SSV Normandy SR-1
Overview
SSV Normandy Stealth Reconnaissance - 1 was an experimental Normandy-Class Stealth Reconnaissance Frigate of the Human Systems Alliance Navy commissioned in 2183. A joint-sepcies endeavor, built by Alliance and Turian Hierarchy engineers, utilising top-of-the-line experimental technology, Normandy was the most advanced and most expensive human vessel to date. With a price tag equivalent to that of a York-class Heavy Cruiser.
Construction
The ship was constructed in the ship assembly plant of the Alliance Capital of Arcturus Station. A deep space station located at the L5 lagrange point of the gas giant, Themis in the Arcturus System, 37 lightyears from Earth. With construction beginning in 2181.
The ship was jointly constructed by both the Human Systems Alliance and Turian Hierarchy with oversight by the Citadel Council. She was designed and developed by both human and turian engineers and features a combination of designs and features from both races. Construction was overseen by Systems Alliance Rear Admiral Franklin Monroe Hierarchy General Sirran Invictus.
Eventually, Alliance Command took control of the vessel rather than Palaven Command. The ship received the designation, SSV Normandy SR-1 and Captain Ellie Xander was selected as Commanding Officer. However, when Xander came into conflict with turian Chief Engineer Octavio Tatum over the limits of the ship's drive core, Xander was removed and Alliance legend, Captain David Anderson was placed in command a few months prior to her commissioning.
On 7 April 2183, the Normandy saw her first test flight. Under the control of Flight Lieutenant Jessie Crooks, the Normandy was scheduled to fly a present course to test her capabilities and limitations. However, before Crooks could perform the test, the vessel was hijacked by another Alliance officer. Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Who ran the course in record time, while under military pursuit. Apon landing, Moreau was taken into custody and when asked why he did it, he explained that he was the best pilot the Alliance had, but due to a disease that rendered him almost incapable of walking, the only way he would have gotten a chance to fly the ship was to steal it.
Captain Anderson and General Invictus, impressed by the Lieutenant's skill and spirit, both agreed that there was no one better suited as the Normandy's pilot.
Service History
The SSV Normandy was officially commissioned on 12 May 2183. As part of the Alliance 5th Fleet 63rd Scout Flotilla, under the command of Rear Admiral Mikhailovich.
During her first shakedown run to the colony of Eden Prime on the 13th of May 2183, the colony was attacked the synthetic geth. The Normandy's Executive Officer, Commander Shepherd deployed to the surface with a small squad and saved the colony. This battle marked the start of a series of skirmishes between Citadel and geth forces throughout the Attican Traverse know as the Eden Prime War.
After the battle, the Normandy travelled to the Citadel. Shepherd would be granted Spectre Status and authorised to hunt down Saren Arterius, the turian who led the geth. To aid her in this endeavour, Captain Anderson stepped down as Commanding Officer of the Normandy, giving the ship to Shepherd.
With the Normandy serving as her base of operations and method of transportation, Commander Shepherd spearheaded the counter offensive against the geth. With the Normandy being deployed to a number of engagements including the extraction of Dr Liara T'soni from Therum on the 15th of May 2183, the defence of Feros on the 21st of May 2183 and the rachni incident on Noveria on the 27th of May 2183.
The Normandy would also aid the Commander in several missions to protect human interests. The most notable being the X57 incident, where the ship assisted Shepherd in saving the colony of Terra Nova from a group of baterians who tried to destroy it with an astroid drop on the 31st of May 2183.
On the 2nd of June 2183, the Normandy would be present at the Battle of the Citadel. She flew at the head of 5th Fleet, coordinating between the fleet and Commander Shepherd's ground team. The Normandy also landed the killing blow against Sovereign.
on the 26th of June, after a short, but eventful career, the Normandy would be attacked by an unknown enemy vessel and destroy while on patrol. The ship would be declared lost in action and in 2185, a memorial would be placed on the ships final resting place on Alchera.
Hull and Superstructure
From stem to stern, the Normandy had a length of 132 meters, a wingspan of 62 meters and a height of 19 meters. This made her the smallest Frigate that the Systems Alliance navy had ever commissioned.
her hull is composed of 15 centimeters of high-density, ablative ceramic composite armour plating. These plates were hung from scaffolds around the ship's interior pressure hull and consisted of several layers of armour separated by baffles, spaces often used for cargo storage.
