in an exclusive interview we talk to the Head of DDS Research, Dr Forbidden, and ask how about some of the future technologies currently being developed for the New DDS Navy, which stands for battleship grey, bigger turrets and Hello Sailor.
LVN : Welcome Dr Forbidden, as you know the Sparta class cruiser programme was recently cancelled, but we have heard that the DDS is developing a new cruiser idea.
DRF : Indeed. Though its a long way off yet. The trend for warships now is smaller yet more powerful. Huge jugganauts like the Pulsar are, conceptually at least, obsolete now. What we think the future has in store is smaller ships that combine the power of a Pulsar sized cruiser with the running and building costs of an Isometric. We will soon publish details of Concept K, our idea for a future DDS cruiser design. Now this doesn't mean we will build such a beast, though Concept C some years ago did turn into the Isometric frigate class.
LVN : Can you tell us more about Concept K?
DRF : 1000c is the speed barrier we have found hard to break, one reason for this is that the larger the engine you develop the more mass it has to move, thus the less benefit from the extra thrust you receive. Therefore Concept K is Intrepid destroyer in size yet includes a new design of fusion reactor half the size and mass as in the Pulsar now, yet greater in power output. Thus we have a ship the mass of a destroyer but with the thrust of a cruiser, the much less mass we hope will make cruising speeds of 1000c possible.
LVN : But isn't the conventional hyperspace method of faster than light propulsion a dead end? The Dinos have been working on wormhole technology.
DRF : Yes it is a stopgap as even with the Concept K we think 1100c will be the fastest speed we can reach. Wormhole technology is interesting but it is also very dangerous. The Dinos, after several years of very intensive and expensive development still only have a 15% success rate, it will be maybe 10 years before it is safe enough for everday usage.
LVN : So the DDS is not going to pursue this?
DRF : No, instead we are looking at something a Dino scientist discovered some years ago strangely enough. That is another layer of subspace "below" the current layer we use for superluminal travel. This has been called subspace-B. In theory the amount of power needed to travel x times the speed of light is much less if we can reach subspace-B. A ship that can go 1000c in subspace now might be able to reach 8 or 9000c with the same power output. In theory that is as no one has yet been into subspace-B.
LVN : So the DDS are exploring this avenue of research?
DRF : Yes we gained several million zarks in funding from the DDS and UNP and we plan to build a probe that will attempt to reach subspace-B. It will probably be a long time before ships can use this layer of subspace however, even if it is possible. As far as we know no one else is using this, but if we can do it the speeds will increase dramatically.
LVN : Thank you Dr Forbidden, good luck in your research.
