HAVENS
The Havens are places in which people live and work, but they are also very big pieces of hardware; the largest single structures built to date by human beings.
And they can move.
One might describe them as the galaxy's largest mobile homes.
The first of them, Sol Haven, was built in orbit above Earth, but was soon moved to the Asteroid belt for economic and political reasons. Described by one wag as looking like 'A pipe bomb with Leggo blocks stuck all over each end.', The Havens are HUGE. Sol Haven is the smallest, with an internal diameter of 14 kilometers and a length of 42 kilometers.
When an observer backs away far enough to view the whole thing, those 'Leggo blocks' (large 0G factories and warehouses attached to the non-spinning 'endcaps' of the structure) begin to look more like nonpareils.
The cylindrical Havens have a smaller inner cylinder at the 3 to 4K diameter, depending on the Haven. They are also compartmentalized into fore and aft sections by the double Midwalls. Between the midwalls lies the Core, the operational heart of any Haven.
The Havens are thus split into four major segments; the fore and aft outer and inner cylinders. The outer layers are at an effective one gravity due to the spin. The inner layers much less, except where V90 plates are installed.
Down the center from one end to the other, runs the Spindle. It is a zero G 'spine' that houses a transport system from end to end. At the Aft end. the Spindle supports the 'Inner Roads'; a series of piers at almost 0g for ships to tie off at for shirtsleeve maintenance. These are part of the Haven's 'Airdocks', more of which lie in the entry to the Haven in the aft endcap. Spacedock facilities trail behind the Haven in the area known as the 'Outer Roads', attached by tramway equipped piers or free floating as tagalongs.
In the forward section, the Spindle provides the core of the 'Hanging Gardens', a large area of micro gravity aero-ponics. On the 'floor' of the 4k cylinder (forward), aquaponics is extensively used. Traditional agriculture takes place on the 1g level. In the aft end of the 4k level are the haven's shipyards and other low g manufacturing facilities.
Since the war with the NeDan began, several counter-rotating gunbelts have been added to the exterior of the Havens, particularly Far Haven. Numerous defensive battlestations also fly in formation with the Haven to protect its TCA or Terminal Control Area. The much vaster Security Zone is patrolled by various military craft. Within the TCA are also a variety of 'Tagalongs'; spacedocks, independent space stations, and other small (relatively) habs in their own right that serve a variety of purposes. The best known is Quarantine, run by the Haven Corp. The most infamous is Anarchaos, which isn't really run by anybody.
Since Havens are places as well as hardware, more details on all this, including the ritzy 'Chandeliers' and the somewhat less elegant 'underground' will be available on the Places page.
(eventually)
The Starships
There are hundreds of types of starships in the Havener universe, but all of them depend on the Interphase drive to get them from star to star. Form follows function, and the nature of the Drive dictates the shape of most ships. Since the dual field generators at the center of each ship create a more or less spherical field, the most efficient shape for a starship is a sphere. While there are exceptions for some yachts, military, construction, and other specialty vessels, this is particularly true for bulk transports and other cargo ships.
The most common of these is the Turtleback (or just, Turtle). The workhorses of human commerce, there are tens of thousands of turtle transports throughout human space. As common a sight as semi trucks are today, turtles often fulfill a similar function; getting small and medium sized cargoes to a myriad of destinations beyond the distribution centers at major starports.
Turtles consist of a disk shaped powerdeck (or powerdisk) that contains the crew quarters, power rooms, plasma rockets, Interphase drives, maneuvering thrusters, and MagLev pods for landing and taking off from planets. In essence, the powerdeck IS the ship. The disk can attach to two cargo shells, one upper and one lower (dorsal and ventral). The name turtle derives from their appearance when either sitting on the ground in a cradle that hides the lower shell (usually below ground) or when flying with only a single shell. This is often done when a descent to an unprepared landing site is anticipated.
Below: The MK III turtle 'Cracked Back' has detached it's 'B' (ventral) shell, leaving it in orbit as it descends to a rough frontier port with no landingcradles prepared.
All text and other materials on this Web page not specifically designated otherwise are Copyright © 2015 by John R. Patin
The
What would Science Fiction be without some hardware?
ASDAR - Assault Ship, Drop And Recovery - Though not starships (they have no Interphase plants), the ASDAR deserves mention as the workhorse of the CMAF effort to take the war to the NeDan...
(back later, it is time for lunch)
The Interphase Drive
There is only one Faster Than Light (FTL) drive (that is known of in the Havener 'futureverse'), and it is the Interphase drive. Like many important scientific discoveries, it was stumbled across almost accidentally. I say accidentally because when he did it, Harry Freeman thought he was working on an FTL communications device. When someone (irately) informed him that the stars were moving and that the rest of the Solar System was missing, he started to get a clue.
An Interphase drive (or communication device) requires a dual set of field generators. When the waveforms of the two generators are matched (phased), everything within their combined field envelope translates momentarily into a realm of physics not entirely understood (As Harry found out to his dismay). The end result of a single cycle of the dual drives is that they and everything within their combined fields are translated to a new location in space.
