
-------- TML Message #1133 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1133
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM turn 3.2
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 17:14:38 PDT




More conversations - these specifically about transport:


    Also, according to my preliminary calculations (based mostly on
guesses) we are only going to be able to get at most 3/4G acceleration
out of the Alcyon/3ship lashup.  That is three quarters of a
standard gravity of acceleration.  Not very much for maneuvering around
something that could be spinning at over 1100m/s!  I suggest we leave
the Alcyon in some easily reachable orbit and transfer everyone to the
ringworld by Scout/Free Trader.   This is assuming Dr. Abuko's calculations
about the spin are correct.
    It certainly looks like life is going to be interesting, to say the
least, once we hit system!
    A bientot.

		Etienne

Commander Ger,
   I would like permission to run some simulations and drills for all
pilots, navigators, and sensor/comm operators.  Including people from
all of the teams, not just Transport.  I would prefer to do this before
we jump, but if there is no time now it can wait until we have entered
jump-space.  I will try to determine who is most suited to fill the
various positions on-board as well as in the Away-Teams.
   Beaux cieux a vouz.
			
			-Etienne




Move from Eneri DeAith:

To Transport Team:

  "Any of you given any thought about how we're going to land on the
ringworld?   There's got to be walls on the side, so maybe we can 
match velocities and dock.  If there's an intact transport system on
the ring, maybe we can use it to move our equipment and personnel.
There might even be airlocks on the 'floor'.  Either would be
preferable to landing in a pseudo gravity well.   If we had to leave
in a hurry, I'd rather be able to just 'cut loose' than have to take 
off."

  
Eneri DeAith

  

Greetings Team,

   We are getting closer to launch time and I'm still not sure who will be 
filling what positions!
   Nishu I believe has stated he would like to be Navigator, and Jaron
mentioned Sens/commo.  What about the rest of you?  We will be going
through a full series of tests and drills as soon as we hit jump-space
but I need some idea now.
   Let me know ASAP.
   Plus, en retard.
			-Etienne






Subject: Gravitics vs R-alpha


Johann barges in on the grav vs. ringworld discussion: "I do have a basic 
	training in gravitics if you'd like me to make some simulations. If 
	grav devices won't work on r-alpha it will be a big obstacle to 
	overcome. I assume that reactioneless thrusters will work in either 
	case, though.
	What I'd like to point out is that it will be difficult for the ships 
	to match speeds with the rotating ringworld. If it's diameter is like 
	terras orbit and it is designed to give an impression of one gee then 
	it's rotational speed will be," he begin to fiddle with his pocket 
	computer, "approximately..." no this must be wrong!" he checks his 
	figures to make sure that they are correct, "1211 kilometers per 
	second, but I hope that I am wrong! If I am right it will take more 
	than 17 hours at two gee to match speeds with the ringworld and the 
	acceleration vector on the surface of the ringworld will change by 
	3.34 degrees per hour. I think that it sounds like we'll have to make 
	major changes in the manuever-control programs to enable them to 
	function properly on and around the ringworld!
	Hmm, I wonder how the builders of r-alpha, shall we call them 
	'Ralphs'?" Johann added with a slight smile "do when they land? And 
	how they travel around on the ringworld? Normal, non-grav, means is 
	generally to slow and can't take that much cargo. Is it possible that 
	they installed artificial grav-modules in 'paths' as 'highways' for 
	grav-vehicles? Since there were no neutrinos, I guess that if such 
	grav-paths even existed they won't be in operation now, since they 
	would need enormous amounts of energy. Of course, if they rely on 
	solar energy, that might do the trick.
	I hope that we'll bring a few small-crafts with reactionless thrusters 
	in case grav-modules really don't work on r-alpha!"

Johann Abuko




To: everyone
Subject: Dr. Limner finally wakes up
Cc: limner ref

Dr. Limner, a thin man of just about 185 cm height, wearing a nice but
slightly outmoded suit, has been sitting very quietly throughout most of the
discussions.  He stands up.  For some reason, he seems to remind everyone of a
typical college professor.  He finally speaks:

    "Hmmm.  Mr. Schmud, your point about the artificial gravity is well
    taken, but it appears to me that the ring will still have a mass, and
    thus gravity-  powered vehicles should still function, although they
    might need some tuning. Admittedly, that is not my specialty, but I
    believe that I could be of some assistance in that task.  Lets
    see...  You'd need to compensate for the extra coriolis force while
    compensating for the odd distribution of mass...  Yes, that could be
    done by simply tuning the primary navigational field's epsilon
    parameter then applying a few turns to the...

    Sorry, I tend to go on a bit sometimes.  Please feel free to stop me
    if I am talking too much.  I know that I sometimes tend to ramble on
    but this is all so interesting.  I wouldn't want to get on anybody's
    nerves, though.  Just stop me if I..."

