Futuristic The Ongoing Voyages of the U.S.S. Phoenix - Database

[Geozaki]

This thread will contain important information that may be useful to you through the RP
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This whole thread is a massive WIP

 

[Geozaki]

Database Entry - The Galactic Union​

• Overview
• Ranks
• Divisions
• Commanding Officers
• Known Species

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  The Galactic Union is arguably one of the most well-established and most well-respected alliances of all explored space. Having started from seriously humble beginnings, the Union has thrived and grown into a multi-species symbol of peace, hope and adventure.
  
  Brief History:
  The Human race had always looked up at the stars, since the beginning of recorded history. But it wasn't until the Earth year 2062 that they achieved what they'd thought impossible, space travel on not only a commercial scale but space travel with speeds that were enough to carry them beyond their solar system. Travelling any practical distance was still overwhelmingly slow, but technology would only improve from there. Humanity started to discover life on other planets within their galaxy and decided to create an alliance with some of the members of these new species.
  
  Over many years this alliance grew into what is now known as the Galactic Union. Earth is still considered to be the 'Home' of the union and so many of the Union's high-ranking members decide to say on or near its vicinity, but by now there are Union bases on and around multiple planets and the union is only continuing to grow.
  
  Union Principles:
  The Union has a very strict code of ethics by which every member is expected to abide.
  
  Conflict - Other than in very specific situations, force is only ever to be used as a last resort. The Union strives toward reaching peaceful resolutions through negotiation wherever possible. Be it on a person-to-person scale or on a ship-to-ship scale, violence is not to be used unless deemed absolutely necessary and, when violence must be used, if possible, non-lethal tactics are preferred.
  
  Freedom - The Union has an explicit and extremely harsh view of slavery. It is unacceptable, no questions asked. If slavery of any kind is discovered, the Union will not hesitate to intervene. The vast majority of the species who are a part of the Union have reached a state of currency-free society. Everyone's needs are catered for and those who choose to work do so either for the prestige that it provides or because they genuinely love their job. There are of course societies that still operate with money and the Union does what it can to accommodate this. Members of the Union are also allowed unconditional freedom of self and are allowed to present as and be whoever they want to be, as long as who they want to be.
  
  
  
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  Everyone who serves aboard a Union ship or even who works for the union in almost any capacity will be assigned one of the following ranks. When operating in an official capacity, as well as wearing their correct uniforms, the 'Bars' depicting your current rand must also be worn, though the individual may choose whether they are worn as pads that run across the top of both of their shoulders, or as a pin that sits along their collar.
  
  
  
  
  ADMIRAL
  The rank of admiral is the highest rank you can achieve within the Galactic Union. Those with this rank can impose their wishes upon the ships of the Union's fleet even if the captain of said vessel disagrees. Most admirals are expected to perform almost exclusively in a political capacity, though they do have the right to command ships and a few members of the admiralty choose to do so.
  
  
  
  
  CAPTAIN
  The rank of captain is given to the highest ranking officer aboard a ship. Under normal circumstances, only one person with the rank of captain will serve on any given ship at one time. When it comes to the operation of a ship, the captain's word is final, unless an admiral steps in.
  
  
  
  
  COMMANDER
  Commanders are usually the second highest ranking members of a ship's crew. There are usually only one or two commanders on board any single vessel at one time and they are usually assigned as the first or second officers aboard the ship.
  
  
  
  LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
  Those who have received the rank of Lieutenant Commander are often in charge of their respective departments and can take on the role of second, third or fourth officers, in the case that no commanders are available they are high on the list to be chosen to assume control of the bridge. Protocol dictates that Lieutenants refer to Lieutenant Commanders simply as 'Commander' and that Commanders address them simply as 'Lieutenant'.
  
  
  
  LIEUTENANT
  The rank of Lieutenant is bestowed upon any member of the crew who has proven themselves to be incredibly gifted. Lieutenants often serve as leaders of small teams within a division, or even as chief officers in some circumstances as well. Lieutenants are often placed in charge of overseeing the progress of the Ensigns within their departments and encouraging them to reach their full potential.
  
