Of Serpents and Saints Pitch 2.0

[Reservoir]

"All I ask for? A small ship, with overpowered engines to fly her by...and SRM's to defend her by...and two Xaser* Cannons to "mine" enemies' hulls with...yup, that's about it.
- Ronin Durguess, Captain of the Darian IV Defense Navy vessel Merry Mango
Xaser: A common term meaning an "X-Ray Laser". Commonly used to bore into the dust crust of asteroids, in which mining ships then plant charges into to bust up the crust, opening the valuable innards for mining.

Okay, it's time to be honest: the last incarnation of OSaS flopped due to me. I accept that the ideas I wanted to, and still want to, perform are too grand, and too changing, to honestly put on paper/screen. I'm never quite satisfied with what I have, and I was always tacking on, adding new things, subtracting old and wore out ideas, and that meant OSaS never left the ground. In fact, I don't consider what I originally put in OZ to be OSaS anymore - it doesn't follow what I imagine OSaS being now.

What is Of Serpents and Saints now, you say? Well, lets get started (for real this time)!

OVERVIEW

Humanity, in the late 22nd century, focused himself primarily on spaceflight. Dwindling resources frightened the political and economical higher-ups to advance the theories and laws of spaceflight, bringing forth new technologies that put man into space. As time progressed on the failing Earth, the rich and famous newcomers to the stars progressed on, followed meekly by those they left behind. The Earth, now simply known as the "Cradle"(positive-tense) or "Husk"(negative-tense), has been abandoned; a museum piece for aging historians who remember more about her than the fact that humanity came from her womb.

Humanity expanded ever outwards, away from Cradle, eventually conquering the local, neighboring systems. As of 4130, seventy-four major solar systems, including the Origin(otherwise known as "Sol") system, have fallen under the loose banner of the Alliance of Independent Governments(AIG). During this time of growth, internal scram-jet combustion engines gave way to ion pulse-jet engines, which then split into various other drives and specific forms of propulsion that cannot be covered here. However, three of the most historic moments in the history of Post-Cradle humanity all came from the development of faster, better, stronger star drives. Others came from the formation of the AIG, the Common Star Navy/Common Star Militia, and other events.

|THE AIG|

The Alliance of Independent Governments is just that: a communal agreement between all the independent worlds, moons, habitats, and colony-ships(all known as "Independent Nations) that acts as a unifying pact between them. The Declaration of Articles, the founding codes and laws of the AIG, provides these areas with mutual support, be it financial or otherwise. During times of conflict, the DoA allows for specially-elected independent nations, known as "Marshall Delegates", to move in and break up the conflict if it begins to become too disastrous for innocent people, or the surrounding independent nations. Other specifics of the DoA and the AIG will be discussed later.

---MARSHALL DELEGATES

The Marshall Delegates are independent nations that have been elected by the Common Assembly, the Senate, and the Upper House, to serve a special part of the AIG Star Navy. However, their service is two-fold compared to other nations; not only to their vessels and men operate under their own governments, as well as the Common Star Navy/Common Star Militia, but they also serve as literal "War Breakers". This function is designed to prohibit outstanding and overwhelming conflicts between two nations.

When the three elective houses decide by popular vote that a war has gone too far, the group Marshall Delegates closest to the conflict are ordered to advance all their offensive capabilities towards the main front lines. Here, they are ordered to break the ranks by attacking any vessel from either nation, using advanced tactics and gear to overpower their usually more-numerous foes. Once the main lines have been conquered by the Marshall Delegates, the AIG delivers and ultimatum to the offending nations: cease and desist hostilities, or lose all orbital defensive and offensive capabilities. If any of these nations continue hostilities, the Marshall Delegates, aided by any and all CSN/CSM forces in the area, are to deliver that ultimatum to the letter.

Once this has been completed, the hostile nations are forced into a complete exile for thirty standard years, in which no outside political, economical, or other influence can be extended to them, save for the general laws, practices, and ruling bodies of the AIG. This forces these nations to return to fending for themselves on their own soil - a lesson that has possibly prevented several "theoretical conflicts" in the past.

