Vessel:Nietzsche
 Vessels & Installations
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Visuals
Description #1: (a quick verbal sketch)
- The basic shape of the main hull is roughly cylindrical. The thickness of the body does not vary overmuch, though it does vary, except at the front and rear. At the rear, it tapers abruptly for a very short time, then curves in on itself, creating a caldera, or bowl-like depression into the rear of the vessel. The main engine exhausts are in this inset area. On the tapered part of the ring around the engine bowl are four point-defense turrets, one top, bottom, and to each side. Coming out from the main hull are four projections, one pair on top and bottom, not too much after the engine area, and one pair on the sides, forward of the top and bottom pair, but overlapping somewhat in that they begin before the other pair ends. These projections are quite thick, and shaped something like a compromise between a circle and an equilateral triangle. Imagining them as triangles one would say that they were aligned such that the top and bottom pair pointed forwards, and the two side projections pointed rearwards. The projections extend out about the radius of the main body, whereupon they are capped by a thick, slightly wider plate, much as one would imagine a toadstool, shitake, or portabello would appear if the stalk were almost as thick as the head, and the head flat on the top and rounded on the bottom and edge. Just below the cap, embedded in the projections, are large engine thrusters. The engine thrusters in the top/bottom pair are larger than those in the side pair. On top of the cap, at each of the "corners" is a largish turret, though not a massive one, somewhat tilted down from the flat plane of the top of the cap such that its gun can depress below level. Each such turret contains a single gun. Forward of the side projections somewhat, the cylindrical main body differentiates. The top portion becomes a bundle of six tubes (for launching anti-capital missiles) around a larger central projection, two above, two below, and one to each side in slightly svertically squashed hexagonal fashion. The tubes are not actually touching each other, and the area in between them is filled in solid as is the area between the tubes and the central projection. Beneath this bundle of tubes is a hangar/docking bay. The combination of the docking bay and the collection of tubes are slightly slimmer than the main body of the ship. The tubes extend slightly beyond the end of the hangar. The central tube area terminates in an inset sensor array and two small turrets, one to each side. The missile launcher tubes terminate as one would expect them to, flush with the base of the turrets on the central projection. There is a tractor beam turret on both sides of the hangar, and a disabling turret on the bottom lip of the hangar.
- There are various PD and anti-fighter turrets, but their position isn't as important at this level of description, save to say that I see 3 anti-fighter turrets on the sides of each projection to discourage loitering beneath the guns, and that PD coverage must be excellent :)
- To describe a bit more...
- The open face of the docking bay is in the forward direction, and though, from the outside, it is clearly much deeper, the initial open area is somewhat shallow as it terminates in a large armored door that protects the inner docking bay.
- Looking at the Nietzsche from dead ahead of the vessel, one might imagine the missile launcher tubes as the hideously deformed descendants of magazine from a six-shooter revolver. Relative to the crisp radial symmetry of the six-shooter, the tubes are stretched further apart horizontally, maintaining vertical and horizontal symmetry, but not radial. Likewise, the aperatures where the missiles exit are vastly smaller by comparison to the size of the tubes themselves than in a revolver. Most notably of course, these tubes do not at all revolve, nor move at all. So they really do not look all that much like a revolver magazine; perhaps the image of a revolver is only the quick shadow of a thought that comes from knowing that one is staring at six tubes, each of which holds death, and each of which has opened its dark mouth in your direction....
- Materials/texture/greebles/etc. appearance: A purely military vessel, there are no vulnerable areas exposed unnecessarily. However, there are various sensor arrays, shield emitters, escape pod launchers, and maneuvering thrusters located on the hull, so it is not just a giant smooth armored mass. That being said, it IS a military vessel, and the dominant feature of its hull will still be the nearly seamless overlapping plates of multiple layers of armor.
- Approximate Sizes: length of main body - 1500 meters, including engines, hangar bay and launch tubes. radius of main body, 150 meters. length of projection caps ~ 450 meters
- A translated version of the above:
Description
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