Introduction

Located at the southern (aft) end of engineering in space is the Singularity Engine; a radiation-pulsing, self-contained, miniature black hole - and if you're an engineer, it's your job to activate and maintain it. If you're a traitor, it's a handy body disposal point!

It's really not that hard to set up the singularity properly unless you've had a bad run in with retardation. This guide will assume that you're doing it alone, whether because you're the only engineer that signed up, or because everyone else buggered off like they always do.

The power for the station comes from SMESs that store and distribute electricity generated by plasma-powered Radiation Collectors. The radiation they collect is emitted from the singularity. The singularity is created by a Particle Accelerator focusing excited (or sometimes only mildly amused) particles onto a singularity generator. The singularity springs forth from the singularity generator, located in a pocket space just aft of Engineering, and devours anything in its path. Luckily, the singularity is held in place by stasis Field Generators which are powered by laser-firing Emitters. Unluckily, the singularity is close enough to Engineering to overload radio headsets, to spew out EMPs that cause airlocks to open randomly, to cause anyone nearby to go blind if they're not wearing proper equipment, to start fires, and a good number of other unexpected events.

But before you can harness the power of the singularity, you need to power all the equipment to contain it. When the shift starts, the station is solely dependent on residual power stored in the SMESs. The solars' SMESs are drained quickly, and the singlo's SMESs will drain soon afterward. If the singlo's SMESs run dry before the singlo is powering the station, the Field Generators and Particle Accelerator will shut down, causing all sorts of ~~fun~~ havoc.

Does it sound unnecessarily complex, extremely dangerous, and outrageously time-sensitive? That's because it is. Luckily, Nanotransen has been steadily dumbing down the process needed to create a backyard singularity to the point where a monkey could do it... if it knew what buttons to push and could breathe spess air. And until they can, you will have to do instead.

Before You Start

The engine is housed inside the station, just south of where you begin off at round start. You'll need some tools to set it up, all of which you can conveniently acquire right in Engineering. You will need:

Wrench.
Some wires.
Screwdriver.
6 Plasma Tanks, these are located in the Power Storage Room. You can obtain them from the dispenser next to the power monitoring terminal or from Atmospherics.
Optical Meson Scanner, this is to protect you from stunning if you look at the active singularity.
Set of internals.
Hardsuit.

Now that you have your supplies, it's time to get to work! Note that the steps below can be done in any order as you like, as long as you turn the Particle Accelerator on last.

How To Set Up The Singularity

Quick Guide

If you know the basics and need a quick refresher this is a quick guide that goes over the main points in the recommended order.

Put on mesons and a hardsuit.
Get secure storage open.
Grab 6 plasma tanks and fill from plasma canister.
Go outside move and wrench radiation collectors into place, while wrenching down loose tesla parts.
Put plasma tanks into collectors, turn them on and lock them.
Remove the Tesla generator and wrench Singularity generator.
Turn on the emitters and lock them.
Turn on the field generators.
Go back inside and put on a radiation suit.
Wrench, wire and screw the PA.
Turn PA on and set power to 2.
Let singulairty grow to Stage 2/3.
Lower power to 0, leave turned on and close shutters.
Set SMES input/output to 200,000/140,000.
Walk away and never look back.

In case of no power. (Optional)

No engineers or only lazy bastard engineers and none of them set up the engine? Fear not, follow these steps and you'll see how easy it is to jump-start the singularity even with 0 W power in the network.

Set up the PA and radiation collectors as below.
Find the P.A.C.M.A.N.-Type Portable Generator inside Engineering.
Find a red power wire anywhere inside Engineering and make a knotted wire on top of it.
Install the PACMAN on the knotted wire, load it with plasma sheets (found in the Engineering Secure Storage) and switch it on.
Switch the emitters on and they should now start firing! Switch the field generators on while you're out there, too.
Load a new full power cell to the Engineering APC so the PA gets power (set equipment on and everything else off to preserve power for now).
Switch the PA on and you're winner!

