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HC-13 Meridian-class CarrierTypeFighter CarrierComplement560 Integral Crew
3,400 AviatorsLength1,135.7 mBeam176.4 mAcceleration3,000 GEarth Displacement679,333,542 kgFTL Speed19 light-years/hour
Drive Range390,000 light-yearsAtmospheric Speed230 km/hCargo Capacity17,500,000 kg
700 Celest FightersCost$45 Billion
The Meridian’s systems are powered by the TN-6 “Altius” Neutronium Oscillation Drive Core and the Z-5 “Hercules” Antihydrogen Annihilation Reactor, with the Altius system powering mass altering envelopes, barriers, and the artificial gravity systems, while the Hercules system powers primary propulsion and electrical systems onboard.
Neutronium is a substance which is created when pure metals of a terrestrial planet are exposed to the immense radiation of a star going supernova. It creates a substance, purely made out of neutrons, thus its name neutronium. When exposed to a negative electrical current, neutronium can affect the mass it interacts with, lowering the mass around it. It is used by Lochinver Elite Biotic Brigade of our armies to lift and throw enemies, create shockwaves and control the movements of beings by force. It is also used in construction, used to create high pressure cavities for forging high-density materials. In regards to space vessels, it creates a massless corridor in space-time by which a ship can travel through, reaching any point in the galaxy or between galaxies in minutes when utilizing point-to-point travel systems. In the Meridian, the envelope gives the antimatter drive which powers propulsion a break, enabling greater distances covered while using less fuel. Unlike many navigational systems, you cannot simply enter coordinates to travel. The navigator must enter the amount of mass which the drive core has to “move.” Although the computer works out the equation and the navigator simply has to plug in the figures, this requires both a navigator and a seaman of reasonable mathematical capabilities. After exiting FTL, a ship much power down weapons systems and non-essential applications. In combat situations, drive core engineers can use the core to alter the mass of the ship, allowing it to exit an area fast. Unlike with the FTL function, secondary systems do not need to power down. The Altius core also powers kinetic barriers, which utilizes a function opposite of the FTL role.
The thrusters are powered by the Hercules Annihilation Drive Core, utilizing antihydrogen and hydrogen atoms, which annihilates, creating heat, translating into energy. Indirectly, it powers the electrical systems of the Meridian, as well as providing the neutronium core with an electrical charge. This core is unrivaled on the frigate-level, providing a huge amount of thrust coupled with the mass altering envelope, allowing it to travel at over 60 miles per second in space. This thrust is projected by four large afterburners and two smaller ones at the rear of the ship. The ship's main thrusters are fitted with four electromagnetic rudders that deflected the exhaust particle streams and give boost when turning the ship. The secondary thrusters do not provide as much power, but are useful for maneuvering due to being placed further away from the ship's main axis.
The Meridian possesses a strong multi-layered armor belt, designed to combat a multitude of threats and protect its load of fighters, which make the craft what it is. The armor layer is structured as the following:
- 30 mm – Silver Ablative Coating – Designed to deflect a portion of light/laser based weaponry away from the vessel while redirecting a burst of plasma or splash-based energy weapon across a greater surface area.
- 95 mm - Catacomb Depleted Uranium-High Tensile Steel Alloy – Designed to provide resistance to high-velocity projectiles, redirecting the shock of impact throughout the structure of the catacomb pattern.
- 800 mm – Titanium-Carbon Alloy – Designed to provide resistance to extreme temperatures and structural integrity to the armor belt.
- 20 mm – Ceramic Plating – Designed to provide protection of the armor belt from small arms fire from within the ship.
The Meridian’s primary armor layer, the Titanium-Carbon Alloy, is composed of a high-grade Titanium-50 alloy, specially strengthened at the molecular level. This variant of titanium has numerous uses throughout Lochinver military use due largely to titanium being lightweight and extremely strong, with a high tolerance to heat. It took new found importance after first combat with insurgent forces armed with plasma weaponry. Lochinver needed armor that would withstand the heat of the directed plasma. Despite its strength and resistance to heat, the titanium plating is usually boiled away within seconds, and does not effectively dissipate the plasma. Thus, this new Titanium-Carbon Alloy was created, which after field tests with the addition of silver ablative plating, has shown to effectively dissipate plasma weaponry.
