unending darkness

By: Full_Metal

folder +M through R › Mass Effect

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 3

Views: 7,328

Reviews: 0

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 0

Category: +M through R › Mass Effect

Rating: Adult +

Chapters: 3

Views: 7,328

Reviews: 0

Recommended: 0

Currently Reading: 0

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mass Effect series or its characters. I do not make any money from this fic; it is purely for reader enjoyment.

The SSV VALKYRIE (optional)

decided to write a little back story about the ships history. enjoy

Ship: SSV VALKYRIE

Shepard Class

Type: Frigate/Cruiser hybrid

Crew: 140 + 5 Bridge Crew

Length: 450 ft

Width at widest point: 240ft

Drive Core: Classified

Origins: EARTH

Armament:

1 Thanix Hydrodynamic Cannon (bow mounted on retractable pylons)

4 Javelin Disruptor Torpedo Launchers (Internally mounted)

2 Standard Mass Accelerator Cannons (wing mounted)

10 Fighter Interceptors

2 UT-47 ‘Kodiak’ Shuttles

GARDIAN Defense Network

Cyclonic Barriers

Ablative Armor

Extended Helios Thruster Module

Shackled AI

History

With the battle for Earth over and the relays inoperable for the foreseeable future and most major populated worlds in ruins, the heavy demand for supplies led to an exponential increase in piracy. To combat this threat the Alliance Navy decided to provide military escort to civilian freighters. But with the relays down only dreadnoughts and carriers had enough provisions to complete the long voyages, but few of these ships remain. These factors lead the Alliance Admiralty Board to hold a design competition where anyone could enter. Most concepts submitted were deemed impossible due to the massive material shortage gripping the galaxy. But in the end only 1 design remained viable and the contract was awarded to EDI who entered the contest under a false identity.

Right from the start the construction of the newly designated ‘Shepard’ class vessels were met with numerous hurdles. For starters most of the heavy manufacturing on Earth had been destroyed. Factories that remained were in such high demand that estimates put the first fully constructed hull at 2 years away. After months of deliberation the Alliance Navy decided to cannibalize 4 damaged dreadnoughts for supplies. Each dreadnought contained enough material to construct 12 vessels. The next hurdle the design teams had to face was the time constraints. With more and more sectors falling into criminal control the Alliance desperately needed ships, leading to the use of inferior materials, pushing reducing safety tolerances to the limit, and wide spread re-designing of blue prints right on the assembly floor.

With all these setbacks it surprised no one when the ships failed to live up to expectations. These problems forced commanders and crews to find inventive and creative ways to solve problems. With the outlook for the Shepard class looking bleak the navy contemplated scrapping the entire project. But what surprised everyone was the attachment the crews had developed for their ships. When asked why? Most stated that they looked at the ship as a labor of love like building a car from scratch. After inquiries were made Alliance officials found out that commanders would routinely disregard Alliance regulations, accepting side jobs in order to secure needed parts. Without any viable way to punish the crews on the 48 ships, officials decided to mend regulations for those serving aboard these ships. However some commanders found the temptations of privateering too much to resist and commandeered their ships. When word of this treachery reached Alliance Military Command, rather than send countless vessels to search the infinite black of space, they instead broadcasted command codes to the ships AI’s via the QEC. Once control of the ship was reestablished Admiral Hackett ordered the AI’s to open all bulkheads and vent the crews into space. Since this mass execution no crew has attempted mutiny.

Tactics:

Regardless of how many transports being escorted the SSV Valkyrie and her sister ships always operate at 100% combat readiness. This includes round the clock fighter combat air patrols at a diameter of 1 light year. On top of fighter screening the ship board AI’s of the Shepard classes are granted complete control of any ship to ship weapons aboard the transports greatly increasing the convoy’s defensive capabilities. Because of the scarcity of replacement parts most Commanders forgo heavily damaging raiding ships. Instead they knock out the attacker’s weapons and launch boarding parties.

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