Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise pt.3
Atomic189
from the same source. This shaft provides source energy for the warp field
nacelles and phaser banks. The linear configuration has proven to be
consistently cooler, cleaner, and more efficient than any other system in use
today.
The engine room's foyer features the main power systems display board and
switching console. From here, engineering personnel can monitor all shipboard
power usages and override other control boards.
A door in the forward portside bulkhead accesses a room in which repair
circuitry and replacement parts are stored. Another door within that room leads
into a radsuit storage locker.
Two one-man lifts provide easy access to the various deck levels around the
intermix shaft. Transparent aluminum flooring encircles the open power core, as
does a protective handrail. Port and starboard control consoles provide a
direct interface with all reactor systems.
Various display consoles stand around the room's perimeter. The dilithuim
reactor room stands beyond a transparent wall in the chamber's aft portside
corner.
The horizontal intermix shaft extends for one hundred forty-five feet aftward,
at which point it branches out and upward toward the nacelle pylons. Beyond are
load-bearing structures (which support the immense mass of the nacelles and
pylons) and a narrow corridor which leads to the aft end of the deck.
At the end of these corridor, a double sliding door opens into the landing bay
control room. This area features five large windows which look out into space
beyond the stern of the ship. The vessel's landing bay doors are controlled
from this point, as are the landing tractor beams and the landing bay force
field. Three additional viewports afford an upward view of the ships nacelles,
and a floor-level row of windows gives an unobstructed view of the entire
landing bay floor.
Enterprise's aft phaser banks are housed on either side of the landing bay
control room, above the bay doors atop the aft hull.
A recent addition to Enterprise's warp engineering section is the dilithium
reactor room. This radation-proof chamber was installed while the ship was in
drydock for replacement of her photon torpedo system; it provides unobstructed
access to the vessel's dilithium couplings, allowing the crystals to be easily
replaced in the event of crystal burnout or other damage.
The dilithuim couplings are contained in a pedestal in the center of the room.
A transparent double wall, which contains radation-dampening gasses between the
two panes, insulates the chamber from the rest of the engine room. A rotating
door, also transparent, provides airlock-like access to the reactor room
interior.
Overload of the dilithium crystal couplings may cause a leakage of excessive
radiation into the room interior. Should this happen, an automatic
radiation-dampening system activates which, after several hours, returns the
room to a habitable condition. Only major vessel damage, centered in the
engineering section, could cause such catastrophic crystal damage as to produce
radiation spillage of fatal proportions. Replacement of the crystals or
repositioning of the mounting couplings may be done manually by removing the
dome of the containment pedestal; however, radsuits (with helmets) must be worn
during this procedure.
P Deck is primality an engineering support level. All warp and power
subsystems may be found here.
At the forward end of the deck, on either side of the vertical intermix shaft,
are twin energy converter units. These large, rounded units translate the
shaft's raw matter/antimatter power into a from which is usable by the vessel's
shipboard systems, thus providing electricity and field energy for daily use.
The secondary hull's main stairwell begins on this level, and continued
downward for another three decks. This emergency accsessway is reinforced, and
is fire- and radiation-proof. Pressure-tight doors open into each deck level
and an indicator within the stairwell, adjacent to each to each level door,
displays the atmospheric status of the deck beyond.
Adjoining the stairway is the secondary hull's main battery room. Twelve
nuclear generator cells within in this compartment provide backup power should
the intermix primary fail. These units cannot furnish enough raw energy to
activate the warp nacelles, but do allow operation of the secondary hull's
deflector shield system and all inboard machinery and life support units.
The Chief Engineer's briefing room and office are located on this deck,
allowing him easy access to all aspects of the ship's engineering network.
Also, in the same area, is the Assistant Chief Engineer's office.
Just aft of the briefing room is Enterprise's primary maintenance complex.
This advanced work facility features an unmatched range of tools and equipment,
and a variety of specialized shop areas meet the needs of any conceivable
repair situation. Specifically-programmed fabricator units within the complex
are capable of reproducing any replacement part that might be needed aboard
ship. Also housed within this facility is a turbolift repair shop, which is
capable of servicing up to four elevator cars at any one time.