  
  
  
  ENSIGN
  Ensigns are usually the most junior crew members aboard any given vessel and also make up the bulk of the crew on most ships. The rank of Ensign is given to every person who passes their Officers Exam, but they must prove their capabilities before receiving any further promotions.
  
  
  
  STUDENT
  Though they rarely find themselves serving on Union ships, the trainees still studying for their Officers Exams are sometimes granted time aboard a Union ship in order for them to gain some valuable first-hand experience on the effective operation of a ship. When this does happen, students are expected to wear grey uniforms which bear a stripe up the front in the colour of the division that they are training for.
  
  Additional: Acting
  Sometimes, in certain situations, someone may be granted an 'Acting' rank, this allows them to perform duties often restricted to crew members with a higher rank than them. For example, in extreme cases, a Lieutenant may be required to command the ship, in this case, they will be granted the rank of 'Acting Commander' so that they have the authority to carry out the tasks required to effectively command the ship. When they no longer require access to the perks of a higher rank, the person will return to their official rank, but their performances under an Acting rank will be monitored closely and taken into consideration when the decision is made on whether or not to promote them.
  
  
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  ADMIRALTY
  The rank of Admiral is the highest rank obtainable within the Galactic Union. Admirals don't often hold command over their own ships, though can do so if they wish to, Admirals are more often found serving the Union from offices on Earth, or any of the other planets established as an official Union homeworld. All lower ranks are required to respect and obey the wishes of the Admiralty, even the captain, must follow the orders of an Admiral when it comes to the operation of their ship. Command officers must also consult the Admiralty before taking action on specific duties, such as first contact, or interactions with anyone or anything that may have an impact on the political standing of the Union. Admirals wear purple uniforms and their badges are gold in colour rather than the silver badges worn by all other divisions.
  
  
  
  
  
  COMMAND
  Only the highest-ranking officers aboard any given ship are sorted into the command division, most of these officers have served within the Union for many years and started as a member of one of the other divisions before being promoted to a command position. Usually, only the captain and first officer on any given ship will be considered members of the command crew, but in very rare cases, a third or fourth officer may be considered a member of the command division as well, if they are promoted to third or fourth officer whilst not being the leader of their own respective division. The members of the command division on board a ship wear blue uniforms and silver badges.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  SECURITY
  Those who operate within the security division are tasked with keeping the people on board the ship safe at all times, be that from outside threats, or from each other. The security team act as peacekeepers aboard the ship, attempting to put a stop to any in-fighting between crew members, families, or guests aboard the ship. In addition, when faced with hostilities either on the ground or in the form of a boarding party, the security team are the ones who will be responsible for arming up and co-ordinating a suitable defence, or even, when times are desperate, a suitable offence. The security team are also in charge of keeping on top of the ship's munitions and weaponry and ensuring they are stored correctly and that the inventory is always adequately stocked. The security team is also the only team where all members, regardless of rank, are allowed to detain those on board to the brig. Members of the Security team wear red uniforms and silver badges.
  
  
  
  
  
  TACTICAL
  The members of the tactical division are the ship's political and strategic masterminds. The tactical division is responsible for conducting any communications to and from the ship (unless someone of higher rank requests to be the one responsible for specific communications), aiding in and strategising for any potential space combat exercises. If there are sensitive political situations on the ship, one or more tactical members may be assigned to assist and they may often be called to aid the security team with prisoner interrogations. The tactical team wear golden yellow uniforms and silver badges.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ENGINEERING
  The engineering team are in charge of keeping the ship in one piece and maintaining all of the systems. They are also in charge of developing and installing updates as well as performing any repairs needed at very short notice. The helmsmen and pilots are also a part of the Engineering division and, should a shuttle or fighter require deployment, the pilot will usually be selected from the engineering team, though on the odd occasion this will not be the case as most personnel will be familiar with piloting to some degree, but the people who wish to focus on piloting above all else will be submitted to the engineering department, usually making them the best choice. Engineers wear orange uniforms and silver badges.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  SCIENCE
  The science team is responsible for the majority of the ship’s analysis and research. They are the team who are responsible for studying samples taken from expeditions as well as any unknown substances found on or off the ship. The science team often aid the other divisions with certain projects. For example, they may help the engineering team on new upgrades on the ship. The science team wear spearmint green uniforms and silver badges.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  MEDICAL
  The medical team are in charge of keeping all people on board the ship healthy, both physically and emotionally. Although the medical team is officially considered to be a sub-division of the science team, they operate almost completely separately, other than they will often work alongside the science team closely when trying to develop cures for unknown diseases and in other similar situations.
  
