Mackerel

**Reactor Class:** | None or Class I

The **Mackerel** is a class of salvageable ship in Hardspace: Shipbreaker. It was one of two featured in the original Early Access release, along with the Gecko. It is the smallest ship class currently available for salvage, and the one players will encounter first. Mackerels will still appear at high Ship Grades, albeit in more hazardous (and profitable) configurations.

## Background

The Mackerel is a small orbital transport most commonly used for shuttling personnel and cargo from stations in orbit between Earth and Luna, as well as longer-distance travel via LYNX's network of Rail Gates. Many Mackerels have recently been retired due to their lack of suitability for Rail Gate travel; as such, they are a common sight in LYNX salvage yards.

## Variants

As of Update 0.4.0, there are four variants of the Mackerel design: Light Cargo, Station Hopper, Heavy Cargo, and Exolab. Each ship is randomly generated so their appearances may vary along with their salvage.

### Light Cargo

Prior to their decommissioning, these Mackerel-class ships transported small to medium-sized civilian cargo, which can still be present when these ships arrive in the Salvage Bay. This cargo is transported in a single large compartment in the centre of the ship and is normally non-volatile, consisting of both Soft and Hard Crates. However, higher Hazard Level ships are more likely to contain a number of Fuel Tanks, Coolant Tanks and/or Hydroponics Cabinets.

### Station Hopper

The Station Hopper configuration replaces the cargo area of the ship with a passenger cabin, mounting Seats and Wall Terminals for entertainment along the inner walls. This model has a solid, non-airtight bulkhead separating the passenger compartment from the engineering room.

Station Hopper Mackerels sometimes mount Soft Crates as cargo on the ceiling. The only other internal peculiarities regarding this model are trash - bottles and food packs - left behind by their former passengers.

### Exolab

The Exolab variant is configured for scientific research, and as such is full of Computer Terminals, Power Cells and Electric Cables, posing a plethora of shock hazards for the unwary Cutter. Exolabs are also notable for featuring several large and valuable external components; these may include a Utility Arm mounted on the underside of the ship, High-Gain Antennae, Communication Arrays and either Solar Batteries (at low Hazard Levels) or Solar Sails (at high Hazard Levels), in place of the regular Nacelles.

### Heavy Cargo

The Heavy Cargo layout dispenses with the inner hull of the entire ship with the exception of the cockpit. This creates a wide-open area for storing bulk cargo, with shipments mounted to the central walkway as well as in the voids of the outer hull. These industrial ships will typically feature many fuel and coolant hazards, and can also arrive carrying Forklifts and heavy Asteroid Shards.

Heavy Cargo variants are larger and beefier than their light counterparts, often with four Nacelles and an external cage.

## Configuration

Mackerels are small multi-mission transports. The physical configuration always consists of a forward cockpit, a central cabin section, crawl spaces running along both sides of the ship and a tail section. Both the cockpit and tail section connect to the central section via four small Cut Points at the corners of the primary internal frame.

### Cockpit

The cockpit interior is a narrow chamber with a pressure door at the rear which connects back to the central section. There are access switches on both the inside and outside of the cockpit. The chamber has a dedicated Atmosphere Regulator, and can be pressurized at Hazard Level 5 and above. At the front of the cockpit are two seats with multiple computer terminals.

The secondary equipment in the cockpit varies between models, but frequently includes a Power Junction Box and corner-mounted Storage Bins.

There are crawlspace segments on either side of the cockpit. These are typically accessed from aft, but it is also possible to cut through the aluminum paneling to access it directly, though this is not recommended. At Hazard Level 6 and above, cockpits may have one or two Coolant Tanks mounted to the inner hull within the crawlspace.

### Central Section

The central section is a three to four-segment body sitting between the cockpit and tail section. The physical configuration of the section is a long, rectangular frame with exterior panels mounted to it.

The section consists of a central hall and maintenance crawlspaces to port and starboard. The first two or three segments comprise the mission bay, while the last segment is the engineering bay that holds the Class I Reactor. These two bays are usually separated by an aluminum frame.

### Crawl Spaces

The crawlspaces can be accessed by airtight doors in the engineering section. Some ships of this variant may lack one or both doors, necessitating cutting through the aluminum paneling to access the crawlspace or else removing the nose or tail segments to access it from either end.

