After stumbling upon this fic, I've become a massive fan. And reading all of the side-stories, omakes, and such has inspired me to make my own contribution.
I know that there are already several posts about concepts for the Slawkenberg Navy, so I hope my post is okay.
This is my concept of a Gloriana-Class Battleship if Slawkengberg ever built one. They would discover the plans after Cain just stumbles upon some random wreck of a Gloriana drifting in space or something and the Borgs go crazy studying it.
Gloriana-Class Battle Carrier: Fist of the Liberator
General Description: The personal command ship of the glorious Liberator Ciaphas Cain and flagship of the United Slawkenberg Navy (USN), the Fist of the Liberator takes its namesake from the original troop transport turned warship that first housed the infamous superweapon the Liberator used to destroy the Dark Eldar flagship in their ill fated raid on Slawkenberg.
Inspired from plans obtained after studying the wreckage of a long lost Gloriana-Class Battleship; the Borg have made extensive alterations in the design of the Fist of the Liberator compared to the standard Gloriana Pattern. Rather than a battleship role, the Borg have designed the Fist of the Liberator to more closely match the USN's combat doctrine of a greater reliance on space superiority fighters compared to the standard ships-of-the-line used by the Imperial Navy.
As such the Fist of the Liberator carries a far larger capacity for fighters compared to most warships of a similar size, with numerous hangers for the quick launching of fighters. In addition to the standard command bridge, there is a second command bridge devoted entirely to the organization and operation of fighter combat during battle. Thus, the ship has been reclassified by the Borg into the Gloriana-Class Battle Carrier in light of its added role.
However, while it gives greater focus to fighter combat, the Fist of the Liberator is not without its own armaments. Its main armament is the very same superweapon carried by the original Fist of the Liberator, though vastly more powerful, a massive warp cannon. The warp cannon is capable of firing a single large pulse or a devastating beam of destructive might. It is powered by a massive warp core. (I don't know if Zahariel actually called the superweapon on the Fist of the Liberator a Warp Cannon. But that's what I imagined it was. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)
In addition, the Fist of the Liberator boasts Lance and Batteries and Plasma Cannons. The Lance Batteries are used for long range bombardment of enemy ships. Meanwhile the Plasma Cannons can be configured to fire at either long ranges or close range should an enemy vessel ever engage in broadsides. The Plasma Cannons are mounted on ball turrets to increase their field of fire
In order to supplement the ship's long range combat abilities, the Fist of the Liberator comes equipped with the most advanced sensor and communication arrays the Borg could design. They allow for accurate data on enemy positions and enable the officers aboard to coordinate the vast swarms of fighters the Fist of the Liberator possesses. In addition, the advanced communication arrays are able to hack into local star system communications to aid in spreading the message of Liberation.
The Fist of the Liberator also possesses more subtle technology. The Borg's increasing advancements in automation has resulted in more efficient operations throughout the ship. Weapon systems are able to recycle power supplies and ammunition for increased rates of fire without a loss in power. Crew requirements are far lower when compared to Imperial ships of similar sizes. Efficient storage racks allow for a vast number of fighters to be held on board. Rail systems and launch catapults allow for the quick loading and launch of fighters.
While the Fist of the Liberator excels at long and mid-range combat, it suffers at close ranges. The Fist of the Liberator is not as heavily armed as Gloriana-Class Battleships of similar sizes and even certain battleships of lesser classes. Should enemy vessels of similar size get in close range the Fist of the Liberator can be overwhelmed. This is especially troubling when considering the Imperial Navy which boasts many battleships with heavy broadside armaments.
Meanwhile, the Warp Cannon, while powerful, is limited in its firing field due to being built into the hull with its barrel running the length of most of the hull. It requires the entire ship to be aimed at the target.
Dimensions: 23 km in length
Armament: 1x bow mounted Warp Cannon, 6x Dual-Barreled Lance Batteries (3x on the ventral and 3x on the dorsal surface), 6x Plasma Cannon Batteries (3x on the starboard and 3x on port), 28x torpedo tubes, numerous Cainwings/Bombers/assault craft, numerous point defense weapon systems
This is a link to a drawing I made of the ship. Please note my art skills are non-existent. This is a very rough draft of the image. And its unlikely that I'll ever continue to work on it. Although some flaws I wish I could fix are making the lance batteries smaller and adding some communication arrays: Image of Fist of the Liberator Gloriana Class Battle Carrier
And this more or less wraps up my idea on a Slawkenberg designed Gloriana. My concept was that of a flagship that matched Cain's philosophy of wanting to hang back far from any fighting while pretending it's a strategic decision. So the Fist of the Liberator is designed for mid to long-range combat and can throw vast swarms of fighters at enemy fleets. All the while hanging back far from the meat of the actual fight. Its close combat abilities aren't good because why would Cain want his flagship to be anywhere near the enemy engaging in broadsides?
So, with that said, any thoughts or ideas? Did I make the ship too overpowered? Or underpowered? What improvements could be made? What do you all think?
And if anyone who enjoys drawing wants to take the artwork further or improve on it, go for it!