Compartment D1 is the unpressurized cargo bay of the Daedalus. It is dominated by the distinctive forward access hatch, port and starboard bay doors, landing gear wells, and a cargo lift that can be reconfigured for use as a cargo ramp. Both configurations are shown in the story, though the switch between the two happens offscreen – the lift configuration is shown in chapter eight of The Dualist and the ramp configuration features prominently in chapter four of Transitional Voices.

Development Notes: The ramp, in its lift configuration, was the first interior component of the Daedalus to be built, at the end of The Dualist. The cargo bay itself was modeled much later, for chapter three of Transitional Voices. The ramp configuration was the first bit of the compartment to be worked out; the rest of the interior was designed specifically to service the storyline. After the bridge the cargo bay is the environment that’s the most constrained by the design of the ship – the nose, side, ventral, and internal cargo elevator hatches had to be built to fit the ship model and Compartment A5 precisely. This simplified the design process considerably – a shape that fit all the holes and no-go zones was roughed out, and some detail geometry, lighting, and a lot of texturing was added to make the space look old, tired, and well-worn.