Ship

Beyond the Zone

Construction Notes The Kankur-class is built with a roughly wedgeshaped hull 47.5 meters long, 24.34 meters wide, and about 7.5 meters tall. The forward third of the ship is split into a pair sub-hulls that house the ships onboard fuel tankage. Between the subhulls, an extension of the main hull extends 6 meters forward and houses the forward part of the ships bridge and forward airlock/boarding ramp. The bridge is raised from the surrounding hull by about 1 .3 meters. Just behind the bridge, two hardpoints are positioned slightly offset from the centerline to port and starboard on the dorsal surface. Directly behind the weapon mounts are raised sections of the hull on both the ventral and dorsal surfaces which provide additional space for the drives. On the aft surface of the hull are the twin maneuver drives flanking the cargo bay doors. The ventral surface is pierced by 3 landing gear wells, roughly 1 .5 meters wide and 4.5 meters long, arranged in a standard 3-point configuration. Just to port of the raised bridge, the dorsal surface has a pair of hatches securing the vehicle bay.

Primary access to the ship is gained through three points - the forward boarding ramp, the main airlock, and the cargo bay. Secondary access points include the vehicle bay doors or access panels accessible through the landing gear bays. The forward boarding ramp is a section of hull roughly 2.6 meters x 2.2 meters that lowers to ground level. The interior surface of the ramp also includes integrated stairs/steps to facilitate access in shirt-sleeve environments. The main airlock is located just aft of the forward ramp, and utilizes a standard docking collar on the ventral surface for more hostile environments. A fold-down ladder allows access from ground level or other a mated airlock. The main cargo bay doors at the aft of the ship are configured as a pair of 3 meter doors, hinged on the outer edge to allow access to the bay. As the doors swing outward, no provision for cargo airlocks are made.

The vehicle bay doors are made of standard hull material, electrically operated remotely from the bridge or carried air/raft. The entire bay is sealed, allowing it to be used as a larger airlock if need be. Finally, heavily sealed and alarmed access panels in the landing gear wells can be used to gain entry to the ship in emergencies.

The interior layout is compact and efficient; some crews refer to it as 'cozy'. The forward boarding ramp folds down to open into a small entry that is used as an airlock. Since it is often left open for easy access while the ship is grounded, no equipment is stored here; it is typically used as stowage for passenger baggage, and several lockers line the aft wall. An access panel on the aft wall (occasionally concealed with a locker or cabinet) leads to what is referred to as the smugglers hold. This is typically used to store restricted cargo that should not be accessible to passengers. On military variants, the smugglers hold is converted into an avionics bay for advanced sensors or computer equipment. Also, the aft wall holds a sliding pressure door that leads into the main EVA bay.

The EVA bay is used as a suiting room for leaving the ship in hostile environments. An access panel on the starboard bulkhead gives access to the forward landing gear well for maintenance, and a sliding pressure door on the port bulkhead allows entry to the ships enclosed air/raft. On either side of the pressure door are suit and tool lockers for EVA, repairs, and the contents of the ships locker. There are also lockers and cabinets that hold a variety of useful parts for damage control and other repairs.

The air/raft bay is a snug fit, leaving little to no room for maintenance outside the vehicle. I f needed, the air/raft can be moved into the cargo bay for such work. The door from the EVA bay opens directly in line with that of the air/raft, and a pair of hatches overhead open to allow the grav vehicle to exit the bay. On some occasions, such as a repair EVA, the vehicle bay is used as a larger airlock, making it easier to move large parts or groups of people outside.

A pressure door on the aft bulkhead of the EVA bay leads into the living area of the ship. Immediately to starboard is the entry for the main airlock, a 3m by 3m area with an iris portal in the floor that leads to the docking connector on the bottom of the ship. A ladder also goes up to the ships' bridge, which is protected by a second iris valve in the upper bulkhead.

Just past the airlock are the main living areas of the Kankur. Three larger staterooms, usually designated for the captain and passengers, line the port side of the area. Four smaller cabins for crew and passenger use sit against the starboard bulkhead. The center of the common area is taken up by a large U-shaped couch and table that serves as the social center of ship. The tabletop has holographic projectors that can display a variety of entertainment software. Meals are usually eaten around this table as well. The aft wall contains the ships small but efficient galley area which offers a sink, microwave, induction heat cooking surface, and a pair of large lockers holding all of the required utensils, seasonings, and food. One locker has a combination cooler/freezer to store fresh food as well.

The larger staterooms are cramped but relatively comfortable. Each features a bunk with drawers and cabinets for storage beneath it as well as overhead cabinets for additional storage. Also provided is a private fresher with shower, toilet, sink, and a small cabinet for personal items. A desk is provided as well, complete with a computer workstation and basic office supplies. The computer also controls the entertainment system for the stateroom. Additional comforts, such a plush armchair and bookshelf, may be included.

The smaller staterooms are similar in basic setup, but lack some of the amenities of the larger cabins. Generally, they are given half the space with a full size fresher, and the desk and bookshelf are replaced by a single large locker. The bunk can be folded against the bulkhead; beneath it, a pair of bench seats and a small table surface can be folded down from the bulkhead. In the crew compartments, the computer is accessed through a small tablet device connected wirelessly. The tablet can be mounted on an adjustable arm for easy viewing and access while either lying in the bunk or sitting on the fold down seats. As a result, most crewmen aboard a Kankur restrict activities in their cabin to personal hygiene or sleeping, spending their free time in the common area or cargo hold.

The cargo hold sits just aft of the lounge through a sliding pressure door. I t is fairly large, 9 meters wide by 1 5 meters long and 3 meters high. Access panels in the bulkhead provide easy access to the missile and sand magazines for quick reloading from stores in the hold. A small winch system mounted on rails above the forward part of the hold help to lift sand barrels and missiles into the magazines. While large enough to carry standard 4 ton cargo containers, usually a maximum of 4 are loaded into the center of the hold, to allow easy access to the engineering areas and leave some space to walk around them. In an emergency, up to 7 containers could be carried, but this fills the cargo hold literally wall to wall and cuts off easy access to the engineering spaces. Crew could still get into engineering through the landing gear well panels, but this is not a viable option if the ship is in jump, and only slightly more useful if underway in space.

The engineering spaces to port and starboard are cramped but laid out efficiently. Most operations are controlled from one of the workstations in the forward part of the bay. The fuel processors are tucked into the forward part of the bay and behind the magazine bulkheads - they are notoriously difficult to get to from inside the ship, typically being maintained from the outside via an access panel on the hull. The jump drive sits directly behind the engineering workstation. Aft of that are the main power plant assemblies, landing gear well, and maneuver drive. A tool locker with minor parts, repair tools, and damage control equipment is tucked into the corner. Panels controlling electrical distribution, life support, recycling, and a variety of other minor systems are crammed into the engineering compartments as well.

Finally, the bridge of the ship is entered through the main airlock via an iris portal in the bridge floor behind the captain's station. The bridge is equipped with a total of 5 workstations. The central station is the captain's station. Forward of that are two stations - the port is designated as the pilot/navigators station, and the starboard is designated as the engineering station. Two additional stations, typically used for gunnery control, are positioned aft of the captain. A small weapon locker is mounted on the port bulkhead, and typically contains small arms and ammunition for defense should the ship be boarded or hijacked. An access panel between the two forward stations leads to the avionics bay and the ships electronics.