The Ship
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The SS Axel is a Cestus Class Fast Supply Vessel (FSV) operating between Outpost Hope One and the planet Setlin, both located in the Delta Quadrant. It was built in 2418 at the request of the Gorn Duke Faritha Gojari and later transferred to Bresa Voci.
The original design brief was for a small, maneuverable vessel capable of delivering needed supplies (up to 100,000 lbs) to ships, stations, and ground outposts in distress beyond the official borders of the Gorn Hegemony. As such, they would need to be able to evade or defend themselves from hostile vessels and skirt potentially dangerous stellar phenomena. They were built to cater to a more 'humanoid' aesthetic than typical Gorn vessels. They have many Federation and Klingon influences since the Gorn supported allied colony worlds in the region as a line of defense. A similar design style can be seen in the Gorn built Defense Force Battlecruiser which was in use in the area.
Measuring 65m in length, their size and maneuverability make them a perfect choice for delivery to areas where larger ships cannot go. Atmospheric flight and the ability to land are a definite strength of the class. They have a maximum atmospheric speed of 950 km/hr.
Ship's Layout
These craft have 3 decks: Main Deck (center) Cargo Deck (lower) and Maintenance Deck (upper). The SS Axel's Deck layout has been significantly altered from the way they were initially produced.
On the main deck there are a total of 6 crew/passenger compartments, 2 bathrooms, a replicator kitchenette/crew room, a lounge, a med bay, 3 person transporter platform, 2 small cargo compartments, multiple engineering compartments, sensors, weapons control rooms, and of course the bridge.
The lower deck has the larger cargo bay, which has a loading ramp and 2 anti-grav lifting sleds to aid offloading when landed. Access to the ventral weapons turret is achieved through a floor panel in the center of the bay.
The upper deck provides access to virtually every system for ease of maintenance. The ship's escape pods are also located on this deck. Access to the Dorsal weapons turret is also provided via this deck. It is not generally used for anything else, though the entire floor space could be used for additional cargo storage. This would be risky do as it compromises safety on all levels.
Propulsion systems
Cestus Class ships have both impulse and warp capabilities. The warp field generator sits forward of the aft section along the ships "neck" and are similar in basic function to that of those on a Klingon Bird of Prey. Large thrusters near the rear of the vessel give these ships their high degree of maneuverability.
Under normal conditions, they are capable of making warp 6 for extended periods. Under ideal circumstances, they may be able to reach a maximum warp velocity in excess of Warp 9. More typically, a maximum warp velocity of 8.5 can be held for up to 12 hours.
(Note velocities in excess of warp 9 have only been observed while the vessel was flying in close proximity of a star or large planetary body. Thus some of this speed is attributed to a gravitational effect and not the vessel's actual capabilities.)
Other special conditions may exist where a Cestus Class ship may go faster. *See Sensor Systems for the creation of sub space vortices.
Weapons Systems
Cestus Class ships are armed with 2 dual disruptor turrets providing a 360 deg rotation and a 38 degree field of fire both above and below the ship's midline. Generally disruptors carry more energy than standard phaser weapons but lack in accuracy and fast discharge. In the Axel's case, it can fire up to 4 - 3 second bursts from either or both units before requiring a system recharge. The actual time to recharge is dependent on power allocation at the time.
There are two weapons control systems. The first is located on the bridge and is highly automated. It is generally sufficient for warning off attackers and light defensive purposes. The second is for more intensive combat situations. A virtual reality gunnery room creates an environment for a gunner to visualize the ship's complete surroundings. A manual firing system is then utilized to target either dorsal or ventral weapons through an override system attached to a targeting chair. The VR room's split screen displays imagery from the targeting cameras located on the weapons turrets themselves. This provides a targeting system that does not completely depend on sensors that could be jammed by an opposing vessel.
Sensor Systems
There are 6 sensor globes (2 forward and 4 aft) which are retained behind blast doors when not in active use. When the doors are opened and the globes are extended just beyond the ship's contoured edge the sensors are able to do more sensitive interstellar data gathering. As the medium courses directly over the sensor housing each unit's gathering ability is amplified considerable. For this reason, the sensor globes are always extended during gravity assisted warp maneuvering or when encountering stellar phenomena. Computer rooms adjacent to the port aft and starboard forward sensor globes help maintain optimum sensitivity and readiness of this vital system.
The sensitivity of the sensor globes may allow a Cestus Class ship to detect focal points of exotic energy which are typically located near stars or large planetary bodies. On occasion, when conditions are perfect, this may allow the ship to enter a subspace vortex. This can greatly enhance the ship's FTL capabilities.
Enhanced Cargo Capacity
Thanks to a feat of Gatrubbian engineering a Provider Class sublight barge can be mated to Cestus Class ships to the benefit of both vessels. The Provider benefits from a warp delivery system with modest defense capabilities while the Cestus Class ship benefits from a load capacity of over 4000 mt. This combination of vessels has been reviewed and ordered for wide range use.
The SS Axel is privately registered with the government of New Gatrubbe. It flies the Federation Merchant Flag under an agreement between the Gatrubbians and the United Federation of Planets. Its UFP Registration Number is GTB-124512, with each component part getting an A (Axel) and B (Brindley) designation character when flown separately.
Vessel Comparison
A contemporary design to Cestus Class Axel can be found in the Kaplan F-17 Speed Freighter. These vessels were both built for essentially the same purpose, the transport of light cargos quickly. Similar in both size and agility, they can both land on planetary surfaces and within other vessels and facilities for unloading and servicing.
The Gatrubbian addition of the Modular Cargo Expansion Vessel (MCEV), mentioned earlier as a sublight cargo barge, gives the Cestus Class much more versatility when used as a combined delivery system.
So now that you know about the ship...
