Valdemarian “Heavy” Cargo Ship:

Sixty-Five thousand years before the present time, a civilization known as the Valdemarians flourished in the Corkscrew Galaxy of the Three Galaxies. While the Prometheans of Phase World existed at that time, they claim to have no knowledge of the Valdemarian civilization. With the vast stellar distance between them, this is quite possible. Some type of disaster at a cosmic scale seemed to have brought the Valdemarian civilization to a crashing halt. Whatever happened, their advanced faster than light drives did not seem able to save them. What exactly happened is still a mystery but their core planets were virtually stripped of all life and everything was destroyed in orbit around the now dead worlds.

Scientists have been able to piece bits about their culture together. The Valdemarian were closely related to the elves of the megaverse. Even so, genetic evidence does not show any close kinship to the elves which have settled in many other places in the Three Galaxies. As far as systems, they only controlled about a dozen systems which were all within a sphere of a few dozen light years. Compared to the Consortium of Civilized Worlds and Trans-Galactic Empire, this is tiny.

In technology, the Valdemarian civilization was incredibly advanced although the present major powers are beginning to approach the technology level of the Valdemarians. In a handful of areas, such as cybernetics and some area of medical technology, the Valdemarians actually are less advanced than the average in the Three Galaxies. The Valdemarian were incredibly advanced in the area of gravity technology and had both gravity based weaponry and extremely efficient drive systems. As well, they used incredibly powerful gravity based technology to create incredibly dense fusion reactors. Other areas include advanced artificial intelligence and automation which mean that ships could be manned by a skeleton crew or even no crew at all. Finally, they were masters of gamma radiation weaponry. While their culture seems to have been destroyed by gamma radiation, it does not appear to have been any type of weaponry.

This ship is in many ways a much larger version of the “Standard” cargo vessel. It was one of the largest cargo vessel classes ever known to be built with twice the cargo carrying capacity of the Freight King Heavy Freighter. The design appears to have been extremely blocky. Most Valdemarian warships appear to have had an aesthetic quality that these ships. There are a handful of modern cargo vessels built of similar size but most are custom built vessels for specific roles. The Valdemarian heavy cargo ships are believed to have mostly performed heavy industrial support roles not for common cargo hauling. One or two of these vessels might be able to comply supply the construction of a ground base. Compared to the standard cargo vessel design, only a relatively small number of these large cargo vessels are believed to have been constructed. Most estimates are that several hundred of these large vessels were used by the Valdemarians.

Like most Valdemarian designs, these ships were heavily automated. These ships had a full artificial intelligence although there was provisions for a small crew as well although mostly meant as a command staff. The automation mostly was for piloting the ship although the system was designed for autonomous cargo handling as well. In most cases, the cargo facilities of a large base / cargo handling facility could have handled cargo more efficiently. These ships were built with the provision for both cargo shuttles and mini-tugs. These could also operate independently with minimal instructions from the starship’s artificial intelligence. The mini-tugs would have been carried internally although the cargo shuttles would have been carried externally. These would most likely have been used in primitive areas and it is believed that they were not carried very often.

Power for the heavy cargo vessel is provided by a fusion power plant. The Valdemarian had mastered anti-matter but did not use it for their power plants, likely due to the greater safety in fusion power plants. They had high density fusion plants which the power output rivals that of modern military anti-matter power plants. Even though the contra-grav faster than light drives were less powerful than those mounted on Valdemarian warships, they still enable the ship to travel at six light years per hour without engaging the slipstream drive. This is equal to some of the fastest warships presently operated in the Three Galaxies. With the slipstream drive, these ships can reach twice that speed.

These ships were well armored for cargo ships with the golden material used for warships although nowhere near as heavily armored as true warships such as the heavy cruiser. Unlike most warships, the heavy cargo ship is not protected by a self repair system. The cargo vessels were also protected by a powerful variable force field. While the shield would not have been not quite as heavy as that carried on the heavy cruiser, it was heavier than the shield carried on the destroyer. Between the armor and shields, the ship is better protected than a Consortium Packmaster class carrier.

These ships are well armed for a cargo design and their heavy weaponry almost comparable to that of a Valdemarian destroyer and light weaponry actually heavier than that of a destroyer. It is likely that they would shred most pirates who might be tempted to go after them. The ship carries two heavy grazer cannons as a heavy energy weapon battery and two long range missile batteries. Each long range missile battery has a total payload of five hundred long range missiles. For defense, the heavy cargo vessel has six medium range missile batteries with a total of four hundred missiles per battery, twice the payload per battery than that of a medium cargo vessel. As a final layer of inner point defense, these cargo vessels were fitted with sixteen defensive energy mounts. Eight of these are tachyon dispersion beams and half are gravity mounts.

This starship design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

Model Type: Valdemarian Cargo Ship (Heavy Model)

Vehicle Type: Fast Heavy Freighter

Crew: 18 (Can be run by only the ship’s A.I.)

Troops: None

Vehicles:

	8	Cargo Shuttles (Provision for carrying, not always carried)
	16	Mini-Tugs (Provision for cargo transport, not always carried)

M.D.C. By Location:

	30 cm Main Grazer Batteries (2):	4,000 each
	Long-Range Missile Batteries (2):	3,000 each
	Medium Range Missile Batteries (6):	1,000 each
	Point Defense Tachyon Dispersion Beams (8):	500 each
	Point Defense Gravity Mounts (8):	450 each
	[1] Bridge:	15,000
	[2] Main Engines (2, sides of rear of ship):	20,000 each
	[3] Main Body:	100,000
	[4] Variable Force Field:	12,000 a side (72,000 Total)

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s armor. This ship does not have an auxiliary bridge. Even if the bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[2] Destroying the main engines means that ship faster than light propulsion systems are destroyed and maximum sublight speed is reduced by half.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the cargo ship out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck. Unlike most Valdemarian warship designs, this the ship does not mount a self repair system.