Though it did provide protection against kinetic based weapons, the ablative armour was also highly effective at negating the penetrative effects of directed energy weapons such as lasers. The armour boiled away when heated. The vaporised armour material scattered directed energy weapon beams. Rendering them ineffectual.
The ship's exterior was lined with strips of pure ceramic as part of her Defused Radiator Array (DRA) radiation system. While cruising, the ship radiated the excess heat of internal operations through these stripes. Making her appear striped on thermographic sensors.
The DRA wasn't as effective as regular radiation panels, but if a strip was damaged, the ship only lossed a portion of her radiation capabilities, rather than the entire array.
The airlock was located on the port side of the hull. With a cargo ramp on the ship's underside.
The hull was of a unique design. Like most Alliance vessels, the Normandy was built around her main gun, which ran 90% of her length. Unlike other Alliance Frigates, however, the Normandy featured a curved, almost streamlined design, rather than the angular, wedged design of other Alliance ships. This shape meant that the Normandy had a radar cross section no larger than an starfighter.
Kinetic Barriers
The Normandy was also equipped with Heavy Ship mass repulsive kinetic barrier generators. These shields could withstand a direct impact from the main gun of another Frigate without damaging the vessel.
Kinetic barriers consisted of hundreds of tiny mass effect field emitters that covered the ship's exterior hull. When an object with mass approached the ship above a certain velocity, it triggered the barriers' reflex system. Generating a localised repulsive mass effect field, deflecting it.
Kinetic Barriers are limited by the amount of stress they can withstand. Sufficient enough kinetic energy can overload the shield generators. Resulting in the temporary deactivation of the system.
Power and Propulsion
Primary power for the Normandy was provided by a Z23-7596 Nuclear Fusion Power Plant.
Auxiliary power wasprovided by 4 Hydrogen Fuel Cells, which could power the entire ship for upto 8 hours if the power plant is taken offline.
The Normandy's Tantalus Mass Effect drive core was the most important component of the ship. Mass Effect drives use dark energy to generate mass effect fields. They do this by introducing an electric current to a core of element zero These fields are capable of altering the mass of a volume of space time. A positive current increased mass and a negative current decreased mass. This allowed the generation of kinetic barriers, increasing the power of weapons and altering the mass of the entire ship. Allowing increased mobility beyond what should be possible. It also gave the ship her FTL capabilities. Allowing her to travel at least 25% faster than any other vessel in the known galaxy.
The Normandy's Tantalus drive was of a unique design. Proportionally double the standard size, the drive required 120 Billion credits of element zero to build. The logistics of fitting such a massive drive in a ship so small was challenging. The massive drive also upset the balance of the ship. Making her "stern-heavy", The increased size and advanced design of the drive core, allowed for enhanced maneuverability and a reduction in drive static charge. The Normandy could also achieve much faster FTL speeds than other vessels. Averaging at 15 lightyears per day, the ship was at least 30% faster than any other vessel in Citadel Space.
Though the Tantalus drive allowed the Normandy to achieve extremely high velocities, both sublight and FTL Propulsion was provided by a set of 6 oversized, military-grade, vectored thrust antiproton drives. 4 prograde and 2 retrograde. These thrusters were all mounted on large adjustable pylons that gave the thruster assembly it's mantis-like appearance and allowed extreme agility during flight. They worked by injecting antiprotond into a reaction chamber filled with protium. The most common and stable isotope of hydrogen. Consisting of a proton nucleus and a single electron. The antiproton is the antimatter version of the proton contained at the nucleus of protium, but with the opposite of charge. The resulting matter-antimater annihilation provided unmatched motive power. The exhaust of the Normandy's antiproton drives were measured in millions of degrees Celsius. Any vessel caught behind them would've melted like wax to a blowtorch.
For maneuverability, the Normandy was equipped with an array of Hydrogen-oxygen reaction control thrusters.
As part of the Normandy's stealth system, she was also equipped with an experimental Mass Propulsion Drive. This drive was powered by the Tantalus drive and was capable of generating artificial gravity wells using mass effect fields that the Normandy could "fall into" allowing the ship to temporarily fly without the use of heat-emitting thrusters. However, the Mass Propulsion drive tended to put a lot of strain on the Mass Effect core. Even with the modifications of the Tantalus, overuse of the propulsion drive could cause drive core failure.
