USS GRAND ALLIANCE NCC-87200
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The Starship USS Grand Alliance is the Federation's first "fast diplomatic transport." She was built specifically as a means of conveying ambassadors and their families and retinue, in lavish hotel-style comfort, to and from important Federation conferences. Alliance's main hull has been plushly appointed with stateroom suites for up to 500 diplomatic guests of any species. A grand ballroom and dining hall with huge windows is at the very bow of deck nine. Conference rooms are included in case anyone's in a hurry to finalize a treaty. Recreation and dining facilities are carried for all Federation species. |
The aft hull extension is entirely devoted to hangar space and service facilities for the hundreds of personal shuttles expected on such a voyage. From past experience Starfleet knows that a boatload of important diplomats is a great target (see "Journey to Babel"), so Grand Alliance has been designed with speed in mind. Two m/am reactors, each driving an opposed pair of warp nacelles give Grand Alliance a dash speed of warp 9.9 for the unheard of (at the time) duration of 24 hours. Nothing can catch "Starfleet One." |
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Alliance's knifelike profile enhances her superb warp dynamics. Each of her two matter/antimatter reactors drives a pair of the powerful warp propulson units. In the event one reactor fails, the ship can continue on either the upper or lower pair of nacelles, though some downtime is required to reconfigure the control software. In this image, Grand Alliance arrives at Cait to pick up Ambassador M'Sssal. The Caitian shuttle flares its magnetic drive in a greeting display as it enters the approach pattern to Grand Alliance's landing bay. |
From the Captain's Log, Stardate 44810.6, Captain Anita DaVega recording. "With our escort, USS Claymore, presumed destroyed, we must assume the cloaked ships that have been pursuing us are still there. Our break for safety - a flank speed run for the nearest Federation outpost - has ended ... badly. Whoever is chasing us, knowing they couldn't catch us in a stern chase at warp 9.9, herded us through this uninhabited star system, which they'd salted with anitmatter mines. We were caught by a rather massive chain reaction, kind of an antimatter firestorm. The shields held. Barely. But an energy feedback blew out the new, improperly tuned warp coils in number four nacelle. ....
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...We've managed to take refuge in the ring system of a gas giant. With the ship "dark" we hope to buy some time, and hope our SOS reaches friendly ears. Commendations to Ensign Debrah Tavares, helm, for the most amazing display of starship driving I've ever seen, recovering this great big ship from a butt-over-nose tumble induced by the exploding nacelle; and to Commander Steven Glass, Engineer, for keeping the rest of the ship from exploding too. Now I have to go explain what happened to 175 confused, angry diplomats and their families. It remains to be seen which is the more horrific experience: antimatter firestorms, invisible ships or - ugh - diplomats. God help me." End entry. |
Alliance in proper trim, initiating warp factor 9.9
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