Excalibur-class Heavy Explorer

This is based off a mesh I found ages ago on Star Trek Australia. Its a very popular model for custom mods for the various Star Trek video games, and when reviving my ST: Avalon series, i decided to go for something new. I've found a variety of writeups on this ship, though my version is based largely off the one found on Obsidian Fleet http://www.obsidianfleet.net/index.p...ipdb&sclass=59

Starfleet Excalibur-class
Heavy Explorer; Commissioned 2380

http://www.trekmeshes.ch/meshes/larg...XCALIBURV3.JPG

Hull Data
Structure: 50 (5 Ablative Armor)
Size/Decks: 10/40
Length/Height/Beam: 860/170/356
Complement: 1,138 (+200 Passengers)

Tactical Data
Beam Weapon: Type XII ACB Phaser Arrays(x7) (F)
Penetration: 8/7/7/0/0
Torpedo Launchers: Mk 95 DF Rotary Launchers (x6) (F)
Penetration: 12/12/12/12/12
Deflector Shield: FSS-3 (F)
Protection/Threshold: 18/6

Propulsion Data
Impulse System: FIG-5 (.92c) (D)
Warp System: LF-62 (8/9/9.4) (D)
Quantum Slipstream Drive (9.99999) (D)

Operational Data
Atmosphere Capable: No.
Cargo Units: 90
Cloaking Device: No.
Life Support: Class 5 (F)
Operations Systems: Class 5 (F)
Sensor Systems: Class 5a (+5/+4/+3/+2/+2) (EE)
Separation System: No.
Shuttlebays: 2 ad, 1 av (also extra space equalling an additional shuttlebay)
Shuttlecraft: 40 Size worth
Tractor Beams: 1 ad
Transporters: 5 personnel, 5 emergency, 5 cargo

Miscellaneous Data
Maneuver Modifiers: +3 C/+0 H/+3 T
Traits: Ablative Armor, ACB Jacketing, Behavioral Constraints (AI)*, Intricate Systems (Operations, Propulsion)**, Multispectral Shields**, Prototype (Propulsion) +1, Rapid Fire Torpedo Turret Upgrade (see below), Sentient Computer**, Visible**

(Note: For a ship that has been in service for less than a year, add the Emotionally Immature* trait)

New Traits

Rapid-Fire Torpedo Turret Upgrade

Originally designed for starbases, these rotary launchers are capable of firing up to four times the spread of conventional launchers, but at the cost of accuracy.
Restriction: Torpedo launchers only
Effect: Increase Penetration by 2 at all ranges, but attack tests suffer a -3 penalty.

*Trait taken from the Artilects 2.0 netbook by Scott "qerlin" Rhymer
**Trait taken from the Expanded Starship Operations netbook by KillerWhale

Mission
The Excalibur is a line of long-range Heavy Explorers with the emphasis on the long range. This is the test bed vessel for Starfleet’s quantum slipstream drive, perfected by the unexpected return of Voyager in 2378. Meant to carry a crew of over a thousand, the Excalibur-class is truly meant to go where no man has gone before. However, it is also equipped, thanks to the lessons of the Dominion War, to take on any unexpected problem it might encounter, making it the most heavily armed ship in the fleet. In wartime, the complex subspace

Features
The culmination of both the Dominion War and USS Voyager’s unexpected tour through the Delta Quadrant, the Excalibur is the largest, most advanced, and most heavily armed ship in the fleet. The center-point of this class is the quantum slipstream drive, capable of letting in cross the galaxy in weeks instead of decades. Following up with this is the Artificial Intelligence core that regulates the system, and acts as a real-time interactive interface for the LCARS. New AI’s tend to start off at the emotional level of an adolescent but quickly evolves as it interacts with its crew. The AI cannot take action without orders, unless the crew is incapacitated or killed.

In another first for Starfleet, the Excalibur-class also features a Strategic Information Center: a communications and sensor nexus capable of coordinating data and subspace communications for up to 80 ships within range, allowing it to be used as a fleet command ship for military engagements. This feature was nearly removed after the Dominion War ended, though several admirals pushed for it to remain. These ships will quickly become admiralty flagships as more come into service.

In keeping with the enhanced military role, the crew complement will include nearly 300 Marines who will handle securing away team locations and hostile encounters, while Tactical remains in charge of ship security and ship-to-ship engagements. The reinstatement of the Starfleet Marine Corps is probably the only move more controversial than the Excalibur itself.

For weapon systems, the Type XII phasers have been upgraded with anular confinement beam jacketing to allow them to function at even warp and slipstream velocities. The usual torpedo launchers have been complimented with rotary turrets originally designed for stations like Deep Space Nine. These turrets on the dorsal side of the ship raise up and unleash a rapid flurry of quantum and photon torpedoes at the enemy. In addition to a compliment of 400 photon torpedoes, they carry 200 quantum torpedoes as well as 10 special trans-phasic torpedoes.

These were developed by Kathryn Janeway and an older counterpart from the future to destroy Borg Cubes in a single shot, and can devastate a continental shelf. Unfortunately, due to their interphasic nature, they do damage to subspace, making them an illegal weapon for conventional warfare. The only General Order permitting their use required an encounter with the Borg. Otherwise, they are locked down under high security and not to be used except under joint authorization from the captain, the first officer, and one other command-line officer, and even then, only under the most dire of circumstances.

