A 'cocoon' type Freespacer mothership, slightly smaller but more advanced than the ancient hulking brutes of the previously isolated Deoradh. This style was most popular between YE30-YE34, when the events of the schism were in full force, and prioritizing stealth, self-reliance, and ease of construction were still valid concerns.

Despite being a more 'compact' design, it is still nearly a kilometer long, and caused considerable collateral damage when this specific vessel crash-landed into the frontier Planet Osman.

Note: Incomplete 3D model for reference. Click to zoom.

It is not exactly clear what the original mission of the White Lament was, but it can be assumed by it's design that they were attempting a long-range colonization effort deep into unknown space. At some point the crew perished for unknown reasons, however, and it is unknown what relation this has to the junker drone malfunction which then proceeded to disassemble half of the ship's computer functions. All records were lost in this period, as the junkers did a particularly thorough job of disassembling the entire syntelligence network in order to obtain components to replicate themselves with.

A second class of Automata did also survive for a time, however; Large scale cybernetic engineer robots that were perhaps to have some role in the future colonization effort. Many survived for years in isolation, but repeated blundered attempts to 'fix' the organic crew members only exacerbated the problem's with the junker's programming. It is also quite possible that it was one of these giant NU automata that redirected the White Lament towards the planet Osman, perhaps in an desperate attempt to recover more resources, before the engine control system was also disassembled.

After six years silent running, engines nearly out of fuel, computer systems a shambles, Junker drone hive now more than double the sustainable level, the craft smashed into the already occupied planet out of nowhere. An ecological disaster was avoided perhaps only by the lack of fuel, but the botched reprogramming attempt on the Junkers had accidentally made them pseudo-hostile to all organic life forms, convinced they could reassemble the long-deceased crew members if only they had the right parts.

A freespacer-turned-mercenary named Codebreaker Arccos Two Three, now working with Uso Tasuki's planetary takeover efforts, narrowly managed to find a solution by randomizing the Junker's priority list enough to effectively disable them. They are still technically active, but left caught in this mental loop, until Arccos can find some way of gaining the RAM necessary to permanently reprogram them once more.

At a later date, the programmer then discovered that a single one of the giant automata had in fact survived. Cloudy Truffleclub was aggressive over the defensive of their vessel at first, but they and Arccos eventually got along to the point where just a glimmer of the vessel's past could be revealed.

With a pitched battle going on at the palace, there was no one at hand to maintain the White Lament as it was battered by lightning strikes and sandblasted by terrible winds. The interior became even more dangerously toxic and overgrown with contaminated plant life. Energy then polarized the hull plates, accidentally creating a rail gun style effect, after Truffleclub attempted using the electrical arcs to recharge the starlight cells. Only one cell failed due to it's damaged containment system, but the lasting damage was considerable.

Organizations Using This Vessel: The Free State Type: Mobile Shipyard / Colony Ship / Possible Science Vessel Hull Materials: Mixed durandium, steel, aluminium and titanium girders, supporting boron and tungsten deck plating and exterior Designer: Unknown Manufacturer: The Free State Production: One Intended Crew: 30-50 organics and 100+ automata Current Crew: 1 organic and 250+ automata

Length: 800 Meters Width: 460 Meters (Fuselage Only) Height: 155 Meters (Fuselage Only) Decks: 16+ Mass: At least a four million kilotons. It's kinda damn big.

Type: Inertialess Drive System x10 Fuel Source: Nuclear + Starlight Cell Hybrid

Maximum Recommended Speed (STL): Unknown

Acceleration (STL) In Stellar Red Zone: Unknown Acceleration (STL) In Stellar Habitable Zone: Unknown Acceleration (STL) In Stellar Blue Zone: Unknown

Speed (Hyperspace Fold): Unknown

Range: Theoretically infinite if water, sulfur and metal ore for replacement parts are acquired on site.

Internal Layout
(Click for full size.)

Never originally designed to land on planets at all, only the habitation and organic fabrication modules have gravity plating. Everywhere else is a seemingly random maze of nigh-impossible to navigate vertical corridors, with only the barest accompaniment of built in ladders.

