STC (Standard Template Construct) Library
There are several STC grades allowing different levels of productivity:
Similar to flatpack furniture instructions, it only tells you how to troubleshoot problems and provides possible solutions with an interactive flowchart. While limited, it is incredibly slick and easy to use. As long as you have the spare parts, you can repair or replace anything. Its most valuable aspect is that it tells you what is within specification and what is not, allowing you to experiment and obtain the right numbers, especially when reverse-engineering a design. (c0026)
Tells you how to turn a handful of sand and a chunk of flint into a rocket engine. Again, it works like a flowchart. It also provides supplementary programs that allow users to modify parameters based on their situation and requirements, and clearly states what is and isn't possible. Some software is available, but large sections are inaccessible and can't be edited or copied. Over time, a person can learn a great deal from these plans, but they still adhere to the 'monkey see, monkey do' philosophy. (c0026)
Covers both of the previous grades and also contains the documents that explain why something works as it does, explain the decision-making processes of the engineers, and the programs they used to run their machines, as well as the programs they used to design their software. (c0026)
There's no data for this grade beyond its name. I speculate, however, that for the first three grades, you enter the solution to a problem, and it tells you how to implement it. With an 'Adaptive' STC, however, you enter the problem, and it provides the solution. (c0026)
Aldrich Isengrund has found, created, and traded for several unique STCs as follows:
STC Library (A-Z)
Within the E-SIM life support module data, Aldrich uncovers just how extensive his "free" unlock is. The life-support's core component is a secondary, bionic heart that not only pumps blood but also manufactures an array of specialised microbots. This pattern repeats for other replacement organs he received. Their original functions are significantly more efficient, self-repairing, and resilient, and the extra space they free allows for additional functions. (c0003)
Aldirch is seeking this STC and more.
The Aethyric Generator can simultaneously create both pentagrammic and hexagrammic wards of immense strength and scale, before we could risk venturing so far beyond the light of the Emperor (other galaxies). A new method of energy generation and storage, material reserves, perhaps even energy-to-matter conversion. Everything that the Necrons already have. (c0187)
"STC AI is inviolable and incorruptible. Do not fear. Humanity and its technologies know no equal." -E-SIM (c0002)
A Federation Era black, metallic skeleton. It is two meters tall and laced with artificial marrow, yet hollow and porous enough to not only enhance the skeleton's original functions but also create new space for additional modules at a later date. The cranium, including the eye sockets, is armoured and contains extra padding. As it retains the same proportions of the original skeleton, the skull exterior is 13.63% larger, providing additional protection. This model lacks space for a larger brain or mechanical additions, necessitating the removal of grey matter. (c0007)
A Federation Era computing device, obtained from a trade with Bola, contains a VR system. (c0008) - A matte-black sphere, the size of a football, with a single power button on the top. It's been scratched up and decorated with Ork symbols, mostly crude depictions of weapons and janky spaceships. I try to power it on, but nothing happens. (c0010)
The Displacer Fencing is an integral module of a Warpsbane hull, featuring Field Bracing, a molecular reinforcement technology. The Displacer Fencing works by creating fake material in the Warp, effectively blocking the 'line of sight' requirement on most teleportation technologies. For everyone but the Necrons, a teleport has a maximum amount of material it can bypass and a height and weight limit. You can't teleport from one side of a planet to another, for example, or rather, you shouldn't. Anything more than four meters tall and weighing more than three tonnes will usually destroy the teleporter and its passengers. The Displacer Fencing Integrant technology has two flaws. The first is also a problem with the Gellar Void Integrant: if the two primary components are damaged, it ceases to function. While this is a prize-winning statement from Captain Obvious, combining three separate facilities for a vital defence is inherently unreliable and foolhardy. The Displacer Fencing differs from the Gellar Void Integrant, as it is merely an expensive boost, not the Core of vital shielding. It is, however, a quick and cost-effective solution that requires minimal space and power to implement and maintain, and is an excellent starting point for researching teleportation denial technology. The second flaw is that it is a metaphorical and literal fence. The Displacer Fencing goes both ways. So long as it is running, you can't teleport people and objects onto other vessels, stations, or planetary facilities. It is worthwhile, though, and you can always risk depowering the Displacer Fencing when the risk exceeds the payoff. (c0090)
The D-POT comes in three classes, varying in size from a little bigger than a Thunderhawk up to a Starhawk Bomber, all the way up to an absolute monster, thirty per cent bigger than a devourer drop ship, which is already capable of transporting forty-eight tanks, a regiment of up to a thousand men, and all their equipment and supplies. The D-POT is a civilian, delta-wing, transorbital craft. It has no armaments, but has a much higher lift capacity than the Imperial equivalents, and I could always modify it if I need armaments, though it would be sluggish in a fight. D-POTs may have shields, but with its current design, it will never withstand the punishment a Thunderhawk can or match the firepower of a Starhawk bomber. It can lift thousands of tonnes into orbit. (c0026)
The first thing that strikes me is how angular the power armour is. A closer inspection shows that every surface is composed of triangles, hexagons, and pentagons. The surfaces are still curved, but they're made up of hundreds of flat pieces. The helmet is sleek and vulpine (fox-like). A gorget protects the neck, and tassets cover the hips and upper thighs. The tassets contain maglocks and charging mechanisms for tools and power packs.
The armour is built from a chromium, cobalt, and nickel alloy that gets tougher the colder it is, or when force is applied to it. When layered and bonded with ceramite under high pressure, it forms a protective layer that is 5 times tougher than the usual ceramite-plasteel mix.
"This armour is ridiculous, E-SIM. It's like someone decided to put the protective properties of Terminator armour into a light power armour."
++It is highly effective against ballistic threats, but put it up against high-yield thermal weapons, like Hellfire, Volkite and Melta weapons, and it's not much better than standard Imperial armour, while requiring significantly rarer resources. You should examine the ceramite, though. It holds many secrets.++
"Still, the trade-off is likely worth it, especially against Orks and Eldar. I can see how it wouldn't be a significant improvement against Tau, Necron, and Imperial forces, though. It makes sense why it would be labelled as an environmental suit for Dark Age of Technology researchers, as it is the ideal defence against micrometeorite impacts.
"The five per cent improvement against thermal weapons wouldn't have been worth the extra cost when everyone was running around with volkite and gravity cannons, especially if you had billions of troops. The same goes for using it as void ship armour. However, there is some merit in using the alloy to replace the outermost ferrocrete ablative layer, given its significant protection against physical impacts. There is significant weight savings to be had if we can locate sufficient chromium and cobalt, as the layer could be made much thinner than the ferrocrete layer. Even though the alloy is heavier than ferrocrete, it would be lighter overall."
I follow E-SIM's advice and check out the ceramite. Apparently, the flat surfaces are not an aesthetic choice but a manufacturing requirement for the ceramite compression method. By the time I finish reading, my eyebrows have risen so high, I'm surprised they haven't floated off.
