The Sim

In 2367, Starfleet Command ordered the primary design team at the Buklias III shipyards to develop a new class of starship to directly support the fleet in case of another Borg incursion. After the battle at Wolf 359, many lessons were learned in terms of efficient starship operation along with point defense strategy, close-in support for emergency evacuation and first strike analysis of tactical defenses.

At the time, the only starship capable of surviving the longest in a fight with the Borg was the Galaxy Class, but considering the lengthy construction time needed to build such a ship, the fleet was vulnerable and with that, an advanced and efficient ship was needed to be built to help defend the fleet in the interim.

During the previous incursion at Wolf 359, the Corps of Starfleet Engineers had already built and tested the Chariot Class, but found that its current design needed an upgrade to compete with the current threat. Along with Starfleet Command's orders, Starleet Corps of Engineers made suggestions as to how the Chariot Class could support their needs as well, so a compromise was made and with the continuing guidance by the Tellarite Union, modifications would begin to refit the Chariot Class to meet the newer demanding specs.

Several proposed designs were submitted for RFC (Request for Contract) to Starfleet Engineering and were scrutinized in terms of overall operation in relation to the proposed designs, or in layman's terms: "form following function".

One design in particular that arguably became the final approved design, called for a more radical flow to the curvature of the primary hull or saucer section of the vessel. in the past, the bridge command module sat dead center to the centerline of the hull, providing ease of access to the lower decks by way of the turbolifts, but this idea was now abandoned in favor of a more forward position to the saucer hull, providing more dorsal space for potential shuttle and fighter bay access, which had been argued in the past whenever a new vessel design was proposed.

With this new addition, flight operations control was moved to Deck One, inline with the main bridge. Another advantage was the close support of these defensive operations relative to the command of the ship itself. Flight ops controlled most of the critical flight systems of fighters and shuttle craft in times of war and the remaining bays in the secondary hull were independently controlled by their own flight operations.

Another major design implementation was the position of the warp engine nacelles in relation to the secondary hull. Again, most starships in the past were placed above and to the rear of the primary hull with the nacelle pylons at 45 to 60 degrees of normal to the secondary hull. With a new horizontal placement of the engines and pylons, engineers were given more freedom with the placement of the warp plasma transfer conduits coming from the warp core, maintaining a horizontal alignment to the secondary hull and thusly, freeing up more compartment space for possible shuttle bays, greater deuterium storage tanks, general stowage, crew quarters, etc.

Along with the new engine emplacements and their power transfer systems, the idea of installing two warp cores was given considerable thought. Once again, engineers and designers took cues from previous design deficiencies and realized one major flaw with the current power generation vs. usage which was significant power drain and/or failure during conflicts, spatial anomalies and other similar events that frequently occurred during service. With a warp core down for maintenance and/or repair, reserve power storage systems were often run in low consumption operation, which could leave a ship defenseless if another event came about. The solution was to install a second core which unfortunately would open up a whole new set of issues that had to be overcome by the engineers. A-Synchronous power distribution nodes would have to be placed at regular intervals through the ship, positioned within the paths of power transfer and external power supply conduits.

The main engineering computer would also need a major upgrade to compensate for the extra duty. Continuous cycling of the diagnostic computer routines were to be a standard function of the engineering computer along with split-second timing of catastrophic loss preparedness and redundant control nodes feeding the warp core subsystems. Starfleet Technologies was ultimately awarded the contract to develop a newer model computer core system that could process multiple system commands to core ship function in fractions of a second, which would be a giant leap in technology for Starfleet vessels in the future. Transitioning from a Duotronic to an Isolinear system, took several years of development but when implemented onboard the Chariot class, operations became more efficient while error dramatically decreased.

Joint-Strike Operations was a new department introduced to the fleet, taking the lead for command in wartime situations. Operational services and accommodations would also be needed so designers created a new primary hull design which would hold operation compartments for advanced security and tactical staff allowing them free reign for wartime strategic planning and coordination of their troops and fighters on the battlefront. upgraded communications, significantly upgraded sensor suites were in place to make the new vessel not only a formidable vessel to the enemy, but a primary strategic vessel in any fleet.

Since combat efficiency was rated high on the list of issues that needed to be addressed, Starfleet Defense suggested an upgrade to all weapons systems so a newer type of phaser array was implemented along with more efficient launch capabilities of the variable payload torpedo tubes.

Current warp engine design hadn't changed much since the inception of the Galaxy Class and its accompanying M/ARA propulsion systems, but since the Galaxy Class had issues with an overage of mass in space and its maneuvering capabilities were subpar at best in a fight, those systems were implemented into the Chariot Class and with its advantage of being more maneuverable by design, it could not only act as a command platform in wartime situations could also act as a frontline strike vessel. With its advanced communications and inter-ship "Hyperlink" data transfer (which had a discriminate .0001 delay), no other ship in a given fleet would be without necessary information at any given point in time during battle. The on-board Strategic Operations Officer primary responsibility was to stay in constant communication with the fleet and also receive updated command orders from the flagship as well.

After design was approved and construction took place, Starfleet could see that they did indeed have one of the most efficient and advanced starships in their arsenal. Some considered the Chariot Class refit to be "one well oiled machine" when it came to operational improvements and they gained further optimism that if one day that another Borg incursion happened, Starfleet would be prepared.

Construction refit took place in 2368 on an existing vessel in the yards. Timing was crucial at this point as the ship was in waiting for its warp engine fitting. Current design production was halted and the implementation of the refit orders came through. It only took 23 months to refit the ship and test all systems. Commissioning was done in a quiet ceremony at the shipyards but enthusiastic applause was heard around the quadrant as the newly named U.S.S. Midway was on her way to make history. Command codes were transferred from the Dockmaster to Commodore Brendan Verago as well as General Jack Rothford and the Midway's first assignment sent its crew to patrol the Buklias System while on battle alert.

In the mid 2370's, the USS Lionheart was pulled from the lines of the Dominion War, a decision Starfleet Admirals venomously disagreed with, to be refit once more. Within six months, the USS Lionheart was restored to active service, but with the first transdimensional drive. Her existence was highly classified and her first test was deemed an utter failure with loss of all hands. The Lionheart went on exploring the Mirror Universe for new technologies which might give the Federation an advantage against the Dominion. Unfortunately, nothing new was discovered that could help the Federation.

After the war, the Lionheart was declassified and returned to active duty, with transdimensional drive intact. Now, the ship uses the drive to its own advantage.