Ships Systems (Æ-Z)
A basic dictionary of terms specific to related items found in, or used for, ship operations, navigation and maintenance.
- Æthermetric
Æthermetric systems are related to the use of an æthermeter which detects specific characteristics of the æther, such as density, motion, activity, velocity, charge, resonance, grain and potential.
Such systems are critical to navigation, remote sensing, mater translocation and communications.
- Ætherscriber
The ætherscriber is the tool to create micro miniature apparatus including Micro Interferrometric Plates (Memory Plates). The ætherscriber can isolate matter from the æther momentarily while it is electrically destabilized. This process disintegrates the effected matter and infuses the severed area with one of many specific properties ranging from nearly frictionless to adamantite strength depending on the charge.
- Æthervox System
Æthervox or literally "Voice of Space" are the various means utilized to communicate and sense energies and matter in the æther. Such devices include hyperluminary mediums (magnitism, radio & microwaves, visible & invisible light, etc) as well as æther detection means such as æthermetric detection, sub-æther detection and signaling, etc.
- Analytical Engine
A mechanical computational device, conceived of by Terran mathematician / inventor Charles Babbage in 1833. Designed to perform any arithmetic operation, and to string many such operations together. It stored instructions for the operations on coded punched cards and could output the data in a variety of forms. Current analytical engines are greatly reduced in size due to micro mechanical fabrication techniques such as the ætherscriber. The linking together of multiple analytical engines through a Multi Engine Administration (MEA) control system has allowed for true mechanical intelect. Small analytical engins are referred to as Micro-mechanical Analysis Contrivances or MACs which may retain a plurality of programs and data using Micro Interferometric Plates or MIPs. The main templates for the programming of large computational engines is the Ada Loveless Ingram Template (ALIT) which carries the mental prowess and understanding of Earth's greatest computational genius. The mental ingrams of the programming genius was captured with the first spectramentaphone or mind/engine interface device.
- Armillary Sphere
A mechanical navigational or tactical appliance demonstrating the position of objects, energies or relative orientation of a vessel traveling through the æther. This device is most often used in conjunction with other devices such as an orrey, solar compas, or eloptic sextant for interplanetary navigation or alternately with a ballistic engine for control of ships weapons batteries.
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Automat
The automat is a food replication system used on United Kingdom Æther Ships. The device combines rudimentary elements of molecular material to form food and drink. The constituent components are provided by waste material processed through replentishers.
Automats can be found in all the mess halls and in the quarters of officers Lieutenant grade or above. The captain's table is the only place aboard an æther ship where real food is served.Note; Replicated food has a reputation for not tasting remotely like it's intended model but when compared to ship's rations, replicator food is high cuisine. That is why the main items used in swaps, bribes and pay-offs are smuggled food stuffs.
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Cavorite
Metallic rare Earth amalgam that when compounded in the presence of the ætherine cavorigen takes on the ability to completely block the force of planetary gravity. The inventor of cavorite, Dr. Cavor, had no Concept of the properties of ætherines but using his cavorite formula was able to build an anti-gravitational craft that he piloted to the moon in the mid 1800s. Presently the amalgam is used in many anti-gravitational applications. Unfortunately cavorite has awkward effects in that the motive force cannot be easily used in proximity with other forms of ætheric energy. The use of cavorite is also easily detectable making it unfavourable for military use.
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Fuligen Envelopement Device
Through the use of a specialized soliton field some æther ships are able to circulate fuligen from their stacks to surround the entire ship. This envelope of fuligen makes the ship undetectable by æthervox, eloptic and other hyper- luminary sensors. The drawback is that the ship within is almost blind.
The only way of detecting a ship cloaked in a fuligen envelopement device is to detect the occlusion of background stars or detect the use of their Parascope.
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Gauge Panels
The mechanical indicia used to demonstrate status or activity of various systems. These panels are mechanically linked to the systems they monitor and/or control. Gauge panels are a more reliable system than visographs as the graphical user interface is permanently marked and there is no chance of logic or communication error without a mechanical breakdown.
Many gauge panels are used in engineering, mechanological (analysis engine) control and environmental control.
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Gravity Beam
Gravity beams can be used as an attractive or repulsive force. A beam of highly charged anti-gravitons or posi-gravitons can exert a pulling or pushing force against objects at either end of the beam.
Gravity beams are somewhat easy to either avoid, disrupt or reverse. It is also impossible to use a gravity beam on shielded objects.
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Matter Telegraphic Beam - See Matter Transmigrator
Matter Telegraphic Beam is an obsolete term originally used to desribe a Matter Transmigrator based on the early faulty understanding of the principles behind its workings.
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Micro Interferometric Plates
Micro Interferometric Plates are one of the main mediums of information storage for use with analytical engines. These storage mediums utillize interferometric signatures resident in charged lacunæ to identify a single memory character.
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Multi-Engine Administrator
The Multi Engine Administrator is a type of cooperative analytical engine that combines the capabilities of individual analytical engines into a single processing system. Linking analytical engines through a MEA produces performance beyond the sum of the constituent systems. This multiplication of capabilities is required for the daunting challenges of Æthermetrics, hyperluminary communications and controlling of ætheric drive systems.
The plates themselves are stainless steel or other durrable metals perforated with millions of mocro perforations and coated in a substace that can form micro-crystaline structures. Plates come in all shapes and sizes fromn the 1 x 2 inch removable memory chits to the 6 inch articulated magazines used in the huge multi-engine grand frames.
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Solar Compass
A solar compass is a simple device that always points toward the sun whether or not the sun is visible. The compass works much like a wind vane. The resistance of certain elements to the super-luminary radiations from the sun causes the floating globe to always point away from the sun. The device itself looks like a transparent sphere with a wedge shaped arrow suspended in the middle.
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Solition Field Generator
The ships active defensives also depend on the ship's phlogisten system. Similar in function to the dynamolectric transformer the soliton field generators create protective shielding of para-attractive particles to deflect and absorb hostile energies directed against the hull. There are six generators that provide hull protection and the main soliton field generator is used for navigational deflector. The main generator is used in conjunction with a field amplifier and soliton particle projector to push aside any ætheric debris that may strike the ship at high speeds. This field acts like the prow of the ship slicing through the æther to create a clear and safe path.
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Visograph
A visograph is the primary tool utilized for displaying still or moving images. The key to visograph technology is a direct descendant of such creatures as chameleons and octopi. These creatures utilize an organ within their skin, known as chromatophores, to change their pigment at will. Dr. Leon Pritchard successfully mimicked the technique by excitation of tincture sacs suspended in a liquid medium. He named these cells trichromophores. Just like in chromatophores, sets of coloured membranes expand or shrink to provide a predetermined colour within the cell. Linking thousands of these cells together and giving each cell specific colour instructions every 100th of a second the cells drive the illuminated screen to display static or motion pictures. Subsequent to Pritchard's first prototype new developments have allowed for the biological growth of arrays of trichromophores in a display lattice as easily as a doctor can grow artificial skin. Phosphoric chemicals and custom enzymes lead to the development of the light emitting quadrachromophore which are utilized in today's standard visograph display screens.