Configuring the APC. (Optional)

For rookie Engineers, it is recommended that the Engineering APC is re-configured before continuing. The APC handles the power distribution for a given room in the station. By modifying the APC controls, this will ensure the equipment needed to contain the singlo will be prioritzed and stay on for an extended duration while the engine is being set up. More experienced Engineers will not need to perform this unless an emergency arises.

Unlock the APC located in the room with the hardsuits. (Use ID/PDA on the APC)
Open the APC interface.
Set the Equipment from Auto to On.
Lock the APC.

Advanced Modifications. (Optional)

It is possible to wire the engines directly to the main power ring. A good spot to do this is to the west side of engineering, near the bolted airlock. Lift the floor tiles and run a wire from there out into the maintenance tunnel and link it to the wire running through there. This allows you to charge APCs directly if somebody disables the SMES in Engineering and keeps the station running in case of a powersink.

The downside to this is that when anyone accidentally gets shocked by an electric grille or an electrified door, they will receive severe damage. Only do this on rare occasions, or never!

Another interesting point is that the APC in engineering will not charge from its own SMES unless this modification is made. Meaning that when the collectors are turned off, containment fails pretty quickly. With this quick modification, this gives you time to notice and fix the problem.

If you added the maximum amount of plasma to the collectors, this modification can generate ~6,000 kW of power for the station. Enough to charge the 3 Engineering SMES and the 4 Solar SMES at 200 kW input. Therefore, run a tiny bit of wire from the maintenance tunnels to each solar SMES, and set them each of them to an input/output of 90,000/30,000. This will ensure massive amounts of power reserves (enough to last hours with the engine off).

It's also possible to hack the PA controller computer. See Here

Very old video guide. (2012)

This video will show you how to quickly set up the engine without assistance from other players. Even though it is very old and sprites, interfaces and parts have changed, it still can shine some light on how to do things if you're still lost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wEb1HlO7Oo

Inside Engineering:

1. Set up the Particle Accelerator

You can set up the Particle Accelerator now or wait until just before you need to turn it on.

Wrench each piece in place.
Wire all the pieces with a cable coil.
Use a screwdriver to close all the panels.
Click on the console and hit "Scan for parts" to link the console with the actual PA. This is your Particle Accelerator set up!

DO NOT turn the Particle Accelerator on yet or you will release the singularity, tearing up the entire station if you're unlucky.

Outside Engineering (Spaceproof Equipment Required):

2. Load the Radiation Collectors

The Radiation Collectors are located next to the containment field, three on each side. Plasma Tanks may be found in the Tank Storage Unit in the Power Storage Room or in Atmospherics' Office.

Move the collectors into place at the end of the wires at either side of the containment field.
Wrench them down.
Place one Plasma Tank in each collector array.
TURN THE ARRAYS ON BY CLICKING ON THEM with an empty hand.
Lock the arrays by clicking on them with your ID/PDA.

Do this for all six collectors, and you should be ready to continue.

(Optional):

The plasma tanks you get from the dispenser aren't full. Luckily, a canister of plasma is located in Engineering Secure Storage, behind the shutters in the Power Storage Room. You could ask the Chief Engineer to open the Engineering Secure Storage shutters from his office, or the AI to do so if the CE isn't present. You could also go bug Atmospherics for one of their canisters if neither is responding.

Load a Plasma Tank into the canister .
Increase valve pressure to maximum.
Verify the plasma tank is in the canister.
Set the canister from Closed to Open.
Wait a few seconds for the plasma tank to fill.
Set the canister from Open to Closed.
Eject the plasma tank.
Repeat with all plasma tanks.

This will cause the engines to generate a massive energy surplus, allowing you to set the SMES to maximum input, charging them very quickly. In fact, loading these boosted Plasma Tanks into the Radiation Collectors generates enough power to charge ALL of the station's SMES at the maximum input. You may also lock each Radiation Collector with your ID so that the AI cannot deactivate them remotely.