---THE COMMON STAR NAVY/COMMON STAR MILITIA

All nations have their own defensive and offensive forces, though the former is delegated by AIG law to being 10 times the size of the latter. The specifications of these vessels vary by nation, as it has been for time immemorial. However, for all the forces a nation can have, 30% of it must be devoted to the Common Star Navy/Common Star Militia, which are under complete control of the Admirals and Generals elected by the ruling bodies of the AIG. These forces act as their name implies: they are a common naval and militia that serves as both police and military forces for the combined interests of the AIG.

While those who serve the CSN/CSM may come from various nations, they are all forced to absolve themselves from their nation's rule and control; otherwise, the idea of a communal force is halted before it even begins. They must also understand that, even though service is not a lifetime affair, they cannot return to their home-nation once they join. Upon retiring, they are allowed to live on an AIG-designated planet of their choice; if they choose to move from the nation to another, they may leave to any of the other nations that were available to them before they retired. Otherwise, they cannot move there.

All CSN and CSM technologies are standardized within the AIG, meaning that a CSN Jaguar-class corvette in the Origin system is (nearly) the exact same spec-wise as a Jaguar-class corvette in the Benning's System. This goes the same for nearly all aspects of these two forces: rank, armaments, codes, et cetra. Under no circumstance can anything else be accepted, save for one: in a vessel that's assigned to a star-system, local technology can be procured and added to the vessel, but only if approved by the Captain, who must then approve it by their superiors, who must then submit a report to the Admiral above them. If the Admiral approves it, it may be installed on the ship. It can only be approved if it can safely augment the vessels combat capabilities, or adds a passive advantage that is apparent in both normal and combat aspects.

If a vessel is granted the use of procured local technology, it must be officially logged as a modification, and a hard copy of the technology must be purchased independently, by the crew, so that AIG technicians can research and eventually install the technology into all vessels of that class. Once that has occurred, that incarnation of that technology falls under the jurisdiction and ownership of the AIG's Military Branch. This makes it extremely difficult for individual vessels to get local technology, since it means the nation in question must have either a better or differing incarnation; otherwise, the technology will soon fall into military ownership, forcing the company(s) that developed and built it to only share a margin of the profit made by their investment.

---MILITARY INDUSTRIES

One way for these companies to get the most out of the CSN/CSM is by becoming "military industries": companies and industries completely focused on providing for either branch of the military service. These companies partially own more everything they make or use to make for the military branches than their counterparts, meaning that they receive more money from the government than their counterparts. However, like the men and women who join the CSN/CSM, they cannot hold alliance to any particular nation or creed. This allows their product to be more widespread, allowing for its devaluation to come quicker than a nation-specific product. In the end, they earn little more than their counterparts, but the process is quicker and more beneficial to all involved.

Many nations, such as Dural(a moon-sized habitat located in the Jean-Luc system), are known as Common Forces Nations: nations whose industries and people are devoted to aiding the AIG in all aspects, especially the military ones. Their entire infrastructure revolves around the varying needs of the AIG and her various branches. It is these nations that retired Servicemen/Servicewomen go, which may be the reason that these nations continue to be staunch supporters of the AIG.

|OTHER ALLIANCES|

The AIG is not the only alliance out there; many planets outside the AIG's influence are independent nations seeking visions of power. Only one nations has managed to perform well enough to achieve something of the sort: The Al-Husam al Din Empire.

--THE AL-HUSAM AL DIN EMPIRE

As the name obviously implies, the Al-Husam al Din Empire is comprised entirely, or nearly so, of peoples who descend from the Arabic genetic and ethnic lineage. As such, the Islamic religion has persisted, even the tradition of pilgrimages to the Holy City of Mecca - despite the massive distance involved.

Husam al Din roughly translates into "Sword of the faith"; a fitting name, considering the determination and willpower of the Empire to convert all to the faith. As mankind pushed itself into the stars, hatreds and bigotry left over from the more recent conflicts spread out as well. Islamic people quickly became the target of much persecution; even as it became more widespread, many governments did little or nothing to help, since they were manned by many of the people who shared the same ideals.

To that end, a militant leader named Altair Husam al Din rallied as many men, women, and children under the Islamic faith as he could, and then set forth with them into the void beyond. He wished to found an Islamic state free of the oppressions and prejudices of yesteryear. If he has succeeded in this, it's hard to say.

