NationStates Jolt Archive

all of these quotes are from sources over the internet,books etc... i do not take credit for any of them, unless i state otherwise, these quotes are the intellectual properties of there owners. OOC reference.

Communications tech

Interstellar Communication Pods:
These small communication devices are basically a miniature Gravitic Propulsion Drive at the front and a micro-ion drive at the rear, with a heavily shielded computer and STL communication system wedged in-between. CommPods give mankind the ability to send messages between planets and vessels without having to dispatch a courier vessel. CommPods come in many different sizes, though a galactic standard has developed of 4.5 tall by 2.8 meters around. Most vessels carry several standard CommPods, which have a range of 100 light years before their GPD burns out. Heavy CommPods have a much longer range, usually as many as 500 light-years before their GPD needs replaced. Only the largest spacecraft carry Heavy CommPods, which are usually 12 meters tall by 6.4 meters around.


Electromagnetic Communications:
Radio Communication Transceiver are typically omni-directional, but short range, and are the most commonly used STL communications technology. In addition to radio transceivers, modern spacecraft utilize laser relays for longer range communications. However, laser relays require direct line-of-site between the two vessels, making high-powered radio transceivers the most common communication systems.

Sensor systems

GUARD: gravitic Ultra-Amplification and Resonance Detection:
GUARD sensor emplacements are based on the discover of hyperstrings, elementary particles that from the lattice work of space-time. GUARD sensors detect oscillations of the hyperstring particles, and analyze their pattern to determine the size, material composition, range, and bearing. Early GUARD devices allowed scientists and explorers to remotely detect the presence of significant gravitic Distortions at a range up to 5 light years away. The GUARD system was initially very primitive, and was only useful for detecting relatively large planets such as Red Dwarfs and Gas Giants. But the GUARD system was refined continuously for ten years, and was soon able to detect the difference between a barren world and a world with vast expanses of surface water, a sure sign of a NE World. This refined GUARD system was dubbed the GUARD Navigation System. Initially GUARD sensors could only be used in normal space, requiring vessels to "tunnel" through superspace blindly. Today, GUARD sensor systems are highly advanced, and can be used at FTL speeds or in normal space, can measure an objects gravity "imprint" on the space-time continuum from as many as 20 light years away, and can track the creation and bearing of other ships in superspace. High resolution scans are extremely detailed at 5 light-years or closer.SEGIA arrays were developed by the onosian union, which some consider to be far more advanced than GUARD sensors. However, the military still use GUARD sensors because of their reliability, extreme range, and high resolution.

SEGIA: Superspace Energy/gravitic Imaging and Analysis:
The SEGIA Sensor Arrays were developed by scientists in the onosian union. SEGIA Arrays are actually a 3rd generation technology based on the GUARD Sensor Systems. SEGIA Arrays take the hyperstring technology a step further than GUARD sensors. GUARD sensors detect and analyze both naturally occurring hyperstring particle oscillations and local patterns, as well as artificial gravitic distortions, such as FTL Vortex events or graviton based engines (GID Rudders). SEGIA arrays do exactly the same thing, but are unidirectional, requiring the sensor array to be aimed at the target or in the direction of analysis. GUARD sensors scan in a spherical pattern, regardless of the sensors pitch or heading. SEGIA arrays are also limited in range, with their maximum detection threshold limited to 15 light years at low resolution, and only 3.5 light years at high resolution. The advantage is that SEGIA arrays are difficult to detect, allowing the parent vessel to move "silently" without being detected. Example: When a GUARD sensor tower moves through an area of space, it is "brushing" against the lattice work of hyperstring particles in a given area. The higher the GUARD sensor's resolution setting and range settings, the greater it impacts the hyperstring lattice. The very effective, any other GUARD sensors in the area can readily detect each other's presence, as they are all "brushing" across the same hyperstring lattice. SEGIA arrays, however, never actually "brush" against the hyperstring lattice, but snap an "image" of the surrounding lattice work for later analysis. Though not as accurate and limited in range, the SEGIA array itself is totally silent. Only the movement of the parent spacecraft can be detected, as it moves across the hyperstring lattice, creating oscillations of its own. The disadvantage is in resolution and range.

