| STARSHIP CLASS | |
|---|---|
| Mariner-class | |
| |
| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet |
| Type: | Heavy cruiser |
| Service period: | 32nd century |
| Dimensions | |
| Length: | 1,042.31 meters |
| Width: | N/A |
| Height: | 235.779 meters |
| Mass: | N/A |
| Specifications | |
| Decks: | 52 |
| Crew: | 2,685 (standard crew complement) 45,000 (evacuation capacity) |
| Speed: | Warp speed Transwarp Quantum slipstream Impulse |
| Armaments: | Phasers Photon torpedoes Quantum torpedoes Transphasic torpedoes |
| Defences: | Deflector shields Stealth technology |
| |
The Mariner class is a technologically advanced type of starship utilised by Starfleet in the 32nd century.
History[]
Technical data[]
Design[]
The Mariner class was one of the few vessels in its era that did not include detached components in its design. The hull was essentially a circle, with a negative space in the center. Two stubby warp nacelles extended from the aft of the ring, nesting a red-shining sub-light engine between them.
Stretches of white light marked the saucer's outside rim at regular intervals, including the front where a deflector dish was situated on older classes that also lacked a secondary hull.
The design of the Mariner class is more than just aesthetic however, as it allows for experimental torus-shaped deflector shields and warp fields. This intriguing shape allows this class of starship to utilize the negative space within the ring to isolate and study dangerous phenomena at close proximity, as well as pioneering more efficient methods of energy manipulation for space flight at both impulse and warp scales.
Deck layout[]
TBA
Life support/Crew support system[]
Mariner class vessels utilise an artificial gravitational field generator facilitated through Duranium sheets lined in the interior deck plates. The levels of gravity produced were modulated by a graviton stabilizer and typically produced Earth standard gravimetric forces: 0.99 g.
To protect from damage caused by approaching a star or entering the atmosphere of a planet, this type utilised a standard Federation heat shield consisting of a thermal deflector unit. This is seperate from the vessels deflector shield.
To mitigate radiation damage to both the crew and ship systems, Mariner class ships have a seperate protective system independent from the main deflector shields which use a double lattice layer consisting of semi-fluidic material designed to safely absorb the energy of the radiation.
Like all FTL capable vessels, Mariner class ships require the use of an advanced inertia dampening system to counter the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration by sustaining and absorbing the natural inertia of such a vessel as it moved through space in sub-light or warp velocities.
The structural integrity system is an application of EM field technology allowing the mechanical integrity of the physical space-frame of a Mariner class starship to be augmented. This system provides a network of polarised forcefield segments that compensate for propulsive and other structural stress factors that otherwise exceed the design limits of the space-frame or to assist in the compensation of weapon fire. EM field generation for the SIF is provided by a number of field generators.
The ship has a recycling oxygenation system that used a synthetic fiber-based technology creating an artificial ecosystem of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and other gases, while taking in carbon dioxide exhaled by the crew and purifying it.
All vessels of this class are provided with current Federation standard replicator systems/hubs as a means of producing necessary items such as food, clothing, medication and virtually anything else required. The menu is only limited by the programming but cannot replicate certain material such as Latinum, programmable matter, antimatter or Dilithium. Additionally, biofilters automatically screen out all contaminants before alerting the ship's computer and then use programmable matter to break down the harmful element unless otherwise ordered. Replicators are fueled by the vessel's bulk matter supply described as the base material which is then deconstructed on the atomic level and then reformed using magnets and matter-energy-matter conversion technology. It used Nitrium in the construction of components for the replicator hubs. Furthermore, it has one industrial replicator capable of fabricating new Shuttlecraft and et cetera.
Ship transporter systems functioned via matter-energy-matter conversion meaning a person or object is reduced into an energy pattern, then sending ("beaming" - possibly through quantum entanglement) it to a target location or else returning it to the transporter, where it is re-converted into matter. In doing so, the target matter is discorporated into a vibrant blue particle facsimile and the entire process takes less than a second. When used, a transporter left residual ionization in the air that can be isolated and traced. Additionally, transporters have bio-filters to remove contagious microbes or viruses from an organic subject mid-transport. The maximum range was 70,000 kilometers which was a 75 percent increase from the 24th century limit and was 172 percent greater than the range of 25,749.504 kilometers during the 23rd century. Uniquely, Mariner class vessels possess subspace based transporters with a maximum range of 3 light years with the matter that was transported being in a state of quantum flux but was energy expensive.
Energy generation[]
Ships of this class are powered by an antimatter x matter warp core which generated enormous quantities of electricity through controlled explosive collisions releasing pure light (energy) which is then harnessed directly into FTL as well as several other major systems. This is specifically accomplished via annihilation of equal parts matter and antimatter using a combination of deuterium (a hydrogen atom containing a proton and a neutron in its nucleus) and anti-deuterium (essentially a deuterium atom, whose atomic properties are exactly reversed from those of a normal deuterium atom). It is regulated through a matrix of magnets and Dilithium. Mariner class vessels employ recrystallization technology in the form of a theta-matrix compositor which used high-energy photons and gamma radiation.
