Ship's Locker 1: The Schloobie

Date: Sat, 4 Feb 1995 14:19:33 -0500 (EST)
From: Mark Clark <markc@brahms.udel.edu>
Subject: Ship's Locker 1: The Schloobie

One of the most difficult probles aboard a starship is keeping things 
clean.  Dirt, dust, and waste products can clog filters, line ductwork, 
and generally make the ship look and smell like a pigpen.  Ship's with 
sub-standard life support systems, such as the standard type S Imperial 
scout, are even more prone to problems of bad smells and mold growth.

As an aside, one of the biggest problems is the ship's crew and passenger
complement.  Humans sweat, cough, and most notably, slowly shed their hair
and skin.  In a starship, as in dirtside dwellings, as much as 90% of dust
and grime is human hair and exfoliated human skin, which is a lovely food
source for microbes. 

The schloobie, a genetically engineered animal first produced in the 
Solomani sphere but now generally avalible in Imperial space, is one 
solution to this problem.  Looking rather like a furry rug, the schloobie 
has no bones - it moves by a rythmic motion of its hair.  It can flow 
into the smallest spaces, and eats a wide range of organic materials, 
including dead human skin, mold, and other organics.  It keeps ductwork 
and crew quarters clean, eliminating the need to dust most surfaces.

Schloobies mass roughly 2 kilos, and come in a wide variety of colors so 
that one can match them to a ship's decor.  They live from three to five 
years.  They do not reproduce - they are in effect manufactured by 
biotech companies.

A typical ship will carry one schloobie for every 10 persons on board - 
luxury liners often carry more to insure higher standards of cleanliness.

Shloobies can also be used as a substitute for showers or baths.  When 
rubbed over the body, they remove dead skin and dirt, though care must be 
taken to avoid removing hair, since a schloobie left on too long will 
digest it.  As a result, schloobies are common on desert worlds and other 
places where water is scarce.

Schloobies work best with Human or Vargr waste, since they are designed 
to digest organics based on Terran biology.  Vargr do not care for 
schloobies, however, since they often will eat a vargr's fur while he sleeps.

Cost: 100 CR

Avalibility: Starport A or Hyd 0  -  4+ on 2d6
	     Starport B or Pop 8+ -  6+ on 2d6
	     Otherwise		  - 10+ on 2d6

	     DMs: +2 in Solomani Sphere, -6 outside Imperial or Zhodani Space