Trident-class surveyor ship

The Trident-class surveyor ship was a scout ship produced by Arakyd Industries during the Galactic Civil War for long-term, deep-space exploration and planetary surveying.
==Characteristics==
===Upper deck===
Based on an unusual design, the Trident's hull (reinforced for underwater travel, rated up to depths of 10k) was 82.5 meters long, though only the upper of the vessel's two decks extended to this length, with approximately half of the upper deck's forward overhanging section devoted to a specialized cargo bay. This cargo bay was specially equipped for aquatic operations, with powerful pressure controls and circulation pumps to keep the bay from flooding—even at great depths—essentially turning the bay into a mobile diving pool and underwater airlock. The cargo bay's hatch, a hydraulically controlled floor hatch that descended to serve as a cargo elevator, was specially positioned to lower within view of the ship's command deck, making it easier to load exploration craft and cargo when underwater.
The rest of the upper deck contained a portside weapons suite, a starboard hidden electronics suite, and an aft engineering section. The portside weapons suite had a direct hard line to the ship's offensive and defensive tactical systems, and through a computer console, was capable of operating the ship's double turbolaser turret, shields, and mine layer independently of the cockpit. The suite also featured direct access to both the ship's weapon systems and the hydraulics of the turbolaser, as well as containing ceiling-mounted storage racks that fed seismic charges to the mine layer's mine feed.
The starboard side of the upper deck contained the hidden electronics suite. Kept secret by a pair of pressure-sensitive false walls, and simultaneously shielded against sensor scans, the compartment was extremely well hidden. The primary purpose of the compartment was to house both the ship's primary processors (which were copious, due to the research involved) and the complex computer banks needed for the ship's advanced artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the entire crew if need be.
The AI was an advanced droid personality, programmed with a scientific curiosity and an intense loyalty to its crew. The AI had unfettered access to all the ship's systems, and was primarily responsible for sifting and storing the massive amounts of sensor data recorded and catalogued during exploration missions. The AI was built with a "kill-switch" phrase for emergencies; uttering this phrase would deactivate the AI and initiate manual control all over the ship. Because of the sensitive information that the AI stored, there were only two entrances to the suite, one controlled by the AI (the turbolift panel), the second controlled by a cleverly disguised computer terminal, with an alternative, "pressure"-based manual override for both. The first entrance was in the upper deck's main hallway, just beside the ship's emergency access hatch (a pressurized hatch that led between decks by way of a ladder), while the second was at the top of the ship's only turbolift, allowing for quick access from the captain's cabin.
The large aft engineering section granted access to the port and starboard sublight engines and contained all of the vessel's power and propulsion systems. A pair of networked power cores powered the energy-hungry ship, while a computer terminal allowed an engineer to access all the ship's vital systems from one station. Based on Sedrian technology, the Trident's propulsion systems were capable of operating underwater, or in other aqueous conditions—staying true to the vessel's advanced and exotic nature.
===Lower deck===
Considerably shorter than the upper deck (by roughly half), the lower deck contained the command deck, crew quarters, captain's quarters, a large multi person refresher, a crew lounge, mess hall, a computer lab, and a large medical suite/science lab.
Positioned in a rare "under slung" style, the command deck was specially located to position the crew to see the ocean floor when cruising underwater, to protect the crew from hostile fire, to aid in freight loading, and lastly, to aid in research probe retrieval. Large and spacious, the command deck maintained and monitored the ships vital systems, as well as operated the ships research grade sensors (which were more than able to pierce through various obstructions such as water, and return detailed analysis). The command deck had enough room and personal consoles for five individuals, and featured large and spacious reinforced transparisteel windows for ease of visibility. The command deck was also capable of acting as a "life boat" of sorts - when underwater, the pod could seal itself and activate a self contained life support system with 48 hours of air. Ejecting itself from the ship, the pod itself was built so it would float to the top of an ocean surface; this same feature also worked in space - but without propulsion, was a far worse choice than the ships escape pod.
On the starboard side, the ship sported the crew cabins; a single room filled with three triple bunks. Capable of holding nine crew members, the accommodation was cramped at best - many times, several of the bunks were stored in the room's ceiling, allowing for six crew members to have far more space and comfort. Adjoining the crew cabins, was the ships only refresher - a large multi person refresher capable of holding small portions of the crew at once.
In between the crew quarters and mess hall on the starboard side, was the escape pod. Specialized for underwater environments, the pod contained one seat and a week's worth of rations - but up to three adult humans could squeeze in if needs be. If deployed underwater, the pod was equipped with atmospheric regulators to cancel out pressure, and was designed to speedily float to the surface. Aft starboard was the mess hall - a room large enough to hold the ship's crew simultaneously, with storage cabinets in the ceiling and walls for rations and food. The mess hall was connected to the crew lounge amidships, which contained a sofa and a wall mounted entertainment center offering various distractions for the crew.
Positioned for quick and easy access to the command deck is the captains cabin - located through a single door on the deck. Small, but finely furnished, the room afforded the captain with privacy, while allowing him easy access to not only the command deck, but also to a secondary door that led directly to the turbolift. Also on the port side, was the ship's airlock. When closed, the airlock was protected by an angled section of hull plating which folds down to form a set of stairs to the hatch itself. Within the airlock, a storage locker contains several flight suits, breath masks, and glowrods for extravehicular activity, as well as a tool kit and any weapons the crew may wish to store. A built-in decontamination shower helped seal the interior of the ship against contagions or pathogens from outside, and ensured that the sterile research environment remained uninfected.
Port side amidships contained a computer lab where two technicians could work on terminals that were hardwired to the ship's central processors in the secret electronics suite. Geared for scientific analysis, the lab was extremely able at processing data and research, and usually worked in conjunction with the aft science lab.
Located aft on the lower deck was the medical suite/science lab. A large room containing four bacta tanks, three surgical/examination beds, a pair of stasis pods, and shelving containing fully stocked medical kits, med packs, and surgery kits, the lab effectively acted as the ship's medical suite in addition to a research facility. The state-of-the-art facilities also worked to examine and preserve biological samples for research, with the lab working in conjunction with the computer lab to process raw data gleaned from exploration.
==History==
Born in an attempt to fill what Arakyd perceived as a missing niche among the freighters and starfighters in the galaxy, Arakyd endeavored to create a specialized exploration vessel specifically designed for surveying hostile environments that other ships were simply incapable of entering. The result was a long-range reconnaissance vessel that blended a remarkable array of exotic technology for the most demanding exploration missions. However, this array of technology and innovation made the Trident one of the most exorbitantly priced scout starships in the galaxy.
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Arakyd Industries products
Category:Scout starship classes