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U.S.S. Grand Alliance

The U.S.S. Grand Alliance is a specially-built fast diplomatic transport, Naval Construction Code (NCC) 72800. Designed by InPayne Shipyards and commissioned in the mid-2360s, it was placed in reserve from 2368 and has sat unused at Starbase One.

The physical model of the Grand Alliance is a very inventive kitbash created by John Payne, alias InPayne. This design and its history before its use in Fragile Peace is of his creation. Her official codename is Starfleet One, serving as "a giant limo for the Federation President", as Payne himself has described it.

Specifications[]

Admiral John Payne, the designer of the Grand Alliance, was very meticulous in his design of the vessel; he made sure that the vessel was best suited for its intended mission.

Crew[]

The Grand Alliance has a standard crew compliment of 300 Starfleet officers with a security force of 100, usually Starfleet Marines. It can hold 500 passengers while maintaining comfort levels, and it can cram approximately 1500 if required for evacuation efforts.

Propulsion[]

The Grand Alliance's greatest weapon is her speed; her sublight speed was slightly superior to that of the Galaxy class, and her two matter/antimatter reactors, one driving the top nacelles and the other the bottom, can sustain Warp 9.9 for 24 hours, which at the time of her construction was completely unheard of. In addition, the ship could be run by either the top or bottom pair of nacelles in the event of one of the two reactors failing, though it would require a reconfiguration of her control settings.

Weapons and Defense[]

The Grand Alliance is equipped with a type X phaser array and standard defensive shields; there are no torpedo or probe options at all. As a result, in accordance with her mission profile, the Grand Alliance was not meant for combat. Therefore, she must often be accompanied by vessels that are capable of combat.

Hangar Capacity[]

According to Payne's plans for the vessel's elongated hangar design, the Grand Alliance was capable of holding 100 large shuttlecraft, stacked in pallets, allowing floor space for smaller shuttlepods. There is no capacity for fighters; the hangar is purely intended for diplomats and their shuttles. Payne also created a low-gravity field on the "formal landing pad" in order to aid shuttle pilots during landing sequences.

Service History[]

In the 2360s, Admiral Payne was Chief of Starfleet Operations, and was charged by the Federation Council to design a "fast diplomatic transport". At the time, the Galaxy class dominated the design of Starfleet vessels, and accordingly the vessel incorporates several elements of the Galaxy design. Payne was left to his own instincts when he was asked to build the vessel, and this he did. The result was a Galaxy saucer with an elongated shuttle deck and two pairs of nacelles, and a slightly shorter length than the original Galaxy. Because of her mission profile, she was built with speed rather than firepower in mind. She had a short, yet distinguished service of escorting diplomats - and families, if so necessary - to their destinations without problems. There was only one major hostile incident, on Stardate 44810.6. Commanded by Captain Anita DeVega, the ship was transporting diplomats when she was attacked by cloaked ships. Her escort destroyed, the Grand Alliance took damaging fire. As she attempted to escape, her number four nacelle exploded from an energy feedback, caused by a detonation of an antimatter mine. The vessel hid in the rings of a gas giant sending SOS signals before she was rescued. She was repaired upon return to Earth, and continued to serve with distinction. Following the election of President Jaresh-Inyo of Grazer in 2368, however, the Grand Alliance was put in mothballs.

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