Chapter 4.
Angeles
As I approached the rest of the unit outside hangar bay eighteen I heard my unit talking amongst themselves.
"Try the door again." Simmons said.
Perak's voice was as calm as ever. "It did not open the last three times you tried it, Corporal. The computer has also stated that it will not open until eleven hundred hours and then only with an authorized voiceprint. It is not logical to assume that it will open now when those conditions have not been met."
"Just checking," Simmons replied, stepping up and trying the door again anyway. Nothing happened -- of course. Then he noticed me and came to attention. "Officer on deck!" he shouted. The group all came to attention.
"As you were," I said. They all relaxed (except Perak, I didn't think he ever relaxed).
"Computer, what time is it?" Mollen asked.
"The time is eleven hundred hours."
The doors of the turbolift just down the corridor opened and Commodore Data strode toward us.
"Finally." Donaldson said under his breath.
"Good morning everyone," Data said as he reached the group. "I trust I haven't kept you waiting?" He glanced just a fraction longer at Donaldson than anyone else. I was positive that he was hacking on us, but I couldn't be sure. The timing of the turbolift's arrival couldn't have been more perfect, but as Data is so fond of saying, his timing is digital. We parted and Data stepped between us. He paused at the threshold of the launch bay, and with a very small flourish touched the door control and spoke. "Computer, access to hangar bay eighteen, authorization: Data, Omicron seven one seven."
"Data, Omicron seven one seven recognized, access granted."
The oversized pressure doors split apart with the whine of powerful motors, creating an opening some four meters wide and three high. He gestured inside the launch bay, smiled, and pronounced, "Gentlemen, Lieutenant, the U.S.S. Angeles."
She looked sleek and deadly, if a bit small, surrounded by the superstructure of the docking clamps, scaffolds and fuel lines. I had expected the usual battleship gray hull plating but the Angeles' hull was the deepest black I had ever seen. She was smooth and completely devoid of any windows or irregular surfaces to mar her lines. It seemed to absorb the light cast on it by the overhead units. It was like looking into space itself, but without the stars. Her lines were all gracefully curved with no angles showing anywhere throughout her structure. Her name was like a play on words because she truly was angle-less. Generally delta shaped, she bulged into domes above and below the centerline toward the bow, bulges that narrowed and extruded aft on her dorsal and ventral surfaces like smooth, dual spinal columns. A curved section of the lower hull swung down to form a low ramp on the starboard side.
We all stood and stared briefly before Kowalski broke the spell. "It looks like a big, black shuttle." he chuckled.
"I assure you, Corporal, it's far superior to a shuttle." Data replied as we all headed toward the ship. "The Inquisitor class Tactical Troop Transport can hold its own against a ship ten times its size. It's as maneuverable as a shuttle and as fast as a starship. Four decks -- and that's all you'll need, with a crew of nine -- and a cruising speed of warp nine standard. However, new hull and warp field geometry allow it to open and safely traverse Quantum Slip-Stream corridors making its actual top speed much greater."
"Quantum Slip-Stream drive?!" Kowalski exclaimed. "We could outrun the Borg!"
Data smiled, "Step inside your starship folks, I'll take some time to show you around." He preceded us up the ramp and on into the ship. We all followed as he continued his tour. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I already knew most of what he was telling us, but for the rest of the team this was the first time they knew more than that they were getting a ship.
"It's interesting that you mentioned the Borg, Master Sergeant, because it was really our ongoing -- if random -- hostilities with the Borg, The Dominion and other hostile species which precipitated the design of this particular class of ship. Ground forces are becoming more necessary to hold worlds secured from space. That is why the Federation re-initiated the Marine Corps branch of Starfleet. The Angeles' primary mission is insertion and retrieval of Marine Corps units. Its secondary mission is as a Tactical-Intercept Fighter." We were now in the airlock chamber. We went through a set of doors to the right, which led us to a zero gee ladder access that extended the entire draft of the ship. Obviously, there were no turbolifts on a ship this small. "Decks One and Four are for weapons and sensor arrays. Deck Four also, obviously, contains the airlock. Deck Two is the Bridge and crew quarters. Captain and First Officer get private quarters forward of the bridge, everybody else bunks together aft. Deck Three is Sick Bay, Engineering and Computer core.