Furthermore, Mariner class vessels also utilise a series of impulse cores comprised out of a network of sixteen spherical fusion reactors that are fueled by Deuterium which make use of a nuclear fusion process to generate energised plasma that is then distributed throughout the ship via a reinforced polaric conduit managed EPS grid.
Tactical[]
- Tractor beam: The Mariner class features several fixed-mounted tractor beam emitters, described as multiphasic graviton transmitters, that project a beam of attenuated gravity toward a target thus allowing the manipulation of said object's trajectory in order to repel or attract it. Specifically, the class has 5 generators: three forward, two rear.
Weapon systems[]
Torpedoes[]
Mariner class ships are armed with multiple torpedo launch banks capable of shooting out self-propelled torpedoes each equipped with a variable warhead and is capable of firing ten torpedoes at once in a single salvo.
The complement carried onboard these vessels are 275 photon torpedoes of the class 10 variant meaning it has a high yield of 200 isotons roughly equalling 496 megatons. Secondly, ships of this type carry an additional 140 quantum torpedoes of the class 8 variety and 6 Transphasic torpedoes. Overall, a total of 421 torpedoes of three different design.
Industrial replicators are capable of fabricating replacement torpedoes and then it is a simple matter of inserting the non-replicable fuel ie: antimatter. The quantum and transphasic torpedoes cannot be replicated easily.
Phasers[]
The class is armed with sixteen arrays of phase strip emitters each capable of firing a pulsed beam of directed tetryon plasma particles at a target. Additionally, the phasers utilised a automatic frequency rotation program to continuously and periodically alter the vibrational component thereby combating adaptation.
Defensive systems[]
- Deflector shields: Vessels of this class boasted a high-capacity deflector shield grid to protect itself from various threats, such as impacts from bolides and debris, various space-related and stellar phenomena as well as hostile weaponry. The deflectors are comprised out of multi-layered energetic distortion containing a high concentration of graviton particles and are equipped with multi-spectrum, metaphasic, metaphysic, and temporal shielding technology. They possessed regenerative sub-routines and were capable of being fully recharged up to 120% (via amplification circuitry) albeit it required 5-10 seconds to do so and during that time, a Mariner class ship was entirely vulnerable. Additionally, the magnetic harmonic resonance is self-modulating therefore making it harder to determine the static frequency of the shield perimeter.
Stealth systems[]
- Cloaking screen: The class is equipped with a highly advanced cloaking device that was proclaimed "perfect." It emitted no tachyons and left no residual anti-protons, the two ways that a cloaked ship could be tracked and located. Thus, when cloaked, a Mariner class vessel is virtually impossible to locate except for high ranking Federation officials using the inbuilt tracer.
Auxiliary complement[]
- Thirty three Worker bees
- Unknown number of escape pods
- Twelve Type 38 Shuttlecraft
- Two Type 6A Runabouts
Propulsion[]
Miscellaneous engineering data[]
The warp core of this class was constructed of over 200 elements, and had no need for magnetic confinement due to special fuel injection processes. It also emitted omicron radiation during its operation, which is extremely rare and can only be created by certain forms of matter-antimatter reactions.
Sub-light[]
The Mariner class possesses two methods of transport within normal space at velocities below the speed of light.
The first is a magnetohydrodynamic drive called the Hyper-Impulse engine that is essentially a massive magnetic coil to propel the ship at speeds just under 0.75 percent of the speed of light. This magnetic system also utilizes the Space-Time Driver Coil to operate effectively at sub-light speeds which produce a non-propulsive symmetrical subspace field that helps the ship to accelerate, decelerate, and maneuver by effectively lowering it's apparent mass.
The second is a Newtonian-thrust-based reaction system powered by fusion reactors using deuterium fuel to create helium plasma. These rocket-like engines are typically employed for a boost of velocity, specialised maneuvering, et cetera. A known speed of the Impulse thrusters is 0.17 percent of the speed of light and are generally used to bolster the magnetic drive bringing the total sub-light speed up to 0.92 c which is 0.8 percent less than that of Warp 1 AKA the speed of light.
FTL[]
Warp[]
Mariner class starships possess a Federation standard warp drive that functions through running highly energised plasma through the unique composition of the warp coils thereby creating a subspace field ie; a discrete bubble of subspace is temporarily merged into normal space around the exterior of the craft. To explain the phenomena, under normal circumstances subspace and normal space do not interact, but the high amount of energy and the unique properties of the warp coils contained in the nacelles allows a "blending" of the dimensions, surrounding the ship in the aforementioned subspace field. By manipulating the way plasma is moved through the warp coils, they alter the nature of the subspace field, such as causing it to move in a specific direction therefore actually accelerating the subspace "bubble" to faster-than-light velocities without violating laws of relativity as the ship contained within the field is technically stationary.
