Barely a starship by international standards, the Drake Class Heavy Corvette was created out of a need for a heavier patrol vessel to deal with known pirate bands of the Nepleslian Reds. The Reds working with Ryu Keiretsu to develop the Drake also had an ulterior motive to use the ship as a means to jump start their own military goals. The design was introduced in YE 46

Drake Class Heavy Corvettes can be used in the following use cases:

• Border Patrols
• Anti-Piracy
• Recon/Exploration

Barely large enough to be considered a small starship, the Drake Class is an aerodynamic design with a twin-pronged nose.

Before the lost of Kennewes and the utter destruction of the Red Star Army, the Nepleslian Reds were known to operate numerous Bellystabber 2-Class Raider Ship in their war against the Nepleslian Greens. The Reds efforts to rebuild focused on salvaging and repairing destroyed Star Army of Yamatai vessels such as the Sakura-class Light Gunship and the Ayame-class Cruiser. While the strategy did not work out in the end for the Reds as their lack of economy began to be felt in the late 30s, it generated valuable shipbuilding experience.

The Ryu Keiretsu approached Nepleslian Research and Manufacturing with the idea of a more suitable heavy patrol vessel than what was available on the market in YE 44. Takeda Junko proposed to make use of the Bellystabber 2-Class Raider Ship and Fuushigi no Umi-class Escort as the basis for a new Heavy Corvette. Neither Ryu Keiretsu or the Reds possessed the technologies utilized in either designs, requiring the soon to be Drake to become a smaller design with simplified systems.

Crew: 21 crew members and 2 officers.

Maximum Capacity: About 80 people can fit aboard in an emergency, but the ship would be extremely uncomfortable.

• Length: 52 meters
• Width: 30 meters
• Height: 8.7 meters
• Decks: 2 (3 meters per deck, 1 meter subdeck in between)

• Continuum Distortion Drive: 15,500c
• Hyperspace Fold Drive: 0.60 ly/m
  • Max Range Between Charges: 20 ly
  • Charge Cycle:
    • 10 LY or less - 2 minutes
    • More than 10 LY up to 20 LY - 5 minutes
  • 7 minute cool down between folds
• Sublight Engines: .375c (Turbo Plasma)

See Damage Rating (Version 3) for a guide to damage ratings to include.

DRv3 Tier: Light Starship (10)

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The Crew Compartments are specifically designed to provide the crew with comfort and privacy during their off-duty hours. Their modular design allows for customization according to crew requirements and mission specifications.

Located in front of each cabin, the leadership of the ship are afforded their own single occupency cabins. While small compared to what most ship captains are used to within the sector, it does give the CO/XO a larger degree of privacy compared to the rest of the crew.

The Crew Cabins of the Drake Class come in two sizes. The two on Deck 1 measure 8.2×3.4 meters each, and the one on Deck 2 is slightly larger, at 6.1×5.4 meters. Each cabin includes four built-in bunk beds, comfortably accommodating eight crew members. Each bed has personal storage compartments, and the cabins have shared facilities for hygiene purposes.

The Med Bay is a vital part of the ship, sized at 6.1×2.7 meters. It's equipped with medical equipment and two patient beds. The Med Bay also has a Chief Medical Officer's desk and a storage unit for medical supplies.

The Multipurpose Room, measuring 3×3.4 meters, is a flexible space that can be used for a variety of activities such as training, meetings, recreation, and more. It can be quickly reconfigured to suit the current needs of the crew.

The Wardroom, also measuring 3×3.4 meters, serves as a communal dining and meeting area for the crew. It includes a small galley for meal preparation and enough seating for the entire crew.

These compartments house the various systems and services that are integral to the operation of the ship and its missions.

The Bridge, at 5×2.5 meters, is the nerve center of the ship. It hosts the command and control systems, communication equipment, and navigation consoles.

The Drake's cargo hold is a spacious 7.1×7.3 meters. It's accessible via a 5.1×3.3 meters forward ramp, and a 3.5×3.3 meters airlock, facilitating the easy loading and unloading of supplies and equipment.

Located to the sides of the bridge, the twin electronics rooms are used to house the various core computer systems and sensor processing equipment to run the Drake Class. 1 X-type Quantum Computer node is located within each room. The 5 are located in the bridge, engineering (2), and the multipurpose room.

