- Game version
- 0.200.335
EDF-BC800
"Enlightenment"
For thousands of years, the Ephebian sector of the sigma galaxy has been a quiet nowhere location. On the frontier of the old Terran Hegemony, the Ephebian sector and her capital of Ephebe was one of the last colony worlds founded by that interstellar power, and one of the last to hear that it had fallen. Even so, to this day the sector government carries on protecting its people from pirates, aliens, and one another, preserving the pax of a long dead romana. "Enlightenment"
With the recent advent of faster than light travel, to say nothing of other new technologies, the Ephebian government began a program of systematic modernization of their fighting forces. While such units as fighters must always be on the cutting edge of technology in order to remain relevant, larger combatants must be designed with forward thinking in order to remain competitive for years to come.
At 140m long and 50m wide, the Enlightenment class battlecruiser was one of the heaviest combatants in the region. While both out-massed and out-preformed by the navies of more warlike areas, both the pre-refit version and this new edition serve well to clear out pirate bases, destroy any threats that present themselves, and show the flag to the member worlds of the Ephebian sector, demonstrating that their tax money is going to pay for something.
The Primary weapons of the Enlightenment class are seven dual cannon turrets kitted out to out-range most enemy ships. While not the most damaging of weapons, these turrets make up for their lack of punch with accuracy and weight of fire.
Backing up the main weapons are eight secondary turrets, most commonly employed for point defense. While these rapid firing auto cannons are both efficient and durable, their response speed has been found in combat trials to be lacking, and they are unable to stop any but slow-moving missiles due to their traverse speed.
These are not the only weapons the Enlightenment has though, far from it. She is also equipped with six Planetary bombardment torpedoes; terrifying weapons of mass destruction even one of which can render entire continents uninhabitable. Their use was what made the fall of the Hegemony so terrible, as in the death-throes of that empire thousands of inhabited planets were bombed into ruin, trillions of lives lost in an instant. The technology of these weapons is now known to few, and their use has never been seen in the Ephebian sector. Nonetheless, capital ships of the EDF sometimes carry a few in case some threat is discovered beyond the reach of conventional weaponry.
Other weapons systems include a pair of light torpedo tubes, and a spinally mounted particle beam weapon.
As one extra trick up her sleeve, the BC800 carried an extensible drone rack with three point defense drone/Decoys. Considered expendable, these can be deployed rapidly in combat and will serve to significantly augment the battlecruiser's anti-missile capability while at the same time presenting a larger cluster of sensor targets making missile locks more difficult to attain.
This drone rack can be replaced with one of several other extensible mission systems, including a cluster missile ECCM pod, an emergency shuttle, enhanced sensors, or many other mission functional hardware packages.
For more prosaic purposes, the ship is equipped with a well-stocked docking bay. Three light shuttles and a scout fighter are included as standard, although the enlightenment can accommodate a surprisingly large variety of small ships in her spacious enclosed and armored dock.
Forward of the docking bay is a powerful tractor beam capable of pulling even large ships close in case of engine failure.
also inside the docking bay is a large cargo dock, which can store spare parts, impounded cargo, or other awkward large loads. Pictured here is her current cargo, a backup point defense turret, as well as several other crates and canisters of goods.
Like the Vigilant II Destroyer, this ship also includes the new extendable docking arms, and they reach considerably farther to permit the Enlightenment to dock with any SMD enabled ship or station.
Forward of the port docking arm is the Port flush mission hardware package, in this case an emergency evacuation shuttle. While like many modern ships the BC800 does carry personnel teleporters, having extra real evacuation capability is often reassuring to crews.
Above is a view of the bridge, and the large "Tru-D" strategic display screen. It is able to display many different views of both ships and other structures, and convey that information clearly to the command team. Helm and tactical consoles sit side by side before the command seat.
An all around solid ship when new, and still a galactic contender after refit, the BC800 is what will be defending the Ephebe sector for years to come.
***OOC Notes***
This is a heavy RP refit of another of my old designs from years ago. One of my favorite ships when I built it, I recognize that it is pretty small and weak to call a "Battlecruiser" but naming conventions remain the single worst bone of contention among starmade players. Suffice it to say that this is a ship that is large enough to be powerful, while small enough to not crash weak computers (probably).
I went all out on RP features for this one: The "Torpedoes" unsheath their warhead tips when launched, every exterior door is rail-driven, and there is a red alert that flashes throughout the entire interior. I didn't count the rooms this time, I believe there may be over 100. There are three elevators and three stairways. Many of the consoles throughout the ship have hidden functionality, although I have yet to start playing with having the messages on the consoles change, and start having "REAL" computers. Maybe next update.
Bottom line, this ship should be more than a match for AI fighters, and may be a fun heavy-hitter for an AI faction. The weapons update shouldn't hit it too badly.
If you like or dislike this ship, please leave a review!
**Post Combat Update**
It seems the guns are not heavy enough to quickly kill enemy ships, but the point defense IS fast enough to shoot down very large numbers of incoming missiles. Since the AI habitually engages at maximum range, and since ships are a lot tougher now than they used to be, an update to this ship with more powerful turrets may be forthcoming.
