and, by mimicking a radically increased gravitational field, pulls it closer to the ship for examination or other purposes. Pressor beams use the same technology but with polarities reversed to exert great gravitational pressure on a small area. Conventional tractors and pressors are effective only on masses less than several hundred thousand tons; this makes their effect on other starships minimal. The net effect of a full force tractor or pressor on a starship is equivalent to a hard shove. Therefore, tractor and pressor beams generally are not used in battle situations. SCREENS Defensive screening is one of the largest power drains in a Federation starship and its main protection in battle. (Klingon -- being more interested in offensive armament -- pay relatively little attention to screening. But the better-engineered and -powered screens of a Federation ship are a match for Klingon phasers.) The screens are a set of classic force fields, domains of tuned high-state particle/wavicle-packet fluctuations: six sets of field domains, overlapping and reinforcing one another in a manner reminiscent of the tuned reinforcement of phasers (i.e., one screen's destruction weakens all of the others by 10 percent). Enterprise has six screens -- fore, aft, right high, right low, left high, left low -- that completely surround the ship when all are running. Power can be selectively channeled to each of them to reinforce one screen that's being attacked more forcefully than the others, though this decreases the total power available to the others. Screens are powered out of the warp drive and do not function at peak capacity while the ship is in warp and running. This tends to encourage a captain to choose "stand-and-fight" battle situations whenever possible. Self-destruct can be effected by overloading all of the screens and channeling full power to them. This option is available for last-resort situations but is not considered a viable alternative in most battle scenarios for obvious reasons. Those who bluff self-destructs often find their bluffs called. SENSORS Enterprise's main sensor array (sometimes referred to as "scanners") includes a variety of tachyar-based devices capable of detecting movement or radiation and analyzing the composition and location of almost every known element. At short range (up to 500 miles), the sensors can detect individual creatures' life signs. At medium range (500 to 50,000 miles) they are better at detecting movement and radiation from the infrared up through visible light, the ultraviolet, and x-rays; and doing compound analysis. Long-range sensing (50,000 miles to approximately 10 parsecs, or 32 light-years) is confined primarily to very strong and artificial radiation sources (i.e., other ships, which in warp drive tend to leave a readable "ion trail" behind them) and large-scale physical movement (planetary orbits, stellar motion, etc.). Certain lead-bearing and heavy-metal-bearing compounds (pitchblende, etc.) will interfere with scanner functions. Long range scanning in particular is easily disrupted by interstellar "jamming" and "bad weather," because of the extreme length of the tackyon particle/wave on which it relies. Personal scanners, such as the tricorder, are also more effective at close range (1 to 1000 feet) than at long range (5 to 10 miles). Tricorder readings usually have to be supplemented with on-site investigation: they tend to be vague.HF TRANSPORTERS Close-range transporters move people and objects by analyzing the energy states of their atoms and then creating an equivalent set of states, or Dirac jumps, at another location. (Therefore, one briefly "ceases to exist" while in the transporter, which is what always makes Dr. McCoy so nervous about using it.) The transporter's maximum range is 30,000 miles (a little more than the usual orbital altitude of a visiting starship). Because of the extreme proximity of the tolerances to which they must be tuned to ensure that living beings get safely from one location to another, transporters are cranky and delicate, and are constantly malfunctioning for one reason or another: dilithium-crystal misalignment; interstellar jamming, or "black noise" that threatens to distort the signal: and so forth. When screens are up, the transporter cannot be used to beam out of the ship. Overuse (heavy continuous transporting for more than several hours) may cause transporter circuitry to burn out. Intraship beaming is extremely dangerous and is not recommended except in utmost emergencies. The result of beaming from one location to another within the ship is almost always fatal. SHUTTLECRAFT Shuttlecraft are small general-use spacecraft powered by impulse power only. They are used: for trips that exceed the transporter's effective range, when the