Star Empire Class

The original design put forwards in the specification that eventually led to the Federation Class, the Star Empire Class was believed to have never left the drawing board, being rejected by the Federation Security Council and the General Accounting Office in 2258. In reality, a single Star Empire Class ship was built in secret by Vice-Admiral Vaughn Rittenhouse. The Star Empire was later a central part of the Star Empire Affair in 2273.

## Development

The development of Battleships for Starfleet dates back to the turn of the 23rd Century. Starfleet had never fielded Battleships: the last design of that designation had served with the UESN during the Earth-Romulan War. Lighter Cruisers had been more effective at policing the frontiers of the new Federation, although as early as the 2170s, larger and more powerful ships had been proposed.

The main obstacle, outside of technical and design problems at the time, was a political resistance against anything that could be seen as aggressive or antagonistic, the Federation supposedly having been founded on peaceful principles. The leader of this pacifist movement was Vulcan Ambassador S'Kon. In 2185 he went before the Federation Security Council with a group of politicians and other Federation dignitaries concerned about the rapidly growing colonial territory of the Federation. They cited that such aggressive colonisation would only bring the Federation into great tension with neighbouring powers, when it met them. For many years, S'Kon and his beliefs held great sway in the Federation, and even smaller vessels deemed too militaristic, such as a 2192 Light Cruiser proposal called the Cheyenne Class, were rejected by the Federation Security Council, much to the chagrin of many in Starfleet.

In 2208, after the death of Ambassador S'Kon, such resistance lessened, and the top brass in Starfleet, who served in the UESN as young men and women or grew up hearing the stories from the veterans they served with in the early years of Starfleet, were eager to get another "big ship" accepted for service.

The first such design was the Quetzalcoatl Class of 2215. Technology of the time simply hadn't progressed to allow such large ships to move at the warp and impulse speeds required for them to be competitive, with warp cores not sufficiently powerful, nacelles not efficient enough and hull designs too inefficient to allow smooth warp speeds. Weaponry of the time was another concern, with the Photon Torpedo having only just entered service and Starfleet stipulating back-up Missile based weaponry as a fallback. In the end, the Quetzalcoatl failed to improve on the capabilities of the Lancaster Class and only two were built.

A second attempt at building a Battleship for Starfleet came in 2235 in the guise of the Siegfried Class. By this point, Photon Torpedo technology had progressed to the point where it was considered a reliable weapon, and Starfleet designs no longer carried back-up Missiles. Warp core and nacelle technology had also progressed to the point that a ship of her size and design planform could reach reasonable speeds.

The Siegfried was based around a proven large-hull design, the Belleau Wood Class Troop Transport. That design transferred most of the ship facilities to the primary hull, and this was seen as an opportunity to mount an extremely powerful beam weapon in the secondary hull. Such a beam weapon, code-named 'Kaminari' (Japanese for thunderbolt) had been under development by Starfleet R&D since 2223. All that was needed was a suitable hull to carry it. Design work on modifications to the Belleau Wood Class hull began in 2230. The new ship was to enter service in 2233.

As it was, the 'Kaminari' failed spectacularly. During the field test, the initial submaximal discharges were successful. When the weapon was finally discharged at maximal output, a massive explosion occurred. The testbed ship, Lancaster Class ex-USS Whittle (NCC-1227) was completely destroyed and her crew of 22 were killed. The viewing station was showered with debris: 17 spectators and technicians were injured and 9, including Commodore Shrev of Andoria (Chief of Starfleet R&D) and Victoria Miho Chatterjee (Second Vice President of the Federation Council) were killed. As the weapon was still classified "top secret," the true nature of the accident was not publicly revealed until 2250.

The problems with 'Kaminari' were eventually solved, but the weapon proved overweight, underpowered and short ranged. 8 of the 12 Siegfried Class ships left in service were modified in 2242 and had their 'Kaminari' Type II Phaser Cannons removed, being reclassified as Battlecruisers (the first of the type in Starfleet). They were finally retired in 2245 when sufficient number of Constitution Class ships had entered service.