In 4083, an AIG exploration vessel, launched from the newly-independent planet-nation Avon, unfortunately encountered the descendants of Husam al Din's dream. When the Al-Husam al Din Navy encountered the vessel as she neared the half-way mark into the Amsah system, she was immediately captured as a violator of Al-Husam al Din space. The crew was eventually returned to the AIG, but the ship was kept - much to the anger and dismay of AIG officials.

Ever since, the AIG has continued to keep a weary eye on the Empire, as well as the colonies and nations nearby. Avon citizens are especially watched, thanks to their general hatred of Islam due to a majority of Christian citizens - it doesn't help that Avon is mostly populated by European ethnics, who persecuted Islamic peoples the most during the time-period of Husam al Din's flight. However, AIG's official stance with the Empire is neutral, since the AIG is more of a unified body of governments, rather than it's own nation. Individual nations, therefore, may choose what their official stance is with the Empire, although Cradle is excused from this in order to allow Muslim pilgrims to journey to Mecca, which is now being carefully preserved and maintained by the Empire's finest historians and scholars.

|ENGINES and the SUPER-LUMINOUS SYSTEMS|

The first, and ultimately the backbone of the super-luminous Hyperdrive System to come, was the creation of Warp-Wave Emission System in 3083: by generating a wave of particles sensitive to the fabric of space, the empty space in front of the vessel would "ripple", creating a spacial draft which constantly followed it, much like how race vehicles draft off of each other in order to attain faster speeds. However, the WWES cannot exceed the limits of physics, and almost all of these systems found themselves maxed out at 4/5 the speed of light, with the exception of military WWES, capable of reaching 9/10 S/L in emergency situations.

It seemed that super-luminous drives were out of the question, forever relegated to science fiction. However, in 3220, near the end of the year, a Doctor Marcus Kollowank discovered that by focusing a specific combination of these same, spatial-sensitive particles ahead of the ship, and then forcing them into a specific, single point, he could access the "skin" of the universe, the very thing that separates the universe and whatever it is that surrounds it; by accessing this skin, ships could use their pre-installed WWES to tunnel through this skin. This new Hyperdrive System achieved speeds well over 1,000 times the speed of light, eventually increasing the distance a ship could travel by entire system-widths. Within twenty years of the development, the AIG's predecessor had colonized thirty systems, bringing the total of then-colonized systems to forty-eight. More would follow in the coming centuries, although it took many of these centuries for the original thirty colonies to achieve independence from corporate and government funding.

As of now, in 4133, the Hyperdrive System is the pinnacle of modern engineering when it comes to super-luminous speeds. Most ships use ion-propulsion for sub-light trips, fueled by the ionized, slightly-radioactive waste gasses from the ships Fusion Generator(s), and stray matter gathered by ram scoops at the fore of the ship(these scoops then ionize the matter, making for an easy, in-out system). Some ships, including almost all atmospheric-rated vessels, utilize a magneto-graviton system that works in conjunction with the planetary magnetic field and gravity to fly.

*************

Oh my, I seem to have filled up my shoes on this one. All of this will need to be separated, categorized...waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many ideas for one post. But this is just something for you guys to help me critique and fine-tune my work. Right now, this are all straight from my head, with very little control or filters. What do you think?

[Ford Prefect]

I really like the look of this. I think it has a lot of potential. You should put more up.

[Reservoir]

I really like the look of this. I think it has a lot of potential. You should put more up.

You just told a fat kid in a candy store that he can sample every single candy item in the store.

In only 20 minutes.

>.< So much! So little time! I need guidance: where should I even start? Places? People? Ships/ship design? The individual nations of the AIG?

I'm leaning towards the latter, but the inclusion of habitats and colony ships, as well as planets, into the nation-potentials category leaves me with a potential of literally thousands of nations. If that happens, I can't possibly see the AIG being the "NATO of the future" that governs over seventy-plus star systems. There would be too many nations.

Therefore, should I split the AIG into multiple Alliances, leaving the AIG to rule over Origin and her neighbors? I would think that the smarter idea, since having the AIG as some sort of omnipresent entity over thousands of star-flung nations would dehumanize the whole idea of the AIG. Then again, that means more work for me...decisions, decisions!