Hyperstring Resonance Arrays:
Hyperstring Resonance Arrays are an offshoot of SEGIA arrays and are currently only equipped aboard large union spacecraft and spacestations. Hyperstring Resonance arrays come in two varieties, Ultra High Amplification and Ultra Low Amplification. Similar in theory to GUARD sensors and SEGIA arrays, Hyperstring Resonance Arrays detect high frequency disruptions, or oscillations, in the lattice work of space-time, such as those created by FTL Vortex engines. These arrays are used to track and monitor ships moving through superspace. GUARD sensors can perform the same task, and so can SEGIA arrays, but, onosian scientists believe the process used by their Hyperstring Resonance Arrays are more accurate, though how they work and why they are better is classified by their government.

RADAR: Radio Detection and Ranging:
RADAR is the most common type of active sensor currently used by both military and civilian vessels. RADAR operates by bouncing radio waves off of distance objects and measuring the time it takes for the radio wave to return. This enables the RADAR operator to tell how far the RADAR target is, how fast it is moving, and how large the object is.

LIDAR: Laser Detection and Ranging:
LIDAR is another form of EM radiation sensor, and is commonly installed aboard spacecraft. LIDAR works on the same principles RADAR does, but bounces highly focused laser beams off a target in order to measure its size, speed, and distance. Unlike RADAR, which is omni-directional, LIDAR requires direct line-of-site to the target, and is used for more precise readings once a RADAR target has been selected.

NEDAR: Nuetrino Detection And Ranging:
NEDAR is the newest form of sensor used by spacecraft. NEDAR tracks the nuetrino emissions of objects, usually ion powered spacecraft. NEDAR are arrays are commonly used for military applications such as guiding nuetrino seeking warheads, detecting incoming vessels or threat weapon systems, and tracking those vessels or weapons.

Optical Tracking and Imaging Sensors:
Optical Sensors rely on sophisticated camera systems for tracking and identifying any many of object stored within the spacecraft's computer system. Optical Tracking and Imaging Sensor Systems use a highly evolved, semi-intelligent computer system that compares a target item against a vast catalogue in its memory. Optical Tracking and Imaging Sensor cameras vary in size to small, man-toted gear to massive ship-mounted telescopes that can identify an object thousands of kilometers away. Optical sensors are commonly used for planetary surveillance, mapping missions, and identifying closing vessels based on their memorized specifications. Optical Sensors are so precise they can differentiate between faces, or, at high enough resolutions, between individual molecules.

Infrared, Microwave, and Thermal Sensors:
Infrared and Microwave sensors record invisible electromagnetic energy. The heat of an object, for example, can be measured by the infrared energy it radiates. Infrared sensors create images that show temperature variations in an area. Thermal Infrared Sensors can be used to survey the temperatures of bodies of water, locate damaged underground pipelines, and map geothermal and geologic structures.

Offensive tech

Turret Plasma Cannons:
The primary direct fire weapon system is the Electro-Plasma Accelerator Cannon, or EPAC, as it is the most efficient weapon system for deep space, and can be applied for planetary bombardment operations as well as deep space anti-warships interdiction missions. Plasma weapons require no ammunition, but draw their power directly off the vessels Fusion Core. Most vessels mount their offensive plasma weapons in omni-directional turrets for maximum cover fire.

Capital Plasma Cannons:
Capital Plasma Cannons are massive, directed fire weapons systems installed aboard most capital warships. Capital Plasma Cannons tap directly into the Fusion Core of the warship, and draw a massive amount of energy to hurl the multi-meter wide plasma shell. It is not uncommon for the lights and engines on a capital warship to momentarily dim or go off-line as the vessel fires its main capital guns. The accelerator chamber of a capital plasma cannon is often half as long as the vessel itself, and aiming these incredible weapons requires the vessel to yaw about and actually point the bow of the ship at the intended target.

