[Shipyard] XQ-AU06 Disguised High Performance Express Boat

[copperhamster]

The Third Imperium relies on the x-boat routes to bring it information from the far flung reaches of it's space, however, anyone can get the same information at the same time. To deal with this, the Imperium uses several ships, including a modification of the ubiquitous x-boat as secret, high speed couriers capable of making sure the government gets the information before the general public. Thus the XQ-AU06 Disguised High Performance X-Boat. Built at the leading edge of Imperium technology (TL15) and outwardly appearing to be a standard X-boat, this ship is cramped and tightly packed to the point of additional passengers or crew sharing the curtained off bunks located on the ships bridge, which itself is essentially part of the main engine control room.
X-Boat tender crews know not to argue when the pilot requests the additional fuel needed for a Jump-6

 	 	 		 			Desc 			Tons 			Cost 			
		 		 			Type A Hull 			100 			0 			
		 		 			Unstreamlined 			0 			5 			
		 		 			Lifters 			0 			1 			Allows Minor Manuvering 		 		 			Hull structure A 			0 			0 			AV=12, Kin 		 		 			Landing Skids 			0 			0 			
		 		 			Jump Grid 			0 			1 			Field Strength 120 		 		 			No M-Drive 			0 			0 			
		 		 			J-Drive C 			20 			20 			Jump 6 		 		 			P-Plant-C Modified 			10 			5 			P-Plant 6 		 		 			Jump Fuel 			60 			0 			One Jump 6 		 		 			Operations Fuel 			2.7 			0 			15 days Operation, Distributed Power (Fusion+) 		 		 			Transfer Pump  			1 			1 			For Drop Tank 		 		 			Computer Model 5bis-Mod 			2.5 			6.5 			
		 		 			Ult Console-11 			0.5 			0.6 			Pilot+Astrogation Console Combined 		 		 			Ult Console-11 			0.5 			0.3 			Sensors 		 		 			Ult Console-11 			0.5 			0.3 			Jump, Power Plant 		 		 			Bridge includes Power controls, Sensors, Pilot, Computer 			
			
			
		 		 			Spacer Bunks 			0.5 			0 			2 crew Max 		 		 			Shared Fresher 			0.5 			0.5 			
		 		 			Med Console 			0.5 			0.5 			
		 		 			Armor AV15/Rad 			0 			0 			
		 		 			Life Support (Short Term) 			0 			0 			 40 Person-Days 		 		 			Crew Space 			0.75 			0 			
		 		 			
			0.05 			41.7

Note: After going over everything I suspect (though am not sure) that the tonnage modifications from tech level staging effects are not really supposed to apply to drives. If they are, the ship would have a few more tons to play with. Note that it is not a fun ship to occupy, with barely enough room to stretch your legs, much less get exercise. Such is the price of secrecy. Ultimate Console-11 (TL15) are actually better than standard console-15's.
Note 2: In my campaign, X-boats included fittings for a standard drop tank which the tender would be able to recover, enabling a quick double jump if needed. The same applies here, and the tender's 'standard' drop tank is actually 100 tons, obstensibly to allow them to attach it to the standard X-Boat, allow it to fill it's tanks and then power up for jump in one fast transfer, but in reality to support the 'special' express service ships.

 

[LordRhys]

I would make the Drop Tank in a sort of donut shape to fit the classic x-boat design.

Drop Tanks would allow the x-boats to take quicker, more direct routes to the various Capitols.

I like the idea.

 

[rancke]

The Imperium is probably perfectly well served by the IN's J6 fleet couriers (That's my explanation for why the X-boats have never been upgraded: the Navy got J5 and J6 couriers first and there was never enough incentive to upgrade the X-boats because everything could go by 'NavyNet'). Though nothing is going to let them outpace civilian J6 traffic by more than a few days. Or the secret courier networks of the megacorporations and the high-population member worlds if you don't believe in civilian J6 traffic.

Besides, just what is the value of advance knowledge that is worth a huge investment in secret J6 X-boats and the active suppression of rival J6 communication? "In case the Emperor is assassinated". Check. What else?


