The Essential Guide to Force Exile/Colony evacuation ship

Colony evacuation ship

Description
The colony evacuation ships were vessels of last resort constructed by Kraechar Arms for the express purpose of evacuating the Yanibar colony of Force exiles from Yanibar. Eight of them were constructed and designed to carry as much of the population and essential supplies as possible from Yanibar to the distant world of Atlaradis. Squat, cylindrical, and capped with a round dome, these craft were designed to not only transport as much as possible, but also convert into a vast usable facility once landed on Atlaradis. A transition plan was designed with many modular bays able to be converted to office spaces, living quarters, and other essential infrastructure areas. The evacuation ships had a radius of one kilometer and a height of three hundred eighty meters.

Each ship packed up to 100,000 people into tight quarters for what was anticipated to be a journey of several months with enough space for both possessions and consumables, as well as equipment and implements needed to start a new colony. For the transport phase, the ships were extremely-tightly packed, and each family was only allowed to bring what possessions would fit inside of a five by eight by three meter transport pod. Minimal recreational facilities and amenities were included, as the ships needed as much space as possible for storage. Passengers were served from large, industrial style kitchens and lived in dormitory-style rooms with 50 people per room. The ships were cramped, but they were designed to be used for one large journey, and then converted for governmental, commercial, and even industrial use. The power generators and connections on the ship were designed to populate a small settlement. Additional cargo capacity was allocated for businesses and industrial supplies on a reviewed basis. Raw material storage was also provided for, especially for certain materials that would be difficult to obtain or secure on Atlaradis.

To save space, the ships were only armed with sixteen double turbolaser turrets in two concentric rings, and were only lightly shielded. The evacuation plan called for the entire Yanibar Guard Fleet to escort the ships to Atlaradis for a one-way trip. However, due to the large number of people on each ship, safety was essential and numerous redundant systems were added to maintain power, life support, guidance, and engine control.

History
After a Yuuzhan Vong attack in 27 ABY struck Yanibar and damaged the planet’s orbit to the point of gradual instability, the Yanibar refuge prepared a mammoth evacuation effort. The population largely chose to migrate to a remote and protected refuge world called Atlaradis, which was far beyond known space and only accessible at infrequent intervals. The ships were thus designed for deep space transport, with thick radiation shielding, and long endurance as the journey was expected to take months.

The ships had a rocky development phase from being built while they were designed due to the need for expediency in launching so as to reach Atlaradis in one of its windows of accessibility. They also had to be constructed simultaneously due to the limited launch and travel window. The largest issue was solving a thrust issue. Due to Kraechar Arms shipyards being occupied with Yanibar Guard Fleet upgrades and refits, the ships had to be constructed on the ground. This meant that enormous amounts of additional thrust had to be supplied in order to achieve escape velocity. The engine inlets for the massive engines went through multiple redesigns and even the most talented Xi Charrian engineers struggled to find a design that would meet the size and fuel constraints while also providing the essential thrust. Lobbying from powerful political factions on Yanibar caused more of the design to be devoted to commercial and industrial supply, which necessitated even more thrust, while families complained that there was not enough space for them or their belongings on a journey of months to a new home.

The engines as designed were thirty percent short of the necessary thrust, even with shaving off as much margin as was wise. The earliest models that had initially shown them as having sufficient thrust were not the same engines that were designed and built due to numerous design changes made so that the ships could be built in time. The head of Kraechar Arms, Sarth Kraen, was able to push a plan devised to launch the ships at half capacity, but the long time needed to load cargo and the limited window for flight meant that he could not argue for even further reduced loads.

Seismic instability complicated construction further, as the ships were constantly in danger of being flooded or damaged by groundquakes. Massive retaining walls and structural supports were constructed at great cost to protect all eight ships. A flood of a major city, Saqua, increased demand for temporary housing and it was only with great effort that Sarth was able to deflect attempts to house displaced people on the ships that were being constructed. Cargo loads were trimmed back again, with the Governing Council finding more space by buying old cargo freighters to supplement the colony ships to appease the other concerns.

Ultimately, the problem was not resolved by Kraechar Arms engineers. Instead, a scientist named Danni Quee, who was rescued by a Yanibar Guard operative, volunteered the services of a group of Yuuzhan Vong who were sympathetic to their plight. The Yuuzhan Vong offered to provide dovin basal creatures that would repel gravity and help the ships reach orbit. Sarth accepted reluctantly, and numerous safeguards were hastily assembled to prevent any attempt at sabotage. With the help of the dovin basals&mdash;a carefully concealed secret&mdash;the ships were able to lift off, be loaded in orbit, and start their journey to Atlaradis, carrying the majority of the population of the Yanibar refuge and their cargo.

Behind the scenes
The colony ship was designed specifically for evacuation for the Force exiles as part of Force Exile VI: Prodigal. Originally, Atarumaster88 was going to design and model the ships in SolidWorks, but due to licensure expirations he was unable to work on the model in time. The ships were roughly dome-shaped.

Appearances

 * Force Exile VI: Prodigal
 * Yanibar Guard Sourcebook