"Excuse me Commodore," Tan interrupted. "Where is the transporter room?"
"The transporter system is a one hundred percent site-to-site, high-speed multiporter; there is no transporter room or area. With a single voice command, it can autonomously lock on to all nine crewmembers and whatever cargo or supplies they might need and simultaneously beam each to a different set of coordinates on a planet's surface, if necessary. Complete transport time, including phase re-integration at the target site, is less than one point nine three seconds. If a constant lock is maintained, individual retrieval time from a planet's surface can be less than one point two four seconds. And if a portable pattern enhancer is also used, retrieval time can be as fast as point seven nine seconds. Retrieval times increase slightly with each additional person or item of equipment transported."
Kowalski whistled. "No shit?" He asked.
"No shit, Mr. Kowalski." Data replied, deadpan.
Perak spoke up. "The ship's sensor arrays must be very efficient to be able to lock on to an individual so quickly."
"The Angeles has several active and passive, multi-spectral sensor arrays which can intensively scan for a wide variety of data. Breakdown and analysis of the data are performed automatically through the main computer. Highly efficient for I&R missions."
"What about its tactical abilities?" Tan asked.
Data seemed almost proud. "For Tactical Intercept missions, it holds its own quite nicely as well. Regenerative, multiphasic shielding with metaphasic capability, combined with semi-ablative armor plating composed of a carbon-tritanium-ceramic, laminated composite, give you the defensive capability to hang in a firefight longer. The composite armor can be deployed or retracted as needed and has more than seventy five times the heat dissipation rate of standard tritanium or duranium hull plating. Tests have shown the shields to be able to withstand sustained phaser strikes of ten seconds with minimal loss of power. The polyalloy hull material also absorbs active sensor scans and the hull geometry has the added benefit of scattering and redirecting scanning beams. Hull integrity is reinforced with trans-spectral force fields.
"Six hyperpulse phaser emplacements are set in strips completely recessed into the hull. Power is routed through the firing coils from the warp drive in continuous, high-energy pulses. Depleted deuterium particles from the warp reaction chamber are also injected directly into the rectifier and discharged with the pulses, giving the phaser blast a physical characteristic as well as an energy one. Once enemy shields are down a single shot with the depleted deuterium-enhanced beam can physically cut through several decks and penetrate deep into the superstructure of an enemy ship.
"Four torpedo launch tubes -- two fore and two aft -- are configured to launch the new Mark Fourteen trans-phasic torpedoes. The Mark Fourteens have multiple 'smart' warheads, which can independently track five targets simultaneously. Using these torpedoes, twenty ships -- or twenty places on one ship -- can be targeted in a single volley. A second volley can be automatically loaded, armed, locked and launched within four seconds of the first volley and another, four seconds after that. The trans-phasic warheads are powerful enough that, depending on impact points, four to five Borg cubes can be destroyed with a single torpedo. Quite obviously, a significant advancement over previous torpedo designs.
"The Angeles also has one more defensive system. Recent accords made with the Romulans as a result of the war with the Dominion, have now made it legal for the Federation to pursue cloaking technology. The latest design has been incorporated into the Angeles."
"Wait a minute," I said. "Nobody told me about any cloaking device!"
"I thought that would surprise you sir," Data said. "The cloak was incorporated into the ship after the initial design phase. The specifications you received did not include it." (So much for sparing Data's feelings. He already knew I knew.)
"The U.S.S. Angeles is equipped with a brand new stealth system, a type four phased cloak. When in full phase mode, the vessel can translate up to one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase with our continuum and so does not interact physically with normal matter and energy. This not only makes the vessel undetectable but virtually impervious to harm by normal means. Its only drawback is that you must re-phase and de-cloak before you can fire the weapons, transport, or send subspace signals. When completely phased only passive sensor systems will function. Any active scan is out of phase with normal matter and so does not interact with it enough to get a coherent reading.
