Jan
07
07
“Its a hard enough life, full of toil an’ strife we astraliners undergo!”
The life of those who work the star lanes is far from easy and is one filled with trouble. Every astraliner knows that the Sea of Stars is far from forgiving. Only a few thin layers of seal protect everyone who sails into space, and they are all quite ware of that. A fact that keeps all in the life of the astraliner well in line. Across the Triad a variety of Ships have been created each with their own Capital Craft are the grandest and are often the ones that grace the legends of space battles. Strike Craft are also quite notorious and have many of their own stories. Squadrons from every House have established names, reputations and a good story about the dogfights they’ve exchanged with the enemy.
Even the “lowly” Transport Craft have their own stories. Every form of starship found across the Avalon Cluster comes in different shapes and sizes. The great nestships of the Voidkin are said to be like rounded flying sauces with great thickened fins and spikes on their forms. Even these have a similar internal working and power source as the ships used by the invading forces of the Itzkana.
Internal Technologies and Design
Most ships in the Avalon Cluster have a commonality to them which can be found across the entire cluster. The first major feature is the bridge, the location where all commanding officers sit and primary operations are handled. Most bridges from the battle bridges of Capital Craft to those of Transport craft feature the basics of navigation, weapons and defensive technology. They often include read outs from the other systems of the entire Starship. Next is engineering which can range to a large enclosed multi-deck chamber. In others its a small area where the central AFD cor is stored and where the Chief Engineering Officer. Engineering is often heavily reinforced to prevent radiation from leaking and often has some of the most heavily applied internal systems.
Secondary to the Bridge itself is the Command Core, a vast internal network that is centralized within the Bridge itself and acts home of the ships primary operating systems (often where the SI or VI of the ship is stored). Terminals that access the Command Core can found across the starship and used to access the internal network as needed. The medical bay (if present) is where all injuries are healed and tests are conducted for wounded crew members. The bay can also act as a laboratory as necessary in times of need. The Galley is often a mixture of kitchen and mess hall along with a area to store food stuffs and water tanks for travel. Crew quarters are often separate from passenger quarters, and are designed so only qualified crew can gain access.
Finally there is the Carrier Hold for large Capital Craft such as Ships-Of-The-Line and Carriers. The hold is where Strike Craft and Chevaliers are stored and are fixed as necessary. Another final part of the internal workings of a ship is its Armory a location where any defensive and offensive ordinance is stored. Armories are often heavily shielded and require direct access via crew member identification card.
Displays
The internal Command Core of the Starship can be accessed through a series of displays found across the ship. Some of these are flat plas screens which are reinforced with a secondary layer (to prevent shattering and damage). Other options are projectors which include an interactive holographic interface and direct connections with PND (Personal Network Display).
External Technologies
The shape and design of a ship vary greatly. While the Artificers Guild does love to standardize its practice it is also home to competing factions and families with interests in expanding production. Most large Capital and Transport Craft come in the form of cylinders and arrowheads. The sails used by the great starships are able to be unfurled and detract as necessary. The sails themselves are attached to great extendable “masts” which then string out long cables to allow them to be properly unfurled. Three of these great cables attach to the sails and allow it to be lashed and unfurled as necessary.
Each vessel’s hulls is generally composed of three layers with each featuring a specific purpose and design. Defensive armor is found on the outer most layer and is composed of several layers in of itself. Plasmatic armor allows a ship to absorb kinetic and energy damage. It is also able to seal hull breaches and can even come to repair itself over time. Beneath the outer hull is the maintenance area which is kept in pure vacuum unless needed. The exterior hull is constructed of separately contained bulkheads whose life support systems can be activated as necessary. At all times only the inner hull is ever pressurized and uses life support systems. This is done to preserve the power of the vessel itself, and to save necessary supplies. The separate sections of the exterior hull always kept in a constant state of hermetic seal and kept clean. No foreign irritants, toxins and radiation can commonly pass through the exterior hull. However, damage to the exterior hull can lead to radiation leaks, and further damage from space debris.
Interior to exterior hull access is conducted via airlocks found at regular intervals.