At the aft end of P Deck is the open high-bay of the ship's landing bay. On
each side, against the outer hull, is an observation gallery which features
large, panoramic windows that overlook the floor below.
At the forward end of Q Deck is the secondary hull's emergency transporter
facility. Here, two twenty-two man platforms, one on each side of the central
intermix room, provide engineering and support personnel with a means of
quickly evacuating the secondary hull should such a need arise. Persons may be
beamed into the emergency transporters on G Deck, or to a secondary target
(such as a planet surface or nearby vessel).
Adjacent to the main stairwell is the circuit breaker room for L-U Decks. This
compartment is similar in configuration to that on J Deck.
Q Deck is the main access level of the secondary hull. The aft landing bay
provides personnel in small craft with a means of entering or exiting the ship,
as do docking ports on either side of the level.
A large open are in the center of the deck serves as the upper inspection
balcony of the ship's cargo storage facility. Small observation lounges rim the
outer hull on either side of each docking port.
LANDING BAY
Enterprise’s new landing bay design incorparates many new developments in
Federation technology. A wide range of Starfleet and Federation craft can
utilize this state-of-the-art landing facility in ways never before possible.
Alcoves on either side of the landing bay provide storage for up to six
standard workbees, and furnish all necessary recharging and refuling equipment.
Additonal space is avalible for the stowage of non-Enterprise shuttlecraft.
Just within the landing bay doors is a force field generator unit, which is
built into the main bulkheads on either side of the entry area. This field
allows craft to enter the ship, while at the same time retaining the atmosphere
and temperture within the landing bay. No vessel, may depart, of course, while
this one-way barrier is activated.
An auto-landing system is built into the center of the bay floor. This insures
that all approaching craft easily clear the opening into the bay. Flush cargo
doors, on either side of the auto-landing track, open to reveal storage holds
beneath on R Deck.
An additonal feature of the landing bay floor is its varible gravity
capability. Differnt sections may be programmed independantly to exert from
zero to two-times earth gravity, facilitating a wide range of shuttle maintence
and final checkout procedures.
A landing tractor beam projector is mounted against the P Deck bulkhead,
between the obsevation galleries. This unit is operated from within the landing
bay control room.
Two rectangular elevators at the forward end of the landing bay access the two
levels beneath Q Deck, allowing shuttlecraft to travel down to the main hangar
and repair facilities.
Small personnel airlocks on either side of the landing bay doors provide
admittance to the ship’s fantail structure. Each of the two airlocks contains
one spacesuit and thruster pack, along with tether lines and other minor EVA
equipment.
SHUTTLES/PODS/WORKBEES
Starfleet’s standard personnel shuttlecraft first came into use in September
of 2272. Designed and built by Chiokis Starship Construction Corporation, this
new vessel differs greatly from the popular Type 12B model used for so many
years.
Chiokis’ shuttlecraft configuration incorporates all of the latest available
Federation technology. The ship’s pilot and co-pilot operate the craft by total
insturment guidance; no forward windows are neccesary, allowing the
installation of a reinforced re-entery shield for atmospheric use. Built into
the aft end of the shuttle is a standard docking ring, permitting the ship to
hard dock at any vessel or land-based docking port. This capability frees up
the landing bays of most vessels for larger craft and cargo ship usage, while
permitting personnel to reach their shipboard destinations faster.
The most dramatic change comes in the area of propulsion Where the Type 12B
shuttle was designed to use ion propulsion (with port and starboard boosters
for planetary liftoffs), this new craft utilizes an advanced magnetic field
drive. There are no actual thrust ports; all propulsive energies are generated
and directed from the two packages on the shuttle's rear sides. This design
allows the craft to hover for indefinite periods of time, eliminating the need
for wheels or other landing gear and making it possible for the ship to remain
stationary just above extremely rough or rocky terrain.
Two mini-phaser banks are mounted to the top of the vessel, and one is
recessed into the underside. Also included are protective and navigational
deflectors which are stronger than those used on earlier shuttlecraft.
