Overseer-class Research Saucer

Name:	Overseer Class Research Saucer
Model:	KRK-9009 MK IV Overseer
Starship Type:	Sheromi Survey saucer
Production Status:	Decomissioned
Role:	Research Mark and Capture In-field experimentation Naturalistic Observation Reconnaissance
Constructed:	Sheromi shipyards
Commissioned:	Jaunary 1902-January 2045
Dimensions:	Diameter: 10 M Height: 3 M
Mass (w. Standard Armament):	27,200 KG(?)
Technical Specifications	Advantages Physics-defying maneuverability and speed Delicate, precise tractor beams, comes standard Superior cloaking capabilities Disadvantages Built for science, not battle Limited weaponry Few customization options
Standard Crew Complement:	Pilot(x1) Researcher (x3-5)
Warp & Impulse Speeds:	Standard Speed: Warp 6 Maximum Speed: Warp 8.3 Maximum Cruise: 0.953 C Combat Speed: 2200 Km/s
Tactical Specs:	(x1) Omnidirectional deflector beam array (x1) Low powered Organic Tractor beam (Ventrak) (x4) High powered graviton beam (starboard, port, aft, forward)
Defensive Specs:	High powered gravitational force field, sometimes referred to as kinetic shielding Friction-reducing liquid alloy coating the hull (Kkrek in Sheromi)) Deflector shielding
Engine Specs:	ARPK 2500 series Impulse engine (Post 1985) ARPK 1000 series Impulse engine (Pre-1985) Gravitic Displacement Engine (Post 1960) RF Resonant Cavity Thruster (Pre-1960)
Other Systems	(x2) Isolinear memory core (x4) Short range sensor array (x1) Long range sensor array Sheromi environmental support system (x16) Holding cells of customizable size, with seperate environmental systems for each. Tinted floodlight, next to the tractor beam
Sensors	Class IV SROM sensor suite Standard navigational sensor suite High Resolution sensor range: 15 Ly Low resolution sensor range: 30 Ly
Other Standard-issue Equipment	Basic medical kit Rations (2mos)

Overseers were a sturdy class of survey vessels built for undetected observation. The KRK-9009 series was built specifically to observe pre-contact species on class H, M, O, and P planets. During the Sheromi contact with Asurians, many motherships still held MK IV versions of the ships despite their decommissioning. The Asurians now fly a handful of these saucers for the purpose of pirating and battle.

The Overseer class is infamous for having started the pop-culture fad of 'flying saucers' on Earth. Sheromi used the MK IV saucers for observing humans and consequently left an imprint of their ships in human culture. A handful of younger cultures also share the same cultural phenomenon for the same reasons.

Production History

The Sheromi employ a number of research and exploration vessels in their never-ending mission to continue what the Preservers started, but dependable spacecraft were scarce. Their older ships did not often survive the transition from space to an atmosphere, and if they did, their observational ships would sometimes be spotted, which would make much of their research invalid. In civilizations with primitive weaponry and aircraft, they found that their older ships could not leave fast enough. Often the ship would be damaged, the sensitive, fragile instruments inside would be damaged, or they'd lose the ship altogether. The Overseer class arose from the need for a quiet, stealthy scientific vessel that would remain largely untouched by the kinetic weaponry of most primitive alien civilizations.

The Overseer class made it's first debut in 1888 as a purely experimental prototype, deployed on a select few pre-sentient planets for the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness of the new craft. The design proved highly popular, with the only flaws being the high power consumption of the engines and the unusual shape of the craft. Soon, Sheromi Motherships employed the use of Overseer class saucers almost universally for the purpose of observation. Their cloaking systems made them the favored ship of researchers, as it allowed them to observe without being observed. The cloaking system was deemed so important that all ships regardless of make received almost continual updates until 2045. Ships with an out-of-date system are rare--saucers with no system are even rarer.

Later developments in 1960 and 1985 led to the development of the MK II and MK III Overseers. The MK II Overseer had its RF Cavity Thruster engine replaced with a Gravitic displacement engine, giving the Overseer class its trademark maneuverability and decreasing the amount of power consumed by the engine at any given time. The MK II was also the first class to use the liquid alloy known as Kkrek.

The MK III received an impulse engine upgrade and was also the first class with a tractor beam tuned specifically for organic matter. As the Sheromi studied more and more with sentient beings, it became important to develop some means of picking samples, hence the tractor beam.

The MK IV and the final upgrade before it's eventual decommissioning had a basic weapons system to take down potential pursuers and a complete overhaul of the crude navigational beam that previous makes had. Now each ship came equipped with graviton beams of a caliber not yet manufactured by Starfleet. Another minor addition was the use of a gentle blue floodlight that activated whenever the short range organic matter (SROM) beam activated, as humans didn't respond to pheromones as well as they did strange lights. This was in addition to the pheromone emitters that all previous makes had. The light could be removed or disabled as needed.