Ceramite, like steel alloys, comes in many different grades, each with its own tolerances, specific use, and manufacturing methods. The one usually used for infantry armour focuses on density, forming the thinnest, most rigid plates possible for maximum protection and mobility. Thanks to the enhanced strength of power armour, weight is less of a concern. The compression method for infantry armour is not suitable for large pieces, as the industrial press would fail under its own weight when used to compress larger pieces.
Vehicle ceramite is thicker and lighter than infantry armour ceramite. Protection is less good, but the lighter armour means you can cover a tank in it without making it so heavy it burns an entirely impractical quantity of fuel and digs too much into soft surfaces, like mud. It can also be made in large pieces and is cheaper, as less material and energy are required to produce it. The lighter ceramite is more insulating, too, so vehicles remain unaffected by intense fires or arctic and desert conditions.
Void ship ceramite cares little for weight and is intended to be as thick as possible. Here, the goal is to absorb as much energy from enemy weapons as possible at the lowest cost, especially from energy lances. It doesn't compress much, so you can form it into huge slabs, literally spraying the stuff on and sandwiching it between plasteel plates. It is somewhat prone to shattering, though this is by design, as shattering spreads the damage out from high-velocity physical projectiles. It doesn't need to maintain integrity like power armour or vehicles do, because an adamantium alloy hull beneath it provides protection.
The Environmental Suit STC is valuable not just because of the new alloy, but also because it offers a new way to create ceramite armour at scale. As in, I could use infantry-grade ceramite, the best type, on a void ship. For the environmental suit, it means its armour is 2% thinner and 7% denser, and that it provides an epic 11% increase in toughness for its weight.
The new ceramite will be excellent for improving our MOA infantry shields, but when coupled with the new alloy, it is highly resistant to physical projectiles. It could likely survive multiple kraken rounds fired by a heavy bolter. In practice, the person inside the armour would be injured by shock waves propagating through it before one could fire something strong enough to breach the new armour.
The new manufacturing method requires significant power because it relies on manipulating gravity and works only in zero-gravity or microgravity environments. It works at any scale with any grade of ceramite and is compatible with both the new alloy and standard plasteel for creating armour plates.
"E-SIM, this method suggests I could potentially reduce the weight of all our void ships by at least fifteen per cent while maintaining the same level of protection. The lower reaction-mass expenditure alone would pay for the increased energy cost of manufacturing new armour plates in under a year of continuous acceleration at one gravity, and even faster at higher velocities. There has to be a downside to this; it's just too good to be true."
E-SIM has not responded to my commentary, which is never a good sign. I continue to review the STC and identify additional improvements. Knowledge of gravity manipulation will likely lead to better artificial gravity for void ships and help integrate and replicate the Gravitic Accelerators Quaani picked up. It might make the production of anti-grav hover tanks possible. We would have to find an inexpensive, high-output power source for a hover tank and be willing to disregard the dubious logic of using complex machines in a highly destructive environment when they aren't necessary.
One could also say the same about Knight Suits and Titans, but I can't give up the dream of a big stompy robot any easier than any other Tech-Priest can, and if one is feeling uncharitable, Ork Meks too!
The micro-fusion generator for the environmental suit is another delight, providing many more material configurations than we currently have, especially more powerful and expensive versions. It also explains how they work, because this is a proper engineering-grade STC.
The compact toroid design is the same one that we already use, but we've only been replicating it. I don't precisely know how they work, as our current STCs only contain how they're supposed to be configured, but not why. I look forward to reading up on them correctly.
We already have multiple designs of larger reactors from the D-POTs and Origami. Those use different principles, but as we already have a working solution for larger reactors, there is little value in scaling up these new designs at this time. It is nice to get more data, though, as a broader understanding and more options are always good to have.
What is absolutely crucial, though, is that the STC has automated methods of producing, repairing, and recycling these micro-fusion reactors on a large scale. This, along with the long bake times for the armour plates, was the two largest holdups to mass-producing power armour.
Yes, micro-factories can make these objects, but they're not specialised devices; they are general fabricators, and there are many other, more critical demands on their production time, such as voidship components. There's even a special rig in the STC for assembling and disassembling the Environmental Suit (power armour) and its components, enabling rapid repair and automated manufacturing.
Everything about this power armour is just slightly better than what we have—better synthetic muscle, better auspex, better man-machine interfacing and so on. I doubt I need that Centurion design from the Space Marines any more, but I'm not going to complain if they actually deliver on that trade.
The environmental suit won't feel like a second skin like Space Marine Black Carapace enables, so you can still get claustrophobic in it. Still, the new interface should eliminate the slight delay in reaction speed that standard power armour has for non-Space Marines.
I think the best feature of the environmental suit, though, is the improved mobility. With the higher quality armour, there is less need for bulky shoulder pads to hide your head behind. You can actually perform superhuman, acrobatic feats in this armour, from flips and cartwheels to some truly epic parkour. Thanks to the thinner armour, the environmental suit is light enough to walk in, though not run, while unpowered, something that most Imperial designs can't do.
You can also turn the strength boost off and let it support itself, or use it for custom resistance training to build strength. For someone like me, this feature makes it the perfect armour as I can use my maximum strength without damaging the mechanisms. This really shouldn't come as a surprise, considering where I got the data from, but somehow I still am.
I can also see this armour being used by Space Marine scouts and neophytes, who are usually stuck with carapace armour, yet are still thrown into the toughest battles. Really, anything that helps those poor kids make it to 20 is worth it in my book. (c0171)
A Federation Era device designed to prevent the stagnation of skills and the loss of knowledge. (c0002)
The E-SIM STC is only available from Aldrich's E-SIM after meeting challenging requirements. The true secret to equipping an E-SIM is that the user must be a Soulphage.
