Noval's “Chromatic” Ship Bay Entrance is a brilliantly glowing atmospheric containment field that separates the interior of the ship, typically a hangar or dry dock, from the vacuum of space.

The design comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and field colors.

Introduced to Noval's products in YE 42.

Hangars are a ubiquitous feature on most spaceships that can afford the room. Noval's initial approach to hangars was to do as is common and install a large set of shutters on their ships and call it a day.

This approach is a challenge for technicians and pilots, however, who have to worry about depressurization, bulky atmosphere suits, and finding ways to secure their tools in the case of an emergency. When Noval's researchers surveyed these technicians, many of them offered a solution - use a shield to contain the atmosphere, but allow ships and craft to come and go.

Despite the various safety challenges and tuning required for such an approach, the idea was strong enough that it was simply a matter off figuring out the details.

The Chromatic Hangar consists of a powerful field generator that is, at its core, an application of electromagnetic shield technology. Noval's engineers tweaked the shield to give it tint and opacity, providing the hangar with protection against prying eyes - or opportunistic opponents. The Chromatic assists pilots and starship operators by broadcasting safe routes into the ship's interior. In most scenarios, the opacity is set such that it becomes progressively easier to see within the field as a craft approaches it.

When the time is appropriate, the shield can weaken itself in key areas, allowing craft to penetrate through the glowing field without releasing the atmosphere within. For small craft, this registers as a momentary, noticeable reduction in acceleration that is harmless at any reasonable approach velocity. The field's 'surface tension' also serves to keep other small objects from flying out- such as crew, their tools, and their atmosphere.

In the event of a loss of power, a traditional shutter system has been included. When the Chromatic detects an unexpected loss of power, it uses its reserve energy to swiftly snap these shutters closed. Once closed in this manner, the shutters can only be opened by manual command. These shutters can also be closed or opened during a non-emergency by any authorized system.

Once the Chromatic's field has been established, maintaining it requires only a minimal power investment. Other than ambient light, the field itself is sufficiently contained such that it has little to no impact on a ship's stealth capabilities.

The Chromatic adds a raised outer ridge to a bay opening that contains the majority of its inner workings. This ridge is thickly armored to protect against outside attack.

The field it created varies widely in appearance. Its tint, opacity, and even brightness are adjustable within certain tolerances. It cannot be entirely transparent. For aesthetic reasons, Noval defaults the color to a pleasant, brilliant teal.

Examples of the Chromatic in use:

At this time, the “Chromatic” Ship Bay Entrance is sold only as part of Noval and Noval-affiliated products.

Whisper created this article on 2020/04/27 22:05.

This article was approved by Wes in this thread.