Approved Starship N&Z Starworks | Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barge

[Karl Von Strauss]

[Description - The Hephaestus-Class with its four cowlings extended/open.]

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~~ N&Z EnSol-Starworks Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barge ~~​

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Image Source: Here
• Permissions:
  • FAE (See Special Permissions)
  • HPI (See Full Permissions)
  • N&Z (See Permissions)

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: N&Z Starworks
• Affiliation:
  • N&Z Umbrella Corporation
  • The Imperial Confederation
  • Any Purchasers/Buyers
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barge
• Production: Mass-Produced
• Material:
  • Hull: Matrix Armor - Trimantium and Fyrirdögun
    • Add Outer coating of Skuggalegt I-pattern Stealth Polymer
  • Overall Superstructure: Tiber-II/MP Modular Starship Superstructure
    • Upgrades:
      • Hermes LFD 760i -> Hermes 980HIF/SE
      • Hermóðr-class 0.5 Hyperdrive -> NZ Metatron Multi-Path Engine MPE-1
      • +1 Additional NZ ARD-1 Mono Type Point Defense System
      • +1 Additional NZ C.H.A.R.M.01's [Concentrated Hypermatter Active Reactor Module]

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Fleet Tender | Repair Barge
• Length: 1,200 meters
• Width: 200 meters
• Height: 400 meters
• Armament: Low
  • [1] Centerline Axial-Mounted NZ HKAC/800's [Heavy Kinetic Artillery Cannon]
    • Equipped with NZ Warp Star - Type RED Warheads [Military Contracts ONLY]
  • All turreted weapons have had their mounts replaced with the C-6 'Maglev' Class Repulsor Mounts
  • NZ HP2 Heavy Turbolasers
    • Twin and Triple Mounts
  • NZ HP1 Turbolasers
    • Single, Twin, and Quad Mounts
  • NZ LC-2A Laser Cannons
    • Dual and Quad Mounts
  • AFT-14.4000B FLAK Turrets
    • Equipped with NZ DSI Rounds
  • NZ IPC-1 Ion Pulse Cannons
    • Single Mounts
  • Tractor Beams
• Defenses: Very High
  • NZ SSP-SIXTUS/A [Shield System Package]
  • Ion Surge Shielding
  • Cap Drain
  • 220-SIG Tactical Combat Jammers
  • [2] NZ ARD-1 Mono Type Point Defense Systems
    • [1] coupled to the AFT-14.4000B FLAK Turrets w/ NZ DSI Rounds
    • [1] coupled to NZ EMC100 'SPECTRE' Electromagnetic Burst cannons
      • I didn't include these in armaments because they are specifically for defense.
  • Reinforced Shield Generators
  • Containment Shields
  • Missile Deactivation transmitters
  • Interior Automated Turrets with Identity Friend/Foe Transponders
  • Blast Doors
  • FAE/S-03 Inclusive Countermeasure Module
  • FAE/S-05 ECM Array
  • FAE/S-15 EPM Array
  • O.T.A.R.O.C.S.
  • P.A.F.I.E.S.
• Hangar Space: Low: 4
• Hangar Allocations:
  • Starfighters:1 squadron
    • Usually NZ TIE/ja Jäger
  • Support Craft: 3 squadrons
    • These are usually Spacetugs
• Maneuverability Rating:
  • Very Low - With SLAB
  • Average - Standard
  • Very High - With AIMS
• Speed Rating:
  • Very Low - With AIMS
  • Average - Standard
  • Very High - With SLAB
• Hyperdrive: Yes
  • Primary: Class 0.5 NZ Metatron Multi-Path Engine MPE-1
  • Secondary: Class 4.0 NZ OS-HD3 Hyperdrive system

STANDARD FEATURES

• All Standard Features of the Tiber-II/MP Modular Starship Superstructure
• Primary Reactors: [2] NZ C.H.A.R.M.01's [Concentrated Hypermatter Active Reactor Module]
  • 1 - For the ship itself
  • 1 - For the shield boosting systems (see below)
• Engines: Hermes 980HIF/SE
  • Maneuvering Thrusters: NZ RAS-1 Missile Propulsion System
• Primary Sensor Array: Phase II "Divine Eyes" Sensor and Electronics System
  • Secondary Sensor Array: NZ SAP-2A SSA [Sensor Systems Array]
  • Add O.S.I.V.P.
  • Boosted by ATHENA DCOS-1M [Direct Central Operating System]
• Communications Array:
  • NZ CoreCom Scanner
  • FAE/S-11 Universal Communication Matrix
  • FAE/S-13 Unified Engagement Network
• ECSS-01r | Environmental Condition Stabiliser System
• Holowall Technology
• Imyndaða Series Solid State Hologram
• Numerous LE-Series Repair Droids upgraded with N&Z Proton Mk I Droid Brains

