Ship Descriptions [cont'd]
Dakaar-class Freighter. The Beshkhu is a Dakaar-class freighter, an 1800-ton cargo vessel designed primarily for use in less civilized frontier regions. It sports the IDC FarDrive 3/Z jump drive, the LSP Impulse J1 maneuver drive, and the Grid 3v Tokamak/Z5 power plant, and is capable of Jump-3 and 1G acceleration. Fuel tankage of 554 tons supports 3 weeks of operations and one jump-3. On the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are 10 staterooms and no low berths. The ship has two double turrets, each mounting two Far Orbit pulse lasers, one of which can be deployed as an emergency lifepod. There are no ship's vehicles. Cargo capacity is 928 tons. The ship is streamlined.
Al Morai Route Protector Frigate. Owned by Al Morai and operated by its own personnel, this Frigate acts as a route protector along Xboat routes served by Al Morai. The design descends from the Gazelle Close Escort, modified to carry four parsecs of fuel internally.
The Route Protector carries the Glisten Engines 4xH jump drive, the Bilstein AH-4 maneuver drive, and the Deltic Mk4204-H power plant, giving performance of Jump-4 and 4G acceleration. Fuel tankage of 165 tons supports 2 weeks of operations and one jump-4. On the bridge is a computer Model/5. Its four hardpoints carry a mix of two particle accelerator barbettes and two beam lasers. For defense, the ship is fitted with a meson screen and a nuclear damper. Like the Gazelle, a Gig is attached to the hull via a bracket. The hull is unstreamlined.
The Route Protector requires a crew of 7: pilot, astrogator, two engineers, two gunners, and one medic. Three additional staterooms can carry up to six ship's troops.
Prospector (Scout Conversion). Prospectors are surplus scout/courier converted to a mining/smuggling ship for a small crew. Two of the four staterooms are removed, and the remaining two are converted to four half-sized staterooms (primarily to provide privacy for each of the crew of four). The crew consists of a pilot and three crew members, although the ship can be operated by only one person. The ship carries its original jump drive-A, maneuver drive-A, and power plant-A, which makes it theoretically capable of jump-2 and 2-G acceleration. The bridge retains the scout/courier's Model/3bis computer (and its software package) and its single hardpoint. A dual turret is fitted with a mining laser. The air/raft is traded in on a prospecting buggy; a four-ton grav-powered vehicle with a pressurized cabin and provision for four people.
A 3-ton cargo compartment is retained, and the hull retains its streamlining. Two ore bays (ten tons each) are formed from cargo space, fuel tankage, and living space, reducing fuel tankage to 17 tons. Dismountable fuel tanks can be used in the ore bays to increase the fuel tankage up to 27 tons, but at a reduction of ore bay tonnage to ten tons total. With normal tankage, the ship can achieve jump-1 ;with the dismountable tanks full, the ship can achieve jump-2.
Prospectors can be found in many frontier systems, especially those with low technology levels and low population. They frequent airless worlds and asteroid belts, but also search diligently on normal worlds.
Prospectors are also known to be in the small package trade (a euphemism for smuggling). Using their dismountable fuel tanks for greatest range, the ships carry ten tons of important (and illegal) goods such as drugs, information, or weapons.
Sharakkannik-class Light Touring Ship. The Sharakkannik is a 100t twin-tube “catamaran” hull designed for personal touring and transportation along relatively safe routes. It is equipped with the Ansar 2-A jump drive, the Dupree 295m maneuver drive, and the Af-2 Cold Sun advanced power plant, giving performance of Jump-2 and 2G acceleration. A 21-ton fuel tank provides 2 weeks’ fuel for the power plant and provides sufficient fuel for one jump-2. Adjacent to its bridge is a computer Model/4.
There are 8 staterooms and a 7-ton cargo hold. One hybrid LMS turret with its fire control is installed on the ship's hardpoint. The hull is streamlined and equipped with fuel scoops, purifiers, and landing gear legs with pads.
The vessel requires a crew of one, assuming the duties of pilot, astrogator, engineer, and possibly gunner. Steward and medic skills (usually embodied in a second crew member) are required if necessary.
The ship carries one vehicle – a 10t fast boat, often armed.
As designed, the touring ship does not carry commercial passengers. It is a light touring ship for the wealthy.