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  Captain - The Captain is the person in charge of the whole ship. Ultimately the ship and all people on board are their responsibility and often the actions of the crew will not only fall on the individual who carried them out but also on the captain for allowing it under their watch, whether the action is good or bad. Unless an Admiral specifically says otherwise, the Captain has the final say on anything that happens on the ship or, that is conducted by the crew when not on board the ship but still serving in an official capacity.
  
  First Officer - The First officer is the captain's second in command, they are often consulted when it comes to big decisions and, should the captain fall sick or become unavailable or unable to command, the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the first officer. They will often share a small part of the blame for the actions carried out by the ship and its crew though, should these actions be viewed as condemnable by the Admiralty, the First Officer will usually get less of a reprimand than the captain unless the Admiralty deem the First Officer to be largely at blame for some reason. (There may also be second officers and so on, though this is very rare, usually if both the captain and first officer are unavailable, one of the other commanders or Lieutenant Commanders will be selected to command). - The First officer is always a Commander in Rank.
  
  Chief Helmsman - Though there's often a large group of people aboard a ship who are capable of piloting it at any time, the chief helmsman is often the person considered to be the best pilot out of all the crew and, as a result, the responsibility of flying the ship will often fall to them. They will also often be asked to pilot shuttles or fighters when the skill of the pilot in charge is important for the success of the operation. - The Chief Helmsman is always a member of the Engineering division and always has the rank of Lieutenant or higher.
  
  Chief Navigator - The Chief Navigator is the person on the ship who is most trusted to keep the ship pointed in the right direction. They often sit right beside the Chief Helmsman on the bridge and will sometimes aid the Chief Helmsman with especially difficult manoeuvres as well as pointing them in the right direction.
  
  Chief Tactical Officer - The Chief Tactical Officer is in charge of coordinating the entire Tactical division. They are often consulted on major political encounters and are often required to work closely with the security team to organise effective strategies when person-to-person combat is required. The Chief Tactical Officer is frequently required to serve on the bridge and is responsible for the activation and deactivation of the ship's deflector shields as well as being responsible for the ship's weapons.
  
  Chief Science Officer - The Chief Science Officer is in charge of coordinating the ship's science team. They are often required to review reports submitted by the people serving under them to ensure that their findings seem legitimate. The Cheif Science Officer is often required to serve aboard the bridge and, when they do, they are in charge of the ship's scanners and are the first person to see the scan results and are responsible for deciphering that information and relaying the important parts to the rest of the bridge crew.
  
  Chief Medical Officer - The Chief Medical Officer is in charge of the Medical team. Although technically under the supervision of the Chief Science Officer the two departments are usually kept separate, with the Chief Medical Office getting the final say when the health of the crew and passengers is called into question. The Chief Medical Officer is rarely seen on the bridge as they are usually down in the sick bay coordinating their team of doctors and nurses. When it comes to the health of the crew and people aboard the ship, the Chief Medical Officer's opinion outranks everyone, even the Captain.
  
  Chief Engineer - The Chief Engineer is responsible for coordinating the Engineering teams aboard the ship as well as overseeing all projects they work on. Any upgrades must be run past the Chief Engineer before being installed. The Chief Engineer is often required on the bridge to coordinate ship-wide repairs when the ship encounters anything that causes it any form of damage. The Chief Engineer is also responsible for power allocation, usually, the ship's power is equally distributed among all systems, but in situations where a boost to a certain system is required or where the ship loses power, the Chief Engineer is in charge of allocating more power to the required system(s) as well as deciding which systems will have to take a power loss to accommodate. The Chief Engineer also has access to the ship's diagnostics in order to aid them in organising repair teams.
  
