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Description

Empire-class battleship

Designed by Stephen Huda

Like many corporations of the late 2200s, Empire State Manufacturing saw great promise of increased profits in the American Fleet 2300 Project. Billed as a revolution in naval technology and design, the project’s goal was a new generation of American warships that would drive us to a dominant position in interworld politics. The American government solicited bids from any and all comers for new ship types using existing technologies, and the bids began to flow in.

Empire State Manufacturing was not a large design firm. They in fact had never designed a starship before, which caused them to lose almost every design trial they participated in. What they were was a superior component manufacturer. Most production of finished goods had gone into orbit to help combat the scourge of pollution wafting over the Pacific from China. The Pacific Clean Air Project required truly titantic resources to maintain and no company wanted to pay the near-ruinous pollution taxes for letting so much as a stray molecule of carbon dioxide escape their complexes. The Empire State answered those taxes by creating the largest concentration of new job opportunities in the last fifty years off the coast of Old New York City.

It was no coincidence that every design Empire State Manufacturing created used components built in their underwater complex, and the long prototype construction phase of the Fleet 2300 Project required that they expand their facilities significantly to meet demand. By 2300, The Empire State boasted the largest single Terrestrial manufacturing complex on the American Continent. But despite generous production loans from State and Federal coffers, Empire State Manufacturing was not doing well in the trials.

Most of their designs did little beyond showing off Empire-built components. It garnered them lucrative contracts from other manufacturers that needed quality components but so many Empire designs failed design trials that the Houston Chronicle took to calling them Empire 1, Empire 2, and so on as they gleefully chronicled the faults of every design. The battleship prototype, Empire 12 according to the Houston Chronicle, surpassed all expectations by making it into the final round of trials. But everybody knew it would fail. They used Terrestrial production after all, and nobody would commit political suicide by granting a major production contract to a corporation engaged in such unpatriotic activities. Or so popular opinion went.

Then the Empire battleship blew the competition by so many points that the second place company withdrew their submission for a complete redesign before the results were even reported. It would later form the basis of the famous California-class, but Empire State Manufacturing repaid every loan they had after receiving the first payment on the contract to build a dozen new battleships. The American government specifically left the contract open for more options should the class live up to design trial expectations.

Empire entered service in 2294 and Yosemite Yards would complete the assembly of one Empire-class battleship a year until the Shang destroyed the complex in 2304. But because most of her components were built at the main underwater Empire State Manufacturing complex, the loss of Yosemite barely slowed down production at all. In the long run it actually accelerated production as the American government paid them to go to maximum sustainable production on all lines the next morning. And with no member of the rump legislature willing to override her, the former junior Senator from Colorado and highest designated survivor issued a Presidential proclamation rescinding the pollution taxes for the duration of the crisis. By the time the first new assembly yards were ready, Empire State Manufacturing had a large enough lead on completed components that the yards never caught up. By 2310, more Empires served than any other battleship class, a distinction they held until Wars End.

The Empire-class boasted three powerful gravitic cannons in the armored wedge forming her nose. Meant to match the Peloran cannons they were patterned after, American technology simply could not meet the design specifications but they still recorded the highest gravity sheer ever created by an American weapon until the California-class launched. Six capital lasers backed up the gravitic cannons and most often engaged smaller targets while the main cannons took apart more dangerous opponents.

Twenty-eight capital-class missile turrets ran down each flank, while over one hundred smaller anti-ship tubes in forward facing launchers could fill space with enough missiles to confuse any AI on the other side. Anti-fighter and anti-missile laser turrets covered every approach, making them a dangerous foe for any small enemy that could make it through the two squadrons of fighters most Empires carried into battle. The Empire-class also housed a full Marine battalion, complete with mech and tank support. An Empire could not only destroy any warship in space but many an Empire’s Marine detachment initiated planetary liberation operations against planets held by Chinese and Russian troops.

Despite the later launch of the California-class battleships, the Empire remained the primary battleship of the United States Navy throughout The War. They fought in most major engagements and all surviving Empires would be retired to serve in planetary guard units. Every Alliance system in the Core Worlds has at least one Empire-class battleship and rich systems in both the Inner and Outer Colony Regions often have them as well. They are rarely seen beyond the Outer Colony Regions though as it takes more resources than most distant worlds have available to maintain them. The single largest concentration of Empires now in service belong to The Empire State itself, permanently holding formation above Old New York City. The Port Harcourt and Panama City Space Elevators also boast Empire defenses in an effort to stave off another terrorist attack.
Though the Empire-class battleships are no longer built, there are no plans to further retire them from the service they now enjoy. Empire State Manufacturing spins up a full batch of Empire components every few months to maintain spare parts stockpiles to honor the contracts to keep them available and the company continues to engage in Post War design trials. Though they have yet to land another capital ship contract with the United States Navy, the design trials have kept them in the center of the action and they are often called upon to create smaller ships or to build components for other starships. Most notably, every warship currently sailed by the United States Navy sports components built in The Empire State, making the entire Empire Project a complete success from their point of view.

Description

Empire-class battleship

Designed by Stephen Huda

Like many corporations of the late 2200s, Empire State Manufacturing saw great promise of increased profits in the American Fleet 2300 Project. Billed as a revolution in naval technology and design, the project’s goal was a new generation of American warships that would drive us to a dominant position in interworld politics. The American government solicited bids from any and all comers for new ship types using existing technologies, and the bids began to flow in.

Empire State Manufacturing was not a large design firm. They in fact had never designed a starship before, which caused them to lose almost every design trial they participated in. What they were was a superior component manufacturer. Most production of finished goods had gone into orbit to help combat the scourge of pollution wafting over the Pacific from China. The Pacific Clean Air Project required truly titantic resources to maintain and no company wanted to pay the near-ruinous pollution taxes for letting so much as a stray molecule of carbon dioxide escape their complexes. The Empire State answered those taxes by creating the largest concentration of new job opportunities in the last fifty years off the coast of Old New York City.

It was no coincidence that every design Empire State Manufacturing created used components built in their underwater complex, and the long prototype construction phase of the Fleet 2300 Project required that they expand their facilities significantly to meet demand. By 2300, The Empire State boasted the largest single Terrestrial manufacturing complex on the American Continent. But despite generous production loans from State and Federal coffers, Empire State Manufacturing was not doing well in the trials.

Most of their designs did little beyond showing off Empire-built components. It garnered them lucrative contracts from other manufacturers that needed quality components but so many Empire designs failed design trials that the Houston Chronicle took to calling them Empire 1, Empire 2, and so on as they gleefully chronicled the faults of every design. The battleship prototype, Empire 12 according to the Houston Chronicle, surpassed all expectations by making it into the final round of trials. But everybody knew it would fail. They used Terrestrial production after all, and nobody would commit political suicide by granting a major production contract to a corporation engaged in such unpatriotic activities. Or so popular opinion went.

Then the Empire battleship blew the competition by so many points that the second place company withdrew their submission for a complete redesign before the results were even reported. It would later form the basis of the famous California-class, but Empire State Manufacturing repaid every loan they had after receiving the first payment on the contract to build a dozen new battleships. The American government specifically left the contract open for more options should the class live up to design trial expectations.

Empire entered service in 2294 and Yosemite Yards would complete the assembly of one Empire-class battleship a year until the Shang destroyed the complex in 2304. But because most of her components were built at the main underwater Empire State Manufacturing complex, the loss of Yosemite barely slowed down production at all. In the long run it actually accelerated production as the American government paid them to go to maximum sustainable production on all lines the next morning. And with no member of the rump legislature willing to override her, the former junior Senator from Colorado and highest designated survivor issued a Presidential proclamation rescinding the pollution taxes for the duration of the crisis. By the time the first new assembly yards were ready, Empire State Manufacturing had a large enough lead on completed components that the yards never caught up. By 2310, more Empires served than any other battleship class, a distinction they held until Wars End.

The Empire-class boasted three powerful gravitic cannons in the armored wedge forming her nose. Meant to match the Peloran cannons they were patterned after, American technology simply could not meet the design specifications but they still recorded the highest gravity sheer ever created by an American weapon until the California-class launched. Six capital lasers backed up the gravitic cannons and most often engaged smaller targets while the main cannons took apart more dangerous opponents.

Twenty-eight capital-class missile turrets ran down each flank, while over one hundred smaller anti-ship tubes in forward facing launchers could fill space with enough missiles to confuse any AI on the other side. Anti-fighter and anti-missile laser turrets covered every approach, making them a dangerous foe for any small enemy that could make it through the two squadrons of fighters most Empires carried into battle. The Empire-class also housed a full Marine battalion, complete with mech and tank support. An Empire could not only destroy any warship in space but many an Empire’s Marine detachment initiated planetary liberation operations against planets held by Chinese and Russian troops.

Despite the later launch of the California-class battleships, the Empire remained the primary battleship of the United States Navy throughout The War. They fought in most major engagements and all surviving Empires would be retired to serve in planetary guard units. Every Alliance system in the Core Worlds has at least one Empire-class battleship and rich systems in both the Inner and Outer Colony Regions often have them as well. They are rarely seen beyond the Outer Colony Regions though as it takes more resources than most distant worlds have available to maintain them. The single largest concentration of Empires now in service belong to The Empire State itself, permanently holding formation above Old New York City. The Port Harcourt and Panama City Space Elevators also boast Empire defenses in an effort to stave off another terrorist attack.
Though the Empire-class battleships are no longer built, there are no plans to further retire them from the service they now enjoy. Empire State Manufacturing spins up a full batch of Empire components every few months to maintain spare parts stockpiles to honor the contracts to keep them available and the company continues to engage in Post War design trials. Though they have yet to land another capital ship contract with the United States Navy, the design trials have kept them in the center of the action and they are often called upon to create smaller ships or to build components for other starships. Most notably, every warship currently sailed by the United States Navy sports components built in The Empire State, making the entire Empire Project a complete success from their point of view.