Crew and Complement
As of 15 May 2183, Normandy had an official compliment of 43 personnel. All handpicked by Captain Anderson and a few later added by Commander Shepherd
Notable Crew include:
- Commander Jane Shepherd - Commanding Officer (CO)
- Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau - Chief Helmsman
- Lieutenant Charles Pressly - Chief Navigator
- Dr Karin Chakwas - Chief Medical Officer
- Lieutenant Greg Adams - Chief Engineer
- Staff Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko - Marine Detail Commander
- Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams - Marine
- Garrus Vakarian - Turian Chief Gunnery Officer
- Liara T'soni - Asari Prothian Expert
- Urdnot Wrex - Krogan bounty hunter
- Tali'Zorah nar Rayya - Quarian engineer
Plus an additional 28 naval personnel and 4 marines for security.
Normandy carried 6 emergency escape pods and 1 M-35 Mako IFV in her cargo hold.
Due to her small size, Normandy had very little to offer in terms of crew accommodations. Aside from the Commanding Officer, the rest of the crew slept in sleeper pods as the ship lacked a crew's quarters. The ship also had a Cafeteria for recriminational use and a medbay, but little else.
The Normandy carried 100 radar emitting micro-satellites for planetary surveillance.
Sensors and Communications
Normandy relied heavily on an array of active and passive sensors to remain aware of he surroundings, however "light lag' prevented seeing in real-time over great distances. Due to the light-speed limit, the ship couldn't see enemy vessels approaching until they had already arrived, as there is FTL travel, but no FTL sensors.
Passive sensors were used for long-range detection and included visual, thermographic and radio detectors that watched and listened for objects in space. A powered ship emits a great deal of energy; the heat of the life support systems; the radiation given off by power plants and electrical equipment; the exhaust of the thrusters. Starships stand out plainly against the near-absolute zero background of space. Passive sensors could be used during FTL travel, but incoming data was significantly distorted by the effect of the mass effect envelope and Doppler shift.
Active sensors were used for short-range detection. These included radars and high resolution ladars (LAser Detection And Ranging) that emitted a "ping" of energy and "listened" for return signals. Ladars have a narrower field of view than radar, but ladar resolution allows images of detected objects to be assembled. Active sensors were useless when a ship is moving at FTL speeds.
For reconnaissance purpose, the Normandy possessed a planet scanner, consisting of 100 micro-satellites which could be deployed into a planetary orbit, quickly providing a global Digital Elevation Model at 27 meters per pixel. Providing an accurate real-time image of a planetary surface on the Normandy's main holotable. Ideal for geological and biological prospecting, archaeological research, and long-term security surveillance. By employing such a massive multistatic grid of nearly-untraceable micro-emitters, the resilient scanner was virtually invulnerable to electronic countermeasures. The spherical geometry of the scanning grid also allowed superior cross-sectioning.
Forr communication, Normandy transmitted information to the nearest mass relay comm buoy. Comm buoys are maintained in patterns built outward from each mass relay. The buoys are little more than a cluster of primitive, miniature mass relays. Each individual buoy is connected to a partner on another buoy in the network, forming a corridor of low-mass space. Tightbeam communications lasers are piped through these "tubes" ofFTLspace, allowing virtually instantaneous communication to anywhere on the network. The networks connect across regions by communications lasers through the mass relays. Military communications get top priority in the comm buoy network, ensuring no communication lag due to limited bandwidth.
Armament
The Normandy's primary armament was a 120 meter long 27D3F8 Light mass accelerator cannon. Mass accelerators propel solid metal slugs via electromagnetic attraction and repulsion. A slug lightened by a mass effect field can be accelerated to extremely high speeds, permitting previously unattainable projectile velocities. The primary determinant of a mass accelerator's destructive power is length. The longer the barrel, the longer the slug can be accelerated, the higher the slug's final velocity, and therefore the greater its kinetic impact. However, mass accelerators produce recoil equal to their impact energy. While the mass effect fields suspending the rounds mitigate the recoil, recoil shock can still rattle crews and damage systems. Slugs are designed to squash or shatter on impact, increasing the energy they transfer to its target. Without collapsibility, slugs would punch through their targets while inflicting only minimal damage. Rather than being mounted on the exterior, starship guns are housed inside hulls and visible only as gun portholes from outside.
Normandy's main gun fired a 20 kg slug of ferric titanium at 604 km/s. Impacting with a force of 3 648 160 Megajoules of kinetic energy. Equivalent to 872 t of TNT every 2 seconds.