NOTE: While filling your plasma tanks, it is VITAL that you DO NOT open the valve when there isn't a tank attached and that you MAKE SURE TO CLOSE the valve before removing the tank. If you fail to do either of these, you will flood the room with plasma almost immediately and become the laughingstock of the crew.

3. Wrench down loose parts

Use a wrench to lock the tesla equipment down; even if we do not use it, if left loose it will bounce on the shield, which in turn will feed the singularity with sparks until it gets too big to contain.

4. Remove the tesla generator

Take out the tesla generator, so you don't activate it with the particle accelerator. Even if what usually happens is that the singularity will eat the tesla ball, it's always a good idea to prevent possible double loose engines.

5. Start the Emitters

Now that you've gotten everything ready, it's time to start the engine!

Run around the singularity area, and turn on the emitters by clicking on them.
Once they're all on, carefully make your way to the inner circle of the area, being sure not to cross in front of any of the Emitters, because you'll get hit by the laser and burned pretty bad.

It is highly recommended to lock each of the emitters by swiping your ID on them, after activating them. This will stop an AI, or anyone without Power-management access from deactivating the emitters.

6. Start the Field Generators

Now that the emitters are on, it's time to fire up the field generators.

Staying on the inside of the field activate the field generators in a circle.
Move out of the inner circle before turning on the last emitter.
Wait a few seconds to ensure all the generators activate and the field is fully enclosed

NOTE: Coming into contact with any of the field generator beams will pop your head like a midget in a microwave and hurl your corpse through the Engineering windows at terminal velocity. It's a good idea to start on one of the inner corners, and do the field generators closest to the windows first, so you don't have to worry about accidentally straying too close while the corner field generators are on. Gens often have a field of effect 1 tile on either side of the beams, so make sure you leave a clear zone around any active field generators, and don't linger too long when you turn them on.

STARTING THE ENGINE (back inside)

7. Fire it up!

Once the field generator beams form a box around the Gravitational Singularity Generator (the round thing in the middle) get back inside the station and head to the Particle Accelerator again.

The Particle Accelerator is used to feed the singularity and make it grow. The larger a singularity is, the more radiation it emits and consequently, the more power the collectors generate. Radiation, however, is very bad for humans, and will cause anything from mutations to fainting if you are not wearing protective clothing and eyewear nearby. As such, make sure to wear a Radiation Suit and some Optical Meson Scanners. An engineering hardsuit works in a pinch.

Close the radiation shutters with you inside.
Set the Particle Accelerator output to 2.
Turn the power on.
Wait until the singularity fills a 5x5 area (or 3x3 to be extra safe).
Set the Particle Accelerator output to 0, DO NOT TURN IT OFF.
Leave the room and close the radiation shutters behind you.



	Singularity 1x1 (Stage 1) Too small - Turn the PA to 2 until 5x5 obtained		Singularity 3x3 (Stage 2) Poor size - Safer, but 5x5 provides more power		Singularity 5x5 (Stage 3) Perfect size - Stop here		Singularity 7x7 (Stage 4) Too large - Turn off the PA temporarily		Singularity 9x9 (Stage 5) Too late - Call the emergency shuttle		Singularity 11x11 (Stage 6, Supermatter Charged Gravitational Singularity) Supermatter Crystal required to reach this stage, highest form of singularity.

8. Activate the SMES Cells

There are four SMESes located in the room at the far west end of Engineering. Do not ignore this room, or else the singularity will escape early and everyone will hate you, yes, YOU.

Make sure each of the SMESes are set to auto charge.
Set the input charge slightly higher than the output.
- An input/output charge of 200,000/140,000 each will charge the SMES extremely quickly, and ensure the station will always have enough power fed to it.
  - Note: To sustain this level of output, you'll need to have fully filled the plasma tanks from the cylinder in engineering secure storage, and will need to make sure the singularity stays at stage 3.
- Further detail can be found on the Guide to power
Watch them for a few minutes to make sure they continue charging.
- If one or all stops (the light will turn red instead of blinking yellow) adjust one or all a bit to make sure they're not trying to charge faster than the power input to them allows.

