Jump 0: Design PhaseWith a lurch, the Ark's (still unnamed for
now) Slipdrive powers down, dropping us in, well, space. We're still ahead of the Corporate Ark, but not for long. A few alarms ring out as various miscellaneous systems hastily "finished" before we left fail under the stress of the jump's completion. All minor damage that's easily repaired with off-hand parts and some system diagnostics.
The crew is annoyed about the lack of the
Double-Deck Zero-G Pool Module, which is a room that only Ark 1 got. Those
bastards.For now, we go over the results of R&D's projects started during Jump 0.
Design: P-01 StellaratorUsing an alternate approach to fusion power, the Stellarator's plasma channels follow a twisting path that reduces instabilities found in Tokamaks, allowing the power plant to devote more energy to the actual fusion process. With the upscaled reactor and Stellarator configuration that reduces power loss, the P-01 should provide more "bang"--just kidding PJ we do not want our reactors to explode--for our Transuranic "buck".
ProjectTime: [5] Progress: [4] Cost: [5]Fusion power is a tricky thing. Cutting-edge fusion power is an even trickier thing. But luckily, we have access to one of the Company's advance reactors and some excellent reverse-engineers to use for our project.
Though we can run experiments on the X-05 without blowing anything up, they can't be that extensive -- we can make progress without, but using smaller-scale prototypes (that we'd need resources for) would definitely help more. But the experimental "reactors" can be at such a small scale that their cost isn't too significant.
P-01 Stellarator: 0/9 [3] | 20U + 10NG + 30H + 30M | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing InvestedPrototypeEfficacy: [3]The P-01 Stellarator works fairly effectively. Through some temporary experimental tweaks in the X-05, we believe we have a viable plan. As hard as fusion is, it isn't like we're trying to invent it from scratch. The P-01 should generate
+30 Power for use in the Ark's systems, but has some problems.
External magnets allow for more efficient power generation, but we've found that if the magnets are unexpectedly disabled during operation of the reactor, the instabilities of the unstabilized plasma can start ripping the reactor internals apart. We've managed to implement some tech in the reactor that will kick in as a
temporary stabilizer, though, at the cost of increased damage after the battle and sources of damage are (hopefully) over. The Stellarator will continue operating at full capacity until 60% integrity (where it will shut down), but at the end of the battle, the damage sustained while it was running will be effectively multiplied by 150%. Though it can't be destroyed this way, luckily.
Being based off of the X-05 to some degree, the P-01 still costs plastics, and isn't otherwise cheap. This definitely isn't helped by its bigger size. But it's not
prohibitively expensive.
- Design: P-01 Stellarator
+30 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Consumes 150 Hydrogen / Jump
A Stellarator fusion reactor using external magnets to stabilize plasma in twisted flows for better power production. Shuts down at 60% integrity, and any damage sustained before it shuts down is multiplied by 150% after the battle (but won't reduce integrity to 0%).
60 Advanced Plastics, 100 Uranics, 600 Metal, 400 Non-Metal
Design: Automated Resource RequisitionsCompletely revamping our Automated Resource Requisitions system, we have replaced our outdated and almost experimental mining vessels with automated machines and systems, designed to be deployed from internal racks, which can store a huge percentage more vessels then traditional hangar based systems. These mining vessels would acquire their resources and then dump them into the processing holds and finally either recharge on a charging pad or be re-acquired into the internal manufacturing array that would take the drone apart and maintain it before sending to mining again, or for storage upon the successful completion of mining the area. These systems are assisted with hauling drones, so that they may acquire as much raw ore to refine into metal/ Non-Metal/ Uranics over Noble Gas/Hydrogen.
ProjectTime: [3] Progress: [1] Cost: [5]Getting drones to properly recognize asteroids and mine out relevant resources
without mining our goddamn R&D lab and ruining the beautiful table brought with us from Earth as a memento is...
a challenge.