"Apart from the brain, a Full Bionic Conversion consists of myriad mechanical devices that mimic and exceed the human body many times over, likely putting the body on par with a Custodes, or maybe even a Primarch. The Polymer Tissue Replacement module is required to replace the brian." (c0116)
"Wiggling my toes, I look down at my body. To a normal Human eye, it looks entirely normal, well, if you call a two-and-a-half-meter gym rat body normal. If I were wearing it, my power armour would add an extra half metre." (c0168)
"To my new senses, my body is composed of trillions of tiny machines, acting like the cells of a flesh-and-blood Human. The cells flow, multiply, and constantly recycle themselves, and will last much longer than my old ones, though. The artificial organs and muscles are vastly more efficient, too, so I have a lot of extra space in my body for further upgrades that I did before my conversion, and my strength is absurd. Right now, resource bladders are using that space." (c0168)
"Even without power armour, I can hurl a tank across a room or toss an Imperial knight over my shoulder. I'm not even that heavy, weighing four hundred kilograms, or twice that in power armour. I am a lot heavier than a standard Space Marine, though." (c0168)
"I might tell people that I've completed my transition or conversion, but there's one part of Full Bionic Conversion I haven't taken yet, though, Polymer Tissue Replacement. It is an artificial neural substrate, or bioplastic, that perfectly mimics the Human brain, but is highly resistant to heavy shocks, ageing, and other failings of the flesh. Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with large amounts of Warp Energy. Moderate use of Warp energy is fine. It's even how the substrate is powered. Polymer Tissue Replacement can't deal with a 'higher voltage' though, for lack of a better term." (c0168)
"If I were to use any of my psyker powers from Navigator Conversion, the substrate would melt. While I can almost run my ego on my nanites and implants alone, like when the Eldar shot me in the head, that's an emergency measure and is likely to render me unconscious." (c0168)
"I still need some functioning organic neural tissue to avoid soul death. Polymer Tissue Replacement would solve that and entirely remove the need for all my remaining organic parts, should I be willing to give up my genitalia as well. The Mechanicus might approve, but I certainly will not! I would also be rather useless and vulnerable if I had to spend most of my time unconscious to repair the neural substrate, and I would die if someone inflicted enough damage on the Polymer Tissue substrate for my Soul to become unmoored." (c0168)
"Between the natural resilience of flesh to Warp energy, Life Support, and Regenerative Hormones, that just isn't a problem for my original brain. I can still hurt myself if I overdo it, but it's almost impossible to cause permanent damage as E-SIM retains a perfect copy of my mind and can restore lost memories." (c0168)
"I have had some success with creating a secondary brain that I use to interface with my third eye, while my real brain is well-armoured within my chest. That only works for navigator-based powers, not standard psyker skills, and it doesn't prevent the intense saturation of my brain with Warp energy when actually navigating. I might be able to get a combination of additional brains working, with one using Polymer Tissue Replacement. Still, all Mechanicus research involving additional brains has ultimately led to some form of insanity. Multiplicity should have a way around this, but I don't know what that is, and it might not help my specific scenario." (c0168)
"One day, I hope to solve this. Until then, my last two modules, Navigator Conversion and Full Bionic Conversion, will remain somewhat incompatible. That isn't going to stop me from choosing something new to work on, though." (c0168)
"Before the researchers conducting the testing were complete, they died. The researchers drew on many designs from other research. They did not build the technologies that power you entirely unconnected with the rest of the Federation. That means some are sub-optimal for the specific needs of the E-SIM project, or our own circumstances. You've already shown this by changing the original design of the Full Bionic Conversion." (c0272)
There are three types of gellar fields: structural, mechanical, and organic. (c0102)
1. Structural gellar fields rely on the hardness of the material engraved on, usually an adamantium alloy. They are incredibly sturdy, use almost no power, aid navigation, and hide the vessel from greedy eyes. They are the superior option in all cases until your hull becomes breached, at which point performance degrades rapidly. Only the most desperate captains will rely on one after a tough battle or bad collision without patching the hull first. The Imperium calls them Warpsbane hulls. (c0102)
2. Mechanical or the Origami Pattern Gellar Field. Mechanical gellar fields are a marvel of Dark Age Technology that requires no psyker or stable hull to maintain function and, consequently, are the most reliable of the three types. (c0102)
3. Organic gellar fields rely on the dreams of imprisoned psykers to maintain the field. They are easier to make, slip through the Warp quickly, and leave few disturbances for predators to detect. The downside is that you need psykers, a rare resource in most of the Imperium, for them to function, and they are prone to failure, becoming increasingly feeble the faster you try to slip through the Warp's grasp. It isn't a pleasant existence for the poor fuckers who are often decapitated, stuffed in a box, and kept in a coma for their entire existence, either. (c0102)
"They had a mothballed Slaughter-Class cruiser from M34 that they were using for spare parts. Thanks to Aldrich's records, we identified that the cruiser had a near-unique engine modification called Scartix Engine Coils, which can provide up to a 25% boost in acceleration. It also had a couple of other archeotech devices, like Gravitic Accelerators for strike craft and a Contra-Grav Manoeuvre Drive, which supplements acceleration and manoeuvring. The drive is especially effective near planets and other massive bodies, so you can use it to fly much closer to a planet, or within the thicker layers of a gas giant." - Thorfinn (c0152)
The Environmental Suit STC is valuable not just because of the new alloy, but also because it offers a new way to create ceramite armour at scale. As in, I could use infantry-grade ceramite, the best type, on a void ship. For the environmental suit, it means its armour is 2% thinner and 7% denser, and that it provides an epic 11% increase in toughness for its weight. The new ceramite will be excellent for improving our MOA infantry shields, but when coupled with the new alloy, it is highly resistant to physical projectiles. It could likely survive multiple kraken rounds fired by a heavy bolter. In practice, the person inside the armour would be injured by shock waves propagating through it before one could fire something strong enough to breach the new armour. The new manufacturing method requires substantial power because it relies on manipulating gravity and works only in zero-gravity or microgravity environments. It works at any scale with any grade of ceramite and is compatible with both the new alloy and standard plasteel for creating armour plates. "E-SIM, this method suggests I could potentially reduce the weight of all our void ships by at least fifteen per cent while maintaining the same level of protection. The lower reaction-mass expenditure alone would pay for the increased energy cost of manufacturing new armour plates in under a year of continuous acceleration at one gravity, and even faster at higher velocities. There has to be a downside to this; it's just too good to be true." E-SIM has not responded to my commentary, which is never a good sign. I continue to review the STC and identify additional improvements. Knowledge of gravity manipulation will likely lead to better artificial gravity for void ships and help integrate and replicate the Gravitic Accelerators Quaani picked up. It might make the production of anti-grav hover tanks possible. We would have to find an inexpensive, high-output power source for a hover tank and be willing to disregard the dubious logic of using complex machines in a highly destructive environment when they aren't necessary. (c0171)
"The most unusual devices we have access to are Scartix Engine Coils and Gravitic Accelerators, but we have yet to replicate them successfully. Neither of those will help with stealth, but they would greatly aid in chasing down scattering Orks." - Eire (c0219)
The (Torchbearer) hangars in the Cathedral and Castellum superstructures have been redone as the usual double-ended hangars, and our looted Gravitic Accelerators have been added to the runways. Strike craft and shuttles can now launch and be retrieved much faster, but more importantly, in whole squadrons one after the other, rather than individual launches of single Strike-Craft. We still can't replicate Gravitic Accelerators. However, our understanding of gravity from the Cargo Container STC means it's more a matter of time. I expect that within the decade, all our hangars will be equipped with them. (c0251)