If you're still the only engineer, you may want to consider setting up the Solars to ensure a source of backup power if the engine becomes unusable.

Also, make sure the APC of the engine is charging, if it isn't, turn down the SMES charge settings AND make sure all the radiation collectors are online.

Maintaining the Singularity

Make sure you check back AT LEAST every 30 minutes to make sure that no one's been tampering with the singularity, preferably every 15 minutes and go through this quick checklist:

Emitters are on.
Field Generators are on.
Particle Accelerator's power is on and it's output is 0.
Radiation Collectors are on.
Radiation shutters are closed.
Engineering APC has power and is being recharged.

The singularity is the second most probable reason for a shuttle call, so you have a BIG responsibility of keeping the whole crew safe! Without any interference though, the singularity will behave nicely and be contained for at least two hours without any babysitting. But being the infamous supermassive blackhole, he's a huge star among the enemies of NanoTrasen who wish to completely obliterate the station.

Note: Sometimes the singularity will cause EMP pulses if something is close to it and exposed to its radiation. These pulses can cause weapons to misfire, radios go haywire, thermal goggles to blind people and even disable containment's emitters. Which is pretty bad. So keep an eye on it.

Maintaining the SMESs

In general, the SMESs don't need maintenance. However, there are a few times when they do need to be handled specially, namely during the following instances.

The SMESs are fully charged. They might as well be ramped up to full output. But it doesn't hurt to keep them at lower levels.

The Backup SMESs are charging. In this case, the SMESs will need to be ramped up to full output so that the Backups can charge faster.

The singularity has escaped. This one is iffy. The station still needs power so output needs to stay up, but if all the power is used before a new singularity can be set up, then the SMES output needs to be turned them down. This usually resolves itself when the command team calls the escape shuttle, or when the rampant singlo eats the SMESs on its way to Cargo.

The singularity has died due to lack of PA power. Reduce the output levels on the SMESs. In this case, the singlo can easily be set up again. The SMESs will need to power the Emitters in the containment field.

The AI is rogue. Cut all power. The AI's greatest ally is electricity. Take it away. Note that the APCs' batteries will still power the station for a bit.

There is a power sink on the ship. Ensure output levels are lower than input levels, but not completely off. This keeps the power sink from draining the SMESs. You can use some clever electrician tricks to find the power sink through the power lines as long as there is still output from the SMESs.

There is an off-chance that an enthusiastic RnD Scientist will want to upgrade the SMESs. If they do, you'll lose all that charge you've been saving up, so only upgrade one SMES at a time at most.

Maintaining the Containment Field

Maintaining the containment field is as easy as looking through the Singularity Engine Telescreen on the outer wall of the PA Room. There are only a few items that can go wrong:

The singlo is missing but the fields are intact. Report it immediately and then check the PA. The singlo may have died if it received no power from the PA. You may have to build a new singlo.

The singlo is missing but the fields aren't intact. Report it immediately, and check your immediate surroundings to see if there is anything amiss and react accordingly. If not, shut down the PA and figure out if a new singlo can be re-built.

The singlo is present and it's crazy huge! Report it immediately, and check the PA. This is not good, but you might have caught it before it got worse.

The singlo is present but there's a field missing. Report it immediately, turn off the PA to power down the singlo, and cross your fingers that it doesn't come your way.

The singlo is present and an Emitter isn't on. Report it immediately, turn off the PA to power down the singlo, and cross your fingers that it doesn't come your way.

The singlo is present and there is someone out there! Report it immediately. If the person is alive, they won't be soon. If the person is dead, they will stay that way. Don't try to retrieve them or you will die too.

The singlo is present and the containment field is intact. Repor— Wait. There's nothing wrong. Are you trying to trick me? Not cool, bro.

Maintaining the Particle Accelerator

Usually, you'll notice that something is wrong with containment before you notice something is wrong with the PA. Here are a few items to follow up with. Make sure to wear a Radiation Hood, a Radiation Suit, and Optical Meson Scanners before entering the PA Room.