  Chief of Security - The Chief of Security is responsible for coordinating the ship's security team. Though the whole security team can make arrests if required, the Chief Security can overturn these arrests or can initiate interrogations or even 'punishments' if they deem them as necessary. The Chief of Security is often required aboard the bridge and has access to all department reports which can provide information to the bridge crew both when the system diagnostics fail or if there is an issue outside what the system diagnostics would detect. The chief of security is also responsible for ensuring that any landing parties have adequate security officers to keep them safe depending on the nature of the mission that the landing party are to face. The Cheif of Security also has the ability to temporarily remove any privileges held by higher ranking officers such as the captain or first officer, this is Unique to the Chief of Security and is in place to be used in the event that the Chief of Security thinks that said officers have been compromised in some way. Though, using this comes with massive risks and could be career-ending if used incorrectly.
  
  Chief Communications Officer - The Chief Communications officer is in charge of sending and receiving hails to and from other ships as well as receiving communications from the union and sending them to the correct recipient(s) aboard the ship. The Chief Communications Officer is often required aboard the bridge in order to take charge of hails requested by the Captain, First Officer and/or any other members of the Bridge Crew. The Chief Communications officer has a small communications team who they are in charge of, but the Communications team and the Chief Communications officer serve under and must report to the Chief Tactical Officer.
  
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  A list of species currently known to the union
  
  
  Human
  Xin
  

  
  Lyceen
  Istran
  

  
  Braxion
  Grum
  
  
  

 

[Geozaki]

THE U.S.S. PHOENIX​

• Overview
• Armaments
• Systems
• Facilities
• Personnel

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  Date Launched: The U.S.S. Phoenix left her home dock after the completion of her construction and embarked on her maiden voyage on the 23rd of August 2486.
  
  Class: The Phoenix is a mid-sized exploratory cruiser
  
  Crew & Passengers: The Phoenix has a crew of approximately 300-400 people. Due to exploratory vessels rarely returning home between missions, many of the crew live on board the Phoenix with their families and she usually has around 1000 souls on board. She has enough space for a maximum of 2000 people to live on the Phoenix long-term, many of these quarters are left empty in case the ship is to have any guests, though some of the living quarters are used for other purposes due to how rare it is for all of the ship's quarters to be occupied at once.
  
  Ship Summary:
  The U.S.S. (Union Star Ship) Phoenix is an exploratory vessel and a part of the Galactic Union's fleet. She is equipped with basic weaponry and defence systems to be used for self-defence only, though she isn't by any means a combat class ship, she can hold her own in a battle but there are other ships in the fleet which are far better suited to combat. The Phoenix is designed for long-distance voyages primarily focused on exploratory activities such as planetary surveys, charting as-of-yet uncharted and unexplored regions of space and initiating first contact with civilisations who have reached the point in their evolution where they're ready to be welcomed into the universe, among other things.
  
  Despite prioritising exploration, the Phoenix is often tasked with other missions such as supply runs, offering support to ships in distress, and any other job that the Union needs doing, most of which she is already equipped for, as long as the mission in question isn't a hugely specialist mission.
  
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  Hull
  The hull of the Phoenix is made primarily from a super strong, metal-based alloy. Despite its strength, many of the threats found in space have no problem damaging the hull. Most enemy starships have weaponry that could melt through or rip it apart, and even an asteroid coming into contact with the ship could cause serious damage with relative ease. The hull isn't designed to withstand these kinds of impacts but is instead designed to cope with the insane stresses caused by space travel.
  
  Deflector Shields
  To make up for the hull's inability to withstand most impacts or weaponry that the Phoenix may come up against, the ship is equipped with a high-capacity deflector grid. When activated, this grid generates a small protective bubble that surrounds the ship and is capable of protecting the hull from damage that could be caused by collisions or weaponry. The shields can also be used internally, they are often used in the brig to help restrain prisoners and can also be used to cordon off certain parts of the ship.
  
  Plasma Cannons
  The Phoenix boasts plasma cannons, one on each side of the ship. These canons fire pulses of high-energy plasma particles which are able to be used precisely to target specific systems on an enemy ship or specific points on an object. The canons are set to pulse mode by default, where they fire in short bursts, but they can also be set to fire a persistent beam which can be used to slice through objects with precision.
  