The maximum velocity is Warp Factor 9.99973523079 which is 87,600 times the speed of light or around 10 light years/per hour. Average cruising velocity is Warp Factor 9.0 which is 1,516.38 times speed of light and equates to 1 light year/per every 5.78 hours.
Quantum[]
Similar to Transwarp conduits, the Federation Quantum slipstream drive is a narrowly focused, directed quantum field that is initiated by manipulating the fabric of the space-time continuum through routing energy into the Mariner class starship's navigational deflector array. This creates a subspace tunnel, which is projected ahead of the vessel, allowing said vessel to penetrate the quantum barrier. Once a ship has entered this tunnel, the forces inside propel it at incredible speed. To maintain the slipstream, a ship has to constantly modify the quantum field with valid phase variance codes or the slipstream would collapse, violently throwing the ship back into normal space.
The official process when the QSD is initiated is; energy is routed from the starship’s main power source into the QSD core’s quantum matrix initiator where a quantum field forms around the Benamite crystals that are the source of the gravitons required for slipstream. The graviton particle actuators begin stripping gravitons from the crystals and then through exposure to the quantum field the gravitons become charged with quantum energy into a uniform flux state. Once enough particles are charged, they are fed through graviton transfer conduits to the modified components in the navigational deflector dish. Then, it projects the charged gravitons out in front of the ship creating a very narrow subspace field that splits the subspace domain open just long enough for the ship to enter.
Once the drive is deactivated, it cannot be reactivated until at least 36 hours has passed (longer or shorter depending on the state of the drive). The benamite crystals require a cool-down cycle due to exposure to the quantum field. Any attempt to warm-up the drive before the cool-down cycle has completed could result in an unstable slipstream or severe damage to the drive itself.
The speed of the drive is inversely proportional to the time and distance as long term slipstream is slower than a short jump as discovered by the USS Voyager crew during the 24th century. This problem has remained to the 32nd century. Based on the three hundred light year trip, the average speed of a quantum slipstream drive calculates out to 2.63×106 times the speed of light meaning 75,000 light years/per 10.4 days, assuming it didn't require significant shutdown time for maintenance or refueling. Additionally, a Mariner class starship in slipstream velocity could cover fifteen light years in just three minutes, or 300 light years in one hour (~300 times faster than warp 9.99, and ~900 times faster than warp 9.975). This calculates out to 9,467,280,000 x the speed of light.
Among the known components of the quantum slipstream drive are; the quantum matrix initiator which is tied in to the starship’s main power, Benamite crystals, core control sensors, graviton particle actuators (6 columns surrounding core perimeter), graviton transfer conduits, modified navigational deflector, slipstream initiator, slipstream control sensors, and QSD central control matrix which is a dedicated computer core for attuning and modulating graviton stream.
Transwarp[]
Vessels of this class are fitted with a Transwarp coil allowing the formation of a Tri-quantum conduit rift. It utilized a combination of the traditional warp drive, navigational deflector and deflector shields as its components with the ship having to be taken to warp factor 2.3 to generate the initial required subspace field before the navigational deflector used a tachyon matrix to emit tachyonic bursts on a high-energy band. The deflector shield of the ship was used to emit the tachyon bursts into space at the resonant transwarp frequency level. The subspace field of the conduit then formed in front of the ship.
The Transwarp coil design utilized solid trilithium that retains integrity for workable periods of time and a process of extreme refinement of standard dilithium allowed the use of the advanced compacted flow of energy required by the transwarp drive. Generated transwarp conduits radiate high neutrino emissions accompanied by an intermittent graviton flux and a chroniton field is projected throughout a Mariner class ship interior in order to compensate for temporal stress.
The maximum speed is known to be 1,000,000 – 10,000,000 times the speed of light allowing for extremely rapid travel to any of the four quadrants of the Milky Way galaxy.
Computer systems[]
The main computer core in the Mariner class utilised bio-neural gel packs and isolinear storage banks. The fibers in an individual gel pack were capable of making billions of connections, thus generating an incredibly sophisticated and responsive computing architecture. This kind of organic circuitry allowed computers 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.
Additionally, ships of this class feature a standard Federation autonomous computer system that maintained the status quo of all systems and updated officers on changes - such as damage to the ship's hull. It was also capable of voice command response in the voice of Julianne Grossman. It contained an open-access cultural library containing information of the cultures of various species, it directs other programs of the ship through the library such as sending recipes to food replicators and managing the operation of the scanning array, as well as storing personnel records, academic records, and historical databases. Furthermore, it tracked the location of every Starfleet officer Tricom badges while on board the vessel or on away missions.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This class is named after former ensign, currently first officer Beckett Mariner of the late 24th to early/mid 25th century.