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The Marijuanian Space program would like to publically announce the full extent of our technological development. Kept secret for now due to operational concerns, we have now reached a state where we feel it is both acceptable and desireable for all sides to share in this marvellous advance.
Whilst working on a university thesis, a young physics student stumbled across a concept called "Transdimensional Quantum Theory". Upon working on this idea for a few months, he decided to liase with his universities computing and design department, to create the worlds first "Matter/Anti-Matter Pattern Conversion Replicator", or "MAMPhuCkeR".
This small experimental device, created out of the enormous freedoms the Marijuanian education and social system provides, enables one to take a quantity of matter, initially deuterium variant hydrogen, but now anything up to iron, and bombard it with anti-leptons. This reduces the matter into top-quarks, which can be stored magnetically.
A quantum electrical energy signature is then applied to the raw matter, which corresponds to the specifications of the desired output. Streaming the excited matter at the correct frequency through a subatomic lensing crystal (available at all good stockists) creates an anti-matter clone of the pattern. Again bombarding this with anti-leptons, although this time harmonic at the inverse frequency of of the quantum electrical energy signature, creates a normal matter clone of the original pattern.
Put simply, one takes something that one wishes replicated, a similar quantity of matter, the the MamPhuCkeR scans the subject, and converts the raw matter into a clone of the subject.
The implications of this development, from space travel, to society and economics, were highly profound, so the university faculty decided to give this information to the modestly huge resources of the Marijuanian Institude of Science and Technology, or "MIST".
Realising the full entailments of this technology, MIST agreed that the best place for testing and development for this technology was not here on Earth, but rather in the giant chemical, physical and quantum laboratory known as space. Upon this realisation, they promptly began work on a starship prototype.
The resulting MSS Phallus was essentially a sub-light speed, carnivourous computer. Developed from existing technology, mostly kindly loaned by the various private consortiums of Marijuanian orbital launchers (in return for carpeting contracts... heavy ****pile is the only substance in the known universe that MAMPhuCkeR cannot replicate), this ship made a long secret voyage to the depths of the Oort Cloud. This enormous taurus of debris left over from the formation of the solar system, stretches from the orbit of Neptune to over 2 light years from the Sun.
As the Phallus toured this giant wasteland, experimenting on different elements and rocks, the computer, using this data, and in parallel with mainframes back in Marijuania, slowly but surely calculated the ideal shape and specifications for a starship.
Meantime, back in Marijuania, in shady bars and secluded country-spots, the nations top scientists, physists, metaphysicists and other philosophers, worked together to create the technology, idealogy and methodology to make this entire endeavor work.
In a veritable feast of brain power, a flood of synaptic juices, humanity, Marijuanian humanity, was able to accomplish what no other society had done in history. Thanks to the MAMPhuCkeR, Marijuania had developed the ability to travel faster than the speed of light, transport men and material across huge distances through transportation, the ability to take worthless lumps of matter and recycle them into useful and hugely complex pieces of machinery. Not only was this a huge lump, in line with the nature of the exponential growth in technology (we were long overdue for a revalation after the half-century of technological consolidation following World War II), but Marijuania had again done something never done before.
Marijuania had escaped, at least in theory, from the iron shackles of economics. MAMPhuCkeR is a technology that can enable people to have, for all intents and purposes, infinite resources, which can now meet infinite human want as opposed to finite human desire.
However, these developments have not fed through to the population yet. However, as you read this, the Marijuanian population is now being made fully aware of these developments, to the same extend as those nations reading this. The full theoretical information is being freed up to the population, in concurrence with government freedom of information doctrines. The power consumption of these devices is currently too large for domestic use, and society must be developed to the point at which it can use these devices. The social potential is enormous, but irrelevant here.
MIST has now carried forward its plans for a class of starships. The Nation of Marijuania is now proud to announce a fleet of 200 Challenger class vessels, named in honour of those who died in the tragic explosion of 1986. In honour of the more recent disaster, the flagship of the fleet has been christened, "MSS Columbia".