The Engineering room is the heart of the Drake. It's a double-deck compartment measuring 10.9×11.3 meters (narrower on Deck 2), housing the ship's power systems, propulsion systems, and the primary systems for life support and climate control.

The Drake has three Escape Pod Bays, two 3.9×2.9 meter bays at the rear, and a smaller bay located next to the bridge. They house escape pods ready for immediate launch in case of emergencies and are covered by armored plating. Explosive bolts and venier motors detach the plating and direct the plating away from the escape pods' flight paths quickly.

The 6.1×2.7 meter Machine Shop is equipped for maintenance, repairs, and fabrication of parts. It contains an array of tools and machinery, including 3D printers and precision tools.

Two Main Gun Service Rooms, each measuring 7.1×4.6 meters, house a portion of the ship's primary weaponry. These rooms contain the ammunition required for the weapon system and access to servicable portions of the railguns.

With the compact nature of the Drake Class, the service modules provide a means for clients to customize the weapon load out of their ships. Modules containing any number of offensive (pre-installed gun turrets), defense point defense, and utilitarian equipment (specialized sensors) can be dropped in and removed at ports capable of refitting ships. The tops are armored to conform with the contours of the Drake's external surface.

Below is detailed information on on-board components.

The Drake Class utilizes Osmiridium, ADNR (Aggregated Diamond Nanorods), and Kimurium. SpectraGuard Visual Interface are used throughout the ship, eliminating the use of windows. All corridors and rooms are lined with Xirang Gel.

The Drake class makes use of the OLIVIA AI (or Savtech JANE) controlling the seven X-type Quantum Computer spread around the ship. The JANE itself is located within a removable Kamasu Data Chip located in the bridge of the ship. An avatar (normally a clone of the Olivia) can be connected to the ship.

The Drake's sensor package is comparable to the Queen Tier of the Destiny AI with the following systems:

• Electromagnetic sensors
• Electrogravitic sensors (scalar)
• Soliton sensors (Wave Packets)
• Unified field mass/energy sensors (Field of force sensors; Gravity, Radioactivity, and Energy)
• Neutrino sensors (nuclear reaction sensors)
• Tachyon sensors (faster than light)
• Aether detectors
• Visual sensors
• Mass Detectors

The Drake's sensors, in passive mode, can detect things up to 6 AU away, and in active mode can detect and provide information (Heading, velocity, size, ship type, energy signatures) on objects up to 3 AU away. These sensors also play a key part in its targeting control system, which is capable of giving details (Heading, velocity, size, ship type, energy signatures) on up to 100 tracked targets, and simply tracking the position and orientation (IFF) of 200 more.

The Drake also posses the following communication system:

• Hyperspace: Transmission of laser and radio communications through a hyperspace conduit, hyperspace being a dimension where the distances between points is shorter. The technology itself is based on the same premise as Hyperspace Travel. The sender has to know the location of the receiver. In general unless the distance between the transmitter and the receiver is more than a few hundred light years are real-time. Transmissions can be blocked by Anti-FTL Fields.
• Laser: For close-range transmissions, it is more difficult for the enemy to intercept, because they have to be in the area of the beam. Also limited to light-speed.
• Radio: Full spectrum, Dual-Modulation, range theoretically unlimited except by interference. Practical range is short, since the waves only travel at light-speed.

Intended for anti-pirating operations, the Drake class possesses a NRM made Mass Mesher Device and is designed to accommodate further stealth systems currently being developed by NRM.

The Drake makes use of the following systems:

• Automatic Fire Suppression Systems
• Gel-like Hull Sealant
• Containment Force Fields (and simple rubber seals)
• Emergency Atmosphere Stations (respirator masks and RHI Type 43 "Megumi" Environmental Skinsuit)

There are enough Ikigai Escape Pods to cover the max number of individuals supported by the life support system. The pods are clustered around the center of the ship and eject “top side”.

The Drake class makes use of a RHI “Ryu-hua” Type 45 Life Support System. Like the Yugumo Standard Life Support Systems (which it is based on), the Ryu-hua makes use of environmental nanites and nanite swarms produced by Advancer Enterprises.

The Ryu-Hua's atmospheric system incorporates advanced nanotechnology to maintain a breathable and comfortable environment onboard. Nanites are engineered to continuously monitor and adjust the atmospheric composition, removing excess CO2 and converting it into a storable elemental form.

Additionally, the nanites manage humidity levels onboard. They extract excess moisture from the air, which is then redirected into the ship's wastewater system. This humidity control is vital for maintaining crew comfort and preventing issues such as mold growth or condensation within the ship's systems.

