HOME | DD

Description
With an undulator kilometres long, and standby cyclotrons ready to feed the linacc at any moment's notice, X-ray Free Electron Laser barges were the most terrifying and non-stationary weapon system employed by humanity. Often kilometres long - barely more than radiators, drive- and weapon-system slapped on top - a single X-FEL barge could reliably fry any static installation not properly shielded in up to a 80 AU radius sphere. Such ranges were allowed via self-launched, focusing plate systems and large aperture sizes - often measured in hundreds of meters. The control of the actual X-ray beam happened through a combination of grazing mirrors and hard x-ray tolerant metamaterials.

As expected, such X-ray barges could barely manage centi or mili-gees of effective acceleration, for their drives were usually ridiculously high ISP designs, such as beamed-antimatter engines. Actual manoeuvring was most often done via nuclear-thermal drives or solid-core antimatter engines: the large structure and relative fragility meant small allowed torques and thus, slow manoeuvring. As such, most XFEL barges had their own dedicated defense fleet, armed to the teeth with area-defense weaponry but most barges also boosted some impressive systems themselves as last resort.

Inspired by Ian Mallett - www.deviantart.com/imallett/ga…

Description
With an undulator kilometres long, and standby cyclotrons ready to feed the linacc at any moment's notice, X-ray Free Electron Laser barges were the most terrifying and non-stationary weapon system employed by humanity. Often kilometres long - barely more than radiators, drive- and weapon-system slapped on top - a single X-FEL barge could reliably fry any static installation not properly shielded in up to a 80 AU radius sphere. Such ranges were allowed via self-launched, focusing plate systems and large aperture sizes - often measured in hundreds of meters. The control of the actual X-ray beam happened through a combination of grazing mirrors and hard x-ray tolerant metamaterials.

As expected, such X-ray barges could barely manage centi or mili-gees of effective acceleration, for their drives were usually ridiculously high ISP designs, such as beamed-antimatter engines. Actual manoeuvring was most often done via nuclear-thermal drives or solid-core antimatter engines: the large structure and relative fragility meant small allowed torques and thus, slow manoeuvring. As such, most XFEL barges had their own dedicated defense fleet, armed to the teeth with area-defense weaponry but most barges also boosted some impressive systems themselves as last resort.

Inspired by Ian Mallett - www.deviantart.com/imallett/ga…