A/N This is the last chapter of the story. Its kind of rushed and not written the best. I know this will be disapointing to lot of you who were waiting for a longer end of the story.
I have run into a huge case of writers block and haven't been able to write if over a year. I hope you all understand.
Updated - 10/5/18
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When the fleet arrived it was met with almost the entire Terran Fleet. The battle was disastrous for both sides and Earth itself was attacked from orbit but the Klingons were pushed back when the Vulcans sent a fleet to aid Earth. After the retreat the Vulcans agreed to help defend Earth, if only to keep the Klingons from getting the Jump Drive.
After the battle for Earth another battle fleet met over Ogrania where the Organians prevented the war from continuing and forced a peace treaty between Humans and Klingons. The humans and Klingons were at first outraged at the Organians for interfering in their war. But the humans did eventually accept it.
At Earth the Mars Shipyards were still growing even after all this time. Despite the size of the shipyard only 3 battlestars were being built at a time. This was due to the sheer amount of material needed to build a single battlestar. For this reason, Starfleet command was working on designing a smaller battlestar. However, they were running into some problems.
"No, we cant do that." The Colonial aeronautical engineer said looking at the proposed design. Michael Conway was a Civilian aerospace engineer who was employed by the Colonial Navy before the fall, he had been designing the newest proposed battlestar for the Colonial Navy meant to reduce the cost of the Mercury class. He had also worked on the Erberus class. "Look, in order to for the Honeycomb structural design to work the ship has to be a at least 700 meters long. That why the Valkary was the first to employ this design." He said to his Starfleet counterpart.
"I know that," Valery Eddington said from next to him. "But that's what structural integrity fields are for. To help shore up the physical limitations of the materials themselves. Also, were going to have shields so armor dosnt need to be as strong as before. Plus, armor dosnt do much against antimatter explosions and disruptors."
"You have said that multiple times but the ship needs armor."
"I agree. But it dosnt need to be as thick as the a typical battlestar needs. We can have armor be a quarter meter thick then use polarized hull plating, shields, and deflector shields to protect the ship."
The Colonial engineer muttered under his breath but allowed the Starfleet engineer do her thing. The schematic was updated and the 5 meter armor was reduced to a quarter meter and additional structural integrity field generators were placed in the designs. Slowly the ship was taking shape. The jump coils were already replaced with two massive antimatter reactors and bottom half of the flight pods were now fitted with warp coils.
Starfleet had finally worked out how to make a point defense system that could properly disrupt the containment field used in most energy based weapons or plasma based weapons. A specialized pulse cannon was designed with the help of the Vulcans to disrupt the fields of the most widely used energy weapons. Of course, this was useless without a targeting computer to track and engage the energy bolts to accomplish this a separate computer core was built with its own dedicated sensor grid. The problem was that this type of system was countered by using beam weapons, closing the distance between the two ships, or using weapons that move to quickly to be targeted. So while the system was useful it was not perfect.
The new battlestar, Hermes Class using the Greek name of Mercury, was based on the Mercury design but was only 500 meters long and was severely lacking in actual armor. But, its carried almost twice the weapons systems of the actual Mercury. The Hermes class was actually able to enter warp at a factor of 4.789 for a total of five hours before having to drop out. However, the warp coils could also be used to jump the ship a total of 13LY once every 16 minutes. These warp coils could accomplish this using a special program to change how they functioned and if the ship was captured or disabled the program could be erased and the coils would burn themselves out. The technology was not permitted to be captured.
Captain Balthazar Edison of the USS Franklin was to be given command of the first of the Hermes class once completed. His ship was lost fighting against the Klingons during the battle of Hatoria. The Hermes class would require a crew of almost 300 to operate the ship, 500 for combat missions for security personal and damage repair crews. Additionally, for Hermes could carry 1,000 MACOS and/or RAZORS and their combat shuttles for ground combat.
The Hermes was also Earths first experiment in single person combat craft, or fighters. The common thought among the galaxy was that shields would render the firepower of single person craft useless against shielded ships. But, the thought behind Earths new doctrine was to arm a number of fighters with antimatter warheads too draw attention away from the battlestar. The warheads were equal power to a photon torpedo carried by the battlestar. The warhead was fired out of what was essentially a railgun at fractional values of the speed of light. Because of this the warhead could not maneuver and was a fire and forget weapon.
"Captain Edison, welcome to Eutopia Planetia." Commander Barkely said walking up to the view port looking over the Hermes's keel as it was being laid.
"Commander, thank you for allowing me to see this." Edison said.
"Its no trouble. Have you overlooked all the specifications for the Hermes class?"
"I have. It's a beautiful ship."
"Yes, she will be. We are trying to merge the design styles of the Colonials with our own. That's why we still have the saucer section connecting to the engine and hanger docks of the Colonial design. Did you see the separation sequence we setup for the saucer?"
"I did. I like that design. It lets us use the saucer as a lifeboat."
"Exactly. Best part is that the hanger bays backbone can separate from the entire engineering section and the ship will still be able to jump. Each nacelle can store enough energy for a single 12ly jump. And the nacelle will be able to operate independently of the other. So you will be able to rapid fire the nacelle one after the other immediately and jump 24LY is the engineering section is lost."
"I take it that is not recommended?"