In emergency scenarios, the onboard water reserves can undergo electrolysis to generate additional oxygen. This process can be powered by the ship's main power supply or rely on emergency power if necessary.

Conservation and recycling are at the forefront of Ryu-Hua's water systems. Wastewater undergoes multiple rounds of purification through nanite-enhanced filters, which remove harmful substances and reintroduce the clean water back into the system. When the water cannot be fully purified, it is reclassified as grey water and used for non-potable purposes.

Periodic recharging of the system is required. This can be accomplished through docking at a service station, linking with a tanker ship, or landing on a planet with a water source. Regardless of the source, the newly acquired water undergoes extensive filtration to ensure its safety.

Grey water serves as the primary source for electrolysis during emergencies, and the hydrogen produced is used to fuel the ship's fusion reactor. This adds another layer of resource efficiency.

The Ryu-Hua system incorporates a network of graviton generators built into the ship's floors to create artificial gravity. This feature allows for adapting to the comfort of various species aboard the ship, as the gravity levels can be adjusted as per individual requirements. During power disruptions, these generators switch to a low-power mode, maintaining minimal gravity using their internal battery reserves.

The artificial gravity system also contributes to reducing the perceived inertia of the ship, increasing the comfort level of the crew during maneuvers.

The Ryu-Hua's waste management system uses a small fusion torch array to handle both organic and non-organic waste. The material is sorted, then processed into plasma, and subsequently converted into stable oxide powders for safe and compact storage. This efficient disposal method minimizes the amount of waste that needs to be stored onboard, thereby reducing the logistical challenges during long-duration missions.

A single Mk 1 Compression Fusion Reactor provides power for all of the systems of the Drake Class. A RHI Navitium Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) load balancing systems is installed, allowing the Drake to store excess energy indefinitely when in low demand situations and discharges when the power system cannot handle demand.

Due to the Drake's primary design considerations are aimed at security forces wishing to conduct anti-piracy patrols, twin Hoshi III Series Multi-stage Turbo Plasma Drives provide the main propulsion for the craft.

To cut down costs, the Drake makes use of a traditional Electrostatic/Gravimetric shielding system to protect the Heavy Corvette.

Given its compact nature, the Drake Class in its standard configuration makes extensive use of licensed Origin Industries Phased Array Lasers:

Primary and Secondary Weapons

• 2 Tier 9 Rapid-fire variant Sakura Type 43 200mm Heavy Railgun
• 4 Tier 10 Anti-Ship Phased Array Laser (2 top, two bottom)
• 16 Tier 7 Origin Phased Array Laser
• 4 Tier 7 200 cell Vertical Launch Systems (2 top, 2 bottom)

Point Defense Weapons

• 32 Tier 4 Point Defense Phased Array Laser

This section includes various additional systems that enhance the functionality, adaptability, and survivability of the Drake Class starship. These miscellaneous systems might not be as high-profile as the ship's primary functions, but they are nonetheless essential for its efficient operation.

The armored UNIV-A Clamp, located at the top of the Drake, is a 3×3 docking system that enables the ship to physically and functionally connect with other UNIV-A equipped ships. Originally designed and implemented by the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, this system has been adopted by the Reds.

The UNIV-A Clamp system consists of the following components:

• Magnetic Clamps: These are the physical connection points that attach the Drake to the other ship. Their magnetic design ensures a secure attachment, able to withstand the stresses of space conditions and any maneuvers the connected ships may need to perform.

• Umbilical Tube: This flexible tube provides a safe and controlled environment for personnel to move between the two connected ships. It can be pressurized and has its own independent life support systems to ensure the safety of transiting personnel.

• General Utility Pipes (4): These pipes allow for the transfer of essential resources such as power, air, and water between the ships. They also facilitate data transfer, ensuring seamless communication and coordination between the connected ships.

• Gravitron Projector: This device assists in the docking process by generating a gravitational pull to draw the two ships together or a push force to separate them when necessary. This ensures a smooth and precise docking process, reducing the risks of collision and damage. It can also be used by the ship to anchor onto objects and draw objects to be collected by the crew.

The docking port can also connect to other docking ports that make use of international standards.

Demibear created this article on 2023/06/26 03:11.

Approval Thread: https://stararmy.com/roleplay-forum/threads/drake-class-heavy-corvette.71977/