RE: Sa'Vasku Ship Lifecycle

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
[mailto:owner-gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU]On Behalf Of Beth Fulton
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 7:28 PM
To: gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: Re: Sa'Vasku Ship Lifecycle

<Beth Said:
G'day guys,

<I was thinking about this last night (inspired by yesterday's less than
savoury image of a SV ship mating rush) and for biological and
censorship
reasons <after Phalon-gate I really think we need to put the G back into
GZG ;P> I'd say the SV ships weren't sexually reproductive entities.

<The ships are bioconstructs that the SV want to do their bidding when
they
want them to do it - the last thing they want is the biological
imperative
interrupting their battle plans, furthermore why risk the chance that a
mutation will see batches of your ships non-viable (most fertilisations
aren't only a small percentage are successful). Clonal reproduction via
budding would be far more sensible as the SV maintain control of the
form
of their constructs, you're assured they're not going to have other
things
on their 'mind' at the wrong time and you know the design works. Even
the
issue of lineage depression (no sexual recombination to spice up the
line
so may be vulnerable to disease etc) isn't that much of a problem if the
SV
are at the genetic helm anyway and can tinker for themselves.
<<_______________________________________________

A fleet can be made up of several genotypes to increase resistance. New
technologies would require new genotypes.
>>-------------------

Obviously the 'wombs' and 'birthing' of ships gave rise to the idea of
sexual reproduction but you could put that down to a misidentification
by
early xenobiologists brought in by UNDIA to consult. Personally I think
that the drones/fighters/torps resemble (in function and production)
the  pneumatocysts (jelly fish stingers), barbs (of gastropods),and
budding
that are used by many marine groups. Just makes biological sense to have
a
weapon in place you can regrow rather than risking your 'children'.

____________________________-

The fighters act almost like leucocytes.

-----------------------------

So I'd say the SV ships would be large asexual constructs that budded
off
new smaller ships, used the interstellar equivalents of pneumatocysts
and
that if they do grow they show slow but continuous growth (so will take
many years to reach large sizes) but under very favourable conditions
(known to their SV creators) they show remarkable growth spurts (you
don't
want to your new battleline taking 3 centuries to grow if you need it
yesterday) - this also fits with some existing marine invertebrates.
-----------------------------
It may well be that the SV have ways of forcing growth with tender
stations
that provide rich nutrients and  growth hormones. Other facilities birth
new
ship types and do the genetic engineering.

Andy A

--------------------
Just a few oddball thoughts.

Cheers

Beth

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Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax 03 6232 5053 International +61 3 6232 5053

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au