A planetfall hatch on the starboard side of the craft allows ingress and
egress when a docking port is not available, as when on a planetary surface or
for EVAs. A small airlock within permits personnel to open the outer hatch in
the presence of toxic or zero atmosphere, without endangering those in the
passenger or control compartments.
The ship features seating for six passengers within the rear compartment. A
narrow foyer separates this area from the control cabin forward, and also
contains two spacesuits and six survival suits.
Four shuttlecraft are carried aboard Enterprise. These are numbered One,
Three, Five, and Seven, and are named for famous astronomers of the past:
Halley (1), Herschel (3), Copernicus (5), and Galileo (7).
The Federation travel pod was originally designed to serve as a small
transport and utility vehicle, but has since come to be used exclusively as an
engineer's inspection car; its large front viewport provides an unmatched view
of starship and drydock exteriors as no other small craft can.
The travel pod is designed to provide comfortable transportation for up to six
persons. Its interior is capable of full gravity, owing to the development of
the miniaturized grav-plate, and optional seating can be installed in minutes,
when required.
The pod, like the standard shuttlecraft, is equipped with a standard docking
ring for personnel transfer use. Enterprise carries two travel pods within in
her hangar storage area., where recharging facilities for the pods’
particle-beam engines are avalible.
First used in 2268, the workbee has since become the workhorse of the
Federation. Designed as part of a modular construction/support system, the
workbee contains the lone crew member neededfor the operation of each unit.
Basically an operator’s cab, the “bee” can be plugged into a wide range of
specailized work-sleds and towing atachments.
The craft provides full life suppourt for its operator for a period of twelve
hours. Artifical gravity is not included, but this is the preferance of the
vast majority of workbee users as it quickly facilitates EVAs during
construction projects.
The bee is often used unpressurized, without its hatch, by spacesuited
personnel. During such occasions, life support for the suit can be provided by
tanks in the craft, via a retractable umbilical which can extend far beyond the
confines of the workbee for EVA usage. Connectors within the craft’s cockpit
supply power for cutting and welding equipment, as well as for most other
powered tools used by construction personnel.
Particle-beam reaction control thrusters furnish primary thrust energy for the
workbee. Small supplementary thrusters provide additonal forward propulsion
when needed, using chemical fuel. Attachments for the unit include a grabber
sled, which utilizes mechanical claws for deep-space damage repair and standard
external starship maintence. The workbee is also designed to pull a specailized
cargo train, which can carry up to eight cargo pods at any one time.
The workbee cab soft-docks at any one of six ports within the Enterprise
landing bay. These ports feature pressureized walkways that lead directly to
the open cab cockpit, allowing crew members in “shirtsleeves” to enter the
craft while the landing bay is depressurized.
One recent use of the bee cab is as a control cabin for drydock crane
machinery. Special control consoles installed within the cockpit allow the
operator to handle a varitey of loading arms and construction derricks.
Enterprise’s shuttlecraft hangar level, R Deck, is situated at the widest
point of the secondary hull. Much of this deck consists of open space, as it is
the midlevel of the cargo facility; thirty-two cargo pod modules may be stored
in the alcoves lining the forward, port and starboard sides of the bay.
At the forward end of the deck, behind the navigatinal deflector system, is
the secondary auxiliary control center. This room, which encircles the vertical
intermix chamber, enables command personnel to contol all propulsive and
shipboard systems should the primary hull suffer severe structural and control
damage. Although destruction of this magnitude is unlikley, combat
possibilities warrant such a backup facility.
Just aft of the control center is a compartment containing a reserve M-6B
engineering contol computer. This logic circuit, combinined with the
engineering computer on N Deck, provides sufficient regulation and memory to
allow use of the ship’s warp drive system. The secondary auxilary contol center
and the M-6B computer have thier own emergency power supplies, which are
located on the port and starboard sides of the forward secondary hull.
A secondary force field projection unit is mounted from deck-to-celing at a
point between the cargo handling floor and the shuttlecraft elevators. This
field retains the atmosphere in the cargo area at times when the landing bay is
depressurized.
