CT Only: Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution)

[Spinward Flow]

​

Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution)
Ship Type: AG (Merchant-A, Gunned)
TL=12 (hybrid LBB5.80 design fitted with LBB2.81 standard drives, and off-the-shelf weapon systems) (LBB5.80, p18)

Tonnage (custom hull): 600 tons (MCr60) (LBB2.81, p13) (LBB5.80, p21-22)
Configuration: 1 (Needle/Wedge, streamlined, MCr12) (LBB5.80, p21-23)
Armor: 0

Jump-M (code: 4, 65 tons, MCr120, TL=12, Civilian, Capacitor storage: 12 tons = 432 EP maximum)
Maneuver-M (code: 4, 23 tons, MCr48, TL=12)
Power Plant-N (code: 4, 40 tons, MCr104, TL=12, EP: 26, Surplus EP: +0 @ Agility 2, Emergency Agility: 4)
Total Drives: 65+23+40 = 128 tons (+5 tons Five Sisters Pinnace, +5 tons Five Sisters Pinnace = 138 combined tons) (LBB2.81, p22)

Fuel: 280 tons = 240+40 tons (LBB2.81, p14-15, 23)

• Jump Fuel = (Tonnage/10) * Parsecs
  • 240 tons = 4 parsecs range @ 600 tons displacement
• Power Plant and Reactionless Maneuver Fuel = (10Pn*days/28)
  • 40 tons = 28 days @ 4G M-Drive reactionless maneuver within 1000 diameters of gravity wells for 400 tons displacement
• HEPlaR Reaction Maneuver consumption rate = (Tonnage/100) * (G*0.05*days)
  • 0.3 tons consumption per G per day beyond 1000 diameters of gravity wells (CT Beltstrike, p5, p11)

Fuel Scoops (MCr0.6) (LBB5.80, p27)
Fuel Purification Plant: 280 ton capacity (8.4 tons, MCr0.0448, TL=12) (LBB5.80, p27, p36)
L-Hyd drop tank couplings (MCr0.01) (LBB A5, p14)

Bridge (20 tons, MCr3)
Computer: 4fib (Code: D, 8 tons, MCr45, TL=10, EP: 2)

Hardpoints: 6 = dorsal(D)/ventral(V), forward(F)/port(P)/starboard(S) (MCr0.6) (LBB2.81, p15, p23)
Triple Turrets: 6 (6 tons fire control, MCr6) (LBB2.81, p23)

1. Triple Turret (DF): Sandcaster, Sandcaster, Sandcaster (MCr0.75, EP: 0)
2. Triple Turret (DP): Beam Laser, Beam Laser, Beam Laser (MCr3, EP: 3)
3. Triple Turret (DS): Beam Laser, Beam Laser, Beam Laser (MCr3, EP: 3)
4. Triple Turret (VF): Sandcaster, Sandcaster, Sandcaster (MCr0.75, EP: 0)
5. Triple Turret (VP): Beam Laser, Beam Laser, Beam Laser (MCr3, EP: 3)
6. Triple Turret (VS): Beam Laser, Beam Laser, Beam Laser (MCr3, EP: 3)

Weapon Batteries:

• 2x Sandcaster (code: 4) (LBB5.80, p25)
• 2x Beam Laser (code: 4) (LBB5.80, p25)

Internal Hangar Bays: 40+40=80 tons capacity Ordinary Launch Facilities (80 tons, MCr0.16) (LBB5.80, p32)

1. Five Sisters Pinnace (40 tons, MCr13.8176, TL=10)
   • LSP Modular Cargo Box (20 tons, MCr0.96, TL=9)
2. Five Sisters Pinnace (40 tons, MCr13.8176, TL=10)
   • LSP Modular Cargo Box (20 tons, MCr0.96, TL=9)

External Docking: 1800 tons capacity Ordinary Launch Facilities (0 tons, MCr3.6, ship becomes unstreamlined while in use) (LBB5.80, p32) (LBB A5, p14)
Vehicle Berth: 1x Air Raft (4 tons, MCr0.6, TL=10)

Crew positions minimum skills required: 10 crew (Cr44,525 per 4 weeks crew salaries)

1. Pilot-2 = (6000*1.1) = Cr6600
2. Pilot-2 = (6000*1.1) = Cr6600
3. Navigation-1 = Cr5000
4. Engineering-2/Engineering-2 (chief) = ((4000*1.1)+(4000*1.1))*0.75*1.1 = Cr7260
5. Engineering-2/Engineering-2 = ((4000*1.1)+(4000*1.1))*0.75 = Cr6600
6. Steward-1/Steward-1 = ((3000*1.1)+(3000*1.1))*0.75 = Cr4950
7. Medical-3 = (2000*1.2) = Cr2400
8. Gunnery-2/Gunnery-2 (chief) = ((1000*1.1)+(1000*1.1))*0.75*1.1 = Cr1815
9. Gunnery-2/Gunnery-2 = (1000*1.1)+(1000*1.1))*0.75 = Cr1650
10. Gunnery-2/Gunnery-2 = (1000*1.1)+(1000*1.1))*0.75 = Cr1650

Crew staterooms: 10 single occupancy (40 tons, MCr5)
Environmental Control Type V-c capacity: up to 10 persons

• Laboratory: regenerative life support biome (20 tons, MCr4, TL=12, hydroponic garden, aquaculture and carniculture) (CT Errata, p12, lab space costs MCr0.2 per ton)

Cargo: 5 tons (Mail Vault conversion ready)
Waste Space: 0.6 tons (8.4m³ capacity Secret Cargo Hold compartments)

Starship Cost: MCr426.1148 (100% cost single production), MCr340.89184 (80% cost volume production) (LBB5.80, p20)

---

Five Sisters Pinnace
Ship Type: KB (Pinnace, Boat)
TL=10 (hybrid LBB5.80 design fitted with LBB2.81 standard drives, and off-the-shelf weapon systems) (LBB5.80, p18)