"Most Imperial vessels, Chaos or otherwise, do not stack their Void Craft as densely as we do. Their hangars are open spaces, spread across multiple decks, not mechanised stacks of Void Craft stored behind bulkheads that then get fed into Gravitic Accelerators and fired out of armoured ports. They still stock a similar number of Void Craft, but use far more space to do so. This is why I am uncertain how far any fires could have spread." During our refit at Scintilla, we finally replicated the Gravitic Accelerators and rebuilt all our hangars to accommodate the new launch system. We also reorganised all our Void Craft so that we would not fall prey to the same attack we just used on the three Chaos fleets. It's how we came up with this specific attack in the first place. - Laisren (c0330)
The site for each spire covers 576 square kilometres. From sea level, they're 192 kilometres tall and 24 kilometres wide, with a slenderness ratio of 1:8. They are tall enough to serve as spaceports for void and monitor ships. They may serve as anchor points for orbital rings that contain manufacturing facilities. Aldrich could use a slimmer design, but prefers to treat each as if it were a self-sufficient battleship or void station, with quadruple the armour, double the shields, and enough PDF lasers and internal defences to take out a fleet or army. Aldrich also builds consciousness of the biosphere and seeks to preserve it. Powering each spire relies on Marwolv's highly active, molten Core that is kept extra hot by the constant squeezing it undergoes from the system's planetary bodies. The spire plans include dozens of secondary fusion reactors and a similar number of high-temperature tertiary fission reactors. Fission reactors provide an efficient means of splitting water into fuel and air, serving as a backup in case the mantle heat is unavailable for a period. They will also generate decent power and medical atomics, too. As such, the most interesting part of the spire isn't above ground or the tip thrusting up through the thermosphere, but what is beneath them. The foundations are cast ferrocrete grand floats that will prevent the tower from sinking into the mantle. Excavating the foundations is slowly settling, and the tower will be forty kilometres tall (or deep) before it even reaches above sea level, let alone above the site's ground level. The nifty part about the whole thing is that the great spheres hanging from the ferrocrete foundation float. These spheres will be filled with tanks of water or mineral salts to absorb the mantle's heat, generating power for homes and industrial processes, while also compensating for the spire's buoyancy. The entire tower will bob up and down, possibly as much as 200 meters, managing its weight carefully. Everything is designed to withstand worst-case scenarios, with an additional 15% allowance for unforeseen circumstances. Each spire is an icositetragon, or a twenty-four-sided polygon, rather than being a perfect rectangle. If each main floor is one hundred meters tall, there will be approximately 2,340 floors above and below ground. Each floor could hold thirty million people at a density of 19.2 square meters per person, for a maximum of 70,200,000,000 per spire. It won't be anything like that, as space is needed to manufacture and grow the resources all these people require. Even if a more reasonable 1,000 square meters per person, which is over 6.6 times more space per person, including servitors on Distant Sun. It could still house 1,347,840,000 people per spire before splitting each major floor into its subfloors. As it is, the planned construction time for this one spire is two hundred to two hundred and fifteen years, and construction estimates are always way off, no matter how hard one tries, especially the first time you try to build something. Even then, ground conditions vary massively between sites, meaning each spire will require special considerations. (c0097)
A defensive field for ships. (c0002)
Hyper Intelligence, an upgrade I haven't looked at for a long time, has become more urgent. I discarded it previously, as it would have been unnecessary if I had been able to take Polymer Tissue Replacement. Now, though, if I want to understand the most advanced upgrades I can take, like the Internal Weavefield Projector. The next step toward becoming a cyber-angel knockoff. I'm going to need it. Replicant, Glitterworld Injector, and other high-level technologies will also benefit from Hyper Intelligence. (c0168)
Similar to Multiplicity, External Core can somewhat replace Hyper Intelligence. However, I might be able to utilise Hyper Intelligence to enhance my crew, whereas the External Core is exclusive to my use. (c0168)
"What's this suit, E-SIM?"
++A hyperweave undersuit, a type of mesh suit.++
"OK, and what are these undersuits used for?"
++A hyperweave undersuit worn by the crew that will protect them in an emergency. The silver parts can project small energy fields around the exposed areas for up to 12 hours, with the air matching them.
++It can also protect a person from temperatures between minus 270 degrees Celsius to 5000 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, or more modest temperatures indefinitely. If you can find a proper helmet, gloves, and boots, the operational time increases dramatically. Add an oxygen cylinder and a powerpack to the complete suit, and you could live in it for a week."
"That's crazy good. Any other features?"
++It can break down and recycle waste, and, as long as the energy field or rebreather isn't active, an undersuit will run off your body heat. The suit will tighten around wounds, provide resistance in zero-G to help maintain muscle mass and joint cohesion, and use pressure to maintain consciousness during high-G manoeuvres.
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++It is self-sealing and capable of minor repairs, though, like the energy field and rebreather, this would significantly cut into the suit's run-time.
++A hyperweave undersuit can resist small arms fire, though the shockwaves from such an impact would incapacitate, or likely kill, a baseline human. It is highly effective at turning blades, though bruising would still be a significant issue.++
"To clarify, a mesh suit can do all that, and it's just the under armour?"
++No, a mesh suit is underwear.++
"You telling me this thing is a fancy pair of full-body boxers?"
++Correct.++ (c0004)
I pass another airlock and acquire the helmet, gloves, and boots to match my undersuit.
This time, I remember to grab the maintenance STC for the undersuits by touching my lanyard to the back of the locker.
Putting on the helmet, gloves, and boots, I relax a little. You can never have too much protection in the 41st millennium. (c0005)
"The additional protective runes I recently acquired from the Eldar Ghost Helm will help me hide the power my Warp Tap draws if I buy the original and the upgrade power output improvement, but I've no way of knowing if my obscurification will be sufficient. That means I need to purchase a module under Defensive Structures, like Immaterium Bastion. Immaterium Bastion is a series of data structures that will, with enough resources and time, create a shell around E-SIM to contain its ridiculous, fifty-kilometre-long frame." (c0168)
"After that, there's a whole series of automata and data structure-based void ships that I can purchase to build up E-SIM protection. Between the Eldar runes and the Immaterium Bastion, I should be safe enough to purchase and use Warp Tap Ⅰ and Warp Tap Ⅱ." (c0168)
"The last upgrade I'm actually considering, though, is the Environmental Suit from External Tools. It isn't urgent or vital like Immaterium Bastion. However, now is a really good time to buy it as I can say I found it hidden among the loot from Ardent Bane or the Drukhari vessels." (c0168)
"I make my decision, then take a nap. When I wake, my choices have not changed, so I purchase Life Support, Warp Tap Ⅰ, Hyper Intelligence, and Environmental Suit, leaving me with enough souls for a dozen minor miracles. First, this completes the prerequisites I need for Multiplicity and Warp Tap Ⅱ. Second, it improves my chances of fixing the Polymer Tissue Replacement issue and places the most significant upgrades within my grasp. Once I have mastered these, I will work on the External Resource Silo and Immaterium Bastion, then finally Warp Tap Ⅱ. Planning beyond that, though, would be a waste of time as I have no idea how or when my situation might change drastically." (c0168)
"Immaterium Bastion and External Resource Silo are next on my list for standard upgrades, followed by Warp Tap Ⅱ and Internal Weavefield Projector. Then I may bite the bullet and save up for Multiplicity to get a backup body." (c0168)
It now features two 1.2-megawatt electric motors and the same maximum on- and off-road speeds as a Chimaera: 70 and 55 kilometres per hour. One motor can drive the tank at half speed. The Leman Russ E can travel up to 1,000 kilometres on its batteries and carries enough fuel to recharge them once using its linear generator. There are also two twenty-kilowatt atomic stirling engines to power the life support and electronics. Technically, they could charge the tank to full, but it would take weeks. The newly designed linear generator generates electricity. As such, it only turns on when needed and can run at its most efficient RPM. It is eighty-five per cent efficient. The Leman Russ E only requires three crew members. We modified some sleeping pods and installed them at the rear of the vehicle. From the pods, the crew can control the tank via their MIUs. Not only are the pods armoured, but they can also be ejected horizontally or vertically. There is no parachute, as it's not advisable to hang in the air when under fire. Using inflatable bags is safer because they allow the pods to bounce and roll on impact. Trivialising these forces, although unpleasant, is achieved with bags, void armour, and enhanced crew skeletons.