Finally, all tactical systems have built-in adaptive algorithms to continuously modulate their parameters. This ship, gentlemen, is designed to get you in, help you complete your mission and get you out alive. Any questions, so far?"
"Uh, ya, one." Kowalski said.
"Go ahead," Data said.
"How are ya supposed to power all that stuff with engines that, from here, look like they couldn't push a runabout?"
"Power for the ship comes from a multi-impeller warp field generator. It uses a two stage intermix regulator. Enriched anti-deuterium particles are injected into the second stage. This effects a reaction with the resultant energy from the first stage in a high state of flux, allowing a stable intermix formula at a ratio of two to one instead of one to one; significantly increasing engine output."
"But how do you contain so much power without rupturing the core?"
"Because this engine uses a gravitic containment field instead of a magnetic one."
"Gravitic!? Wow! I mean, I've read about the new gravitic containment fields in the technical journals but I thought we were years away from a working model."
"Actually, Master Sergeant, the researchers working on the problem were quite far from completing their task when I joined them. I have always felt that magnetic containment was too unstable to safely contain a high-energy reaction and I have done considerable research in the field. The gravitic containment field is approximately one hundred times stronger and far more stable than the standard magnetic field. Because the gravitic field coils are so much smaller than the magnetic coils, the containment field generator is smaller and lighter, with a much lower power drain. The gravitic containment field has another advantage over magnetic fields. Magnetic field coils can become depolarized, which causes the magnetic constrictors to lock. This, of course, results in a core breach. The gravitic containment field is monopolar, and therefore cannot become depolarized, making the whole warp drive system safer. The warp field coils are also much smaller. Mr. Kowalski, you noticed that the engine nacelles seemed to be quite small, that is why.
"You may have noticed, as well, that the warp nacelles are laid out inboard along the edges of the ship instead of mounted outboard on pylons. You may also have noticed that they are not parallel to each other, but angle in toward the bow of the ship. This is the reason that previous attempts to use the Quantum Slip-Stream drive were, shall we say, less than successful. The parallel nacelles formed a symmetrical warp field that literally ripped itself apart from the drag on the sides of the Slipstream corridor. The angled nacelles on the Angeles allow the oblique warp field configuration necessary for Slipstream flight. "
Something suddenly occurred to me. "I have a question." I said.
"Yes Colonel?" Data responded.
"Isn't the bridge usually on deck one?"
Data smiled. "Actually, sir, it is in part because of you that it isn't."
"Because of me? How is that possible?"
Data fairly whipped out a P.A.D.D. and punched a command into it. "This is part of a recording of a speech you gave two years ago at Starfleet Academy. I believe the subject was 'Protect Yourself: Because Starfleet Won't.' "He tapped the P.A.D.D. and a sound recording played.
"I don't believe the way Starfleet designs your ships! Okay, what is the single most important place on a starship? The bridge! Where do these people put the bridge on every ship they build? On the outside of your ship! Right in the center of the primary hull. Okay, the bridge is round, the primary hull is round. It's a bull's-eye! These people put your bridge right in the middle of a target that's so obvious that a chess computer could lock on to it. Once the shields are down your entire bridge crew are sitting ducks! A single phaser hit would simultaneously take out the first and probably second officer, the science officer, tactical officer, helmsman, operations manager, possibly the chief engineer, and, oh ya, the Captain of the ship! The bridge of your ship should be inside it, in the geometric center of it, with as much structure and armor around it as possible. Let's just put it this way: The safer the bridge crew is, the safer the entire ship is. Does that not make sense to you folks?" A chorus of cheers and applause briefly peeled and then it was silenced at a keystroke from Data.
Data's face turned serious for a moment. "Starfleet took you seriously, Colonel. Your speech made the rounds of all the top brass in Starfleet. You caused quite a stir, sir."
