The Xanadu
private yacht was built at Rhylanor yards for delivery to a noble family in a
nearby subsector. The early death of the
yacht’s intended recipient in an industrial accident led to the ship being
remodeled and sold to an inheritor of a large voting block of Mercator Corp
stock. This inheritor, a young man of
high social circles, uses the yacht as his full-time residence and mobile base
of operations in his quest for enjoyment of life. He has lived on the yacht for a little over
three years, part of which time was spent with the yacht parked in the cargo
bay of a Mercator Corp heavy cargo liner jumping along the
The Xanadu is a 200 ton unstreamlined starship mounting jump, maneuver and power plant A; these drives provide jump-1 and 1G performance. 50 tons of fuel support the power plant and allow two separate jump-1’s. There is a model/1 computer next to the bridge. The ship has one hardpoint, currently mounting a dual turret with a sandcaster and beam laser. There are two ship’s vehicles, an Air/Raft and a 30-ton Ship’s Boat. Cargo capacity is 11 tons. The ship has the equivalent of 17 staterooms, 12 of which are combined into a large habitat dome at the bow of the ship. The Xanadu requires a crew of four: Pilot/Navigator, Engineer, Medic and Steward. A Gunner/Bodyguard is generally carried in a fifth crew position, and the ship’s five individual staterooms are arranged with this in mind.
The Xanadu is laid out with decks perpendicular the main axis of thrust. The forward deck consists entirely of one large dome-shaped compartment, a luxurious habitat for the ship’s owner and his companions. A sturdy pylon connects this dome to an engine pod at the aft end of the ship, with crew quarters, work spaces, cargo bay and vehicle hangars arranged along the length of this pylon. An unusual feature of the ship’s design is the absence of the usual elevators connecting the decks. A zero gravity access passage with and endless-track handhold system fulfills this need, though this design is considerably less safe and convenient than the usual lift cars. The entire ship suffers from similar shortcomings in the safety category, especially in terms of compartmentalization and critical system redundancy. Rhylanor Yards used very high technology components for a relatively low-performance vessel, so some of these shortcomings are mitigated by the robust over-engineering of the components themselves. An experienced starship architect would still see this ship as a victory of form over function.
This entire deck is taken up by one large and luxuriously appointed habitat, approximately equal to twelve normal staterooms. A bathing fountain occupies the center of the dome, and genetically-engineered trees, shrubs and grasses are used throughout the dome to provide a feel of an idyllic woodland glade. Holograms are used for entertainment and communication, and certain areas are set with gravity field controls to allow zero gravity recreation or sleeping. Concealed compartments in the deck hold small storage areas for clothing, equipment and other items, but the main storage area is the cargo bay on decks E and F. The dome has two exits, both iris valves in the deck, one leading to the B Deck entry area and freshers and another leading to the B Deck crew area near the Air/Raft hangar. Meals are prepared in the crew area and brought up to the dome.
A main feature of the dome is the clear material of the dome itself, capable of providing the illusion of standing naked to space. The material of the dome is capable of being polarized from crystal-clear to opaque, and can have holograms projected on the interior to present any kind of scenery desired. The material is similar in durability to standard starship hull metal, made much more expensive by the material’s special qualities. The ship’s sensor array automatically polarizes the dome to block harmful radiations and light intensities from harming the passengers.
This deck consists of the ship’s control spaces and both work and recreation spaces for the ship’s crew.
A: Main Airlock. This airlock is equipped with an extensible docking tube and is capable of docking with most standard airlocks. It is the main entry point to the ship when docked to an orbital spaceport or larger starship.
E: Entry Area. This area acts as a transit point and security area for access to the ship. There are two freshers (F) near the iris valve that connects to the dome above, these freshers are reserved for use by the owner and his companions. A large storage locker (L) contains clothing, protective gear, and an assortment of expedition equipment.
B: Crew Commons. This area contains the ship’s main control area and the crew’s shared living space. There is a control console with three crew stations (Pilot/Navigator, Engineer, Gunner) beside a floor-to-ceiling viewscreen, a couch with a table, a round table for meals and recreation, and a built-in galley. Beside the iris valve that leads to the Entry Area (E) is a pressure-tight circular panel in the lower deck that leads to the Drop Shaft below. The storage locker near the control console (L) contains maintenance equipment and some recreational gear. The ship’s computer (C) is behind a sliding door at the opposite end of the control console. Another storage locker (L), near the Air/Raft access, contains vacc suits, other protective gear and extra equipment for the galley.
