Universe: Gamma
Story: Galactic Conquest (and associated stories)
First seen: Don't remember
Type: Multi-role spaceship
Year(s): 2289 or so
Crew: 25-150
Passengers: 100-3500, depending on type
Top Speed: Warp 7, can access hyperspace
Weapons: Several heavy lasers and smaller turrets, two Mega Guns
Defence: Standard shields
Capacity: 65,000 tons (cargo version)
Length: 550m
Width: 110m
Height: 135m
Fuel Type: Fuel slugs
General Info:
A much-upgraded version of the venerable Spectra, produced primarily as a more military-focused ship, thanks to the pressures of the Starkill war. Civilian versions were also produced, however.
Variants:
Military - Beefed-up shields, a hangar to carry a fighter squadron (dedicated carriers could take two), space for troop transport and, most importantly, two mega guns. These mighty weapons ended many a battle.
Passenger - Like a luxury liner in space, kept the strong shields, but had larger cabins for guests than the original Spectra.
Cargo - Lots of empty space! Some kept their lighter weapons, if travelling to piracy-heavy areas.
Hospital - Replaced guest cabins with hospital wards, and extra teleporter rooms for quick evacuations. The fighter hangers of the military version were retained, with a fleet of "ambulance" shuttles.
Explorer - Replaced most of the weapons of the military versions with sensors and scientific equipment. A few of them retained one mega-gun for any possible dangers.
Origin / Inspiration:
I made a more "streamlined" Spectra, because that makes it more futuristic, and therefore cool. The introduction of Mega Guns did result in several pretty formulaic stories where a battle is fought basically just as a delaying tactic while the mega guns "charge up", then they fire and destroy the enemy's mothership in one shot, If they just kept them charged up and ready all the time, they could end battles in about 20 seconds.