Mechanics - The Rope Chapters

Much like Melville liked to write in vivid detail about how rope is made. I too like the nuanced details of how starships work.

Reactors: Starship reactors work by essentially creating micro-stars. Fusion reactors collide hydrogen atoms in very small quantities under controlled conditions to create the light and heat needed to power the ship.

Reactor Vessels: The vessel is a sphere with alternating solar and repulsor panels. The energy is collected in the solar panels, and is converted into electricity for the various ship's systems to be used. Some panels have been altered (around 2%) to tap plasma directly from the reactor, and is channeled into weapons systems, or the Alter-space drive. The repulsor panels, serve to restrict the fusion process and prevent the reactor from consuming the entire vessel. Many times, this repulsor system is the point of failure in combat that causes a ship to explode, and take just about anything in or around it, out with it.

The electrical current is then fed into several electrical buses, that in turn, power the various components connected to them. To provide standardization (and thus reduce the training required for new personnel), these buses have been homogenized across the entire Confederate fleet.
Bus A: Powers life-support, including oxygen generators, artificial gravity generators, lights, and HVAC systems.

Bus B: Powers sensors, computers as well as communications. This bus consumes the least of amount of power.

Bus C: Engineering systems, including main propulsion and reaction control thrusters (RCTs). The Alter-Space drive is not included on this bus.

Bus D: This bus is solely for powering the Alter-Space drive and all associated systems.

Bus E: This bus power defensive systems such as the main shield generator, and structural shielding, including any launch bay shields the ship may require to operate.

Bus F: Used to power weapons, as well as any electronic counter-measures (ECM) or electronic counter-counter measures (ECCM).

Bus G: Is a spare bus, used for various utilities or as an auxiliary bus for any system that has been disconnected from it's primary bus.