Starfleet Weaponry

Standard Starfleet Weaponry
INFORMATION
Year Commissioned:	2233-2252
Affiliation:	United Federation of Planets
Status:	Active
END OF BRIEFING
Template:Equipment

Phaser Weaponry

The security division of the starship Ulysses is on the waiting list from Starfleet Quartermaster and Supply to replace its inventory of old Type II and Type III phasers. Security was expecting their full shipment in 4-6 months. As a result the vast majority of the defensive weaponry aboard the Ulysses are the old-style weapons.

"Old" Type II Phaser (2233-2253)

Currently a design pushing into its nineteenth year of use, the "Alpha" Mark IV phaser (Type II) has been a decent but not overwhelmingly popular design- especially when the theoreticals for the new "Beta" Type II's came out a year ago. They were the first model of "Phasers" built to replace the "Phase Pistol," and have seen only minor tweaks from Mark I to Mark IV. Compared to the last generation of weapons, the Alpha Type IIs had superior weight-balance and particle drift correction. They were easily aimed and fired. But they have smaller charges than the new and previous models of weapon, and they are somewhat more delicate.

A lot of field operatives complained that the Alpha is not a sturdy weapon. They also dislike its glossy chrome appearance which can attract attention vs. something with a matte finish which is more concealable. Its main fault lies in the setting nozzle rotational mechanism, which can jam. The weapon only has two settings: stun and kill. The new models would have had multiple settings of each. Many enthusiasts point to it being a lightweight and elegant weapon.

"Old" Type III Phaser (2233-2252)

The Alpha Mark VI Type III Phasers are a widely despised weapon, so much that many Security officers forego them in favor of their sidearm or else the previous era of Phase Rifles. This has made the Beta Mark I an eagerly anticipated weapon.

Riddled with design flaws, the Marks I-V were attempts to correct the series: the Alpha Rifles were cumbersome, poorly balanced and not at all sturdy. They did have a decent charge capacity. The Mark VI managed to correct some of the weight distribution but it has made the weapon even less sturdy and with none of the aesthetic "sexy" appeal of its sidearm version.

The Mark VI is still a poor weapon in the field- a lot can go wrong with it. It does have the advantage of multiple stun and kill settings. The weapon has proven so unpopular that Starfleet's design engineers set about a total redesign for a "Beta" model two years before they began a sidearm design for the Betas.

"New" Type II Phaser (2251-mid 2260s)

The Ulysses, not expected to see a heavy combat need, had only a small "certification" crate of six of these phasers delivered. The "Beta" is a hardy weapon that ticks most of the boxes Security originally requested when compared to the Alphas. These were intended to certify the crew in its use before the weapon was fully distributed.

The Beta has a matte finish for concealability and is well balanced. The rotational barrel of the phaser is done, replaced by a turnable design. The "setting warning" is no longer an emission from the barrel, but a light on the top of the weapon. The weapon is notably heavier than the Alpha Type II but also feels sturdier.

The Beta is the first-hand phaser that delivers more than two settings. It also improves the weapon with pulse and continuous stream fire, as well as a cone and a narrow beam setting for stun. The one gripe most Security officers have is that the weapon's charge capacity is about the same as the Alpha model.

"New" Type III Phaser (2249-mid 2260s)

The new Type III phaser ticks most of the boxes requested by Starfleet Security and war outweighs it's predecessor model. As phasers go, the Type III is fairly rugged and reliable, has multiple stun and kill settings accessible with a turnable nozzle. The Type III has settings for cone, continuous beam and pulse firing and has a relatively high charge capacity. It is significantly heavier than it's predecessor and has a second handle grip, which takes a lot of getting used to for those familiar with the previous model.

Because the Ulysses was not a forward-operating ship expected to see a lot of priority usage; like the Type II phaser, it's Armory has very few of these new weapons. Starfleet Security planned to outfit the Ulysses with a full complement in four to six months. At the point of its disappearance, the Ulysses only had a crate of six Type III phaser rifles for "certification purposes."

Surplus Energy Weaponry

The starship Ulysses' Armory has a small number of old-style standbys: the tried and reliable phase and particle-style weapons used throughout the 22nd century Starfleet. As reliable and stursdy as they are in the field- for these weapons were designed to survive almost any environment- they have very limited settings (stun and kill), have some "particle drift" targeting issues and- of course- the reload packs are limited in number.