On the Heavy Cargo model, there are no panels on the internal frame, allowing physical access to the crawlspaces which also serve as additional cargo space. There are also fuel pipes running the full length of the ship at the top.

### Tail Section

The tail section sits behind the engineering bay. It flares at the front to cover the aft portions of the port and starboard crawlspaces. Internally, the section contains the main thruster. There is an X-shaped bulkhead at the fore end which has an Engineering Console to free the thruster from its housing.

### External

High Hazard Level Exolabs will need Demo Charges to remove their Antennae. Using Charges with no Self-Cleanup upgrades in this way will destroy electrical salvage in the connected crawl space, quickly creating an extremely dangerous situation. Upgraded Charges will not suffer from this problem.

## Depressurizing

### With Regulators

The first Mackerels the player encounters will always be unpressurized; as of Update 0.4.0, pressurized ships are not introduced until Hazard Level 5. The player can enter the ship through its Airlock, which can spawn on either the left or right of the ship. Once inside, an Atmosphere Regulator can be used to safely decompress the ship. Mackerels of Hazard Level 5 or higher will always have two such regulators; one inside the main hull directly above the doors to the Airlock, and a second on the cockpit wall.

If the entire ship is pressurized upon entry and there are doors present between the main compartment and cockpit or crawlspaces, these doors will close upon activating the Regulator in the main compartment. Due to limitations in the current air pressure system, removing or cutting these doors open beforehand will **not** allow the player to decompress the whole volume with a single Regulator, and should not be attempted. Instead, the player should use the Regulator as normal, and then open the internal doors to the still-pressurized space(s) by activating the Door Console. This will cause a rapid (but not explosive) decompression of the remaining area, allowing the rest of the ship to be safely depressurized. Players can use their hands to hold onto the wall to avoid being blown around during decompression.

### Without Regulators

As the Hazard Level of a Mackerel increases, so too does the chance that one or both of its Atmosphere Regulators are non-functioning. At the highest Hazard Levels (9 and above), both Regulators will always be broken, meaning an explosive decompression must be attempted. This is especially hazardous for Cargo Mackerels, which will feature a large amount of free-floating, volatile and/or heavy cargo, which can easily damage or destroy the rest of the ship in an uncontrolled decompression. In particular, Heavy Cargo Mackerels have the largest volume of air to decompress simultaneously, as they have no separate crawl spaces, and their heavy Forklifts can be easily destroyed when flung around by rushing air.

The safest way to forcefully decompress the main cabin of such a ship is to depressurize the Airlock (thus opening the external doors) and then use the Stinger to vapourise one of the Airlock's internal doors, thus allowing the air to rush out as gently as reasonably achievable. Range upgrades for the Stinger are recommended in order to perform this from a safe distance. Free-floating salvage may be carried into the Airlock during this procedure, which can then be safely removed and sent to the appropriate destination. Even if this approach is successful, the player should still be vigilant for any Fuel or Coolant Tanks ruptured during decompression; these can easily be damaged by flying salvage.

Other approaches for decompression include cutting through the cockpit glass, removing the ship's Cargo Hatch (if it has one) or cutting through an external-facing aluminum roof or floor panel (if present). While faster, these methods are more dangerous and more likely to result in loss of salvage. Removing larger sections of the ship to decompress it, such as the cockpit or a Nacelle is not recommended, as the loss of mass is more likely to cause the decompressing ship to be flung around the Salvage Bay uncontrollably. The use of Demo Charges should also be avoided, as they will destroy any volatile salvage attached to the floor or roof, even with all Self-Cleanup upgrades.

A risk-free approach is to remove all free-floating salvage from the ship by carrying it out of or storing it in the Airlock, and only then decompressing by one of the methods previously described. However, this is both time-consuming and difficult to achieve for large items of salvage, such as large Crates or Forklifts.

A tactic to depressurize Mackerel crawl spaces is to depressurize both the main cabin and cockpit as described previously, then cut the cockpit off completely. The subsequent flow of air out of the crawl space can be used to the player's advantage, as it will have the effect of gently separating the two parts of the ship, allowing the crawl spaces to be accessed.