The Challenger class of starship is like nothing seen by humanity before. Its capabilities, with regards to propulsion, are similar to the "Grey's" UFO's, of probing fame. This incidentally, is the first mission of the fleet, the Marijuanian Interstellar Navy.
The transdimensional drive, actually twists the four dimensional space-time continuum, creating a wormhole through which the ship travels. The theoretical maximum speed of this ship is 8 billion kilometres per second, or 26'667 X faster than the speed of light. This velocity will likely increase with extra development.
Whereas it would take light from the sun 4 years to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centuri, it takes the MSS Columbia and her sister ships around 1 hour, 10 minutes to make the same journey. Two million years would take light to the Andromeda galaxy, whereas the Challenger class could make the trip in just under 75 years, a time that would hopefully come down in the future.
The obvious problems of relativistic time-dilation caused by this speed are countered by a relativistic driver on board each vessel, which manipulates the space-time continuum on board to keep it concurrent with the outside. When travelling at superlumial velocities, the ship is in reality travelling far far slower, as through the wormhole, it can travel accross the galaxy at a walking pace! As such, the effects of relativity are negligible.
The production costs of these vessels is suprisingly low. Marijuania does have a relatively large R&D budget, however, to develop even one of these ships, let alone 200, would cripple even the best economies in the region. Using conventional resources that is.
Use of the MAMPhuCkeR is mutually beneficial. One creates technology from theory and design, using the MAMPhuCkeR, which enhaces its own design, enabling the rate of technological growth to sky-rocket, while the cost of source materials and power remains merely industrial. As soon as the MSS Columbia was fully running, shielded from Earth's view in a Lagrange orbit around Uranus, she was able to easily and quickly spawn new vessels. Production was halted two weeks ago, as demand for crew outstripped supply.
Marijuania now has 200 stupendously advanced interstellar FTL explorer starships to her fine name, and other classes of vessel are on the drawing board.
Now onto the specifications and explanations of the ships themselves.
Firstly manpower. Each starship requires a crew of 250 to operate at peak efficiency, a figure boasted by all but 14 vessels of the line. A vessel can be run at 80% efficiency with only 65 people on board, and can complete its core functions with as low as 12. A ship can be piloted, maneuvered and engaged in light ship to ship combat with no damage inflicted to the Challenger class with one man on board. This is without the computers assistance.
The computer technology however, can greatly reduce the load on humans. Most higher command, control and maintainance functions can be controlled by computers, and the vast majority of missions can in fact be completed with no life-forms on board. However, computers have not, nor have come close, to emulating the complexity of the human mind, and so, it is prudent to have a crew on board.
The Challenger class of starship is primarily an explorer, and as such, it is equipped with a vast array of sensors, scanners, computers and laboratories. With a crew consisting of good scientists, and surroundings and phenonenon of sufficient interest, a starship is capable of equalling and exceeding the scientific output of Marijuania, one of the largest and most scientifically affluent nations in Apolyton.
Marijuania is an altruistic libertarian nation, and this is reflected in the altruistic nature of the Challenger class ships mission. To aid this, we have installed state-of-the-art medical facilities on each Challenger vessel. These medical bays are closely intregrated with the computer systems and scientific labs, so modelling and experiments are easily performed.
A ship would not be of much significance unless it could move. This is a need certainly catered for by MIST. Each Challenger class vessel has three methods of power generation. The primary is a Matter/Anti-Matter reactor. This generates the best balance between stability and power, and as such, is used primarily to power the engines. Quantum Singularity drives (articifical black holes, magnetically stored and used to generate energy via the Hawking effect) also exist to serve as a backup, but also to power the various MAMPhuCkeR based facilities throughout the ship. Nuclear Fusion reactors are also availble to power the needs of the ship, to provide a power boost to other systems, and if necessary to give a short burst of Transdimensional movement.