Hans

 

[aramis]

The XBoat's J4 because you can't build a J5 courier at 100Td under Bk2-81. And it's tight under Bk5. And dubiously legal to build a J5 under Bk 2-77.

Bk2-77 J4	Bk2-77 J5	Bk5 J5
20 Bridge _4 Model 4 15 JD B _8 2xSR 40 Jump Fuel 13 Cargo .	20 Bridge _5 Model 5 20 JD C=6 _8 2xSR 50 Jump Fuel =1j5 _2 Cargo .	20 Bridge _5 Model 5 _6 JD 5 _5 PP 5 _8 2xSR 50 Jump Fuel _5 PP fuel _1 Cargo
_4 PPA _1 MD A=2 20 PP Fuel	_4 PP A=2 _1 MD A=2 20 PP Fuel	_02 MD 1G .

[tc=3]Adding MD adds...[/tc]

[tr]

 

[rancke]

The XBoat's J4 because you can't build a J5 courier at 100Td under Bk2-81. And it's tight under Bk5. And dubiously legal to build a J5 under Bk 2-77.

The X-boats were J4 at the X-boat network's beginning because that was the highest available jump rating when Arbellatra decided on creating a courier network that could connect Capital to the Imperium's borders in the shortest possible time. Supposedly it is 100T because it was possible to cram a J4 drive into a 100T hull if you "just" left out a maneuver drive[*] and someone actually thought that was a good idea. It wasn't the prime purpose of the X-boats to provide communication in 100T ships and more than the pony express was created to improve the sale of ponies.

[*] Assuming, of course, that maneuver drives of less than 1 full G capacity are, for some inexplicable reason, impossible. And I use the word 'inexplicable' with great deliberation.​

​

It remains J4 because no one thought it important that it be upgraded to fulfil its primary purpose when J5 came along in 700 nor in 1000 when J6 came along. Which means that the purpose of the X-boat network had changed. The fact that a J4 ship is cheaper than a J5 ship is cheaper than a J6 ship is of secondary importance if your purpose is to get information conveyed as fast as possible; if it isn't of secondary importance then your purpose is not to convey information as fast as possible.


Hans

 

[LordRhys]

Why would the Imperial Nobles wish to entirely rely on the standard x-boat service OR the Imperial Navy for their information.

Information is power.

For Nobles like Archdukes and the Imperial Family cost is of secondary importance to getting information BEFORE just about anybody else does.

Imperial Intelligence services would also wish to get their information as fast as possible, which would allow them to respond before anyone else realizes there's even a problem.

All kinds of good roleplaying reasons for special x-boats to exist.

 

[copperhamster]

It is mentioned in MT that the J-4 X-boat service has not been upgraded due to the massive expense, but that the Third Imperium does have faster dedicated couriers available.
This is just one of them, disguised to look like a normal x-boat externally.

A specific example was Duke Norris faking his own elevation to Archduke of the Domain of Deneb prior to the news of the Emperor's assassination reaching the area through normal channels.

He did so solely to preserve order and present a unified front against the Zhodani while the political mess sorted itself out, with no intention of forming another actual 'side'. Unfortunately things didn't work out that way.

And I see the formatting broke spectacularly. I'll see if I can fix.

 

[rancke]

Why would the Imperial Nobles wish to entirely rely on the standard x-boat service OR the Imperial Navy for their information.

Why did Britain rely on mail packets that carried both government dispatches and civilian mail?

As for the Imperial Navy, it works for the Imperium. In the Age of Sail navy ships were considered extra reliable as couriers.

Information is power.

And if that is true, a lot of powerful men would want to prevent others from getting knowledge before they did. The more restricted the number of people who get the advance notice is, the more powerful people on the outside will work to circumvent the information monopoly.

All kinds of good roleplaying reasons for special x-boats to exist.

But canonically there exists at least one alternative, and a much superior alternative too, to the X-boats: the Navy couriers. And logically there would be a lot of other J6 ships carrying news too (since according to the rules J6 ships can be bought to specification at any Class A starport). Any of which would beat the canonical performance of the X-boats like a big bass drum.


Hans

 

[copperhamster]

I can't edit my own posts (I'm too new I guess) so here's the revision based on trying to make it look better. I hope. Will preview this time.

