Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
Expandable Jump Fuel Tanks
*** To be clear, this is more of a mental exercise than a serious suggestion as it would break the setting more than collectors would. Use at your own risk. ***
Are you tired of having to drop those expensive drop tanks and risk their destruction every jump? Do you worry that the process will eventually cause your ship to misjump? Or do you just want the advantages of a drop tank without all the fuss?
Set your concerns aside. The designers are MixCorp have come through for you with a new line of expandable jump fuel tanks that go with you but take up far less space than their rigid cousins.
The new Expandable Jump Fuel Tanks work like this. They are designed using an innovative accordion design where they hard sides can fold in on themselves as the fuel is pumped out, collapsing to only 1/20th their original size and being completely collapsed by the time the ship is ready to jump. This is accomplished with pneumatic pressure using the ship's atmosphere.
These fuel tanks come in two flavors: internal and external.
The internal fuel tanks are added to a ship during constriction and reside just under the hull. When filled, they expand that segment of the hull outward until the tank is fully deployed. This, of course, ruins all streamlining, so it is meant for ship that never land or skim their own fuel. It's perfect for large freighters and requires no adjustment to the ship's maneuver or jump drives for extra volume. It does require 1/10 of the capacity in internal tonnage and costs twice as much as a mountable tank of the same size.
The external tank is mounted to a docking clamp with a modified drop tank mount that lacks the explosive collar. This allows the fuel to be used for jump. It, too, collapses just like the other model, but retains more volume as it keeps a streamlined hull and is capable of movement with its own maneuver drive. This allows it to accompany the ship to a downport for refueling, or to use the incorporated fuel scoops to skim fuel for the internal fuel processors to purify. It, of course, has a power plant and a robotic pilot to make it technically a drone ship.
The external version doesn't collapse as completely as the interior one as it needs to maintain the streamlined form at all stages of fill. That means the fuel section collapses to 1/10 its fully deployed size. The section of the external jump fuel tank with the drive and power plant does not collapse, so there is that volume to consider as well. The fuel tank portion costs twice as much as a mountable tank of the same size. The other components cost their normal prices.
No matter which one is right for you, these external fuel tanks will give your ship far greater capacity to carry goods and passengers. Though they might be unsightly next to more sleek designs, you can comfort yourself by rolling around in all those credits you'll be hauling in every jump.
The good folks at MixCorp believe that you will find the extra income well worth the expense of these tanks. Remember the MixCorp motto: Step into the future or be left in the past.
*** To be clear, this is more of a mental exercise than a serious suggestion as it would break the setting more than collectors would. Use at your own risk. ***
Are you tired of having to drop those expensive drop tanks and risk their destruction every jump? Do you worry that the process will eventually cause your ship to misjump? Or do you just want the advantages of a drop tank without all the fuss?
Set your concerns aside. The designers are MixCorp have come through for you with a new line of expandable jump fuel tanks that go with you but take up far less space than their rigid cousins.
The new Expandable Jump Fuel Tanks work like this. They are designed using an innovative accordion design where they hard sides can fold in on themselves as the fuel is pumped out, collapsing to only 1/20th their original size and being completely collapsed by the time the ship is ready to jump. This is accomplished with pneumatic pressure using the ship's atmosphere.
These fuel tanks come in two flavors: internal and external.
The internal fuel tanks are added to a ship during constriction and reside just under the hull. When filled, they expand that segment of the hull outward until the tank is fully deployed. This, of course, ruins all streamlining, so it is meant for ship that never land or skim their own fuel. It's perfect for large freighters and requires no adjustment to the ship's maneuver or jump drives for extra volume. It does require 1/10 of the capacity in internal tonnage and costs twice as much as a mountable tank of the same size.
The external tank is mounted to a docking clamp with a modified drop tank mount that lacks the explosive collar. This allows the fuel to be used for jump. It, too, collapses just like the other model, but retains more volume as it keeps a streamlined hull and is capable of movement with its own maneuver drive. This allows it to accompany the ship to a downport for refueling, or to use the incorporated fuel scoops to skim fuel for the internal fuel processors to purify. It, of course, has a power plant and a robotic pilot to make it technically a drone ship.
The external version doesn't collapse as completely as the interior one as it needs to maintain the streamlined form at all stages of fill. That means the fuel section collapses to 1/10 its fully deployed size. The section of the external jump fuel tank with the drive and power plant does not collapse, so there is that volume to consider as well. The fuel tank portion costs twice as much as a mountable tank of the same size. The other components cost their normal prices.
No matter which one is right for you, these external fuel tanks will give your ship far greater capacity to carry goods and passengers. Though they might be unsightly next to more sleek designs, you can comfort yourself by rolling around in all those credits you'll be hauling in every jump.
The good folks at MixCorp believe that you will find the extra income well worth the expense of these tanks. Remember the MixCorp motto: Step into the future or be left in the past.
Last edited:
