Directorate Officer
Image Source: N/A
Intent: To provide Lucerne Labs and its customers with some flexibility with capital ship engine performance engine
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Nimble-5 Ion Engine
Affiliation: Closed Market (Directorate, select Lucerne Labs customers)
Modularity: None
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Trimantium supports and casing, Ardanium II coating, standard ion engine components
Strengths:
Boost: The Nimble-5 can temporarily boost the speed of its parent vessel (-2 to speed rating).
Weaknesses:
Difficult controls: While the boost is activated, the vessel loses maneuverability (+2 to maneuverability rating)
Shield Sapper: Because the Nimble-5's enhanced performance is derived partially from using a Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component, the drawn radiation tends to interfere with a ship's shields, making them unable to regenerate while "boosting".
Description: There has been an almost constant demand for stronger and faster engines on the market since practical space travel has been viable. Lucerne Lab's entry into this market does not use any new or revolutionary technology, but uses a refined blend of existing technologies to temporarily improve the performance of an otherwise normal ion engine in a "boost" mode. Because of the strain placed placed on the ship and its engine systems, this "boost" mode is rarely activated for long periods of time. This supercharger starts with the near copy of a Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component, which harvests stray ions and funnels them to the core of the engine. Normally, the large intake of this radiation would be too much for most engines and crewmembers to tolerate, which necessitated the design of an elaborate shielding system that uses trimantium casing internally coated with Ardanium II. Aside from shielding the crew, Ardanium II reinforces the trimantium because of the newfound radiation's effects on it, which in turn helps the craft cope with the physical stress placed on it's change in performance. In the actual engine, the ions are funneled into a supplementary fuel source only used during the boost that feeds a Quadronomic Fluxer. This fuel-source then feeds the ion engine as in a standard ion drive. In order to cope with and better control the increased thrust output, the Nimble-5 uses carefully calibrated ion pistons, augmentors, and accu-accelerators. While they effectively allow the Nimble-5 to harness its newfound power, they greatly restrict the ship's ability to maneuver. This essentially allows ships using the "boost mode" to travel somewhat faster in a straight line for a brief period of time. Prolonged use of this function is hard on the engine and frequently leads to drive failure. Additionally, the radiation from constant influx of ions from the Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component wears against the ship's shielding, effectively expending energy which would otherwise would otherwise be used to regenerate the ship's shields. Despite its drawbacks, the Nimble-5 allows its user an ace up their sleeve that few other ships currently possess.
Primary Source: N/A
Intent: To provide Lucerne Labs and its customers with some flexibility with capital ship engine performance engine
Development Thread: If necessary
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Nimble-5 Ion Engine
Affiliation: Closed Market (Directorate, select Lucerne Labs customers)
Modularity: None
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Trimantium supports and casing, Ardanium II coating, standard ion engine components
Strengths:
Boost: The Nimble-5 can temporarily boost the speed of its parent vessel (-2 to speed rating).
Weaknesses:
Difficult controls: While the boost is activated, the vessel loses maneuverability (+2 to maneuverability rating)
Shield Sapper: Because the Nimble-5's enhanced performance is derived partially from using a Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component, the drawn radiation tends to interfere with a ship's shields, making them unable to regenerate while "boosting".
Description: There has been an almost constant demand for stronger and faster engines on the market since practical space travel has been viable. Lucerne Lab's entry into this market does not use any new or revolutionary technology, but uses a refined blend of existing technologies to temporarily improve the performance of an otherwise normal ion engine in a "boost" mode. Because of the strain placed placed on the ship and its engine systems, this "boost" mode is rarely activated for long periods of time. This supercharger starts with the near copy of a Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component, which harvests stray ions and funnels them to the core of the engine. Normally, the large intake of this radiation would be too much for most engines and crewmembers to tolerate, which necessitated the design of an elaborate shielding system that uses trimantium casing internally coated with Ardanium II. Aside from shielding the crew, Ardanium II reinforces the trimantium because of the newfound radiation's effects on it, which in turn helps the craft cope with the physical stress placed on it's change in performance. In the actual engine, the ions are funneled into a supplementary fuel source only used during the boost that feeds a Quadronomic Fluxer. This fuel-source then feeds the ion engine as in a standard ion drive. In order to cope with and better control the increased thrust output, the Nimble-5 uses carefully calibrated ion pistons, augmentors, and accu-accelerators. While they effectively allow the Nimble-5 to harness its newfound power, they greatly restrict the ship's ability to maneuver. This essentially allows ships using the "boost mode" to travel somewhat faster in a straight line for a brief period of time. Prolonged use of this function is hard on the engine and frequently leads to drive failure. Additionally, the radiation from constant influx of ions from the Dual Stream DS-001 Thruster component wears against the ship's shielding, effectively expending energy which would otherwise would otherwise be used to regenerate the ship's shields. Despite its drawbacks, the Nimble-5 allows its user an ace up their sleeve that few other ships currently possess.
Primary Source: N/A
