Technology

Hull Composition

The hull of a sernaix starship is composed of a triple layer. The middle layer is a Bose-Einstein condensate, a compressed film of plasma chilled to absolute zero, while the internal and external layers are composed of photonium, matter made of photons. The Bose-Einstein condensate is used to lower the energy of the photons and thus slow their velocity to that of a motionless state.

The wave pattern is then bonded into a stable matrix which approximates that of solid matter and can be harnessed for its physical properties. This "photon matter" has almost no mass, allowing for the impressive maneuverability of sernaix vessels, and can alter its refraction index to absorb light and energy, which is why phaser-fire and sensors have little to no effect. This matter, however, can only absorb a specific amount of light and energy before becoming overloaded, and thus returning to its original state.

The Bose-Einstein condensate is generated by refrigeration units. There are multiple units, each about 12" x 6" x 6" in size, each creating a section of the hull. Every unit has a self-sustaining backup unit with an individual power source, in case of emergency. The units are capable of slightly altering the flow of the plasma, allowing for docking and the appearances of walls or doors where none were before.

The hulls of sernaix vessels range in compression, shown by the differences in color of the light patterns on the hulls of various vessels. Blue is the weakest and is reserved for ship interiors, grey is the weakest outer hull material and is used on corsairs and scouts, yellow is currently the strongest known and is used on battleships and the main part of the node. The stronger the hull compression, the more energy it can absorb before dissipating. Only the refrigeration units and a small portion of the interior of a sernaix vessel are composed of normal matter.

Cloaking Device

Sernaix starships have a highly advanced form of phase cloaking device. This allows the ship to not only become undetectable but also intangible and unaffected by anything in the normal universe. The settings range from merely becoming invisible, to being completely intangible, however when intangible the ship's weapons are useless and cannot fire. The phase cloaking devices range in power; generally the larger the ship the more powerful the device.

With only the normal cloak engaged, sernaix vessels are extremely difficult to detect, and can still fire their weapons. The more advanced sernaix sensors can detect ships using the lower power cloak systems, however it takes multiple scouts working in tandem to locate a battlecruiser.

Shipmind

A sernaix vessel's ship functions are controlled by its "Shipmind", the sernaix version of a computer. A shipmind is a former Sernaix who refused to enter the "Realm", wanting to continue to experience things outside the Realm. However sometimes it's a sentence as well, as was the case of Ozama (Later Ozymandias), Adimh of Silver Sky, who was forcibly uploaded by his pack and placed as the shipmind of Silver Sky, hopefully to have service tame him into accepting that he will one day be uploaded into the Realm.

While the ship is commanded by a crew and the role of the shipmind is similar to that of an AI, the shipmind still has the memories and emotions of the Sernaix it was, and is capable of sustaining itself, and the ship, without any personnel aboard by using small hover-bots, reminiscent of Earth's sea urchins.

This was the case when Ozama, known to Voyager's crew as Ozymandias, executed his crew for betraying him, and then used Silver Sky to assist Voyager in the destruction of three scout class sernaix starships.

A shipmind is regarded with very little respect by its crew, and they would sooner do without it.

Decks

"Decks" is an inapplicable term for sernaix vessels. The interior is a maze of corridors and rooms all twisting around each other and sometimes shifting at will. There is no logical pattern or arrangement; generally when someone wants to get somewhere, the ship makes the path available.

Drive Systems

Sub-light

All sernaix vessels have a sub-light drive, similar to impulse engines, ranging in power output. Exactly how these engines work still baffles Starfleet engineers and scientists, though they do know they are more efficient.

Type-I: 0.96 Light Speed
Type-II: 0.975 Light Speed
Type-III: 0.998 Light Speed

Though capable of such high sub-light speeds, most starships do not exceed 0.25 Light Speed due to temporal effects.

Warp

The Sernaix have a sophisticated warp drive system. While speed is only slightly greater than that of the Sovereign Class warp engines, fuel consumption is significantly lower. These warp engines are made entirely with photonium, as is the hull of the sernaix starships.

Type-I: warp 9.995
Type-II: warp 9.9999975

Quantum Slipstream

The sernaix quantum slipstream drive, also constructed with photonium, is more advanced, yet of a simpler design, than the slipstream technology obtained by the U.S.S. Voyager (Registry: NCC-74656). These engines allow for more speed, with less power drain than the standard version. It's only drawback is that the photonium is a key element to these enhanced abilities, therefore these drives cannot be constructed with common materials.

Max speed: 900 Light Years/Hour for 30 hours

Ship Controls

The mitochondria in the cells of the sernaix body are capable of emitting an energy discharge, working together to create a form of bioelectrical field. With training, the Sernaix are able to modulate this "body field" in order to operate their technology. Thus they are able to interface directly with their machines without the use of intrusive plugs or implants, as the Borg do.

The Sernaix design their equipment and ships with this in mind. As a result, Sernaix vessels don't appear to have any controls or monitors at their workstations. The crew directly link their body fields with the ship, through the use of interface ports, and receive data either directly into their minds or through virtual reality projections.

This philosophy is also reflected in their personal devices.

Sensors

There are various types of sernaix sensors currently known, ranging in strength and capabilities.

Type-I

High-resolution scan maximum effective range: 5 light-years
Medium to low-resolution scans maximum effective range: 10 light-years

Type-II

High-resolution scan maximum effective range: 10 light-years
Medium to low-resolution scans maximum effective range: 30 light-years

Type-III

High-resolution scan maximum effective range: 18 light-years
Medium to low-resolution scans maximum effective range: 40 light-years

Type-IV

High-resolution scan maximum effective range: 24 light-years
Medium to low-resolution scans maximum effective range: 48 light-years

Transporters

Little is currently known about sernaix transporters. They are capable of transporting through standard forms of energy shield, and virtually every form of matter. Standard transport inhibitors are useless in preventing transport by these devices. Actual range is unknown, however it is greater than Federation transporters.

Docking Capabilities

Due to the composition of their hulls, sernaix starships are capable of merging their vessels together. Most commonly this is done using the docking "spikes" on most sernaix vessels, however it can be accomplished using any part of the hull. When merged, crossing from one ship to another is as easy as crossing between two rooms, removing the need for an airlock, as the two ships are now essentially one. Ships rarely merge during combat, because it limits the directional firing range of the ships involved.

Personal Devices

Sernaix soldiers carry a number of devices on them which enhance and interact with their body fields. For instance, the Sernaix talent for absorbing phaser fire is due to a shielding device on their belts which amplifies their body fields.

Another device is the link node, the Sernaix version of a communicator. It links with the body field of a Sernaix in order to interface either with their ship or directly to the Realm itself. It is far more sophisticated than a standard communicator, since it taps directly into subspace, and thus can link to the various nodes of the Realm across interstellar distances.

In "Enigmas", the Doctor did not know how to modulate the interface, so it defaulted in a link directly with the Realm, and in this case, the Voyager simulation that was being run.

Link Node

Field Amplifier


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