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The Nova class was designed as a modern replacement for the long serving Oberth class science vessel. The requirement called for a ship capable of making relatively short duration missions; Starfleet intended to use these ships in the large unexplored areas between Federation controlled space, missions which would typically be staged out of Starbases and last for a few months up to a year at most.

The design of the Nova class vessel was based on the Defiant pathfinder ship. This ship was of the right size and employed the latest warp field/hull geometry and propulsion technology. Starfleet replaced the warp core with a far less powerful version, reducing the top speed to Warp 8. Running the same nacelle design at much lower power greatly extended the operating life of the warp coils, reducing the ships refit schedule and making it easier to operate. The heavy weaponry was also removed, creating extra space for sensor arrays and scientific labs.

Originally, the Nova designation was intended to be assigned to the replacement for the Galaxy class Explorers. However, the Galaxy class went into high level production as a battleship in the run up to the Dominion war. After the war, many of these ships continued in service as fully fleshed out Explorers, while others were retired. It quickly became clear that Starfleet would have a ready supply of large space frames on hand for far longer than originally envisaged. Additionally, the entry into service of the Sovereign class introduced a new level of high technology to the fleet. Both factors reduced the need for a galaxy replacement significantly, and so the Nova development project was quietly dropped. With the name now available again, Starfleet chose to assign it to the new science ship.

As years went on, the brass at Starfleet headquarters found that many of their local planetary exploration vessels were being called off of assignments to pursue “legal” matters such as the apprehension of criminals, pirating, the investigation of probably and possible crimes, basic escort duties, Internal Investigations and work more suited for a specialized starship. That brought about the creation of a Federation Policing unit, headed by Starfleet Internal Affairs and the Federation Counsel of Interstellar Law. The first ship off the line, the USS Spartan, is expected to be the trial and error for which its predecessors will look to when questions arise. Though not in new space reaching out for new life and new civilizations, the Spartan is forging a new frontier all its own – the protection of peace in the Federation.

The enhanced version of the Nova found it bringing to bear new engine research techniques, boosting warp drive capabilities. The addition of a small fighter wing (4 fighters) for increased apprehension capabilities and the added crew of a small task force group of SWAT Personnel have helped make the Spartan a small force capable of boarding vessels and confiscating evidence, illegal substances and anything pertaining to the duty handed down to the Spartan and her crew.

Like all police, the Spartan and the crew that handles her are not above the law. They, too, must stay within the rights of Federation and Interstellar Law and are sworn to uphold the ideals set forth by the beings and governments that form the Federation.

The U.S.S. Spartan is equipped with advanced tactical sensors; 10 of the advanced equipment settings in all. Each sensor automatically tracks and locks onto incoming hostile vessels and reports bearing, aspect, distance and vulnerability percentage to the tactical station on the main bridge. Each tactical sensor is approximately 90-percent efficient against EMC, and can operate fairly well in particle flux nebulae, which has been impossible to this point.

Even though the U.S.S. Spartan is a small ship, it still utilizes the Type-IX array system. The six arrays are all Type-IX, the new standard emitter. Each array fires a steady beam of phaser energy, and the forced-focus emitters discharge the phasers at speeds approaching .986 - which works out to about 182, 520 miles per second; or nearly warp one. The phaser array automatically rotates phaser frequency and attempts to lock onto the frequency and phase of a threat vessel's shields for shield penetration.

The new Gendarme class of Nova refit is a new concept of Police/Rescue frigate used to patrol the inner sector out to the border, to provide on demand rescue and criminal investigations as well as some criminal deterrent. The Nova refit sports a new core, much more powerful than the original while maintaining many of the special systems that the original ship used. 

Tevak/Haldane Core: A new form of warp core design that retrieves greater amount of energy from the same Matter/Antimatter reaction allows the core to introduce more energy into it’s systems as needed. Additionally, the new technology channels anti-protons back into a secondary reaction chamber in which it reacts with the normal protons and neutrons produced in the matter annihilation process; thus eliminating the need for Anyon sweeps every year of operation AND increasing power output. The warp core of the Gendarme class occupies slightly less volume than that of the Intrepid class, requiring only 2 ½ decks of space for its function.

Planetary Descent: The Gendarme class has the same ability as the Intrepid class to land on planetary surfaces and even in water.