Phase Pistol (2161-2233)

This very old standby dates back to the era of the Federation's founding. Though it has gone through many iterations to improve its design, the old Phase Pistol has its roots in the disbanded MACO Corps. At the time, it was a very reliable weapon: very sturdy, it came with two settings, and it had no particle drift. But like most phase weapons, it had its limitations in environments detrimental to the emitter energy storage coils of the era. It also could not rotate electromagnetic bands and was only a pulse fire weapon.

Starfleet Security is not in the habit of keeping these weapons around in great numbers and allowed their use on Starfleet ships as they were being phased out for the new phaser weapon style. However, they are highly effective. But with the new introduction of Beta Type IIs, Starfleet planned to completely retire the Phase Pistol by year's end. The Ulysses has a small crate of six of these weapons in storage in the Armory's surplus vault.

Phase Rifle (2161-2233)

With the "flop" of the Alpha Type III Phaser Rifle, Starfleet Command and Starfleet Security began a tug of war about what weapon would dominate shipboard and Away Team use once the Alphas came online. The Phase Rifle, based on the MACO Plasma Rifle, was the sturdier weapon with the superior charge capacity. But the Alphas were new phaser technology that allowed for pulse and beam settings, could rotate electromagnetic bandwidths and were not subject to the same degradation by some forms of interference. The tug of war was never resolved: Security issued these Phase Rifles to personnel who requested them from the Quartermaster's surplus supply. But once their charge batteries degraded enough they were impossible to reload. Steadily their numbers declined.

The Ulysses has two crates of six of these weapons for a total of twelve. Ten are in "acceptable" working order with a ten percent degrade of their charge capacity. Two are considered "compromised" and hold less than half a full charge. They are stored in the Armory's surplus weapons locker.

Projectile Alternatives

TR-68 Gauss Rifle (2168-2233)

A Gauss weapon is unusual in Starfleet- it is a form of "rail gun" that does not use gunpowder or a chemical propellant. Instead, they use a chamber to electromagnetically propel metal ammunition at extreme speeds. Gauss weapons have very limited uses: they are banned for use aboard a Federation starship because their ammunition would cause a hull breach. They are similarly unpopular for the same reasons when boarding other vessels. Gauss weapons are special issued weapons only deployed when dealing with highly ionized or radioactive environments where phase and phaser weaponry become inert (an extreme rarity). They are one of the few weapons that can operate in a dampening field.

Gauss weapons have several drawbacks. Compared to phasers they are very heavy. They are also single-shot weapons incapable of burst fire. They are also always lethal. And because of the design of the weapons acceleration, the TR-68 has one hell of a recoil. The Ulysses only has four of these antiquated weapons which are, again, based on retired MACO technology from the founding of the Federation.

Close Combat Weaponry

Compared to the known powers of the quadrant- and even members of their own state- Starfleet does little to outfit its security personnel with handheld weaponry. Instead they prefer hand to hand training with subduing an opponent at its focus, inspired largely by the Vulcans. But the reality is: Starfleet occasionally faces opponents with traditions of close combat weaponry. Starfleet does not generally prohibit such weapons from service, but they seldom provide them. Andorians may carry an Ushaan-tor and a Tellarite may be fond of their cudgels but the two "official" Starfleet melee weapons are pulled from other sources and are available in the Armory (in the case of Stun Batons) and the Quartermaster's Office in survival kits (in case of the knife).

Stun Baton

The stun baton has been upgraded and used since the 22nd century, mostly among Federation member worlds that prefer a nonlethal form of law enforcement. The current design is one native to several colonial Earth holdings, used by their police. It was designed on Rigil Kentaurus. The stun baton telescopes up to about a meter in length (including handle) and is a one-handed defensive weapon. It has only non-lethal settings: light, medium and heavy stun. The stun baton must make contact with the target to be effective.

Starfleet-Issue Survival Knife

Starfleet sees knives as unnecessarily lethal and has always been hesitant to deploy them. The only weapon that has ever been tolerated to the extent that Starfleet will issue them is a relic of the Federation-Romulan War. The current design has not been changed since that time and began as a MACO weapon. It is as much a tool as a combat item and Starfleet usually puts them in survival gear.