Dr. Limner seems to notice a few rolled-back eyes and stops speaking, then
fumbles with the equipment he has been given.  He seems especially clumsy with
the stun pistol he was issued, which he almost drops, but catches before it
hits the ground.

    "Oops, I should be more careful with these things.  Wouldn't want to
    have to give first aid to anyone before we even got there, now would
    we?
    
    Now, where were we?  That's right, gravitics.  I had a similar
    problem once where a planet's moon was so large...  But I'll save
    that story for some other time."

Dr. Limner stops, seems to hesitate, then walks over to the physical sciences
team.



Dr. Limner speaks up:

    "Ah, Mr. Abuko. I was just discussing this matter with Dr. Werner.  I
    believe that gravitic propulsion systems should work on the
    ringworld, since the ring must have a mass, even though it probably
    relies on centripetal acceleration to produce its simulated gravity.
    The fact that there is a lower concentration of mass may cause some
    problems, but we should be able to adjust any gravitic drives to
    compensate for it.  Once we get close to the ring, however, the
    ring's mass should dwarf any gravitic vehicles we are using, and we
    should get the lift we need."

Dr. Limner begins to sit down, then pauses:

    "Of course, getting close to the ring might be a problem."

Dr. Limner sits down then and seems to be looking over the equipment he was
issued.  He pulls out a high-tech set of binoculars and looks into the
eyepiece, withdraws an old-style spyglass and looks through it, then smiles
contentedly.  He then notices that people are looking at him, and speaks out:

    "If you're interested, I have done this sort of thing before, it
    involves focusing the gravitational drives in the direction of the
    star and rather than lessening the gravitational effects, instead
    increasing them.  This would allow you to orbit at the higher orbital
    velocity necessary to match that of the ring.  As all of you probably
    realize already, this is not the way that most gravitational drives
    were designed to operate.  As such, it is a bit less precise.  It
    will let you get close enough to the ring, however.  Of course, I've
    never actually tried it with a RINGWORLD before, only with a rosette
    formation of... but I'm sure nobody is interested in that right now."

Dr. Limner seems to have stopped speaking, but after a while adds one more
thing:

    "Oh, by the way, we don't know what sort of gravitational devices
    were used on the ringworld.  It is quite conceivable that there could
    be devices which would have an adverse effect on gravitic drives.
    They probably wouldn't be running, though."

Another pause:

    "This is all theoretical, though.  Practically, the easiest thing to
    do would be to simply bring the spacecraft close enough to the ring
    for gravitic drives to work, then release the gravitic vehicles.
    This would also be the fastest.  Unless you have some reason for not
    wanting to bring large spacecraft near to the ring.  In case you have
    any fears, we will be able to use gravitic vehicles long before the
    spacecraft get too close to the ringworld."

    "Oh yes, and there was one more thing...  It was something Dr. Werner
    said.  Now what was it?  Oh, that's right.  Even though the
    gravitational drives will operate near the ring, they will need to be
    adjusted signifigantly to compensate for the tremendous rotational
    velocity.  Otherwise they would be almost impossible to control and
    would no doubt either crash or go spinning off into space.  I almost
    forgot about that detail.  I never was good with details."





	
	From Ralf:
	
	Well, mine is a "midget" Grav APC, 4 tons.  It's stocked with a
minilab for all my gear and some of my supplies.  Questions:  Can I use
my high electronics to build some sort of "stealth" field for the APC?
I know that there is holography in the Imperium, could I also adapt a
holographic rig to provide holograhic camoflage or invisibility over the
APC?  How about using my Gravitics skill to pump up the speed (right now
it's pretty much a "stock" model)?




Hey Lazer,

I've got for sure 5 empty staterooms on the Korondor Talisman... is 
somebody going to assign people to them?  We can go single or double
on the occupancy, and I've got enough decent grub to feed us all for
a while provided somebody is on board that can cook the stuff
without burning it....

Thul



[Well, with a lot of number crunching and slipstick time you guys
have found out quite a bit about transport problems you might have.
Here's a summary of your conclusions and solutions:]

The Alcyon will almost certainly stand off from the ring, and actual
contact will be made with scouts or shuttles.

The ring's linear velocity is probably betwen 1100 and 1300 m/s.

The ring probably has a noticable mass of it's own; no one is quite
sure what this means yet, though.

Initial landing will probably be on the spill wall (thanks to whoever
came up with that term -it's great).  That way, accidents might hurt
but probably will be recoverable.

Approach for initial landing will either be tangential to the ring,
or from above.  Still undecided.

The Alcyon will probably park between the ring and the sun.

A command shuttle will be used.

