Early Period (pre-hullsteel) Rel-fighter by Richard Bartrop (Sketch)

Lynda asked for a "making dock" picture to use on a post card. Richard responded with these sketches of how to make a rel-fighter look more interesting. In the end, the physics of reality skimming and hullsteel interferred with the hope of envisioning rel-fighters like this--they are featureless spheres to ensure maximum structural integrity--but Lynda loved the sketches enough to be tempted anyway! Especially the nifty bird "etched" into the hullsteel on the top view! Richard's idea of using embossed or cut patterns in hullsteel for decoration will feature with envoy ships, where potential weak points under stress are not quite as critical as in a rel-fighter. How do rel-fighters do all the things Richard illustrates, here, without these features? That's another story! As for the illustration, below, there must have been a phase of history in the development of rel-fighters in which they looked just like this! Maybe before the perfection of hullsteel and nervecloth technology. And some houses might still cast the hullsteel this way for their own reasons. Especially during long periods of relative peace in space. (PS There DOES have to be a hatch. That's the one feature that can't be removed. It would have to seal up so tight it almost became one with the hull again, afterwards, though.)

With permission. Shared with the First Expansion list in Aug 2007.

Page last updated: 10-Aug-2007

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