Engineering Report
MANEUVER DRIVE
Inspected by Count Darrel Cromwell
By using some sort of gravitic capacitance, the ship could get twice as much thrust from the 'standard' system. Each engine loads the capacitor which is then released in micro-second bursts. By alternating these bursts, neither engine is actually being used at full capacity continually.
There is no schematic in the computer that shows just how this is done, but the two M-drives can be used normally at half-power so that they function as M-1.5 drives. Or just one engine can be used at a time.
It is uncertain if this is Imperial design, but it is certainly advanced technology (TL14 at least). The engines don't appear to more than 20 years old.
JUMP DRIVE
Inspected by Sir Walter Zeller
The Jump Drive is more efficient. It actually requires less energy than a normal system. Unfortunately, the way it was able to do that was buried within the device. Short of dismantling it completely, there is no way to know how it works.
There is no schematic for it in the computer, only for how it is installed. When a standard diagnostic is run on the system, however, it does show that the lanthanum grid on the hull has a denser placement and a redundancy factor. This means that the ship can still jump with 20% of the grid disabled as damaged systems can be bypassed.
The design appears to be Imperial, and the parts that can be seen are clearly advanced technology (TL 14).
POWER PLANT
Inspected by Kheaiftouaw and Kaengarr Ruzokh
The Power Plant is in working order, had its last purge just under 60 days ago (as of the inspection date). All the maintenance records indicate the power plant was manufactured within the last 10 years, and the design is most definitely Imperial--however it does not appear to be a common Imperial design. The Longshot's power plant is 10% more compact than any standard Imperial design currently known.
On the Primary Systems Display in Main Engineering, in that section of the display where power generation capacity is kept track of via bar graphs, there is a little oddity: amid the graphic displays for the ships power systems, there is a word written in small, unobtrusive letters--almost as if it were hidden there--the word is written in the Aslan language of Trokh, and it reads as "Reserve". Touching the word on the display causes a new, shaded bar graph to appear--as well as a message window stating "This Subsystem Unavailable until Main Power reaches 1% Capacity".
Though no further information can be had from touching the shaded bar graph, and there is no mention of anything under "reserve power" in the engineering files! The numbers on the shaded bar graph indicate the Longshot has a 12% Reserve Power generation capacity. This display for "Reserve Power" will only show up here, on the Primary Systems Display, and nowhere else on the ship.
ELECTRONICS
Inspected by Kheaiftouaw
The ship's circuitry is built on redundancy and modularity.
The redundancy has both hardwire and ODN circuitry, usually run in parallel.
The majority of all circuitry is modular. Thus, if there is damage to a particular section, it can be repaired fairly easily simply by replacing the damaged module.
COMPUTERS
Inspected by Count Darrel Cromwell and Valeska Brandenberg
There is a 'failsafe' program. As long as the program is not running, it can be disabled, recoded, or deleted. The command code can be reset, and the time increment can be changed.
There is an extensive selection of games and entertainment files. In fact, all of the Count's movies are in the database. These are all in a 'library computer' that isn't listed on the ship's specs.
There is not as much memory available as there should be. It seems to be functioning only as a Model 4. This was later explained by former-Captain Casey Blackwood that a section of computer had been damaged before she owned it, and since replacing the computer would have been more cost than it was worth, the damaged section had just been partitioned off.
Tracing the physical circuits shows that there are far more circuits than the schematics show--there are a dozen extra circuits leading out of the main computer. They can only be traces so far before they disappear into a bulkhead.
COMMS
Inspected by Sharik Kaagira
The comms are very advanced; they are quite powerful and can punch through any lesser jamming. They are also capable of sophisticated jamming.
They are capable of handling up to 1,000 separate and discrete channels, and they are also capable of sophisticated frequency scanning.
They are capable of communication across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
Astrogation is normal but very fast, and it has a huge database. Just as a lark, she had punched in distant coordinates and actually got a jump solution... for jump-5,000!
[Language unknown: Conerebut niwhe thutfo sonicaanyrom at thie paaclini avevirtin, hiseas asinusas aibut ternteure poss-osrofo issetr. Unstta rohi ounortwit u ess! On con prompa altha, siur icastr'thuoer ecterssom k iouthitra man oerfo p titha ulofse wh ec eketie, somas ieen whher lineennce, is vortedive latint'ntetho eenartersone e peno nc. P andoercom, ha ac i lile'himi m iv un rine posalass:
Korto Hasestast, ntfi comineion, Retrri Rihene Enri
Yin Ekri, olurce onsoreson noos, Etthek Strlatest Ichiveoutome
Eiheth Nteencnde, andeenine icoupe ec, Fiieie Sanom Iehoma
Anishaetet, moli wamine sawethpo, Laosen Ercaio Loiose
Oveyintin, ie ichenctha, Ioasai Potrpl Hipepa
Hillpaevee, be chosulho roevhent, Asmiss Honcut Traarementhoter
Ilie ec es eaueveout ssbe lomantekil est of and ousderintles ardwitivewas. Ngat tiome enttin'ionarthas ortto mohoteteno, ati o ne nderolre laonpa. Esmoer, k en ilndno wi lar sesta io pre forli casstr.
Ave poecesnd t icilek anyta encthoonenotany enclarnde, ofilal thesomres mo li mowaac laelwe-ereeio les een pr at... entingkor, pl ouosai, Hoomit Ateyinterted. Arhemo re erfono ineom ineesstedint th eters st kor, ounev ulneri Iswhnain.]