Torpedo Systems:

Neutrino Seeking Torpedo Systems: Neutrino Seeking Missile Systems are exclusively carried aboard spaceborne warships. Spacecraft Ion Drive Engines emit a high level of subatomic particles called neutrinos. A Neutrino detection system on the parent vessel guides the warhead on its initial trajectory after leaving its launch tube. Upon target acquisition, the torpedoes onboard neutrino sensor package guides the weapon to its target. Most warship torpedo systems are Neutrino Seeking.

Thermal Seeking Missile Systems: Thermal, or Heat, Seeking Missile Systems were an early form of spacecraft torpedoes that have since been largely replaced by neutrino and GUARD guided torpedoes. Thermal Seeking missiles do not need a sensor base, such as a RADAR or LIDAR dome, but carry their own onboard guidance system. Thermal Seeking Missile systems are dangerous in that the missile can often mistake its intended target, as the warhead zeros in on the hottest element within its target cone. Now mostly obselete, thermal seeking missile systems are typicall only found aboard pirate vessels.

Intelligent Self Guided Torpedo/Missile Systems: Intelligent Self Guided Torpedo/Missile Systems, known as Image Recognition (IR) Torpedoes, and Artificially Intelligent (AI) Torpedo Systems, use advanced onboard robotic computer systems to identify, track, and destroy enemy targets based on their internal target database and priority task list. Image Recognition Torpedoes are programmed with the entire enemy equipment inventory, and can distinguish in mid-flight via onboard IFF radio transmissions between enemy targets and friendly units. Warship Missile Defense Systems are typically Intelli-Missile Systems.

GUARD Guided Torpedo Systems: gravitic Ultra Amplification and Resonance Detection Torpedo Systems (GUARD Torpedo Systems) have been nearly replaced today by the Neutrino Seeking Torpedo, but are still common. All spacecraft use GUARD sensors as their primary system for detecting objects in deep space at long range, by measuring the objects gravitic imprint and Hyper-String disturbance. GUARD Torpedo Systems guide the warhead by remote control using the ship's GUARD sensor towers. However, ECCM systems are able to disrupt the transmission from the ship's radio to the missile with ease, throwing the torpedo off track. For this reason, GUARD Torpedoes are less common. However, many Neutrino Seeking Torpedoes use GUARD as a backup should the Neutrino Seeker fail in mid-flight.

Gravity Distortion Spacial Torpedoes:
GDS Torpedoes are specialized interception munitions fired from a standard torpedo tube that explodes in close proximity to the intended target, saturating the area with graviton particles. The effect is a small localized temporary gravity field that interrupts the target vessel's gravitic Polarization Unit, also called the Faster-Than-Light (FTL) Boom. The intended effect is to prevent the vessel from creating an FTL Vortex event and escaping into superspace. GDS Torpedoes are also used to force a target vessel that is travelling faster than light to dump back into Real Space. Since all known weapon systems are useless while in superspace, GDS Torpedoes are the only way to interdict a vessel traveling faster than light, by forcing it into Real Space. However, both the target and the vessel firing the GDS Torpedo are affected, dumping both back into Real Space. A GDS Torpedo is similar to a standard CommPod, with a miniature GPD at the nose of the torpedo, a micro-fusion reactor and ion drive at the rear, and, sandwhiched in between, a payload bay. Standard CommPods carry a heavily shielded navigation and communication system in their payload bay, but GDS Torpedoes carry a small detonation charge and a graviton-pulse generator. GDS Torpedoes are also much smaller in diameter than the standard 2.8 meter CommPod, much are much longer. A typical GDS Torpedo is 1 meter in diameter and six meters long.

