I thought I'd try and show some images that come from an rpg me and a few others create on a virtual world. Mostly it's interactive storytelling set a couple of decades after first contact when humanity is really first getting into the stars. For this post I'll try not to show characters and focus on ships I was personally and primarily involved with creating.
The XCV-102, UES Hypatia, approaching high Mars orbit.
This ship was initially intended as a test bed to lead to the first long range haul ship intended for transporting human diplomats to Vulcan and back without depending on Vulcan transport. The Vulcans bequeathed a compact warp core rated at Warp 2 and the basics of annular drive. Political factions within the newly reformed United Earth instead "borrowed" the warp core and ended up using 102 as their fastest craft in two short but fierce conflicts with migratory Kzin raiders. Demanding that they give up the warp core, Vulcans reclaimed their physical property but not the intellectual, as Earth was able to reverse engineer the core, albeit unshielded and much larger. The rebuilt XCV-102 was capable of long voyages and completed one of the first successful interstellar missions. In its refit form, it contained crew quarters, a galley, two SAAB Pegasus fighters and three SSTO Capsules. First Earth ship to be fueled with Dilithium. These early ships were prone to numerous mechanical difficulties, trouble maneuvering and constant failure of inertial dampening leading from mild nausea to "spaghettification." Hypatia was the first and initially only combined service ship of the UESN and UESPA.
The UES Agammenon, a good example of the Gilgamesh Class, and one of the rare survivors of the first Kzin War. When the Kzin begin hitting early Earth colonies and stations, the matter was unclear. Promises from Vulcan to handle the issue were not met with decisive action, forcing Earth to have the UESN develop a fleet in relative secret near Io. In many ways the early Kzin conflicts help galvanize and unify the human race in a way that simple first contact with Vulcan had not. The Gilgamesh ships, or Gillies, were simple affairs, even by standards of their time. A modified Cochrane-Sloane drive combined with fusion rockets for sub-warp propulsion built around a double chamber fuel tank and deflector system. They were essentially flying bombs with spatial torpedos and railguns. Crew losses aboard the Gillies were horrific, and treatment of post-war cancer conditions remained a serious problem for the few but honored who served on these desperate machines.
Agni Cruiser "Abaddon"
The 2nd Kzinti Conflict was abetted and largely fueled by a Post-War Apocalyptic Cult run by the prophet Agni, who was himself either controlled or duped by Kzin who had remained behind from the previous conflict. Agni's cruisers were a mix of stolen U.E. technology and the Kzin fondness for saucers. Ironically, the Kzin, while technologically regressive, had shown good sense in their predilection for saucers due to various efficiencies of warp field design, which would influence Earth and later Starfleet for centuries to come. The cruisers behaved poorly at distance and suffered from ill-trained crews. None are left in existence.
UES Origin, XCV-200 was intended to be the second combined service ship for United Earth. Built during a difficult period politically and financially, its development was plagued by being a design too far ahead of its time. Tensions with Vulcan over the use of the annular drive technology borrowed from them with treaty stipulations required new investments in Cochrane's own technology pushing him back into relevancy as a designer. A young intern, Henry Archer, also worked on the development. By the time Origin flew, it had been superceded by technology that its own development spawned, and remains sadly an overlooked note in history.
Kzin Mothership With Earth Ship in Pursuit, above unnamed Oort Cloud Object.
Knowledge of the Kzinti capital ship was obtained by fortuitous barter of information from a Demerian trader in what could only be called a successful first contact. The Kzin ship's primary fault was in a single point of failure system wherein the powerful bombardment plasma cannons were coupled with the drive system itself, allowing only one of them to operate at a time.
Anyway if there's interest I might post smaller ships of the time.
The XCV-102, UES Hypatia, approaching high Mars orbit.
This ship was initially intended as a test bed to lead to the first long range haul ship intended for transporting human diplomats to Vulcan and back without depending on Vulcan transport. The Vulcans bequeathed a compact warp core rated at Warp 2 and the basics of annular drive. Political factions within the newly reformed United Earth instead "borrowed" the warp core and ended up using 102 as their fastest craft in two short but fierce conflicts with migratory Kzin raiders. Demanding that they give up the warp core, Vulcans reclaimed their physical property but not the intellectual, as Earth was able to reverse engineer the core, albeit unshielded and much larger. The rebuilt XCV-102 was capable of long voyages and completed one of the first successful interstellar missions. In its refit form, it contained crew quarters, a galley, two SAAB Pegasus fighters and three SSTO Capsules. First Earth ship to be fueled with Dilithium. These early ships were prone to numerous mechanical difficulties, trouble maneuvering and constant failure of inertial dampening leading from mild nausea to "spaghettification." Hypatia was the first and initially only combined service ship of the UESN and UESPA.
The UES Agammenon, a good example of the Gilgamesh Class, and one of the rare survivors of the first Kzin War. When the Kzin begin hitting early Earth colonies and stations, the matter was unclear. Promises from Vulcan to handle the issue were not met with decisive action, forcing Earth to have the UESN develop a fleet in relative secret near Io. In many ways the early Kzin conflicts help galvanize and unify the human race in a way that simple first contact with Vulcan had not. The Gilgamesh ships, or Gillies, were simple affairs, even by standards of their time. A modified Cochrane-Sloane drive combined with fusion rockets for sub-warp propulsion built around a double chamber fuel tank and deflector system. They were essentially flying bombs with spatial torpedos and railguns. Crew losses aboard the Gillies were horrific, and treatment of post-war cancer conditions remained a serious problem for the few but honored who served on these desperate machines.
Agni Cruiser "Abaddon"
The 2nd Kzinti Conflict was abetted and largely fueled by a Post-War Apocalyptic Cult run by the prophet Agni, who was himself either controlled or duped by Kzin who had remained behind from the previous conflict. Agni's cruisers were a mix of stolen U.E. technology and the Kzin fondness for saucers. Ironically, the Kzin, while technologically regressive, had shown good sense in their predilection for saucers due to various efficiencies of warp field design, which would influence Earth and later Starfleet for centuries to come. The cruisers behaved poorly at distance and suffered from ill-trained crews. None are left in existence.
UES Origin, XCV-200 was intended to be the second combined service ship for United Earth. Built during a difficult period politically and financially, its development was plagued by being a design too far ahead of its time. Tensions with Vulcan over the use of the annular drive technology borrowed from them with treaty stipulations required new investments in Cochrane's own technology pushing him back into relevancy as a designer. A young intern, Henry Archer, also worked on the development. By the time Origin flew, it had been superceded by technology that its own development spawned, and remains sadly an overlooked note in history.
Kzin Mothership With Earth Ship in Pursuit, above unnamed Oort Cloud Object.
Knowledge of the Kzinti capital ship was obtained by fortuitous barter of information from a Demerian trader in what could only be called a successful first contact. The Kzin ship's primary fault was in a single point of failure system wherein the powerful bombardment plasma cannons were coupled with the drive system itself, allowing only one of them to operate at a time.
Anyway if there's interest I might post smaller ships of the time.