Tonnage (custom hull): 40 tons
Configuration: 1 (Needle/Wedge, streamlined, integral fuel scoops, MCr4.8) (LBB5.80, p21-23, p34)
Armor (code: 0)
Maneuver-A (code: 5, 1 tons, MCr4, TL=9)
Power Plant-A (code: 5, 4 tons, MCr8, TL=9, EP: 2, Surplus EP: +0 @ Agility 5, Emergency Agility: 5)
Total Drives: 1+4 = 5 tons
Fuel: 1 ton = 14 days endurance (LBB2.81, p17-18) (LBB5.80, p34) (CT Errata, p15)
Bridge (8 tons, MCr0.2, 2 acceleration couches capacity)
Hardpoints: 1 (MCr0.1) (LBB2.81, p15, p23)
Turrets: 0
Crew positions minimum skills required: 1 crew

1. Ship's Boat-1

Small Craft Staterooms: 1 (2 tons, MCr0.1)
Internal Hangar Bay: 15m x 6m x 3m = 20 tons capacity Ordinary Launch Facilities (20 tons, MCr0.04) (LBB5.80, p32)
External Docking: 160 tons capacity Ordinary Launch Facilities (0 tons, MCr0.32, pinnace becomes unstreamlined while in use) (LBB5.80, p32) (LBB A5, p14)
Cargo Hold: 6m x 3m x 3m = 4 tons (multi-purpose conversion ready)
Waste Space: 0 tons
Total Cost: MCr17.56 (100% cost single production), MCr14.048 (80% cost volume production)

---

LSP Modular Cargo Box
Ship Type: AU (Merchant-A, Unpowered)
TL=9 (LBB5.80 design)
Tonnage (custom hull): 20 tons
Configuration: 4 (Close Structure, partially-streamlined, integral fuel scoops, MCr1.2) (LBB5.80, p21-23, p34)
Armor (code: 0)
Maneuver-0
Power Plant-0
Total Drives: 0+0 = 0 tons
Fuel: 0 tons
Hardpoints: 0
Cargo Hold: 15m x 6m x 3m = 20 tons (multi-purpose conversion ready)
Total Cost: MCr1.2 (100% cost single production), MCr0.96 (80% cost volume production)

 

[Spinward Flow]

Five Sisters Clipper     AG-61444D2-040000-40000-0   MCr340.89184   600 tons
        batteries bearing            2     2                 Crew=10. TL=12.
                batteries            2     2                     Air/Raft=1.
Passengers=0. Low=0. Lab=20. Hangar=80. Cargo=5. Fuel=280. EP=26. Agility=2.
Jump-4, Maneuver-4, Agility-2 @ up to 600 tons total (+0 tons external)
Jump-3, Maneuver-3, Agility-1 @ up to 800 tons total (+200 tons external)
Jump-2, Maneuver-2, Agility-1 @ up to 1200 tons total (+600 tons external)
Jump-1, Maneuver-1, Agility-0 @ up to 2400 tons total (+1800 tons external)

Five Sisters Pinnace     KB-0105501-000000-00000-0    MCr14.048      40 tons
Bridge. Staterooms=1. Low=0. Hangar=20. Cargo=4. Fuel=1. EP=2. Agility=5. Crew=1. TL=10.
Maneuver-5, Agility-5 @ up to 40 tons total (+0 tons external)
Maneuver-4, Agility-4 @ up to 50 tons total (+10 tons external)
Maneuver-3, Agility-3 @ up to 66 tons total (+26 tons external)
Maneuver-2, Agility-2 @ up to 100 tons total (+40 tons external)
Maneuver-1, Agility-1 @ up to 200 tons total (+160 tons external)

LSP Modular Cargo Box    AU-0400000-000000-00000-0    MCr0.96        20 tons
Passengers=0. Low=0. Cargo=20. Fuel=0. EP=0. Agility=0. Crew=0. TL=9.

Single production (100% cost)

• Total Cost (starship + 2 pinnaces + 2 cargo boxes): MCr426.1148 + (17.56+17.56) + (1.2+1.2) = MCr463.6348
• 20% Down Payment: MCr85.22296 + (3.512+3.512) + (0.24+0.24) = MCr92.72696
• Architect Fees (4 weeks): MCr4.261148 + 0.1756 + 0.012 = 4.448748
• Construction Time: 96 weeks (starship), 24 weeks (five sisters pinnaces, LSP modular cargo box) (LBB A5, p33)
• Annual Overhaul: Cr426,115 + (17,560+17,560) + (1200+1200) = Cr463,635 (LBB2.81, p8)
• Bank Financing Monthly Mortgage Payment (Total Cost * 2.4 / 40 years / 13 months) = Cr2,139,853

Volume production (80% single production cost) (LBB5.80, p20)

• Total Cost (starship + 2 pinnaces + 2 cargo boxes): MCr340.89184 + (14.048+14.048) + (0.96+0.96) = MCr370.90784
• 20% Down Payment: MCr68.178368 + (2.8096+2.8096) + (0.192+0.192) = MCr74.181568
• Construction Time: 76 weeks 6 days (starship), 19 weeks 2 days (five sisters pinnaces, LSP modular cargo box) (LBB A5, p33)
• Annual Overhaul: Cr340,892 + (14,048+14,048) + (960+960) = Cr370,908 (LBB2.81, p8)
• Bank Financing Monthly Mortgage Payment (Total Cost * 2.4 / 40 years / 13 months) = Cr1,711,883

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1105 era Spinward Marches star systems with type A starports that are Population: 7+

• TL=12
  • (0705) Cipango/Chronor (A886865-C) Rich
  • (0527) Mire/Darrian (A665A95-C)
  • [0534) Karin/Five Sisters (A767768-C) Agricultural, Rich
  • (0732) Iderati/Five Sisters (A887798-C) Agricultural, Rich
  • (1106) Jewell/Jewell (A777999-C) Industrialized
  • (1223) Gram/Sword Worlds (A895957-C) Industrialized
  • (1325) Sacnoth/Sword Worlds (A775956-C) Industrialized
  • (1910) Regina/Regina (A788899-C) Rich
  • (2334) Ffudn/Glisten (A41489D-C)
  • (3025) Fornice/Mora (A554A87-C)
• TL=13
  • (0304) Chronor/Chronor (A6369A5-D)
  • (0624) Jacent/Darrian (A433744-D) Non-agricultural, Poor
  • (1705) Efate/Regina (A646930-D) Industrialized
  • (2124) Lunion/Lunion (A995984-D) Industrialized
  • (2327) Strouden/Lunion (A745988-D) Industrialized
• TL=14
  • (1826) Tenalphi/Lunion (A774722-E) Agricultural
  • (3029) Palique/Mora (A511965-E) Industrialized, Non-agricultural
• TL=15
  • (2036) Glisten/Glisten (A000986-F) Asteroid Belt, Industrialized, Non-agricultural
  • (2716) Rhylanor/Rhylanor (A434934-F)
  • (3124) Mora/Mora (AA99AC7-F) Industrialized
  • (3235) Trin/Trin's Veil (A894A96-F) Industrialized