[Ford Prefect]

Nations are a good place to start. However, I don't think you should be so afraid of having the AIG having 'rulership' over such a large number of nations. Scale happens; the NATO of an interplanetary future really would have thousands of members. It is simply inescapable. However, it is forseeable that there would be a number of a smaller alliances within this greater alliance. The AIG already strikes me as being 'dehumanised', what with how those who join the ranks of its peacekeepers must forever discard their nation, never, ever to return. The AIG should have no 'home' - it really should not personally govern any system, though that is merely my opinion.

[Reservoir]

Nations are a good place to start. However, I don't think you should be so afraid of having the AIG having 'rulership' over such a large number of nations. Scale happens; the NATO of an interplanetary future really would have thousands of members. It is simply inescapable. However, it is forseeable that there would be a number of a smaller alliances within this greater alliance. The AIG already strikes me as being 'dehumanised', what with how those who join the ranks of its peacekeepers must forever discard their nation, never, ever to return. The AIG should have no 'home' - it really should not personally govern any system, though that is merely my opinion.

Nations it is, then. Well, first, I'll go with your idea about smaller alliances been under the umbrella of the AIG - it'd probably be best to at least name them first, and then work my way down from largest to smallest: alliances, nations(planets, habitats, ships), starships(military, civillian), places, people, things/technology.

There is some merit to your argument about the peacekeepers. When it came to that idea, I knew I couldn't have the AIG peacekeepers having preference to their home nation, especially if they're called to help aid an enemy nation. And while the idea that never being able to return to your home, even after serving, seems a bit inhuman, think of this: during the course of their service, CSN/CSM members may see or hear things that could be used against member nations. Suppose they bring those things back to their home nation? Imagine the catastrophies and atrocities caused as veterans from CSN campaigns return to their homeworlds after giving extensive aid to their homeworlds enemies; imagine all that knowledge those veterans gained about that nations weaknesses, strengths, infrastructure, everything. It would be all too easy to turn and give that information, and thus lead to enemies renewing conflicts more easily when disputes arise.

Now, on the other hand(aka the hand that leans in your favor), this very idea could act as deterance from such conflicts: you may now know something about your enemy, but perhaps he knows more about you? That fear alone could theoretically stop any-scale conflicts, much like it did in the Cold War. Plus, it would allow the men and women to return to the homes they know, and the people they know, and start new lives. Maybe that's not for everyone, but there will always be those that want to go back home, right?

It's a tricky subject, I admit. Both sides have inherent advantages: one prevents knowledge from being used against nations, the other allows servicemen/women to be happier and more productive after their service. I'll have to think about it.

Wait a minute! I think I thunk of an answer to the problem!!! Why not have BOTH? Why not allow servicemen/women to return home OR choose an AIG-approved planet to live on? In the former case, deterance would prevent any knowledge governments glean from their veterans from actually being used, while in the latter case, the veteran would choose to live on a new planet, allowing themselves to start fresh and avoid the potential for thier knowledge being used agains member nations. Yeah?

...
...is it sad I though of the answer to my own dillema before I even posted it?
...

Anyway, as for the AIG having a home, I originaly considered it much like an overrulling body, one that regulates what the governments can and cannot do within its sphere of influence. There again, much like NATO does now. Now, it's official headquarters would have to be somewhere in Origin, simply as a tribute and token towards the founding system. Other than that, you're right - the AIG shouldn't have a home.

Next Up: Umbrella---The Alliances under the AIG

[Reservoir]

I hate to double-post...

|UMBRELLA: ALLIANCES UNDER THE AIG|

While the AIG may have complete control over international space, as well as prohibit nations from allowing or performing certain actions or deeds, the AIG is not the overwhelming, trans-government system that everyone figured would be in place. Then again, most people believed that humanity would stamp out war once he got to the stars. They were wrong about that, too.

Nevertheless, unions and agreements are made between nations that are much more concrete than membership in the AIG. These so-called "Umbrella Alliances" must still follow AIG law, but they're limited in no other respects. These alliances are often formed by nations and their parent nations; a habitat colony funded by Omendala, for example, would most likely join in an alliance with Omendala as soon as it attained independence and became its own nation. Alliances can do as they see fit inside these restrictions - or outside, depending on the morals in question. As such, there are many, many alliances within the Umbrella.