transporter is malfunctioning, and for carring objects either too large or too delicate to entrust to the transporter. Their power supply is rechargeable from the Enterprise but is still somewhat limited. Their effective range is about 500,000 miles at .10 c. (Shuttlecraft do not exceed this speed limit for fear of relativistic effects.) This gives them up to about eight hours at cruise or an hour at top speed. COMMUNICATIONS Subspace "radio" is actually a tachyon-based technology bearing little resemblance to the radio of old. It is not dependent on lightspeed -- indeed the slowest it can go is c; its high speed limit is about 136,000 c, or warp 9. But even this great speed becomes insufficient for effective communication as one's distance from Star Fleet increases. Out near the Romulan Empire, for example, it takes nearly three weeks for a message to reach Fleet. This leaves a starship captain pretty much on his or her own, although regular communication with Star Fleet is expected and advised. Subspace radio can be jammed purposely or interfered with by bad interstellar "weather." Communicators use the same technology but with a shorter range (about 40,000 miles) and much lower power. Use in atmosphere limits their range to about 20,000 miles, because of the dissipation of tachyon pulses into Cerenkov radiation on contact with the gas molecules in air. Ship's intercom systems permits audio and visual communication and conference calling to and from any location on the ship. One may also be "patched in" to external communications, allowing these same capabilities from virtually any location. COMPUTER Enterprise's computers are extraordinarily versatile, with a total memory and "effective synapse number" that make some people wonder whether they're slightly sentient. Their exact virtual memory size is classified; it is rumored to be in the multiple petabytes(1 PeB equals 1 quadrillion bytes.) Computers can report verbally or visually (hard copy or display) on any phenomenon the ship's sensors can detect and, if requested, will include analysis. The computers also contain a vast data base of general information on ship's function and other subjects.HF SICK BAY Sick bay contains various kinds of medical scanning equipment and numerous devices for healing the sick: primarily the "anabolic protoplaser," which forces tissue regeneration. The more delicate or specialized the tissue (heart, brain, etc.) the longer such regeneration takes. A broken bone can be reknit in about an hour. Damaged brain or neural tissue regenerates in one to two days, but rehabilitation or retaining time must be added.HF SHIP LAY-OUT DECK #1 DECK #7 Bridge Security Library DECK #2 Sickbay Lab Transporter Engineering DECK #3 Turbo-lifts DECK #8 Recdeck DECK #4 Turbo-lifts DECK #9 Reclamation DECK #5 Spock's quarters DECK #10 McCoy's quarters Cargo hold Scott's quarters Uhura's quarters DECK #11 Chekov's quarters Phaser banks Kirk's quarters Cafeteria DECK #12 Briefingroom Observation deck DECK #6 DECK #13 Turbo-lift Lounge DECK #14 DECK #20 Turbo-lifts Gym Pool DECK #15 Maintenance DECK #21 Kitchen DECK #16 Bowling alley Warp-drive DECK #22 DECK #17 Computer Turbo-lift DECK #23 DECK #18 Turbo-lift Hydroponics DECK #19 ShuttlebayHF MISSION AREA Partial description of active mission area: Galactic "southern hemisphere,"Quadrantboundries:GalLong 290-310 degrees; distance fromarbitrary Galacticcorevaries, 24000-27000 light-years.(Abstracts ofplanets freelyadapted from Jane's Interstellar Gazetteer and SystemCatalogue, 231st edition.By kind permission of the publisher, Jane Interstellar Ltd., London WC1/Deneb V.) ORNA/IOTA TRIANGULI ******************* This system has 6 planets Planet #2 has 2 moons Planet #3 has 3 moons Free traders report one intelligent species (Name: ORNAE). They have a reputation as great tool makers. Last contact: One standard year ago. The Ornae were reported to be interested in Electronic Equipment and Extracultural Artifacts. A striking borderline M-class world of blue sandstone canyons and evaporated salt-pan seas. This is the home of the Ornae, a strange protoplasmic/amoeboid species... never yet contacted by Federation personnel but rumored by free traders to be the greatest toolmakers in the galaxy. An Ornaet will use anything as a tool... even itself. MALAKIYY 12/789 CIRCINI *********************** This system has 9 planets Planet #1 has 2 moons Planet #5 has 3 moons Number from primaries: 9 Diameter: 1860 miles Mass: 3.5 sextillion metric tons Distance from primary: 48.6 astro-units (4,519,800,000 miles) Pre-existing information: Location uncharted; no preliminary mapping. Planet name: Unassigned From the surface of this small, dark rocky world, far out in its solar system, a radio signal whispers desperately into endless night, crying