No decision yet on how far apart you are willing to separate teams.
Right now the discussion centers on communication time and response
time.

One of the scouts will probably make an initial pass over areas to
be explored, for preliminary mapping.

[Referee's quiz for everyone:  Why did Turnskaad use *chemical*
rockets to boost the Alcyon, when fusion would have been cheaper?]


- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1134 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1134
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: PBEM turn3.1
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 17:13:49 PDT


Best way for you to get the feel of what's happening is just to let
you read it.

[important note:
I have a mailing list for All characters for use with a
VAX system running the PMDF mailer system. If anyone wants it I'll
send them a copy.
                                       Brucer
address is brucer@psc.bitnet]



Here's some exerpts from last week:


        When he gets a look at the Alcyon, Dr. Sir Van Der Merwe breaks
out in gales of laughter. "A jump tender! Oh, what a piece of work! I
bet that just gave those impatient engineers a shock. Such high hopes of
working on a big ship..."


...[Bhyarrvouf] carries a heavy tool belt that's weighed down
by a massive Gauss pistol at each hip, and a data/display headset
covers one eye and connects to one ear, giving him a piratical look
that's either menacing or silly, depending on your mood.
	He's relatively quiet until the Alcyon drifts into view; then
he's glued to the viewport, his tail wagging furiously (in Abuko's
face, unfortunately |-> ). He jabbers something excitedly in a Vargr
tongue, then forcibly reverts to his his heavily-accented Galanglic.
	"A jump tender! Kae, kakh TSAKHA, a JUMP TENDER! HEEYARF!"
He licks his chops, practically drooling. "No wonder they kept it
quiet. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on those drives! And she's
MINE! Mine mine mine mine mine all MINE!" He checks himself 
sheepishly. "Subject to Fearless Leader's orders, of course. And the
Helmsman. And the NAvigator...." He slumps into his couch, dejected.
"Okay, so it's NOT mine." He sighs heavily, then brightens a bit.
"But the JUMP DRIVES are!" he sits up and watches the approach, then
and notes Karl Morser out of the corner of his eye. He grins toothily.
	"Yo! Mr. Science! What do you think of ZAT, huh?" 







	
	Bhyarrvouf talking to Abuko:
	
	He scratches an ear thoughtfully. "As for the hastiness of the
mission, well, I won't lie, it has me worried too. They're slinging us
into the unknown and wishing us well; it's possible that they have a
REAL mission with loyal Turnskaad people being set up right now, with us
to go on ahead and take the brunt of any nasty surprises R-alpha has in
store." He shrugs. "But that's a risk we all seem to be prepared to take."
	"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, A.P.: You've got the look of a 
long-haul trooper on you. Where'd you work before this little jaunt?"



and:
"Bizarre. I gave it all up to be a Second Engineer on a starship I've
never seen, working for a human I don't know, going somewhere I know 
nothing about with more humans I don't know guiding my path and guarding 
my life for reasons I don't trust...."
	He grins wolfishly. "Kakh tsakha, I love this life!"




Christian van der Merwe:

        "I'm arranging with Count Ger to give all of you a full medical
check-up and range of inoculations. I want to make sure I have good
base records on all of you, in case I need it in the future... Further,
I want to make sure that you are all in tip-top shape. The inoculations
are to make sure that no common bug gives us any trouble.



Eneri DeAith:

  "Any of you given any thought about how we're going to land on the
ringworld?   There's got to be walls on the side, so maybe we can 
match velocities and dock.  If there's an intact transport system on
the ring, maybe we can use it to move our equipment and personnel.
There might even be airlocks on the 'floor'.  Either would be
preferable to landing in a pseudo gravity well.   If we had to leave
in a hurry, I'd rather be able to just 'cut loose' than have to take 
off."

  

Dr. Limner speaks up:
[actually a related conversation]

    "Ah, Mr. Abuko. I was just discussing this matter with Dr. Werner.  I
    believe that gravitic propulsion systems should work on the
    ringworld, since the ring must have a mass, even though it probably
    relies on centripetal acceleration to produce its simulated gravity.
    The fact that there is a lower concentration of mass may cause some
    problems, but we should be able to adjust any gravitic drives to
    compensate for it.  Once we get close to the ring, however, the
    ring's mass should dwarf any gravitic vehicles we are using, and we
    should get the lift we need."

Dr. Limner begins to sit down, then pauses:

    "Of course, getting close to the ring might be a problem."