Ion-Stream Weapons:
The Ion-Stream Cannon is the newest form of weapon system in onosian fleets. Developed only a few decades ago by the Onosian instillation 413, Ion-Stream Cannons are used exclusively aboard warships of the 9h fleet. Ion-Stream Weapon Systems fire a highly-concentrated beam of ions at near-FTL speeds at their target, bombarding the target surface with a stead stream of particle-fire. The target's surface is shredded of its atomic makeup, its electric systems short out, and its crew die from the extreme radiation. Ion-Stream cannons are the deadliest weapon system, but, are also the most expensive in terms of cost, maintenance, energy-consumption, and limitations. Ion-Stream Cannons cannot be fired in an atmospheric environment, and their massive size forbids them from being installed in mobile ship's turrets. Thus, the ship has to yaw about to bring its Ion-Streams to bear on enemy warships.

Defensive Technology

Missile Defense Systems:
The front-line defense against incoming torpedoes, missiles, and attack fighters is a solid missile defense system. Missile Defense Systems are clusters of short range guided warheads. Missile Defense Systems are usually Thermal Seeking or Neutrino Seeking, or guided by intelligent Image Recognition software. Most MDS emplacements are comprised of six or more missile tubes that fire several warheads at each incoming torpedo or fighter to increase the likelihood of destroying the threat. Some MDS emplacements, such as those aboard NTC Warships, fire a heavy cluster warhead that tracks the target and, when within a set distance from the target, splinters into several smaller warheads to swarm the threat and destroy it.

Laser Defense Systems:
Laser Defense Systems are cheaper than MDS emplacements, but require more energy to operate. Laser Defense Systems fire a concentrated beam of energy at the incoming target, effectively superheating the threat and causing it to explode prematurely. Laser Defense Systems less effective against shielded targets such as fightercraft.

Flak Cannons:
Flak Cannons are projectile defense systems that fire a cluster munition at incoming warheads or fightercraft and explode near the target, releasing either a plasma charge or disruptive EM Saturation Field. Flak Cannons are more expensive than Missile Defense Systems, and are less common, but, they are highly effective against swarm attacks and are usually mounted on cargo transports, carriers, orbital defense platforms, and spacestations.

ECM/ECCM Systems:
Electronic Counter Measure and Electronic Counter-Counter Measure Systems are installed aboard every warship, fighter, and often aboard torpedoes themselves. ECM and ECCM saturate the area around themselves with electromagnetic interference in an attempt to confuse threat targeting systems from locking onto them. In a dense skirmish, the amount of EM clutter being exchanged between combatants can often be so extreme that neither vessel can lock its weapons on the other, and both vessels must manually target their direct fire weapon systems.

Gravity Distortion Spacial Charges:
GDS Charges are specialized interception munitions fired from a flak cannon, torpedo tube, or specialized launch system. GDS Charges explode in close proximity to the intended target, saturating the area with graviton particles. The effect is a small localized temporary gravity field that interrupt the flight of incoming torpedoes and attack fighters, effectively "bogging down" the craft as though they had just entered a planet's gravity well.

Static EM Shield Grid:
Static EM Shield Grids act as a second skin around a spacecraft. Shield technology is only as good as the energy pumped into the shield emitter array. As long as constant power is supplied, a shield can hold out indefinitely. A Static EM Shield is composed of an electromagnetic field suspended within a magnetic field, usually held in place by a artificial graviton field emitted by a series of interlocking grav-plates on the outside of the vessel or spacestation. Any projectile fired into the field is deflected off the field. Plasma and ion weapons pose a more formidable threat to shield technology, however. Dueling warships splash each other's shields with as much plasma as possible in an attempt to overwhelm the others shield grid. A shield will only fail if the power supply fails, or if so much energy is being applied to the shield grid that the shield emitter's power capacitors cannot refresh the shield fast enough. In that event, the shield grid of that particle section of the hull "burns out", leaving the underlying hull armor open to space.

Hull Armor:
Hull Armor is a warship or stations last bastion of defense against a threat force. Once a vessel's shield grid has been overwhelmed, it is up to the ship's armor to protect the vessel. Hull armor is the oldest defensive technology, Hull Armor today is a thick matrix of polymers and advanced composite materials sandwiched between heavy plates of metalic armor or are covered with patches of ablative hull armor over critical structure joints to prevent the hull from buckling in the event of a breach.