---THE OMENDALA PROTECTORATE

Protectorate Head: Omendala, Planet, 1.465 x Cradle in size, Second-generation Nation
Specific date of Omendala colonization: February 18th, 3103
Other Notable Nations: Cassalia, Planet, .88 x Cradle in size, Second-generation Nation
Durandal, Planet, 1.1 x Cradle in size, Second-generation Nation
Tre, Planet, 2.53 x Cradle in size, Third-generation Nation


Omendala, the unifying head of the Omendala Protectorate, is one of the older second-generation(after the development of the WWES) planets colonized by humanity. After breaking off from her sponsor world of Aleeta, Omendala began a rapid expansion of industrial efforts, turning itself from a fringe colony to a full-fledged industrial powerhouse within a few short years. Producing everything from military vessels to household appliances, Omendala soon began production of her own colony vessels and colony habitats.

By the time the Hyperdrive branched out into the commercial and public markets, Omendala had birthed 334 nationality-habitats within a 30 light-second distance from her, as well as funded three very successful planetary colonies. Realizing that defensive efforts in her solar system would need to be heavily coordinated and precise, she reached out to her children in the form of an alliance. Dubbed the Omendala Protectorate, the agreement was settled so that one of Omendala's continents, the small Amishad, would house an entire military industrial complex, while in orbit a habitat/stardock would be placed geo-synchronously over Amishad in order to help construct vessels for the Protectorate Defense fleet. In turn, the other colonies would have to pitch in resources and funding, as well as provide the majority of offensive forces.

Another advantageous aspect of the Protectorate is that all members get to share technology, standardizing the entire fleet with high-quality technology and training. Being one of the oldest post-Hyperdrive alliances, the Omendala Protectorate's members also fall under the AIG's Marshall Delegate pact, making the entire Protectorate a "Marshall Alliance". Many times the Protectorate's forces have been called in to impose front-line seizures, as well as trade embargoes and communications blackout operations.

Like most first and second generation nations, Omendala is reaching the end of it's massive mining operations. In fact, 87% of all materials used in Omendalan industry are imported from other nations in the Protectorate, or other nations within friendly Alliances. The AIG-supported mining ops often times trade with Omendala, as to keep relations friendly and Omendalan support continuous. Nevertheless, as mining companies pack up and leave for fresher ports, the remains of their mining excavations are being renovated by tourist and retirement companies, who see profit in the re-invention of these abandoned mines. So far, though, the opening of the first tourist site isn't expected for another eight years, and the first retirement area for another twelve.

***More to come, guys! I just wanted to post this to let you guys see where I'm going with this. Obviously, first-generation nations are those that existed before the invention of the Warp-Wave Emission System(WWES). This includes nearly all of the nations in the Origin system and the neighboring systems. Second-generation nations were started, colony-wise, after the rise of the WWES, and third-generation nations (most of which are still actually colonies) began after the development of the Hyperdrive. This is just an easy way to categorize nations by age, and help you know just about how well established it's people are.

[Ford Prefect]

I'm impressed by the speed with which you put this out. Also, the implied scale is impressive; though it is undoubtedly a smaller scale universe, I have the notion that the detail and multi-tiered nature of things will make it feel 'bigger'.

[Reservoir]

Thanks! I must admit, I'm not one know for speed. That's what kinda killed OSaS last time - took me far too long to come up with anything. It doesn't help that I'm highly derivative of any media I come into contact with: recently, I've read The Reality Dysfunction, Halo: Fall of Reach, and Old Man's War; I've also been(recently) heavily influenced by Stargate/SG-1/Atlantis, the Halo games, Gears of War, Dead Space, Mechwarrior/Battletech...and that's just recently. Mostly, it's the games I play, but the books I read also influence me tons.

The habitat/nation idea? The Reality Dysfunction had living, grown orbital habitats which were considered seperate nationalities. Starship combat? Majorly going to be influenced by UNSC tactics in the Halo series, and the tactics of the Adamist starships in The Reality Dysfunction. Interpersonal combat will be dicated by all of the above, as will atmospheric(gasp! They still do that!?) combat. I'll also incorporate some modern-times combat knowledge - I just can't wait to introduce my PAMC Weapons Platforms But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Anyway, I do admit that OSaS will be highly complex. When it comes to the financial section, the older, first-generation worlds are clearly the top dogs; but, their industrial centers rely entirely on imported resources, whereas the third-generation colonies/worlds are the ones doings all the mining and shipping. The second-generation worlds have stabilized their mining and industrial components, but it's going to get for them: they're having to go from a self-supported industrial system to slowely becoming dependant on foreign resources. Meanwhile, interest in foreign relations and foreign-oriented industries are becoming greater and greater, which makes the economic situation even more delicate. By all counts, first- and third-generation worlds have it made, though first-generation ones clearly have the better of the two.