For defense, the Excalibur series are the first to boast a regenerating multispectral shield grid. Supporting this is ablative armor reinforcing key sections of the ship. These shields are perhaps the easiest to maintain system on the ship. The prototype engines and computer core are extremely complex and difficult to repair which may be detrimental in long-term engagements. It's immense firepower and superior protection offsets this in most circumstances. It's scientific capabilities and sensors are equal to a Galaxy-class explorer, allowing it to to live up to its classification as an Explorer, but some regard this feature as minor compared to the sweeping advancements made in its tactical systems.

Another unique feature are the three large hangar bays, allowing the ship to carry not just a dozen shuttlecraft of various types, but also runabouts, two Talon-class scouts, and even three full fighter squadrons, dropped from the specially designed ventral bay, allowing for a “drop” launch system. In addition to these craft, this class features Argo-class vehicle transports and Hunley-class drop ships for use by the Marine contingent.

Background
During the Dominion War, Starfleet began looking at designs for ships capable of combat more than exploration, and with the success of the Defiant, the green light was given to the Excalibur Project. It was meant to be the largest and most powerful ship in the fleet. Unfortunately, the Dominion got wind of this and made sure to hit the Excalibur framework during their sneak attack on Utopia Planitia, setting back the project by over a year. That coupled with the end of the war in 2376 meant the ship would never see the action it was designed for.

The project was nearly cancelled when Admiral Paris requisitioned the two existing spaceframes for the Pathfinder project. It was intended to make the Excalibur the test-bed for the quantum slipstream drive, whose basic theories was given to Starfleet via Voyager. It’s weaponry payload would also make it the perfect anti-Borg vessel for venturing deep into the Delta Quadrant. First, however, there were problems to overcome.

Quantum slipstream is inherently unstable, requiring constant adjustments to the ship’s SIF and shields to maintain hull integrity, and to the deflector array for slipstream stability. An organic being simply could not keep up with the challenge, nor could a standard compute core as it required a great deal of improvisation as well as reaction time to compensate for the chaotic nature of this drive system. A Soong-type android was the ideal solution, but only one functional model existed and the Daystrom Institute had failed to create a successful equivalent. Then Lieutenant Commander Vanessa London, a specialist in computer and holo-programming, provided an alternative.

The neural gel packs uses in modern starships were capable of functioning like a positronic net, but only on a large scale, like a starship computer core. Thanks to the success of the EMH program, Starfleet had learned it was possible to create artificial intelligence that was capable of working with organic life. Starfleet Command and the Federation Council, still remembering the M-5 incident over a hundred years ago, was reluctant to proceed with this, but permitted it as long as certain behavioral restraints were placed on the AI and its ability to control the ship. With some trepidation, they approved Lt. Commander London’s plan to devote a computer core to an artificial intelligence matrix, capable of handling ship systems and taking the Operations post during slipstream travel.

This class of vessel is still very new and with only one operational ship in service, it’s anyone’s guess if this new Great Experiment will succeed, or if it will be an even more enormous failure than the original Excelsior, or heavens forbid, the M-5 disaster.

Ships In Service
USS Avalon; NX-80216; second ship to be commissioned, but the first to leave dry dock. Currently undergoing shakedown. (2380) (AI Designation: Ava)

USS Excalibur, NCC-26517-B; intended to be the original ship of the line, but was damaged during Dominion attack on Utopia Planitia and construction was set back nearly a year. It will replace the Galaxy-class Excalibur when it launchs in 2381. (AI Designation: Cal)

USS Camelot, NCC-80300; third ship of the line; should be completed by 2382. (AI Designation: Cam)

I love the Design, but the Turret upgrade is a bit to much. I wrote a similar edge for my construction of the Achilles class starship.

Enhanced Fire rate:
One of your weapons is capable of an extremely high rate of fire that will cripple any ship.
Prerequisites: None
Effect: Select a weapon (Beam weapon, or Torpedo System), this weapon gets a bonus when using the Spread or Concentrate Fire Maneuvers.
Spread: You can go up to a maximum of -5 on the weapons penetration, but the penetration may not be under 0 or the weapon does no
damage at all.
Concentrate Fire: You can go up to a maximum of +5 on the penetration.

I also created a version of the Bio-neural computer, that would also fitt very well into your design.

Bio-Neural Computer:
Your Operations system operates with Bio-neural gel packs that speed up response time.
Prerequisites: Class 2 or higher Operation System.
Effect: The ship gains the following advantages.
-+1 bonus on Computer Use tests, and Reduce computer calculation time by 10%.
-+2 bonus on one System Operation Speciality Tests, or +1 on two System Operation specialities.
The specialty can be changed after you’ve selected this edge, doing so requires a System Engineering (Computer) test TN 20 and 1 day
of work.
Disadvantage: The computer is susceptible to viral infection, and when the operation system gets a damage box it can only be repaired if they have spare Gelpacks. Gelpacks cannot be replicated, and a starship needs 3 gelpacks per Reliability modifier (normally a ship carries a number of reserve gelpacks).