DiscussionThe World-Class Factory Shuttles current history is an unfortunate example of what can happen when two people, each equally moral, just, and ethical, come to the exact opposite conclusions for the exact same reasons.The World-Class Factory Shuttles were once called "World Devastators" (also World Smashers, World Sweepers, Planet Smashers, or City Eaters). They were conceived, developed, built, and used as gigantic super weapons, with strong World-Class
Factory Shuttle: |
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 . | | Production Information:: |
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| Manufacturer: | UGC REF. |
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| Product Line: | Factory Shuttle. |
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| Model: | World-Class. |
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| Technical Specifications: |
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| Length: | Varies. |
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| Width: | Varies. |
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| Height/depth: | Varies. |
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| Engine Units: | Ion Engines;Repulsorlifts. |
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| Hyperdrive: | Not available. |
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| Armament: | Heavy Shielding;TIE/D Fighter-Missiles;TIE/T2a Drone Tank;TIE/S-5 Drone Submarine;IDS-3 Infantry Drone;Tractor Beam Projectors. |
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| Complement: | None standard; Automated. |
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| Other Systems: | Molecular Furnace;Tractor Beam Projectors. |
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| Usage: |
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| Roles: | Automated Factory. |
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| Eras: | New Republic Era. |
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| Affiliation: | Galactic Empire. |
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tractor beams attached to them that could wreak havoc on planets. This "ripping" was used both to tear the planet itself to pieces, killing the people, and, tragically, to build MORE weapons, like a kind of militrized von Neumann probe. They could rend a full planet in as little as six months with only one drone to begin with, and legend has it that one probe, by itself, was responsible for destroying a whole solar system; The one probe cloned itself, tearing apart the inner planets. These had provided a check and balance against the star ripping the local gas giant apart as quickly, causing it to super-fuel, and thus super-nova after only a few years. (It has been likened to through a stick of dynamite onto a camp fire.)The ships themselves were defeated long ago; Only the Geh 'Dia know the whole story, as they were 'involved' in the destruction of them, but will not say how precisely. The REF has not pressed the matter in any significant way, though the Council has attempted to.There were two sets of blueprints for the World Devastators left in the known galaxy; One in Stenerian control, the other in the control of the Geh 'Dai. The Steinerians knew not to use their blueprints, as the Geh 'Dai could use this as a pretext to destroy that empire.When the Steiner Empire capitulated to the UGC, they surrendered their copy of the blueprints to the UGC; However, it was only a partial blueprint. It showed basic concepts, but no detailed engineering matters. The Geh 'Dia had full blueprints, but refused to share them, for fear what the REF 'could', not 'would' do with them- Their fear was that, once the UGC built one, an enemy of some sort could gain control of a factory, or at least blueprints, and Force knew what they would do with it, but it would be bad.The REF, ironically, had the same fear; They wanted the factories blueprints for fear the Geh 'Dia 'might' someday be defeated again, as they had been at least five times in the past, and the blueprints falling into the wrong kinds of hands.Neither side would accuse the other of any kind of wrong-doing, or incompetence, or any other misconduct; But both kept to their principles.22ND Task Force Echo (22/E) arrived over Yhvien at 2328, 22 November.501ST Legion was already stood-up, and all leaves and liberties were cancelled and their personnel recalled. 503TH and 514TH Legions were advised on the "strategic situation" at 0021, 23 November. 503RD's commanding officer, Geh 'Dia Commander D. HAYUAL, recalled her personnel on her own initiative. 514TH's Commanding Officer, General S'LOH, elected not to recall his personnel, pending a development, but ordered that all of them be called and advised to keep their bags packed. Many elected to stay at barracks rather than at home. 421ST Squadron was recalled by order of the Geh 'Dia Council.22ST Battle Fleet arrived over Yhvien at 0228, 24 November.Now, a confrontation seemed inevitable; Neither side particularly looked forward to the situation, but it did not seem it could be avoided. Then a lifeline to both came.In a twelfth-hour diplomatic solution (the first few shots had already been traded, both on the planet and on the surface), the Geh 'Dia agreed to give the UGC a COPY of the World Devastator blueprints, provided this copy remained under extreme lock-and-key. The details on the World Devastator's main weakness, how precisely they defeated them so long ago, would be made available to Fleet Commanders under the same conditions that Reflex Weaponry were authorized; The UGC could also build a World Devastator for the purposes of research, provided it was destroyed within 6 months.The Geh 'Dai would keep their copy, provided it could be destroyed immediately, if necessary, against the Order's destruction- Even hardened against betrayal. They would NOT be allowed to build one, but could detail a Geh 'Dia to Project World Devastator to ensure the destruction of the one the UGC built, if they indeed ever did.The UGC eventually