Engineering Deck

The Engineering Deck was the section at the stern of the USG Ishimura where engineers worked to keep the ship's vital systems running. It was the home of the great engines, the refueling stations, the ShockPoint Drive and the Gravity Centrifuge, the machinery that allowed the planet cracker to travel between systems and hold its position over a world. Darker and more industrial than the rest of the ship, it was a place of pipes, conduits and exposed circuitry, open only to the most senior engineers, and during the 2508 Necromorph outbreak it became one of the most dangerous parts of the vessel.

Function and layout#

The Engineering Deck sat at the back of the Ishimura and handled the repair and refueling of the engines as well as the operation of the ship's heaviest systems. It contained the ShockPoint Drive and the Gravity Centrifuge along with the nav rockets, and the ship as a whole had a lifting capacity of 525 trillion kilograms. The area was notable for being very dangerous, and only Class 5 Engineers were allowed entry. Unlike the cleaner sections of the ship such as the Bridge and the Medical Deck, it was dark and industrial, its walls covered in pipes, conduits and exposed circuitry.

Like all sections of the ship it had its own Tram Station, a sheltered glass waiting space furnished with seats, which it shared with the Mining Deck Tram Station so that the ship's computer warned passengers to check their stop before leaving the tram. The Control Room held all the deck's primary systems and oversaw their functions, with the accident sign mounted above the workplace as a reminder of the risks. It also contained a service elevator at the back that led to a cargo lift connected to the exterior of the ship and the Flight Deck.

Beyond the Control Room lay the Machine Shop and an adjoining Calibration Room that held the tools and equipment needed for engineering work. The Refueling Stations occupied a large and very dark open area split into north and south sections by a gondola, set high above the floor and feeding fuel to the engines. A Decontamination Room cleansed workers of bacteria and debris to protect the sensitive Gravity Centrifuge, which sat in a chamber of its own.

The Gravity Centrifuge and the engines#

The Gravity Centrifuge was the deck's signature machine, a device that held the Ishimura in high orbit over a planet. Powered by two clutches, it moved in a circular motion, and anyone or anything caught in its path was killed instantly. Once activated, it turned the entire chamber into a vacuum, making it one of the deadliest spaces aboard the ship even in ordinary operation.

The Engine Room contained the ship's immense engines and their control terminal, with small stations holding tools and interface equipment scattered throughout. A holographic control panel activated and moderated the power of the primary engine and drive shaft. The engines exerted enough suction to lift loose objects into the air, and the heat from their fires left the room extremely dry and hot.

During the outbreak#

When the Necromorph infection spread through the ship, the Engineering Deck became one of its most hazardous battlegrounds. The three-story Fuel Storage warehouse, where the fuel for the engines was kept, was completely taken over by the Corruption, the necrotic growth that acted as a habitat changer for the Necromorphs, blocking elevators and paths and altering the place entirely. Screams and sounds of struggle were heard within the storage area, suggesting that survivors remained trapped on the deck longer than expected.

Isaac Clarke found the deck's fueling stations and centrifuge offline when he reached it and had to restore them as he worked through the ship. The Engineering Deck remained a recurring trouble spot in the Ishimura's later history, and the Gravity Centrifuge had to be brought back online once more during a return to the derelict ship years after the original disaster.