R: Air/Raft Hangar. This hangar contains a four ton Air/Raft with standard performance. The hangar door can be opened from inside the ship or by a coded radio signal from the Air/Raft. The vehicle is mainly used by the ship’s crew, as the owner seldom travels far on planetary surfaces.
This deck provides passenger access to the ship’s 30-ton Ship’s Boat, which nestles along the ship’s main pylon.
D: Drop Shaft. This shaft runs without interruption from this deck all the way down to I Deck near the aft end of the ship. It is kept in zero gravity. The structure in the center of the shaft has two endless-chain handhold devices, one feeding towards the bow and the other towards the stern. Each handhold acts as a switch to turn the chains on and off, with a simple twist activating the mechanism. The ship’s general inertial dampener field acts to keep floating crew members from being endangered by acceleration. Some crew members, more adept at zero gravity maneuvers, forgo use of the handholds and simply push themselves along the shaft.
E: Boat Entry. This area contains an airlock that mates with the passenger lock of the 30-ton Ship’s Boat. Interlocks prevent it from opening otherwise. There is a small storage locker in this area that contains some expedition gear. The ship’s owner and his companions only use this entryway when the ship is docked to an orbital station or larger ship; when the ship is in free space, the crew docks the Ship’s Boat to the main airlock on B Deck for passenger transfers.
O: Observation. This area is used to observe the boat’s docking procedure. A viewport is on the curved bulkhead for this purpose, and there is a communications panel for contacting the boat before docking.
SB: Ship’s Boat. This is a 30-ton Ship’s Boat, docked along the ship’s main pylon.
Note that G Deck and H Deck have the same layout as this deck, and are occupied by the ship’s Gunner (G Deck) and Engineer (H Deck) respectively.
D: Drop Shaft. The shaft continues from C Deck above.
S: Stateroom. This one-person stateroom contains a fresher (F), a bunk and a desk with chair. Storage shelves and drawers are beneath the bunk and at its head and foot. There are viewports on three sides of the stateroom, made to be quickly covered by armored shutters in case of danger. This compartment is used for sleeping and private work or relaxation by the crew member.
SB: Ship’s Boat.
This deck contains the Medic’s stateroom and the upper portion of the ship’s cargo bay.
D: Drop Shaft. The shaft continues from D Deck above. There is a small viewport that looks out into the Cargo Bay (C).
S: Stateroom. This stateroom, assigned to the ship’s Medic, is identical to the Pilot’s stateroom on D Deck above.
C:
SB: Ship’s Boat.
F Deck: Steward Stateroom and Lower Cargo
This deck contains the Steward’s stateroom and the lower portion of the ship’s cargo bay.
D: Drop Shaft. The shaft continues from E Deck above. The sliding door into the cargo bay has an observation window built into it. While the door will not operate over a pressure differential, it is pressure-tight.
S: Stateroom. This stateroom, assigned to the ship’s Steward, is identical to the Pilot’s stateroom on D Deck above.
C:
SB: Ship’s Boat.
I Deck: Engineering Access
This deck contains the ship’s service airlock and fuel transfer equipment.
D: Drop Shaft. The shaft that runs most of the length of the ship ends at this point. There are racks along the bulkheads containing vacc suits and cabinets of tools.
A: Service Airlock. This airlock uses manual hatches and has a manual backup pump to allow the airlock to cycle when the ship has lost power. The airlock is used to inspect the exterior of the ship’s engines and other equipment.
F: Fuel Transfer Equipment. This area contains a fuelling port and pumping equipment. The ship usually takes on fuel from orbital stations or fuel lighters, and has no ability to scoop or process fuel on its own. The ship’s boat can perform frontier refueling operations in an emergency, but after this laborious process the yacht will have to jump with unrefined fuel.
SB: Ship’s Boat.
J Deck: Main Engineering.
This deck is about 4.5 meters tall, and contains the ship’s jump drives and power plant.
E: Main Engineering. The drives are usually controlled from the console on B Deck, but maintenance is performed using tools, parts and consoles on this deck. An access panel in the lower deck allows access to the maneuver drives on K Deck.
G: Gunnery Station. This area contains a gunner’s station and the machinery for the ship’s hardpoint. The weapon is usually controlled from the console on B Deck.
K Deck:
This seldom-accessed deck contains the ship’s maneuver drive (M).
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Copyright Walter G. Smith 2007