Dr. Limner sits down then and seems to be looking over the equipment he was
issued.  He pulls out a high-tech set of binoculars and looks into the
eyepiece, withdraws an old-style spyglass and looks through it, then smiles
contentedly.  He then notices that people are looking at him, and speaks out:

    "If you're interested, I have done this sort of thing before, it
    involves focusing the gravitational drives in the direction of the
    star and rather than lessening the gravitational effects, instead
    increasing them.  This would allow you to orbit at the higher orbital
    velocity necessary to match that of the ring.  As all of you probably
    realize already, this is not the way that most gravitational drives
    were designed to operate.  As such, it is a bit less precise.  It
    will let you get close enough to the ring, however.  Of course, I've
    never actually tried it with a RINGWORLD before, only with a rosette
    formation of... but I'm sure nobody is interested in that right now."

Dr. Limner seems to have stopped speaking, but after a while adds one more
thing:

    "Oh, by the way, we don't know what sort of gravitational devices
    were used on the ringworld.  It is quite conceivable that there could
    be devices which would have an adverse effect on gravitic drives.
    They probably wouldn't be running, though."

Another pause:

    "This is all theoretical, though.  Practically, the easiest thing to
    do would be to simply bring the spacecraft close enough to the ring
    for gravitic drives to work, then release the gravitic vehicles.
    This would also be the fastest.  Unless you have some reason for not
    wanting to bring large spacecraft near to the ring.  In case you have
    any fears, we will be able to use gravitic vehicles long before the
    spacecraft get too close to the ringworld."

    "Oh yes, and there was one more thing...  It was something Dr. Werner
    said.  Now what was it?  Oh, that's right.  Even though the
    gravitational drives will operate near the ring, they will need to be
    adjusted signifigantly to compensate for the tremendous rotational
    velocity.  Otherwise they would be almost impossible to control and
    would no doubt either crash or go spinning off into space.  I almost
    forgot about that detail.  I never was good with details."





Count Ger:

I wish to put a request in for one of
the following (depending on availability) (perhaps both a shuttle and
fighter, depending on size).

	1) A system defense boat. ("standard" designs are 400T and are
	thus probably too big to fit in our space). At least one missile
	turret.
	
	2) Heavy Fighter. (6G, Agility-6, missile turret, armoured) This may 
	not be available. Nuclear weapons (combat grade - not dirty), would 
	be the preferred load. Two man ship (pilot+gunner) preferred. 
	Extended duty ship also preferred. (increased crew area, and supplies)
	
	3) Extra "command" shuttle. (6G, agil 3+, armed, missiles again),
	definitely with small cabins. Extended electonics - communications
	and military-grade sensors. Perhaps this could also double as a 
	fuel shuttle for the ship.
	
	4) Fast shuttle (6G).


[These were all approved and brought on board]





Count Ger:

It has recently been drawn to my attention, the possible difficulties in
communications on R-alpha (time lag, and extensive atmosphere).

The actual deployment of our teams will be highly dependant on the conditions
that we observe when we reach R-alpha. It is quite possible that a ship could
be placed in a orbit closer to the sun to act as a relay point, or that the
ringworld may already have some form of relay stations. The point is don't
expect any hard answers until we see the actual conditions.

Has anyone come up with a possible reference system for R-alpha. (We won't
have compass directions - just spinward, and anti-spinward). If we want to
specify a location on the surface, and there isn't any ready landmarks, we
may have to provide a coordinate system origin.

However, until we arrive, and especially before we leave, keep thinking of
any special problems so we can have contingincy plans, and get any needed
special equipment.



Abdul:

How is this for a reference system,  we can have spinward and anti-spinward
for the long dimension of the ring and use port and starboard for left/right
when the viewer is facing spinward.  Use the initial landing site as the
origin of the coordinate system (unless some other significant landmark
presents itself.

As for communications relay,  a ship located close to the sun would cover
most of R-alpha, a second ship located on the oposite side to the first should
be able to cover the rest.

                                   .
     ------------------------------*------------------------------
                                   .

Where the -'s are the ring and the * is the central sun.  the .'s are the
posible locations of ships (stationary positions would be nice but orbiting
should be ok.  So long as the two ships can communicate to each other, the
whole of R-alpha should be visible to radio.  This will make for interesting
time delays of several minutes.  Assuming we do not disperse over the entire
surface of R-alpha, we may not need any kind relay for messages.  This is a
good reason for not dispersing too widely, at least initially.


from Thule
Maybe we can talk our employers into supplying us with some phase/time
locked transponders?  

{Player mode on:  Such a thing exists in 20th century earth}

Idea being if you have two accurate time pieces you can figure out where
you are distance wise from the transponder.  With two or more you
can nail down an fix.     Range depends on how cheap or expensive
you go with it....

[ref:  These are exactly the kind of transponder repeaters sewed
into your uniforms - the ones everyone hastily removed because they
didn't like the idea of being "watched"...]



[character mode on. The conference, an informal gathering. Zben Blaine,
Bhyarrvouf, Dr. Abuko, and Count Ger are there; probably just standing
in a hallway.....]