The engines themselves are non existent in the tranditional sense. To travel at transdimensional superlumial speeds, one needs to change the physical properties and constants of the region occupied by the ship herself. To do this, 78% of this ships surface is covered by a multi purpose layed defence and engine skin or "MuPLDES". These utilise the energy generated by the power systems to change the physical parameters of the vessel, and direct it in transdimensional flight. Thrusters and Heavy Lepton Drives also exist for slower than light (STL) speeds, the latter capable of maneuverering the ship at nearly 100'000 Km/h, though this requires some time for acceleration.
Regrettably, an important part of the ship is its defensive and offensive capabilities. In the great unknown of space, one simply doesnt know what one may face, so in the respect, we in Marijuania have decided to prepare our ships for the worst. We have taken measures that run contrary to the nation itself, and we have armed the ships and their crew, to the proverbial teeth.
The primary weapons system of each vessel are the torpedoes. These are containers of matter and antimatter, although they can be modified to include conventional chemical explosives and nuclear weapons. They also have small transdimensional engines, that can power the torps from snails pace up to 3x the speed of light, or that plus the velocity of the firing ship, with no relativistic effects.
The yield of each torpedo is determined through Einsteins famous equation E=MC^2. A standard ship to ship torpedo has a yield capable of effectively vapourising Marjuania. The highest possible yield, used for base destruction, planetary destruction and stellar damage, is an enormous torpodo aided by transdimensional reactors, with enough explosive power to destory a small planet (up to the size of mercury), and a few hits could break up a larger planet (up to the size of earth). Smaller yields can be used against unshielded space-vessels, atmospheric targets, ground targets and specific damage to areas on a vessels hull. They can also be adapted to carry agents to release into a planet or ships water or air supply, for example, antedotes to an epidemic, discovered and manufactured in the ships medical and scientific resources.
Torpedo shells are also adapted to launch sensory probes, that can go where it is too dangerous to risk a ship, or where sensors are needed at more than one place at one time.
It is interesting to note that no torpedos or explosives are kept on any ship at any time, thus reducing the risk of an accident. Using MAMPhuCkeR technology, they are instead manufactured by the launcher at any any time they are needed. A reserve can of course be built up.
Direct, light speed energy weapons are also available to any Challenger class vessel. Primarily these consist of subatomic disruptors, used to violate energy shields, break down matter either for tactical purposes or for the use of MAMPhuCkeR. Compared to the torpedoes, they are relatively low yield, yet still capable of packing a huge punch by the standards of today. The power of each disrupter varies from that of a shotgun, to a small tactical nuclear warhead (the case of the latter would burn out the weapon after a short period. Such high discharge levels are not recommended, these weapons are a bugger to replace).
When linked with the highly advanced scientific sensors, they are capable of tracking tiny areas on the ground. If for some reason, they need to deal with a land army, they can pinpoint an individual and vapourise that person, with no excess heat, and no damage to the surroundings. In space, they represent the most accurate and commonplace weapon available to the Challenger class, and as such, they can often form the backbone of any defence, shooting down enemy space-fighters and torpodoes.
These weapons are integrated with the MuPLDES and as such are located all over the ship. They have a variable firing arc, and as a result, there is no areas of the ship left uncovered by at least one weapon, down to a distance of a mere 14.3 metres from the hull.
The heaviest weapon available to the Challenger class starship is the Photon Cannon. Due to the sheer destructive power of this device, most of the details regarding its operation are classified, and because they are not essential to the operation of a spacegoing vessel, we are not obligated to provide them to the Apolyton Space Programme. What is known is that this technology is independent from MAMPhuCkeR, only its production was aided by that technology. The idea behind this weapon was being explorered long before MAMPhuCkeR.
Each Challenger class ship possesses two of these fearsome weapons, and some small auxiliary shuttlecraft attached to each Challenger can be outfitted with a small version of this weapon. Its yield is classified, but it can be assumed to be greater than that offered by the torpedoes. Integrated with the scientific capacity of these ships, it surely helps to make these vessels formiddible in combat, should such an undesireably situation occur.
