TS-100K Trans-Star class Medium Freighter:

As with the ancient days when humans were limited to the surface of a single planet, there is need to trade between the stars. There are many thousands, at least, of merchant ship classes operated within the Three Galaxies. Of various size classes, they are usually broken into small, medium, and large designs. The small merchant classes are sometimes consider “tramp freighters” and will visit ports that larger ships will not. Large ships often only operate between the largest of ports. In between, the medium merchant is sometimes considered the jack of all trades and the backbone of trade in the Three Galaxies. It is often a sign of the success of a star system when medium merchants begin visiting the system.

The TS-100K is one of the smallest medium freighters at only a little over one hundred thousand metric tons. Much smaller, the ship would likely be considered a large tramp freighter. As one might expect, the Trans-Star does often operate like a tramp freighter although lands far less frequently than smaller hulls. They are a quite popular design because they are relatively inexpensive although still more expensive than most small merchant hulls. Still, they are considered a good choice for a cargo line to step up from smaller ships, able to carry ten or twenty times the cargo.

This ships cannot be considered cutting edge technology but are solid designs which will operate for years, or even decades, with little maintenance. Of course, many owners stretch this beyond safe limits and find their ships failing at the worst times. Still, it is surpring just how good a safety records these ships have. Often these ships can be found in foruth or fifth hand owners after many decades of rough service. There are several companies also that make near duplicates of these ships. Top speed is around three light years per hour and these ships do have the ability to land on a planetary surface. Power is produced by a reliable but low energy density fusion power plant. The fusion plant is designed for easy removal for replacement. Some companies specialize in simply replacing the fusion plant and then refitting the plant at their facility for later installation in a different ship.

As stated previously, these ships are just slightly over one hundred thousand metric tons. They also have the ability to carry right around one hundred thousand metric tons of cargo. This actually is in the designation of the design with the “100K.” These ships can be build for different roles. They can be configured for bulk cargos, container carrying, or a mixture of both although the last is not particulary common. Containers have considerable advantages in many situations with the ability for rapid unloading and unloading as well as being able to carry cargos under specific environmental conditions. In addition to cargo, these ships have the ability to carry up to two small cargo shuttles.

These ships are sometimes unarmed but this can be quite dangerous in the Three Galaxies. While not a serious problem in Consortium controlled space, although it does sometimes even happen there, other places are far more dangerous. As a result, many of these merchant ships are armed with at least a limited defensive battery. Standard is four medium range missile batteries and four point defense laser mounts. In most cases, even unarmed vessels will mount a light force field. This is a non variable design and some replace it with a more powerful military class variable force field. This is especially true with those in military service.

The design is interesting in that it is more of the more common designs used for escort carriers. Often, larger hulls are not as practical. Such ships are generally completely gutted and refitted to fill the role of escort carrier including fighter bays, better shields, and heavier defensive weaponry. Still, they generally retain the original engines and power plant, making them far slower than carriers designed from the keel as warships. Still, they are far cheaper. A purpose built light carrier might run four or five times greater. Even an ancient Dauntless class carrier might cost two or three times as much.

This starship design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.

Model Types: TS-100K Trans-Star Medium Merchant.

Vehicle Type: Medium Freighter.

Crew: 45 (5 Officers and 40 Ordinary Crew).

Vehicles:

Light Cargo Shuttles (Provision for cargo transport, not always carried)

M.D.C. By Location:

	Optional - Triple Barrel Defense Laser Turrets (4):	150 each
	Optional - Medium Range Missile Launchers (4):	400 each
	Outer Hull (40 ft/ 12.2 m Area):	125
	Inner Hull (40 ft/ 12.2 m Area):	75
	[1] Bridge:	1,500
	[2] Main Engines (2):	4,000 each
	[3] Main Body:	16,000
	[4] Force Field (Regular):	5,000

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s hull. This ship does not have an auxiliary bridge. Even if the bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[2] Destroying the main engines means that the ship’s faster than light systems are destroyed and maximum sublight speed is reduced by half.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the merchant vessel out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

[4] Shields are not variable. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (250 M.D.C.) per melee round. Some military versions of this ship replace it with a variable force field.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 20 percent of the speed of light maximum due to civilian shields. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.7 percent of light per melee. Some military versions will have military class shields which allow the ship to travel up to 60% of the speed of light.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 300 mph (483 kph), can enter an atmosphere and can leave but is not designed for atmospheric flight.

Stardrive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship to reach a maximum of 3.0 light years per hour.

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either drive system. Carries about two years worth of supplies on board for the small crew but normally does not operate for that long without resupply.

Statistical Data:

Length: 623.4 feet (190 meters).

Height: 139.4 feet (42.5 meters).

Width: 244.4 feet (74.5 meter).

Mass/Weight: 141,100 Tons (128,000 metric tons).

Power System: Advanced Fusion with a 20 year life span. The ship normally only goes 5 years between refueling and refitting.

Cargo: Can carry up to 110,200 tons (100,000 metric tons) of cargo in addition to crew’s supplies. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ship’s officers have more space for personal items.

Market Cost: 750 million credits for a ship in good condition (unarmed models 650 millions.)

WEAPON SYSTEMS (Some models are unarmed):

Four (4) 2.5 cm Point Defense Lasers in Triple Mounts: Mounted on the top, bottom, port, and bottom side of the vessel. All mounts can fire forward and aft. Each Turret can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 2.5 miles (4 km) miles through atmosphere and 250 miles (402 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: 3D6x10 M.D.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Four (4) Medium Range Missile Batteries: Each battery is on the port and starboard side of the ship. Missile has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Normally used for anti-fighter and point defense. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missile range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage: Varies with medium range missile type (Multi-warhead heavy warheads inflict 5D6x10 M.D.C. each - See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire medium range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), or eight (8) medium range missiles per melee attack.

Payload: Thirty-Two (32) medium range missiles per battery.

[ Altara TM, Brodkil TM, Bushido Industries TM, CAF TM, Catyr TM, CCW TM, Consortium of Civilized Worlds TM, Coyles TM, Free Worlds Council TM, Gene Splicers TM, K-Hex TM, Kankoran TM, Kittani TM, Kreeghor TM, Kydian TM, Machine People TM, M.D.C. TM, Mega-Damage TM, Metzla TM, M’Kri Hardware TM, Monro TM, Mutants in Orbit TM, Naruni Enterprises TM, Noro TM, Paradise Federation TM, Phase World TM, Psylite TM, Rifter TM, SAMAS TM, S.D.C. TM, Seljuks TM, Splugorth TM, Sunaj TM, Trans-Galactic Empire TM, Tri-Galactic Military Service TM, United Worlds Warlock TM, U.W.W. TM, Wolfen TM, and Zembahk TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Return