Effects of Relic X-Boats & Tenders in The New Era

Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 20:25:34 -0500 (EST)
From: fcain@st6000.sct.edu (Franklin Cain)
Subject: Effects of Relic X-Boats & Tenders in The New Era

	The Scout Service of the Last Imperium had two primary functions:
Exploratin and communications.  The purpose of exploration is clearly
substantiated by the huge number of relic scout/couriers.  So whatever
happened to all of the X-Boats and their Tenders?

	First of all, the X-Boats and Tenders had massive amounts of
electronics (as befits a moile communications post).  Thus, they were
greatly susceptible to Virus infestation.  In fact, a major avenue of
Virus propagation was the X-Boat Network.  Therefore, the majority of
X-Boats and Tenders were casualties to Virus.  But that still leaves us
with a large number of X-Boats and a lesser number of Tenders to account
for. 

	In the Post-Collapse universe, most X-Boats will be greatly valued
as reserves of spare parts (just as the Covenant of Sufren is doing with
the jump drives from its larger naval vessels).  However, a pocket empire
might maintain one or two X-Boats as a special high-jump courier. 
Tenders, on the other hand, will probably be used as fuel shuttles (with
their hangar bay reconfigured as extra fuel tankage).  While you consider
the implications of this, let me bring up something else.  

	A major problem faced by the Reformation Coalition is the
restriction on travel within the RC imposed by the astrography.  For
example, for a typical jump-2 ship (such as a far trader or a
scout/courier) takes eight jumps to travel from Oriflamme to Spencer (see
figure 1 below), crossing the RC border to do so, even though Spencer was
only three parsecs away!  If the same ship goes from Baldur to Helios, the
trip involves four jumps, again crossnig the RC border, and again the
destination was only three parsecs away.  Going from Nike Nimbus to the RC
Navy HQ at Aurora takes four jumps, once again crossing the RC border (but
this time, our destination was four parsecs away).  What does this have to
do with relic X-Boat Tenders?

	Suppose the RC NAvy were to commission two squadrons (with one
Tender [Tanker version; see below] each) to service deep-space refueling
depots.  One squadron ("Sahara Squadron") would be based out of Baldur and
would service 0833 and 1034.  The other ("Gobi Squadron") would be based
out of Shenandoah and would service 0938 and 1137.  From 0833, Sahara
Squadron would connect Kruyter, Eos, Nike Nimbus, Enkidu, and Baldur (see
figure 2 below); from 1034, Sahara Squadron would connect Baldur, Helios,
Oriflamme, Spires, and Zloga.  From 0938, Gobi Squadron would connect
Aubaine, Phoebus, Spires, Lucifer, and Shenandoah; from 1137, Gobi
Squadron would connect Oriflamme, Spires, Zloga, and Shenandoah.  Also,
within each squadron, both deep-space refueling locations would be within
jump-2 distance of one another.  Thus, someone wanting to go from
Oriflamme to Eos could do so in just three jumps!

	Initially, each deep-space refueling site would be uilt from the
following Clipper Modules (from the RC equipment Guide, plus the update(s)
in _Challenge_ magazine):

		1x 25-ton Lifeboat Module (for the emergenct low 
			berths and the radio)
		1x 25-ton Missile Module (for self-defense as well
			as for the Active and Passive EMS arrays)
		2x 25-ton VIP Quarters Modules (for accomodations)
		1x 50-ton Service Module for 10-ton Small Craft
			(for the skiff and the machine shop)
		4x 100-ton Fuel Modules (for fuel tankage)

	Eventually, each site would replace the Small Craft Service Module
and both of the VIP Quarters Modules with a 200-ton Quarters Module Mk IIa
(for the rec deck, the radio, the sickbay, and the skiff); furthermore,
each site would get an additional 6x 100-ton Fuel Modules (bringing the
total number of such Fuel Modules per site to ten each).  Initially, both
Squadrons would have onlu one Tanker each to service both of their
deep-space sites; eventually, another two Tankers (one per Squadron)
should be assigned.  The eight-week schedule for both Squadrons would look
like this:

	Weeks 1-2:  Sahara Squadron returns to Baldur and refuels; Gobi
Squadron returns to Shenandoah and refuels

	Weeks 3-4:  Sahara-1 jumps to 0833 and unloads fuel; Gobi-1 jumps
to 0938 and unloads fuel; (Sahara-2 and Gobi-2, if available, would
service 1034 and 1137, respectively)

	Weeks 5-6:  (as Weeks 1-2 above)

	Weeks 7-8:  Sahara-1 jumps to 1034 and unloads fuel; Gobi-1 jumps
to 1137 and unloads fuel; (Sahara-2 and Gobi-2, if available, would
service 0833 and 0938, respectively)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Figure 1):