Dependent on their original velocity and vector, the traveler's apparent velocity can be many times the speed of light without ever actually exceeding it. A passenger can watch the stars move without any doppler effect and experiences no time dilation with an Interphase drive.
This apparent FTL velocity increases exponentially with the time spent within the field. Stay within it too long and you will be long gone (a Longjump). No one has ever returned to their point of origin from a Longjump. Phase Integration Modules are used to interphase the fields of the dual generators into carefully maintained, teeny little fractions of time to prevent this. If your PIM goes, you... just go.
Something else Harry didn't understand; the spectrum of radiation from a star extends into translight dimensions, interfering with an Interphase plant's smooth functioning. Get too close to a planetary system's primary (its star) and drives operate erratically. Harry got very lucky (or unlucky) that day when he 'caught a wave' out of the Solar system.
When Harry Freeman, a good chunk of the brand new University being built at Lagrange point 4 and over 2,000 people disappeared, it got the attention of a lot of people. It only took them 47 years to figure out what he had done, and then how to do it safely. When they did, the Great Expansion to the stars began and nothing the Worldgov could do could stop it.
Weapons & Warbots
Wirewhip/wireknife- A NeDan personal weapon. Based on a technology not fully understood by humanity (its power source is thought to be a tap from another dimension), the wirewhip can extend a charged monomolecular filament from a rigid 'blade', to a meters long flexible whip capable of cutting deeply into the most resistant materials. Its beautiful, opalescent corkscrew handle is designed for the dextrous manipulative tendrils of a NeDan 'hand', but a small handed human can work its controls, as Dani Steele has proven to the dismay of many. A war trophy given her by Ringer, her skill with one has become legendary.
WHIRLING DERVISH- also known as a Buzzbomb for its distinctive sound. An application of the NeDan wirewhip, the Dervish is essentially a guided Frisbee with monomolecular wire filaments and can be devastating against unshielded groups or individuals.
Needlers– hyper velocity railguns that fire small gauge ‘needles’ which spin as they penetrate a body. At close range they can be devastating to unarmored targets, shredding them. However, they are relativity short ranged due to the size and weight of the projectile and the short 'rail' of the hand weapons they are most commonly fired from. The largest - 5 millimeter carbine rounds, can be quite deadly at extended ranges however, though accuracy suffers.
The most popular needler models are 1 and 2mm handguns because of their concealability and ammo capacity. Ringer often carries a 2mm Mordor Arms Whirlwind he picked up during an event described in ‘Epsilon Express’. Cliff Anderson’s Armed Companion, which he wears on his wrist, is equipped with a 1mm needler. While a decent self defense weapon, the 1 mil is of little efficacy beyond 10 meters and even heavy clothing can defeat it The 2mil has better range and penetration, but any decent body armor can stop it, making head shots a common target. The 2 mil is often called an assassin's gun for this reason.
Recoilless projectile weapons - the spaceman's friend.
Ringer’s handgun of choice is his CMAF issue 10mm recoilless pistol. Recoilless weapons are particularly useful in zero G environments since the caseless ammunition fired is basically a small, self propelled rocket that has no 'kickback'. A variety of types of rounds are available for the 10 mil. Ringer prefers metanitro AP loads, the standard ‘squid killer’, though use of explosive, armor-piercing rounds is generally frowned upon inside spaceships. In such cases frangible rounds are recommended, though they are not as effective against the armored skin of a NeDan. Ringer prefers to trust his aim.
A heavier squad version of the 10 mil with a larger ammo capacity is available. Larger, 20mm varieties are usually carried by warbots.
…and so, we segue into WARBOTS; warfighting Machines run by AI's (as differentiated from unarmed AI Machines such as stowbots, tool caddies, construction, and vending units)
Bolos - (AI driven tanks named after the creations of a 20th century Science Fiction author, Keith Laumer), often use 20mm guns with shot loaded rounds as anti-personnel and point defense weapons against incoming anti tank fire. The bolo tank, with its large magazines (instead of crew spaces), can rapidly switch its loads from one type (shot, solid, tracer, or AP) to another as required by combat conditions. A bolo with an intact periphery of 20mm secondary weapons can be a dicey proposition for infantry to deal with.
Of course, as everyone knows, when a bolo wants to get serious, it turns to its primary (a railgun) and secondary energy weapons. No one wants to be in front of a bolo when it gets serious. The bolos of the Havener universe are considerably smaller than Laumer's mighty 'Continental Siege Units'. The few survivors of Kinkus who were familiar with the classic SF stories, wish they had had a few of the mythical CSU's along on that ill fated campaign.
Golems - Smaller warbots, such as the man-shaped golems are also large enough to carry 20mms, though not in such numbers as a bolo. The 20mm is the standard primary weapon for most models of golem. The Oscar class golem for instance, carries two, one mounted in each shoulder. Magazine capacity is limited, however. Oscars, being intended for recon, were designed to shoot their way out of firefights, not start them.