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Armor Repair Systems:
  • [6] Extendable Arms (3 per side) with a pressurized patching foam dispenser.
  • [4] Forward Ersteel 145 Sheet Hull Patch Cowlings.
    • These provide armor to the Hephaestus when closed, and when open, allow spacetugs to grab sheets of Ersteel 145 to patch the hulls of damaged starships during the heat of battle using magnetic seals.
• Shield Booster System:
  • [4] Extendable Arms (2 per side) with power couplings to transfer power from the third reactor into the reactor of damaged starships.
    • This should, in practice, stabilize the energy deficit caused by the damaged starship's reactor as it struggles to maintain shields and combat systems under strain. By supplying supplemental power directly through reinforced couplings, the fleet tender bypasses the crippled reactor's limitations, allowing the vessel to bring its shields back online far sooner than conventional repairs would permit. The system is not designed for long-term sustainability, but to patch a warship well enough to reenter the fight without withdrawing from the battlespace.
• NZ T.O.P. 1 Tactical Order Package
• Bio-Hexacrypted Systems
• Skuggalegt I-pattern Stealth Polymer
• FAE/C-01 Multiphase Tensor Field Element
• FAE/C-02 Tractor Guidance Network
• FAE/S-06 Reactive Targeting Matrix v1.0.1
• FAE/S-07 Offensive Retention System
• FAE/S-07 Symbiotic Ghost Link
• FAE/S-09 Active Harmonizing System - All weapons
• FAE/S-15 EPM Array
• NZ SLAB-01 SubLight AfterBurner
• NZ AIMS-01 Active Internal Maneuvrability System
• Advanced Medical Bays
  • FAE/C-03 BioMedical Support System
  • Ammonia Chamber
  • Hyperbaric Medical Chambers
• Garment-Fabricators
• Prototypers
  • Duplicators
  • Nanoforges
  • Synthicators

[Description - Hephaestus-Class with its cowlings withdrawn/closed]

STRENGTHS

• Heavy Defense Systems - The defensive systems on the Hephaestus are top-tier in an effort to improve its survivability. After all, a fleet tender only helps if it's alive.
• Repair/Boost Systems - The Armor Repair Systems and Shield Boost Systems are a boon to whatever fleet has this at its back. Being able to repair holes in armor and stabilize energy deficits during the heat of combat keeps fleets in the battle and can hopefully change the outcomes of battles.
• Almost Completely Automated - This vessel is equipped with an advanced AI that manages most routine functions while also assisting with navigation, weapons preparation, shield coordination, and more. Its capabilities greatly reduce the need for manual oversight. As a result, the ship can be operated efficiently with a significantly smaller crew. The only places where there is a large amount of organic (or robotic) crew are on the bridge and in the engineering sections (reactor/engines and the hangar).

WEAKNESSES

• Two at a Time - The Hephaestus can only tend two vessels at the same time.
• Apples to Apples - The Shield Booster System on the Hephaestus can only transfer power between two reactors using the same fuel. Therefore, the Hephaestus can only supply this boost to ships using hypermatter-type reactors. Even then, it only transfers energy at ~55% efficiency.
• Limited-Time Capabilities - The Hephaestus cannot repair and boost forever. Once enough energy has been pulled from the third reactor to boost shields, the limited transfer efficiency cancels out its effectiveness. Also, its reserves of Ersteel 145 plates are finite; once a section runs dry, it's out for good until the Hephaestus can be resupplied. Of course, it can take plates from other cowlings, but that takes time, and time is valuable on a battlefield.
• Almost Completely Automated - While the ship's high degree of automation is generally a tremendous advantage, it comes with significant and potentially critical drawbacks. Chief among them is the vulnerability of relying so heavily on the AI. If its systems are damaged, either by an internal failure, a direct EMP strike to its core, or a forced reboot, the crew would suddenly be responsible for managing a large number of functions normally handled automatically. In such a scenario, the "optimal" crew complement might prove insufficient, leaving personnel overextended or, in the worst case, rendering the ship functionally inoperable.

DESCRIPTION
The Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barge was created to address a gap in the N&Z's ship roster. Unlike standard support craft, the Hephaestus is uniquely engineered to restore both armor plating and shield systems directly in the heat of battle. Designed for militaries, private defense forces, and corporate security fleets alike, it ensures that damaged vessels no longer need to withdraw from the fight or abandon the frontline entirely, so long as a Hephaestus is at their side.

The Hephaestus' reputation rests primarily on its Armor Repair and Shield Booster systems; the twin cornerstones of its battlefield utility. Four extendable arms, each fitted with power couplings, allow the vessel to channel energy from its dedicated secondary reactor directly into allied ships, giving them a much-needed power boost to maintain their shields (however, this model can only transfer power to vessels with hypermatter reactors). Complementing this, six additional articulated arms are equipped with high-capacity patching foam dispensers, capable of sealing hull breaches within moments to prevent further degradation.

Once emergency stabilization is complete, the Hephaestus advances to the second stage of repair. Assisted by spacetugs, crews remove sheets of Ersteel 145 from the vessel's four forward dorsal and ventral cowlings. These armored plates are then affixed to damaged sections using high-strength magnetic seals, providing immediate structural reinforcement until permanent repairs can be carried out in drydock.

Every minute a destroyer spends retreating to drydock is a minute your battle plan falters. With the Hephaestus in formation, damaged warships remain in the fight, turning near-losses into renewed firepower exactly when it's needed most. Consider purchasing the Hephaestus-Class Fleet Repair Barge and keeping your fleets unbroken today!

 

[MANIAC]

Karl Von Strauss

Very cool sub.

Approved.