Each vessel also has a number of purely defensive systems. That consists of the energy shield and the MuPLDES. The former is a simple one-way 5-dimensional energy forcefield generated by the particle repellor. It can block out energy discharges, torpedoes and matter/anti matter impacts. Its tolerance is unknown, but we can assume it be capable of taking a lot of punishment. It is known to have been tested by a Challenger against a Challenger in wargames.
The MuPLDES, apart from the subatomic disruptor described earlier, also consists of a thick layer of ablative armour, designed to vapourise thus carrying away the energy of an energy or explosive weapon. The cloud of vapour created, is magnetically attracted to common forms of energy weapons (namely lasers), and can further disrupt the beam.
Needless to say, the hull and bulkheads of the entire ship and very thick and give the ship fantastic endurance in battle, even when its defensive systems are disabled.
The final major role of these vessels is transportation. The vessel has three docking ports, one on the upper arc, and two on the engineering section. These simply enable other vessels to dock.
The ship is also equipped with MAMPhuCkeR-based transporter devices. The BMUS (Beam Me Up Scotty) model, now in standard use, is capable of turning people and cargo into energy, and beaming them anywhere on the ship, or in the surrounding vicinity. The range of these devices is a mere 20'000 Km, meaning they are only suitable for short range use. This distance is shorter than that of geostationary orbits, so these devices are best for ship-to-ship or emergency transfers.
The mainstay of the transporation system of Challenger class vessels, are the shuttles. Two classes are availble, the first being the Prometheus class, the second being the Aquarius class.
The latter is a transportation shuttle, with a large section of the back suitable for any type of goods. Medical facilities are also available on some refits, of which each vessel has two, and the ability to create more. Each Aquarius shuttle is heavily shielded, but unarmed. Modified versions can carry armaments. All shuttles are capable of atmospheric and underwater flight and landings.
The Prometheus class shuttle is really an attack/defense fighter. Fast, small, agile, heavily shielded and very well armed, they are ideal for defending the mothership, or for escorting other vessels. They are typically computer controlled, but human-flyable variants are available to each ship. The weapons consist of subatomic disruptors in the MuPLDES, one-forward and one rear-firing torpedo launcher, and one forward-firing small version of the photonic cannon. They also carry a unique hybrid of all three weapons, four pulse cannons. Details are unclear about this, but it is known to be a rapid-firing weapon, capable of firing a ball-like pulse of energy towards a pre-set target, that the pulse will follow magnetically. The yield and mechanism of this weapon is still classified, as is the information as to whether it is provided on the hull of the Challengers.
Each Prometheus class shuttle is powered by a singularity reactor and is capable of 3000 X light speed for 12 hours.
The operational guidelines for these 200 ships are very clear. They are independent of the Marijuanian government, and thus do not form part of any army. Marijuania itself has no military of any kind. The people, culturally, would rise up to defend this nation against attackers, but that is neither encouraged nor welcomed by the government, who wish to see no civilian deaths. The ships themselves are under the juristiction of the independent and private MIST (Marijuanian Institute of Science and Technology), and in the field, all actions are down to the captain, who will follow out the orders of his superiors.
In the event of an agressor attacking Marijuania, that nation can request the military assistance of the MIN (Marijuanian Interstellar Navy), but they are in no way obligated to provide it. Legally, it is similar to a nation asking another to come to its aid. Should the ships decide to come to the aid of Marijuania, which of course they are culturally inclined to (but not officially or obligatory), then any attacking army facing this technology would face a very difficult struggle.
Marijuania itself has no army, and the ships are under a mandate never to attack, and only defend when necessary, according to the Mill Limit. Despite the military might of these vessels, Marijuania aims to be the most pacifist nation in Apolyton.Â
Whilst working on a university thesis, a young physics student stumbled across a concept called "Transdimensional Quantum Theory". Upon working on this idea for a few months, he decided to liase with his universities computing and design department, to create the worlds first "Matter/Anti-Matter Pattern Conversion Replicator", or "MAMPhuCkeR".
