IAS Confidence (AV 619)

Gamma Tucanae II

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February 4, 2417

The Interstellar Alliance commissioned the IAS Confidence today, the first of a new class of advanced light cruisers. hoping to give the Alliance new life in the ongoing Akula conflict.

Designed by the same minds which gave us the Foxwing armed launch and the Muse scout ship, Feushun-duk, Ltd., and built at Artemis Alliance Shipyards orbiting Artemis VII, Confidence was launched on March 23, 2416 and given nearly a year of field tests and shakedown prior to commissioning.

The Confidence is commanded by Captain Eclipse, who was given the command in light of his excellent service as communications officer on board the Eagle.

Overview

Confidence is the first of the new Reliance class light cruisers, expanding Feushun-duk's fleet selection from armed launch to scout ship, and now to the cruiser designation. The gryphon-operated contractor is unique in that it has never produced a true ship of war, instead focusing on the small but important niche of support, reconnaissance, and rescue duties.

Measuring 64 meters from bow to stern and 48 meters beam, the Confidence is powered by twin Mini Kreiger Wave converters operating in parallel. Faster-than-light propulsion is provided by a well-known variable-frequency transwarp drive, offering a maximum velocity of TWF 98.

The Confidence features Feushun-duk's proprietary instantaneous-transport (ITT) technology known as AFGHAN, or Advanced Fusion-Generated Hyperbolic Acceleration Nexus. The next step from Quantum Probability Hyperdrive, AFGHAN offers assured 100% success rates with no disassociation potential. The AFGHAN has a maximum range of 38.4 light-years per jump.

Confidence has a maximum crew compliment of 86, but can be easily managed with as few as a dozen crew, thanks to its greatest feature, the AIDO (Artificially Intelligent Data/Optical) computer system, designed exclusively for the Reliance class project by Feushun-duk. The first truly sentient starship, Confidence manifests herself as an anthropomorphic female gryphon affectionately named "Connie".

Deck One

The bridge occupies the entirety of deck one at the top of the ship, its layout unique by cruiser standards in that it combines several roles as in a scout ship or armed launch, homage to Feushun-duk's expertise in designing efficient, compact control centers.

The bridge is dominated by a large control panel occupying the forward section. Stations from port to starboard include Sciences, the combination Executive Officer/Navigation station, Tactical/Security, and Operations/Communication. The Commanding Officer sits centrally on the bridge, behind which are located the Engineering (port) and Environment (starboard) stations.

Other bridge amenities include a three-stall head on the port side, the captain's ready room located starboard, and access panels to the intra-ship ladder system in the floor. The ladder system allows access to all decks in the event of turbolift failure, except for the bridge, which requires secured access.

Special considerations for the crew of the Confidence include removable (via dematerialization) seating, and a more accommodating head for those with a more unique physiology.

Deck Two

Deck two is the smallest of the remaining three decks; its forward and aft quarters are occupied by the raised ceilings of the mess hall and shuttlebay, below on deck 3. Deck two is the operations deck, featuring the infirmary, weapons locker, transporter room, and engineering.

The infirmary features facilities for six extended-care patients, an emergency operating bed, and the Chief Medical Officer's office, which has transparent walls so that she may monitor the status of patients. The infirmary also features an EMH mark XX in case the CMO is incapacitated.

The weapons locker features secured storage for all small and medium personnel arms, including but not limited to disruptors, disruptor rifles, personal shield/cloak/transporter units, as well as 'hard arms' such as knives, daggers, and swords.

The transporter room is capable of simultaneous five-person transport, with four personnel pads and one person/cargo pad. Of course, transport can be routed through the transporter room to and from any location on the ship or surface, negating a trip to the room itself. Pattern buffers feature quantum-level emergency backup protocols to make it one of the safest units ever equipped on an Alliance starship.

Engineering is dominated by the two large Kreiger Wave converters mounted horizontally on the port and starboard sides. For a light cruiser, the area is spacious and well appointed, with a four meter ceiling at the entrance, sloping down to an ample two meters at the aft bulkhead.

