Shipwright: Starships of the Colonies Sphere
"The Ring has certain side effects that may manifest themselves upon the [passenger]."
— Douglas Lent (paraphrased), Dragon, November 1984
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Starships of the Colonies Sphere
Ring of Truth | Bright Prospect | Foch | Cachiporra | Foch | Malheur | Omokm-oi | Mysuru | Eriksson
Ring of Truth
Commonwealth bounty-hunter
A decommissioned Commonwealth Ui-te-Rangiora-class picket ship (originally C.N.S. Ringgold, but renamed by the current owner) currently operating in Pollux and Jagannath Districts. Ring of Truth has a streamlined, 400 displacement-ton hull with jump-3 capability, 4-G acceleration and 120 tons of fuel capacity. The ship has twelve staterooms, providing capacity for a crew of 18 with some double-bunking (pilot, navigator, three engineers, medic, four gunners and eight troops), and four low berths. Ring of Truth is armed with four tripple turrets, two mounting lasers and two mounting missile racks. Cargo capacity is 50 tons plus a hangar for a 30-ton ship's boat and a grav-carrier.
The captain-owner of Ring of Truth, Yosei Barentain, has enjoyed much recent success earning bounties for fugitives wanted by the Commonwealth government. In part this success has been due to the use of an experimental veridicator which senses neurological activity associated with lying, obtained from Aeroi merchants. While the unreliability of veridication technology—and the neurological damage which can sometimes result from it—has resulted in prohibitions against its use by police forces in the Commonwealth, some Commonwealth intelligences agencies are believed to be using veridication devices. Side-effects of veridicator use are rumored to include unspecified neurological damage which can manifest as temporary paralyzation of the vocal cords.
The use of veridication technology by the crew of Ring of Truth is not generally known though some police force personnel on Commonwealth worlds in Pollux and Jagannath District who have worked with Ring of Truth are aware of the device. Still, the prohibitions against official use of verdication technology would not generally apply to bounty hunters because the technology is not generally available in Commonwealth space.
(Based upon original material by Douglas Lent which appeared in substantially different form in the article "Dungeons & Dragons Treasure Trove" published in Dragon #91, November 1984, p. 56. Design inspired by the "Type T" patrol cruiser.)
Bright Prospect
Commonwealth jump ferry
Commissioned from General Hulls and Drives by Pan Commonwealth Starlines and laid down at General's Jakarta shipyards on Earth, Bright Prospect is the first startship of its kind: a purpose-built commercial jump ferry. Bright Prospect has an unarmored, dispersed-structure, 200,000 displacement-ton hull with jump-3 capability, 1-G acceleration and 44,000 tons of fuel capacity. The ship has a crew of 980 and can accommodate 100 high or medium passengers and 130 low passengers. Bright Prospect is armed with 180 triple beam laser turrets and 220 triple sandcaster turrets with an additional 1600 unused hardpoints. Cargo capacity is 124,000 tons, including a 2200-ton enclosed hold. Bright Prospect has two 40-ton ship's boats and ten 50-ton lifeboats.
Bright Prospect will typically carry five 20,000-ton freighters and/or liners and a variety of smaller mercantile starships.
(Design inspired by the World-class battle tender.)
* Illustration by William H. Keith, Jr., which originally appeared in Supplement 8: Library Data A-M. (No endorsement of Melbourne Times by the publisher or the artist has been made or is implied.)
C.N.S. Foch
Commonwealth frigate
Foch, the lead ship of its class, was commissioned from General Hulls and Drives and laid down at General's Cayenne shipyards on Earth. The Foch-class frigates are a workhorse of the Commonwealth Navy, with over 300 built to date. Most are serving in frontline positions, patrolling border regions across Commonwealth space and beyond. The frigate has an armored, close-structure, 400 displacement-ton hull with jump-4 capability, 6-G acceleration and 204 tons of fuel capacity (with integral fuel scoops and fuel purification plant). The frigate has a crew of ten and is armed with two double fusion gun turrets and two triple missile turrets. It carries no small craft.
The Foch recently destroyed an Aztlán Maza-class escort encountered at the Commonwealth world of Epimetheus / Pollux.