	(show Aubaine and Oriflamme subsectors together; also show the
left-most column of So Skire subsector [hexes 1731-1740])

	path "A" -- Oriflamme to Spencer:  draw arrows going from
Oriflamme (1235) to Helios (1234) to L'steich (1333) to Junak (1432) to
Nimz (1633) to Lamneth (1735/So Skire) to Tuer (1638) to Teldora (1437) to
Spencer (1338)

	path "B" -- Baldur to Helios:  draw arrows going from Baldur
(1032) to Bestor (1131) to Corrig (1331) to L'steich (1333) to Helios (1234)

	path "C" -- Nike Nimbus to Aurora:  draw arrows going from Nike
Nimbus (0732) to Eos (0632) to Adrian (0432) to Fija (0434) to Aurora (0535)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Figure 2):

	(show Aubaine and Oriflamme subsectors together)

	draw arrows connecting 0833 to each of the following:  Kruyter,
Eos, Nike Nimbus, Enkidu, Baldur, and 1034

	draw arrows connecting 1034 to each of the following:  0833,
Baldur, Helios, Oriflamme, Zloga, and Spires

	draw arrows connecting 0938 to each of the following:  Aubaine,
Phoebus, Spires, 1137, Shenandoah, and Lucifer

	draw arrows connecting 1137 to each of the following:  0938,
Spires, Zloga, Oriflamme, Spencer, and Shenandoah

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reformation Coalition _Oasis_-Class Tanker (modified X-Boat Tender)

General Data
	Displacement: 1,000 tons        Hull Armor: 28
	Length: 37.5 meters             Volume: 14,000 kiloliters
	Price: MCr 296.3163             Target Size: M
	Configuration: Box SL           Tech Level: 12/15 (see below)
	Mass (Loaded/Empty): 5,602.351/4,793.951

Engineering Data
	Power Plant: 700 MW TL-12 Fusion Power Plant (50 MW/hit), one year
		duration (54.81 MW shortfall)
	Jump Performance: 2 parsecs (2,100 kiloliters for jump-2; 1,050
		kiloliters for jump-1)
	G-Rating: 1G (500 MW); Contra-Grav Lifters (100 MW)
	G-Turns: 140 (173.6 with jump fuel), 62.5 kiloliters each
	Fuel Tankage: 10,850 kiloliters (775 tons), plus 105 kiloliters
		(7.5 tons) reserved for power plant
	Maint: 254

Electronics
	Computer: 3x TL-12 Mod Fb Computers (0.8 MW each)
	Commo: 1x TL-12 Radio, 1,000 AU (inf.; 20 MW); 1x TL-12 Laser, 1,000 AU
(inf.; 0.3 MW); 1x TL-12 Maser, 1,000 AU (inf.; 0.6 MW)
	Avionics: TL-10+ Avionics
	Sensors: 1x TL-12 Passive EMS Array, fixed, 120,000-km (4 hexes;
0.15 MW); 1x TL-12 Active EMS Array, 480,000-km (16 hexes; 50 MW)
	Controls: Bridge with 5x bridge workstations, plus 8x other
workstations 

Armaments
	3x Turret Hardpoint Socket

Accomodations
	Life Support: Extended (2.8 MW); Grav Compensators (3G; 70 MW)
	Crew: 15 (2x Maneuver; 1x Electronics; 0x [3x] Gunnery; 8x
Engineering; 1x [2x] Maintenance; 2x Command; 1x Medical)
	Crew Accomodations: 15x Small Stateroom (0.0005 MW each)
	Passenger Accomodations: 5x Small Stateroom (0.0005 MW each)
	Cargo: 48.9 kiloliters with small cargo hatch
	Small Craft and Launch Facilities: None
	Air Locks: 10 

Notes:
	Fuel scoops capable of ingesting 800 tons per hour (400 tons per
turn).  
	FPP capable of refing 140 kiloliters (10 tons) per hour (15 hours
for 2,100 kiloliters; 5.04 MW).  
	Electronics shop (0.6 MW), machine shop (1.0 MW), and sickbay (0.8
MW).  
	The power shortfall is made up by powering down either the CG Lifters
(+100 MW) or both the radio (+20 MW) and the AEMS (+50 MW).  
	The hull is TL-15 bonded superdense hull armor.  All other ship
components are TL-12.  (All salvagable relic TL-15 components were removed
for use in more critical RC vessels.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	This is an article I sent to Dave Nilsen several months ago.  He
liked my idea of a deep-space refueling program for the RC (the Centrists
should *really* go for it).  He said he was giving this to Michelle Sturgeon,
the editor for _Challenge_ magazine, to see if she wanted to print it.
However, since I haven't heard anything from Ms Sturgeon, I thought I
would send this copy to the readers of this mailing list.

	If you like this idea, please let me know.  Constructive
criticisms greatly appreciated!

	Thank you.  

	Franklin W. Cain