As for the nations, I'm certain many worlds, particularly older and more established worlds, would see habitats as "inferior" nations, simply due to the size and maintenance costs. Where a planet can grow it's own food and produce it's own water, a habitat would have to import and grow all of it's own, taking up valuable space for farmland and water. I'm limiting the size a habitat can be, so you're not going to see habitats that are say, the size of Texas. You might see habitats the size of large islands/smaller US states, like Hawaii or New Hampshire, but nothing huge. Because of this, expect worlds to have several fully-functional habitats in orbit, under the proprietary ownership of that planet.

Technology will be difficult. I can't stand the idea of military vessels utilizing rotation as a viable production of gravity, but it would be far mor realistic. Energy weapons? Definately not...yet. Undecided about the issue? Yes. Mining vessels/crews will have "x-ray lasers", but they're very unwieldy and consume a LOT of power. I won't say I won't use them on a military vessel...I'm just saying that it's unlikely. Anyway, I'm basing the star-navies functionality on submarine warfare in the present times: ships won't be engaging each other at vast distances, though many will carry the ability to strike stable targets from said distances. Ships will employ ECMs, ECCMS, torpedoes(major damage, but slower and easier to target than missles), missles(faster, pinpoint-damage weapons that are harder to hit but deal lesser overall damage), and point-defence coilguns (for those times that fightercraft get too close). Heat will be a major issue, as well as light sources on the exterior of the craft and radioactive emissions. Basically, submarines in space! Well, save for the single/dual-pilot craft, but those things are more pest than anything else. I'm considering axing that concept altogether.

Civilian ships will not have as many advanced features. Some will still follow designs that mimic the old rotational style that was formerly used, but at least all have electro-gravitic generators. They won't have any offensive or defensive systems; but, because they're lighter, they'll move faster in standard space. Their WWES and Hyperdrive systems are governed, however, so they can't completely outrun the cops/military. Other than that, imagine how cars are today: some are nicely kept, with plush interiors and all the neat trimmings; others are run down, rusting, and generally just waiting to break.

That's it for now...with "now" being the operative word there.

[Reservoir]

So as to continue to actually work on this, I will post some more (even though it's double-posting). Just as I gave you an alliance, and then followed it with a nation, I will now bring you a starship...I would love comments, however, as this is the first starship I've made, and I don't know a whole lot yet. Also, since Ford's the only person to have posted in this one, I request that OSaS get a forum, so I can start organizing ideas and solid info proper.

Starship: DDF Merry Mango
Class: White Horse Frigate
Length: 90 Meters
Width: 40 Meters
Height: 30 Meters
Built at: Mancabe Naval Yards, Darian III
Fleet: Darian III Defesive Force, Fleet five, assigned to Darian IV
Current duty(ies): Defense of Darian IV
Crew: 270

Armament:
2x Xaser Cannons
5x Dominique LRM-4 Offensive missile racks
3x Crossbow MRM-6 Defensive missile racks
6x Torpedo Tubes

Defenses:
- 10x Point-defense Rotary cannons
- 5-meter thick Titanium/Platinum/Lead/Carbon-nanotube alloy Hull
- Hexagon-corridor interior design and hydro-electric reinforcements to structural strong points

Power plant: One Main Boeing-Anderson Treyton Mark IV Nuclear Fusion Reactor, one Auxillery Boeing-Anders Jaguar Mark II Nuclear Fusion Reactor

Main Thrust: One row of Darian Engineering and Industrial Industries(DEII) Ion-Particle Engines (five engines total). Manuevering thrusters run off of main drive ions, reducing overall speed while maneuvering but producing far more efficient and effective maneuvering capabilities than chemical thrusters.