## Notable Salvage

### Nanocarbon

Nanocarbon panels make up roughly half of the value of a mackerel, except for the Exolab due to its high amount of salvageable items inside. These are the exterior hull panels that are resistant to the SplitSaw and Stinger.

### Class I Reactor

The Class I Reactor is easily the most valuable single object on the ship, being worth $375,000.00 credits if successfully salvaged. It can be located in one of several locations on the ship. In the engineering section at the back of the ship near the thruster, in one of the crawlspaces on either side of the ship, or in the one of the crawlspaces on either side of the cockpit. Once removed from its protective casing, it will enter a meltdown state with five durability points, (timing test later).

### Thruster Class I

The Thruster Class I is another highly valuable single object, with a value of $135,000.00 credits when salvaged. It will always be located at the very back of the ship in the engineering section. It can be released by using the thruster release switch also found in the engineering section.

### Airlock & Consoles

A small but surprisingly valuable item is the airlock console, of which there will always be three on a mackerel; one on the outside of the ship, one inside of the airlock, and one on the inside of the ship. Each one is worth $45,000.00 credits, and with three present in the ship, a total of $135,000.00 credits can be gained by salvaging all three consoles, as much value as would be gained from salvaging the thruster. Airlock consoles should not be confused with door consoles, the consoles that spawn on the non-airlock doors. Door consoles are only worth $24,000.00 credits each, and are not guaranteed to spawn on a mackerel.

The airlock itself is worth $75,000.00 credits, which while being less than the consoles associated with it, is still fairly valuable. It is secured to one of the exterior nanocarbon panels through two cut points, and connects the exterior nanocarbon to the interior aluminum with four cut points.

### Power Cell

Power cells, which can be found in the engineering section and the crawlspaces on either side of the ship, are worth $99,000.00 credits each. Only one is guaranteed to spawn, and it will always be in one of the crawlspaces, however there is a chance for more to spawn in the engineering section. On the Exolab variant, more power cells can spawn in the crawlspaces besides the first guaranteed spawn.

### Atmosphere Regulator

Atmosphere regulators are worth $48,000.00 credits each, and two are guaranteed to spawn on each ship for a total of $96,000.00 credits if both are salvaged. The first will spawn directly above the interior airlock door, while the second will spawn somewhere on the walls of the cockpit.

### Power Junction Box

The power junction box is an electrical item worth $34,500.00 credits each. Two are guaranteed to spawn for a total worth of $69,000.00 credits, one next to the interior airlock door and one on the cockpit walls. However, there is a possibility for more to spawn in the engineering section.

## Related Stickers

* Mackerels can be salvaged to earn the Ichthyologist sticker, but very low-Grade ships will not be valuable enough to meet the requirement of 2.5 million Credits salvaged.
* Non-Exolab Mackerels almost always spawn with at least two Nacelles, and sometimes with four. Combined with their ease of salvage, they are a good ship class to salvage to make progress on earning Got It, Boss stickers. Note that a Twin Nacelle only counts as one Nacelle for the purposes of sticker progress.
* Exolabs are the only ship to feature Electric Cabling, required for the Zapped sticker.
* Heavy Cargo Mackerels are the only ship which can spawn with Asteroid Shards, required for the Story of the Cosmos Collector sticker.

## Trivia

* The Mackerel's name came from the procedural spawning method used to generate chunks of ship early in the game's development; the developers thought the ship chunks looked like maki rolls, which became Mackerel.
* In the original Early Access release, Weaver stated the entire Mackerel class, totaling some several thousand vessels became obsolete overnight when LYNX Rail upgraded their Rail Gates. This might have been a cynical business move on LYNX's part in order for their Salvage division to buy the ships cheaply and subsequently profit from their salvage. The current dialogue instead suggests that only older Mackerels are affected by this change, with newer ships still in service.

## Known Issues

* Hydroponics Cabinets salvaged from Light Cargo Mackerels are sometimes not properly counted towards Salvage progress.
* Exolab Mackerels can spawn with Communications Arrays clipping into Solar Sails, making them impossible to salvage safely.

## Gallery

* A Heavy Cargo Mackerel in the Salvage Bay.
* The Engineering section in a Mackerel Exolab, with extra Power Cells and Junction Boxes.
* A Mackerel burning after a failed decompression attempt.
* A Mackerel destroyed by a reactor meltdown.