The USS Minnow.
crap. I gotta keep this [censored] condensed and to the point, huh? crap-darned-crap.
Right. Uuh, for anyone who wants the un-condensed version, it's in the link.
The Minnow, as a whole, comprises of more than ujst the USS Minnow herself. It's just that she's the biggest by far in the fleet, with the other ships "docked" along each side. I say "docked" as in permanently welded into place with supporting steel columns and are now out-riggers for the Minnow in the middle than the ships they once were, with two ships on either side, and a fifth, that can still theoretically detach and sail under it's own steam.
The Minnow is a super freighter, fusion reactor powered, and propelled by multiple azipod electrical engines and and variable pitch screws. It's nearly a kilometer long, and eighty meters at the beam. Because of it's size -or thanks to it, the Minnow has numerous types of cargo holds. Forward against the bow is liquid bulk, like an oil tanker. Behind that a huge hopper for -dry- bulk cargo transport. Then come three rectangular cargo holds for pellet loaded mixed goods, with cranes on either side. Then finally before the bridge-house super structure comes the cargo hold for shipping containers -since they don't play the same dominating role as in our world. Then the bridge house and behind that the aft deck, with a smaller aft cargo hold, which mainly serves as access to the engine room and reactor if and when needed.
The further away you get from the bridge house, they less civilized the ship becomes.
Each of the satellite ships has an ethnic origin, that in some cases is enforced. The ships aft are the Asian Princess and the Caribbean Star, respectively on the port and starboard side. In front of those are the Crymean Princess and the African Star, also with the former on the port side, the latter to the starboard side. The fifth ship, the Flying Dutchman, is wedged in between the Caribbean and The African Star on starboard side.
the law on the ships is governed by a number of 'agencies', who are often at odds about things like jurisdiction, and force of response. The main ones are:
Minnow
Ship's Security. Deals only with external threats to the Minnow foremost, the other ships secondarily.
Ship's Marshals. Deal with finding anyone needing finding, and bringing them -alive!!- before the skipper. They have the full run of all the ships, and really well trained. Only sidelings will they keep the peace, if they can be bothered.
Federal Boat Investigation. They figure out usually who the Marshals have to get, if the marshals haven't figured it out already.
Relations: The Feds think the marshal service are a bunch of reckless cowboys, and the marshals think all feds are idiots. Morons at best. And both think of the ships security as a bunch of glory boy fascists. Ships security doesn't have an opinion, they have big guns.
Port Inspection and Seizure Squad. They monitor all cargo to and from the ship, and collect the levey's -basically, they're door-to-door IRS meets highway patrol. And they're all officers, it says so on the back of their snazzy wind breakers.
P.I.S.S.
off.like that.
Real security and keeping the peace is in hands of the gangs, or whatever you can afford in the way of muscle.
Other ships.
They all have similar set ups as the Minnow, although there are differences. The Flying Dutchman employs regulators, much in like the dc wasteland, and are general purpose peacekeepers on board, as well as specialized small anti insurgency teams who deal with external threats.
Gangs are everywhere, and without them, the ship board economy would grind to a halt. Some are ship based, some have their own armed gunboats and salvage barges.
The Minnow has three vertical lift aircraft, housed in the forward hangar on the bow of the ship.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/old_andy/theflyingdutchman.jpg
'kay, that's enough