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Recurring costs:

• Crew Life Support: Cr0 due to regenerative life support Environmental Control Type V-c (up to 10 persons)
• Passenger Life Support: Cr2000 per high/middle passenger per 2 weeks, Cr100 per low passenger per 2 weeks (LBB2.81, p7-8)
• Crew Salaries: Cr44,525 per 4 weeks (LBB2.81, p11, p16)
• Berthing Fees: Cr100 for 6 days, additional Cr100 per additional day after 6 days (LBB2.81, p8)
• Surface to Orbit Shuttle Costs: Cr10 per cargo ton, Cr20 to 120 per passenger (LBB2.81, p9)
• Fuel: Cr500 per ton (refined), Cr100 per ton (unrefined), Cr0 (skimmed) (LBB2.81, p7)

Revenue sources:

• Interplanetary Charters (12+ hours): Cr1 per hour per ton per pinnace (Cr40 per hour, each) or starship (Cr600 per hour), minimum 12 hours per charter without external loading (external loads add Cr1 per hour per ton) (LBB2.81, p9)
  • Interplanetary Travel (distance, acceleration, time) (link)
• Interstellar Charters (2 weeks): Cr9000 per high passage berth, Cr900 per low passage berth, Cr900 per ton of cargo, to declared destination (LBB2.81, p9)
• Passenger Revenue: Cr10,000 per high passenger, Cr8000 per middle passenger, Cr1000 per low passenger, to declared destination (LBB2.81, p9)
• Interstellar Cargo Transport: Cr1000 per ton, to declared destination (LBB2.81, p8-9)
• Mail Delivery: Cr5,000 revenue per ton on delivery (Cr25,000 max) (LBB2.81, p9)
• Imperial subsidies reduce gross revenue receipts by 50% for passengers, cargo and mail (LBB2.81, p7)

 

[Spinward Flow]

​

Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution)
Economic break even formula for annualized costs (including life support, berthing fees, crew salaries and annual overhaul costs)

Cost calculation

• CPD = (LS*25 + CS*13 + CC*(CM/40+0.001) + FC*DPY + BFE) / DPY + BFD
  • CPD = Cost Per Destination (in Cr), round up to nearest integer
  • LS = Life Support (in Cr) per 2 weeks (Cr0 for stock Five Sisters Clipper)
  • CS = Crew Salaries (in Cr) per 4 weeks (Cr44,525)
  • CC = Construction Cost in credits (Cr463,634,800 single production, Cr370,907,840 volume production)
  • CM = Construction Multiplier (x0 Subsidized, x1 Paid Off, x2.4 Bank Loan Financing, over 40 years)
  • FC = Fuel Cost (in Cr) to refuel per Destination (Cr500 per ton refined, Cr100 per ton unrefined, Cr0 per ton wilderness)
  • BFE = Berthing Fees Extra (additional berthing fees for warehousing the ship at idle during extra crew vacation days annually)
  • DPY = Destinations Per Year
  • BFD = Berthing Fees (in Cr) per Destination (Cr100 for 6 days, Cr100 more per +1 days)

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Tables of profit points when allowing 14 days for annual overhaul maintenance within each year (365-14=351 days maximum)
Note: 252 / 365 = 69% (~70% minimum required time on route each year for subsidy contracts)

Single Production (break even profit point in credits)

DPY (tempo) + vacation days	Subsidized CPD (in Cr)​	Paid Off CPD (in Cr)​	Bank Financed CPD (in Cr)​
35 (2+8 days) = 350 + 0	29,885​	361,053​	824,688​
31 (3+8 days) = 341 + 9	33,741​	407,640​	931,099​
29 (4+8 days) = 348 + 2	36,051​	435,736​	995,295​
27 (5+8 days) = 351 + 0	38,710​	468,002​	1,069,010​
25 (6+8 days) = 350 + 0	41,799​	505,434​	1,154,522​
24 (6+8 days) = 350 + 14	43,574​	526,527​	1,202,661​
18 (6+8 days) = 252 + 98	58,532​	702,469​	1,603,981​
19 (2+8+8 days) = 342 + 8	54,983 + drop tank rental​	665,028 + drop tank rental​	1,519,092 + drop tank rental​
18 (3+8+8 days) = 342 + 8	58,032 + drop tank rental​	701,969 + drop tank rental​	1,603,481 + drop tank rental​
17 (4+8+8 days) = 340 + 10	61,451 + drop tank rental​	743,267 + drop tank rental​	1,697,809 + drop tank rental​
16 (5+8+8 days) = 336 + 14	65,310 + drop tank rental​	789,740 + drop tank rental​	1,803,941 + drop tank rental​
15 (6+8+8 days) = 330 + 20	69,698 + drop tank rental​	842,422 + drop tank rental​	1,924,237 + drop tank rental​
12 (6+8+8 days) = 264 + 86	87,647 + drop tank rental​	1,053,553 + drop tank rental​	2,405,821 + drop tank rental​

Volume Production (break even profit point in credits)

