@four-islands You are mistaken about the size of the Astra. She is 2/3s the size of the Aurora and Celestia.
I know you said 2/3. I meant to say 2/3's or 1/3 smaller. I misspoke/ my inner editor failed me. Everything I said above, I meant to say for a 2/3 Explorer sized ship.
@four-islands There is merit to the idea of the Astra having a reduced compliment of Super Eagles in order to accommodate the Super Falcons and the shuttles. The limitations of her smaller size would place restrictions on the number of auxiliary craft that she could conceivably carry.
She does retain the pressurized transfer airlocks between the main deck and the former fighter alleys. Airlocks 1 and 2 are used by shuttles to return to the alleys and their elevators are used to move Super Falcons between the hangar deck below and their launch positions on the topside of the outer hull. Meanwhile Airlocks 3,4,5, and 6 are used by shuttles to return to the alleys and their elevators are used to return the Super Eagles to the hangar below.
The idea of having separate transfer airlocks at the rear of the alleys and relocating the maintenance areas elsewhere does have merits as well, but I wouldn't have shuttles launch backwards. More likely, I would have the shuttles return from the main deck, park in assigned bays along the opposite side of the alley, load or offload, and then have them rotated one hundred eighty degrees by mechanisms built into the deck of their bays. The shuttles would than roll out of their bays and turn to taxi to the rear airlock. In that layout, the maintenance area would be relocated to the forward end of the alleys behind the separate compartments that would house the forward-fixed plasma cannons on either side of Medical.
Now, a reduced number of Super Eagles would mean a corresponding reduction in the number of launch tubes. But, I would probably continue to have those tubes connected to the hangar deck below the main deck.
As for weaponry, the Astra has two Mark Five plasma torpedo cannons mounted beneath the leading edge of her bow (the Aurora and Celestia have four such cannons in that location post refit at Karuzara), quad-barreled plasma cannons midships (four top and four bottom) replacing the quad-barreled railguns on the original Explorer-class, smaller quad-barreled plasma turrets instead of the original Explorer-class's mini-railguns, dual-barreled point defense laser turrets to counter hostile missiles/torpedoes and small spacecraft, and standard plasma torpedo cannons in place of the Explorer-class's torpedo tubes. The Astra also doesn't have a missile battery. With the elimination of the missile battery, the magazine it would need to store missiles, the transfer tunnels for the midships quads, and the deck needed to store the rounds no longer needed for the railguns, there would be additional space for something else.
The Astra has multi-layer shields (ablative to counter energy weaponry and kinetic to counter projectile weaponry such as ship-mounted railguns, missiles, and torpedoes).
Her power comes primarily comes from four antimatter reactors (smaller and more compact than those on the Aurora and Celestia, but more efficient too), two backup fusion reactors of a Takaran design, backup batteries, and dedicated mini-ZPEDs for specific tasks such as shortening the amount of time needed to recharge her jump capacitors or supercharging her mains to achieve a higher velocity when needed (i.e. in combat maneuvers).
I would use CV-03, but I don't want to use something that Mr. Brown may be planning to use in the series. So, I would probably use either CA-01 (Cruiser, Armored) or CL-01 (Cruiser, Light).
@darkscribe I probably should butt out, but I have ship building idea's, I think they are interesting and I'd like to share.
1) Rear facing airlocks to be used for quick turn around of the combat shuttles (in through the flight deck and out through the back of the "fighter alleys") would be used when the ship is at green deck ie not doing maneuvers. This means that while the exiting vehicles will be initially flying toward the main drive section of the ship, they will not have to worry about the ship moving in any other direction at short notice.
Shuttles launching from a carrier vessel have the same momentum of the carrier, in other words it would be like launching from a stationary position with ever nearby object moving in the same general direction. The standard Airlocks 1, 2, & 3 face backward too which seems to be working out so far. but the best reason not to worry about rear facing exit airlocks is the combat shuttles are jump capable. They will exit, turn up or to the sides and jump clear.
It also makes sense when you consider flight operations with jump capable vehicles. inbound traffic jump toward the landing pad, land and role in while outbound traffic exits to the side of the landing pad and jump out. flight operations would not have to stop every time you cycle a vehicle.
