We need a GERN thread

[Charlie B]

conversation concerning cramming containers of GERN into
expressly engineered extended cylindrical cargo compartments!
conspicuously contributes to the community’s
conclusively constant collective curmudgeonly comment.
clearly conditions, certifiably conducive to careful costly control..............cram ceremoniously.

"Clyde Cooper copped the copper clappers from the closet" .
Charlie

[Gary S]

That would leave the ship open to attack from above.

GERN transport ships are the fastest in the universe. Impossible to be attacked from behind...

[MasonJar]

That would leave the ship open to attack from above.

GERN transport ships are the fastest in the universe. Impossible to be attacked from behind...

It looks as if that collar behind the cockpit proper can rotate through 360* which would enable that "chin" gun to effectively point in any direction (although presumably configured so as not to shoot the comm dishes ).

Andrew

[ezdays]

Those satellite or radar dishes look like they would be the first things damaged in any gunfight with another ship or when landing in any position where you could be fired down upon.

How many crew fly this thing and where are their rest facilities, we wouldnt want them suffering from fatigue while delivering that all important load of refined and processed GERN, now would we?

Mark

You are aware that these two dishes are strictly for the crew's entertainment. One is for the Dish Network, the other for DirectTV. One backs up the other in the unlikely event that one is taken out during an attack. I'm told that the crew's quarters are adequate, but for some reason, the maximum height requirements for the crew on this ship is 3% less than on other ships.

[MountainMan]

Since flux is so common as to be everywhere and in everything, how is it possible that it is considered a high value cargo?

Have you ever tried to extract it from anything, then reduce it into a pure form? Once you've tried, you'll know the answer to your question.

According to the experts on this forum, flux is present in copious quantities most everywhere, and not difficult to extract or process at all, given that it is widely used in both high-end and low-end, mass-market products such as back pain pills, food additives and so forth. When did that change?

[ezdays]

According to the experts on this forum, flux is present in copious quantities most everywhere, and not difficult to extract or process at all, given that it is widely used in both high-end and low-end, mass-market products such as back pain pills, food additives and so forth. When did that change?

I guess I must have missed those posts. I tried hard using my A.C. Gilbert chemistry set (handed down to me from generations before me) and I was unable to do it. I even used all my resources, the public library, the Internet and even my college's technical library and came up dry. I therefore concluded that if there was so little knowledge of the process, it must be difficult to do hence, the reasons for treating it as a high value commodity. If you have a cheap way of extracting the product so that it's within at least 3% of being pure, you could make a fortune. it may be abundant, but I'm lead to believe that it's not that easy to get.

If I'm wrong about this, then you might also consider that maybe, just maybe, someone is trying to corner the market, artificially driving up the price of this product. Others have tried. :o

[Gary S]

The point being missed is that there are many different grades and many different refined and synthesized products. So, while "flux" itself is a common material, it must be purified, refined, mixed, and/or chemically altered into the various products, and this of course, costs money and adds value, in some cases, tremendous value.

As for the products, Fluxanium Slurry is just one of many. You have Fluxine Peroxide, Fluxine Iodide, and Fluxine Bromide. There is Chlorinated Flux, Oxygenated Flux, Granulated Flux, Medicinal Flux, Anhydrous Flux, and Powdered Flux (which is so light and fluffy that a 100 pound bag weighs considerably less than 100 pounds). There is Gausseum Flux, Ammonium Flux, Linoleum Flux, Food Grade Flux, and Sulfuric Fluxate. I would be remiss for not mentioning the genius of GERN scientists who have synthesized such "modern miracle" compounds as Propyl-Fluxanone, Fluxinated Pentane, and 3-ethyl-2-methyl-fluxohydranine, of which have made our lifes so much the better. And of course, there is the left-over gunk from all the chemical refining, which is Flux Sludge, a commercially viable product in and of itself, which is used to make many other flux products. That is just to mention a few.