"Here's the problems as Zben and I see them," Bhyarrvouf says. "We have to
stay in communication with our people in space and our base camp at all 
times, but the structure of R-alpha makes that tough. Sure, there's no
horizon, but there's also much longer air paths for the lasers and a nasty
little wrinkle I have Dr. Morser working on-- the warping of spacetime
by the Sun, which sits right in the middle of our view of the oposite
side of the Ring and distorts the gravitic lines near it, hence bending
our laser beams all over the place!"
	"Now, I had an idea for a cheap and easy way to solve some of these
problems, but I want to bounce it off of you folks first. We need a relay
comsat network, in orbit inside the Ring but away from the Sun a ways, that
can bounce signals around and avoid long atmosphere paths and solar gravity
distortion. I figure six of them should be enough; fewer if we stick to a
small section of the Ring at any one time, maybe as few as one."
	"But here's the neat trick-- they don't have to be expensive relays!
All we need are mirrored balloons, to bounce the laser beams where we want
them to go! A little transponder on each one to help locate them precisely
in space and help the computer do the aiming, and we're in business!"
	"I know it sounds crazy, but think it over first. I've seen this
trick used to boadcast pirate video on worlds where the government was
supposedly in control of all communication. The principles are simple!"
	He grins. "Of course, an orbiting laser relay satellite WOULD be
preferable, but does Turnskaad have one they could spare? Or six?"


>From Zben:
First: I checked the equipment list given and found each
individual had at least a hand communicator, and there are enough Comm
Dots or Remote earpices in stock to supply everybody.
        Second: These units are what we call "frequency agile", with
digital muliplexing available. They'll support a set of five
frequencies, which will be adequate, given the set up I purpose below.
What this means is, that even though a unit may only have a preset for
five channels, they don't all have to be the SAME five channels!
        Third: We really need two different configurations, one for
onboard ship while in transit, and a second set for when we break up
into Away Teams.
        Fourth: There are different needs for voice, video, and data,
at different priority levels.

        Given all that I've come up with these Communication Channel
Assignments. I'm sure you don't want me to go into detail on
frequencies, etc. [8-)] but I can tune the units to comply with this
list, If I'm given the go ahead. Everybody gets 4 channels. Here goes:

                  Shipboard Communication Channels

Channel Code    Memonic         Used by/for

        A       All Call        The Commander, to address everyone
        B       Bosses          Commander and Team Leader conferences
        C       Common          "Party Line Channel, for all"
        D       Docs            Medical and Sciences channel
        E       Engineers       Engineering channel
        F       Flyers          Transport Channel
        G       Guns            Security Channel (encoded)
        H       HELP            Emergency channel to Security&Medics!
        I       Intership       Intership Bridge Link
        J       Jeneralist      Hope Spelling don't count

                 Exploration Communications Channels

        A       All Call        Same Purpose
        B       Bosses          Team Leaders and Commander (via relay)
        C       Charlie         Team #1 (for team members)
        D       Delta           Team #2     "
        E       Echo            Team #3     "
        F       Fox             Team #4     "
        G       Golf            Team #5     "
        H       HELP            Emergency channel & transponders
        I       Intership       Between landing craft
        J       Joker           Team #6     "

                     Data Transmission Channels
                  (for pocket computer links, etc.)
      (may also double for video links, but not simultaniously)

        #1      High Priority & Speed (x4)      For Command Decisions
        #2      Mid Priority/ Hi Speed (x12)    For Intership&Medical
        #3      Mid Priority & Speed (x48)      All other uses.

        the (x__) refers to the number of multiplexed channels
available for that channel. More can be added later, if absolutely
needed and useable.

        "Now that that's set up, I have a few questions that I'd like to
know if anybody thought of....." He pulls out a pocket computer and
starts to punch in numbers. "In doing all this I had to ask about
things like Laser and Maser relays, line of sight, and total distance
the signal will travel, etc. I was at the briefing with the rest of
you, but only now did the scale of this place start to hit me! For one
example, if we put teams on opposite sides of the Ring, do you have
any idea how long communications would take??"( Zben starts pacing,
obviously excited and warming to the task.) "To send any kind of
signal that we can generate from one side of the "world" to another
would take Over 16 Minutes! ONE WAY! (do the math...) I think we need
to think long and hard about how far afield we can send teams!" (He
stops, and smiles) "One good thing though...we won't have to worry
about sending signals "over the horizon"....There isn't any!"



