Pinball of DOOM

From FenWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Spacecraft Registry
Pinball of DOOM (POD)
Spacecraft Characteristics
Base Hullmetal sphere
Length2,5m
Width2,5m
Height2,5m
Drive TypeMass Effect field drive
Drive RatingMax velocity 0.13c (0.19c)
OwnerMizuki
Registry NumberCI-029
LaunchedEarly 2018
PurposeFast person transport, large scale pinball
Primary Crew1 or 2
Operational StatusActive
This box: view  talk  edit



The new drive will allow us to build a personal spacecraft? Are you kidding me?

—heard on Jenga in late 2017

Look at it, it's not even a car, it's a tin can.

Arthur Nkomo, Great Justice

You do not enter a POD. You WEAR it.

Dakota, 2019

The perfect craft if you are bad with parking.

—Unknown catgirl

The POD project was a private project at Catgirl Industries, the first attempt to use a Mass Effect drive for a personal transport. The work began during the development of the 2nd generation Mass Effect drive. The project progressed slowly for quite some time, absorbing design ideas from other project until it was finished in early 2018.

The size of the POD is limited by its engine design, even with putting the Drive sphere directly in the center of the POD between the two pilots, the more quirked batch of Eezo cannot produce a drive field with more than 2.5 meters diameter. Because of this, the POD is a cramped vehicle.

The POD uses a combination of a Joystick and a touch interface for controlling the craft. The craft has full video/audio playback system and two massage seats to be more comfortable on longer trips. The only storage spaces are two tiny compartments to the left and right of the seats and a small ice box. Behind the seats are two emergency spacesuits, but getting in and out of them inside the POD can be an issue.

The upper-front part of the spherical hull is normally transparent so that the crew can look out on their own, but can be made opaque on command. The transparent part swings open to all the crew to enter the craft.

Trivia

  • Inspired after rescuing a Swordfish owner that was force to bail after taking a large micrometeor strike to his engine. The Swordfish cockpit capsule is a spaceship in and of itself with limited life support.
  • Pilot and Copilot should be smaller than 170cm, otherwise they will not fit into their seat “comfortably”. [1]
  • The PODs life support system and fuel tank has enough supplies for three days of operation.
  • The POD has a sophisticated autopilot system, but no AI.

Quirks

  • Pinball Wizard. The song Pinball Wizard has to be played to start the engine core.
  • Karaoke Machine. If the pilot is singing along with the music playback during the start, the maximum speed is increased to 0.16c; if both pilot and co-pilot are singing, the pinball can reach 0.19c.
  • Bing! Bing! BING! Can bounce of a larger object without damage to the ship or the object. There are often flashy light and sound effects involved in this collisions, but normally no damage.
  • +500 Points! The control display of the POD has a score counter for keeping track of the Pinball hits it did during a flight.

Notes

  1. Yet somehow Dakota managed to cram himself into it with room for a pilot on a drunken dare. “Dakota once again proves that cats are the superior lifeform.” “Superior at getting stuck, mind giving me a hand here?”

Stories

The POD is featured in the following stories: