Ashin Varanin
Professional Enabler
Approximation of field geometries:
Image Source: Here
Intent: A means of harvesting interstellar gas and particulates in dense nebular regions. A clan's relatively vanilla use of primitive canon technology.
Development Thread: None
Manufacturer: Clan Rekali, Inc.
Model: Rekali Ramscoop
Affiliation: Clan Rekali
Modularity: It is a module
Production: Production: Mass-produced
Material: Specialized electromagnetic field generator components
Description: The Rekali Ramscoop is a specialized, high-powered electromagnetic field generator designed for harvesting valuable elements from high-density nebular and stellar-nursery environments.
BACKGROUND
Average density of interstellar gas and dust, even in most nebular regions, is mindbogglingly low. However, Clan Rekali territory centers on a rich nebula known as the Roil, large portions of which are so dense as to be impassible. The Rekali Ramscoop is not new technology; ramscoops, even very large ones, have existed as low-gain harvesting and refueling technology since before the hyperspace era. They are massive and inefficient. In certain environments, however, they can be used in cost-effective ways; for example, prospectors in a nebula near Eol Sha were known to use ramjet-equipped mining vessels.
CAPABILITIES
The Rekali Ramscoop is a component designed for dedicated harvesting and prospecting vessels. It projects a vaguely cone-shaped field, infinitely weaker than starship shields but also far larger. A Rekali Ramscoop can project a field one hundred eighty kilometres ahead and two hundred kilometres across. These dimensions are moderate to large for a ramscoop field, though thousand-kilometre fields are not unknown. The entire field is projected ahead of the ship, channeling interstellar gas and dust into massive collectors. Unlike a true ramjet, the Rekali Ramscoop does not rely on the harvest for reaction mass: it is often installed on vessels with low operating costs and cheap, crude, powerful engines. When used with the right target space and ship velocity, the Rekali Ramscoop can yield a high volume of various semi-rare interstellar elements. It can also be used to clear regions of high-density nebular space for defensive purposes.
SIDE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS
The field projected by a Rekali Ramscoop is far too weak to interfere with starship systems if a shielded vessel should fly through. The ramscoop's field cannot protect the harvester vessel from anything of significant size, or any kind of modern weapons fire. It has virtually no offensive or defensive benefits, and indeed has a major defensive drawback. The field, when active, makes it ludicrously easy to detect the harvester ship from long range. By reversing the field's polarity, and risking a critical burnout of the ramscoop, a ship's commander could also deploy a slow-spreading but eventually massive cloud of gas and dust. This tactic, though wasteful, could potentially provide visual cover, or cause heavily stealthed ships to leave detectable wakes. These are fringe benefits unconnected to the ramscoop's primary purpose. The Rekali Ramscoop is designed for vessels of heavy-to-bulk freighter scale. When used, the Rekali Ramscoop reduces its vessel's maximum acceleration by a respectable margin due to drag.
Primary Source:
Bussard ramjet (RL)
Ramjet (SW)
Ramjet nebular mining ships (SW)