Blaine, Bhyarrvouf,
	I need a couple of examples to help me understand the communications
protocols. Why only 4 channels when 5 are available? What channels would
I get?, a team commander?, a team member? I would also like to see the
team channels carried over to the exploration groups in order for my command
structure to work efficiently.
	As I see it a #3 team member would have the following channels:
		AEH (the other channels could be the team channel, and
		perhaps a public relay channel ie. sent to the ship, etc. 
		eg. "Please connect me with person x" which could then beep
		that person's communicator, and they could talk regardless of
		team assignments (like the party line channel))
	A team leader (same team) could have:
		ABEH (plus his team channel, public relay?)
	I would need:
		ABHI (plus a private relay channel, eg "commo, connect me
		to team 4").

I await your reply.

	-Commander Ger




        Zben mutters over the comp for a few minutes more, with
comments like "...angle of incidence equals angle of reflection..", and
"...orbital velocity doppler shift..", and finally picks his head up.
"Good idea with the relay sats, but I don't think we can use passive
reflectors. One, they couldn't be in "geosync" `cause they'd
litterally be in a differnt orbit. Two, coherent light bounced
off a curved surface would tend to scatter. There are some other
reasons, but those should suffice. Unfortunately, relay sats have
some problems too." He goes back to the comp and calls up more
figures. "However, I could make two other recommendations that might
be marginally better. First, we could "daisy-chain" the team vehicles
together so relay is done by the shortest route available. I would
reccommend this as maybe a back-up plan, as there's a lot that can go
wrong with it. My best plan would involve hard landing two relays on the
top of the "spill-wall" [to borrow a term]  at 120 degrees in each
direction from the primary basecamp. These would be out of the
atmosphere, visible to all, and should be able to supply inter-relay
links avoiding most sun effects."
        "`course, we may find conditions when we get there stranger
than we can believe... I suggest keeps all options open `till we get
there!"

        Zben looks up, expectantly.....




Bhyarrvouf grunts disgustedly at Zben's speech. "Kakh idiot," he says to
himself. "Why didn't I think of that? Must be getting old.... of course
the top of the spillwall is the perfect place for them! Good shot, 
Blaine! And if they were fix mounted, we could actually use modified
ground-relay stations, which are probably cheaper and easier to get than
comsats!" He sniffs. "Still liked the balloon idea, though." Shrug.
"It worked for holovid broadcasts...." Grin.
	"So how's about it, Fearless Leader? Can we strain Turnskaad's
already-bustin' bank accounts and get ourselves two or three surface-
to-orbit laser relays?"




Mr Khervatchkov:
	We would like to request 3-6 very long range communications satellites
for use at R-Alpha. With optional static mounts in case we need to attach them
to the top of R-Alpha itself.

		Commander Ger.

[You got 4]
[This communications plan was approved by the CO]






"I know this is a stupid idea," Bhyarrvouf says apologetically as he 
carefully checks his tool kit and gauntlets, "But I guess I'm superstitious.
I learned engineering from an old drive-hand who'd been cruising the 
Antarean Void and the Julian Worlds for thirty years, and one thing
he used to drum into my head was checking the hull and grids every so often.
'Bhyarrvouf,' he'd say to me, 'The grid *is* the drive; the power plant
and the zuchai crystals are just sauce for the bones. If the grid's bad, 
your jumps're gonna be bad, an' don't you forget it!' He checked the grids
of every ship he ever served on, once when he signed on and twice a year
after that, more often if there'd been battle damage or weathering while
in port." 

He pauses thoughtfully. "The last ship he signed on to was a tramp
freighter, taking him home to die. Her captain treated him as a guest, and
told him he didn't have to work the passage, even for fun. So he got aboard
without checking the grids." Another pause, longer this time, and Bhyarrvouf's
eyes grow bright. "We were watching them as they went into jump, and I'll
never in all my life forget what that ship looked like when she went to
weave-open and there was a dead spot in her grid. Not even any debris to 
recover; one flash and she was pure gamma rays. What a stupid way to die."

He shakes his head and grins. "Stupid old wolf. I talk too much."

'Vouf





Bonjour Lazer,
   Bhyarrvouf and a few others are going EVA and need someone to stand
off in a shuttle in case anything goes wrong.  Do you have time to do
this?  If not let me know and I will fly it.
   I am assuming you don't have any experience piloting ships as large
as the Alcyon.  If I am wrong let me know!
   Allons-y.
			-Etienne




Right now I'm about to cover the outside of the ships with vouf, just
waiting to hear about some combat armour, & so what I need right now
is to get hold of a spaceworthy holo-camera that no-ones going to miss
for a few hours, figure out the instructions on it and get to the main
lock with all my kit checked & ready before Bhyarrvouf does !

- -- 
	Yours Sincerely   : Kimball Redd





###



>From the security folks (I lost their names):
	
	"Who can spend some extra time with me on using this Battle Dress?"

