Defensive Systems

Ablative Hull Armor

In the late 24th Century, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers introduced Ablative Hull Armor as a new defensive armor for Starfleet vessels. When an incoming beam or projectile impacts the unshielded hull of a ship, the ablative armor will act to diffuse the energy of the attack around the hull. When the energy begins to overcome the defensive capacity of the armor, the excess energy begins to break the armor, dissipating the force of the attack and preventing it from reaching the interior of the ship.

Deflector Shields

Deflector shields are used to deflect energy and physical objects from the shield to protect it from harm and are considered to be a ship’s primary form of defense. They are fields of highly focused spatial distortion created by shield generators and focused by subspace field distortion amplifiers, within which the generators maintain an energetic graviton field. Shield grids on the exterior of the hull shape the shield to conform to the ship, creating a shield matrix. When energy or physical objects impact the shield, its field energy is concentrated at the point of impact to resist the intrusion. Impacts are accompanied by a quick flash of Cerenkov radiation which humanoids perceive as a flash of colored light. However, even while shields remain intact, some damage manages to “leak” through them from some attacks. This reflects concussion damage to the ship from extremely strong attacks, sudden changes of inertia, and other factors. Over time each attack reduces the amount of defense provided by a shield which can potentially lead a shield to collapse after prolonged company and leave the ship vulnerable to attack.

Shields are activated, or “raised,” whenever threats to the ship become apparent. This could be an enemy attack, potentially dangerous emissions from a nearby star, or the presence of some enormous spacefaring creature. Shield modulation frequencies shift at random to prevent an enemy from adjusting the frequency of its weapons to penetrate the shield without resistance. Conversely, Starfleet faces the same risk with its own weapons. Torpedoes are equipped with shield transponders which allow them to pass through the shields and Beam weapon frequencies are set to match that of the shields so that they may pass through unhindered. Raised shields interfere with sensors, so shield frequency rotation creates electromagnetic “windows” to which sensors automatically recalibrate to minimize this effect. Often, however, Silent Running mode comes into effect when shields are raised, so only passive sensor use is allowed anyway. Shields completely block transporters; no one can transport onto or off of a ship whose shields are raised. Shields also interfere with warp travel; however, navigational and defense computers work in tandem to compensate.

In the 25th Century, Starfleet Tactical - in response to years of study of the results of combat with the Borg Collective, the Dominion, and the Klingon Empire - began working on the next generation of deflector shield known as the Starfleet High Intensity Energy Level Deflection System, aka S.H.I.E.L.D.S. S.H.I.E.L.D.S. operates by generating a tier based series of energy fields to defend the user from harm. The Outer S.H.I.E.L.D.S. tier is a Multiphasic shield intended to protect the user from threat caused by space itself such as subspace radiation, energy emissions, and the equivalent of a Level 8 subspace shockwave.This type of shield uses multiple spectrums of energy, enabling the shield to recharge more quickly. This tier takes the form of a bubble projected outward from the ship. The Middle S.H.I.E.L.D.S. tier is a more compressed, regenerative shield bubble that has the ability to repair itself when damaged by siphoning off some of the incoming energy of an attack into a field storage chamber. The energy is then transfered to recharge and strengthen the weakened shield, making it very difficult to ever completely collapse it. The final, innermost S.H.I.E.L.D.S. tier is a hull conformal covariant shield that is incredibly difficult to penetrate by conventional weapons and is based on tetryon-based technology. This also has the effect of distorting sensors, granting the vessel the same effects as a sensor-reflective hull. Depending on need a user can choose which tiers are needed at a given time, enhancing the viability of the system. While highly advantageous a S.H.I.E.L.D.S. based defense system is not currently widely distributed throughout the Federation and is still considered a prototype defense system.

Secondary Shield Generators

Secondary Shield Generators serve as a backup for primary deflector shield generators to ensure that a vessel continues to be defended in the event that the primary shield generators fail. If primary shields collapse the backup shield generator activates immediately to maintain shields; however, the emergency shield offers significantly reduced shield power over the primary system.

Stealth Systems

Cloaking Device

Cloaking devices, a type of “stealth” technology, emit an energy field which bends light and other energy phenomena around a vessel or installation, rendering it invisible to both the naked eye and most sensors. However, while they’re powerful weapons, cloaks are not without their drawbacks. They require enormous amounts of power—so much that a ship cannot use many other systems, including shields, transporters, active sensors, and weapons systems, while a cloak is on. The ship can, however, use its communication devices or passive sensor systems, and doing so will not reveal its location to other ships. Cloaking devices work in atmospheres, but may be effectively useless due to the presence of atmospheric particulates and the like.

Starfleet dislikes cloaks, which it considers contrary to its mission as an exploratory organization, and does not use them. Under the terms of the Treaty of Algeron, Federation ships are forbidden to use them. However, exceptions are occasionally made (most notably the U.S.S. Defiant). With the Treaty of Algeron having been voided during the fall of the Romulan Star Empire the United Federation of Planets authorized some vessels to begin implementing cloaking technology.

Masking Circuitry

Masking circuitry is a specialized stealth technology that renders a ship difficult to detect with sensors or the naked eye; however, unlike a cloak, it can be overcome with a polaron burst.

Offensive Systems

Phasers

Phaser weaponry was introduced by Starfleet during the 23rd century as a replacement for Phase and Laser technologies used for the previous century. The initial plans for the Phaser actually dated back to the 22nd Century during the earliest period of space travel in the Federation when it was discovered that directed energy devices could be used to assist in clearing gas, dust, and other microscopic materials from the flight paths of vehicles. This led the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to realize that this technology could also be utilized for the purposes of offensive action against enemy forces.

Starfleet began outfitting vessels with this technology during the aftermath of the Klingon conflicts in the 2250s. Initially each vessel was outfitted with a Phaser Capacitor designed to generate energy for the weapon. In the 2270s, phaser power systems of Federation starships were redesigned to channel power directly from the warp core, thereby increasing the power output of phaser banks; however, this made usage of Phasers unavailable during Faster Than Light travel. The 24th century saw many new advanced forms of phaser weaponry for the Federation, such as the ever more powerful phaser arrays that made use of multiple phaser emitter segments, the rapid-fire phaser cannons and new compression phaser rifles. While further technologies have been developed in recent years; the development of new Phaser technologies has stagnated.

Phaser weaponry uses a rapid nadion effect to discharge energy generated within the superconducting crystal network. Rapid nadions are short lived subatomic particles which can liberate and transfer strong nuclear forces within a class of crystals called fushigi-no-umi. The process operates via a three component emitter system consisting of an EPS flow regulator, a plasma distribution manifold, and the actual superconducting crystal. In this process plasma is discharged from the Phaser Power Cell which then flows through the EPS Flow Regulator (which controls the power level) which is then routed through the prefire chambers via the plasma distribution manifold then regulated by the emitter crystal. The disruptive effects of nadion discharges were moderated to produce varying effects which allow for a phaser beam to stun, heat, kill, or disintegrate living creatures. Phasers could damage shields or other systems or even cut through a hull as needed. While primarily used for offensive purposes, Phasers could also make effective tools when needed. While powerful, Phasers do have limitations. Some creatures have shown a natural immunity to Phaser discharge and some metals, such as neutronium, have proven impervious to them. Additionally, some times of radiation - such as hyperonic radiation - can disable Phasers. Phasers could also be made to overload if necessary, creating an extremely dangerous explosive.

Normally Phasers are set to fire a single steady stream of nadion particles; however, this beam could be widened to perform a phaser sweep, to fire a concentrated bolt of energy, or even multiple beams at one time. Space based Phasers could also be set to emit phaser energy designed to detonate as proximity blasts or to discharge energy beams for power transfer. With the emergence of the Borg Collective, Phaser technology has been modified to feature an adjustable resonance frequency and automatically rotate their modulation after each discharge to overcome regenerative shielding. Unfortunately the Borg would adapt to all frequently modulations in a short period - sometimes in as few as 12 shots. In 2376 Seven of Nine of the USS Voyager designed the infinity modulator which prevented the Borg from adapting to the frequency of the Phaser. While Phasers had previously been ineffective at Warp Speeds, Starfleet Tactical has devised a means of merging a Phaser beam with an annular confinement beam to strengthen the pulse during faster than light travel to make it effective.