Genetically modified mushrooms have broken free from the food storage containment, carrying in their flesh a massive amount of industrial chemicals, and reservoirs of stagnant coolant fluid fills entire rooms in places. This all makes it an incredibly toxic vessel to remain within, hazardous to even organic Freespacers.

Lastly, the inactive husks of junkers still layer the corridors in their dozens, many in places they were never supposed to have access to. The structural integrity of some areas is extremely questionable due to their previous tunneling efforts.

It's believed that there were once massive additional sails above and below the ship, as well as identical booms on the port side of the vessel. The atmospheric entry and crash means that they have been completely shredded, perhaps retaining only about 40-50% of the original shield and energy absorption systems.

Remarkably, all ten towerblock-sized units are still accounted for. There are six on the rear, and four on the front.

Contains a great deal of foodstuffs (now long since spoiled) and many random spare parts (completely uncatalogued due to the lack of a working syntelligence system). There is a large amount of large-scale automata components, through much of it has been pilfered by the junkers.

Most of the connections and wiring is there, but the actual PCBs have been completely stripped bare by the junkers.

Originally capable of producing food and new crew members on a massive scale. Unfortunately the entire protein synthesis battery and cloning tank array was ruined by a unconstrained starlight cell and the subsequent chemical fire. The large ecological domes on the port side of the ship were unaffected, however, and still contain a (vaguely) secure environment. It is likely the ecological domes were used to train young members in their first real-world skills, as well as being used to supplement the farming of more niche foodstuffs, and as a general recreational area for the crew. The glass is largely intact due to being made of transparent boron carbide, and would originally have looked out directly onto the stars. It is likely that all of these components would have also played a role in producing oxygen and a self-sustaining climate control system for the vessel as well.

A rest and repair commune for the more mechanical crew members. There seemed to have been more individual members per room than the organic version, but it still has a leisure park / meeting area.

Used to hold large objects in place within the central fabrication area, or project them out through the massive forward hangar doors. It seems operable, but currently lacks a power source.

A pair of massive grinder assemblies attached to huge independent manipulator/material extruder arms. Due to the sheer size of the interior fabrication area, they could quite likely produce entire new vessels from scratch, given the correct power source, materials and software. Crafting something like the skeleton ensemble would be a breeze for such a system, given an adequate support workforce, rough it was most likely intended for creating cheap, disposable support craft for the mothership. Seems to be mostly intact, but a breach in the raw materials containment has gotten into the air vents, spreading much of it around the ship in an abrasive powder form.

Designed to transmit materials (or even small vessels) through the leyline system, directly into the ship's interior fabrication bay. This seems to have been intentionally disabled even before the ship became derelict, however, and several key components are currently missing.

Two large hubs that were apparently designed to contain up to fifty living Freespacers at one point, quite a large number for a vessel of this race. Why such a lavish complement was added is unknown. There is a community hub, two restaurants, a shrine and an leisure arcade, but all have been consumed by the toxic mushrooms. Dead bodies are the most dense in this area of the ship, for obvious reasons.

The starboard side is almost completely crumpled under impact damage, and the port side is filled with extremely hazardous radioactive transmuted elements. Extreme caution should be taken in this area, as not even automata may operate safely without correct shielding. Due to the massive compliment of old fissile materials, it can at least be gained that these were some kind of breeder reactors.

The two front pylons of the vessel contain some kind of forward rift projection system, apparently designed to create two directly facing portals in front of the vessel. The original shape of the front forks suggest it was intended to shatter asteroids and neatly drag the material into the forward hanger doors… But clearly it could also have doubled as an extremely powerful, albeit short ranged, weapon system. A massive hole has been punched in the upper starboard side regardless, rendering the entire system currently inoperable. It is unknown what tremendous amount of power would have been needed to operate it even then.

Once on the underside of the starboard hull section, this antenna array was completely crushed and destroyed when the vessel came to ground. The original capabilities are entirely unknown.

Primitive Polygon created this article on 2016/07/22 11:11.