Familiar ground.

[Shalin 0]

Shan rode a cramped shuttle from the Comanche Creek to his new assignment. As they approached the vessel, he sighed heavily. It was another cargo transport, like so many that he had served on before. It was boxish, crude, and no doubt unrefined inside. Yet he couldn't complain too much: the Washington Crossing was an Almeida class cruiser, which meant plenty of stateroom space. For the first time in months he would have his own room; he might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

 

Once he had boarded, Shan decided to take the tour. Almeidas weren't complicated so it would be quick, an it would be good to know his way around. Most of the ship used a typical layout and classic systems, though he noted a good amount of automated installs. Starfleet obviously didn't want them to be taking a significant crew: that would be fine as long as they didn't bump in to too much trouble. If they did, all that automation would have to hold together while he performed a dozen commands all at once. The odds that something would break down was high. This, though, was good for their cover. The Almeida class of ships were outdated, and most had been decommissioned a decade ago or more. Those which still existed served as merchant ships due to their freighter-design. The ship was meant to haul cargo and passengers, and the idea that a merchant crew had aquired an old cruiser was quite possible.

 

Making his way up from the cargo bay, Shan examined Deck 8. The entire deck had been gutted and refitted for a transporter system. Shan examined the work, noting a certain crudeness to it. The technicians were very clever about it: the actual connections and systems were top-notch, but they had made a point of not concealing the refit. This gave everything inside a 'merchant' look, with conduits and large components exposed for easy access. It was nothing like Starfleet standard construction, which made a point of hiding away anything that would be the least bit unattractive. The fact that this would make all systems a bear to maintain was utterly lost on Starfleet ship designers.

 

As he made his way through the ship, he noted other 'crude modifications'. These consisted of six additional single-phaser weapon mounts and additional shield generators. They also looked spliced though Shan was confident that, like the transporters, the actual work would be sound. This was the way merchants did things, and they needed to look like merchants. Shan couldn't help but wonder if the ship was a new build or a re-christened refit. Shan hoped for the latter, and hoped even more that the refitted ship was the Nemesis. He believed that ships had spirits - a residue of hopes and dreams given it by every person who ever secured a bulkhead or manned a station. The Nemesis was a legend in its day: a terror to pirates and terrorists alike. They needed a ship with that kind of spirit.

 

Finishing his tour on the bridge, Shan settled into his station. There were several more control panels than the Comanche Creek had, thanks to the need for a small crew to be able to man the ship. He sighed and ran through several automated training senarios. When the Captain gave an order, he needed to be able to respond quickly and reliably. First the bridge, then the transporter, then he would be ready for the mission. At least, he hoped he would be.

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Shan had pinged me with some questions on the Washington Crossing specs, and thanks to Helm Guy for doing some legwork at Cygnus. The ship class I decided on was this:

 

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/uss-almeida-gcc-120.php

 

In our world of fiction, it is doable for a Starfleet ship to be converted for mission specific purposes. The Washington Crossing could/would have some elements of a cargo or freighter vessel now added, and other systems are strategically 'hidden'.

 

We will be traveling under cover as a mercenary crew and therefore the original ship specs are preserved. Please note that while the Almeida is an 80 year old design, the WC empoys a newer version of the class as alluded to in my log "Still Alive".

 

http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=23445

 

- Commando ship (Recon/Scout type class)

- Fast, heavy on weapons, heavy armor

- Basic crew of 30 (SEAL commando squads)

- Original civilian design is most often used for mercenary and para-military vessels

- Mainly deployed on rescue, surgical strike, recon, hostage missions