(Design inspired by the Lucifer-class destroyer escort.)
* Illustration by William H. Keith, Jr., which originally appeared in Adventure Class Ships, Volume 1. (No endorsement of Melbourne Times by the publisher or the artist has been made or is implied.)
B.I.A. Cachiporra
Aztlán escort
Cachiporra, was a Maza-class escort recently destroyed at Epimetheus / Pollux by C.N.S. Foch. Cachiporra was laid down by Astilleros Aztlán at its Cárdenas shipyards on Aztlán. The Maza-class escorts are the Aztlán Navy's most common frontier patrol vessel. The escort has an armored, cylindrical, partially-streamlined, 300 displacement-ton hull with jump-4 capability, 5-G acceleration and 81 tons of fuel capacity (with integral fuel scoops and fuel purification plant). The frigate has a crew of twelve and is armed with two particle accelerator barbettes and two triple laser turrets. It carries a 20-ton ship's boat.
It is uncommon for Aztlán warships to enter Commonwealth space without notice or permission. The reason Cachiporra was at Epimetheus / Pollux remains a mystery.
(Design based on the Gazelle-class close escort.)
* Illustration by Jennell Jaquays, which originally appeared in Journal of the Travellers's Aid Society #4. (No endorsement of Melbourne Times by the publisher or the artist has been made or is implied.)
Malheur
Quebecer armed merchant
Malheur is an armed version of a Bon Chance-class Quebecer merchant which recently destroyed the Aeroi free trader Omokm-oi at Chicoutini / Kiangsi. Malheur was originally laid down by Chantier Laurentien at its shipyards on Nouveau Québec. The Bon Chance-class merchants are the Quebecer Republic's most common merchant traders. They are often armed for anti-piracy operations with subsidies from the Republican government and therefore can be called-up as needed as military auxiliaries. The armed merchant has a streamlined, 400 displacement-ton hull with jump-1 capability, 1-G acceleration and 50 tons of fuel capacity (with integral fuel scoops and fuel purification plant). The armed trader has a crew of seven, including two gunners, and is armed with two triple laser turrets. It has seven high passenger cabins (which can alternatively accommodate up to fourteen middle passengers) and 200 displacement-tons of cargo capacity. It carries a 20-ton ship's boat.
It is unclear whether Malheur was operating as a naval auxiliary when it encountered the Aeroi free trader or was itself simply engaged in trading operations. Chicoutini is a common transit point for traders entering Quebecer space from Kiangsi District which both suggests why the Aeroi ship was in the system and makes both possible explanations for Malheur's primary mission equally plausible. In either case the Republican Government was clearly supportive of Malheur's actions against the Aeroi trader.
(Design based on the "Type R" subsidized merchant.)
* Illustration by William H. Keith, Jr., which originally appeared in Supplement 7: Traders and Gunboats. (No endorsement of Melbourne Times by the publisher or the artist has been made or is implied.)
Omokm-oi
Aeroi free trader
Omokm-oi was an Aeroi free trader recently destroyed by the Quebecer free trader Malheur at Chicoutini / Kiangsi. Omokm-oi is believed to have been typical of an unnamed class of Aeroi free traders which are ubiquitous throughout the Colonies Sphere. The free trader has a streamlined, 200 displacement-ton hull with jump-2 capability, 2-G acceleration and 60 tons of fuel capacity (with integral fuel scoops and fuel purification plant). The trader has a crew of five, including the supercargo, and does not include hardpoints for weapons mounts. The ship typically does not carry passengers but has 75 displacement-tons of cargo capacity. It carries a 20-ton ship's boat.
Chicoutini is a common transit point for traders entering Quebecer space from Kiangsi District which suggests why Omokm-oi was in the system. It is unclear whether Malheur was operating as a naval auxiliary when it encountered Omokm-oi or was itself simply engaged in trading operations.
(Design based on the "Type VA" Vargr trader.)
* Illustration by William H. Keith, Jr., which originally appeared in The Traveller Adventure, p 152. (No endorsement of Melbourne Times by the publisher or the artist has been made or is implied.)
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