Posted:2012-10-17 20:20:20
spectrum-dispatch
This article originally appeared in Jump Point 8.6.
Aegis Idris
SPACECRAFT DEVELOPMENT
The initial specification for what would become the Idris was established in 2545 by the United Planets of Earth’s (UPE) Weapons Development Bureau (WepDev). The frigate was part of a range of forward-thinking plans that attempted to imagine the form that Earth’s military would need to take after the successful conclusion of the then-raging First Tevarin War. These plans imagined a peacetime UPE with significantly expanded borders, both with territory annexed from the Tevarin and the increased colonization of more distant planets. The specifics of what would be the Idris called for the development of an 85-meter, corvette-class spacecraft that could dock a pair of patrol fighters. These corvettes would be built more affordably and in greater numbers than current ships-of-the-line and would be rapidly deployed to help patrol the burgeoning Empire. The prime contractor role (covering both design and manufacturing) for the new ship was assigned to Aegis Dynamics via no-bid contract with a number of component and support contracts going to smaller, now defunct concerns.
To outside observers, the result of the ensuing three years of development was a model of typical bureaucratic confusion. The namesake Idris that would begin its space trials in 2549 was a completely different beast to the initial specification: a massive frigate-class spacecraft massing several times the original proposal, mounting an enormous railgun, and carrying a fully functional flight deck capable of supporting multiple classes of fighters and bombers. In fact, the Idris’ move from the proposed corvette to the frigate that was actually constructed was painless and seemingly natural for those involved, with the design specifications being revised multiple times as the reality of the post-war Empire became increasingly clear. The newly-christened Empire’s cadre of fresh-faced, Messer aligned planners quickly identified the project as important to establishing their own power base and they worked carefully with Aegis and other contractors (particularly Aim-Krug, responsible for the railgun installed on the first flight of ships) to expand the scope of design to define a model for the modern warship. Expansion from the original corvette to the frigate was a rare decision that was in the best interests of all persons involved. Highlighting the suggested importance of the project, the first ship was named after the recent victory at Idris IV, already being mythologized as a foundational element of the new Empire.
The first frigate was commissioned in 2551 in a ceremony at Aegis’ newly constructed Idris System factory complex. The launch was attended by Imperator Ivar Messer, who presented a famous speech seen today as a prelude to him taking increased control of the UEE in the name of public safety. The initial factory constructed by Aegis to produce the ships included six berths that would work around the clock. The first six Idrises laid down were all commissioned by May 2552 and began service tryouts then extended patrol assignments later that year. From the start, the high-tech ships were desired assignments for navy crewmen who correctly identified that the then-lavish ships would play a major role in coming events.
A major delay in production occurred the next year following the revelation that there were significant issues with the layout of the original six ships that made them particularly prone to fires. Poor placement of firefighting equipment and personnel combined with limited availability of shipboard retardants led to several significant fires, culminating in the deaths of seventeen sailors when one such fire spread to the forward magazine aboard the UEEN Ashton. Production of additional Idrises was delayed for eighteen months while a full review and redesign was conducted, culminating in the launch of the first flight-two spacecraft in 2555. With the early issues resolved, Idris production continued at pace and the powerful frigates quickly became a common site around the Empire.
The average Idris-class frigate commissioned between 2560 and 2800 had a thirty-year operational lifespan; in modern days, this average has been nearly doubled through both updated technologies and a greatly specialized overhaul process that essentially rebuilds any given ship once over the course of a decade. Aegis has continued to expand the number of available berths at their Idris IV factory over the centuries as demand increases from both the military and civilian users. The original UEEN Idris was decommissioned in August 2587 with 43 tours and nine combat stars. Today it is the sole remaining Flight I Idris, mothballed in drydock at MacArthur, where it is often discussed as a potential museum piece highlighting the military’s role during the Messer era.
CIVILIAN LAUNCH
For the first two hundred years of production, Idrises were reliably scrapped upon decommissioning; a requirement specified by law for all capital assets by the early UEE government. While Aegis’ shipbreakers were forbidden from salvaging and reusing systems, they were able to recycle roughly 35% of the scrap tonnage in the construction of newly produced frigates. This lifecycle was drastically altered in 2801 with the passage of the first Surplus Act that gave approved civilian organizations the rights to bid on properly-demilitarized but still-functional spacecraft up to and including destroyer-class vessels. In the case of the era’s Idrises, this meant the permanent disabling of the keel-mounted gun and the removal of all classified subsystems, such as military-spec targeting software. The law was primarily passed to allow citizens to purchase former freighters and the initial reception to the availability of former military frigates was generally cold. Within two decades, however, the need for larger-scale fighting ships had become greater and Aegis was forced to significantly expand its investment in mining corporations in order to make up for lost scrap resources. Simultaneously, additional citizen armament laws loosened the restrictions on what equipment could be sold off and to whom it could be sold to, gradually going from authorized militia forces to corporate and finally private entities.
By 2875, the demand for civilianized Idrises combined with expanding life cycles for existing military ships had outstripped the Navy’s ability to decommission existing ships. The result of this schism was the launch of the first-ever Idris Peacekeeper (Idris P), a purpose-built ship nearly identical in form to the military model (retroactively called the Idris Military or Idris M), lacking only the main gun mount (which could be readily rebuilt on the secondary market). For the first time, civilian organizations could purchase not only the increasingly limited number of UEEN surplus ships but also commission the construction of their own spacecraft directly from Aegis. The popularity of the Idris platform, already cushioned by generations of developed support system, exploded and had quadrupled by the turn of the century.
CIVILIAN EXAMPLES
The following examples are a sample of different Idris-class ships used by civilian entities. As Idrises have been available to civilian organizations for well over a century, this list is representative but not exhaustive.
• BX214, BX215, and BX218 were Idris-class frigates purchased via fundraising by aid organizations in 2812 in response to a disaster in the Corel System. Unexpected solar activity caused a nearly total crop loss in the system for an 18-month period, prompting a major aid effort to ship food and other aid supplies in. The three Idrises, their flight bays converted for freight for the first time, served as armored transports as part of a large, ragtag fleet of similarly repurposed vessels.
• Anax was an early model Idris supposedly purchased by a civilian historical salvage group in 2815. Anax was equipped with ultra-high-tech sensor systems and a force of powerful drone spacecraft. The ship was credited with the discovery of several major wrecks and the surprise recovery of a stranded starliner thought to have been destroyed in an accident. In response to a 2915 formal information request filed by a group of journalists reviewing historical starships, it was revealed that the Imperial government funded a significant portion of Anax’s expeditions for reasons that remain classified.
• Helne’s Canard was a purpose-built Idris-P owned by weapons magnate Jaer Forsythe. In his later years, Forsythe became increasingly paranoid and ultimately interested in avoiding human contact altogether. Shortly after his 75th birthday, he sold off his terrestrial real estate and invested a significant portion of his weapons investments in the conversion of the Idris into an armored luxury spacecraft. The details of how the ship was crewed and its current whereabouts remain unknown.
• Home Force One was an Idris-class ship belonging to the so-called Free Republic of Lamia, a fringe political group that claimed ‘ownership’ of a large asteroid in the Goss System. The group considered Home Force One, a military surplus Idris which was never actually re-equipped with weaponry, to be their flagship and utilized it in a number of media stunts to promote their cause. The Lamian organization fell into bankruptcy within a year of the ship’s purchase and it was ultimately taken into custody and later scuttled by the Advocacy.