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Strikerails

Seven Worlds special purpose ground attack craft that wield a Dragonstar teleporter.

Strikerails are deployed in pairs: Delivery Rail (DR) and Pickup Rail (PR).

The Delivery Rail uses its Dragonstar to teleport the assault team to the surface.

A few minutes later, the Pickup Rail uses its Dragonstar to retrieve them.

Deployments

The first Strikerail was commissioned in 2189.

The first overt raid against the Starguild took place in 2194, shortly after the second Strikerail was commissioned.

Strikerail Crews

Delivery and Pickup rails are identical.

Each has life support for 20; nominally 30 total crew on delivery rail and pickup rail.

Eight to ten person flight crews on each.

Pickup rail has the medical officer.

Each has a Tech-Security Officer.

Each have primary and backup lance operators.

One primary ground team with backup drawn from flight crew.

Crews can split 15 / 15 during long cruises between targets.

Depends on crew chemistry.

Strikerail have extremely cramped living quarters.

Crew of 8 plus 12 ground assault team, are confined in a ship volume smaller than Cambronne’s tricore (4 Crew plus 2 passengers).

Crew have limited personal item volume on one of the rails, considered their primary quarters.

Crew Transfers

Ground team starts in the Delivery rail and ends up in the Pickup rail via Dragonstar.

Personnel transfer between rails with both ships at zero g rendezvous or free fall in a solar g field.

Individuals transfer via EVA jet-pack and non-EVA-qualified personnel carried by EVA sled.

Rail-to-rail equipment transfer tethered to EVA personnel or EVA sled.

Teleporting Ship-to-Ship

Dragonstar 'porting ship-to-ship has not been attempted.

Delivery Rail must be at Heisson Shield Drive (HSD) 1+ speed to make 'port.

The Lance not configured to track a target moving at Heisson Shield Drive speed which is much faster than planetary speed.

'Porting to a ship in sun-relative free fall may be possible, but untested.

Dragonstar Energy Balance

A Dragonstar chamber is “charged” with required energy for a “forward” or “retrieve” 'port.

Ballast mass little larger than retrieve 'port mass is 'ported down leaving most of the energy in dream space.

Almost simultaneously, the target is 'ported up using that dream space energy.

This type of “ballast retrieve” port does not leave an intense Dragonstar flash.

Residual retrieve port energy returns to the chamber where it slowly dissipates

Chamber dissipates this energy into dream space while radiating a fraction of the energy as a monotone golden glow

Additional mass on pickup must be pre-planned as the Pickup rail must be ready to make up that difference

Pickup rail can 'port down ballast or energy to augment remaining Delivery Rail energy for the heavier “retrieve” 'port

Pickup Rail can charge the Dragonstar via ballast drop minimizing mission mass and time constraint

Dragonstar Rising intentionally ignored this capability

To add mission complexity: greater mission time the lower the pickup mass

The Light of Eden Spoilers

The Light of Eden

The Light of Eden

New Eden raid Delivery rail had 10-man ground team and a flight crew of 10.

Pickup Rail had a flight crew of 10 that picks up the 10-man ground team.

Duncan chose to be on Pickup for the New Eden raid to immediately and directly interact with the ground team.

Duncan had Drake on the Pickup Rail as Drake is the best Lance operator.

Duncan is on the Delivery Rail for the final drop as the Pickup Rail was not used.

Final drop (Event) was a single 'port dropping the monument with no pickup.

Energy for the drop starts in the Dragonstar chamber and most ends up in dream space at the target.

A fraction of that energy slowly returns to the real via the brilliant Dragonstar flash over the target.

This Dragonstar was intentionally made very bright and left to dissipate.

Dragonstar Energy Balance

Dragonstar Energy Balance

Dragonstar Energy Balance

Picking up Fleur: Chamber is charged with required energy for a “forward” or “retrieve” 'port.

Ballast mass little larger than retrieve port mass is ported down leaving most of the energy in dream space.

Almost simultaneously Fleur is ported up using that dream space energy.

Are Dragonstars Linked?

Are Dragonstars Linked?

Are Dragonstars Linked?

The Delivery Rail and Pickup Rail chambers are linked by the energy in the Delivery Rail Dragonstar.

The Light of Eden refers to this as a mass transfer (Delivery Rail) and equalizing transfer (Pickup Rail).

Spoke of mass transfer balance rather than energy / dream space, as the Dragonstar had not been introduced.

Wanted to convey a link between the Delivery Rail and Pickup Rail without introducing new terms or concepts.

Perhaps unnecessary?

“Hinting” at something without detail can confuse without adding to the story.

At the same time; “hints” stimulate serious readers’ imagination.

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