	"I expect to be spending some time going over the Grav Vehicles
         we got.  The Recon and Medevac units are the ones I asked for,
	 the same as I used to use when I was with Gilley's.  The APC is
	 a model I haven't flown, ...yet." (Smile)




"Aye Lazer, I'll talk ta transport for tha team.  You'll be wantin' to talk to
 them about rapid response vehicles, I assume?  I've got a grav-bike on board
 if ya think that might be useful..."




	As all of you are doing your various tasks, Hammer will approach
	you one by one and try to get your attention.

	"Excuse me, but I've been put in charge of cataloging all weapons.
	I'll need to inspect any personal weapons you have. Don't worry,
	any other items I see will not be included in my report."

	 Could everybody please forward a list of their personal weapons to
	me? Please include anything that could be used to stop or injure a
	hostile entity.

	 Thanks..

					Hammer.



We are a team, and I hope that anyone who is temporarily not busy will help
anyone who still has work to do.  That includes people from other teams, if you
are competent to help.
Well, men, let's get to work!

    Lazer, your merciless taskmaster :-)







> Greetings, Commander.
> Security Team has one little nightmare--the ring's anti-meteor defences.
> Something that huge and that thin would have problems with the danger of
> asteroid collisions, and the defences would presumably be automatic and
> unmanned.  Hopefully, it could differentiate between a starship and a asteroid,
> but it might require a recognition code, or id beacon, or something we won't
> have.  We are not armoured against something that can destroy, or maybe just
> deflect, a decent-sized asteroid.  I've mentioned this to my team--but no-one
> has come up with any ideas.
>  
>   Lazer Farouk, out.
>  


I have decided to take a wait-and-see attitude on this. We have a probe that we
will send in first to determine if there are any defenses. There is no way to
stop any planetary-class defenses, so if they are present we will have to
approach from the bottom, match speeds, and hopefully the defenses won't
be smart enough to identify the craft as foreign. This will be done at first
with a shuttle crewed by volunteers.

			-Commander Ger



Here are the specs for that robot that got stuffed on board at the
last minute:

Robot X   4420D-05-MM14-GF63   MCr96.6   154.4kg
Fuel=14  Duration=70h  Tech=14 (fuelcell tech15) Speed=240kmh (as per vehicle
design rules with 0.2 extra gee in thrust)
thrust=200kg
4lt tentacle 1vlt tentacle(with visual,olfactory and audio sensor)
5 visual sensors, 3 with IR, 4 audio with extra sensitivity, 1 olfactory
with extra sensitivity, touch with extra sensitivity, magnetic-, radiation and
neutrino sensors.
Interfaces for power, programs and data. Regional Radio-14, electronic tools
mecanic tools, master/slave modules.
The programs comes in two versions:
1: Electronics-4, Gravitics-3, Gravvehicle-1, Commo-1
2: Mechanic-4, Engineer-3, Gravvehicle-1, Commo-1



- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1135 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1135
From: wrgate.wr.tek.com!oresoft.uu.net!richard@reed.UUCP (Richard Johnson)
Subject: graphics formats
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 14:27:50 PDT

I know this sounds a little wierd on this list, but...

A PBEM player has asked for a GIF picture of the Alcyon (and I
presume - the other ships also).  I know next to noting about
graphics formats, transmitting and transmuting them, making pictures
available.

I do not have access to a Sun (except Sol) :-(.  I do have access to
an Amiga and can make a picture in IFF format.  If people are
interested enough, I will do that and put it on the list for people
to look at.

I don't want to do this unless someone volunteers to alter formats
so that other people (beside Amiga owners) can view it too.
Any takers?

- -- 
Richard Johnson        Usual Disclaimers      Qui custodii ipso custodes?
- --------------------------------- (30) ----------------------------------
richard@oresoft.uu.net                 The next time someone asks you for
richard@agora.hf.intel.com              a lift, take her (or him) flying!

-------- TML Message #1136 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1136
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 15:47:07 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Re: ARRRRGGGH! (Ship Design)

The new format is twice as complicated as the old (high guard) rules, which
were themselves a nightmare. I don't have a program to do ship designs,
(Though I have been working on one for a while - We could form A new 
subgroup "Ship Design" :-).

Here are some tips that I use for designing ships:

The old (High guard) rules used to allow you to break things down into
percentage based, and non-percentage. Thus allowing you a quick calculation
for approx. hull size...No more, you have to guess at the hull size. (Not
a good tip I know)

The sensor/communications choices are quite complex, but there are essentially
two types of suites, Military (one of everything please), and Non-Military
(Radio (Laser), and medium range EMS). You should set up sensor pacakges
for your design style for each tech level in the two formats. Thus when
you design a tech 14 military ship, you just read off the line on your chart
which already has the cost, price, weight, and power worked out. You can then
list any modifications to the basic package.

