Ulysses
| Ulysses | |
| INFORMATION | |
| Registry: |
NCC-1677 |
| Class: |
Malachowski |
| Affiliation: | |
| Role: |
Multi-role Frigate |
| Status: |
Active |
| PERSONNEL | |
| Commanding Officer: |
Acting Captain Timo Shaefer |
| Crew: |
78 (down from 87) total
|
| DIMENSIONS | |
| REFIT AND REPAIR | |
| ENGINE OUTPUT | |
| ARMAMENTS | |
| DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS | |
| SMALL CRAFT | |
| END OF BRIEFING | |
| Template:Starship | |
At a Glance
The Federation Starship Ulysses is a Malachowski-class Frigate, commissioned in late 2246. It is the sixth of the class. The Ulysses was commissioned at the Proxima Shipyards in orbit of Proxima Colony. As a vessel, the Ulysses mostly saw short to medium-range survey missions along the Federation's trailing-edge frontier in the Alpha Quadrant. The ship is designed for a mulitude of missions but on a relatively small scale, often paired as a support ship to the larger cruiser classes.
Ulysses was under command of Captain T'met until the vessel encountered ruins on planet Isonzo IV's second moon in early 2252.
Initial Design Phase
Impressed by the Helios-class of Tug in the early 2240s, Starfleet went looking at Copernicus Fleet Yards for a small, multi-role frigate that could act in support of larger vessels. Copernicus looked at the basic hull features of the Helios-class and began laying the groundwork for the Malachowski Design Bureau.
A Powerful Tug- With Limits
Two of the most immediate issues with the Malachowski as an adaptation of the Helios frame was that the Helios designers had never intended their tug to enter high warp, maintain a shield grid or mount phasers or photon torpedoes. It's computer systems were designed primarily for navigations and the course corrections required when a vessel is under tow by a tractor beam. Given the limited space to work with, designing several new systems became a requirement almost immediately. Much of the sensor suites, computer cores, and subprocessors were lifted from the Magee-class starships.
Construction
Most of the Malachowski-class starships were built at the Copernicus Shipyards around Earth's moon, Luna. However, the class' first several commissions had performed under anticipated specs. Warp output, as well as theoretical shield output, lagged behind Starfleet's requirements. The Ulysses' initial design was completed at Copernicus but was transferred to the testbed construction slips at the Proxima Shipyards.
The engineers at Proxima, partnering with several theoretical power engineers from Rigil Kentaurus Colony, set out to design a new Mark K-IIIB matter-antimatter reactor assembly. It was anticipated that, if successful, these cores could be installed in the Malachowski and the Clarke, the first two ships of the line which were nearing their first refit cycle.
Initially the design and implementation of the Mark K-IIIB were promising. However, in a timed trial the warp core suffered a cascade failure that heavily damaged the Ulysses' pylon plasma conduits and required the jettisoning of the warp core. With this setback, the construction yard still faced a deadline to improve the class' outputs.
It was decided to use an Engle-class designed L-IIC matter-antimatter reactor assembly. Because this type of core is intended for larger cruiser type classes, engineers had to tune back it's output, pruning it so it would not overload the Malachowski power distribution systems. The design is older but also well-tested and considered to be very durable. This retrofit was successful and met Starfleet's requirements to continue the Malachowski-class.
Design Specifics
Equipment and Dress of 2252
Throughout most of the 2250s, Starfleet's equipment has a strong resemblance to the later 2260s era. Rank insignia are placed on a department-specific badge as "commbadges" are not yet available. However, these badges do contain locator-transponders and can relay some information back to the ship's sensors. To communicate, personnel carry a flip-style communicator. Tricorders and datapads are also frequently carried and used.
Uniforms
In 2230, Starfleet Command adopted a new uniform that moved away from the primary red-blue-yellow top with a black bottom uniform design that had dominated the last twenty years. The design they chose was a radical departure that harkened back to the functionality of the Federation's early eras. With only minor variations in 2240 and again in 2250, the uniform has largely been unchanged. The Constitution-class Explorers began to don a new uniform similar to the pre-2230s era but those changes have not been implemented in the wider fleet.
The standard Starfleet uniform is a two-piece, long-sleeved garment with a close-fitted, tailored contour. Underneath the jacket, personnel usually don a sleeveless, short sleeve or long-sleeved dark blue or gray undergarment.
One Piece Jumpsuit
Those with a utilitarian approach or who have a vocational necessity will find there is a one-piece jumpsuit version of the standard uniform. It is especially popular with engineers and operations personnel.
Skant
Skants are most popular among the Yeomanry and see little use in the more operational or utilitarian parts of the ship. These uniform variants, which are unisex and can be worn by all genders, have a dress or pleated kilt-like bottom. Skants can be a one-piece (in which the skant is dark blue like the uniform) or two-piece (in which the skant portion is black). The skant variation ends a few centimeters above the knee. It can be worn with black leggings and standard boots, or without leggings.