This small experimental device, created out of the enormous freedoms the Marijuanian education and social system provides, enables one to take a quantity of matter, initially deuterium variant hydrogen, but now anything up to iron, and bombard it with anti-leptons. This reduces the matter into top-quarks, which can be stored magnetically.
A quantum electrical energy signature is then applied to the raw matter, which corresponds to the specifications of the desired output. Streaming the excited matter at the correct frequency through a subatomic lensing crystal (available at all good stockists) creates an anti-matter clone of the pattern. Again bombarding this with anti-leptons, although this time harmonic at the inverse frequency of of the quantum electrical energy signature, creates a normal matter clone of the original pattern.
Put simply, one takes something that one wishes replicated, a similar quantity of matter, the the MamPhuCkeR scans the subject, and converts the raw matter into a clone of the subject.
The implications of this development, from space travel, to society and economics, were highly profound, so the university faculty decided to give this information to the modestly huge resources of the Marijuanian Institude of Science and Technology, or "MIST".
Realising the full entailments of this technology, MIST agreed that the best place for testing and development for this technology was not here on Earth, but rather in the giant chemical, physical and quantum laboratory known as space. Upon this realisation, they promptly began work on a starship prototype.
The resulting MSS Phallus was essentially a sub-light speed, carnivourous computer. Developed from existing technology, mostly kindly loaned by the various private consortiums of Marijuanian orbital launchers (in return for carpeting contracts... heavy ****pile is the only substance in the known universe that MAMPhuCkeR cannot replicate), this ship made a long secret voyage to the depths of the Oort Cloud. This enormous taurus of debris left over from the formation of the solar system, stretches from the orbit of Neptune to over 2 light years from the Sun.
As the Phallus toured this giant wasteland, experimenting on different elements and rocks, the computer, using this data, and in parallel with mainframes back in Marijuania, slowly but surely calculated the ideal shape and specifications for a starship.
Meantime, back in Marijuania, in shady bars and secluded country-spots, the nations top scientists, physists, metaphysicists and other philosophers, worked together to create the technology, idealogy and methodology to make this entire endeavor work.
In a veritable feast of brain power, a flood of synaptic juices, humanity, Marijuanian humanity, was able to accomplish what no other society had done in history. Thanks to the MAMPhuCkeR, Marijuania had developed the ability to travel faster than the speed of light, transport men and material across huge distances through transportation, the ability to take worthless lumps of matter and recycle them into useful and hugely complex pieces of machinery. Not only was this a huge lump, in line with the nature of the exponential growth in technology (we were long overdue for a revalation after the half-century of technological consolidation following World War II), but Marijuania had again done something never done before.
Marijuania had escaped, at least in theory, from the iron shackles of economics. MAMPhuCkeR is a technology that can enable people to have, for all intents and purposes, infinite resources, which can now meet infinite human want as opposed to finite human desire.
However, these developments have not fed through to the population yet. However, as you read this, the Marijuanian population is now being made fully aware of these developments, to the same extend as those nations reading this. The full theoretical information is being freed up to the population, in concurrence with government freedom of information doctrines. The power consumption of these devices is currently too large for domestic use, and society must be developed to the point at which it can use these devices. The social potential is enormous, but irrelevant here.
MIST has now carried forward its plans for a class of starships. The Nation of Marijuania is now proud to announce a fleet of 200 Challenger class vessels, named in honour of those who died in the tragic explosion of 1986. In honour of the more recent disaster, the flagship of the fleet has been christened, "MSS Columbia".
The Challenger class of starship is like nothing seen by humanity before. Its capabilities, with regards to propulsion, are similar to the "Grey's" UFO's, of probing fame. This incidentally, is the first mission of the fleet, the Marijuanian Interstellar Navy.