The Normandy was the first vessel to field test the experimental Javelin torpedo tube. She was equipped with 2 M-53 Javelin Mk1 torpedo tubes. Disruptor torpedos have warheads that create random, unstable mass effect fields when triggered. These fields warp space-time in localised areas. The rapid, a symmetrical mass changes cause the target to rip itself apart. The Javelin fired disposable Disruptor torpedos on converging trajectories, the torpedoes detonated in a precisely timed sequence that allowed the warhead's dark energy to resonate and thereby magnify the resulting space-time warp effects. Like fighter-launched torpedoes, Normandy's Javelins were "cold-launched" for safety reasons, though they used a different approach. Resembling old-fashioned submarine torpedo tubes, Javelin torpedoes came packed in individual sealed tubes filled with compressed, inert gas. Opening the front of the tube caused escaping gases to push the torpedo into the vacuum, releasing a puff of crystals around the mouth of the tube. After completely clearing the tube, the torpedo ignited its thrusters. As missile weapons, Javelins were subject to highly accurate defensive GARDIAN fire. They had to be launched in large numbers and at short range to have any chance of hitting their target at all.
The Normandy's General ARea Defense Integration Anti-spacecraft Network (GARDIAN) consisted of 10 anti-missile/anti-fighter laser turrets on the exterior hull. Because these were under computer control, the gunnery control officer needed to do little beyond turn the system on and designate targets as hostile. Since lasers move at light speed, they couldn't be dodged by anything moving at non-relativistic speeds. Unless the beam was aimed poorly, it always hit its target. In the early stages of a battle, the GARDIAN fire was 100% accurate. It was not 100% lethal, but it didn't have to be. Damaged fighters had to break off for repairs. Lasers are limited by diffraction. The beams "spread out", decreasing the energy density (watts per m2) the weapon can place on a target. Any high-powered laser is a short-ranged weapon. GARDIAN networks have another limitation: heat. Weapons-grade lasers require "cool-down" time, during which heat is transferred to sinks or radiators. As lasers fire, heat builds within them, reducing damage, range, and accuracy. Fighters attack in swarms. The first few WILL be hit by GARDIAN, but as the battle continues, the effects of laser overheat allow the attacks to press ever closer to the ship. Constant use will burn out the laser. GARDIAN lasers typically operate in infrared frequencies. Shorter frequencies would offer superior stopping power and range, but degradation of focal arrays and mirrors would make them expensive to maintain, and most prefer mechanical reliability over leading-edge performance where lives are concerned. Lasers are not blocked by the kinetic barriers of capital ships. However, the range of lasers limits their use to rare "knife fight"-range ship-to-ship combat.
Layout
The Normandy had 3 Decks
Deck 1 was the Combat Deck and included the bridge at the bow, which contained the helm, gunnery control station and sensors analysis sation. 8 additional stations lined the walkway leading to the Combat Information Centre, which contained the ship's primary holotable and navigation system. Additional stations surrounded the holotable, with an elevated platform called the Commanding Officer's Podium situated behind the table. From this platform, the CO overlooked the rest of the crew and had access to the holotable's primary console. Standard Alliance ship design had the main holotable more towards the bow with the Officer's Podium in a more central position. The Normandy's CIC design utilised a modified turian design. Having the Commanding Officer looking over their subordinates, rather than being in the middle of them. On the CIC's back wall were three doors. The port and starboard doors led to the staircases leading to Deck 2, while the centre door led to the comm room, containing a series of chairs set in a circle, as well as a central holo projector and a vid screen on the back wall.
Deck 2 was the Crew Deck and had a cargo elevator at the back leading to Deck 3. Behind the cargo elevator was the Cafeteria, containing a table and small kitchen. Towards the bow of the deck was the Sleeper Pod Hallway, lined with 10 sleeper pods. Due to limited space, crew took turns in each sleeper pod. At the end of the Sleeper Pod Hallway was the Main Battery, where the main gun was prepared and maintained for combat. The port side of the Cafeteria contained the Commanding Officer's office and quarters, the starboard side contained a state-of-the-art medbay, with a laboratory behind it.
Deck 3 contained the cargo hold. With the vehicle bay on the starboard side and the armoury and cargo bay on the port side. At the stern of Deck 3 was main engineering, containing the Drive core and power plant.