DPY (tempo) + vacation days	Subsidized CPD (in Cr)​	Paid Off CPD (in Cr)​	Bank Financed CPD (in Cr)​
35 (2+8 days) = 350 + 0	27,236​	292,170​	663,078​
31 (3+8 days) = 341 + 9	30,750​	329,869​	748,636​
29 (4+8 days) = 348 + 2	32,853​	352,601​	800,249​
27 (5+8 days) = 351 + 0	35,276​	378,709​	859,515​
25 (6+8 days) = 350 + 0	38,090​	408,998​	928,269​
24 (6+8 days) = 350 + 14	39,710​	426,073​	966,980​
18 (6+8 days) = 252 + 98	53,380​	568,530​	1,289,740​
19 (2+8+8 days) = 342 + 8	50,102 + drop tank rental​	538,139 + drop tank rental​	1,221,390 + drop tank rental​
18 (3+8+8 days) = 342 + 8	52,880 + drop tank rental​	568,030 + drop tank rental​	1,289,240 + drop tank rental​
17 (4+8+8 days) = 340 + 10	55,997 + drop tank rental​	601,449 + drop tank rental​	1,365,083 + drop tank rental​
16 (5+8+8 days) = 336 + 14	59,515 + drop tank rental​	639,059 + drop tank rental​	1,450,419 + drop tank rental​
15 (6+8+8 days) = 330 + 20	63,516 + drop tank rental​	681,696 + drop tank rental​	1,547,147 + drop tank rental​
12 (6+8+8 days) = 264 + 86	79,920 + drop tank rental​	852,645 + drop tank rental​	1,934,459 + drop tank rental​

 

[Spinward Flow]

Jump-4, Maneuver-4, Agility-2 (+0 tons external)

• Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: 5 tons cargo or X-mail
• Internal Hangar: 2x Five Sisters Pinnaces = (4+20)*2 = 48 tons practical capacity
• External Docking: 0 tons capacity
  1. Small Craft = 0 tons capacity @ 100% -> 0 tons practical capacity
  2. Big Craft = 0 tons capacity @ 110% -> 0 tons practical capacity
• Subsidy Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr2500 for 5 tons cargo or Cr12,500 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr24,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr21,600 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party External Charter: Cr0
• Paid Off or Bank Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr5000 for 5 tons cargo or Cr25,000 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr48,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr43,200 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party External Charter: Cr0

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Jump-3, Maneuver-3, Agility-1 (+1 to +200 tons external)

• Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: 5 tons cargo or X-mail
• Internal Hangar: 2x Five Sisters Pinnaces = (4+20)*2 = 48 tons practical capacity
• External Docking: 200 tons capacity
  1. Small Craft = 200 tons capacity @ 100% -> 10x 20 tons LSP Modular Cargo Boxes -> 200 tons practical capacity
  2. Big Craft = 181 tons capacity @ 110% -> 100 tons practical capacity
• Subsidy Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr2500 for 5 tons cargo or Cr12,500 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr24,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr21,600 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr90,000 for 200 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr45,000 for 100 tons big craft
• Paid Off or Bank Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr5000 for 5 tons cargo or Cr25,000 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr48,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr43,200 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr180,000 for 200 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr90,000 for 100 tons big craft

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Jump-2, Maneuver-2, Agility-1 (+201 to +600 tons external)

• Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: 5 tons cargo or X-mail
  [
• Internal Hangar: 2x Five Sisters Pinnaces = (4+20)*2 = 48 tons practical capacity
• External Docking: 600 tons capacity
  1. Small Craft = 461 tons capacity @ 130% -> 23x 20 tons LSP Modular Cargo Boxes -> 460 tons practical capacity
  2. Big Craft = 545 tons capacity @ 110% -> 500 tons practical capacity
• Subsidy Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr2500 for 5 tons cargo or Cr12,500 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr24,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr21,600 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr207,000 for 460 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr225,000 for 500 tons big craft
• Paid Off or Bank Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr5000 for 5 tons cargo or Cr25,000 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr48,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr43,200 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr414,000 for 460 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr450,000 for 500 tons big craft

---

Jump-1, Maneuver-1, Agility-0 (+601 to +1800 tons external)

• Internal Mail Vault or Cargo Hold: 5 tons X-mail or cargo
• Internal Hangar: 2x Five Sisters Pinnaces = (4+20)*2 = 48 tons practical capacity
• External Docking: 1800 tons capacity
  1. Small Craft = 1384 tons capacity @ 130% -> 69x 20 tons LSP Modular Cargo Boxes -> 1380 tons practical capacity
  2. Big Craft = 1636 tons capacity @ 110% -> 1600 tons practical capacity
• Subsidy Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr2500 for 5 tons cargo or Cr12,500 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr24,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr21,600 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr621,000 for 1380 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr720,000 for 1600 tons big craft
• Paid Off or Bank Financed Net Revenue
  • Internal Cargo Hold or Mail Vault: Cr5000 for 5 tons cargo or Cr25,000 for 5 tons X-mail
  • Internal Non-charter: Cr48,000 for 48 tons cargo
  • Internal Charter: Cr43,200 for 48 tons cargo
  • Third Party Small Craft External Charter: Cr1,242,000 for 1380 tons small craft
  • Third Party Big Craft External Charter: Cr1,440,000 for 1600 tons big craft

Note:

• An operator of a paid off ship who exclusively charters 1380 tons of external cargo capacity (and absolutely nothing else) to 24 destinations 1 parsec away would generate MCr29.808 in revenue per year … while incurring expenses of MCr0.578825 (crew salary), MCr0.370908 (volume production annual overhaul) and MCr0.0033 (berthing fees), totaling MCr0.953033 during that year. Such operations generate MCr28.854967 in net profit per year for a paid off ship, which is sufficient to recoup the entire base construction cost of a new volume production ship (MCr370.90784) in 12.85 years, or pay off a bank financed mortgage in 30.85 years.
• An operator of a subsidized ship who exclusively charters 1380 tons of external cargo capacity (and absolutely nothing else) to 24 destinations 1 parsec away would generate MCr14.904 in revenue per year … while incurring expenses of MCr0.578825 (crew salary), MCr0.370908 (volume production annual overhaul) and MCr0.0033 (berthing fees), totaling MCr0.953033 during that year. Such operations generate MCr13.950967 in net profit per year for a subsidized ship, which is sufficient to earn the entire base construction cost of a new volume production ship (MCr370.90784) in 26.59 years.
• Successful speculative goods arbitrage using the internal (4+24)+(4+20)=48 tons capacity of the twin Five Sisters Pinnaces can accelerate the time frame within which profits earned recoup the cost of construction.

 

[Spinward Flow]

​

Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution)

External Load Towing Capacity (homebrew house rule extrapolation/extension)

LBB2.81 standard drives follow a formula for drive throughput of Code: 1 @ 200 ton increments and the "yield" of the drive is simple multiplication/division (dropping fractions) for different hull sizes.