The transdimensional drive, actually twists the four dimensional space-time continuum, creating a wormhole through which the ship travels. The theoretical maximum speed of this ship is 8 billion kilometres per second, or 26'667 X faster than the speed of light. This velocity will likely increase with extra development.
Whereas it would take light from the sun 4 years to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centuri, it takes the MSS Columbia and her sister ships around 1 hour, 10 minutes to make the same journey. Two million years would take light to the Andromeda galaxy, whereas the Challenger class could make the trip in just under 75 years, a time that would hopefully come down in the future.
The obvious problems of relativistic time-dilation caused by this speed are countered by a relativistic driver on board each vessel, which manipulates the space-time continuum on board to keep it concurrent with the outside. When travelling at superlumial velocities, the ship is in reality travelling far far slower, as through the wormhole, it can travel accross the galaxy at a walking pace! As such, the effects of relativity are negligible.
The production costs of these vessels is suprisingly low. Marijuania does have a relatively large R&D budget, however, to develop even one of these ships, let alone 200, would cripple even the best economies in the region. Using conventional resources that is.
Use of the MAMPhuCkeR is mutually beneficial. One creates technology from theory and design, using the MAMPhuCkeR, which enhaces its own design, enabling the rate of technological growth to sky-rocket, while the cost of source materials and power remains merely industrial. As soon as the MSS Columbia was fully running, shielded from Earth's view in a Lagrange orbit around Uranus, she was able to easily and quickly spawn new vessels. Production was halted two weeks ago, as demand for crew outstripped supply.
Marijuania now has 200 stupendously advanced interstellar FTL explorer starships to her fine name, and other classes of vessel are on the drawing board.
Now onto the specifications and explanations of the ships themselves.
Firstly manpower. Each starship requires a crew of 250 to operate at peak efficiency, a figure boasted by all but 14 vessels of the line. A vessel can be run at 80% efficiency with only 65 people on board, and can complete its core functions with as low as 12. A ship can be piloted, maneuvered and engaged in light ship to ship combat with no damage inflicted to the Challenger class with one man on board. This is without the computers assistance.
The computer technology however, can greatly reduce the load on humans. Most higher command, control and maintainance functions can be controlled by computers, and the vast majority of missions can in fact be completed with no life-forms on board. However, computers have not, nor have come close, to emulating the complexity of the human mind, and so, it is prudent to have a crew on board.
The Challenger class of starship is primarily an explorer, and as such, it is equipped with a vast array of sensors, scanners, computers and laboratories. With a crew consisting of good scientists, and surroundings and phenonenon of sufficient interest, a starship is capable of equalling and exceeding the scientific output of Marijuania, one of the largest and most scientifically affluent nations in Apolyton.
Marijuania is an altruistic libertarian nation, and this is reflected in the altruistic nature of the Challenger class ships mission. To aid this, we have installed state-of-the-art medical facilities on each Challenger vessel. These medical bays are closely intregrated with the computer systems and scientific labs, so modelling and experiments are easily performed.
A ship would not be of much significance unless it could move. This is a need certainly catered for by MIST. Each Challenger class vessel has three methods of power generation. The primary is a Matter/Anti-Matter reactor. This generates the best balance between stability and power, and as such, is used primarily to power the engines. Quantum Singularity drives (articifical black holes, magnetically stored and used to generate energy via the Hawking effect) also exist to serve as a backup, but also to power the various MAMPhuCkeR based facilities throughout the ship. Nuclear Fusion reactors are also availble to power the needs of the ship, to provide a power boost to other systems, and if necessary to give a short burst of Transdimensional movement.
The engines themselves are non existent in the tranditional sense. To travel at transdimensional superlumial speeds, one needs to change the physical properties and constants of the region occupied by the ship herself. To do this, 78% of this ships surface is covered by a multi purpose layed defence and engine skin or "MuPLDES". These utilise the energy generated by the power systems to change the physical parameters of the vessel, and direct it in transdimensional flight. Thrusters and Heavy Lepton Drives also exist for slower than light (STL) speeds, the latter capable of maneuverering the ship at nearly 100'000 Km/h, though this requires some time for acceleration.
