The Limiting Factor was a demilitarised Murderer-class General Offensive Unit (GOU) of The Culture. The ship was awoken in order to transport Jernau Morat Gurgeh to the GSV Little Rascal and then on to the Empire of Azad to take part in the game of Azad.[2]
Description[]
External[]
The Limiting Factor measured 1/3 km in length. It was sleek and simple looking with a pointed nose. It had 3 blisters, containing Effectors, towards its nose and 5 blisters around its waist, 3 of which contained Azad game board and the other 2 containing a module hangar and a swimming pool respectively. Its rear was blunt and flat.[2]
Interior[]
There was a central corridor inside the ship that was 100m long leading from its nose, where Gurgeh's cabin was, to the waist where the corridor split 5 ways to each of the blisters along its waist. Gurgeh described its interior as being more akin to a single solid chunk of rock or metal as opposed to the habitable style of the civilianised craft he was used to. It only had a few corridors and hollowed out spaces fit for human habitation.[3] As with all Culture ships it possessed no flight deck.
Personality[]
The ship was not very conversational. It was described as "likeable but not in any way brilliant".[3]
The ship operated a small cuboid remote-drone that was not considered particularly good company by Gurgeh. It was forced to play dumb when members of the Azad empire were allowed on board.
History[]
The Limiting Factor was constructed 716 years before the events of The Player of Games in the closing stages of the Idiran-Culture War and was one of the last Murderer Class ROUs constructed, being number 50017. While it had seen active service in the war, it was never in any danger and had never used its effectors in anger.[3]
The Player of Games[]
The Limiting Factor was awoken at the start of the story and tasked with transporting Gurgeh to the GSV Little Rascal and then on to the Empire of Azad. During this journey the ship acted as Gurgeh's opponent as he learned the game of Azad. On the 101st day of the journey the Limiting Factor rendezvoused with the River Class Superlifter Kiss My Ass which entered its field enclosure to help accelerate it to match the speed of the Little Rascal. The ship then docked with the Little Rascal to continue its journey to the Empire of Azad.
The ship later left the Little Rascal, assisted by the Superlifter Prime Mover, to complete its journey. It was met by 2 Battlecruisers from the Empire when it was 5 days out from Eä, the prime planet of the Empire. Once the Limiting Factor arrived at Eä the module carrying Gurgeh left it for the planet and it left the system as the Empire did not want a warship near the planet.