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COMMAND CARRIER
In a way, Command Carriers are the outer-space equivalent to aircraft carriers on Earth: They're the biggest ships in the Peacekeeper
fleet (that I know of); they carry a lot of smaller ships and act as a
mobile platform for launching attacks; they have huge crews composed of
soldiers, techs and pilots; and they have enough diverse facilities to
rival your average city.
There are some differences, of course. For one, Command Carriers can be more than just warships; Scorpius used his as a mobile wormhole-research
station. For another, these ships have kids on board. In case that
sounds like Captain Picard is in command, let me emphasize that these
are kids in body only. Mentally, they're already beng shaped into
warriors — stripped of loving parents and trained as soldiers from
birth. According to Aeryn,
that's not as bad as it sounds. She felt like the whole 50,000-member
crew was her family (even when they were punishing her for any sign of
weakness). That's her story. Personally, I can't imagine starting bootcamp two seconds after leaving the womb, but maybe that's just me.
One cool aspect of the Carrier we visited was its simulated terrestrial environments.
One of these was a park, complete with green grass, blue water — and
the ship's metallic ceiling high overhead. I was told these
environments are for training, but I think they might be more than
that; Peacekeepers may live their whole lives on ships, but that
doesn't mean they don't have some kind of deep-down genetic craving for
the planet-bound lives of their ancestors. These environments probably
help ease any subconscious homesickness.
There's also the Restorative Chamber,
a kind of spa/sauna/medical facility where vents pump out various
healing mists. If you're in surgery, there's even an anesthetic mist.
For all I know, there's a dim corner of this room where secretive
hippie PK teens are inhaling while listening to Jerry Garcia. What I
liked about it was that the mist interfered with the ship's pervasive
surveillance system, allowing me to say words like "sabotage" and "blow
up" without being dragged to the Carrier's large and extremely secure
brig. The shiny outfits, specially designed to allow the mist to
permeate to the skin (while maintaining the decorum and propriety that
one so naturally associates with the Peacekeepers), were also pretty
cool: Flash Gordon at the health club.
I'm not sure what powers a Command Carrier. I know that they can't travel as fast as a Starbursting
Leviathan, but they have some pretty impressive engine rooms and
generators all the same. As for defenses, they're heavily shielded and
armed with Frag Cannons, plus they're surrounded by a swarm of Prowlers for that extra feeling of protection.
All in all, a tough place for a friendly visit. And a tough target to destroy. But you know me — I love a challenge.
JOURNEY LOG REFERENCES
Premiere
PK Tech Girl
Bone to Be Wild
Losing Time
Incubator
Into the Lion's Den, Part 1: Lambs to the Slaughter
Into the Lion's Den, Part 2: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
STARBURST TO ANY NOTE
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