Infinity Quest is an original work of mine I've been working on and developing for the last 18 years now! If you'd like to read the first book in the series, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Que.....896&sr=1-1
While this isn't a human-centric story, lol a part of me does enjoy showing off big chunky human technology and visions of what forms the future might take for us!

Bio:
(Featured above are the star vehicles ECC D. Grantham 47 (Conestoga Class, top right), ECC Donald Tovey 17 (Conestoga Class, middle), and ECC Motokiyo 136 (Pioneer Class, bottom), moving in formation similar to the original test trials of the Pioneer Class)

During the sudden onset and escalation of the Dynarian Cluster War, the UCASC was forced to request aid from its member races in the form of picket lines to prevent the native Dynarians from resuming their explosive and aggressive annexing of neighboring territory. While the UCASC committed to the fighting within the cluster and fortifying its borders from those looking to take advantage of this sudden conflict, member races committed large numbers of their naval vehicles to keeping the conflict inside the cluster.

While the fighting outside of the Dynarian Cluster itself paled in comparison to the intensity and ferocity within, the Dynarians frequently made attempts to punch outward into neighboring territories during the beginning years of the war, resulting in serious casualties among these brave volunteers which held the lines. A still newly inducted human race was no different in this regard, and readily volunteered naval assets to try to aid the UCASC in getting the situation under control. These donations took the forms of then middle-aged Vardo, Telega, and Tachanka classes, whose designs were heavily adherent to humanity’s “Long Ship Doctrine” from their early development of stellar combat tactics.

Already considerably behind other member races technologically, the shortcomings of the theory and simulation-based Design and Battle Doctrine were only compounded by how poor performing the Vardo, Telega, and Tachanka classes were, even by human standards at the time. These overly long, sluggish, and under-powered vehicles resulted in heavy initial human casualties during skirmishes at the picket lines. Unable to stand up to the inexplicably more advanced Dynarian technology, which had gone from an average level to being able to match the UCASC blow for blow seemingly overnight, human support seemed more of a liability for a time: relegating the Vardo, Telega, and Tachanka classes to fire supporting roles.

The E.C.C was forced to concede that their current naval capabilities were not up to the task, and either humanity would have to pull their support and threaten their reputation within the UCASC: potentially allowing the Dynarians to expand throughout the Commonwealth, or rush the replacements for the Vardo, Telega, and Tachanka classes into service. It was quickly decided that the 3 replacements would be consolidated into one class, taking what they’d learned from the initial losses and failings of their current heavy cruisers, and radically depart from the conventional design. Within 2 years of what would be a 10 year conflict, a legend would be born that endures now even 200 years later.

The newly created Conestoga Class, measuring in at a length of 550 meters, with a crew of 1500, and cruising speed of Drive Factor 6.57, was forced to forego her design trials and rushed to replace her predecessors across the Dynarian picket lines. While still considerably behind other races technologically, the Conestoga was a refinement of all E.C.C’s current technologies, and excelled at punching above her weight. The Conestogas became a welcome sight to formations along the picket lines, often racing to the rescue of other volunteered vehicles: able to corral Dynarian Cruisers in groups of as little as 3 Conestogas.

No human star vehicle would exceed the Conestoga Class until the development of the new Pioneer Class Heavy Cruiser to begin fazing them out of service: nearly 200 years later. As is E.C.C practice, due to the exorbitant cost in construction and fleet logistics, most star vehicles are kept in service for as long as the space frame will permit, modernized through frequent refits and overhauls. However, in similar fashion to her reputation in service, the Conestogas refused to be made obsolete without a fight, and still do to this day.

The original test-trials and simulated combat scenarios of the Pioneer Class were initially underwhelming in practice, in direct conflict with the original design projections and technical specs. On paper, the Pioneer was supposed to vastly outperform its predecessor the Conestoga Class in every way: possessing greater reactor capacity, superior energy efficiency, superior weaponry and weapon placement, a more advanced and powerful engine system, and a vastly improved & overhauled hull design for easier maintenance.

In the trials however, where the prototype Pioneer was confidently put up against three Conestogas, under the command of the well seasoned Rear Admiral Charles “Chase” April DeStephano, the elder vessels were able to quickly take control of the trials with aggressive advances that forced the Pioneer into the defensive 6 out of 10 times. Rear Admiral Chase’s overly aggressive tactics initially covered the shortcomings of the Conestoga Class, which became glaringly apparent in a third round of trials four days later in which the Pioneer was placed at a greater distance from the Conestogas and more realistic conditions were present. Able to maneuver and reach full power, as would be standard operating conditions in Active Service, the Conestoga classes reached their operational ceilings before they could begin to engage: forcing the extra recruitable power they had in cold starts into the heat management systems which were necessary for the Conestoga’s long term combat operations. Under actual operation conditions, the Pioneer was able to reliably outperform the Conestogas 7 to 3 after their poor heat management closed the brief window in which they were closer to the Pioneer’s recruitable power rate.

The tactics Rear Admiral DeStephano employed were common of the Conestoga Class when in Active Combat Scenarios, called the Dump and Jump: where heat would be purged from the system as quickly as possible, and Conestogas would make hard and aggressive maneuvers to jump an opponent before they hit their power-ceilings. The results of the early trials were used as justification to the Naval Development Bureau (NDB) and Fleet Performance and Maintenance Committee (FPMC) to allocate funding to a refit overhauling the heat management systems additionally (as had been done in prior refits before the Pioneer development), and to replace the Powerplants aboard with newer more efficient designs on an experimental basis. However, even with this implementation and a number of additional refits since, the Conestoga Class has remained unable to match the Pioneer’s performance in commensurate service, putting a definitive end on their usefulness in future service estimated within the next 120 years.

The Conestoga class is also notoriously difficult to work on, and is universally despised by Shipyard Maintenance crews. Due to its heavily armored construction, meant to meet the demands put upon it during its deployment to the Dynarian Cluster picket lines formed in assistance to the UCASC, paired with its ventral rotor cage to deflect shrapnel or incoming debris away from the sensitive machinery within the rotational track, breakdown of the hull to service the vehicle is incredibly tedious and time consuming; demanding considerable dedication of resources to mechanics and engineers assigned to them. Despite subsequent design alterations and countless refits over her distinguished career, this, at the time acceptable design flaw, has not been diminished to absolve the Conestogas of this sour reputation among drydock crews. Alternatively, the Conestoga is incredibly well designed for rapidly onloading cargo and resupplying, being among the preferred sights of the Cargo Crews.