It may seem to be odd for me to say that the Astra having twenty fighter catapults is to much then adding extra airlocks for combat shuttles, but as far as I see it, having additional troops available on the Astra when they are backing up ground assaults would be a good thing when operating further and further from home base.
2) With the Super Falcons becoming better equipped to deal with extended space missions, (which they were always geared for) and using a plasma weapons as apposed to a bomb bay, I expect they will not rely on the Carrier ships as much. Therefor I would keep the two topside launch/recovery platforms but I would not push for the other platforms being able to do this function too.
3) As for the extra space from not having racks of Missiles, Torpedoes or Kinetic Slugs in the Gun deck, and the reduced need for storing consumables and fuel in other storage areas are equally met by the fact that the smaller ship size requires that the key functional areas of the ship, Flight deck, Medical, Command and Engineering push out those of lesser importance like crew quarters from some of they are currently and into these newly freed up areas. Also bare in mind that the extra space from these areas in the Celestia have been earmarked for broadside Plasma Cannons in place of the fuel and cargo spaces, and an Eagle fighter launch bay in the gun deck spaces (not that the Astra has to follow this new layout)
4) With ZPEDs being more powerful then Antimatter, and so far being more reliable, I would push for Full ZPED implementation for Weapons / Shields / Jump drive and General power supply. I would cut two Antimatter reactors and dedicate the remaining two to the Engines (I remember the Black hole almost killing the Mini ZPEDs) I do like the idea of using the ZPEDs to overcharge the engines though so keep that. Yes to the additional redundancy of modular Takaran fusion reactors for emergency power. As for shrinking down the reactors, if its possible do that, but I imagine that the one technology the EDF didn't skimp on in they're rush to build warp capable warships was the antimatter reactors. They blew up a moon you know.
I would use the ZPEDs to power the jump emitters directly for long & multi jumps but I really like the redundancy of having a backup charged capacitor for combat operations. Just in case.
5) How do you feel about dept of armor on the Astra? I feel that with shields and upgraded armor plating from the data arch and Takara we could get away with 3 meter think all around the ship. This would allow for an additional lower deck / or mean we do not loose a deck due to the reduced size of the ship. It would also reduce the overall mass of the ship making it ever more maneuverable which is everything to a vehicle that relies on the Jump Drive in combat.
6) I feel that Fan Fiction is just that. Fan Fiction. You want to have a world where the Celestia was the first ship built and they never liberated Earth? Your on! So what if there are two CV-01 Aurora's because when the first was "Lost" at Jupiter, the Celestia was re-branded or The CL-01 is introduced a Tannan Cruiser with the capability of hauling four fast attack ships in its hangers in the the main story while your taking on Jung with Cadien. Your Fan Fiction is every bit as important as mine or anyone else's. Now make the changes I listed above 😉
As far as I see in your ship design you have only allowed for energy Weapons, I would say that, you need to keep some diversity in your arsenal, like keeping the 4 large quads on the mid-ship. maybe beefing then up in to rail gun cannons, there are some insistence a well place rail gun round might be the better weapon. on even if they could delivery a shot gun blast worth of slugs, plates in to the path of ship. how ever I under stand replacement rounds adds extra logiest to the senrion, it adds flexibility to the design.
I like the Quads too, but the reliance on ammo is a little worrying (not a lot of worrying because the scale of battles to date and the ability to jump back to base and reload between) either way, space constraints.
The Quads had been used well as orbital strike weapons (but with massive secondary damage to the surrounding areas) but they have been replaced by the plasma cannons, which do not cause earthquakes.
Also we have KKV's.
@palmer Having diversity in your arsenal does allow you to have additional options that you wouldn't have in an arsenal of purely energy weapons, but there are more advantages to the Astra being armed purely with energy weapons than having a mixed armament of energy weapons and railguns. One advantage is that energy weapons don't require the massive amounts of ammunition that railguns require and that has to be stored somewhere. Another is that a ship with railguns would have to the necessary equipment to transfer said ammunition to the railguns themselves in addition to the space to store their ammunition while the need for that equipment is eliminated in a pure energy armament (thus saving interior space that can be used for other purposes or removed entirely to reduce the size of the ship). So, to summarize, a purely energy armament means that the Astra doesn't have to carry the ammunition for them or the equipment to transfer that ammunition from its storage bays to railguns, freeing the space those things would normally occupy for other purposes.