[4] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (3,600 M.D.C.) per melee round.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.7 percent of light per melee. (If the Slip stream generators are damage, reduce acceleration to 0.5 percent of light per melee.)

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 100 mph (161 kph), can enter an atmosphere and can leave but is not designed for atmospheric flight. and cannot land on a planet.

Stardrive: Standard CG-Drive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship to reach a maximum of 6 light years per hour. Gravitronic Slip Stream Drive: Doubles normal faster than light speed to a maximum of 12 light years per hour.

Maximum Range: If the cargo ship has a crew, the ship can carry enough supplies for four years of operation.

This could be stretched to three years in an emergency. Without a crew, this ship can operate until fuel reserves run out.

Statistical Data:

Length: 7,381.89 feet (2,250.0 meters).

Height: 1,181.10 feet (360.0 meters).

Width: 1,574.80 feet (480 meters).

Mass/Weight: 99.21 million tons (90 million metric tons)

Power System: Advanced High Density Fusion, Duration without refueling of 40 years. Unlike the Valdemarian Battle Sphere, the ship cannot refuel itself.

Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered about the ship that allows for carrying up to 88.18 million tons (80 million metric tons) of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ship’s officers have more space for personal items.

Market Cost: Even though a civilian design, many powers would love to get more of these ships to study. No ships of this design have ever been put on sale on the market (or probably ever will be). Estimated cost of the vessel is 40 billion or more credits although major governments would offer many times this to have one of these ships to study.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Two (2) 30 cm Heavy Graser Cannons: Graser cannons use focused gamma radiation and are very powerful. The weapon mounts have about a 25% increase in both range and damage over standard laser cannons of the same size. The weapon mounts are one sides of the vessel but can be fired fully forward but can be angled as close as 6. The mounts can spin to be able to bring both batteries to bear) and can fire at a 30 degree angle up or down. These cannons are capable of destroying frigates in one hit and are capable of badly damaging larger ships as well. Weapon has standard penalties to hit fighters and small targets for large starship weaponry. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 150,000 miles (241,000 km) in space and 150 miles (241 km) in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 2D6x1,000 M.D.C. each or both can be combined for a total of 4D6x1,000.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of two (2) times per melee per cannon.

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Eight (8) Point Defense Tachyon Dispersion Beams: Mounted on top, bottom, and sides of the starship. The main purpose of this system is as an anti-missile point defense. Mount has greater range than the weapon mounts on New Coventry and other military vessels. Like other Tachyon point defense mounts, the stream lasts for significant fraction of a second and missiles tend to run into the stream (Gives +4 bonus vs fast moving targets such as missiles.) This can detonate a whole volley of missiles before they strike the ship (Roll once against a volley and unless the missiles roll to dodge greater than strike roll, they are all destroyed.) This system has an interesting property that the system can actually be used at faster than light speeds because Tachyons travel faster than the speed of light. Each Point Defense Tachyon Dispersion Beam is in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire.

Maximum Effective Range: 149.1 miles (240 km) with a width of 12.4 miles (20 km), range and width is one sixteenth in atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 2D6x10 each.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of four (4) times per melee each (+3 to strike when controlled by the ship’s computer)

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Eight (8) Point Defense Gravity Mounts: These weapons are basically lighter versions of the gravity slicer beams. The weapon uses controlled opposing gravimetric waves to create an energy beam weapon that shreds the target. Unlike the heavier weapons, these gravity weapons do not have the penetration to inflict deep critical strikes. These are designed to be useful against fighters, missiles, and other small targets. Since gravity propagates itself at faster than light speeds, this weapon can actually be used against vehicles that are traveling at faster than the speed of light. The weapons do full damage to targets in magic rich universes with the spell impervious to energy.

Maximum Effective Range: 6 miles (9.65 km) through atmosphere and 600 miles (965 km) in space.

Mega Damage: 3D6x10

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5) - Controlled by ship’s Computer has 4 attacks per melee (+3 to strike when controlled by the ship’s computer)

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Two (2) Long Range Missile Batteries: Missile has a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets, unlike cruise missiles, and are all considered smart missiles. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Long range missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,897,000 km/9.7 light seconds) in space. At game masters option, missile range can be increased by 25% due to more advanced technology.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), twelve (12), twenty-five (25), or fifty (50) per launcher, per melee attack.

Payload: 100 total, 50 long range missiles per launcher. Ship has 10 reload of missiles (1,000 long range missile reloads total).
Six (6) Medium Range Missile Launchers: Like other Phase world systems, weapon system range and speed has been increased. Missile range is 1000 times normal in space and double normal range in an atmosphere. Missile has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Normally used for anti-fighter and middle layer point defense.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium range missile range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds) in space. At game masters option, missile range can be increased by 25% due to more advanced technology.

Mega-Damage: Varies with medium range missile type (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), twelve (12), twenty-five (25) per launcher.

Payload: 400 per launcher for a total of 2,400 medium range missiles.

Other Systems:

Sentient Computer: The Cargo Ship is controlled by a limited artificial intelligence which is still surprisingly capable. The ship’s weapon systems have +3 to strike and the ship has +3 for dodges (Dues to size cannot make full dodges.) Piloting and electronics and sensor skill rolls are considered to be at 65%. The artificial intelligence is also quite capable in cargo handling roles.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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