Two specialised automata scurry around the tank, capable of patching fuel lines or fixing jammed gun breaches. They have no power sources of their own and can only function within the tank, so they're more advanced than would generally be permitted and are actually the most expensive part of the whole tank. They're still far from being abominable intelligences, though. The additional hellfire guns in the corners are primarily munition swatters. Automated guns that can pick out missiles, shells, mines, thrown grenades, or any other large munition, including heavy bolter and pulse rifle rounds. Adding five tonnes of armour equips the tank with equal armour protection on the front, sides, and rear. Increasing the average thickness from one hundred and fifty millimetres to two hundred millimetres. A dozer blade can further enhance the tank's front armour, if required, and is usually standard equipment for most missions. To make room for the batteries, we relocated the fuel tanks to the sides of the vehicle and used them as additional armour. Mixing into most promethium blends is an additive provided by the Eldar. When subjected to a heavy impact, such as a stubber round, the fuel hardens, transforming into a non-Newtonian liquid.
Additionally, the fuel will not ignite without the injection of a specific counteragent into the linear generator alongside the fuel. As a bonus, the counter agent contains high levels of oxygen, so tank crews will no longer have to choose between breathing and moving their vehicles in no- or low-oxygen environments, such as Kinbriar. Carefully bound within these stable liquids are large amounts of pure oxygen.
We're calling these blends with the additive Promethium NN. It is particularly effective at preventing armour spalling, often caused by heavy bolter fire, missiles, or mines. Spalling is one of the most common killers of crew, despite the original Russ's protections against such damage by anti-tank weaponry. Designs to defeat anti-tank weaponry typically include a complete set of composite armour, including reactive armour and spalling traps. It then fragments or explodes once it penetrates an open space, such as the crew compartment, or for the new Leman Russ E, the individualised fuel tanks. Thanks to the NN additive and self-sealing fuel tanks, rounds exploding in our fuel tanks are a minor issue, allowing our armour to catch many more rounds than our enemies should expect. (c0134)
"It isn't a problem for me as I have the equivalent of an imperial auto-sanguine with my life support module, whose tiny machines flow through my body, keeping the ports on my neck and lower back from becoming painful. Few others with implants and prosthetics are as fortunate, and regular treatment is desirable." (c0044)
The massive tracked vehicles have a variety of purposes, including accommodation, Administration, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Storage, Shipping, and more. Each is approximately 400 meters long, 120 meters wide, and 60 meters high, with a weight of approximately 233,000 gross tons. (c0097)
An automated, self-contained refinery, fabricator, and assembly plant that fits inside one of the big blue containers I saw in the video. They can produce anything for which I have the STC, generate negligible waste, and create the equivalent of master-crafted products. On the downside, they can only be configured for one product at a time and cannot make parts or completed machines larger than a Leman Russ tank. If you were to stack them until you had a manufacturing complex equal in size to an Imperial one, they'd be building stuff a third of the speed for twice the power consumption. (c0026)
Yes, micro-factories can make these objects, but they're not specialised devices; they are general fabricators, and there are many other, more critical demands on their production time, such as voidship components. There's even a special rig in the STC for assembling and disassembling the Environmental Suit (power armour) and its components, enabling rapid repair and automated manufacturing. (c0171)
"As you renew your faith in the Emperor, I want you to think about how you can provide for his finest warriors and faithful shields. To aid you, I am gifting each vessel a single micro-factory. These are limited Standard Template Constructors. Do not confuse these with Standard Template Constructs. So long as you feed your micro-factory with the right resources and data, such as the micro gamma-ray burst STC I'll be including, they can build anything." (c0216)
"They're slower than traditional manufacturing and assembly and consume significantly more power; these micro-factories demand more space to reach production quotas. In an environment such as a void ship or station, where space and power are fairly limited, I find myself without the room to ramp up the production required to produce the bombs and ammo the warriors of the Emperor require for their campaign." (c0216)
The micro-factories are self-configuring. (c0224)
"The micro-fusion generator for the environmental suit is another delight, providing many more material configurations than we currently have, especially more powerful and expensive versions. It also explains how they work, because this is a proper engineering-grade STC." (c0171)
"The compact Toroid design is the same one that we already use, but we've only been replicating it. I don't precisely know how they work, as our current STC only contains they're configuration, but not the why. I am looking forward to reading up on them properly." (c0171)
"We already have multiple designs of larger reactors from the D-POTs and Origami. Those use different principles, but as we already have a working solution for larger reactors, there is little value in scaling up these new designs at this time. It is nice to get more data, though, as a broader understanding and more options are always good to have." (c0171)
"What is absolutely crucial, though, is that the STC has automated methods of producing, repairing, and recycling these micro-fusion reactors on a large scale. This, along with the long bake times for the armour plates, was the two largest holdups we have to mass-produce power armour." (c0171)
Typically, a small room filled with moving brass panels, gilded pipes, horns, and hundreds of other musical instruments, all plucked and played by skeletal hands and false lungs. It is a bizarre mix of recorded sounds, played live, and gently transmitted through the void ship, or captured within its wheezing walls for a small audience. Much like nature, all things bright and beautiful in the Imperium hold a sinister purpose, for the Melodium can, with subliminal infra-harmonics, permanently boost the loyalty and motivation of all who hear it, or carefully tease open the tightest of purses in a difficult negotiation. It doesn't even have to be playing music to do this; a normal ear won't pick up on the special sounds it broadcasts. Aldrich has to be careful with the melodium, as all of his personnel have a high level of education. As Stellar Fleet personnel increase the quantity and quality of their implants, they may notice the strange frequencies hidden within the vox broadcasts throughout the vessel, or that Aldrich has installed unusually complex vox hardware. Aldrich didn't build it to brainwash his people, though. He doesn't need to because he doesn't treat them like shit. Instead, Aldrich is running three experiments. (c0095)
1) Aldrich is hoping he can use the music to transfer the Tau prisoners' brainwashing from their ethereal leadership to himself. The Tau, like my own personnel with their subservient genetic propensity, are vulnerable to such manipulations. (c0095)
2) The second experiment Aldrich wishes to run is to see if the mental conditioning used on space marines, commissars, and other Imperials that require hyper-robust psychies can be done via the Melodium, rather than the more direct and brute force hypnosis devices and drug regimens. While these standard methods are fast and effective, they impose unalterable specific patterns on the subject's brain, resulting in somewhat static thinking and inflexible commanders. It isn't feasible to condition everyone in such a manner either, even with my wealth, nor does Aldrich have the special mindwiping drug they use to remove any personal attachments a subject might form before they begin training. Aldrich uses the standard Imperial conditioning for the Twist Catchers, who prowl the ship for Warp corruption among the crew and machinery, or unwanted, demonic boarders hidden in the shadows. It helps them resist the fear of such creatures and hardens their minds against hostile manipulations. However, Aldrich prefers not to use it on his officers unless necessary. Ideally, Aldrich would like to use music to encourage the natural formation of resilient psyches over months or years, making my whole crew resistant to hostile mental manipulation, fear, and trauma. (c0095)
3) Last of all, Aldrich wants to find music that can weaken and repel demonic influence. Aldrich has set the Machine and Imperial Cult rituals to music, spreading the belief that specific music will keep a person safe. Aldrich believes that it will become a self-fulfilling process, combined with the Melodium's hypnotic capabilities to boost confidence. Theoretically, this should build up the power of faith required to create anti-demonic music, even if none existed before. Aldrich believes, "If the dumbass Chaos Noise Marines can manage the opposite effect, invoking fear and bursting eyeballs, I don't see why I can't manage a similar, more subtle and positive effect." Aldrich won't be summoning demons in double-masked studies to confirm the effects, so creating and testing music as an anti-demon weapon will be challenging. Aldrich will likely need to acquire data from other, less scrupulous studies and deploy specialised vox broadcasters when tackling demonic foes. (c0095)
The Mezoa Void Gellar Integrant is an additional and integral module of a Gellar Field that dampens a void ship's Warp Signature. (c0104)
Nicknamed MIU in Low Gothic. The mind impulse unit is an implant typically reserved for tech-priests and servitors. It serves multiple purposes, including accessing the noosphere via the sleeping pods. This access includes various virtual environments to minimise claustrophobia and to provide training and entertainment. MIUs control servitors. Tech-priests and higher disciplines unlock even greater functions.