Desc                      Tons     Cost Notes
Type A Hull               100       0   
Unstreamlined               0       5   
Lifters                     0       1   Allows Minor Manuvering
Hull structure A            0       0   AV=15, Rad
Landing Skids               0       0   
Jump Grid                   0       1   Field Strength 120
No M-Drive                  0       0   
J-Drive C                  20       20  Jump 6
P-Plant-C Modified         10       5   P-Plant 6
Jump Fuel                  60       0   One Jump 6
Operations Fuel             2.7     0   15 days Operation, Distributed Power (Fusion+)
Transfer Pump               1       1   For Drop Tank
Computer Model 5bis-Mod     2.5     6.5 
Ult Console-11              0.5     0.6 Pilot+Astrogation Console Combined
Ult Console-11              0.5     0.3 Sensors
Ult Console-11              0.5     0.3 Jump, Power Plant
Bridge includes Power controls, Sensors, Pilot, Computer            
Spacer Bunks                0.5     0   2 crew Max
Shared Fresher              0.5     0.5 
Med Console                 0.5     0.5 
Life Support (Short Term)   0       0   40 Person-Days
Crew Space                  0.75    0   
                Leftover    0.05
                            Cost:   41.7MCr

Ok that looks a little better.
This isn't the only courier they use at Jump-6, but it's just another clandestine option.

 

[LordRhys]

The Big difference between the British Empire and the Imperium is the Right of Assassination.

The British Monarchs didn't have to worry about some Noble Admiral walking up to them and killing them.

That's a damn good reason not to trust the delivery of your information to the Navy.

It's probably a bad idea to get your information from a potential assassin.

 

[rancke]

The Big difference between the British Empire and the Imperium is the Right of Assassination.

The British Monarchs didn't have to worry about some Noble Admiral walking up to them and killing them.

Nor did Strephon. The Right of Assassination was 500 years in the past and his professional spook services weren't worried enough about one of his archdukes to keep an eye on Dulinor when he organized a huge and very detectable conspiracy. The half of Strephon's bodyguards that he hadn't replaced was surprised enough by his action that not a single one of them managed to shoot him before they were gunned down. What's more, Dulinor wasn't worried that a few of them might have reflexes fast enough to kill him to find another time and place to kill Strephon. That takes a lot of confidence in the surprise advantage his side had.

Clearly, by 1100 no one thought for a moment that the Right of Assassination was still relevant. Until Dulinor dredged it out of the dustbins of History, that is.

That's a damn good reason not to trust the delivery of your information to the Navy.

It's a good reason to have alternate lines of communication (Which Strephon does). It's not a good enough reason not to trust the Navy to convey routine bureaucratic messages.


Hans

 

[LordRhys]

It's not a good enough reason not to trust the Navy to convey routine bureaucratic messages.

Who said routine?

These would be used for High Value Intelligence Reports and Economic News that would allow the Emperors to keep ahead of developments that would impact the Imperium and maintain their considerable fortunes.

It would also allow the Emperor to maintain a Personal Spy Network that was independent of the Arch-Dukes and the Navy.

 

[rancke]

Who said routine?

Implied by the need to rely on advanced notice to get an advantage over the uninitiated. If you're talking about secrets, no outsider is going to learn them in time to do use them anyway.

These would be used for High Value Intelligence Reports and Economic News that would allow the Emperors to keep ahead of developments that would impact the Imperium and maintain their considerable fortunes.

In other words, screw over thousands of powerful nobles and planetary potentates whose goodwill the Emperor is relyhing on by engineering an unfair advantage over them? Or cut in enough of those powerful people to ensure that the network leaked like a sieve?

It would also allow the Emperor to maintain a Personal Spy Network that was independent of the Arch-Dukes and the Navy.

The Emperor does maintain a personal spy network, or at least a personal J6 courier service -- the spy network is not explicit.


Hans

 

[LordRhys]

I'm just thinking of roleplaying reasons to maintain such a network.

And don't forget, the most powerful Nobles are the Arch-Dukes and Dukes who are already in a position to work on the Local Problems.