The need for a ship bigger and more powerful than the new Constitution Class was never really considered until the tensions surrounding the Treaty of Korvat. Indeed, the abortive raids just prior to it's signing in 2249 were repulsed by obsolete Kestrel Class Destroyers. When the Klingon Empire withdrew from the treaty in 2257, new designs for a Battleship to face the KDF were drawn up. The following year, construction was authorised by the Federation Security Council.

From the outset the design was marred with political compromises, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the pacifist days of Ambassador S'Kon. Almost as soon as she was drawn up, the Klingon Chancellor, Durak, died under suspicious circumstances. This led to a two-year Civil War which weakened the Empire and alleviated fears of an invasion in the Federation. This led to many questioning the need for the new Battleship and postulating that such an aggressive move by the Federation might antagonise the Klingons, or even worse, the Romulans, into making a "pre-emptive strike".

The original design called for a new type of Heavy Photon Torpedo to provide the necessary firepower, rather than any further development of the "Kaminari". No less than four torpedo tubes would be carried, mounted in the neck in a spacious torpedo room. Expected primary weapons were to be a bank of five Type A Phaser Emitters on a rounded octagonal primary hull, although already plans were afoot to see these replaced with more powerful weapons within a few years of introduction. She would have thick armour, shields three and a half times as strong as the Constitution Class, and be capable of speeds approaching that of the smaller Heavy Cruiser.

But both the Federation Security Council and the General Accounting Office said no. It was too big, too powerful, and too expensive. No way could a ship of that type be seen to be in service with a peaceful organisation like Starfleet. Even the intended name, the Star Empire Class, was considered antagonistic. The designers were sent back to the drawing board, literally, to try again.

## Operational History

The Star Empire Class never entered service with Starfleet, with official no ships even being constructed. However her story didn't end with her cancellation in 2258. Vice-Admiral Vaughn Rittenhouse, a veteran of the border skirmishes with the Klingon Empire in the 2230s, saw a galaxy filled with hostile civilisations. He, along with Admiral Lance Cartwright, were great proponents of the Star Empire concept and the principle of peace through superior force. When the Star Empire was cancelled, Rittenhouse took this as an almost personal affront, and resigned from his role in Starfleet strategic planning. By 2264, to the rest of the Federation it seemed as if he had gone into retirement, giving a single word statement ("Laughable") when questioned by press about the new Federation Class.

In reality, Rittenhouse had called in many favours and secretly gathered support from other high ranking members of Starfleet (rumoured to include Admiral Lance Cartwright and Colonel Patrick West of the Starfleet Marine Corps, but never proven). With this support and funds sequestered from Starfleet R&D, Rittenhouse constructed a single example of the rejected Star Empire Class. It was his intention, once the ship was completed, to overthrow the Federation and place himself as head of a new military dictatorship.

In 2273, as the Star Empire was nearing completion, Starfleet Intelligence learned of this plan, and secretly, Admiral James T. Kirk was tasked with stopping Rittenhouse. It was made very clear that Rittenhouse was not to be allowed to carry out his plan, and whilst peaceful negotiation was preferred, he was to be stopped at all costs.

As it turned out, the Vice-Admiral was in no mood to negotiate, and a short but pitched battle broke out between loyalist Starfleet forces led by Kirk onboard the newly refitted USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and the renegade Rittenhouse commanding the almost operational Star Empire. The Akula Class Destroyer USS Pompeii (NCC-540) was destroyed in this action, and the USS Potemkin (NCC-1657) (Constitution Class) USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) heavily damaged. The Star Empire was captured, and Rittenhouse arrested and later court-martialled and found guilty of Mutiny and Conspiracy to commit Treason. He was imprisoned in 2275, reportedly at the Starfleet Military High Security Prison (known as 'The Rock' ) on Ceres in the Solar Asteroid Belt. In reality however, he was taken to Facility 4028, a top-secret installation in the Ayala System ran by the mysterious Section 31.