  Torpedoes
  The phoenix has 6 torpedo tubes, each installed at a slightly different angle to allow torpedoes to be fired in any direction. The Union has many different types of torpedo available and the kind(s) of torpedo available on the ship is often decided by the Tactical team, though the most commonly used is the Plasma Torpedo. Torpedoes are used to deliver a high damage impact to enemy ships and other objects, while they deal far more damage than the ship's cannons, they are also far less precise and so shouldn't be used in any situation where accuracy is important.
  
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  Communications Array
  The Phoenix has a very powerful communications array that not only allows ship-to-ship contact between itself and any ships within its vicinity, but it can also provide instant communications across many lightyears of space, allowing the crew to speak with other members of the union with ease, no matter where they are within charted, and even some uncharted space. For the long-range communications to function, the ship must be within range of a union station or satellite, hence why long-range communication may become impossible once the Phoenix ventures deep enough into uncharted space.
  
  Navigational Array
  The navigational systems on board the Phoenix are impressive, to say the least. The ship is able to access all of the Union's data on planets, solar systems, and spatial anomalies, and use that information to guide the ship safely to any known destination. Should the navigational array be taken offline or malfunction for any reason, it will be down to the Navigator to plot courses using star charts.
  
  Tractor Beam
  The Phoenix features a tractor beam, an adjustable beam of gravity which can be used to pull objects towards the ship or even repel them away.
  
  Scanner Array
  The phoenix has two scanner systems, one for internal scanning and one for external scanning. The external scanners can be used to scan anything located outside the ship such as foreign objects, ships or planets to gain detailed information. The internal scanners worked as the ship's security systems, recording visual and audio data from each room on board as well as being able to provide the precise locations of anyone on board at any time.
  
  
  
  Nova Core
  The Nova core is the ship's primary supply of power, it runs off Nova, a highly refined crystal-based fuel. When first discovered, Nova was considered an unsustainable form of fuel due to its scarcity with only an estimated 1 in 24,000,000 planets bearing the resource. But then, that changed in 2286 when Dr Victor St. Grand discovered a way to create Nova by heavily refining a resource known as Electrum, which is naturally present in large quantities on approximately 1 in 10 planets. The refinement process is extremely complex and can be extremely deadly so when the Nova Core needs refuelling, the Phoenix must stop at a Union base with a fuel refinery to pick up more Nova. The Nova Core powers all of the ship's systems, most of which cause a minimal drain on the core.
  
  The Nova Core is held in a force-field protected chamber that only the engineering staff and commanding crew may access. There has never been an explosive Nova Core malfunction but it is widely accepted that if such an event were to occur, the resultant explosion could at the very least, destroy an entire ship, which was recently confirmed, as a result, not only is the Nova Core on every ship contained so securely, but should there be any discrepancy in how it is running, or should it sustain any damage, it is designed to shut off immediately and won't power up again until the Chief Engineer, First Officer or Captain confirms that it is safe to do so. For any scenario where the Nova Core is offline, the Phoenix has Emergency Power, however, it is limited and while the ship is using emergency power, it cannot jump to Quantum Speed.
  
  
  
  Engines
  The Phoenix has 3 main engines located on the rear of the ship. When operating at standard levels, these engines can offer speeds of several hundred thousand metres per second depending on the trajectory, nearby hazards as well as other factors. When the Phoenix is travelling long distances, its engines can take the ship to what the Union refers to as 'Quantum Speed', sometimes unofficially known as 'Warp' or 'Light Speed'. While travelling at Quantum Speed, the Phoenix can travel 22 light years per hour at full throttle, though using such high speeds is not recommended unless there is an emergency, speeds of 10-14 light years per hour are more commonly used to avoid strain on the ship's engines and hull. Before making the jump to quantum speed, the navigator must first plot a course and then the engines must be individually charged. The Phoenix can function with only 2 or even only 1 of its engines operational, however, if Quantum Speed is to be used, the ship must be calibrated to compensate for the inoperative engine(s), this process can be lengthy and complex, but failure to do so completely may result in extreme consequences.
  
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