Jugs, (short for Juggernauts), on the other hand, are designed to do exactly that; start firefights and sustain them. Rather lumpy looking things, they stand from 2.5 to 3 meters tall depending on configuration and, while still qualifying as golems because they have arms and legs instead of tracks like the bolos, they have little chance of being mistaken for a human (even at a distance on a very smokey battlefield).
It was a Jug that practically cut Ringer in two in a friendly fire incident. All warbots are programmed to win, but jugs take that philosophy to extremes. They don’t negotiate, they don’t accept surrenders, and they don’t stop for slow humans. Their AIs have been described as ‘brutish’. Being hardwired to prevent hacking, their programming is rather inflexible. However, they are effective at killing NeDan and human troops tend to like having them around in a combat zone (as long as they can stay behind the things).
The NeDan, understandably, have a pronounced aversion to jugs, as they seem to have for all AI's and warbots in particular. The NeDan, though it has been determined that their computer technology is more than up to the task, have not been found to use AI's with any sense of self awareness, and certainly none with any degree of autonomy. Useful as they have proven, even some humans still argue over the wisdom of arming Machines, particularly those humans who have been shot in the back by one.
Juggernauts, true to their name, sometimes ride into battle in open Chariots, which can also serve as APC's for human troops. The chariots are also warbots of a sort, having AIs, several 20mms for point defense and sometimes a heavier anti aircraft weapon.
Close air support, by the way, is no longer viable on the modern battlefield. Troops have to rely on their own mini-drone support. Anything that flies outside a force’s defense shields, dies. Even the heavily shielded and armored ASDAR's have a hard time surviving unsupported for long in such a combat environment.
Still sorting it all out, so please be patient! :)
Epsilon Express; Copyright © 2012 S. P. SMITH
DV-90 plates or just V-90's - Are artificial gravity plates derived from an unknown alien technology. They are so named for their ability to redirect any thrust (Delta V) they undergo into a vector perpendicular to the plate.
Thus, a ship equipped with V-90 plates always retains the same downward feel on its decks. Any acceleration or maneuver is always felt as an added 'heaviness', like standing in a high-speed elevator. Both their base 'gravity' and 'vectored' thrust are adjustable for user comfort, and more importantly, function as inertial dampeners, with surplus energy being stored.
Just how and where this energy is stored is something of a mystery that has raised concern in some quarters. Nevertheless, since their discovery and the critical co-discovery of how to duplicate the dedicated repair nanos that build them, V-90 plates have come into common usage.
Though a great deal of reverse engineering and industrial espionage efforts have been expended in attempts to winkle out the secret of the manufacturing process, so far, the Haven Corporation, under license from Far Haven University, is the only source of V-90 plates.
(more on this later, see the Timeline)
Detail from TfT #8 cover Copyright © 2014 S. P. SMITH
A Mark III turtle's powerdeck is 30 meters (about 100 feet) in diameter, not counting extensions such as the command module and MagLev pods, making the Mk III a favorite for getting in and out of crowded or undeveloped fields. The huge bulk carriers are many times larger and require a great deal of infrastructure to support them on the ground.
As mentioned above, not all ships in the Havener universe (futureverse) look like a turtle or a beach ball. Most non-interstellar craft have no need to conform to the spherical shape, and some, like Eric Rice's Wandrin' Star have wings, it having been converted from an old shuttle that was once part of a starliner's compliment of landing craft. See DREAMBONES. That can be fortunate, as Rice found out on his final approach to Dirdan when his MagLev pods became unreliable.
MagLev
MagLev pods are the most commonly used system for maneuvering near or over most worlds. MagLev (or Magnetic Levitation) pods produce a narrowly focused magnetic field that can extend for hundreds of kilometers. They can be used to either attract or repel ferrous objects such as iron cored asteroids, steel hulled spaceships, or even the magnetic field of a planet for certain gross maneuvering purposes. For fine orbital maneuvering, standard reaction thrusters are still the device of choice. For landing, MagLev provides the best option for a smooth vertical approach. Any starport worth the name boasts multiple sets of anchor points for a ship on a MagLev final; from orbit, a set of tertiaries are acquired. These can be any iron rich deposits on the surface, even structures or vehicles, though if the load is concentrated, the 'target' structures and vehicles usually don't fare too well. People tend to get irate when their cars get smashed flat, so, on well populated worlds, most starports set out their own tertiary anchor points and mark them with beacons. A secondary set is deployed in a triangle a dozen kilometers out from the field and the primaries on the field itself, allowing most ships to descend to 500 to 1,000 meters, where they can hover before switching over to a set of terminal anchors. If a configuration of preset terminal anchors won't fit the landing starship, it has the option of deploying its own, usually steel plates or pigs of iron. The most sophisticated starports usually take over final approach with a set of their own MagLevs, tractoring the ship down to its assigned landing cradle.