He nodded, "It will overheat the nacelles and they will need to cool. We expect that will take several hours and then the coils will need to repolarize. That will take weeks. Basically you will be stranded over a week.
"I see. So not recommended unless we have no other choice."
"Yes."
Admiral Johnathon Archer sat at his desk in Starfleet Headquarters wondering what happened to the ideals that Starfleet was founded upon. Ever since the Colonials and the JumpDrive were discovered humanity was returning to its former self. Lies, xenophobia, and mistrust was running rampant across Humanity. He understood it, hell at first he loved the irony. The mighty Vulcans asking humanity for technology. It was a wonderous feeling. But now, now he almost regretted finding the Colonials. Almost, but he knew, that the second T'Pol anounded the special distortions that fate was sealed. Even more once he knew that they were refugees.
His humanity was what was setting back his people over 100 years of progress. Slowly he allowed his head to rest in his hands. He was tired, tired of the lies and deceit. Tired of T'Pol being banished from Vulcan. Of course she and Trip were now married with little Elizabeth. Flox was over joyed at being able to be the family physician for a Hybrid.
Trip was now captain of the Enterprise NX-01-A. A complete refit of the Pioneer class. This new Enterprise was larger, faster and stronger than the old Pioneer class. The Voyager class was still an exploration vessel but it was a whole different lady.
Ten decks and a saucer almost double the size of her predecessor. The A had double the weapons had a dedicated engineering section that was detachable from the saucer. Like the Hermes the Voyager class's saucer carried the nacells and in an emergency the engineering section could be detached from the saucer.
Archer hated the design. It was a heavily armed exploration ship. It shouldn't need to be that way. He knew the reasoning, he agreed with it. But he hated the need for it.
Archer remembered what he had once learned from Daniels. The Federation. It was something he loved the idea of. But, Daniels also told him that this reality, the one Archer himself existed in was separate from his own reality. Apparently, the temporal cold war from Daniels own reality had partly spilled into this one.
It didn't mean he couldn't learn from it. Archer finished drawing up his proposal and looked out of his San Francisco office at the gleaming golden gate bridge and sent a request to meet with the First Minister.
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"Well John, you have really stirred up a hornets nest." Admiral Forester said looking at his friend.
"I know, but this is important."
"I agree. But sharing the jump drive."
"It's the only way this will work sir."
"I know. I see the logic behind this. But to actually do it."
"We would gain much more than we would lose."
"True."
"You know that the Klingons have discovered how to recrystallize dilithium. With that they don't need to go mining for the crystal as much as before. We can make our own dilithium sir. But it takes a long time. Once the Klingons have adapted their infrastructure to process depleted dilithium their fleet will grow exponentially. The Klingons will drown us in numbers. We need the Vulcans. We need the Andorians. We need the Tellarites."
"I know, and so do the rest. But it's a big step John."
"I agree. But its necessary."
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"So, you will share the Jump Drive." Ambassador Savol asked.
"For reasons of our own security we have agreed." Govoner Roslin of the Tribes of Kobol responded to the question. She was sitting with the First Minister of Earth, diplomats, and assorted admirals from Starfleet.
"I find this idea very convenient." The Andorian Chancellor Prime said. "However I understand its necessity. The Jump Drive is a serious technology."
"And now the Klingons are now able to recrystallize their dilithium."
"Something that is only the result of your war with them."
"We didn't start this war. Even if we had shared the Jump drive with you the Klingons would have attacked us."
"That is the truth." Savol said.
"Unfortunately." The Tellerite leader said.
"We all agree that the Klingons cannot get their hands on this drive. We will agree to this." Savol agreed. He understood that gaining the drive would change everything and they were not strong enough to fight the whole quadrant.
The Andorian and Tellerites nodded agreeing. The Charter for the Federation was signed and agreement was made. Rather then place the Capitol on Earth a new planet was colonized by all four races and the capitol was built on this world. The planet was named Genesis, as a place of beginnings.
The one thing that all members of the Federation could agree on was who would be the first President. Johnathon Archer was unanimously voted into the Presidency.
Genesis was built quickly as the drive allowed the massive cargo ships to arrive at the planet in minutes instead of days or even weeks. Engineers from across the Federation arrived at Utopia Planitia where they were shown the designs of the battlestars. All three races provided insight and technology for the Hermes class and inside a year the newest and most advanced Hermes, UFPS Pegasus NCC-62.
The Pegasus was commanded by T'Pol Tucker, the woman who found the Colonials aboard the Enterprise. The Pegasus made a journey to every world in the Federation before traveling to Genesis where it took up position as Flagship of the Genesis defense fleet.
Starfleet was given to the Federation by the United Earth Government. Archer and the Vice President Shran of Andoria quickly turned Starfleet into the Federations military. Each world would have its own defense force which could be called upon by the Federation. But StarFleet would serve the Federation as a whole.
The Battlestar would be planetary defense ships due to their enormous cost. Not to mention the Erebus class Warstar. In their place, smaller ships would become the backbone of Starfleet. To that end, Starfleet began to develop what it hoped would one day be that ship. The Constitution Class.
As the Federation expanded and more planets were colonized for a multitude of reasons, more worlds joined. The telepathic Batazoids were discovered and they joined the Federation followed by the Orion and other species.
On March 22, 2233 James T Kirk was born and on June 3rd, 2265 Kirk took command of the Constitution Class UFPS Enterprise NCC-1701.