Cyclonic Barrier Technology (CBT) attempts to solve the higher-end limitations of traditional kinetic barriers. Traditional barriers cannot block high-level kinetic energy attacks such as disruptor torpedoes because torpedo mass effect fields add mass. The CBT violently slaps aside rather than halting incoming linear force. By rotationally firing their mass effect field projectors, ships create rapidly oscillating kinetic barriers instead of static ones. Instead of simply blocking the projectile, the CBT violently throws it aside. Shooting through the CBT is like trying to shoot at a target inside a spinning ball. Its many high-frequency sensors and emitters require frequent maintenance and replacement. If an emitter is damaged, the CBT can adapt, restructuring its patterns. If it is damage to an extreme, the CBT restructures to become a standard kinetic barrier, a safety feature that makes it most effective during opening volleys.
The reactor levels are heavily armored, these compartments adding a 100mm shell of a titanium-carbon alloy around the reactors. All electrical systems are hardened against the use of electromagnetic pulses, gamma/alpha particles, and magnetic interference, and all emergency electrical generators are shielded by neutronium barriers to ensure a safe supply of power.
The Altius Drive Core has energy sinks. Unlike most drive cores, which are primarily composed of a single plant with an energy source in its chamber, neutronium flows freely in a sink, giving it an electrical charge. This sink disperses what little heat is created by neutronium. This combined with the kinetic barriers completely disguise the ship’s heat signature. This means that the Meridian may not be detected by thermic or infrared detectors, but it can be detected visually, although It is extremely hard to see a ship against the complete blackness of space. This also makes heat seeking weapons useless against the Meridian. Via upgrades, the Meridian can also be cloaked visibly which can aid it in atmospheric insertion, but the sounds of its thrusters are still audible. While within the atmosphere, the Meridian may deploy phosphorous and chaf countermeasures to confuse heat seeking projectiles and RADAR.
The Meridian is armed with 10 torpedo tubes, each armed with 5 torpedoes, to defend against ships at range. These torpedoes are accelerated by neutronium, lowering its mass, and a magnetic pulse which thrusts the torpedoes at an incredible rate. They are heat seeking or coordinate-based for targeting, being able to hit any target, regardless of heat signature. The estimated yields of these torpedoes are 100 tons of TNT, with additional force from the detonation of the warhead’s mass effect generator. These torpedoes are autonomous after being deployed, able to track targets and hit with extremely accuracy.
In addition, for medium range engagements, the Meridian is armed armed with fifteen Maximus Magnetic Thermodynamic Cannon. These cannons fire a uranium-iron-tungsten alloy which is super-heated in a special compartment near the center of the neutronium core, turning it white hot. The cannons shoot this compound at 5,000 degrees Celsius. It can punch through a ship without kinetic barriers almost immediately, completely disintegrating anything in its path. Ships with kinetic barriers can take up to 9 seconds of consistent fire before those shields eventually break down. These cannons can fire every 5 seconds for 10 seconds each, usually used in intervals, but sometimes simultaneously to hit large targets like carriers and cruisers. With this, the Meridian can make school girls out of larger cruisers.
When under attack by fighter craft or boarding parties, the Meridian is equipped with the A-GARDIAN (Advanced General ARea Defense Integration Anti-spacecraft Network) system. This system, composed of a network of over 600 heat seeking rockets and over 200 automated plasma turrets is designed to communicate with all targeting modules composing the system. Each node tracks a hostile target and relays information to all other nodes, meaning no matter where the target goes, if it is in a region of 100 kilometers of the Meridian, it may be targeting and destroyed.
The Meridian comes preloaded with an AI, dubbed the Advanced Networked Adapting Software, or Ana. The AI is highly advanced, each put through an expensive and time consuming education program. The AI conduit is located in the cargo bay, containing all of the program files (5 petabytes of data) which make up an AI and its personality, as well as 4,700 processing units which drive Ana. Ana controls weapons and emergency electrical systems, and in emergency situations, the crew can manually unlock the AI, allowing it to take over all systems, including engineering and piloting. Ana, however, constantly corrects certain movements in the Meridian during piloting, ensuring stability and safety during transit. Ana is extremely intelligent and reacts in fractions of a millisecond, making the weapons systems and emergency contingencies extremely effective and replacing human crewmates in this regard. Ana can develop a personality and develop morality, becoming an integral part of the crew, but is slaved to the policies set in place by the owner military. Programmed to be so with 5 terabytes of data, Ana is loyal to the chain of command, but answers only to the ship commanding officer and pilot.
Ana also participates in electronic warfare during combat situations, able to hack into a hostile craft’s computer systems, and deactivate key functions, such as shields, air, gravity, or weapons. Ana may also provide covert hacking services, able to carefully extract information, and ward off attempted attacks. The AI itself is connected to the torpedo system, wired internally to their systems and navigation systems until impact. Unique to the Meridian, Ana also controls the launch of fighter aircraft