@four-islands The Super Falcons may have been becoming better equipped to handle extended deep space missions, but even with a cabin for their two-man crews I believe they would continue to operate from carriers. And I never said that the other elevators on the Astra were used launch and recovery of Super Falcons. As with the Aurora and Celestia, only the elevators in Airlocks 1 and 2 are capable of reaching the topside of the ship.
The only reason I could see for adding different weapon systems to the Astra is if the Jung started to show an ability to defend against the Plasma weapons the Alliance currently employ.
Lets face it the weapon systems the Alliance employ are:
Kinetics / which expose the user to return fire, requires storage space / reloading systems / posibility of jamming / multiple shell variaties require multiple ammo types be stored additional space requirements and additional reloading systems
Missiles / which are easily taken down with Point defense or blocked with shields
KKV's / which are apparently not easily mass produced and difficult to aim
Antimatter mines / which are not easily employed on alerted enemys and rely on a substance that is difficult to mass produce
The only reason to use KKV's are employed so much right now is that the Alliance has not been able to employ enough concentrated Plasma to do enough damage quickly enough to disable a Battle platform or Battleship. That will change with the Upgrades to the Aurora and Celestia and the introduction of the Astra and her sister ships for your fanfic.
Plasma can be absorbed by powerful shields like those of the Jung Battleships and Battle Platforms, but with upgraded Plasma cannons and additional friendly units, KKV's will not be the only option anymore. And with alert Jung forces I expect to see more running Battle platform battles in our future!!!
As an author, you have to have obstacles for the characters to oversome.
I like the Quads too, but the reliance on ammo is a little worrying
I know it sounds hard to do, but sometimes you have to put worrying things in there just so they can either A) be concerned or B) have things go to hell, and allow for dramatic tension to ooze out of the pages. 🙂
@ericnay You make a valid point. The characters do need obstacles to overcome. That alone is the reason I'm reluctant to have everything aboard the Astra powered by mini-ZPEDs as @four-islands suggests. If you make the Astra invincible and no Jung ship can withstand it, what's the point of the story?
Jung nanites are still a thing.
Jung operatives are still a thing.
A majority of young Officers is still an issue.
Even with the Jump drive, a ship can only be in one place at a time.
In all new tech there are teething issues. Maybe in its first fight something fails and they are stranded behind enemy lines.
Or the Jung nagate plasma weapons.
Or get the jump drive and the astra has to jump battle/track a Jung jump scout.
Or maybe the Astra is assigned to operate in the PC, where the takaran battleship is.
Just because a ship seems over powered doesn't mean it wins everything easily. And a ship is only as strong as its weakest part. Its crew/its reliance on relativly untested tech/its orders
I look forward to reading more from @darkscribe
What it the Jung had Anti-gravity projectors (say for use with warp travel) and redirected them to disrupt the zpeds powering Alliance tech? That would add a certain element of panic for a zped powered warship. (especially with how close in they tend to jump in combat...)
It would really be helpful to have a jump battery then huh.
@four-islands While outlining my story, I've already decided that the nanites and at least one Jung operative will have a role, popping up occasionally to cause trouble for the Astra's crew. You are partially correct that the Astra will become stranded somewhere.
I still prefer to have the Astra rely on capacitors (energy banks) rather than a mini-ZPED to power her jump drive. The need to layover and recharge the capacitors before jumping places limitations on the ship's ability to travel somewhere quickly and would allow for the use of the old "will they make it time before the ship jumps?" scenario. I'm not opposed to one or more of the Astra's shuttles having a mini-ZPED power its jump drive however. Actually it makes sense that the Alliance would want to upgrade all of its shuttle's to the mini-ZPED powered variant of the drive in my mind.
