Tech Report: CES Firecrown

CES Firecrown

Model: E5C-14 Endeavor

Manufacturer: Voronin Interstellar Enterprises

Construction: 2355

Configuration: Conventional aerodyne

Length: 175'

Height: 46'

Width (Fuselage): 30'

Wingspan: 180' at minimum wing sweep

Wing Sweep: Variable, 32.5-65°

Decks: 2

Takeoff: Horizontal

Landing: Horizontal

Gravity: Internal field (graviton deck plating)

Range Classification: Short interstellar

Engines: Aerojet Flash Class 8 (4)

Directional Thrusters: Aerojet Spark Class 3 (8)

Hyperspace Thrusters: None

Breach Drive: Kearney-Fushida BT2750

Backup Power: GravSol Pulse X3

Shield Generator: GravSol Harmonics S-41

Armaments:

8 Dynamic Fire M81 Vulcan turrets (point defense)

12 Sibereal Optics Scatterlight laser turrets (point defense)

2 GA Shrieker WVRAAM launch systems

Model History:

In 2071, Clearwater Aeronautics launched the E4 Aquila spaceplane, Earth's first single-stage-to-orbit vessel. The SSTO breakthrough took the industry by storm, with Clearwater at the forefront; they quickly set about consolidating this advantage. As a research craft, the Aquila had modest but well-rounded capabilities. This made it relatively easy to adapt into the commercial E5C-1 Aquila model, which was released in 2074 and dominated space operations for the next twenty years.

Between the departure of the AES Frontier in 2092 and its arrival at Proxima Centauri in 2097, the Aquila's supremacy abruptly collapsed. With Earth's sights now set on extrasolar travel, the system-bound Aquila was no longer on the cutting edge, and the days of spaceplanes seemed to be waning in favor of the large spacedocked vessels which could handle several-year interstellar voyages. Clearwater Aeronautics was bought out by Voronin Interstellar Enterprises in 2105, and Aquila production ceased soon after.

Then came the 2115 development of the hyperdrive. Almost overnight, spaceplanes were back in vogue: given faster-than-light capability, they would once again become a much more efficient spacefaring option than the hulking stellar cruisers. Voronin aggressively pursued a contract with Kearney Labs, and in 2118 the first commercial hyperspace vessel entered production: the E5C-10 Endeavor, essentially an Aquila with a hyperdrive.

(Urban legend claims the Endeavor traces its name to the HMS Endeavour, a common namesake in Earth's spacefaring history, and Voronin is just the latest of a long line of organizations to use the incorrect spelling. In actuality, Kearney Labs' hyperspace research had always been conducted under the name Project Endeavor. The spelling was specifically used to differentiate from the AES Endeavour, the colonization ship which had recently launched for Alpha Centauri.)

The Endeavor never quite recaptured the Aquila's market dominance, as Voronin's contract with Kearney was not exclusive. Still, it was popular enough that a later model, the E5C-12, would be the first commercial vessel to carry a modern breach drive. Later efforts to add hyperspace thrusters proved unsuccessful, given the vessel's small size, but the E5C-13 would be the smallest ship of its time to carry graviton deck plating.

Despite its remarkable pedigree, the current incarnation of the Endeavor is looked upon unfavorably by aerospace enthusiasts. For a class defined by groundbreaking new technology, the E5C-14's general system updates were seen as a letdown at best and an insult at worst; many went so far as to argue that an Endeavor that makes no new strides is no Endeavor at all. Even those who favor the design's merits acknowledge it as fairly uninspired. Voronin shows no interest in these criticisms. The modern Endeavor—versatile, reliable, and affordable—is thus expected to remain a quietly practical workhorse for quite some time to come.

CES Firecrown (E5C-14 Endeavor), main (upper) deck

CES Firecrown (E5C-14 Endeavor), systems (lower) deck