1. Drive-A = Code: 1 in a 200 ton hull (Free Trader)
2. Drive-A = Code: 2 in a 100 ton hull (Scout/Courier)
3. Drive-A = Code: 3 in a 66 ton hull
4. Drive-A = Code: 4 in a 50 ton hull (Cutter)
5. Drive-A = Code: 5 in a 40 ton hull (Pinnace)
6. Drive-A = Code: 6 in a 33 ton hull

So in the context of a Five Sisters Clipper, when skipping the letters I and O (to avoid confusion with the numbers 1 and 0 in printed LBBs), M (jump and maneuver) and N (power plant) equate to multiples of 12 and 13 (respectively), yielding a performance of Code: 1 in 2400 tons and 2600 tons (respectively). This then means that the performance for Drive-M (jump and maneuver) has the following Code yield breakpoints:

1. Drive-M = Code: 1 in a 2400 ton hull
2. Drive-M = Code: 2 in a 1200 ton hull
3. Drive-M = Code: 3 in a 800 ton hull
4. Drive-M = Code: 4 in a 600 ton hull (Five Sisters Clipper)
5. Drive-M = Code: 5 in a 480 ton hull
6. Drive-M = Code: 6 in a 400 ton hull

However, a default (unmodified) hull is not (or at least, should not) be engineered to routinely "tow" external loads (safely) "for free" without any added expense for the capability. This is where Small Craft/Big Craft Launch Facilities (LBB5.80, p32) come into play and can be extrapolated from.

Small Craft (99 tons or less) can be carried at their own tonnage on ships 1000 tons and under, but require 130% of their tonnage on ships over 1000 tons.
Big Craft (100 tons or more) can be carried but require 110% of their tonnage on all ships.
In both cases, the carrying capacity requires Cr2000 per ton.

Internal hangar capacity will obviously require tonnage allocation within the hull, while external towing capacity costs no internal tonnage inside the hull. However, in both cases, the capacity (internal or external) still requires Cr2000 per ton of capacity. The difference between internal and external capacity is that internal capacity does not alter drive performance when loaded (the small/big craft tonnage is already "paid for" in the design), while towing external loads increases the (combined total) displacement the same way that external fuel tanks do (while mounted externally) which then reduces drive performance relative to their baseline. Additionally, external loads will follow the precedent of Exterior Demountable Tanks (LBB A5, p14) such that with an external load, ships are considered unstreamlined regardless of their hull configuration.

Most ships building for external load capacity will have Ordinary Launch Facilities (LBB5.80, p32) permitting a launch/recovery of one craft per combat turn, which have no additional cost associated with them. Only Dispersed Structure (Configuration: 7) hulls can simply attach external loads to their hull exterior and be capable of launching/recovering all craft simultaneously in a single combat turn.

So a 600 ton Five Sisters Clipper with Jump-M and Maneuver-M drives installed is J4/4G with no external load, but with 200 tons of external load capacity "occupied" by external loads functions (temporarily) as an 800 ton hull with J3/3G performance (see above). However, docking a 200 ton starship (such as a Free Trader, for example) would require 220 tons of external load capacity, which would then reduce drive performance of the Five Sisters Clipper down to J2/2G with a 200 ton ship being towed occupying 220 tons of external load capacity.

Furthermore, once 400 tons of external loading (the 1000 combined tons breakpoint) is exceeded, any individual components of the external load that are 99 tons or less consume 130% of their actual tonnage in terms of external load capacity. This is why the upper limit of J2/2G drive performance with a limit of +600 tons external load (1200 combined total tons) means that with small craft there is only 600/1.3=461 tons of small craft tonnage capacity available for external loading. 23x 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Boxes for 460 combined tons of small craft hulls … 460x1.3=598 tons of external docking capacity is required to tow that load (the less than 1:1 tonnage "efficiency" is due to all kinds of mechanical engineering stress limits and "packing losses" of needing to keep hulls from abutting one another "too tightly" and so on). The main point being that external load capacity cannot be utilized as efficiently as internal cargo hold capacity when exceeding 1000 total combined tons.

Furthermore … in order for an operator to charge "full price" for transport services on external loads (such as a collection of LSP Modular Cargo Boxes filled with cargo), the operator needs to provide the "external hull volume" themselves to receive the Cr1000 per ton per jump price for shipping. However, if a third party owns and operates the "containers" themselves instead, then the third party merely needs to charter the tonnage of their modules for transport, at Cr900 per ton per jump.

Starship operators who want to retain jump/maneuver flexibility in their operations will thus NOT want to own any external cargo capacity themselves, since they would need to "leave it behind" (with warehouse and security arrangements, just like with Demountable Tanks (LBB A5, p14)) if they want to "shed load" for a longer jump range. Consequently, it is entirely reasonable for operators with external load capacity available to simply charter that capacity to interested third parties, with the third parties then obliged to provide the necessary small craft/big craft hull "containers" to be transported externally (which can include other starships!). The third party only pays charter prices for the external tonnage they actually submit to be transported, not for the amount of external load capacity needed to actually carry that tonnage.

So a third party wanting to transport a 200 ton Free Trader through jump as an external load would charter 200 tons of external load at Cr900 per ton (total: Cr180,000), but because the 200 ton Free Trader is a big craft (100+ tons), it will require 220 tons of external load capacity.

Likewise, a third party wanting to transport 23x 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Boxes would charter 460 tons of external load at Cr900 per ton (total: Cr414,000), but because the combined tonnage of starship plus external small craft exceeds 1000 tons (600+460=1060) those 460 tons of external load would require 598 tons of external load capacity. That same third party wanting to transport 23x 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Boxes could sell their 460 tons of cargo capacity as a middleman service, charging their customers the full Cr1000 per ton price of shipping … in effect profiting off the arbitrage price differential of Cr100 per ton of cargo to earn their profit margins without needing to own, crew or maintain any actual starships themselves. Instead, the third party company would simply own, maintain and supply the cargo containers (at MCr0.96 per 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Box) and do all the "legwork" of drumming up business to fill those containers in preparation for a starship to transport them wherever they need to go, resulting in a containerization business model for interstellar shipping.

Note that such a formulation means that even if there is limited (to no) cargo available from an origin to a destination (LBB2.81, p11) to a starship operator for a direct contract ticket … it is always possible that the reason why that condition prevails is because third parties have already contracted for all of the cargo bound from the current origin to a destination and those third parties simply want to charter a starship (at a lower price) to transport their aggregated freight to wherever the starship is going next (declared destination). Alternatively, the Referee could decide that if the cargo tonnage available exceeds the starship's internal capacity that the excess cargo tonnage available for transport (full or partial) may instead be managed by a third party wanting to charter the starship operator's external load capacity for transport. An additional consideration could be that government subsidized ships on their "in subsidy" route may be given preferential treatment for charters by third parties, especially if the starship operator(s) have earned a reputation for "reliable service" at the point of origin. In other words, there are a variety of different ways to handle external load capacity potentials as a Referee.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Regenerative Life Support (homebrew house rule extrapolation/extension)

Standard stateroom life support is Cr2000 per person for 2 weeks (basically Cr1000 per person/week). (LBB2.81, p7-8)
Beltstrike life support reserves cost Cr150,000 and 1 ton of cargo capacity for 150 person/weeks (also basically Cr1000 per person/week). (Beltstrike, p3)

If a ship receives 2 week annual overhauls every year (52 weeks) ... then 150 person/weeks can supply life support to 3 people for 50 weeks (an entire "year's worth" of life support between overhauls) ... provided your crew doesn't mind consuming "preservative heavy" meals (and lots of algae) all the time. I used that relationship of "1 ton of life support reserves can support 3 people for 50 weeks between annual overhauls" as the foundational basis for my explorations into regenerative life support using Laboratory space aboard (1 ton of which costs MCr0.2 in ship construction cost). (CT Errata, p28)

FFS did a decent job of itemizing the different levels (or grades, if you prefer) of Environmental Control used for life support systems.

Type I: Minimal life support provides a sealed environment, heat, and light. The Air supply is open loop, meaning there's no attempt to recycle it. Stored air provides fresh oxygen while minimal air processing (filters and chemicals) removes the worst of the waste products from the air. Water and food are not normally provided but may be carried along. Normal duration is three hours.

Type I is your basic civilian enclosed vehicle or residential home setup.

Type II: Basic life support provides heat, light, and short-term purified air. This is also an open-loop system but it provides better air processing to clean impurities out. Nether water nor food are included. Normal duration is 12 hours.

Type II is your basic military enclosed vehicle setup (what Striker would call an Overpressure life support system).

Type III: Standard life support is so named because it's the standard system aboard spacecraft. It provides light, thermal control, closed-loop water recycling, and semi-closed loop air. Food is a carried consumable, and given the duration it must be separately provided rather than carried on in the passenger compartments. Water is recycled and is basically unlimited. The air is purified and recycled, but filters have a limited life and slowly break down. Normal duration is two weeks.

Type III is our stock and standard Cr2000 per 2 weeks per person rule from LBB2 used for starship staterooms life support by default.

Type IV: Extended life support provides light, thermal control, and closed-loop air and water (indefinite). Food is still a carried consumable. Normal duration is limietd only by food supply.

Type IV is actually the Beltstrike rule of reserve life support (150 person/weeks @ MCr0.15 per ton, consumable, occupies cargo space).

Type V: Endurance life support provides full closed-loop recycling for air, water, and food through use of hydroponic garden, aquaculture, and even carniculture. There are several different levels of Type V life support, each representing a major improvement over the previous. These forms of life support are usually only used aboard space stations and generation ships. Since Type V life support systems are miniature ecosystems, they are vulnerable to sudden changes in population. A sudden influx or outflux of people can change the system balance and cause failures.

• Type V-a: At this level, air and food are provided by low-level plant life, usually algae which requires processing to create food.
• Type V-b: This level provides vats and gardens. The gardens provide supplemental foods to the majority algae vat food.
• Type V-c: This level relies more upon the gardens for providing food than the algae vats. It also incorporates small animals like chickens or fish (usually any edible herbivore up to about 10kg).
• Type V-d: This level relies entierly upon gardens to provide both air and food. At this level larger animals can be incorporated into the evironmental systems. This level is usually only found on the largest space stations or on domed environments.
• Type V-e: This level is a full working ecosystem incorporating several hundred species of plants and animals. These are usually only found on large domed environments.

Since Type IV equates to a displacement requirement of 1 ton (of consumables, that need to be replaced) per 3 persons per year between annual overhauls, I then simply extrapolated that requirement into the various Type V options as requiring Laboratory space, which needs to be allocated as part of construction and therefore is not a "consumable" that dwindles over time as it is used up:

• Type V-a: 2 person/years per ton of Laboratory space (MCr0.2 per ton) = 0.5 tons per person/year
• Type V-b: 1 person/years per ton of Laboratory space (MCr0.2 per ton) = 1 ton per person/year
• Type V-c: 0.5 person/years per ton of Laboratory space (MCr0.2 per ton) = 2 tons per person/year
• Type V-d: 0.25 person/years per ton of Laboratory space (MCr0.2 per ton) = 4 tons per person/year
• Type V-e: 0.125 person/years per ton of Laboratory space (MCr0.2 per ton) = 8 tons per person/year

Laboratory space requirements are in addition to stateroom accommodations. It is possible to specify different levels or grades of Environmental Control for crew and passengers if desired (crew gets Type V-a while passengers get Type III, for example).

I then stipulated that to crew and maintain the Type V Environmental Controls (safely) you need to have both (above minimum skill) medical personnel (LBB2.81, p16) overseeing the health and well being of everyone inside that closed loop environment as well as service crew (LBB5.80, p33) working as "crew responsible stewards" (rather than as "passenger responsible stewards") taking care of maintenance, food service and other operations aboard ship. This means that all Type V Environmental Controls regenerative life support systems will require service crew positions, even on ships of under 1000 tons (which normally do not need nor require service crews as envisioned by LBB5.80, p32-33).

Medical Department:

• Type V-a or Type V-b: requires Medical-2 skill per 120 persons (Nurse skill level)
• Type V-c: requires Medical-3 skill per 120 persons (Doctor skill level)
• Type V-d or Type V-e: requires Medical-4 skill per 120 persons (Doctor skill level)

Service Crew (without ship's troops):

• Type V-a or Type V-b: requires 3 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions down to nearest integer, minimum 1)
• Type V-c: requires 3 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions off to nearest integer, minimum 1)
• Type V-d or Type V-e: requires 3 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions up to nearest integer)

Service Crew (with ship's troops):

• Type V-a or Type V-b: requires 2 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions down to nearest integer, minimum 1)
• Type V-c: requires 2 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions off to nearest integer, minimum 1)
• Type V-d or Type V-e: requires 2 Steward crew positions per 1000 tons of ship (round fractions up to nearest integer)

Service crew positions filled by stewards are separate crew positions from passenger services. A steward of sufficient skill (steward-1) to fill two crew positions (LBB2.81, p16) can be assigned both a service crew position and a passenger service position and receive commensurate salary for working two crew positions. Standard salary rules apply if there are multiple persons filling crew positions requiring steward skill. (LBB2.81, p16)

 

[Spinward Flow]

​

Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution)

During the Third Frontier War (979-986), deep penetration strikes by Zhodani cruiser squadrons into the Spinward Marches harassed and interdicted civilian interstellar shipping, disrupting world economies throughout the sector. These events had the knock on effect of dispersing naval forces during the war, which then created numerous opportunities for more "entrepreneurial" privateers and corsairs to take advantage of the situation. The Five Sisters subsector was not spared the depredations of pirate attacks during the war years, particularly those made by the more "adventurous" cartels operating out of bases in the neighboring District 268 and Sword Worlds subsectors. At the time, there were very real fears that the communications and supply lines (both civilian and military) crucial to the Five Sisters subsector might be severed by marauding bands of corsairs and stepped up pirate activities. Without interstellar trade and supplies, some worlds would have to be evacuated and abandoned completely if they were unable to domestically support their populations while de facto interdicted by piracy.

The (original, 400 ton) Five Sisters Clipper was a new class of Fast Trader designed to help counter the pirate threat plaguing the subsector. Tested and constructed at Karin/Five Sisters, the prior generation of ships were in fact based upon the earlier LSP Clipper 3. However, as the population of the Five Sisters subsector grew following the Third Frontier War, worlds in the far flung subsector were able to grow and advance their economies in ways that allowed them to diversify their technological and manufacturing bases.

As the second generation of the original 400 ton clippers began retiring in the late 1060s, a desire for an evolution of the Five Sisters Clipper into a larger hull class, with a commensurate increase in both internal and external load capacity, began to put commercial pressure on the (by then) almost 80 year old design. This time the naval architects and shipyard at Iderati/Five Sisters rose to the meet the challenge, primarily due to the permanent Amber Zone travel advisory posting for Karin/Five Sisters imposed as a result of enduring civil unrest at the time. Out of respect for their predecessors, the new class would (confusingly to some) retain the Five Sisters Clipper name (which was still popular) and simply be disambiguated as the "Iderati evolution" of the class.

As of 1105, the Iderati variants have been in production long enough (a few decades) that architect's fees are not required at either the Karin or Iderati shipyards where the Iderati variants remain in volume production. During the Fourth Frontier War (1082-1084), however, an evolved variant emerged with a redesigned hull configuration and internal hangar bay arrangement which replaced the previous load out of a Modular Cutter and two 30 ton Modular Cutter Modules in favor of a pair of a pair of LSP Modular Pinnaces localized and updated into what are styled as Five Sisters Pinnaces capable of transporting 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Boxes instead, with the starship itself remaining otherwise relatively unchanged in overall capabilities.

The shipyards at Mire/Darrian (with some Darrian Confederation's technological localization and standards modifications), Jewell/Jewell, Lunion/Lunion and Strouden/Lunion have all been granted permission to produce the Iderati variants under license (however, architect fees are required at these shipyards). Volume production levels for the class have continued up to the present day through modest yet sustained demand from ambitious merchants wanting to upgrade their fleets throughout the Spinward Marches sector.

As with the previous generation of Five Sisters Clippers, the Iderati evolution has also been reverse engineered (albeit with interesting superficial differences) by shipyards at Gram and Sacnoth for use by the Sworld Worlds Confederation as a localized technological clone variant, which they also continue to style as the Twin Brothers Clipper (Klippari Tvíburabræðra in the Sagamaal language) to differentiate it from the original Imperial design.

Rumors that cloned copies of the class are in service with the Ku Su'ikh corporation for use in the Great Rift by Aslan clans have yet to be corroborated and confirmed. It is presumed that with drop tanks replenishment and no external loading, an Aslan analog of a Five Sisters Clipper could transit the J-5 Trans-Rift Hierate Route in as few as 11 jumps (5 of which would be into deep space), instead of the more typical 14 jumps (all to star systems) by jump-5 starships (without drop tanks) required to transit the entire route.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Five Sisters Clipper (Type AG): Constructed using a stylishly sleek streamlined 600 ton airframe hull better optimized for atmospheric maneuvering, the Iderati evolution is fitted with TL=12 standard M/M/N drives, producing jump-4 and 4G acceleration with a power plant-4 performance profile in a "clean" configuration unencumbered by external loads. Internal fuel tankage is 280 tons, sufficient for 4 weeks of maneuver endurance and 4 parsecs of jump range before needing to refuel, with fuel scoops integrated into the leading edge wing roots of the airframe hull. An onboard fuel purification plant is used to refine fuel skimmed from gas giants or water oceans and distill "waste elements" for use in the ship's life support.. L-Hyd drop tank couplings are also included as standard for extended double jump range when needed (and available).

A technological refresh of the bridge is complemented by an adjacent and also technologically updated model/4fib computer with fiber optic backup systems hardened against natural high radiation environments (and unsanctioned radiation weapons). Somewhat atypically, armament is included as standard in the starship's foundational design (rather than being an aftermarket option), comprising two triple sandcaster turrets and four triple beam laser turrets, with the latter capable of taking advantage of Double Fire computer programming (hence the class qualifier code as Gunned). Accommodations aboard are 10 single occupancy crew staterooms and no low berths, augmented by the integration of an Environmental Control Type V-c regenerative life support system.