The singlo is fricking huge! Turn off the PA for a bit to power down the singlo, checking its size periodically. Also, check to see if the PA's power level was higher than 0. This is almost always the culprit.

The singlo is fricking small! Increase the PA power level to 2 and wait until the singlo is back to Level 3 size. Then return the PA power level to 0, like you just set up the singlo before.

The singlo is fricking gone! Turn off the PA. You'll either have to set up a new singularity generator or evacuate the station.

The singlo is big, then small, then big, then small, then... Let me cut you off there. This is normal behavior for the singlo and should be ignored so long as it's not larger than Level 3.

Turning off the Engine

Occasionally, bad stuff happens. In fact, most of the time, bad stuff happens. Sometimes it is necessary to deactivate the engine as safely as possible because nobody can maintain it. Other times meteor showers and bombs endanger your containment machinery. Whatever the crisis, if you have followed the steps above it should be safe to simply turn the particle accelerator off. The engine will continue to generate power as the singularity starves and shrinks, so containment SHOULDN'T fail until the singularity is sufficiently small enough that it cannot move and pull stuff into it. However, the 1x1 baby singularity will take a long time to die completely, leaving it exposed to potential suicidals jumping into it, giving the singularity energy to expand again. (Cool fact: Engineers provide a singularity with a lot more energy than you'd expect).

Sometimes it's a good idea to charge the SMES quickly and then turn off the engine safely until you need power again.

If things have absolutely gone tits up, there's a rumor that the singularity will reduce in size by a few stages if it swallows a Bag of Holding. A full sized rampaging singularity would have to swallow two or more to be completely defeated.

Singularity Pro-Tips

Experienced Engineers pick jobs based on their starting location in Engineering. If they're right next to the PA, they're assemble it first. If they're close to storage, they'll grab a hardsuit and set up containment. If they're near the gas masks, they'll start working on the Radiation Collectors.
Engineers announce when they've completed any of the setup tasks so that other Engineers know that the singlo is not still waiting for it. In particular, it's good to announce when the containment field is ready since that task is only one requiring EVA.
Announce before starting up the PA. There might still be an Engineer performing EVA on the back side of the containment field that you can't see from the PA Room.
Announce again after the PA is stabilized. Sometimes the Engineer in the PA Room gets caught in front of the PA and can't turn down the power. If they collapse from the radiation, then pretty soon the unchecked singlo will grow so large that it will burst out of containment. If you don't announce that the PA is stable, someone might have the presence of mind to come check on you and save your butt and the station.
A good Engineer knows when they don't know something. Asking a team member or the CE how to do something is the best way to learn if they have time. If they don't, they'll usually take on the responsibility themselves. Even asking the HoP or Captain for help when there are few personnel on the ship isn't uncommon.
Most experienced Engineers don't touch the APC because they've developed a fast response time to anything involving power. The whole singularity engine can be set up in just a few minutes with a little practice. Also, it's entirely possible to forget to lock the APC after unlocking it. By not touching it in the first place, the APC is still secure.
Make obtaining a gas mask one of the first items you do. It's part of an Engineer's routine toolkit, and it's too often an Engineer leaks plasma into Engineering. Having a gas mask already handy is a great way to not succumb to the poisonous gas and be a hero when you start getting it cleaned up. Also, gas masks are typically much more useful than breath masks.
Using the O2 Canister to fill up your oxygen tank is also a good way to learn the proper way to fill up plasma tanks, but without all the danger associated with it.
The large-capacity emergency oxygen tank is a part of an Engineer's starting equipment, but not for other roles. And it's probably the best oxygen anyone can get. Take advantage of it by filling it up even if you don't plan to EVA.
There is a way to wind around the Emitters and Field Generators in a circular path without crossing any fields or active Emitters. Remember that Generators take a few seconds to prime and that Emitters can be activated by standing diagonally adjacent to them. Try turning on the Emitter after you've passed it rather than before passing it.
There's an unused fire extinguisher in the singularity area. Anyone who's wearing a hardsuit in spess knows how helpful these are, and no one is going to miss this one since it will get eaten by the singlo anyway.
If there's another team member working on the PA and you're doing the containment field, it might be a good idea to stay out of the way and go start solars. Make sure to ask first though. The other Engineer might not be setting up the singlo, or might wonder where you're going with on of Engineering's precious hardsuits.
Cable coils are useful when things go to hell and power lines get blown up as collateral damage. If you're putting together the PA, there's a pile of cable coils sitting nearby so that you don't have to use the ones in your toolbelt.
The SMESs technically don't have to be set before you start the PA. If you're by yourself, you may want to start the PA first, then run and set the SMESs, and then put on your radiation gear, and then run back and watch the singlo. If you're fast enough, it can all get done before the L1 singlo appears. However, this is a rare case when it's necessary to do it this way.
The input level on a charging SMES should always, always, always be higher than its output level. If the charging isn't higher than the output, eventually the SMES won't be able to output at all. See the Guide to power for a better understanding.