Regrettably, an important part of the ship is its defensive and offensive capabilities. In the great unknown of space, one simply doesnt know what one may face, so in the respect, we in Marijuania have decided to prepare our ships for the worst. We have taken measures that run contrary to the nation itself, and we have armed the ships and their crew, to the proverbial teeth.
The primary weapons system of each vessel are the torpedoes. These are containers of matter and antimatter, although they can be modified to include conventional chemical explosives and nuclear weapons. They also have small transdimensional engines, that can power the torps from snails pace up to 3x the speed of light, or that plus the velocity of the firing ship, with no relativistic effects.
The yield of each torpedo is determined through Einsteins famous equation E=MC^2. A standard ship to ship torpedo has a yield capable of effectively vapourising Marjuania. The highest possible yield, used for base destruction, planetary destruction and stellar damage, is an enormous torpodo aided by transdimensional reactors, with enough explosive power to destory a small planet (up to the size of mercury), and a few hits could break up a larger planet (up to the size of earth). Smaller yields can be used against unshielded space-vessels, atmospheric targets, ground targets and specific damage to areas on a vessels hull. They can also be adapted to carry agents to release into a planet or ships water or air supply, for example, antedotes to an epidemic, discovered and manufactured in the ships medical and scientific resources.
Torpedo shells are also adapted to launch sensory probes, that can go where it is too dangerous to risk a ship, or where sensors are needed at more than one place at one time.
It is interesting to note that no torpedos or explosives are kept on any ship at any time, thus reducing the risk of an accident. Using MAMPhuCkeR technology, they are instead manufactured by the launcher at any any time they are needed. A reserve can of course be built up.
Direct, light speed energy weapons are also available to any Challenger class vessel. Primarily these consist of subatomic disruptors, used to violate energy shields, break down matter either for tactical purposes or for the use of MAMPhuCkeR. Compared to the torpedoes, they are relatively low yield, yet still capable of packing a huge punch by the standards of today. The power of each disrupter varies from that of a shotgun, to a small tactical nuclear warhead (the case of the latter would burn out the weapon after a short period. Such high discharge levels are not recommended, these weapons are a bugger to replace).
When linked with the highly advanced scientific sensors, they are capable of tracking tiny areas on the ground. If for some reason, they need to deal with a land army, they can pinpoint an individual and vapourise that person, with no excess heat, and no damage to the surroundings. In space, they represent the most accurate and commonplace weapon available to the Challenger class, and as such, they can often form the backbone of any defence, shooting down enemy space-fighters and torpodoes.
These weapons are integrated with the MuPLDES and as such are located all over the ship. They have a variable firing arc, and as a result, there is no areas of the ship left uncovered by at least one weapon, down to a distance of a mere 14.3 metres from the hull.
The heaviest weapon available to the Challenger class starship is the Photon Cannon. Due to the sheer destructive power of this device, most of the details regarding its operation are classified, and because they are not essential to the operation of a spacegoing vessel, we are not obligated to provide them to the Apolyton Space Programme. What is known is that this technology is independent from MAMPhuCkeR, only its production was aided by that technology. The idea behind this weapon was being explorered long before MAMPhuCkeR.
Each Challenger class ship possesses two of these fearsome weapons, and some small auxiliary shuttlecraft attached to each Challenger can be outfitted with a small version of this weapon. Its yield is classified, but it can be assumed to be greater than that offered by the torpedoes. Integrated with the scientific capacity of these ships, it surely helps to make these vessels formiddible in combat, should such an undesireably situation occur.