The Emperor can make sure that the resources that an Arch-Duke or Duke etc. needs to handle a crisis are made available as soon as possible, which of course will obligate them to him.

The Emperor could use his knowledge to influence the Nobles at Court by letting certain Nobles in on particular bits of information in order to gain/keep their support.

Knowledge is power, and the person who knows something first and uses it to their best advantage gains the most power from that knowledge.

And the Emperor doesn't need to PERSONALLY profit from the knowledge, it may be more useful to CONTROL who profits from certain knowledge.

And of course the Spy Service aspect would be quite useful. The Spy Service would probably pass along anything that seemed as if it would be remotely useful, and the data would be collated and filtered at the Imperial End to identify anything unusual or something that needs a closer investigation by the affected Duke or Arch Duke.

I'd think that SOME of the information would be passed on to the local Duke and Arch-Duke before it reached the Emperor.

This could be used to create Adventure Hooks. Local Duke enlists PCs to solve problem so that the Duke can report to the Arch-Duke that everything is/has already being/been taken care of.

And yeah I know I'm stretching.

Think Machiavelli.

 

[Vladika]

It's probably a bad idea to get your information from a potential assassin.

Well said!

 

[copperhamster]

Redone using Robject's ship builder. Tweaked a bit. That the comm system is the third most expensive thing on the ship is silly and it probably shouldn't be there but I couldn't resist.

XQ-AU06 Disguised High Performance Express Boat MCr66.2

Owner: Imperium Government
Disposition: In Service

The XQ-Boat is externally identical to the much more common Jump-4 X-Boat, but is used by the cladestine intelligence services of the Third Imperium to deliver critical messages as fast as possible, often bypassing nodes along a jump route. The existance of such ships is not public knowledge.

Cramped and uncomfortable, the 100 ton unstreamlined ship is operated by a single crewman from the bridge which is located essentially within the engine room. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer model 5/bis. Life support is sufficient for 40 person-days. A second niche accomodates a non-standard passenger. If physical cargo must be moved it will be stowed in the crew lounge.

The ship carries no weapons or hardpoints.

It is equipped with Jump drive-C and a Modified Power Plant-C, and carries sufficient fuel for one Jump-6, and 15 days of operations. Note that the ship when in Jump space can effectivly operate in low power mode thanks to the minimal systems needs and Fusion+ distributed power system.

Transfer pumps enable double jumps via detachable drop tanks, which the X-boat service produces in a 'standard' 100 ton size 'To enable quick refueling and jump procedures for the normal X-boat fleet if the tender itself is too busy to dock with the X-boat'.

The extremely advanced surface communicator is used to tight-beam sensitive encrypted communications to pre-set system 'listening posts' bypassing the need to pass these messages through the X-boat tender crews.

Crew comfort: -3
Passenger demand: -5

    Tons  TN  Component                             MCr  Notes
--------  --  --------------------------------- -------  --------------------
     100  12  Unstreamlined Hull, lifters             6  U, lifters
       0  15  Jump Grid                               1  
    -0.5  15  No Landers                              0  
       0  15  AV=15. 1 Rad Plate                      0  
      60  12  Jump Fuel (6  parsecs)                  0  J6, 10t/pc
     3.3  12  Plant Fuel (0.5 months)                 0  0.5 months
       1  10  Fuel Transfer Pumps                     1  
      20  15  Jump Drive-6 (C)                       20  J 6
       5  15  Mod PowerPlant-6 (C)                    5  P 6
       0  18  Ult DS Surf Communicator               15  
     2.5  22  Mod Computer Model/5 bis             16.5  
       4  15  Standard Controls                       0  
     0.5  15  Crew Shared Fresher                   0.5  4 crew
       2  15  Crew Lounge                             0  
       2  15  Spacer Niche (2)                      0.2  #2 1 crew
       0  12  Short Term Life Support                 0  40 Person-Days
     0.5  15  Medical Console                       0.5

 

[Vladika]

Redone using Robject's ship builder. Tweaked a bit.
XQ-AU06 Disguised High Performance Express Boat MCr66.2

Excellent job on this classic! The seriously cramped living conditions make this a reality. I would think the pilot switches out after each run.

Beautiful job!