Troubleshooting

When should I re-configure the SMESs next?

Answer: If the singlo is running, and the SMESs are full or backups are charging, feel free to turn them up to maximum (200 kW) output. If the SMESs are not full and there are no backups, it's best to distribute the load evenly between the SMESs so that they can all charge at the same rate. If the singlo is not and will not be running soon, turn output to minimal levels to conserve power. It's also okay to reduce output when a power sink is active aboard the station.

Why is the singlo eating the station?

Answer: Either someone (not naming any names here) didn't turn on the containment field like they were supposed to; or someone (still not naming names) let the power ran dry in the station's SMESs and the Emitters turned off and the Field Generators died; or someone (fine, it's your fault) had the PA running above 0 for too long.
Action: Switch to solars for main power. Check to see if the singlo ate any important parts. If it didn't, set up the singularity engine again using the spare singularity generator in Engineering Secure Storage.

Why won't the Emitters turn on?

Answer: There's no power in the station SMESs; or they're not wired correctly.
Action: Check the singlo's SMESs in Engineering. If they still have charge, then check the wiring for the Emitters. Also, check that your hands are empty.

Why are the SMESs empty?

Answer: The station used up all the power because either the singularity engine wasn't set up fast enough or the Radiation Collectors aren't collecting radiation or wiring.
Action: Check that the Radiation Collector have their purple screens up. If not, they'll need their Plasma Tanks filled with plasma and installed in the Collector with the purple screen switched on by clicking on it. If the Collectors are ready and waiting, then check the wiring. If the wiring looks good, then you'll have to initiate emergency power generation.

Why won't the PA turn on?

Answer: The PA isn't set up properly and it knows better than to let incompetent Engineers turn it on when it's not set up properly.
Action: Check that the covers to all seven PA sections are closed with your screwdriver. If they aren't, check that all seven sections are wired with a coil of wires. If they aren't wired, then check to see if you know how to read because we already went over this above.

Mawp. I hear anything on the radio. Is Telecomms down? Mawp.

Answer: No, Archer. The high-energy electromagnetic radiation from the singularity has overloaded your radio headset's circuitry.
Action: Take it off your head, toggle the radio back on in-hand, and put it back on. If you just got blasted in the danger zone, you'll have to wait a little bit to access the headset's controls.

Why can't I see anything?

Answer: Were you wearing optical meson scanners when you stared directly into the blindingly bright singularity? It might sound like a question, but trust me: It's actually an answer.
Action: Go visit Medbay and ask them what you asked me.

Help! There's a sparkly purple gas in Engineering and it tastes like burning! Is everything okay?

Answer: No. This is a plasma leak. This is why we can't have nice things.
Action: First, leave the area. Then, inform the station that there is a plasma leak in Engineering, and take the brunt of the collective groan. Then, call for an Atmospheric Technician. Don't try to ignore it and continue setting up the singlo. You could burn down Engineering.