The shuttle hangar has sufficient for the storage of four craft at any given
time. During normal storage siuations, these shuttlecraft face aftward.
Two cargo holds at the aft end of the level feature celing hatches which open
into the landing bay floor.
R Deck also houses the vessel’s lifeboat facilities. These one-man craft,
which escape through blow-away panels in the side of the seecondary hull, are
provided for those persons who are unable to reach the primary hull before
emergency seperation takes place. Lifeboat operators in this event, once clear
of the engineering section, are beamed aboard the saucer; if necessary,
lifeboats may be taken aboard at the H Deck docking facility.
Lifeboat propulsion is provided by a series of particle-beam RCS units. Also,
when it is necessary to get very far away from the secondary hull very quickly
(as in cases of self-destruct or engine overload), a forced ejection system in
the side of the ship propels the lifeboat outward at a high rate of speed.
LIFEBOAT INSTRUCTIONS
1 Depress “open” switch on lifeboat exterior.
Hatch will roll downward and lock into
position.
2 Slide feet-first into lifeboat seat. Wait for
green light to indicate that onboard com-
puter has verrified your pressence. Say
“personnel aboard” to close outer hatch.
Blue light will indicate that hatch is locked
and sealed.
3 Select “vocal” or “manual” contol of lifeboat
by depressing the appropriatte switch on
the operator’s seat’s right armrest.
4 If “vocal,” say “Code One” to intiate ejection
sequence. Five-second computer coutdown
will follow, after which a forceful 4-G ejection
will take place. Lifeboat will clear secondary
hull’s detonation radius after thirty seconds.
5 Say “Code Two” to intiate soft-departure
sequence. Lifeboat will slide gently clear of
the ship’s hull, then to be contolled by the
onboard RCS system. RCS maneuvers are
contolled by using the joysticks on either
side of the operator’s seat.
6 Manual emergency ejection is initiated by
pulling downward on the striped handle
above the the right armrest of the operator’s
seat.
7 Manual soft-departure is controlled using the
joysticks handles on each armrest.
8 Onboard air, food, and water supplies will last
one person eight days. Power and propulsion
systems will last for the same period of time
with normal use.
9 A survival suit is stowed against the right-side
bulkhead for use when the operator must leave
the lifeboat while still within zero-atmosphere.
Rotate turn-lock handle counter-clockwise to
opencoverplate of suit locker.
10 To leave lifeboat, say “Disembark” and pull
inward on saftey handle beside hatchway.
Green light will come on and hatch will open.
S Deck is often refereed to simply as the “cargo deck.” It is the main level
of the cargo storage complex, and features alcove storage space for forty-eight
cargo modules; additional modules can be stored by magnetic lock on the cargo
loading floor itself. Just forward of the main storage area is a tandem cargo
transporter facility, which is reached by passing through two sets of large
double doors. Twin platforms are controlled from a common central room; loose
cargo and large equipment are beamed aboard ship and carried by anti-grav to
the appropriate shipboard destinations.
Three standard pads are provided on each platform for use by supervisory
personnel who must oversee the transport of sensitive items. These pads are
operated independently of the multisegmented cargo units.
The forward end of S Deck is occupied by a fabrication facility, similar to
that on I Deck.
Aft of the cargo storage complex is the shuttlecraft maintenance shop. The two
rectangular shuttle elevators normally resting on the R Deck level lower craft
to be repaired to the shop floor. Parts storage lockers line the port and
starboard bulkheads of the room, and contain replacement equipment for standard
shuttlecraft, travel pods, and workbees.
S Deck is the lowest level that can be accessed by the main stairwell.
Ladderways provide other means by which to reach T and U Decks.
Enterprise's recorder-marker launch system is mounted into the space between
the shuttlecraft shop's rear bulkhead and the aft outer hull. These buoys are
jettisoned prior to situations where the survival of the ship is uncertain, or
when a ship under radio silence wishes to be tracked at a later date by
Federation vessels.