did build one, for the purposes of research and development. The sample ship, UES WORLD SHIP FACTORY ONE, was never equipped with working hyperdrives, factories, or weapons. Indeed, within a month of the completion of the ship several still-classified components were ripped out, opening up literally thousands of ACRES of factory space. (The REF would only confirm that weaps and hyperdrives were removed.)The renovated design (which the REF could easily have developed from the plans obtained from the Steiner Empire) now deploy from THREE STAR-, ROBOTECH-, and NEOTECH-Class Factory Satellites. They approach a planet or other body and begin mining operations, shipping the metal to the factory above for further manufacturing. However, the factory shuttles do manufacture TIE/D Fighter-Missiles, TIE/T2a Century Drone Tank, and IDS-3 Infantry Drone. When appropriate, TIE/S-5 Drone Submarine are also manufactured. These are the factories secondary defensive system, after the shields.The World-Class Factory Shuttles can NOT replicate themselves, and can only move by specific orders; First the mother ship (the factory satellite) must recall them. Then the new landing coordinates must be uploaded; They can not move even 10 feet without instructions. Earthquakes are known to shut the factories down, by causing them to think they've moved more than the permitted drift, which initiates a recall of all drones and a return to the mothership.It should be noted that the World-Class Factory Shuttles can NOT manufacture anything not specifically noted above; Neither the REF nor the Geh 'Dai wanted the "WORLD DEVASTATORS" returning. (This actually put the REF at odds with the United Galaxies Council itself, as the Council wanted full factories; The REF warned of the dire consequences if that happened- But then in truth the REF didn't want these ships built at all, the UGC wanted them.)CapabilitiesWorld-Class Factory ships use a world's material resources to produce metals and fuels, which are then shipped to a waiting Factory Satellite. They land on the surface of a planet, then use tractor beam to tear the planet beneath them apart. The raw materials are rent down, then refined; "Mine tailings", unusable materials, are re-formulated, and about 80% is converted either to fertilizer or other chemicals. Trees and other wood is rough-cut, metals are produced in a 99.999999% purity (no alloys are produced, less those needed for self-defense capabilities), water is frozen and shipped as water, even air is processed (separated by element and bottled). Absolutely nothing is wasted. The shuttles could, given time, rend down the planet in its entirety.The shuttles produce very little in the way of finished goods; In fact, it produces goods only at the rawest possible level, in order to assure the ships can not realistically be used as weapons. They also have a 'destruct' code, a simple radio command allowing anyone, at any time, to shut the factories down and causing them to set fire to themselves; Such fires rage for as much as 20 years, though slowly (to prevent possible environmental destruction). They can also be recalled by the Factory Satellite in lieu of self-destruction, or simple shut down. It is a felony, punishable by life imprisonment without possibility of reprieve nor parole, to shut down a factory without authorization. This scenario shouldn't play out, however, since the absolute top deck is the "Oversight Deck", where biologics watch the ship's actions to ensure that all UGC laws in respect to the development of the planet's resources are obeyed to the letter. (The letter, however, is a literal letter allowing a specific planet to be developed; These letters are fairly hard to get.)The exceptions are the shuttle's self-defense materials (listed above), and can produce materials needed to keep the factory running.The World-Class Factories are controlled by a central drone brain, which maintains the foundries, lumbermill, chemical factories, etc. The ships do NOT create any weapons of war beyond those listed above.It can take years for a single World-Class Factories to fully consume a planet; Nevertheless, the results are terrifying. The UGC, in a calibration study, turned loose a half-dozen shuttles on a rouge planet (a planet that does not orbit a star). These 6 shuttles rent down the entire planet, to the last atom, in 12 years.Once the planet is fully consumed, the shuttles are recalled to their satellite. The satellite then moves on to the next planet and releases the shuttles, or rends them in turn down. Before the satellite can leave a system, all but one shuttle must, by law, be rent down.ControversyThe World-Class Factory Shuttles were developed from a terror weapon known as the World Devastator Automated Factory Ships. The World Devastators were armed versions of the World-Class shuttles that automatically made huge fleets of combat drones. They would be used on inhabited planets, killing everyone they could catch and destroying everything in their way.The Geh 'Dia had the blueprints for the ships, but refused to use them; In fact, they would claim they didn't have full blueprints, only the parts they needed to deactivate the ships (unfortunately, a BATTLESTAR-Class had already stolen that information form the Council's computers using her RCIRS, a fact that only the crew who used the wrecker knows).As part of the Ataran reconstruction process, the UCG knew logging, mining, and manufacturing would be needed. They argued the World Devastators, redesigned with safeguards in place, would be ideal to this purpose. To encourage the Atran Senate to sign off on the plan, they placed the World-Class shuttles directly under the Geh 'Dia, rather than UGC control. The World-Class shuttles remain highly controversial (there's at least one terrorist attack on a shuttle every year), but the program has largely proven effective... As long as they stay in uninhabited system.Name: World-Class Factory Shuttles.Type: Automated Factory Shuttles.Crew: Approximately 200.Passengers: None.MDC By Location: |