We've resorted to basically manually programming every possible scenario in. The drones won't exactly be "reactive", but they're mining drones, not androids. It'll take some time, but programming isn't expensive and the occasional small drone prototype doesn't cost much.
Automated Resource Requisitions: 0/8 [1] | 20M + 50NM | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing InvestedPrototypeEfficacy: [2]Having a lot of drones trying to mine the same asteroid is trouble waiting to happen.
A.R.R. Drones can, independently, succesfully locate a spot containing relevant resources and bring it back, but by
god are they bad at it in groups. They constantly crash into each other, accidentally mine the optical sensors out of each other, mistake space dust as cargo drones (
HOW) and their communications occasionally get mixed up so the wrong drone is getting the wrong orders. It's a
mess.But it's not completely broken. They can still get some work done in the required hordes. Just not a good amount of work done. It costs a lot of power to power all these drones, and it doesn't help that they keep getting each other destroyed. But with patience, and using a lot of the resources the working drones bring back to keep the "horde" at a viable level, we can get some resources mined.
- Design: Automated Resource Requisitions
-3 Power; -0 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Produce 10 Noble Gases, 10 Uranium, 50 Hydrogen, 100 Metals, and 100 Non-Metals / Jump
A mining system composed of a swarm of very poorly-cooperating drones trying to mine "together". They are very inefficient, but eventually produce some resources..
600 Metal, 700 Non-Metal
Design: 'Saker' Laser TurretMore powerful than the Kestrel, the Saker is designed to remain effective at longer ranges by having a shorter wavelength. Graduation from active defense system to main weapon carries a bit of baggage, however. Namely, a human crew. The crew controls a longer, more focused scanner, and in conjunction with an aiming computer is capable of "locking on" to smaller areas. Manually triggered, the Saker fires in pulses which minimize the effectiveness of ablative armor. The turret itself juts out slightly from the hull, mounted on a set of gimbals that allow it to rotate omnidirectionally, while the control area is located behind the turret.
ProjectTime: [6] Progress: [3] Cost: [3]Lasers aren't that hard. Get a couple mirrors, lots of power, and some emitters.
Getting the materials required for a proper laser isn't the easiest thing, but with some effort we can get the resources to do so. But once we have these things, we can use established science to work our way to something worthy of a weapon.
'Saker' Laser Turret 0/5 [2] | 30NG + 30M + 80NM | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing InvestedPrototypeEfficacy: [6]The 'Saker' Laser Turret will be the first step towards ensuring the security of Eden under our organization.
It'll take a lot of power, sure, but for the first
true laser weapon it's something to behold. It doesn't require much action by the crew disregarding maintenance between Jumps, they can just focus on targetting while the capacitors fill up. The laser fires in a series of pulses, effectively melting armor before it (though this doesn't go straight through armor). The targeting system isn't too complex, but is effective enough to allow our human crew to do their jobs effectively. Hitting a target like an Ark should be
trivial, and it should be fairly possible to purposely hit certain rooms causing precision damage thanks to the nature of the laser.
Our capacitors still aren't great, so rate of fire is low and the Saker will not be able to fire if it doesn't receive full power.
It won't be doing much widespread damage, but in all our simulations so far the Saker should be an amazing precision weapon. We expect 10% integrity damage against an unarmored module.
- Design: 'Saker' Laser Turret
-5 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
A highly precise pulse-laser that doesn't do tremendous amounts of damage, but is good at hitting precise single targets. Low rate of fire and cannot fire without full power. -10% integrity damage to unarmored module.