Occupying the forward end of T Deck, reaching from port to starboard, is
Enterprise's matter/antimatter containment system. This specialized unit forms
the base of the vertical intermix chamber and regulates the amount of fuel that
flows into the shaft. Storage bottles affixed to the outside of the containment
unit hold the matter and antimatter which powers the vessel; this fuel is kept
in a plasma state and is insulated from the interior walls of the bottles by
intense magnetic fields. Blow-away panels in the outer hull of the ship allow
the antimatter storage bottles to be independently ejected into space should an
emergency situation arise (such as magnetic field failure).
Just aft of the containment machinery, on the vessel centerline, is the
tractor beam unit housing. Normally stowed retracted, the telescoping beam
projector features a swiveling head which is shaped to form a flush seal with
the outer hull.
Twelve panoramic viewports line the outer walls of the ship's botanical
garden. This area, along with an adjoining botanical laboratory, serves both
the scientific and hobbyist requirements of shipboard personnel. A wide variety
of plant life, in all shapes and colors, makes this area a favorite of off-duty
personnel. Bench seating allows restful viewing of the garden and of the space
beyond the viewports, and a small snack bar is useful for games and
conversation. A fresh-water stream and pond is stocked with many species of
tropical fish, and features its own water supply and recirculating system.
A spacious messroom is connected to the garden by two corridors. This dining
area has an adjoining specialty kitchen where crew members may prepare foods
without the use of food processor machinery, if they wish.
Enterprise's swimming pool and sundeck fills out the aft third of T Deck. The
regulation pool reaches a depth of twelve feet at one end, and gradually rises
to three feet in the shallows. A diving board is available for personnel use.
Mounted onto the walls surrounding the pool and sundeck are a series of
wraparound viewscreens. These are programmed to display a variety of
three-dimensional beach and island scenes which create a convincing illusion of
Terran leave.
U Deck is the bottom level of the ship. A central corridor connects the
sanitary wastes recovery room at the forward end of the deck with the a series
of fresh-water tanks and pump machinery rooms which line the port and starboard
sides. At the aft end of the level is the swimming pool maintenance facility.
Enterprise's lower phaser banks are mounted into the superstructure beneath
the U Deck floor. This phaser machinery may be reached through a pair of
removable panels in the corridor flooring.
APPENDIX
ENTERPRISE-A
Starfleet’s Enterprise Class vessels are the most powerful in space today.
Since their initial launching in 2271, they have proven to be the United
Federation of Planets’ most effective deterrent to hostile attack. Extensive
research capabilities and unmatched combat readiness make them the most
versatile of all vessels currently in service, and as such the Enterprise Class
has become the primary strength of the Federation, much as the Constitution
Class once was.
For this reason, most new developments in spaceflight and weapons technology
are first tested for their compatibility with Enterprise Class ships. Cruisers
of this class are produced at the obital Terran and Salazaar shipyards at a
rate of four per year, allowing much flexibility in the testing of improved and
new systems.
The most dramatic and promising development in many years is the discovery of
what has come to be known as transwarp drive. This new propulsion technology is
based upon a discovery made several years earlier by the U.S.S. Enterprise
while in an area which borders Tholian space.
Enterprise's sensors recorded a natural phenomena never before known; Science
Officer Spock carefully documented a “doorway” between two parallel planes of
existence, which he labeled an “interphase.” This “tear” in the fabric of
three-dimensional space-time was found to create, following prolonged exposure,
an imbalance in the chemical composition of neural and muscular tissues in
human beings, causing insanity and ultimately death; this effect killed the
crew of the starship Defiant, which drifted through the interphase ahead of
Enterprise.
This natural “tear” proved to Federation scientists that travel between
dimensional planes was possible, and research began into the possibility of
generating an artificial interphase for travel purposes. Enterprise's sensors
had recorded that time flowed at a different rate in parallel space, and that
that plane of existence was devoid of all matter and energy, providing an
obstacal-free course of travel.
Theoretically, a starship could drop into parallel space and move on a preset
course for a predetermined period of time, then drop back in to normal space
once the destination coordinates had been reached. Because of the time
differential, shipboard travel time would vary greatly from the passage of time
in normal space; a vessel might undertake a three-week voyage to a distant star
system, only to find after arrival that four days had passed in normal space.