The design was a collaborative work between E-SIM, Aruna, and Aldrich. Using the hull template of the Distant Sun and shrinking it massively, then using a fraction of the material processing machinery from the original Cargo Container satellite designs, and using miniaturised components adjusted from the Iron Crane. Initially, the satellites were structures the size of the Federation research station. Now they are a new class of ship, the size of a Viper-Class Scout Sloop, the Imperium's smallest void-capable ship, measuring 0.95 kilometres in length and 0.25 kilometres in beam. The Moth Class is a monitor ship (no independent Warp capabilities), with most of the space previously required for the Warp drive, high-speed thrusters, and sensors now devoted to storage and processing machinery. They're small enough to fit inside void ships like the Iron Crane, rather than being towed through the Warp or leaving vital fleet infrastructure behind. When deploying their collection machinery, they resemble a lionfish.
Though the rest of the time, they are more like a miniature version of a Lathe-Class Light Cruiser. Their small capacity is their downside. For example, the Hazy Meditations, a "cloud miner," can hold 50,000 cubic meters of metallic hydrogen pellets, one of the Distant Sun's main fuels, which occupy 1% of the Distant Sun by volume. Zero point five per cent goes to lithium, atomics, and other fuels. Three-point-five per cent of the Distant Sun is filled with tanks containing super-critical and hyper-compressed water used as reaction mass for the thrusters, or heavy water if hydrogen pellets are scarce. The heavy water tanks are even more armoured than the macro-cannon ammunition storage. Fifty thousand cubic meters might sound like a lot; however, it is only zero-point-three per cent of the Distant Sun's hydrogen capacity, and it takes a month to fill, manufacture, and transfer the fuel from Hazy Meditations to Distant Sun. In orbit, and without the weapon's firing or stressing the void shields, that fuel provides decades of power from a single trip of the Hazy Meditations. Run the ship at full capacity, and a full tank will get less than fifty years or a score of engagements. From full to empty, it will take the Hazy Meditations almost twenty-eight years to fill the Distant Sun at the current rate, not including the reaction mass for the thrusters or mining atomics. These Moth-Class ships are about as difficult to construct as the Iron Crane, requiring a similar quantity of rare elements. Being able to synthesise rare elements instead, the Voracious Light is going to accelerate ship production speed drastically. (c0058)
The fuel synthesis vessels (Mark Ⅰa) can create hydrogen pellets, promethium, acids, the base chemicals for explosives, and many other chemicals. They gather gases from solar plasma and gas giants, and mine comets, asteroids, and hydrocarbon-rich oceans on freezing worlds. These materials are processed through kilometres of pipes, plasma distillation machinery, condensers, vats, centrifuges, and presses into tens of thousands of tonnes of industrial goods every day. (c0252)
The Mark Ⅰb is the secret of Aldrich's success, as it can siphon material from a star and then fuse it into any element required. Typically, a base ore, such as iron, silicon, or carbon, is added to the plasma to reduce energy costs. Even so, the costs are still obscene, and it is almost always cheaper to find a proper source. That isn't always possible, as some produced elements are artificial or require rare celestial phenomena to appear naturally. The Mark Ⅰb can produce any pure element or alloy, including artificial elements, and it really means anything, including Warp-infused materials. That means the vessel to create the exotic matter used in Warp drives, as well as create the materials required for Warding electoos, Warpsbane hulls, Mechanical Gellar Fields, and other aetheric technologies, without which the Great Enemy would rapidly infiltrate and rip apart Aldrich's fleets from within and without. (c0252)
To summarise, at the time of construction, the category of materials each vessel can produce is determined. They can either conventionally make fuels and chemicals from normal materials (Mark Ⅰa) or artificially create any element or alloy in small quantities at a great energy cost (Mark Ⅰb). (c0252)
Aldrich almost always uses the Mark Ⅰb to produce super-rare materials, like Warp Drive fuel, or metals harvested from debris floating in the Warp. Without the Mark Ⅰb, the fleet would be unable to build as much arcanotech as they do. The Mark Ⅰb uses the same technology as the Necrons, mass manipulation. The difference here is that Aldrich needs a ship that can tap a sun, and a Necron needs a single scarab for the same effect. It can recreate materials from samples, except for Blackstone, Wraithbone, Phase Iron, and Necrodermis. (c0252)
After acquiring the ZFR Engines, all existing Moth Class monitor ships now have them. New ships will also use the ZFR Engines. Making a successful escape is very likely when needed. (c????)