100 Noble Gases, 100 Metal, 400 Non-Metal
1 Dice
500 Advanced Plastics
500 Noble Gases
500 Uranics
1,000 Hydrogen
1,000 Metals
1,500 Non-Metals
Ark 25/12 Power available
2/5 Life Support Capacity available
4/10 Skeleton Space available (500 Metals & 500 Non-Metals required for next +2 expansion)Modules(Green integrity indicates the module is working at full effectiveness; Orange indicates partial effectiveness; and Red indicates the Module is offline.)- [100%] X-05 Auxiliary Fusion Reactor
+12 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Consumes 100 Hydrogen/Jump
A Tokamak Fusion Reactor. Intended originally to be the auxiliary reactor to the primary power source (which is not installed), the X-05 is specially stable: designed to continue operations despite degradation from wear-and-tear. It can lower output according to damage, translating current integrity directly to current power produce compared to max power possible. Shuts down at 20% integrity.
50 Advanced Plastics, 100 Uranics, 400 Metal, 200 Non-Metal - [100%] Emergency Life Support
-3 Power; +5 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
When launched, the Ark didn't have its own dedicated Life Support systems and was still relying on an umbilical to the shipyard. The ELS represents the existing small amount of Life Support Equipment hastily put together to keep the ship's atmosphere sustained until it reaches Eden, as long as only a relatively small amount of crew members are thawed at any one time.
100 Metal, 200 Non-Metal - [100%] Ion Thrusters
-1 Power; -0 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Thrusters with their own self-contained fuel tanks expected to last the entire trip, using external power for most of the propulsion. Can move the ship, but very slowly.
10 Advanced Plastics, 100 Noble Gases, 200 Metal, 100 Non-Metal - [100%] Mining Bay
-1 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Produces 100 Noble Gases, 100 Uranics, 200 Hydrogen, 200 Metals, and 300 Non-Metals / Jump
A small hangar and a few tiny piloted mining ships to extract resources from only material sources with little to no gravity present.
50 Uranics, 50 Noble Gases, 400 Metal, 400 Non-Metal - [100%] Cryovault
-1 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
A place where skilled crewmembers are frozen, ready to be thawed when needed; and also where our thawed crewmembers live. If below 50% integrity, we will not be able to man new crew-requiring modules. Due to advanced backups, this module cannot be destroyed.
500 Metal, 1,000 Non-Metal - [100%] Cargo Bay
-1 Power; 0 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
A depressurized large cargo bay with dedicated storage for each resource type and requiring EVA suits to access. Stores 1,500 of each resource.
400 Metal, 600 Non-Metal
P-01 Stellarator: 0/9 [3] | 20U + 10NG + 30H + 30M | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested- Design: P-01 Stellarator
+30 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Consumes 100 Hydrogen / Jump
A Stellarator fusion reactor using external magnets to stabilize plasma in twisted flows for better power production. Shuts down at 60% integrity, and any damage sustained before it shuts down is multiplied by 150% after the battle (but won't reduce integrity to 0%).
60 Advanced Plastics, 100 Uranics, 600 Metal, 400 Non-Metal
Automated Resource Requisitions: 0/8 [1] | 20M + 50NM | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested- Design: Automated Resource Requisitions
-3 Power; -0 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
Produce 10 Noble Gases, 10 Uranium, 50 Hydrogen, 100 Metals, and 100 Non-Metals / Jump
A mining system composed of a swarm of very poorly-cooperating drones trying to mine "together". They are very inefficient, but eventually produce some resources..
600 Metal, 700 Non-Metal
'Saker' Laser Turret 0/5 [2] | 30NG + 30M + 80NM | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested- Design: 'Saker' Laser Turret
-5 Power; -1 LS Capacity; -1 Skeleton Space
A highly precise pulse-laser that doesn't do tremendous amounts of damage, but is good at hitting precise single targets. Low rate of fire and cannot fire without full power. -10% integrity damage to unarmored module.
100 Noble Gases, 100 Metal, 400 Non-Metal
We will encounter the Corporate Ark on the beginning of Jump 3.
Barring special circumstances, voting for Consortium and Ark names will conclude at the end of this Jump.
Author
Topic: Arks Race - Tokari: Ark Anvil (Jump 1, Revision) (Read 12780 times)