SENSORS
Inspected by Gregory Jones
ones can't actually use the active sensors but the passive sensors are another matter. He finds that they are quite excellent. In fact, as he puts them through their paces, he realizes that they aren't exactly what they are supposed to be. They are listed on the ship specs as 'Advanced Sensors'; in reality, they are Very Advanced Sensors.
That's not really surprising considering the ship had once been a System Defense Boat. It would have needed those kinds of sensors to detect other ships.
Alas, there is no record of them at that rating. It's probable that they are original to the ship, but for some reason they are not listed on the ship's specs as that.
LIFE SUPPORT
Inspected by Kheaiftouaw
Not surprisingly, Life Support equipment is functioning at 101%. Spending most of the time in the asteroid belt, keeping the life support working would have been a high priority. Some of it is old, but some of it has clearly been replaced over the years as the old equipment broke down.
This normally doesn't get done in modern ships because they run to tight specs, but in the older ships, there was often a 'margin of error' allowed. This is obviously an older ship, built over 100 years ago, so there's a 20% margin of error in the specifications. In other words, it can handle 20% more people than it is rated for, or last 20% longer.
The life support can be adjusted to a number of different species and living conditions, from desert to arctic. The life support is also zoned throughout the ship so that most staterooms can be set for specific conditions.
WEAPONS
Inspected by Pablo Ryzov
The weapons turrets are in good condition, although there is no record of them having been serviced since the initial refit. They aren't a requirement for ship inspections.
There is a Fire Control-2 program in the computer, both the main computer and the auxiliary weapons computer. There is also a bio-interface program that lets fire control work with a human gunner. (Roll for both and take the better result.)
The simulation program has a slight delay between going active and releasing fire control. It's only 2 seconds, but there's no indication of why there's a delay. It's probably just a glitch in the program... some safety feature... give you a moment to rethink blowing another ship out of the ether... and killing everyone on board.
MEDICAL
Inspected by Count Darrel Cromwell
As soon as Darrel steps into the Med-Bay, he feels like he's struck it rich. There are actually 2 autodocs in there.
On second thought, maybe it's not so great after all. It's clear even superficially that they are old. He guesses they are TL 14, but from a 100 years ago. The manufacturer is Sterilon Corporation; they are a reputable company, noted mostly in the Spinward Marches.
The docs have a few dents and dings, scratches and scuffs, and there are areas that have been mended or replaced.
Running the diagnostics on them shows that they are functioning at 95%... the less-than-perfect rating is due to several drugs needing restocked, or replaced due to expiration.
There are programs for every known species... and apparently a few 'unknown' ones--ones that Darrel has never heard of... though one of them, the Skara, were in one of Darrel's movies. And here he thought they'd just been made up by the writers and make-up people!
BRIDGE
Inspected by Samantha Kilgore
The flight controls can be set for simulation mode. That's almost never done on a ship. Sims are usually in controlled facilities.
The displays are of very high quality. The display for every other system on the ship can be brought up on the bridge screens, including all up on screens at the same time though these are only readouts; no visuals. For the size of the ship, it means one person could operate all stations.
In addition, the flight controls can be moved to any other station or screen on the bridge. This tends to be SOP for military ships but is seldom available on civilian ships, and certainly not to this degree.
The maneuver drives have to be specified which configuration is required: 2 x M-1.5, 1 x M-3, or 2 x M-3. There is a 'minimize' button on the screen; clicking on it makes the choice screen disappear and just shows the two engines. The program is designed to use whichever engine wasn't used the last time.
HULL
Inspected by Kheaiftouaw
There are numerous scratches, dents, patches and repairs... no more than what one would expect from an asteroid miner that had been operational for 20 years.
However, the hull is made of a rather high number of plates. In the early days of starship construction, the hulls were built using large metal plates that were then fused together. More modern designs tend to use the 'continuous pour' method so that the final hull (except where hatches are meant to go) is one contiguous piece of metal.
The argument is still ongoing about the merits of each. Supposedly, the 'continuous pour' hull makes for a stronger overall hull, but the fused plates have tougher seems. The 'continuous pour' hull is harder to repair, and once it takes serious damage, it winds up turning into a fused plate version anyway.
Still, this hull has far too many plates, of various sizes, to make it 'normal'. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to them, but that's what gives a clue to the reason and function. The plates might be designed to protect specific sections, such as life support, controls, etc. Also, this oddly-modular design would make replacing a damaged section easier, and it would serve to protect adjacent plates, since a plate would tend to absorb the damage and give rather than transfer it to other plates--much like the impact bumper on a vehicle.
Clearly this would be advantageous on a mining ship that most likely got struck by various space rocks. She wasn't quite so sure it was practical for an SDB, but it would help explain the repair drones--each one could work a separate section independently.
DRONES/REMOTE OPERATIONS
Inspected by Vonon Ronkunu and Count Darrel Cromwell
The repair drones are lightly armored, but not sufficiently to justify the ridiculous price tag. They don't respond to voice commands. They were a tad 'beat-up'--scratches and dents from a century of making repairs, but otherwise they were intact. A few of the tools look like they might have been replaced over the years, but half of them were still original.
There did not appear to be any way they could be sold for the price they listed at on the ship's books. They'd be lucky to get half the standard book value for them considering how old they are. Additionally, selling them would likely reduce the value of the ship by the amount carried on the specs. There is no way they could justify that extra cost for just empty drone bays.
They have names painted on them: "Akela", "Buck", "Diefenbaker", and "Raksha".
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:39, Thu 04 July 2019.
