That's not a black globe generator...

[rancke]

...that's a... what?

So, you're the naval architect designing the Kinunir class. One component is an experimental TL15 force field generator massing 10 dT. But that's a top secret. So what sort of use do you make of the space that is going to house the generator on the plans that those who don't Need To Know get to see? What's the cover story? An auxiliary Model/5fib computer? An extra fuel purification plant? Or what?


Hans

 

[HG_B]

Extra gyro for spinning the ship on its CG.

 

[Fovean]

Experimental meson screen or prototype next-gen nuclear damper... 'true' enough to confound the curious and maintain protocol but then secret enough to keep it - well, secret...

 

[Cargoman]

Typical military "cover" for in house documents would be to either leave it blank , or label it something like "auxilury waste reclimation processing" .
Then on the plumbing charts it would be labeled "communications cryptographic redundit processor" .

 

[far-trader]

What 10tons? All I see is fuel tankage...

 

[rancke]

What 10tons? All I see is fuel tankage...

Right in the middle of the engine room?


Hans

 

[far-trader]

I see no reason the Black Globe gen has to be anywhere specific, least of all the engine room

It might even be more like armor, or more precisely the jump grid, as a dispersed series of nodes or a net interlaced in the hull. All you need is a tap (or series of) to hook up to the capacitors. What specifically in the description or rules says to you it's a single solid block of tech and has to be in the engine room?

Or sure, it could be a big area marked "aux fuel feed" right next to the jump drive in engineering, those jump drives do suck down a lot of fuel in a hurry and need high power connections to the jump grid. All of which is a perfect cover (as in identical functions) to a BG generator.

Come to think of it, are we actually fooling anybody? Or need to? Is it really that big a secret? Aren't all IN personnel cleared for such? Even at the height of "top secret" early deployment of nuke reactors aboard USA Navy ships did they try to disguise the fact? "Oh that, never mind it, just a spare diesel engine in case we need it." No, I don't think so They just kept anyone who didn't have clearance off the darn boats and ships.

 

[far-trader]

It would have been a pretty poorly kept secret too, given how many different and far flung ship yards and firms worked on the things

Maybe that's why so many Kinunir's blew up though. The IN tried to keep it a secret and only told the designers and builders something like "...oh and leave us 10tons here with hookups to these parameters for future developments."

 

[rancke]

I see no reason the Black Globe gen has to be anywhere specific, least of all the engine room

It might even be more like armor, or more precisely the jump grid, as a dispersed series of nodes or a net interlaced in the hull. All you need is a tap (or series of) to hook up to the capacitors. What specifically in the description or rules says to you it's a single solid block of tech and has to be in the engine room?

The plot seed in The Kinunir ('THE SCRAP HEAP') where the patron wants the PCs to find out certain things for him.

"He specifically needs to know [...] the location of the black globe generator fittings (which may be identified by their peculiar mounting brackets, which he describes)." [TK:3]

"...finding the the black globe generator fittings requires the individuals to actually find the location on the drive deck, and then measure from bulkheads for precise location." [TK:4]​

There's also the fact that the Ancient black globe that was reverse-engineered was a 3x3x3m device, but that could be explained away.


Hans

 

[far-trader]

The plot seed in The Kinunir...

Ah, I'd forgotten that bit Right you are. See my coincident post above and edits if you missed them while replying.

 

[rancke]

It would have been a pretty poorly kept secret too, given how many different and far flung ship yards and firms worked on the things

That's precisely why I'm looking for a plausible cover story. The shipyards that weren't "in the know" would install a [what?] instead of a BGG.

Maybe that's why so many Kinunir's blew up though. The IN tried to keep it a secret and only told the designers and builders something like "...oh and leave us 10tons here with hookups to these parameters for future developments."[/QUOTE]
The Kinunirs as a class didn't blow up much. It was specifically the four ships built by General Shipyards that were considered "ill-fated". One disappeared, one blew up, one proved substandard, and one was never finished.


Hans

 

[HG_B]

That's precisely why I'm looking for a plausible cover story. The shipyards that weren't "in the know" would install a [what?] instead of a BGG.

If the ship yard is installing, there's no way to call it something it isn't. The people working there are more knowledgeable about starships than others in the navy.

 

[NW_Paul]

That's precisely why I'm looking for a plausible cover story. The shipyards that weren't "in the know" would install a [what?] instead of a BGG.

I like some of the previous ideas - redundant gear or what-not. I think another reasonable idea would be that the shipyards were given the mounting bracket location & parameters, then delivered the ships minus the BGGs which were then fitted by the Navy rather than at the shipyard, prior to deployment.

 

[HG_B]

I think another reasonable idea would be that the shipyards were given the mounting bracket location & parameters, then delivered the ships minus the BGGs which were then fitted by the Navy rather than at the shipyard, prior to deployment.

Won't work. How do you explain why you are having the yard install power couplings large enough for a Fusion PP for outgoing power?

 

[mike wightman]

Enhanced emergency jump drive power capacitor for providing back up power in case of power plant damage, charged by the power plant during idle periods and ready to kick in when needed due to battle damage.

 

[HG_B]

Enhanced emergency jump drive power capacitor for providing back up power in case of power plant damage, charged by the power plant during idle periods and ready to kick in when needed due to battle damage.

Except, it isn't connected to the PP. Unless, you are going to have them rip other stuff out and redo all the power conduits.

Let's face it. Any half way decent engineer at the shipyard is going to know that the explanation is full of #$%

 

[mike wightman]

Sorry - i wasn't aware of your expertise as a 53rd century warship design engineer

Last time I looked at the HG rules the EPs absorbed by the BG are stored in the jump drive capacitors - the same jump drive that is connected to the power plant.

The power plant which feeds the EPs needed to jump to the jump capacitors for a jump.

The navy specifies the space required but insists they will do the final power grid layout when the secret device is installed.

 

[HG_B]

The navy specifies the space required but insists they will do the final power grid layout when the secret device is installed.

Like I said, an engineer would know if the navy said it was an "X" they would call bull$#^&

 

[mike wightman]

Well they sure as hell don't know what it's really for...

Hans is after a plausible cover story - an experimental emergency power capacitor fits the bill IMHO

 

[far-trader]

The question is, a cover story to fool who (or is it whom, always getting that mixed up). And so in what form of publication is the associated material that it requires a cover story?

The Navy, the Architect, and all involved in building it will know what it is, what they are doing, and exactly where it goes and how to make it work. Possibly to various degrees depending on how compartmentalized it can be broken into. So a cover story for any of them doesn't make much sense. It'll all be "top secret" or "eyes only", highest clearances and vetting, security all over it.

So to who (or whom) is the cover story directed?

As for the shipyards not involved, would they have to have any kind of cover story at all? It's just empty space set aside for future drive upgrades works fine. Doesn't even need the "mounting points" or any of the rest. I don't think there's reason to presume that all Kinunirs could be fitted with a BG just by plugging it in. Or am I forgetting another bit of Adventure 1 lore that made no sense to me so I rewrote it for MTU