Medical Variation
By 2230, Starfleet bowed to pressure by the Medical Division to differentiate its officers from Science personnel. Their reasons were largely centered around safety- doctors, nurses, and paramedics were hard to locate in crisis situations and had unacceptable casualty rates when engaged in the rare act of combat. Starfleet decided to design a garment that gave medical personnel an easily identifiable appearance, hoping it would 1) tell an opponent that these are noncombat humanitarians; 2) assist refugees and evacuees to locate trained medical personnel in a crisis situation. The only major complaint about the uniforms from the Medical Division is that the garments are difficult to keep clean.
Formal State Dress
The Starfleet "Dress" Uniform is a two-piece, tailored tunic, and pants with a belt. It is worn with a blue undershirt with an offset lapel collar. It is gray in color. The officer wears their rank insignia badge in the usual location.
Civilian Contractor Jumpsuit
Civilians are a rare breed on mid-23rd century vessels. Many wear their own attire. When the ship's fabricators are deployed for longterm civilian contractor dress, the standard output is a slate blue, one-piece jumpsuit with offset lapel collar. The jumpsuit is somewhat commonly worn (with a rank insignia badge) by engineering personnel when undertaking work that needs a very robust garment. The civilian variant does not have a rank badge.
Brig/Prison Detainee Jumpsuit
Brig detainees and prisoners who have been processed by Security personnel are issued a yellow one-piece jumpsuit similar to the civilian jumpsuit (its pockets are sealed/removed). The color choice is one to help differentiate them from the crew and to alert ship's personnel that, should this person be seen away from Security escort, they are to call Security immediately- they are not to intervene themselves.
Rank Insignia Badges
The standard insignia badge in Starfleet in the 2250s is pinned to the left upper chest and is made of different material depending on one's division with the fleet. Command is gold. Operations is bronze. Science is silver. Medical is nickel. Officers have their rank insignia lining the lower-left portion of the delta. Enlisted and Non-Commissioned Officers wear a badge without rank pips.
Starfleet Intelligence Section 31 Badge
Section 31 and Starfleet Intelligence have a unique badge (glossy black left with a mirror silver right). It is not included here because the Ulysses has no Intelligence personnel aboard.
Cadet Badge
Cadets wear a badge with similar division coloration with a matte black, rectangular background. With a division-specific border, a series of four bars cross the middle of the badge horizontally. Each bar represents one year at the Academy. A senior cadet has four full bars in their division color.
Flag Officer's Badges
Flag Officers of this era wear a rank insignia badge with the Starfleet delta in a matte black, round shield. Their rank (Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral, etc). are differentiated by the count of olive branch leaves on either side of the delta. The canonical Admiral seems to wear a gold Command badge but some auxiliary canon suggests that Branch Admirals that lead certain divisions may don an Admiral's badge in their divisional metal color. The starship Ulysses does not currently have any Admirals aboard.
Safety Equipment
Starfleet of the 2250s has several pieces of equipment to safeguard personnel in the event of combat or hostile environments.
Tactical Vest
The Tactical Vest or Armor Vest is donned by all Security personnel during Red Alert, and by all personnel who go on an Away Mission where expectations of casualties or combat are statistically probable. All command and flag officers are expected to don one in the event that they will be leading an Away Team regardless of the statistical probabilities of conflict, as per General Order 15, subsection 3: "Command Officers will take all precautions to safeguard themselves in the event of unsecured field activity." It remains one of the most chronically ignored General Orders in Starfleet.
Type I EVA Suit (Safety Suit)
Starfleet deploys two versions of an EVA Suit to its personnel, both with specific functions in mind. Both suits have extensive temperature and pressure regulators within a form-fitting, airtight mesh uniform.
Type I EVA Suit
The EVA Mark I is a lighter, less cumbersome EVA suit for surface operations on planets or environments with non-breathable atmospheres or near-vacuum conditions. These suits also come with gravity boots which can be deployed on any walkable surface. The Mark I's visor can be lifted should the atmospheric conditions change to a Class M tolerance.
Type II EVA Suit (Zero-G Suit)
The EVA Mark II is a more bulky EVA Suit with directional thrusters and backup life support systems meant for zero-gravity movement in space or otherwise outside the hull of the Ulysses. It has an onboard navigational computer, sensor suite, independent communications system and multi-vector thruster system, as well as gravity boots, grip pads in the fingers, and magnetic clasps for tools. The EVA Mark II has a fixed environmental system that can recycle atmosphere for longer than the EVA Mark I. However, it is much more cumbersome, becoming unwieldy to maneuver in when subject to gravity.
Weaponry
"Alpha" Mark IV Type II (2233-2253)
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)
"Alpha" Mark VI Type III Phaser (2233-2253)
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.