The Star Empire herself also proved to be a problem. The Federation Security Council never approved her construction, and although she had proven fallible, she was indeed a powerful warship that could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The plans for the Star Empire had gone missing, Rittenhouse's databank having been downloaded then physically destroyed by agents unknown shortly before his climactic battle with the Enterprise. The very scant evidence left behind suggested Klingon involvement, but it was insufficient to prove they had had a hand in either the design and construction of the Star Empire or the theft of her plans.

It was decided to keep the Star Empire in indefinite storage, until such a time her existence could be revealed and she could either be commissioned or scrapped without drawing undue attention. She was towed to the Starfleet Salvage and Reclamation Yard ('Lucky's Yard') in the Somme System, and was officially listed as an incomplete Federation Class and given a fake name and registry, USS Entente (NCC-2115). Over the decades, she was deliberately forgotten about, records of her existence modified to state that she had been destroyed in combat during the Star Empire Affair.

In 2292, the Klingon Empire attacked the Federation Reserve Fleet docked in the Pearl System. In the conflict that followed (the General War), the Federation was on the brink of destruction, with only the few remaining ships of the Federation Reserve Fleet and her ally, the Gorn Confederacy, to stop a Klingon invasion of the entirety of Federation space. In this desperate darkest hour, the few Starfleet Officers with knowledge of the Star Empire's existence suggested privately that she be re-activated, commissioned, and used to drive back the invaders. Tentatively, this was approved and the USS Star Empire (NCC-2115) was born, her ship's plaque stating that she was built and commissioned in 2292. Command was given to a relatively young member of the Admiralty, Arthur J. Tennyson. A distinguished Fleet Captain during the Organian Conflict, Tennyson was promoted to Vice-Admiral and given command of the USS Star Empire (NCC-2115) in part as a political move, as being a new member of the Admiralty he was not believed to have any links with any shadowy cabals or political movements or have any great political sway.

By the time she was fit for combat, the Klingon invasion of Federation space had been repelled, and the Star Empire was given a very brief shakedown cruise on her way to join the Federation Prime Fleet in the Galactic Fringe. She fought with distinction in several actions including the destruction of the ISC Staging Grounds. Unfortunately, on her return through the Subspace Portal, she simply failed to emerge. No wreckage, debris or bodies were found, and after 3 weeks of extensive searches, the Star Empire was officially listed as lost, her 1022-strong crew all listed as missing. Vice-Admiral Arthur J. Tennyson became the highest ranking officer to be listed as killed or missing during the General War.

## Apocrypha

The USS Star Empire (NCC-2115), her commander Vice-Admiral Arthur J. Tennyson and her 1022-strong crew were never found. With her plans stolen and destroyed, and her design being increasingly obsolescent by the late 23rd Century, the loss of the Star Empire also marked the end of her class history. Her existence and real history was not finally declassified until the 2340s.

## Specifications

* **Class:** Dreadnought
* **Hull Type Designation:** FDN
* **Length:** 425m
* **Crew:** 1022
* **Warp Nacelles: 3**

* **Maximum Sublight Speed:** 3000 k/s (30 Mk/s)
* **Cruise** **Warp Factor Speed:** wf 7.5
* **Safe** **Maximum Warp Factor Speed:** wf 8.8
* **Hull Rating:** 800 HSF
* **Shield Rating:** 1400 FSP

* **Sensor Rating:** 800 SRU

* **Armament and Equipment:**
	+ Primary
		- 5 × Type B Phaser Emitter
	+ Secondary
		- 4 × Heavy Photon Torpedo Tube
	+ Heavy
		- None
	+ Advanced
		- None
	+ Equipment
		- Tractor Beam Emitter
		- Mark VI Probes
		- 2 × Wasp Attack Shuttle