It was my turn to smile. "Well it wasn't supposed to do that, although, in retrospect, I guess it helped them to take my S.P.E.D.A.R. designs more seriously. It was just supposed to be a motivational speech to get the students to be more independent and self-reliant. To make them understand the limitations of their technology and not to rely on it too much and make them use their minds as well as their tools. It wasn't supposed to cause a revolution."
"Well, sir, it made Starfleet re-evaluate its design parameters for all new vessels. New priorities were established and new standards were set. The U.S.S. Angeles is the result. Every design feature and stress point on the ship has been upgraded and passed testing in simulation through one hundred billion repetitions.
"Even the computer systems have been upgraded. The on-board computer is a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence Matrix. However, it is not just an 'on-board computer'; its matrix was designed solely for this ship and is completely integrated into every part of it. Even in its developmental stages, it was given a simulated ship to control. As far as it is concerned, it is the ship. For example, where we use our legs and walk, it uses its engines and flies. Where we use our eyes to see, it uses its sensors to scan. We use fists and feet for combat; it has phasers and photon torpedoes. The hull is its body and the computer core is its brain. Similar matrices have not yet been incorporated into any other vessel – including the prototype U.S.S. Inquisitor, which has a standard computer. It is advanced enough that its designers have it up for review to be designated an artificial life form like myself."
"Wait a minute," Simmons interrupted. "You're saying it's as smart as you?"
"In terms of sheer computational speed, storage capacity and access and retrieval time, its abilities equal and, in some areas, even exceed my own. Although, being an isolinear, optronic matrix and not a positronic one, it takes up considerably more space than I do." Data reached up with a finger and tapped his head, smiling. We all chuckled and Data continued.
"In terms of personality, it has not yet achieved my stage of development although it has made some interesting personal choices. For example, it has designated itself as female and prefers to be addressed as 'Angeles', rather than 'Computer'. Apparently, it has decided that it likes being a ship and doesn't want to be anything else. It has stated that in the event that it is designated an artificial life form, it volunteers itself to serve as a member of Starfleet and abide by Starfleet regulations. It has even volunteered to take the oath, if Starfleet requires it. It has reached relative 'adulthood' but lacks experience and, as yet, has shown few emotional responses, although its programming does include all of them. It is programmed to learn and adapt and since it possesses such a high computational speed it learns and adapts quickly.
"It will be very easy for you to become comfortable with the controls because while you spend time learning the computer, it will also learn you. Eventually, it will know you so well that it will cease to work for you and begin to work with you. It will learn to anticipate your needs so that, for example, when you activate a console or sit down at a station the interfaces automatically configure themselves to your preferences and bring up controls and readouts that are relevant to the current situation."
Again, Simmons broke in. "How can it bring up the controls you need before you ask for them?"
Data smiled. "It is very intelligent, it listens and watches."
"All the time?" Simmons asked.
"Yes," Data said.
"Everywhere?"
"The whole ship. It learns the crew by listening to them and watching them. There are audio and visual pickups throughout the ship."
"Even in the shower?" Tan asked.
Data smiled again. "It is programmed for modesty, Lieutenant. And the devices can be deactivated at any time except during an emergency. I sincerely hope you would not be taking a shower during an emergency." Everybody laughed at that and Data began pulling himself up the grav shaft.
We all followed him. As we reached deck three, I saw that we were in a rather large, semi-circular room. Forward of the shaft was a bulkhead with one door on which was a placard reading 'Sick Bay'. Banks of isolinear modules and optronic and bio-neural circuitry surrounded us. Dead center, aft was another door. Data proceeded aft, speaking as he went.
"This is the main computer core -- the 'brain' of the ship. It is," he said, looking at me, "in an area of the ship which is as well protected from damage as the bridge, which is directly above us; as near as is possible to the geometric center of the vessel. As with the bridge, it is so well shielded and protected that in order to damage it directly, such as by weapons fire, the ship itself would have to be virtually destroyed." He proceeded through the aft door.
