On 10/7/05, Fred Schmidt <fcschmidt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Without some kind of artificial gravity or inertia dampeners, everytime a
ship changed speed or made a sharp turn, wouldn't its crew become chunky
salsa against the trailing bulkhead
Unless they are strapped into acceleration couches.
Amusing scenario:
"Oh, look. Some idiot's attempted to board us."
"I can play Silly Buggers too!"
*Slams hard on the acceleration control for about 3 seconds.*
"Send a cleanup crew."
Seriously, a setting without artificial grav means boarding actions are only possible when the boarded vessel's engines are completely disabled.
Of course, a setting with controllable artificial gravity means boarding actions are more or less impossible, as rapid polarity reversals with selected gravity generators will take anyone not strapped in and slam them into the ceiling, then the deck, then the ceiling again, over and over, at very high G-ratings, until they are nothing but a seriously nasty mess of bodily fluids and pulped flesh.
This is cheerfully known as "Grav Pong" in some settings.
John
--
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again and again. We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani