Shuttles are the work horse of the Fugitive Fleet. They carry passengers between ships, transport food, spare parts, supplies and mail. They haul away trash to the recycling ship, take explorers to planet surfaces, recover damaged Vipers and distressed pilots, help maintain the exteriors of the ships and reload expended torpedo racks and serve as life boats in times of extreme danger. Only the smallest transports and a few private yachts and small freighters lack shuttles, most of the bigger ships have many, to accommodate their passengers and crew in the event that the ship must be abandoned.
Shuttles vary widely throughout the Fugitive Fleet. There are Military and Civilian types. Passenger and cargo. Large and small. Modern and ancient. Colonial design and Others.
Before the Exodus, it was unheard of for a civilian shuttle to be armed or armored (unless it belonged to pirates.) Only Military Assault Shuttles and Recovery Shuttles were so equipped. But the realities of life in the Fugitive Fleet have caused all of the shuttle craft to have some degree of protection.
The basic stats for Colonial Shuttle craft are as follows.
Standard Miltary Passenger Shuttle Type 1
Crew- 2 <20 passengers OR 2 tons of cargo>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
(1)turreted Light Laser canon with Battery Bank = 12 shots
or 6 light torpedoes in external rack
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor
Old Model Military Passenger Shuttle
These were phased out by the Military about 50 yahrens ago, but are now commonly used by civilian ships
Crew- 2 <15 passengers OR 2 tons of cargo>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
(2) forward mounted Light Laser canon with Battery Bank = 12 shots
or 6 light torpedoes in external rack
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor
Large Passenger Shuttle Type 2
Crew- 3 <50 passengers OR 5 tons cargo>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
(1)turreted Light Laser canon with Battery Bank = 18 shots
or
10 light torpedoes in external rack
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor
Cockpit view
Large Military Assault Shuttle
Fore and Aft ramps allow rapid deployment.
Crew- 3 <300 passengers OR 100 passengers and 4 Landrams/Scarabs OR 6 Landrams/Scarabs OR 60 tons of cargo>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
(1)turreted Light Laser canon
(2) Gatling lasers (port and starboard)
(1) External rack of 4 Small Torpedoes
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor
Military Recovery Shuttle
Forward opening nose allows Vipers to be pulled in while in vacuum or on planet surface. Can also be used to recover or deploy ground assault vehicles.
Crew- 3 + Mechanics/techs up to 12 Can recover 4 Vipers can carry 120 tons of cargo.
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
(1)turreted Light Laser Canon
and 6 light torpedoes in external rack
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor
Other ‘Shuttle craft’
Some of the yachts in the Fleet have small four man craft that are more in the nature of ‘Skiffs’ then shuttle craft. They have room for a pilot and a passenger with some luggage or three passengers. They cannot mount any weapons or armor.
Skiff
Crew- 1 <1 passengers and 400lbs of cargo or 3 passenger>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament- None
Defenses- None
Several of the Civilian freighters carry Delphian type shuttle craft. They are small and take up much less room then Colonial types.
Delphian Shuttle
Crew- 1 <6 passengers OR .6 tons of cargo>
Max. Speed- Sub-Light
Armament-
4 light torpedoes in external rack
Defenses-
Light Ablative Armor