We entered an oblong compartment that appeared to extend about half the length of the ship. At the back of the room was the most impossibly small warp core I had ever seen. It was no more than four meters high and about one meter wide, extending into vaulted alcoves above and below. The dilithium intermix chamber was only about one and a half meters in diameter and two, half meter wide, plasma conduits extended horizontally from each side, disappearing into the walls. Energy pulsed in waves from the top and bottom of the core into the dilithium chamber and coursed out through the plasma conduits. Gravimetric field coils embraced the warp chambers and plasma conduits at equal intervals, creating light and dark bands along their lengths.
Data led us over to a large flat console, about one meter high, one meter wide and two long, halfway between the doors and the warp core. Holographic control interfaces floated mid-air around the outer edge of its flat, black surface and a holographic projection of the ship hovered above it.
"This display is the most recent upgrade in diagnostic tools. It is a real-time, isomorphic projection of the ship's current condition. Any change in its condition is duplicated immediately here. This allows the engineer to make a visual assessment of any damage so problems can be diagnosed more quickly. It can be rotated in three dimensions, peeled like an onion or zoomed in and out at any point. In short, any part of the ship can be viewed from any angle at any time. Even what's going on inside the warp core. All in real time."
On either side of the room a little further on were engineering stations with amalgamated hard interfaces and holographic displays. Two command consoles were mounted sixty degrees apart on a semi-circular rail that surrounded the core and terminated at the rear bulkhead. Kowalski headed for the diagnostic display and started activating diagnostics and status monitors.
"Sergeant Kowalski, the diagnostics are not necessary. All of my systems are functioning at one hundred percent efficiency." I didn't realize at first that it was the computer speaking (Pardon me, the ship speaking). The voice was definitely feminine, light but not in a vapid way. It sounded somehow more confident and self-assured than an ordinary computer. Like it wasn't just reciting data but actually understood what it was talking about. The sensation was almost eerie. It would take some getting used to. Kowalski jumped at the sound of the ship speaking. As surprised as I was that the ship would proffer information that was not requested. Starfleet computers were notorious for not volunteering information.
"Whoa!" Kowalski said, turning to Data. "Does it always do that?"
"Quite a bit actually," Data answered. "You get used to it. Thank you, Angeles."
"You're welcome, Commodore Data."
"Now, if you'll all follow me…" Data said, heading for the door. We accompanied him out of Engineering and back to the Computer Core. He began ascending the grav ladder again and we all followed him up. We found ourselves at the aft section of the Bridge, facing forward. Behind us was a door that I assumed lead to crew quarters.
"Finally," he said, with a sweeping gesture of his hand, "the Bridge."
As Data continued his exposition, I lagged behind the group and just looked around. The first thing that struck me was how small it was, it was generally circular, like all Starfleet bridges, but only about five meters in diameter. Instead of a view screen, the front half of the ceiling curved down to the floor in a dome shape forming a nearly perfect quarter-sphere. It was almost completely smooth and a uniform gray color. The command chair was, as usual, in the center of the circle. There were no rails or barriers anywhere. I went to it and sat down. Immediately to my left and right were command consoles and small holo-projectors extended inward from the arms of the chair. I surmised that, when activated, they would project displays in the air in front of me. To my left was the Tactical station and to my right was Ops. Above and behind me on the left and right of the grav ladder were the Science and Engineering stations. Directly in front of me, recessed into the floor was the Conn/Navigation station.
I briefly studied the command console on my right and activated a control. Instantly, the spherical viewscreen seemed to disappear, replaced by a view of the interior of hangar bay eighteen. The view was so accurately reproduced that it seemed that the ceiling and front wall of the bridge had been completely cut away, and I was sitting in the open air. Everybody stopped moving and stared around wondrously -- except, of course, Perak.
Perak, the quintessential Vulcan, appeared only marginally fascinated. "Impressive," he said in his usual monotone.