The common data network links all devices. (c0002)
The Federation food printers found on the Space Hulk. (c0001) - The Federation food printers had a lot of data Aldrich stripped from them. He took even more digitised genomes from all the messages he stripped from the dead. He can't replicate everything, but if a plant or animal had an exploitable property, he usually has a copy of it, or at least the sequence that made it useful. Alien and genetically modified plants are entirely missing from the collection. For some ungodly reason, not a single person thought to store a copy of Camellia Sinensis, the tea plant. Hopefully, somewhere out there is a sample, and neither the Chaos Gods, Emperor of Man, nor Xeno will stop me. (c0055)
An Imperial device that forcefully imparts knowledge, much like E-SIM did to Aldrich on the Federation station. (c0048)
Talliel-Iota-5 and JK-404 have been examining the Owl-Class Machine-Spirit that provides each user with a customised learning environment. They were most intrigued by it as it is intelligent enough to hold a conversation and explain advanced concepts in multiple different ways, not just regurgitate a fixed lesson. (c0178)
At first, they were concerned it was an Abominable Intelligence. Still, once those fears proved unfounded, they've since been compiling their own database of knowledge to see if they can use it to automate teaching for all lower-ranking Mechanicus members on the ship. Last time I spoke to them, they were arguing over the cost of providing MIUs for everyone vs the time and cost savings of more traditional teaching. (c0178)
In their enthusiasm, they have not cleared the lessons you provided for general use. Yet another remarkable innovation, given away for free. It makes me wonder what you actually think is valuable. (c0178)
"Even I can answer that," says Quaani. "Those lessons only tell you how to use what you have, not how to make or install an MIU. That's the valuable bit. As for the Machine-Spirit, any competent Omnissianic Congregator, Datasmith, or Cybertheurge should be able to create a similar Machine-Spirit. How could your Enginseer Prime and Magos Biologis have known if the Owl-Class Machine-Spirit was safe if they didn't know enough sub-disciplines to examine it, let alone expand on its functions?" (c0178)
Raphael says, "Then why had they not done so before?" (c0178)
Quaani shrugs, "No time? Maybe they didn't think of it? If I were to take a bet, though, it would be about control. Magos Issengrund is a lot freer with his knowledge than most Tech-Priests, but he can afford to be." (c0178)
"My Uncle is at the top of the game; he doesn't have to worry about hoarding knowledge to impress superiors or to compete with his peers. He can afford to uplift others and give them a chance to excel, should they put in the effort." (c0178)
"Talliel-Iota-5 and JK-404 will have their hand-picked assistants for whom they do the same, creating a master-apprenticeship bond with those whom they favour: the intelligent, hardworking, and loyal whom they'll have picked out from the menials, or other low ranks. These apprentices, in turn, support them, enabling Talliel-Iota-5 and JK-404 to perform their own jobs competently, which can lead to promotions and further knowledge through their own chain of command." (c0178)
"Inquisitor, you're seeing all of this from the outside and looking from the top. Your fleet's Tech-Priests have an easy way to teach others and to sort the chaff, identifying who is worth sponsoring. They're not actually arguing over cost. They're arguing over who gets whom to make them look good. Neither of them wants to pay for the MIU program if the other gets all the benefits. If they intended to improve the situation as Magos Issengrund does, they would have already signed the work order." (c0178)
"Not only that, they're likely worried about the favour Magos Issengrund might ask for. Everyone knows that free stuff is the most expensive; that it might actually be genuinely free in this case will have never crossed their minds." (c0178)
The Panacea STC is a fully functional, Adaptive STC (see above) that, according to rumour, can cure any mundane disease and possibly Warp-based ones as well. Any faction that possesses it has a distinct advantage in countering the forces of Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease, pestilence, and decay. It would likely help against the Tyranids as well. Not only that, but with the Panacea STC, I could probably safely fabricate and use Universal Medicine. (c0206)
The Mechanicus can be rather unhelpful with its terminology, often referring to any cybernetic power source as a 'Potentia Coil'. Some can be rather bulky and crude, burning promethium for energy. These low-quality 'Potentia Coils' are the main cause of the hunched figure that many Tech-Priests have, even with a Cyber Mantle to support their bodies. (c0168)
The Stellar Fleet Potentia Coil refers to a coil of contained plasma. The plasma's constant movement through the coiled loop and gradual cooling generates power. (c0168)
A Potentia Coil's power output is exceptionally flexible and requires no rare isotopes or moving parts. It makes them ideal for charging weapons and powering exoskeletons, like the Mawolv lasgun and MOA void armour. With a Potentia Coil, one can avoid the high cost of micro-fusion generators or the risk of radiation exposure from RTGs in combat.
Heavy use will drain a Potentia Coil relatively fast, as in you need to replace them after twenty hours of constantly charging high-power infantry weaponry. When used for their original purpose, such as powering implants, they can last for multiple decades.
"Polymer Tissue Replacement is an artificial neural substrate, or bioplastic, that perfectly mimics the Human brain, but is highly resistant to heavy shocks, ageing, and other failings of the flesh. Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with large amounts of Warp Energy. Moderate use of Warp energy is fine. It's even how the substrate is powered. Polymer Tissue Replacement can't deal with a 'higher voltage' though, for lack of a better term." (c0168)
"If I were to use any of my psyker powers from Navigator Conversion, the substrate would melt. While I can almost run my ego on my nanites and implants alone, like when the Eldar shot me in the head, that's an emergency measure and is likely to render me unconscious." (c0168)
"I still need some functioning organic neural tissue to avoid soul death. Polymer Tissue Replacement would solve that and entirely remove the need for all my remaining organic parts, should I be willing to give up my genitalia as well. The Mechanicus might approve, but I certainly will not! I would also be rather useless and vulnerable if I had to spend most of my time unconscious to repair the neural substrate, and I would die if someone inflicted enough damage on the Polymer Tissue substrate for my Soul to become unmoored." (c0168)
"Given the natural resilience of flesh to Warp energy, Life Support, and Regenerative Hormones, it's not a problem for my original brain. I can still hurt myself if I overdo it, but it's almost impossible to cause permanent damage as E-SIM retains a perfect copy of my mind and can restore lost memories." (c0168)
"I have had some success with creating a secondary brain that I use to interface with my third eye, while my real brain is well-armoured within my chest. That only works for navigator-based powers, not standard psyker skills, and it doesn't prevent the intense saturation of my brain with Warp energy when actually navigating. I might be able to assemble a team of additional brains, including one that uses Polymer Tissue Replacement. Still, all Mechanicus research involving additional brains has ultimately led to some form of insanity. Multiplicity should have a way around this, but I'm not sure what it is, and it might not help my specific scenario." (c0168)
Phase-Iron, an anti-psyker metal. It is suitable for hulls, armour, prison cells, and restraints. It will work particularly well for Warpsbane hulls and circuitry for Warding Electroos and non-psykers. The primary ingredients are blackstone, plasteel, and gold. Aldrich will not be able to handle it directly, as it will burn him like acid. As all your implants are constantly channelling Warp energy, this metal could kill Aldrich and other Navagators quite easily. Added to the sacred blood mix, or to cogitators, any Servitor or Machine-Spirit that becomes corrupted would spontaneously combust, or at least be rendered non-functional. (c0135)
The Regenerative Hormones and Rejuvenation Gland work together to extend one's lifespan to four hundred years, while also giving you the neural plasticity of a twenty-year-old human. They also significantly enhance natural healing, comparable to a Navigator's Regeneration mutation. (c0074)
The Regenerative Hormones and Rejuvenation Gland work together to extend one's lifespan to four hundred years, while also giving you the neural plasticity of a twenty-year-old human. They also significantly enhance natural healing, comparable to a Navigator's Regeneration mutation. (c0074)
Spare parts from a mothballed Slaughter-Class Cruiser from M34, and thanks to Aldrich's records, we identified a near-unique engine modification known as Scartix Engine Coils. This modification can provide a 25% boost in acceleration. The ship also had a couple of other archeotech devices, such as Gravitic Accelerators for strike craft and a Contra-Grav Manoeuvre Drive, which supplements acceleration and manoeuvring. The drive is especially effective near planets and other massive bodies, so you can use it to fly much closer to a planet, or within the thicker layers of a gas giant. No one knew what they were, so we nabbed them in exchange for a hundred and twenty thousand class two and three criminals with just enough skills not to kill themselves when living aboard a void ship. Never has Thorfinn been more ashamed of himself or more pleased with himself simultaneously. We are currently reverse engineering these items. (c0152)
The Federation kept the research facility small to maintain secrecy and minimise loss of life in the event of catastrophic failure. The ring is twenty kilometres across, connected to a central cylinder by large tubes. The cylinder is five kilometres wide, and the ring is equally thick, although its cross-section is oval rather than cylindrical. (c0002)
E-SIM explains that the station would normally spin to generate gravity, saving considerable power; this failure, along with the massive structural degradation I am seeing, suggests the station is more busted than the section I woke up in implied. (c0003)
The ring is colossal, a flattened oval, five kilometres thick and twenty kilometres long. Labs, storage facilities, habitats, and power plants fill every space. Includes seven train lines, hundreds of lifts, and more. (c0010)
See the Micro-Factory description above.