Deck Three

Deck three is the first crew deck, and by far the most populated off duty. The forward section is occupied by the mess hall, a commodious room with facilities for up to 38 occupants, not including duty staff. The view through the angled four meter tall windows is unparalleled throughout the ship; a six-stall head and a bar are also welcome amenities during recreational hours.

A special feature of Confidence's mess hall is that the tables and chairs can be dematerialized, and the room converted into a dance hall. While most popular during special occasions, any time can be party time aboard the Confidence.

Aft of the mess hall on both sides are the crew berths; port and starboard, capable of housing up to 21 crew members each, with head facilities for 8 and a large communal shower room for up to 15. Of course, on the Confidence, considerations have been taken into account for those crew unaccustomed (or unable) to sleeping in beds, and approximately half the sleeping bunks in each berth have been removed for comfort. Nesting materials are available from replicators as desired.

At the very back of deck three lies the shuttlebay; while a shuttlebay on a light cruiser may seem absurd at first, the presence of one on the Confidence makes it an incredibly flexible vessel. Not only can she carry her own support fighter or shuttle, but she can also serve as a refueling/rearming station in times of conflict. Confidence can support a ship with length and beam of under ten meters each, and with a draft of less than four meters.

Deck Four

Deck four is where the Captain's (and Executive Officer's, in the case of the Confidence) quarters are located, at the bow with a view no less spectacular than from the mess hall. Again, considerations have been taken into account, giving the room a lush nest for Confidence's two highest ranking officers.

Aft of the Captain's quarters lay the other two crew berths, in a similar port/starboard arrangement as on deck three, but slightly smaller due to limited space. Again, roughly half the bunks have been removed for the convenience of Confidence's crew.

Exterior access is provided either by transporter, or a four-meter extendable ramp in the aft section of deck four. On either side of this ramp is space to stow cargo in transport, as well as access to Confidence's 22 escape pods, each with a capacity of four crew members, allowing for a total evacuation capacity of 88. Each escape pod carries a limited-range transporter to allow faster evacuation of the Confidence; if the system should fail, pods are easily accessible through doors on the sides.

Other Features

Considerations have not only been taken into account for the Confidence herself, but for all Reliance class vessels in their basic design. Corridor hallways are two meters wide with a two meter ceiling, allowing plenty of space for gryphons, dragons, or whatever may walk the halls of the vessel. Doorways are one meter wide, and ceilings are expanded wherever possible, such as the mess hall, shuttlebay, and engineering.

While not a warship, Confidence can hold her own if she finds herself in trouble. Two forward-mounted Photokenetic Beam cannons on the ventral hull carry a 52.4 MW punch each, and Series II Prophasic shielding, the most advanced in the fleet, combined with semi-organic Series II Isopal hull armor ensure the Confidence will walk away from any attack.

Tactical/security systems also include a temporal phase-cloak, sensor-absorbant hull coating, corridor-mounted defensive (stun) armament, and bulkhead force fields.

Safety systems include up to fifteen redundancies on life support, emergency rations available in corridor access panels as well as in the mess hall and bridge, and extravehicular suits located in engineering, the bridge, and shuttlebay, with special designs for quadrapedal or pregnant crew members.

Conclusion

For the first time in the eight years of the Akula conflict, the Alliance has produced a vessel whose combination of design, dedication, and technology surpasses the efforts of both friend and foe alike. In the years preceding the Confidence's debut, many throughout the Alliance were expecting a ship of war, not of peace.

While Feushun-duk may have surprised the majority in sticking to their 'guns' (or lack thereof), the surprises are not yet over, as the Confidence takes on her first official mission. She is a ship which belies her size, with a crew dedicated to their role of protecting the lives and interests of the Alliance and allies.

The name Confidence can be traced back to the late twentieth century United States Coast Guard. The USCGC Confidence was a 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter with a crew of 74. She served as a part of the Atlantic fleet, protecting the United States of America for over 4 decades.

Confidence will be based at Gamma Tucanae II, and will begin her service in the Alliance fleet on the outskirts of allied territory.

We wish the Confidence good luck, and God speed in her service.