Tardis

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TARDIS
The acronym TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. As the name suggests, it is more than a time machine. The TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in space-time: to any planet in the universe and to any time in its history. One of the ways the TARDIS differs from normal spacecraft is in the method of travel. Whereas most craft travel inthe normal universe, the TARDIS travels through the space-time vortex, a turbulent esoteric world where time and space are one. To an outside observer when the TARDIS starts its journey it simply vanishes. It has, in fact, made a jump to another dimension, the space-time vortex, and it will travel to its destination from there. The actual method of `steering' is by entering a coordinate whichallows the ship's computers to formulate a flight-path for the destination.
The TARDIS is in essence a time-machine, or more accurately, a time-space machine. The ability to time travel -- temporal displacement -- is what makes the TARDIS supreme. Other ships can travel through space, or even hyperspace, but few can rival the TARDIS's mastery of the dual dimensions of time and space.
One importantattribute of the ship's design is that one pilot alone can successfully operate the craft. Indeed, many functions and controls require a single pilot. Although it is often beneficial to have a small crew who may help with minor tasks, the controls have been set-up such that one operator alone will be able to efficiently control the ship.
There exists within each Time Lord an artificiallyengineered gene named the Rassilon Imprimature. The gene is named after Rassilon, the founder of the Time Lords, who first created the Imprimature. The TARDIS priming sequence will only begin once this gene has been detected; this is one of the TARDIS' security features. The process of identification is detailed in section .
Once the pilot has been identified a `bond' is set up between the TARDIS andthe pilot. One of the immediate consequences is that the pilot has the option to be the only person permitted to control the TARDIS. This is known as the isomorphic control mode, and if anybody else attempts to control the TARDIS without the pilot's consent, the controls will simply not respond.
The TARDIS is piloted and controlled via a sloping topped hexagonal control console, which has sixtrapezoidal panels, each of which has a name: the dematerialisation panel, the master control panel, the exterior monitor panel, the navigational control panel, the auxiliary systems panel and the informational controls panel. Each panel's controls deal mainly with one aspect of the ship's operation, which relates to the panel's name. Located at the centre of the control console is the time rotor.This is a transparent cylindrical column containing various instruments. It rises and falls during each flight providing a visual indication on the thrust of the power drive. Above the control console is the power octagon, a large device that can be lifted out of view if desired. The power octagon is the TARDIS's link with its power sources, and has several uses, the most obvious being the mainsource of illumination for the control room. Behind the control console is the scanner, a screen offering a view of the landscape outside the TARDIS, showing images from the real world.
The ship has a sizeable interior and features many storage areas and dormitories: rooms which transcend the exterior boundaries of the TARDIS, the result of the interior existing in one dimension and the exteriorexisting in another -- the real world, the universe as we know it. Among the many rooms inside the ship is a wardrobe room where, supplied free, is a fine selection of clothing to suit many different times and places.
Due to the complexity and design of the computer systems, it can be said that the TARDIS is alive in an empathic fashion. One of the major factors which creates the sentience is the...