomic-scale explosion.
For crew hygiene, there were communal sonic showers, which used acoustic inverters. But there were at least 1 water-based shower chamber onboard, within the captains quarters. There was also waste extraction fixtures known as toilets, and a ventilation system ship-wide.
Propulsion Systems[]
Similar to the Intrepid class of the earlier 24th century, the Archer class used variable geometry pylons. The nacelles had the ability to be lowered into a more streamlined position for FTL speeds, then raised into a higher position when at slower-than-light speeds or idle. The goal of these pylons was to improve engine efficiency by optimizing field stress when the ship travels extended journeys at warp 8+ comparative velocity, resulting in significantly improved engine efficiencies.
Impulse Drive[]
The impulse drive was essentially a series of augmented fusion rockets, consisting of at least two fusion reactors; primary and secondary, a driver coil assembly, and vectored thrust nozzles on the exterior of the ship to direct the plasma exhaust. The fusion reaction generated a highly energized plasma. This plasma, ("electro-plasma") could be employed for propulsion, or could be diverted through the EPS to the power transfer grid, via EPS conduits, so as to supply other systems. Given the theta-matrix reactor's intense energy demands, the impulse power was the major source to fuel majority of the ships systems instead of using typical warp power due to the design quota of total dilithium independence.
It used a deuterium injection assembly and operational ODN lines.
Soliton Pulse Drive[]
A revolutionary engine inspired by the Nacene and Sikarians as an expansion upon the earlier soliton experiments of 2368 that were deemed a failure. It was a massive project taking years of the top Federation scientists. The drive had a core consisting of a theta-matrix incubator and tetrahedral lithium-quartz assembly. The former operating on a Xahean principle.
The theta-matrix incubator used antineutrinos as a catalyst to trigger an ongoing cascade within the phase variances of a benamite crystal shell housed in the aforementioned tetrahedral lithium-quartz assembly by injecting a controlled flow of Bose–Einstein condensate (exotic matter), theoretically replicating the power of a "supernova", equivalent of multiple warp cores and generating approximately 62.3 billion gigawatts of power. As of its launch, there was no known way to recrystallize the benamite crystals after it had been burnt out.
Constructed of over 200 elements, there was no need for magnetic confinement and it also emitted omicron radiation during its operation. Humans required inoculations to get in close proximity to an active theta-matrix.
Jack Crusher noticed a 0.003 efficiency variance in the injector assembly which could be improved by the addition of a neutron coherence filter.
FTL[]
Unlike other starfleet ships, the nacelles of this class housed "teraphasic coils", composed of polysilicate verterium surrounding a core of densified gallicite. These coils work in tandem with spatial trajectors that create a soliton field charged with high-energy gravitons around the exterior entering a subspace distortion of folded-space, displaying a 98% energy transfer efficiency that was 450% more efficient than a Galaxy Class warp core.
Once the field is active, it requires a scattering field to dissipate. Propelling the ship into warp 1 and then steadily increasing into higher warp yields. Once at warp 5.02, the drive vents hot plasma out of the aft manifold and ignites a gamma pulse for a quick burst of speed. Needing only to be fired once unless the crew wishes to change their heading; inertia kept the ship going because there was no significant friction in the void between planets: null space.
The ship could cross over four thousand light years in a matter of minutes, a journey that would originally take months if not years at typical warp. When activated, a third nacelle would deploy from the stern of the ship while the two main nacelles were shifted to a lower angle. The engine itself was a high-priority system and consumed a large fraction of the theta-matrix total power, necessitating powerful impulse reactors.
Bussard Collectors[]
The Archer-class was equipped with bussard collectors at the front of the nacelles. The primary purpose of bussard collectors was that they could be used to collect interstellar hydrogen (deuterium) and other particles, however they could also be used to expel such gases as well. Bussard collectors were useful for when these ships passed through a hydrogen rich nebula, as it allowed them to pull in hydrogen which was the primary fuel source for their impulse reactors.
Emergency Systems[]
In the case of a breach, the ship automatically generated a field to stop decompression while an auto-repair system closed the breach in the hull in a matter of seconds through use of nanotechnology.
Energy Generation sub-systems[]
In support of the theta-matrix reactor and impulse engines, Archer class vessels also possessed a number of individually circuited fuel cells using bosonic superfluidity to form vortices and extract raw kinetic energy with zero net loss. This energy is stored in batteries to be reserved for emergencies and/or absolute loss of ship-wide systems.
Gallery[]