Powerplant and Engine Systems


Fusion Core Powerplant:
All spacecraft are powered by fusion powerplants, or fusion cores. Most small craft, such as landing craft, use micro-fusion powerplants, or miniature versions of those aboard capital spacecraft. A fusion reaction occurs when two atoms of dueterium collide within the fusion core to create a larger helium-4 atom, which releases energy. This energy is then translated into usable energy for use by the ship's engines and internal components.

Arrack Battery Systems:
Are still the primary secondary power supply for spacecraft, spacestations, installations, and facilities in the onosian union. Arrack Battery Systems replaced the age-old chemical, lithium batteries that had been in use for centuries, as well as the positronic batteries. Arrack Battery Systems are the main power source for smaller mode of transportation

Ion Drives:
Ion Drive engines are the standard technology for propelling a vessel forward at sublight speeds. Today, nearly all spacecraft mount massive bell-shaped ion-drive nozzles that tap their power directly from the ship's fusion core. Ion Drive equipped spacecraft are accelerated along their course of travel on a stream of helium ions. The only drawback is that ion drives leave a trail of nuetrino particles that can easily be tracked by pursuing vessels or by nuetrino seeking weapons.

GID Rudder System:
Gravity Impeller Drive Rudders are massive drive units that create graviton/anti-graviton fields in such a way as to maneuver the vessel through both real-space and the FTL vortex. The GID Rudder(s) steer the vessel at sublight speeds more effectively than thrusters, point the Gravitic Propulsion Drive when at FTL speeds by yawing the vessel's spaceframe, and serve as a backup propulsion device in the event of the failure of the ion drives and are commonly mounted on both civilian and military spacecraft. The GID Rudders also provide anti-grav lift capabilities for operating within an atmosphere, allowing smaller spacecraft the ability to land on any planetary surface.

Gravitic Propulsion Drive:
The Gravitic Propulsion Drive (GPD) is composed of several major components. The first component is a part of the engine itself, but, is the vessel's fusion reactor. High energy plasma from the fusion reactor is channeled into the second major component, the Matter/Energy Converter. The Matter/Energy Converter (MEC) constructs elementary graviton particles from the stream of high energy plasma, which are then accelerated and compressed into a jet of coherent gravitic energy. The third major component of the GPD is the magnetic constriction chamber (MCC). This long chamber is similar to a Rail Gun, in that a series of opposing magnets accelerate the gravitons out the bow of the ship in a focused beam. The graviton beam literally punches a "wormhole", or vortex, into the spacetime continuum, and the spacecraft emitting the graviton beam is pulled through the tunneling phenemon. Early GPDs were huge, bulky devices that utilized a long metal boom, that took up the bulk of a Lightship's mass. Modern Gravitic Propulsion Drives utilize the graviton beam, allowing the engine to be mush smaller. Whenever a vessel prepares to tunnel through superspace, the spacecraft's GPD doors are opened, and the GPD engine is activated. The graviton beam erupts from the bow of the ship from its magnetic constriction chamber, bending space in on itself in a nightmarish vortex of compressed gravitic energy, and the vessel is shot through the aperture and hurtled along in excess of 490 billion kilometers an hour. The GPD Drive must remain active throughout the entire FTL event, should the system go off-line or become damaged while within the vortex, the spacecraft would be "dumped" back into normal space. Normally a vessel would be dumped back into the void unharmed, but, spacecraft have been known to be dumped back into realspace in dangerous situations, precariously close to a star, blackhole, or ion storm. For this reason, the GPD engine system is the single most critical technology carried by interstellar spacecraft.

Attitude Adjustment Thrusters:
Attitude Adjustment Thrusters are used for fine-tuning a spacecraft's position for close-in maneuvering. Thruster packs were once the primary instrument for altering a vessel's course, however, they have been replaced by the GID Rudder. Most vessels have a network of thruster packs across their hull for close-in maneuvering and for a secondary rudder system, should the GID Rudders fail. Thruster packs use chemical reactant or ion exhaust to propel their parent vessel.