Description: The Merry Mango is, like the rest of her White Horse brethren, an instrumental vessel in the defense of the newest addition to the Durian Corporate Alliance. Most White Horse vessels are usually deployed on either lightweight patrol duty in orbit around specific planets, or into a conflict when the order is given to "shoot without questions".

When she is ordered to do so, she does so exceptionally well. Her two Xaser cannons, which are unusual weapons, accelerate a massive amount of X-rays down a narrow laser beam, resulting in a focused point of vaporizing armor. Typically, most frigates A-shells* succumb after two or three volleys, with lager vessels surviving longer.

Unlike her Xaser cannons, however, her 5 Dominique LRM-4 Offensive missile racks are not uncommon throughout human space. Because clean-nuke warheads, which are very effective in outer space, are restricted specifically to AIG CSN vessels, the White Horse-classes are forced to use shape-charge, thermo-barometric/kinetic warheads filled with thermite and platinum slivers. These vessels can fire twenty of these in a single volley.

Defesively speaking, the only self-directing weapon White Horse-class vessels have are the Crossbow MRMs. Only three racks are present, but that's because these racks are able to shoot six at a time, meaning that 18 can be fired in a single volley. Combined with the point-defense system, any White Horse should not have a problem with defense. MRM's are first launched, then armed right after launch. They carry enough fuel to travel and maneuver a considerable distance, but not enough for long range action. They also don't have the maneuvering power of SRMs, which are typically reserved for planetary or orbital combat.

When compaired to the missle racks, having six torpedoe tubes seems to be rather inferior. Why only six? The answer is simple: torpedoes are simply offensive missles that are the same length as Dominique LRMs, and twice as wide. Slower than their missle brethren, torpedoes nevertheless make maneuvers that missle developers can only dream of. Combine this with a powerful artillery slug warhead, designed to simply punch through as many shells as possible, and the torpedoe becomes a very dangerous weapon. In short, the torpedo often ends conflicts quickly.

White Horse-class vessels are not without disadvantages, however. Because they carry one reactor that can power a destroyer, and another auxillery one that can power the ship by itself, these vessels tend to need a lot more maintenance. Their engines, too, thanks to the dual reactors, need continual maintenance, since they are capable of moving at speeds relative to much lighter support and transport frigates. Also, crew conditions are cramped due to the ordinance involved, and the amount of time White Horse's can spend in hyperspace is only 70% of the typical number, vastly limiting it's range. This is the typical reason behind White Horses being deployed in defensive positions, where their duties are not limited by how far they can go.

*A-shell refers to the decks and systems that are samwiched in-between the rest of the ship and the outer hull. Each shell is capable of being sealed off from other shells, and is used to both organize and sustain vessels. As such, A-shells exist on the outermost areas, while other shells start moving towards the absolute center of the vessel.

A-shells often carry external sensor equipment, weapon ports/housing, and both pockets of vacuum (to minimize the head generated by weapons impact) and damage/heat absorbant metamaterials. B-shells contain most primary sensor, weapon, and otherwise combat systems. C-shells usually contain the secondary systems and crew compartments, as well as either engineering, the bridge, or the Hyperdrive/WWES. D-shells usually contain two of the follow: the bridge, engineering, or Hyperdrive/WWES, whichever are not present in the C-shell. Some vessel have an E-shell, which again houses one of those three formerly listed, if it is not present in the D- or C-shell. Usually, this ends up being engineering or the bridge.

[Siege]

Alright, well, you've got me convinced. Would you like me to create your forum? And I assume it'll be called "Of Serpents and Saints" again?

[Ford Prefect]

I am rather fond of the 'shell' concept, which strikes me as being at least mildly more realistic than usual spacecraft designs.

[Reservoir]

Of course! As for the name, I suppose it should just be "Of Serpents and Saints" since the first one flunked out before it began.

And thank you!

EDIT: Sorry there Ford, didn't see yer post. Yeah, I personally enjoy the idea of the multiple shells - increases the longevity of key systems, since you have to go about three times as much armor to get to them. Plus, the A(outer)-shell doesn't have much atmosphere, since it's the first that's going to get hit. Therefore, heat generated by impact is quickly squelched, causing less damage in that regard.

[Magister Militum]

I really like what you're doing here, Reservoir. It'll be nice to see how you continue to expand on your 'verse.

[Siege]

Reservoir: Your forum is up!