"Ah," said Data, "Colonel, I see you have found the viewscreen controls. And I agree with you Mr. Perak, it is quite impressive, isn't it?"
"It's aesthetic qualities aside," Perak responded, "I believe that it would be a definite asset in combat as well as navigation, particularly from the command and Conn positions. The spherical projection would give a marked advantage in tactical view, allowing a three dimensional basis on which to formulate strategic maneuvers and carry them out."
I looked slightly upwards and said, "Computer – I mean, Angeles, is the… are you ready for departure?" Damn, that was going to take some getting used to.
"Yes, Colonel, I am fully fueled and stocked and ready for extended duty," The ship responded.
"Very well, stations everyone," I said
Kowalski, Mollen and Simmons immediately headed below. Kowalski and Simmons to Engineering, Mollen to Sick Bay. Q'iang sat down at the Science station, Tan at the tactical station, Perak at Ops, Donaldson at the Engineering station and Vorn went and lowered himself into the Conn Station's recessed chair. Data moved forward to stand on my left. I mentally slapped myself for being pissed off that he was blocking my view of Lt. Tan. "Commodore, unless you are planning to accompany us?"
"No sir, as intriguing as your mission sounds, I believe my presence is still required aboard the Enterprise."
"Very well then, thank you very much for the tour. I hope to see you again when this is all over."
"You are quite welcome, sir, and good hunting"
"Angeles lock onto Mr. Data and beam him back to the Enterprise."
"Acknowledged, Colonel." Data smiled as he flickered and disappeared faster than any transporter I had ever seen.
"Mr. Perak," I said. "Contact Starbase Control and clear us for launch."
"Yes, sir. Starbase control, this is the U.S.S. Angeles. We are ready for departure."
"U.S.S. Angeles, this is Starbase control. You are cleared for launch."
"Confirmed, Angeles out"
Well, it was time to see what this ship could do. In front of me, I could see the huge bay doors of the launch bay opening. "Mr. Vorn, Clear all moorings and lines. Release docking clamps. Bridge to engineering, Mr. Kowalski, do you think you could manage to figure out how to get those engines online?" I quipped.
"Yes, sir, engines coming online now. Full impulse and warp power available. Quantum Slipstream drive is standing by," he replied, excitedly, he was obviously in his glory now.
"Very good, people, thrusters ahead. Mr. Vorn, take us out." The ship slid smoothly from the launch bay and into open space.
"We are clear, sir," Perak said.
"Thank you Mr. Perak. Mr. Vorn, set course, one two seven, mark four one. Take us to warp four."
"Affirmative, sssir. One two ssseven, mark four one."
The low hum of the engines built up quickly as the ship prepared for warp speed. The stars on the view screen seemed to stretch out as the parallax effect took place. Perak's voice was calm, "Sir, incoming message."
"On screen please," I said.
"Yessir." Perak replied. A large, yellow rectangle formed at the front of the screen and Captain Picard's lean face appeared.
"Colonel, I have just received word that the Telamon negotiations took less time than anticipated. The ambassador has left for Risa ahead of schedule."
"Great," I said. "Can anything else go wrong with this mission? What's his E.T.A. at Risa?"
"Approximately three days."
I sighed. "Very well, thank you for the update, Garren out."
The square with Picard in it vanished, replaced by the parallax lines of stars flying by at warp speed. "Mr. Vorn, lay in new course and speed to make Risa orbit in forty-eight hours.
"Yesss Sssir, courssse: two four two mark ssseven one, ssspeed: warp eight point four."
"Engage."
"Sssir, if I may?"
"Yes, Private?"
"If we ussse the quantum ssslipssstream drive, we could be there in jussst under an hour."
"I know Vorn, but it's not necessary. We'll still be there well ahead of the ambassador and our shakedown cruise was going to be two days anyway. We can use the time to our own advantage by running drills and combat simulations."
"Yesss sssir, engaging ssstandard warp enginesss."