While the ship actually moved no faster than was possible with standard warp
drive, the relative effect would be that of making a three-week trip in four
days, giving the same end result as would be provided by vastly increased warp
speeds. Such warp speeds would create stresses beyond the tolerances of any
conceivable structural design or building material, destroying any ship which
attempted them.
So, it was concluded, a “shortcut” existed which could open up entirely new
areas of space for exploration. After nearly twelve years of intensive research
and development, two drive system producers felt that they had each designed
the most feasible warp field configuration for interphase travel. Both designs
combined intricate warp and transporter field matrices to generate a momentary
“doorway” through which the equipped vessel could enter parallel space. This
artificial interphase would be of such short duration that even repeated
exposure would be harmless to the ship's crew, avoiding the effects suffered by
Defiant.
The first “transwarp” engines actually constructed were built by Shuvinaaljis
Warp Technologies. Only two were constructed, and both were mounted onto
Starfleet’s newest battleship, Excelsior, for field testing. These nacelles are
huge, with each having twice the mass and being double the length of
Enterprise's FWG-1 units. At this time, these engines are still being
simulator-tested within the Terran orbital space dock facility.
The other entry into the transwarp race was developed at Leeding Engines, Ltd.
and consisted of similar field generation machinery, on a smaller scale, which
was mounted into an FWG-1 housing. The Leeding nacelles were finally
constructed several months after those from Shuvinaaljis were ready to be
ship-mounted, and as a result Leeding lost out as supplier for the Excelsior
class. However, Starfleet’s Board of Engineers liked the smaller and more
customary design, and it was decided that the new FTWG-1 would be tested on an
Enterprise class starship.
The U.S.S. Ti-Ho was chosen to be the host vessel for the new drive design.
Ti-Ho was not a Constitution refit, but was built new from the keel up. The new
M-6 Mark II computer, used successfully on starships Saratoga II and Kitty
Hawk, performed perfectly as the logic system for Leeding’s transwarp design
and was installed on Ti-Ho.
Six months prior to her scheduled completion, Ti-Ho was issued her permanent
hull registry number (NCC-1798) and finial computer simulations took place
which verified the effectiveness of her transwarp drive.
Then, on September 21, 2286, as Ti-Ho was returned from her deep-space trials,
the “Whalesong” crisis took place. Admiral James T. Kirk and his command crew,
who had stolen and then destroyed Enterprise, returned to Earth from Vulcan
and, using the time-speed breakaway factor, managed to resolve the crisis and
safeguard the planet. In appreciation, the Federation dropped all but one of
its charges against Kirk; he was found guilty of disobeying direct Starfleet
orders and, as a result, was lowered in rank to Captain.
In further gratitude, Starfleet elected to return Kirk to the position of
Starship Commander, and he was given a new ship; Ti-Ho was re-christened
“Enterprise” and her hull registry was changed to NCC-1701-A.
This new Enterprise is truly a state-of-the-art vessel. Other than Leeding’s
transwarp drive and her M-6 Mark II logic center, Enterprise also features a
transwarp subspace communications system to use while in parallel space. This
radio capability is crucial, for at relative transwarp speeds (greater than
3000 times the speed of light) Enterprise easily outruns conventional subspace
signals.
Another improvement designed into the vessel is a rear-firing photon torpedo
tube. This additional stern firing arc fills what has long been considered a
dangerous gunnery blind spot.
The control consoles on the bridge, in engineering, and in other areas of the
ship are of an entirely new design. These boards have no actual physical
instrumentation, and appear a smooth, solid black when turned off; all switches
are computer-generated touch pads, which allows each console to perform any
function that the user asks the ship's computer to display.
Any other differences between Enterprise and her previous sister ships are
quite minor. Only cosmetic changes in bulkhead and floor design distinguish her
interior from those of other Enterprise class vessels; each deck layout is
virtually identical to its counterpart on the last Enterprise, with few
exceptions. Crew members who served aboard Enterprise prior to her
self-destruction should have no difficulty in adapting to the new ship.