Each vessel also has a number of purely defensive systems. That consists of the energy shield and the MuPLDES. The former is a simple one-way 5-dimensional energy forcefield generated by the particle repellor. It can block out energy discharges, torpedoes and matter/anti matter impacts. Its tolerance is unknown, but we can assume it be capable of taking a lot of punishment. It is known to have been tested by a Challenger against a Challenger in wargames.
The MuPLDES, apart from the subatomic disruptor described earlier, also consists of a thick layer of ablative armour, designed to vapourise thus carrying away the energy of an energy or explosive weapon. The cloud of vapour created, is magnetically attracted to common forms of energy weapons (namely lasers), and can further disrupt the beam.
Needless to say, the hull and bulkheads of the entire ship and very thick and give the ship fantastic endurance in battle, even when its defensive systems are disabled.
The final major role of these vessels is transportation. The vessel has three docking ports, one on the upper arc, and two on the engineering section. These simply enable other vessels to dock.
The ship is also equipped with MAMPhuCkeR-based transporter devices. The BMUS (Beam Me Up Scotty) model, now in standard use, is capable of turning people and cargo into energy, and beaming them anywhere on the ship, or in the surrounding vicinity. The range of these devices is a mere 20'000 Km, meaning they are only suitable for short range use. This distance is shorter than that of geostationary orbits, so these devices are best for ship-to-ship or emergency transfers.
The mainstay of the transporation system of Challenger class vessels, are the shuttles. Two classes are availble, the first being the Prometheus class, the second being the Aquarius class.
The latter is a transportation shuttle, with a large section of the back suitable for any type of goods. Medical facilities are also available on some refits, of which each vessel has two, and the ability to create more. Each Aquarius shuttle is heavily shielded, but unarmed. Modified versions can carry armaments. All shuttles are capable of atmospheric and underwater flight and landings.
The Prometheus class shuttle is really an attack/defense fighter. Fast, small, agile, heavily shielded and very well armed, they are ideal for defending the mothership, or for escorting other vessels. They are typically computer controlled, but human-flyable variants are available to each ship. The weapons consist of subatomic disruptors in the MuPLDES, one-forward and one rear-firing torpedo launcher, and one forward-firing small version of the photonic cannon. They also carry a unique hybrid of all three weapons, four pulse cannons. Details are unclear about this, but it is known to be a rapid-firing weapon, capable of firing a ball-like pulse of energy towards a pre-set target, that the pulse will follow magnetically. The yield and mechanism of this weapon is still classified, as is the information as to whether it is provided on the hull of the Challengers.
Each Prometheus class shuttle is powered by a singularity reactor and is capable of 3000 X light speed for 12 hours.
The operational guidelines for these 200 ships are very clear. They are independent of the Marijuanian government, and thus do not form part of any army. Marijuania itself has no military of any kind. The people, culturally, would rise up to defend this nation against attackers, but that is neither encouraged nor welcomed by the government, who wish to see no civilian deaths. The ships themselves are under the juristiction of the independent and private MIST (Marijuanian Institute of Science and Technology), and in the field, all actions are down to the captain, who will follow out the orders of his superiors.
In the event of an agressor attacking Marijuania, that nation can request the military assistance of the MIN (Marijuanian Interstellar Navy), but they are in no way obligated to provide it. Legally, it is similar to a nation asking another to come to its aid. Should the ships decide to come to the aid of Marijuania, which of course they are culturally inclined to (but not officially or obligatory), then any attacking army facing this technology would face a very difficult struggle.
Marijuania itself has no army, and the ships are under a mandate never to attack, and only defend when necessary, according to the Mill Limit. Despite the military might of these vessels, Marijuania aims to be the most pacifist nation in Apolyton.Â
Things like photon cannons, sub-atomic disruptors, and simply the fact that one of thsoe would cost so much. I mean, the US has nothing near that, and even their space shuttles, that are much much smaller, have much less weaponry etc. cost billions, and thus they have only 6. You claim to have 200 of these. That surely would cost many many trillions. I mean so much that non of our nations would have that much, even if it didn't have any education, healthcare, defence at all.
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jk
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