Current Phaser types in use by Federation One include:

Phaser Type	Description
Phaser Array	Phaser Beam Arrays are directed energy weapons available for starships that fire a series of Phaser beams across a wider range than any other Phaser type. Phaser Beam Arrays are equally effective against starship shields and hull, but their damage will fall off with distance to the target.
Phaser Cannon	Phaser Cannons are pulse energy weapons available for use on starships. Similar to Phaser Turrets, a Phaser Cannon is designed to fire Phaser pulses that cause more damage than a Turret, but are limited to the 90° arc directly ahead of them. Phaser Cannons are unique in that they can be mounted with two or four units.
Point Defense Phaser Turret	An outgrowth of the Dominion War, the Point Defense Phaser is an advanced Phaser turret designed to target and destroy incoming projectiles before they can impact a station or vessel and cause damage. While a recent development in the Federation, the initial concept for this weapon originated in the twentieth century on Earth as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Torpedoes

Photon Torpedo

Phasers proved effective against most vessels in the early history of space travel; however, as warp drive became more prevalent, the need arose for a weapon that could be delivered against better shielded targets. Initially, rudimentary nuclear projectiles were used for this purpose. The Klingon Empire was experimenting with matter/antimatter weaponry at the same time as the Federation, and their weapons were very similar to those of Starfleet. However, their weaponry was developed with a slightly higher yield and fewer safety precautions. After much research, Starfleet engineers perfected the controlled detonation of matter and antimatter and fitted the new technology into a torpedo casing with an advanced propulsion system. The result was the photon torpedo, which immediately became the standard heavy weapon on all Federation vessels.

Though the design has been upgraded since its inception, the basic configuration remains the same on even the most advanced vessels. Photon torpedoes can be armed with Proximity fuses, which detonate when the weapon gets close to an enemy vessel instead of on impact. This increases the probability of hitting a fast-moving target, but significantly reduces the amount of damage inflicted.

Polaron Torpedo

Utilizing technology discovered on a salvaged Dominion vessel, the Polaron Torpedo was developed by the Klingons in an effort to create a torpedo-based weapon to keep pace with the Federation’s research into quantum torpedoes. Although the explosive discharge is not much greater than a standard photon torpedo system, the delivery system has been vastly upgraded to include a modulating polaron radiation generator. This surrounds the torpedo in a field of polaron emissions, which are constantly changing modulation. This allows the torpedo to pass through most forms of energy shielding in use today in order to impact directly on the target’s hull. While designed by the Klingons and based on Dominion technology, the Federation was able to acquire and reverse engineer the Polaron Torpedo in the early 25th Century.

Quantum Torpedo

As the photon torpedo reached what many Starfleet researchers agreed was its highest possible explosive yield, a group of engineers at the Starfleet R&D facility on Groombridge 273-2A began investigating methods for achieving a higher release of energy from a projectile of equal dimensions to the photon torpedo. The result was the quantum torpedo, which utilizes an eleven-dimensional, space-time membrane suspended in an ultra-clean vacuum within the projectile. The membrane is twisted into a string and then isolated from the background vacuum. This results in the creation of a new particle, which is accompanied by a tremendous release of energy.

Tachyon Torpedo

Developed by the Klingon Empire and adopted by the Federation, the Tachyon pulse was developed by Klingon scientists in an effort to prevent opponents from fleeing battle, a tactic deemed dishonorable by the Klingons. The technology quickly spread to other empires, which adapted it for use on their own vessels, including Starfleet. While Starfleet vessels are capable of emitting Tachyon pulses, in the early 25th Century the need arose for a new delivery method to handle high speed vessels; thus, the Tachyon Torpedo was born.

The Tachyon Torpedo utilizes a burst of tachyons, particles that can only exist at faster-than-light speeds. This tachyon burst is dissipated as soon as it comes into contact with an enemy vessel, but the resultant sub-space disturbance caused by the sheer number of particles overloads the energy systems of a vessel and disables their engines and power systems until they can be reset.