Summing up, there is just so much more to flux than just flux.

[Steamtrains]

.... ....
And so many more in the works....

[Ralph]

The point being missed is that "flux" is not just "flux". There are many different grades and many different refined and synthesized products. So, while "flux" itself is a common material, it must be purified, refined, mixed, and/or chemically altered into the various products, and this of course, costs money and adds value, in some cases, tremendous value.

As for the products, Fluxanium Slurry is just one of many. You have Fluxine Peroxide, Fluxine Iodide, and Fluxine Bromide. There is Chlorinated Flux, Oxygenated Flux, Anhydrous Flux, Granulated Flux, Medicinal Flux, and Powdered Flux (which is so light and fluffy that a 100 pound bag weighs considerably less than 100 pounds). There is Gausseum Flux, Ammonium Flux, Linoleum Flux, Food Grade Flux, and Sulfuric Fluxate. I would be remiss for not mentioning the genius of GERN scientists who have synthesized such "modern miracle" compounds as Propyl-Fluxanone, Fluxinated Pentane, and 3-ethyl-2-methyl-fluxohydranine, of which have made our lifes so much the better. And of course, there is the left-over gunk from refining, which is Flux Sludge (a commercially viable product in and of itself!). That is just to mention a few.

Summing up, there is just so much more to flux than just flux.

I just like it because it tastes so good.

[Gary S]

I just like it because it tastes so good.

That would be the Food Grade Flux I hope. Although I gotta admit that the dentinium fluxide added to toothpaste is pretty darned yummy - and 3% whiter teeth!

[P5se Camelback]

OOoooo! Teeth!

[Sumpter250]

I'm just concerned that the ship doesnt appear to have phaser weapons in the dorsal position [topside] forward or aft, like they are in the ventral positions [underneath].
That would leave the ship open to attack from above.
Those satellite or radar dishes look like they would be the first things damaged in any gunfight with another ship or when landing in any position where you could be fired down upon.
How many crew fly this thing and where are their rest facilities, we wouldnt want them suffering from fatigue while delivering that all important load of refined and processed GERN, now would we?
Mark

-----I'm just concerned that the ship doesnt appear to have phaser weapons in the dorsal position----
a. Deflector shields
b. The vessel can roll quickly.
c. When all else fails, there's a device called the "translocator cannon"......a very small amount of mass "transported" to the center of the densest mass of an "enemy vessel" ( kind of like the reactor, two masses in the same place at the same time ?)

BOOM !!!

----Those satellite or radar dishes look like they would be the first things damaged in any gunfight with another ship or when landing in any position where you could be fired down upon.----
... see a. above.
Actually, the most dangerous part of the "flight", is the arrival at the intended destination, when the inertial compensator ( which matches the crew and structure, to the engine mass acceleration ),is shut down. The vessel's intrinsic velocity, has to be perfectly matched to the destination's, before the shutdown, or things could get very ugly.
----How many crew fly this thing and where are their rest facilities, we wouldnt want them suffering from fatigue while delivering that all important load of refined and processed GERN, now would we?----
Crew is two, to four, usually four. Rest facilities/living quarters, are located aft of the cockpit, and go to the aft end of the cabin/cargo area. The space aft of the cargo hold, is for the "entry ramp", that lowers down, and is entered from the port side.
In many ways, this ship has much in common with the Correllian Freighter, "Millennium Falcon".........with a few radical improvements.

[MountainMan]

Sounds like a lot of methanated flux to me... 8-)

[P5se Camelback]

Sounds like a lot of methanated flux to me... 8-)

I'll assume that is similar to Traffic's "good, old fashioned Mentholated Goo," but 3% more soothing!

[MountainMan]

Sounds like a lot of methanated flux to me... 8-)

I'll assume that is similar to Traffic's "good, old fashioned Mentholated Goo," but 3% more soothing!

Not really. Methane, as you may recall, is the major constituent of bovine flatus... 8-)