U.S.S. Khai Tam Technical Orientation Manual

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mwhittington
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U.S.S. Khai Tam Technical Orientation Manual

Post by mwhittington »

Before my friend in Missouri passed away, he sent me the U.S.S. Khai Tam Tech Manual. This was written and illustrated in 1994 by Kevin McNulty and Colin Toenjes, and was published by Intergalactic Press.
It is the second Federation/Klingon hybrid starship, Qapla' Class, Starfleet Registry #NCC-81000, built mainly for combating the Borg. It is basically the saucer section of a Galaxy Class Starship mated to two Klingon Vorcha class wings, but the wings are much larger in size (each wing is approximately 75% the width of the saucer section), making this vessel the broadest either fleet has ever produced, at just over one km wide.
Many of the systems hybridize both Federation and Klingon tech, specifically the propulsion and weapons systems. It has a sustainable cruising velocity of warp 9.8, and a top speed of warp 9.95 for up to ten hours, and it does this by utilizing the Federation m/ara, dilithium crystals, and matter and antimatter - because of better fuel and crystal quality - with Klingon warp drive nacelles, due to their more powerful driver coils and better lobe stability.
The Khai Tam also utilizes the same Federation phaser banks as the Galaxy Class, but uses better targeting and beam control software. Beam intensity, width, and frequency can be set to very randomly, as can the actual targeting point being fired on. The beam can be fired in a steady constantly changing stream, or a series of pulses, each pulse with its own different characteristic and target. The phaser system also has a "smart" component which analyzes attack information and damage assessments from the fire control computer. If a particular combination of frequency/width/intensity has been adapted to and shielded against, the computer deletes that combination from the random pattern so that the phasers don't waste energy and time by using combos to which have already been adapted. Of the millions of possible combinations of beam characteristics, the computer randomly selects only 10% of the possibilities to use at a time, so all possibilities cannot be quickly adapted to.
The Khai Tam also carries 2 large Klingon GLG-20 disruptor cannons, one under each wing, which are more effective at close range than phasers. Their impact on a target over a short distance is much more damaging than a phaser hit of similar intensity.
The Khai Tam has specially designed torpedo tubes - six in front, six in rear - that can launch both Federation and Klingon photon torpedoes, and the new Federation Mark V Photon Torpedo, which carries four multiple independently targetable submunitions (MITS) which separate from the main torpedo casing anywhere from 10 to 60 km away from the target. Each MITS guides itself to the target after a random breakaway pattern that presents the target with four randomly vectored incoming weapons rather than just one, five if you count the main torpedo casing, which follows the MITS into the target, where its momentum and residual fuel supply can land a significant punch.
The Khai Tam carries two types of mines which can be laid or launched from any torpedo tube. The first is the standard Klingon Type 17 Gravitic Mine, which is laid in position and waits dormant. When its onboard gravitometer detects the gravimetric disturbance of a ship, it powers up and propels itself to the target, where it can detonate on impact, or attach itself to the ship's hull to detonate later. The second type is a hybrid of mine and torpedo. It waits in position until its passive sensors detect a target, then it activates and flies to its target like a Federation Mark IV torpedo. If it encounters a deflector shield prior to reaching its target, it shuts down propulsion and attaches itself to the shield. It then waits untild the shield is lowered and then detonates with a variable yield maximizing at about that of a Federation Mark IV.
The Khai Tam has a two-shield layer of deflector shields which operate at about 50 meters apart, giving them a "twin hull" effect. The shields vary their frequencies in a random pattern which changes every 10 nanoseconds. Neither shield ever operates at the same frequency as the other at the same time. Also incorporated into the deflectors is the new metaphasic shielding technology. The metaphasic shield generates a radiation and heat protective shield that actually feeds off absorbed EM radiation to increase its strength. It is highly useful in the close study of stellar phenomenon (its original application), but is also invaluable in using a stellar corona to hide the vessel in a combat situation.
One interesting feature of the Khai Tam is its use of ordinance hardpoints, two on each wing, which really expands its role as a combat vessel. These hardpoints can carry a plethora of packages, including the standard Klingon GLG-20 and V601 Disruptor Cannons, the Federation Type X-A1 Phaser Cannon, the Federation Mark 22 Mod 5 and Mark 24 Mod Q Torpedo tube housings, FAC 2 and FAC3 Tandem Runabout Support/Launch Cradles, F301 Slush Deuterium Tank and Refeuling Rig, and the F221 Standard Cargo Container.
I thought this was a very interesting and well thought out tech manual for a non-canon ship. I especially like the ship's motto: "A ship in its harbor is safe- but that's not what ships are for..." According to the Tech Manual, Khai Tam is Vietnamese for "brave heart", and there are four Qapla' Class vessels built: IKV Qapla', U.S.S. Khai Tam, IKV Targ, and U.S.S. Relentless. What do you think? If you have questions, I could probably find the answer in the manual.
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -Benjamin Franklin-
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Bryan Moore
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Re: U.S.S. Khai Tam Technical Orientation Manual

Post by Bryan Moore »

Interesting. Though I very much doubt the two would cooperate enough to share that much technology. That's a lot of security. I understand it was written in 1994, before the Khitomer Accords were broken, but still. Moreover, it would seem Starfleet would give a lot more than it gets, as the Klingons have traditionally had the Soviet mentality of 1,000,000 cheap ships are better than 100 expensive ones, and rely on brute force.
Don't you hear my call, though you're many years away, don't you hear me calling you?
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