(From last week continues an overview of a new spin on an old solution - starship construction and fleet propagation.)

Built to be torn apart atom by atom, at launch the seedshuttle has no superfluous motion control of its own. Reaction control thrust is achieved via eight embedded workbees that detach - two fore and six aft - once the mothership clears. Nestled inside the engine-like sidepods are pre-assembled Jefferies Tubes for final placement into the warp nacelle struts. The outer shells of the sidepods are disassembled to release pre-formed panels which bees assemble into a U-shaped gallery - the observation gallery of the new starship!

At this point deck growers assume the primary role in construction. Bulky progeny of thruster-type backpacks and nanomanufacturing, human-piloted deck growers extrude nanotube filaments both as structure and functional conduits (water, electricity, whatnot). A freebie of nanotube manufacture is their superior field-emission properties - holodecks, holowalls, holoframes - all are ubiquitous on this class vessel.

It doesn't have to look like Kirk's Enterprise - a seedshuttle could be assembled pretty much along any proper lines. Yet Connie has withstood several generations' worth of criticism and remains (warp engines notwithstanding) a spaceworthy design. Detailed, workable deckplans were already available, thank you Franz Joseph Schnaubelt.

And frankly if any shape can be chosen, why not?

Only those components so sophisticated that scratch replication becomes unfeasible are pre-loaded. Examples of these elements would be transporter pads, sophisticated computer components, the initial fabrication facilities themselves, etc. Four turboelevators are supplied as the original set or, should unforeseen emergency arise, as lifeboats (like all PVN turboelevators).

The remainder, pre-loaded only as atomic cladding, is chosen to feature common atoms. (The cost of gold isn't an issue, the weight is! Only 200 metric tons of it are stowed initially.) Fissionable and heavier materials and small amounts of antimatter are generated and stored with a onboard reactor. This unit doubles as kitchen sink, containing a stocked microgalley.

The clearest drawback is energy consumption. PVN makes the claim of eutactic construction (which as of 02 AS remains physically viable) but handwaves at the potentially enormous energy demands. Batteries brought along to kickstart construction are large but do have finite capacity. There's little room for slop in the initial energy calculations!

Hence the first major milestone in ship development is to complete the engineering facilities on the upper deck in the secondary hull, including its two fusion reactors and computer facilities. Once in place the ship sustains its own energy needs and the depleted batteries can be recharged.