out for help...and the language it uses is ancient English. ANDORGHA/KAPPA-1 APODIS *********************** This system has 8 planets Planet #1 has 3 moons Planet #2 has 2 moons Planet #3 has 7 moons Planet #5 has 2 moons Planet #6 has 4 moons Planet location charted on two occasions. No confirmation of the presence of intelligent life. U.S.S. Hastings attempted contact and assumed lost. U.S.S. Vincennes also lost. Causes: Unknown. AREA QUARANTINED. Commanders are cautioned to keep clear of this system unless absolute necessity. An R-type world with a silvery, murky methane atmosphere and a bad reputation...no Federation vessel investigating it has ever come back. HASTORANG/1214 NORMAE ********************* This system has 6 planets Planet #1 has 2 moons Planet #2 has 8 moons Planet #3 has 4 moons Planet #5 has 1 moon System charted and mapped. Planet name: Hastorang Translation: "Lifemother" Intelligent Hominid life Level of civilization: Feudal Single language: Daiya Opened to licensed free trade four standard years ago. Prime Directive is in force. A gorgeous M-type planet, almost a twin of Earth---but an Earth stuck fast in the tenth century and populated by alien kings, armored knights, distressed damsels, and wizards..."white" and otherwise. And what of the dragons? ACHIR/R OCTANTIS **************** This system has 1 planet Location and existence noted within last standard year. Area outside the Federation's patrol corridors. Several forms of intelligent life reported to share the sphere. All the species reported to be technologically advanced. An alien species has built a Dyson sphere around this lovely rose-colored sun---a stupendous feat of engineering, now home to billions of people. But the star is dangerously variable and about to flare up. Without the help of a Federation starship, billions could die. NIAU/I 139 CIRCINI ****************** This system has 8 planets Planet #1 has 2 moons Planet #3 has 3 moons Planet #4 has 2 moons Planet #6 has 2 moons Planet #7 has 2 moons Planet name: Niau Type of planet: Class "M" Diameter: 6000 miles Mass: 5 sextillion metric tons Distance from primary: 2 astro-units (186,000,000 miles) Satellites: 1 Intelligent life: Not confirmed Contact: Unconfirmed finding of "BONES" of unknown landing party. An Earthlike planet populated by an intelligent feline species in the early stages of its space program. As yet there has been no official contact with the Federation. However, a delirious free trader picked up in a derelict ship near the system reported seeing the bones of a previous exploratory expedition there. This observation has not been confirmed. JAUZAH/4403 PAVONIS ******************* This system has 4 planets Planet #2 has 2 moons Planet #4 has 3 moons Location charted and preliminary mapping done. Intelligent life readings un-confirmed. Readings confused and no final determination made. No artifacts or other signs of life forms known to the Federation. Planet name assigned randomly. A small, dry, cold planet, rich in minerals, but barren of cities or other artifacts. Sensors insist that life has evolved here...but it has not yet been found. Star Fleet cannot tell if this is a trap, a sensor malfunction, or a misunderstanding. KLUSOS/515 ARAE *************** This system has 1 planet Location charted and preliminary mapping done. Intelligent life found. Hostile action precluded direct contact. U.S.S. Nihal attacked in orbit. All communication refused. Nihal withdrew to avoid prolonging the engagement. About as non-Earthlike as a planet can get---a world of corrosive soil and an atmosphere full of hydrochloric acid. Why this world"s sleek, glassy starships attack everyone who passes by remains a mystery... as does what can be done to stop them. TSHIO/803 MUSCAE **************** This system has 6 planets Planet #1 has 4 moons Planet #3 has 3 moons Planet #6 has 7 moons Location charted. No mapping. Intelligent life found. Anomalous sensor readings indicate possible contamination by more advanced culture. PLANET QUARANTINED. Position classified. Prime Directive in full effect. A world superficially Earthlike but housing a bizarre culture uprooted from Earth by another spacefaring species in the dim past. KHUT/43 PAVONIS *************** This system has 2 planets Planet #2 has 2 moons Intelligent life found. Contact: Ceased by request of Khut. Reclusive species, extremely cautious. Privacy has religious importance. Federation vessels are advised to avoid planet except in extreme emergency. A hot world of mountainous continents washed by soupy seas of hydrocarbons and liquid plastics. In those seas live the a'Khut, intelligent and reclusive beings who in the past have asked only to be let alone. Recently, however, they have been desperately hailing every ship that passes their planet.