The Quadrant Archive
TRANSPORTATION IN THE QUADRANT: The following terms describe the types
of transportation used by enfranchised inhabitants of The Quadrant. Choose
any link to take you to a description, or simply scroll down the page.
LINKS: SpeedTube/z, AirSkimmer
("SkimmerKab," or "Skimmer"), JetBoat/z,
Pedway/s, HydroLift/s.
Speed Tube/z: The
subway system running under, and serving, all Boards of The Quadrant. Twelve
tubes (30 degrees apart) radiate out from a central "Hub" (Krania
Station) directly under the massive Krania tower rising up out of the exact
center of The Quadrant. Each "Tube" accomodates a magnetic powered
train which can carry several hundred people per trip, from Krania out to
the furthest station on Recon 5, once every hour (12 trips out and 12 trips
back every 24 hour period). Each train stops at a QSU or other "station"
on every Board to let off or take on passengers. The trains also carry foodstuffs
and other goods which are delivered on a regular basis to all QSU stations
throughout The Quadrant. To TOP of Page
AirSkimmer ("SkimmerKab," or "Skimmer"): An aircraft
which operates by means of a magnetic field differential engine using existing
Quadrant power systems field emissions to power and articulate flight speed
and maneuvers. Though it normally cruises at approximately 500 kilometers
per hour, a skimmer is capable of speeds up to 1,000 kilometers per hour,
and (when necessary) can reach the Outer Boardz from Krania in a matter
of minutes. Most models carry up to 4 people and a pilot (5 people total).
Though All Boardz supply ample skimmer ports and various skimmer landing
areas, the craft can take off and land in areas as small as 50 square meters.
Out of a total of 500 Skimmers, approximately 300 are used by Quadrant officials
and Security Enforcement Units attached to the QSU's throughout the Quadrant.
Close to 100 are licensed by QuadOps to private Kab companies or "Kabbies,"
who ferry VIP's (and others who can afford the fare) around the Quadrant,
and the rest are owned and operated by various "Privates," who
have the quadits to support this means of conveyance. To TOP
of Page
JetBoat/z: Waterkraft of
various sizes used mostly by Privates for crossing or cruising "The
Lake" (the body of water between Conzec Board and Krania). The largest
plezhurrKraft can carry up to 25 people and cruise at 40 kilometers per
hour. Some smaller, and faster boatz (carrying 2 to 6 people), are capable
of reaching speeds of over 80 kph. To TOP of
Page
Pedway/s: Essentially, "moving
streets," magnetically powered, approximately 8 meters wide. 2 per
set, the pedways move at approximately 7 kilometers per hour in opposite
directions, making it easy for enfranchised inhabitants to "jump"
on or off (to adjacent sidewalks) at whatever point they wish for most local
destinations on the Boardz. Unfortunately, for many on the Outer Boardz,
the pedways are poorly maintained and often do not function properly or
at all. To TOP of Page
HydroLift/s: Very large
elevators tied into the central Quadrant distribution "Hub" directly
under Krania Station, one level below the Speedtube system. These mammoth
machines -- contained in one enormous shaft (5 kilometers deep) are the
chief means of getting down to and back from Downshaft.
Eight personnel Hydrolifts, each capable of carrying approximately 80 people
are deployed in one part of the giant shaft, but the greater part houses
4 huge lifts (each with many thousands of square meters of cargo space available)
which are used for transporting foodstuffs and other goods grown and/or
manufactured in Downshaft up to the Boardz of The Quadrant. The lifts carry
food and screen assemblies, exported "upshaft" to the Boardz,
and take hard waste back down on the return trip to be treated in the infamous
Downshaft recycling Pitz (where Disconz and Anteeks work long hours burning
and chemically treating waste to render it inert and useable for other purposes).
To TOP of Page