Armour: Armour is only effective (for starships) in increments of three. 
(40,41 and 42, are all the same for starhip combat). Civian ships which want 
agility, (and are price consious) cannot have extra armour.

Design the craft in this order: Hull, armour, locomotion, senors/commo, 
weapons, computer. Calculate the engergy reqiurements for life support on 
the entire ship's volume. Gravity/compensators for total volume minus jump 
fuel volume. Compute the non-agility power requirements, and enter the power 
plant info. Estimate the crew size, anc compute the weight required. Using the
following formula:
	(Required agility)*(Ship's mass so far)
	---------------------------------------
			5.4
			
Compute the power required to get the agility you want. Then compute the
size of the power plant (round up), and use it''s mass in the above equation 
instead of the ships to get the power required for the extra mass of the power 
plant. Repeat until the power is less than approx. 1% of the total.
Now compute the fuel required for the power plant (30 days is not essential, if
you only have 20 day's worth, it may be O.K). Calucate the purification plant
plant weight and power, and the savings on gravity/compensators for not
including the power plant fuel. If the net energy and weight aren't close
(using the above formula) either increase the purification time (especially if
the ship is not streamlined), or go back to the power plant calulations
increasing the ship's mass accordingly.
Now compute the exact crew requirements, and the control panel for the ship.
(If you wish - recompute your power plant, power fuel, grav/intertial, and 
purifier based on these new totals). Otherwise, add all your totals up, check
that the agility, and volume is still O.K. And you can now write up the
description. (Remember all thoroughout this you should keep an eye on the
volume requirements, so you can see if your hull estimate is off).

	Easy huh? This is the point where you find out that you really can't
get a TL15 ship, and it has to be TL14....time to cry.

One last tip. There are points on the charts for energy levels, batteries
bearing, etc. that an extra/fewer couple of units of size, energy, etc. can 
make a big difference. (For example I was deigning a 45T fighter, when I
started to write it up, I discovered that it's 1100 Mw power plant, even with
E-M maksking, made it a Moderate energy output on a scan. By redesigning it
to 40T (and a 990 Mw power plant, the energy output dropped two levels to None).


Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan

-------- TML Message #1137 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1137
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:19:22 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Re: Graphics Formats

I can convert from the following formats:
	Pc paintbrush, doodlebrush, CMU window manager bitmap, Group 3 Fax,
	GEM .img file, Sun icon, MacPaint, MGR bitmap, PICT, X10 or X11 bitmap,
	X10 or X11 window dump, FITS, Usenix FAcsSaver, HIPS, Postscript 
	"image", TIFF, GIF, Amiga IFF ILBM, Img-whatnot, Mark VanDeWettering's
	ray tracer output, QRT ray tracer output, Sun raster, TrueVision Targa,
	Colour X11 or X10 window dump.
	
To these formats:
	Group 3 Fax, ASCII graphics, BitGraph, CMU window manager, Graphon,
	Sun Icon, HP LaserJet, MacPaint, MGR bitmap, Printronix, Sun Raster,
	X10 or X11 bitmap, X11 window dump, UPC bitmap?, FITS, Encapsulated
	Postscript, GIF, Amiga IFF ILBM, colour X11 window dump.

I haven't tested many of these formats (or know what a lot of them are for
that matter), so I don't guarantee anything, but I do have conversion
programs...

If you can give me a Amiga IFF ILBM file, whatever that means, (or any of the 
other formats for that matter), anyone who needs any of these output 
formats, can get an appropriate image from me.

				-Dan

Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan


-------- TML Message #1138 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1138
From: "Brent L. Woods" <woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: IFF, GIF formats
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 90 4:03:57 EST

[I adjusted the subject line to something more meaningful -- James]

 In message number 1137, Dan Corrin writes:
 >
 >I haven't tested many of these formats (or know what a lot of them are for
 >that matter), so I don't guarantee anything, but I do have conversion
 >programs...
 >
 >If you can give me a Amiga IFF ILBM file, whatever that means, (or any of the

     It means Interchange File Format InterLeaved Bit Map.

 >other formats for that matter), anyone who needs any of these output
 >formats, can get an appropriate image from me.

     As a matter of fact, I can handle converting from IFF to GIF format
also.  I have an Amiga, so I *know* I can deal with an IFF file.  I have
the software necessary for conversion to/from GIF, too.


- --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu  /  USENET:  pur-ee!gn.ecn.purdue.edu!woodsb
FIDONET:  Brent.Woods@p303.f40.n201.z1.fidonet.org  (from Internet)  or
          Brent Woods@1:201/40.303  (from FidoNet)
USNAIL:  320 Brown St., #406  /  W. Laf., IN  47906
PHONE:  +1 (317) 743-8421 (voice)


-------- End of TML Messages --------

