Discussions about a shared fanfic universe in different eras sparked an idea, so I thought I'd try to push aside the writers block that my strained metal well-being has put up, and have a little dabble in something. * * * * * The starship was immense. Not only was she far larger than anything built by humans, but the design was also a huge departure from the smaller, flatter profile favoured by Earth Starfleet. The large sphere at the front was the dominant feature, with the bridge dome on top, the deflector dish at the equator, impulse engines at the rear, and multiple phase cannon ports dotted around the surface; the ‘primary hull’ as it had been termed by the designers house the crew quarters and recreational facilities, as well as sickbay, most of the science labs, and the armoury. Despite the size of the sphere, fitting two hundred and thirty people inside felt like it might be a squeeze. A reinforced neck connected the primary to the ‘secondary hull’, which was more or less cylindrical, and was where warp core, fuel tanks, hangar deck, and cargo holds were located, it also housed a few additional labs as well as a hydroponics bay (which the designers had said would be for food production, scientific research and recreation). From the secondary hull were two pylons that connected to a pair of powerful-looking nacelles, which would propel the Daedalus-Class up to warp factor seven. Bryce Shumar had to make a conscious effort to keep his jaw from dropping. He’d read the reports and seen the news footage of the new class of starship under construction, but actually seeing her in the flesh was a different matter. If they’d had ships like her a year or two ago, the war with the Romulan Star Empire would’ve been over pretty damn quick. But back then she wouldn’t have benefitted from the new technologies or advancements supplied from the other member worlds of the United Federation of Planets. A soft whistle beside him reminded him he wasn’t alone. He cast a glance at Master Chief Petty Officer Hideo Nakamura who was staring at the ship with the same sense of awe he felt, making Shumar chuckle at his old friend. Nakamura looked at him. “You felt it too, don’t deny it, Bry.” “I didn’t say I didn’t, I just composed myself in a more dignified manner.” Luckily, neither of them were piloting the shuttle, his new navigator, Ensign Morgan Kelly, was at the controls—the young officer, fresh from the Academy, was clearly eager to make a good impression on her new Commanding Officer. Kelly was one of the very lucky ones, getting a Daedalus-Class straight out of the Academy, he suspected that she was the envy of her classmates. The rest of his crew were taking shape, with the entire engineering staff aboard seeing to the latest round of tests, diagnostics and simulations, whilst half the operations and science personnel were getting to grips with the new breed of ship, but the majority of the security and medical staff were still to arrive. With weeks still to go until launch the U.S.S. Essex would be fully staffed and chomping at the bit to get going. Shumar just had to hope that his new crew came together quickly, given this would be the first time most of them would have found themselves serving and living beside other species. The Daedalus-Class wasn’t just a blending of technologies from different worlds, but people as well—some of whom hadn’t been on very friendly terms prior to the galaxy-spanning war with the Romulans. As important a mission as the Essex and her sister ships would be carrying out, helping with rebuilding efforts, responding to threats, and exploring new regions of space, they were also a public relations tool, showing everyone in the Federation how well they could work together towards common goals. It was the element of his new command he had the biggest issue with, as he knew there would be teething problems and issues to overcome—all things that would take time, but they were being expected to solve it almost immediately. He looked from his new command to his old friend once more, feeling a surge of gratitude and relief Nakamura had agreed to come onboard as his security chief. The non-com had spent time among almost every member species during his career, gaining an appreciation and understanding for each of them, so Shumar was confident if anyone could keep the peace onboard it was the Master Chief. Kelly brought the shuttle in a wide arc around the starship, allowing the newest additions to take in more of the stunning view, before heading the shuttlebay. Shumar had to admire the young woman’s piloting skill, though he’d read her Academy transcript it had been his experience that what was on paper and what things were really like could often be sectors apart. As the shuttle manoeuvred between the nacelles, the door to the shuttlebay opened, offering Shumar his first real look at the inside of his new command. The deck, bulkheads and ceilings were all a pale grey, giving the expansive bay a light and even more spacious feel, even with the three other shuttles already arranged neatly on the deck. In the control room he saw the deck officers and technicians monitoring their progress. Passing through the opening, he had to blink at the sudden brightness that was all around them. With the grace of a gifted pilot, Ensign Kelly brought the shuttle down and touched the deck with only the lightest of thuds as the craft made contact. As Shumar and Nakamura collected the luggage they’d taken with them, Kelly powered down the engines and secured the systems, whilst the external door sealed and the hangar was repressurised. As the shuttles hatch opened, Shumar saw Lieutenant Commander Steven Mullen, the Essex’s former construction supervisor turned chief engineer, striding across the deck to greet them—his expression clearly showing he had other, more important, work to be getting on with. Captain Bryce Shumar took a deep breath to calm nervous excitement that gnawed in the pit of his stomach, and stepped out onto the deck of his new command, ready for whatever lay ahead of him. * * * * * END
Interesting read. I've always been fascinated by the early Starfleet years, when the universe probably looked a whole lot bigger. Looking forward to part 2!
I always think Enterprise missed a trick by not being set just after the Romulan War and formation of the Federation, it would be such a rich time for compelling characters and interesting stories, with the aftermath of a brutal war and the toll that would've taken on them, whilst also trying to look forward and be hopeful for the future, whilst dealing with the difficulties of a new diverse crew. I'm also curious what other species might've been part of the founding of the Federation, along with Andorians, humans, Tellarite and Vulcans, just how wide did it reach when it came into being.
It's a great beginning. I anticipate that the Essex and her crew will make for some interesting reading.
I enjoyed reading this. You described the Daedalus-class really well. Hope you write more tales of the Essex and Captain Shumar.
Thank you. I don't know why but I've always liked the design, its very weird but also functional in a way. I also do think that she would be far larger than the NX-Class, some sources say she's 105 meters in length, which is only 15m longer than the Raven but for a ship meant to carry around 229 people that seems minuscule. Not sure of my Daedalus' exact dimensions but she would be a far more substantial ship.
Many years ago, I wrote a story set on board the Daedalus itself in the early days of the Earth-Romulan War. I had trouble figuring the sizing of it out because some sources have the length at 105 m, and some at 121 m. Those same sources have the NX-class length at 225 m, with a crew of 83. I came to the conclusion that things would be very cramped on board a Daedalus-class ship. I finally came to the conclusion to not worry about that, and just write. I did find some very crude deck plans, and tried to get as much technical information as I could to try to tie it into Enterprise as much as possible.