- Exo-Wombs with Engram Technology - An advanced version of the Vitae-Womb, a method of genetic reproduction. Each heavily warded Exo-Womb produces a 16-year-old human with initial training in only two years. (c0130) --- The exo-womb individuals will have the skills and knowledge, but not the experience, especially in social interaction and cooperation. They won't be clones like Kriegers would be, though. They'll pop out fully formed at a physical age of sixteen and be given light duties for a couple of years. They'll go to the Heralds at eighteen, like everyone else, for two years before becoming career soldiers, civilians, or going into further education to become Tech-Adepts. This course would take them to about twenty-five. Only Tech-Adepts are eligible to be proper Stellar Fleet void ship crew. That wasn't the case at first, but by now, everyone has had time to learn. If a Tech-Adept remains in education after passing their Tech-Adept qualifications, they should make it to Tech-Priest by thirty, though that would still be pretty low on the totem pole, like a Lex Mechanic or Enginseer. A talented and hardworking individual might reach Magos between 80 and 100 years old. If they wanted a life outside their career, it would probably take twice that. After completing their two-year service, individuals can request a career change every twelve months. Three times a year, the Stellar Fleet offers mandatory vocational training that can serve as a refresher, help individuals advance, or facilitate a career change. (Aethelred comments c0130)
- Gravity Hook - Allows for fewer Navigators by connecting void ships during Warp travel. (c0130)
- ZFR Horizon Accelerator Engine - An ingenious design, this powerful new mechanism allows Tau starships to attain near-light speed with very significant fuel and reaction mass savings during interstellar travel. These engines will allow a Stellar Fleet Macro-Ferry Platform to conduct profitable and fast trade between star systems without entering the Warp. For example, the Tau ZFR Engines will reduce a 21-year trip between star systems to just 1 year. (c0130) --- Charon, a Macro-Ferry, was built with a ZFR Drive. (c0150)
The teleportation device and its research data are from an ancient device recovered from Marwolv. (c0038)
Mechanical Wyrms come in multiple sizes. The giant ones measure two hundred and fifty meters long and ten meters wide, as they chomp through the earth. They currently sort and compact powdered minerals into dense bricks and store liquids and gases in their internal bladders. The smaller ones measure eight meters long and three meters wide. They transport compressed bricks, fluids, and gases to collection points. (c0097)
"If I could, I would hijack the nanites in the vitae supplements and spread them about. Unfortunately, the Warp and Weft module doesn't work with them as they're not Warp-based." (c0127)
"We've had over three dozen casualties, most of which were due to poison, but between the Vitae Supplement in everyone's armour keeping them alive long enough to reach Alpia or I, we haven't had any deaths." (c0193)
"I run a few simulations through my mind, then order the auto-doc to keep Quaani sedated and in his armour. With the medicine reserve within the auto-doc keeping Quanni's armour's Vitae Supplement topped up, he will be conscious in three, maybe four days. There really isn't much else I can do for him other than ensure his life support keeps functioning while he heals." (c0230)
A defensive field for ships and emergency damage control.
The Icarus-Class Void Ship is Magos Issengrund's name for an upsized Moth-Class Monitor Ship support vessel. Moth-Class can typically only gather and synthesise a limited fuel range or elements. They are a downsized Lathe-Class, and similar in size to a Viper-Class Sloop, the smallest and fastest Imperial vessel. The Moth-Class size gives it similar properties, though it is much more expensive and volatile, consuming a cruiser's worth of rare elements to produce its synthesising machinery. The Icarus performs both material and fuel synthesis, storing sufficient resources to fill multiple vessels after a single resource-gathering operation. It will also be much more robust than the Moth-Class. Putting so many valuable resources in a vessel that can only run away, like the Moth-Class, is deemed impractical. The Icarus-Class design project is on hold until more resources are available and, preferably, additional hull designs, especially the Goliath. We suspect the Goliath may have specific systems to safeguard gigantic volumes of volatile cargo. (c0133)
Aruna provides maintenance-grade STCs for Distant Sun's components and manufacturing-grade STCs for the vessel's hull, ducts, and cabling. (c0026)
A five by one point two kilometre, cruiser-sized vessel with a front half that unfolds into a shipyard until the vessel resembles a battleship at eight point five kilometres long and two point two kilometres abeam, and can build anything up to the size of a cruiser, or work on multiple smaller vessels simultaneously. It's similar to an Imperial goliath-class factory ship, but instead of scooping plasma from stars for fuel or building stations and shipyards, the Origami is the shipyard. It's well shielded and armoured, with numerous turrets, and features a couple of light plasma weapon batteries. Despite its size, it's only as resilient as a light cruiser, like the Distant Sun, and would struggle to turn off a destroyer. With the expansion, the space may transport massive amounts of goods or serve as a carrier that can launch destroyers rather than strike craft. Carrying that much weight makes it so slow that it would struggle to escape any engagement. While folded and unburdened, it's as fast as an average Lunar Class Cruiser at two point five gravities. However, that is a horrible generalisation, as even within their class, Imperial ships vary significantly, and if there were two identical vessels out there, it was more likely due to the size of their fleet than an intentional act. The Origami is full of microfactories, hangars, cargo bays, and numerous genatoriums (power plants). Aside from its unfolding mechanisms, another key feature is its gravity lift. This vessel can lift containers directly to and from a planet's surface without the need for shuttles or a space elevator. (c0026)
While the Cargo Container STC Library contains a wealth of information, it isn't a comprehensive database of humanity's discoveries. If it wasn't relevant to colony construction, it's not in there. Or only mentioned in passing with links to databases that no longer exist, like medical data, weapons, or advanced implants, knowing that a solution to a problem does or does not exist is helpful, though. (c0026)
According to E-SIM, the research facility was destroyed (by the chaos powers) before everything could be fully tested (by the researchers). (The researchers took) Many (Federation) designs were from other research or were already in use elsewhere. They did not build the technologies that power you entirely unconnected with the rest of the Federation. That means some are sub-optimal for the specific needs of the E-SIM project, or our own circumstances. You've already shown this by changing the original design of the Full Bionic Conversion. (c0272)
Source Chapter: “(c9999)”
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Thank you,
Brian
