Shield (Classic Journeys Era)

There are two kinds of shields found on starships within the OtherSpace universe: deflector and absorption. OS's space system provides a cursory explanation of these two protective devices, which will be detailed further here.

Deflector
Deflector shields work by producing a semi-permeable shielding layer around the ship. This device protects a vessel from impacts by incoming particles through gravity manipulation. Although deflector shields are sometimes colloquially referred to as magnetic shields, there is no relationship because deflector shields exert influences on nonpolar objects.

Using the same technique employed by artificial gravity generators (direct manipulation of graviton particles), the deflector array demands a network of graviton generators spread through the superstructure and concealed underneath the hull. These generators influence the space within close proximity of the ship by slowing down incoming projectiles and ultimately repelling them.

The deflector shield will deflect all damage up to its strength value. The graviton is one of the weakest exchange particles, because gravity is the weakest force. With this said, inbound particles are stopped gradually instead of exacting a brute force repulsive force. It is this quirk that allows particles moving above a certain velocity threshold to strike the hull.

Lasers are affected also because of the relative movement of the gravitons. They exert a very minute influence on photons because photons have negligable mass. Instead, gravitons interefere with the photons of a laser beam on the subatomic level. They collide and thus deflect the constituents of the beam.

Because deflector shielding is indiscriminate, they must be lowered to allow entry or disgorging of docked spacecraft.

Deflector shields can be raised and lowered quickly and never need to recharge. The overall density and cohesion of the gravitons are kept constant at all times. Its composition is unaffected if an incoming particle does manage to penetrate.

Deflector shields tax the vessel's powerplant more than its absorption counterparts. It is practicable because its level of protection is constant despite the amount of punishment that it's taken in the past. Unlike absorption shields, deflector shields can continue to overcome incoming particles indefinitely.

Economically speaking, deflector shields are also more taxing on the wallet because of its mechanism. The more frugal deflection levels rate at a little over 50,000cr.

Absorption
The absorption shield uses the power of cold plasma to dissipate hostile particles that venture within its range of effect. When power is initially supplied to the absorption shield, the shield generator slowly begins to form a protective layer, the absorption shield. Vents installed strategically through the ship's exterior excrete helium-based plasma when the absorption shield is activated. Electromagnets keep the plasma from escaping and an electric charge prevents the plasma from reconstituting into inert helium.

Through the Laroussi process, helium is converted into plasma by the installed shield generator and then shunted through a series of vents to the exterior.

Swirling in and around one another, a plasma’s charged particles interact constantly, giving rise to localized attractions or repulsions. External energy splashing against the plasma, say from a laser beam, could be caught up within the plasma’s complex electromagnetic fields to be dissipated completely space.

Projectiles are defeated through the plasma's sheer density.

When an absorption shield is hit by an object or blast, it weakens. The shield regenerators will slowly begin to regenerate the shield. The shield loses effectiveness when its strength reduces to 0, at which point any objects or blasts pierce the shield to the underlying hull. The weakest absorption shield can take more damage than even the most powerful deflector shield, for the first shot only. Unlike the deflector shield, an absorption shield does not exact constant projection. Plasma around a point of impact is reduced, and without recharging, will eventually become ineffectual.

What They Look Like
Deflector shields cannot be directly observed because its gravitons are massless and invisible. Its presence can be indirectly determined by, say, throwing a rock at the ship and seeing if it impacts. There are no secondary effects even if a projectile manages to bypass the deflector shield.

An absorption-shielded spacecraft is said to be encompassed by a bluish, transluscent layer. These monochromatic emissions are the byproduct of the plasma. When a laser blast or projectile slams against the absorption shield, waves propagate from the point of impact, like a stone thrown into a still pond.

Thanks to Gadget for this information.