From: Geoffery R <geofferyr@h...>
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 17:21:08 +1100
Subject: FT Intellectual exersice? (long)
A HELD CUSTER ship was monstrous in size, a tremendous feat of engineering, concept, and design, requiring enormous quantities of fuel utilized through an internal fission drive that rumbled the entire structure slowly along at sublight speed. Intended for planetary defence, a cluster ship had no need for more sophisticated power.Its one hundred componests posessed the quickness and agility necessary for blitz attacks, and throughout the galaxy there was no more stirring or frightening sight than to see one of the glittering silver behemoths abruptly shatter into fragments that flipped, rolled, and darted into leathal formations against the foe. Each wedge shaped component was an independently powered and manned spacecraft, capable of spanning any distance on its own, brutally armed, and faster than any other, more conventional implosion-driven craft in Heldfleet. In the old, glory-filled days of the Held, there had been an entire fleet of cluster ships, one for each of the inner worlds and for several of the mid-worlds. Then, as the Colonids grew bolder and acquired more advanced technologies which enabled then to spawl across the borders, the cluster ships were moved gradually to man the wartorn area of the fringe. Over the centuries, attrition, indifference, and astronomical costs had slowed the replacement of wedges so that disabled cluster ships were increasingly scrapped in order to supply sufficient wedgers to others. The numbers had dwindled, but although now there were only a few majestic survivors of that proud fleet, they still stood out among the bottle-shaped destroyers, gritty little frigates and scoutships, and the heavy cruisers which had replaced them.Hi all I don't post much but was re-reading an old Space Opera book "The Goda War", interesting read but I wouldn't look at the science aspects to closely. Well to get to the point it mentions an iunusual design concept (for me) called a "Cluster Ship". This being something like a "Space Control Ship" made up of 100 individual ships called "Wedges" arround an engine core, for planetary System defence. Now seeing as I'm really more of a ground pounder than sky pilot (I do play both) and FT players seem to like discussing ideas. Perhaps some list members would like to comment on the possibilites of either designing (or not) in FT or the problem it would pose. I've attached a passage from the book as a text file, there are others dealing with "Wedges" I can add if anyone is interested. Otherwise ignore of course. Regards Buck