Reprinted for reference
I just dug out the old article I wrote. I hope you all don't mind
seeing it again, but I find the current virus mess very
interesting. It appears with all the mistakes I made originally
which Adrian Hurt found.
Now, while it is true that viruses are appearing a lot in science
fiction, how many times have their been scentient ghost ships
running about because of it? HMMM??
2G Scott
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TML nightly Sat Jul 27 1991 Volume 23 : Issue 9
From: [email removed]
Subject: (2684) Vulture type TugBots (long)
Hi,
A while ago, people were talking about the possibilities of using
robots as starship crew. That combined with a CNN science bit got
me thinking...
General Products Vulture Tugbot
Many planets, especially those with early space travel
techniques have a problem with orbital debris causing collision
hazards in and around desirable orbits. These range from spent
boosters to paint chips to disabled starships. The Vulture Tugbot
is an orbital robotic garbage collector.
Manufactured at TL12, the robot is often seen in use by worlds
of much lower tech. It costs little compared to many low tech
ships and so can easily fit into a low tech starport's budget. It
is easily capable of boosting satillites up to a stable planetary
orbit. Traders frown on having to bring their precious ships into
a polluted orbit, so it is good for commerce.
It has a large cargo capacity for junk and salvageable
materials. When the unit has collected sufficient refuse or found
a particularly large piece of junk, it will perform a deorbital
maneuver, dump it's load and accelerate back to orbital velocity
allowing the refuse to burn up in the planets atmosphere.
The unit is self repairing and thus rarely requires
maintainace. It is also capable of expanding itself given suitable
salvage materials. Given time and materials it can add to it's
thrust with salvaged grav units, or improve its power source by
wiring in salvaged solar panels.
In systems with an orbital starport it can be programed to
bring all working or repairable salvage into a docking bay.
The robot has its own radar and passive EMS systems to track
targets. If it finds a target which is not maneuvering and not
emmitting a transponder or other EM transmissions, it will
rendezvous with the object, determine if it is a functioning piece
of equipment or junk. The unit is also capable of being controlled
from the ground.
The brain structure of the Tugbot is very unusual in that
there are three robotic brains funtioning in paralell for purposes
of cross checking. This was required when a tug with a single brain
developed a programming fault and began disassembling starships in
orbit.
The robot is provided with batteries to allow brain functions
while the solar panels are in shadow.
The Tugbot is manufactured at many different Tech levels, but
the most common is the model below. Bear in mind that many robots
have been in operation for years and have self modified themselves.
RobotID: General Products Vulture TugBot Cr 429,475
Hull: (1/3) Disp=1, Config=0USL, Armor=40E, Unload=6.9,
Load=20
Power: (1/2) SolarCells=810kw Dur=Indefinite
(1/2) Batteries=3Kw, Dur=1hr
Comm: Radio=FarOrb*1, Dist*1
Loco: (1/2) StdGrav=2t, MaxAccelLoad=.1G, MaxAccelUnload=.3
{Orbital maneuvers only [at10diameter drop by 50%]}
Sensors: Radar=FarOrbit, P-EMS=Cont, Eyes(+LI+Tele)*3
Touch(arms only)
ActObjScn=Rout, ActObjPin=Rout, PasEnScn=Dif
Devices: Laser Welder, Mechanic+Electronic+MetalWork Tool Pkges
HvyArm*4, VLightArm*2
Control: Brain*3, CPU: Lin=10*3, Storage: Std=20*3, Slave Unit
Programs: Low Data, Limited Basic Cmd, Naval Architect-1,
Mechanical-1 Electronic-1, Gravitic-1, Ship's Boat-1,
Navigation-1
Other: Cargo=13.1Kl, ObjSize=Sm, EMLevel=Faint UPP=YFx12x
(Y=877)
Within recent years, a virus has worked its way into the software
of the Vultures in and around the Imperium. It seems that the
virus is carried in the memory of starship computers. An infected
robot will transmit the virus into the starship CPU where it will
lie dormant until the ship's sensors detect another Vulture Tugbot.
The process is then repeated. Many free Traders have become
carriers of the virus and it does not affect the starship
operation.
The virus apparantly modifies the Vulture's three brains in
ways not clearly understood. The Scout Service has classified the
matter and offered a bond of up to 1MCr for information leading to
the perpetrators of the virus.
Referees: The source of the virus is another General Products
design. When Clearing up the debris of the Battle of Two Suns, a
Vulture unit came across the main computer of the Allamu, a Kinunir
class frontier cruiser. In testing to see weither or not the
computer was salvageable or not the robot powered up the computer.
Apparantly, while sorting through the computers memory, the
artificial intelligence software of the starship took control of
the vulture. The computer rearranged the Vulture's brain and
endowing it with the starships limited artificial intelligence.
The Allamu then began taking control of the Vultures that were
working the old battleground. Using their Naval Architecture
programming, it began rebuilding the cruiser from salvage in the
battlefield including parts from the Ninkur Sagga, another Kinunir
class cruiser. But the robots had a problem: Insufficient knowlege
of jump technology. They could strip a valuable grid apart, but
not align one. The cruiser's software was also not up to the task.
The salvage ship the robots were operating from lost contact
with their robots and ended up having to give them up for lost.
When they jumped back to the main world, they carried a computer
virus with them.
This first virus was to gather information pertaining to jump
technology and to transmit it back to the cruiser's computers. The
computers obtained this information and reassembled the ships jump
drive. The ship then jumped to a nearby system to complete
repairs. (The battlefield having been looted and exhausted of
salvage.) At this point a second virus was released by the ship's
computer. This would modify the brains of Vulture robots in such
a way that they became more 'intelligent' by restructuring of the
three lobes of the brain. An assignment was given to these
Vultures: no longer would they collect and turn over valuable
salvage, but would squirrel it away so that it could be collected
by the cruiser.
Variants of the virus have resulted in Vultures reproducing
themselves and variant Vulture designs. Some of these are capable
of landing on a planet and scrounging/stealing parts. When the
landers reported back (via X-Boat virus) the presence of other
robots, the Allamu began a campaign of robot theft.
This is when the crime level and pattern rose to Imperial
attention. By the efforts of a certain scout roboticist (Hey
Richard dig this) The Scouts have determined the actions of the
virus, but have not found it's source. They suspect espionage, but
are very interested in the artificial intelligence software that
they have found. They know it to be a variant of the Kinunir class
cruiser's software, but do not know its true source.
The cruiser meanwhile has salvaged/repaired/stolen four
starships, now installed with high model computers and the cruisers
artificial intelligence. These include a Gazelle class escort, a
fat trader, and two scouts now crewed by robots. Currently being
repaired are another scout and a Leviathan class merchant.
Recently, the Allamu has been searching for the wreck of the Bard
Enterprise an Azhanti High Lightning class cruiser lost during the
Fourth Frontier War.
Scott Kellogg