Long Liner [Tukera]. Using a 1000-ton hull, the Spirit of Rhylanor is a Tukera long liner: a main-route passenger transport serving much of the Imperium. It is equipped with the Shva type V4-ak jump drive, the 0x15Ez Ganged Forelle field generator maneuver drive, and the Karuniin V4+n power plant, giving performance of Jump-4 and 1G acceleration. Fuel tankage of 353 tons supports one jump-4 and 2 weeks of normal operation.
Installed in the bridge is a Model/4 computer. There are 49 staterooms and 6 emergency low berths. There are 13 crew staterooms: astrogator, captain/pilot, launch pilot, 5 engineers, 1 gunner, 3 stewards, and 1 medic. The ship can carry up to 24 high and 12 middle passengers. The ship has ten hardpoints, but only one triple turret is usually installed; it carries a heterogeneous mix of one beam laser, one missile rack, and one sandcaster. The ship carries one vehicle: a 20-ton launch. Cargo capacity for the long liner is 227 tons. The hull is streamlined.
The Tukera long-liner is a proprietary Tukera Lines design, and is operated on many of Tukera's routes as a standard passenger liner. Built sturdily and intended to last in service for decades, the long-liner maintains a standard of quality service that other lines try to match. Tukera's long-liners are named to recall worlds it serves: Pride of Vland, Deneb Express, and Spirit of Rhylanor.
Corsair. Based on the type 400 hull, the corsair is fitted out with the Dalon 2 Grid D2 jump drive, the Dupree 331m maneuver drive, and the Triptic Halonic F power plant, and is capable of Jump-2 and 3G acceleration. Fuel tankage of 103 tons supports 3 weeks of operations and one jump-2. On the bridge is a computer Model/5 and a standard software package. Most important to this ship are the 3 single turret beam lasers and single turret datacaster.
11 staterooms serve as quarters for the crew (pilot, astrogator, 2 engineers, and assorted thugs and cutthroats at double occupancy); twenty low berths are available for emergency use, or to hold captives. The ship is unstreamlined, and there are no ship's vehicles or boats. Fuel capacity is 128 tons, and cargo capacity is 150 tons.
Notable features on the corsair are large cargo doors and variable identification features. The large clamshell doors can open to reveal the entire cargo bay; the ship can accept a 100 ton ship into its cargo bay. The ship has several centrally controlled
identification features which can alter the shape and configuration of the ship at a moment's notice; fins retract or extend, modules appear or disappear, and radio emissions alter frequency and content. The ship's transponders can be altered
to identify the vessel as having any of a variety of missions and identities.
The ship is of a noncommercial type, and its lineage and paperwork are of uncertain origin.
Subsidized Merchant. The Dorannia Blizzard is a typical merchant vessel of ancient design, carrying passengers and cargo on a fixed route between a chain of neighboring worlds. Built on a winged streamlined type-D hull, the subsidized merchant sports the Madoc Mark 1 jump drive, the Slipstream Bb.11 maneuver drive, and the Karuniin B1+d power plant, giving performance of Jump-1 and 1G acceleration. Fuel tankage is 44 tons, sufficient for one jump and 2 weeks of normal operations. Fuel scoops are integral with the hull, and a fuel purification plant allows use of unrefined fuel. The rather ordinary bridge is complemented with a Model/3 computer. No weapons are installed, but an empty, deployable T1 turret serves as an emergency lifepod. It has wheels for landing strips, and landing legs for landing on pads.
The ship requires a pilot who doubles as astrogator, one engineer, one medic, and up to two stewards (who share a stateroom). Two more staterooms are reserved for gunners or other additional crew. The ship has sixteen passenger staterooms and ten low berths. The ship carries a 20-ton launch for passenger shuttling and minor errands; it is piloted by the pilot, astrogator, or engineer. Cargo capacity is 233 tons.
Maru-class Merchant. The Maru-class Merchant is a standard ship seen on frontier trade routes. With its 212 ton cargo capacity and jump-2 capability, it can go just about anywhere, carrying a large amount of cargo.
Even so, the Maru is still popular among merchant captains. Its laser, missile, and sand turrets provide a strong defense and reasonable offense. Ships which are travelling in especially troubled areas sometimes upgrade the armaments and trade cargo area for armor protection. It has a 1 ton ship's locker, often in a hidden corner of the ship.
This fairly inexpensive design, with occasional modifications, has been built throughout known space. It is a common encounter wherever traders travel.
It can carry up to 8 high, 6 mid, and 14 low passengers. There is one emergency low berth.
Details: the upper deck contains the bridge, computer, low berths, and the bulk of the crew's staterooms. The lower deck houses the lounge and galley, the bulk of the passenger staterooms and the lifeboat.