Help! I'm stuck in front of the PA! Why can't I get away from it?

Answer: The singularity has a gravitational pull, which grows with each level of strength. If you stand too close, the singlo will pull you towards it, which coincidentally (and fittingly) also happens to be directly in front of the PA.
Action: Next time, don't stand in front of the PA. This time, pray to whatever gods exist in this godforsaken sector of spess.

Help! I just got hit by an Emitter! What do I do?

Answer: Don't stand in front of active Emitters.
Action: Duh.

Help! I went outside to check the singlo and now I'm bouncing off the fields! How could I have prevented this?

Answer: That's not how you check the singlo.
Action: Next time use the camera screen inside Engineering. Or don't. See if I care.

Why are there no lights in Engineering?

Answer: For rookie Engineers, the most common reason is that the APC doesn't have enough power to turn them on because you took too long setting up the singularity engine and you're being rightfully punished. For experienced Engineers, the most common reason is that an electrical storm busted all the lights and you're being unfairly punished by the spess gods.
Action: Sit in the dark and think about why you deserve this.

Sabotaging The Singularity

Keep in mind the following rule when regarding this section.

Rule 2.1.1: Do not murderbone. Do not kill random people for no reason. For individual antagonists (traitors, changelings, Nanotrasen ninjas) murder is allowed if you can justify your actions with a connection to your objectives, which you must explain in detail if questioned. Nuclear teams, wizards, blobs, Syndicate ninjas, traitors with hijack and traitor AIs essentially have an objective to kill everyone and are exempt from most of the rule.

The singularity is -- along with massive plasma infernos and large scale bombings -- one of the most brutal forces on the station. Dangerous enough when set free, it becomes a lag-inducing, shuttle-calling, indiscriminately murdering monstrosity when given a directed path by a Singularity Beacon, leaving nothing but debris, body parts and cold hard vacuum in its path. Perhaps the most dramatic way to end a round as a traitor, it can even eat the emergency shuttle itself, restricting escape to those few smart or lucky enough to grab EVA gear. It's a very effective weapon to use against assassination targets who commonly spend a lot of time in one area, such as scientists or even the AI.

Setting the singularity free is not the easiest task to complete as a regular crew traitor, and you will get robusted in short order if you are caught. Generally speaking, all you need to do is disable the singularity containment field. This can be accomplished by deactivating the emitters, which is hazardous due to the gravitational pull of the singularity, its radiation, and the hazards of the containment system itself. Alternatively, you can disable the engineering APC. If you are not an engineer and get identified doing this, you can expect to not make it onto the emergency shuttle alive. Another option is deactivating the collectors, as the Engineering APC cannot charge from the SMES -- this form of sabotage probably won't be noticed and will likely be blamed on engineer incompetence.

The easiest way to release the singularity is accessing the engine control console and turning power up to level 2 or hacking it to 3. Keep in mind that the containment field is designed to tolerate short term power outages, so if anyone notices the power failure before the containment field fails, then your attempt will be thwarted. A way to free the singularity without the AI being able to stop you is to go outside and unwrench and unweld the emitters. Doing so will result in them promptly getting sucked into the singularity themselves, and the containment field falling shortly afterword, this method is very dangerous however. A more expedient way of doing so is cutting the power wires leading to the emitters. Protip: Try turning the PA up to 2 for a while until the Singularity gets huge, then turn off the collectors after a few minutes. If the Engineering staff hasn't wired the Singularity straight into the system, it should fail extremely fast and you'll have a 5x5 singularity eating the station faster then Gabe Newell pounces on a Big Mac. Be careful to not get caught in the pull, though.

Directing the singularity to a target area - be it the emergency shuttle bay or the bridge - requires a singularity beacon and a screwdriver. Don't hang around after you plant it, unless you are in the mood to change classes. Putting the beacon somewhere outside the station is usually your best bet to ensuring the singularity reaches its destination, though considered bad sportsmanship, as they are intended to be placed on wires.