REPS Grid: Using a new design on the standard EPS grid and requiring less space and materials, this form of redundant EPS grid lays two conduits beside each other; one is primary and the other is secondary. Both grid feeds work all the time but they have separate relays allowing for greater control of ship power resource allocation as well as reducing EPS surges by 70% as compared to current Starfleet designs. The Gendarme class uses a redundant application of the new system.

Layered Shields: Using two deflector arrays, the Gendarme class is able to generate two separate layers of shielding that overlap and block damage in a series. Each layer blocks damage as normal but also has a refractive capacity allowing for the shield to absorb and diffuse some of the incoming energy into it’s own systems, often back into the shield matrix or weapon arrays. The secondary shield layer is passive until triggered by a primary breach or overload.

Reduced Warp Field Profile: The Spartan has the ability to configure its warp field to present a minimal profile. In effect, the warp field will only extend a few meters beyond the hull of the ship and can make it seem to be a much smaller vessel. When coupled with the advanced ECM capabilities listed below, the ship can run nearly “quietly” even at warp speeds.

Advanced Sensor Package: The newer enhanced sensor package of the Nova class allows a greater lateral sensor acuity giving it a wider range and passive capability. Upgraded sensors for Intel missions can be added that will allow a vessel to scan for the exact frequency of another vessel’s shields so that they might be able to fire and/or transport through them; such a scan could take several minutes. The original Nova sensor packages allowing for subspace wake tracking and for particle discrimination, virtually eliminating particle nebulae interference. This sensor package is programmed for internal and external monitoring and is calibrated to sense temporal and out of phase events.

Active/Passive ECM: The Spartan uses a form of Sensor Counter Measures technology that allows it to deflect most sensor sweep energies, preventing most sensor systems from being able to get a positive scan at long and medium range and preventing target lock at any range, in most cases.

Bioneural circuits/Gelpacs: Because of the more recent advances in computer hardware and neurogenic engineering, the Gendarme class has the same computer technology upgrades that all of the new Nova, Sovereign and other Starfleet vessels coming off of the line will have. These new enhancements allow the same performance for less space, often as much as 30% less space. In the Gendarme class, the primary computer core would normally occupy a space on every deck of the primary hull (four decks) though with the upgrade, the new core occupies part of decks one and four and a solid space on decks two and three.

Multiple Dedicated Computers Cores: The Spartan operates with multiple dedicated computer cores onboard. Normally a starship has one main computer and a backup core. The Spartan has the same system for primary ship’s computer needs with an additional dedicated core for the Crime/Intel Lab and Engineering. The Crime/Intel Lab and the Engineering cores operate from independent power supplies and though they can be linked to the other computers at will, are normally independent. The Engineering core maintains the automated functions of the starship and monitors the operation of all ship’s systems redundantly with the Main Computer. However, the Engineering computer also runs all EEH and regulates the use of automated repair measures, where needed. Because of the extensive use of bioneural circuitry and gelpacs throughout the new class, the primary computer core is much smaller requiring 26% less space. The dedicated systems for the Criminal Investigations teams and Engineering are much smaller, requiring less space than a crewman’s lavatory.

Holographic projectors on all decks: Like the Prometheus and many of the newer ships of the line, the Gendarme class employs the use of Holographic projectors on all decks and in all compartments, save the individual cells of the Brig. This allows a holographic program to be run in any location capable of the power necessary to project an EMH or EEH.

Automated Repair Measures: The Spartan uses a form of Emergency Engineering Hologram that has been created and used by a variety of Starfleet ships around the quadrant, though no one Engineer or technician can claim direct responsibility. The most recent version implemented originally by Lt jg T'tok the Chief Engineer of the USS Shrike, was transferred and integrated into the holographic systems of the Spartan for widespread use. 

Common Areas of the Spartan

·         Crew Quarters: Crew Quarters for enlisted and non-officers are single occupancy eighty square meter suites featuring a largish siting area with work station, small eating area with replicator, lav with sonic shower and sink, clothing drawers built into the base of the sink and a closet immediately to the left of that 4 cubic meters and a sleeping area with a full sized bed. Crew accommodations can be joined together for family members and/or married couples to increase their overall size. Such cases allow for an extra sleeping area for children, if any, an extra large lav area, living area and sleeping area. Additional shelving and/or casing for the display of personal effects can be added of removed at the owner’s desire. Some quarters are not on the outside of the ship’s hull and any internal quarters and some offices, have “faux-ports”. These spaces on the bulkheads actually display a real-time sensor representation of the external view form whatever direction such a port would normally show. The display is low-level holographic and requires little power, and to all but a detailed scan will appear to be perfectly real.

·         Officer Quarters: Typically the Officer’s quarters measure ninety square meters and feature larger living areas and a larger lav with a real water shower/bathing area.

·         Mess Hall: The Mess Hall area is similar to the of an Intrepid class, even unto being situated on the underside of the saucer section and occupying a whole wall of the forward curvature. The area is roughly three meters in height, ten meters wide and five meters deep. There is a galley in the rear with a cooking area and a service counter. At the far end of the mess hall, opposite the doors, is the bank of replicators, which allow the crew to access the dishes, and beverages of a two hundred worlds. There are eighteen small tables with seating for twice that many at once and a padded bench built into the forward bulkhead for seating against the ceiling to floor ports. In addition to this there is a lower area accessed through a spiral staircase that is a more quiet lounge, given to private conversations, romantic dinners and reserved entertainment. Those in the lower area can activate a Privacy field if the upper mess area becomes too loud and this area is often used to entertain dignitaries or have important large conferences. This area occupies the same space that the Wave-rider vehicle of the Nova class would normally be docked in. It, like the above mess hall shared a forward curvature of the ship’s hull and has several ports. There is also a set of doors in the lower area into and out of the room and is a bank of replicators and a service-way allowing for servers to enter and exit with food prepared or replicated above. The spiral stair is located to the left of the main doors upstairs in the back corner of the Mess Hall.

·         Bridge: The Bridge of the Gendarme class is different from many of the Command decks of most starships in the fleet, resembling in many ways the older style of Starfleet ships or even Klingon ships. The overall deck is oval, with the forward wall being taken up totally by three separate viewscreens that project a holographic representation into the foreground of the deck. Before them is a trinary console, split into three area with reclined seating for the Ops, Tactical and Conn positions- Conn in center and Ops to the left and tactical to the right. Each faces forward and is heavily insulated to prevent plasma backlash during system overloads and attacks. Directly behind the Conn a full two meters is the Captain’s chair, with Command consoles to the right and left for easy access of all systems’ information. Behind that is a single step up onto a dais upon which the console of the Intel/Sensor officer would be stationed. To the right or his location is the turbolift and a doorway to the bridge-head and to the left the Captain’s Ready Room and the Conference Room, side by side. Behind the Intel position another two meters is a Tactical/Engineering Holographic display table, similar to the old style command decks or the Defiant class Engineering station. The Engineering station is to the immediate right of this table with the Science station to the left. To either side of the Conn/Tactical/Ops console and just back from the display area is a console on each side that may be configured as needed for life sciences, specific scientific scans, secondary tactical or Security. There is a small replicator in the wall to the right of the turbolift and a small armory unit built into the console or seating area of each position so that nobody on the bridge need be defenseless at any time.

·         Medical/Sickbay: The Medical bay or “Sickbay” of the Spartan is very large and is designed to handle large numbers of ill or otherwise injured beings should a rescue mission be authorized. The main area of the medical bay is similar to an Intrepid in design, with eight biobeds ringing the larger area to the right of the entrance and four surgical bays against the far wall from the same entrance. There is a door between the biobeds and the surgical bays that leads to the isolation suites, null-gravity treatment areas and ICU/Biohazard treatment wards. The surgical bays line the back wall of the primary medical bay area and separate the other wards from the primary area. The back wall of the surgical area is sealed off by individual duraglass walls that retract to the side or into the ceiling to give the attending physicians that ability to transfer their surgical patients directly into ICU or other specialized treatment facilities. The far left side of the medical bay also features an isolated but clearly visible area of the medical labs and a triage area, butting against the surgical bays. There are three biobeds specifically designed for triage and have independent transporters built into them to move patients from one bed to a surgical platform with a minimum of trauma.  The medical office is against the wall the entrance is on and it’s curved duraglass wall allows anyone within to visually monitor all areas of the primary bay area. A smaller secondary office is situated on the far right area of the specialized treatment facilities and also allows for visual inspection of the facility. There are no less than five medical replicators in the medical bay and three in the surgical area. Two situated in the secondary medical bay area assured adequate access to medical supplies and sustenance for anyone in those wards. The large lav for medical is situated behind the biobeds on the right of the primary medical bay- the entrance of which is between the fourth and fifth biobeds, which are further apart to allow easy access and egress. The medical office is designed so that four medical officers may be on duty at the same time with semi-private areas to work in. The entire structure is three meters in height, twelve meters across and the same deep.