U.S.S. Achilles (Alita)

The U.S.S. *Achilles* is an *Alita*-class starship assigned to the 26th Fleet. Launched in 2406, she has participated in her fair share of battles and has the scars to match.

# The Heavy Strike-Wing Escort Starship Program

The *Alita*-class, Heavy Strike-Wing Escort is a "sixth Generation" Heavy Escort, descended from the *Akira*-class starship launched in the mid-24th Century. Combining the improvements made on the *Akira*-class spaceframe by the previous generations, the *Alita*-class was formed in 2397 with the intent of improving on the design flaws of the *Armitage*-class Heavy Escort Carrier, namely the crowded flight deck and under-powered engines. Launching in 2406, the U.S.S. *Alita* marked the first iteration and pathfinder of this class of starship. Her bow featured two docking ports, Bays 2 and 3, which served as the primary launch vector for fighters and shuttlecraft, with recovery operations being conducted from Bay 1, situated aft. The intent was to allow fighters to launch, dock, then launch again without having to be raised or lowered any number of decks, cutting down on critical launch window times. TO protect launching craft from the deflector dish, the dish itself is housed within a directing array, preventing the fighters from being damaged by any emissions from the deflector.

To solve the engine problem, the *Alita*-class improved on the impulse engines, gaining far superior maneuverability and flight speed over her predecessor. This adaptation has prompted some captains to take an extra risk with their ship, placing her in the middle of the fray and relying on this increased flight capability to launch fighters, completely disregarding the original intent of the ship to deploy long-range strike craft. That being said, the combined maneuverability and speed allow the *Alita*-class to keep pace with her fighters and execute coordinated strikes on targets. This combination proved critically effective during the Iconian Wars, enabling countless lives to be saved through its precise execution.

In addition to being a versatile strike craft, the *Alita*-class's auxiliary craft enable it to perform above average in emergency services and humanitarian aid. One such example was the U.S.S. *Shangri-La* during the Borg Invasion of Vega Colony in 2409. Alongside elements of the FIrst and Third Fleets, thousands of Federation Citizens were evacuated from the planet during the invasion, earning a feather in the proverbial cap of this class of starship. With the close of the Iconian War, the current allotment of *Alita*-class starships were relegated to exploratory missions and survey ventures to make use of the ship's multi-role capabilities. With the onset of tensions between the Tzenkethi, and the subsequent Hur'Q crisis, the *Alita*-class again saw a combat emphasis on mission tasking, which made frequent use of her fighter capabilities.

# The U.S.S. *Achilles*

The U.S.S. Achilles was launched on May 19th, 2406, being one of the oldest Alita-class vessels currently in service.

# Deck Layout

## Primary Hull

Deck A: Tactical Information Center/Flight Operations, Flight Operations Senior and Junior Officer Living Quarters

Deck B: TIC Maintenance Support Section, Flight Operations Enlisted Personnel Living Quarters

Deck C: Sail Torpedo Control Room, Sail Torpedo Launchers (Fore and Aft), Emergency Shield Generators 1-2, Senior and Junior Officer Living Quarters

Deck D: Sail Torpedo Magazine and Manufacturing Area, Senior and Junior Officer Living Quarters

Deck 1: Captain’s Ready Room, Main Bridge, Briefing Room, Observation Lounge

Deck 2: Junior and Senior Officers Quarters, VIP/Guest Quarters, Holosuites

Deck 3: Visiting Officers / Noncommissioned Officer's Quarters, Holodecks, Primary Shield Generators

Deck 4: Sickbay, Chief Medical Officer's Office, Primary Science Labs, Junior and Senior Officers Quarters, Counselor's Office

Deck 5: Junior Officers and Crew Quarters, Main Lounge, Secondary Science Labs , Cargo Bay 1 & 2

Deck 6: Primary Computer Core Control, Tertiary Science Labs, Cargo Bay 3 - Primary Cargo Bay

Deck 7: Primary Computer Core, Shuttle Maintenance Hangar and Storage

Deck 8: Primary Computer Core, Flight Operations Armory, Fighter Maintenance Hangar and Storage

Deck 9: Fore and Aft Torpedo Bay Control, Torpedo Magazine and Manufacturing Area, Shuttle and Fighter Hangar Elevator Support Systems, Primary Shield Generators

Deck 10: Transporter Rooms 3 and 4, Shuttle and Fighter Preparation Pre-Flight Bay, Emergency Shield Generators 3-4

Deck 11: Primary Machine Shop, Primary Maintenance Support Center, Shuttlebay [Fore and Aft access via deck 12]

Deck 12: Primary Systems Support Compartments, Shuttlebay/Flight Deck [Fore and Aft Access]

Deck 13: Enlisted Personnel Living Quarters, Secondary Shuttle and Fighter Maintenance Hangar, Flight Deck Operations and Maintenance

Deck 14: Upper Engineering Support Area, Fusion Power Generators 1-4, Enlisted Personnel Living Quarters, Stellar Cartography, Lower Forward Torpedo Bay Control, Chief Science Officer's Office, Armory, Firing Range

Deck 15: Main Engineering - M/ARA Operations Center, Fusion Power Generators 4-6, Flight Operations Enlisted Personnel Living Quarters, Transporter Rooms 1 and 2, Armory, Chief Tactical Officer's Office, Chief Engineer's Office/Station

Deck 16: Lower Engineering, Deflector Control, Main Tractor Beam Control and Emitter, Environmental Control, Secondary Computer Core, Space Wing Briefing Room, Null-G Gymnasium/Weight Room

Deck 17: Tertiary Maintenance Support Center, Emergency Power Generators 7-9, Secondary Systems Support, Brig

Deck 18: Environmental Control, Deuterium Storage, Anti-matter Storage Pods, Gravimetric Polaron Generators, Secondary Shield Generators

Armaments

* Type-XII Mark XIV Dual Phaser Heavy Cannons
* Mark XIV Quad-Linked Phaser Cannons
* Type-XII Mark XIV Phaser Beam Arrays

Defensive Systems

* Covariant Shielding System- Metaphasic Shielding enhanced
* Duranium/Tritanium Alloy Hull Plating. 50cm Neutronium/Rodinium composite Ablative armor plating.
* 4x Close-In Point Defense System Phaser turrets
* 4x Close-in Point Defense System Torpedo Launchers

# Notable Staff

* CAPT Richard James: Commanding Officer, 2405-2414
* CMDR Tar Kara: Commanding Officer, 2414-2416
* CMDR Talla sh'Vaara: Executive Officer, 2414-2416; Commanding Officer, 2416-2418
* CMDR L.E. Korrin: Chief Tactical Officer, 2414-2416; Executive Officer, 2416-2418; Commanding Officer, 2418-2421
* CMDR Thana sh'Charren: Chief Science Officer, 2416-2419
* LCDR Adaline Crawford: Security Officer, 2415-2417; Assistant Security Chief, 2417-2418
* LT Jaela Velar: Science Officer, 2415-2420