Internal hangar berths for a pair of vertically stacked Five Sisters Pinnaces on the center line of the aft hull facilitate a remarkably wide variety of runabout service deployments, including operations independent of the starship itself (up to and including multi-day interplanetary voyages) while conducting business transactions between jumps within any star system. Contracting these services to interested third parties can yield additional revenue streams to operators and crews while the starship remains berthed at a starport or is otherwise needed elsewhere. An air/raft berth is also included aboard the starship to provide a means to run local errands on planets and also to assist in the loading/unloading and deliveries of cargoes in austere locations with limited (or no) logistical support services available. The air/raft can be easily transferred to the cargo bay of either of the Five Sisters Pinnaces for rapid transport when needed. Although cargo capacity is reduced by a total of 8 tons relative to the prior Iderati revision variant, the inclusion (and redundancy) of two 5G small craft, rather than a single 4G small craft, reduces the danger involved in High Guard type orbital transfer relays through increased transfer rates of external loads, enabling such operations to be completed more rapidly and/or to a wider variety of destinations in the same amount of time with less risk involved.

An internal 5 ton cargo hold can be used for either minor cargoes or easily converted into a Mail Vault for X-Mail deliveries to Postal Unions under contract (with or without subsidies). The ship's hull and drives have been engineered to facilitate external docking with small craft and/or big craft for towing through both normal space by maneuver drive and/or through jump space by jump drive, although towing external loads necessarily reduces drive output performance until the external load can be undocked, removed or discarded. While any small craft/big craft are docked and being towed, including LSP Modular Cargo Boxes, the starship becomes unstreamlined. Up to 69x 20 ton LSP Modular Cargo Boxes or 1600 combined tons of big craft (or a mix of the two) can be docked externally to the starship during both interplanetary and interstellar transport operations.

Costs and Revenues: Although relatively expensive to construct (and therefore finance through bank loans), the Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution) actually has a markedly lower overhead cost than is typical of merchant ships comparable in displacement, due to the synergies of having a regenerative life support biome and onboard fuel purification plant. However, that hefty investment in construction costs is relatively easy to recoup, even as a tramp merchant. Being able to flexibly shift between small volume but high arbitrage value speculative cargoes over into high volume but low value per chartered ton external loading transport for third parties opens up a tremendous wealth of options in the generation of profits for the savvy (and/or wily) operator to take advantage of as the supply and demand of world markets ebb and flow.

L-Hyd drop tanks: The Five Sisters Clipper has couplings mounted on the hull plumbed for L-Hyd drop tank usage. With 240 tons of external jump fuel tanks dropped at jump, a J4+4 can be performed without needing to refuel while en route, with no external load. Upon breakout from the second jump at the destination, ~20 tons (~14 days) of power plant fuel reserve should remain in the internal fuel tanks, sufficient to maneuver and refuel under most circumstances. A wide variety of alternative drop tank load outs are possible if an operator is willing to trade parsecs of range per jump for an increased external load capacity.

Weaponry: The Iderati evolution, like its predecessor, retains a pair of optionally manned triple sandcaster turrets for defense, located dorsal/ventral forward on the hull. For offensive deterrence, four optionally manned triple beam laser turrets located dorsal/ventral on the port side as well as dorsal/ventral on the starboard side are organized into two batteries offering the clearest fields of fire from their midship waist hardpoint positions. The standard loadout of sandcasters and beam lasers, combined with the starship's relatively powerful drives array and sophisticated computer systems, helps to reduce both the anticipated duration of ship to ship combat (when it occurs) as well as quantity of expendables needed to be restocked after combat is over, reducing expected life cycle cost expenses.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Crew Manning: Five Sisters Clippers rely on a 'lean crew" manpower model in which 10 crew members fill the 16 crew positions mandated by regulations. This requires crew who have above minimum skill levels to fill two positions by single crew member, which reduces life support demands in exchange for increased salaries and compensation paid to individual crew members due to their increased workloads.

• Bridge Crew (3 persons): Two skilled pilots of sufficient skill to interchangeably pilot either the starship or small craft (pilot-2) enables independent operations of two of the three craft. When the starship is safely parked in orbit or in a starport berth, the two skilled pilots are both free to launch the pair of Five Sisters Pinnaces and make use of them for a remarkably wide variety of duties and missions. A navigator is required by regulations (navigator-1), but having a third person available eases the workload on bridge crew for continuous watch manning during sustained flight operations. Some navigators will also have pilot qualifications in addition to their required navigation skills, but it is not strictly necessary for navigators to also be able to fill in as a backup pilot while the pinnaces are launched. Among the three bridge crew (pilot, pilot, navigator), any of them can serve as the ship's Captain. The starship bridge has one pilot station and one navigator station. (LBB2.81, p16)
• Engineering Department (2 persons): The four engineering positions needed to maintain the 138 combined tons of drives between starship and pair of small craft can be manned by two engineers of sufficient skill (engineering-2) who can fill two crew positions each. The starship bridge has one engineering station for the chief engineer. (LBB2.81, p16)
• Service Department (1 person): The starship's Environmental Control Type V-c regenerative life support system requires a service crew, which typically is not needed on ships below 1000 tons displacement. Without any ship's troops, three service crew positions per 1000 tons is the standard requirement on larger vessels, so a smaller 600 ton ship requires two service crew positions. Both of these service crew positions can be filled by a single skilled steward (steward-1) handling maintenance, food service and other crew support tasking, but whose workload has no spare capacity beyond the ship and crew for any high passenger services. (LBB5.80, p33) (LBB2.81, p16)
• Medical Department (1 person): The starship's Environmental Control Type V-c regenerative life support system requires a skilled medical doctor (medical-3) in order to keep the closed loop cycle life support systems in balance and the crew dependent upon that life support healthy. Consequently, medical support aboard is usually higher than the bare minimum that most spacers are conditioned to expect (where even nurse level skills are considered a luxury), raising crew morale, loyalty and retention rates. (LBB2.81, p16)
• Gunnery Department (3 persons): Each turret requires a gunnery crew position for maintenance and manning purposes, so with six turrets to maintain and operate there are six gunnery crew positions. All six of these crew positions can be filled by three skilled crew members (gunnery-2) who only require laser specialization (sandcasters have no gunnery specialization), greatly simplifying recruiting and retention of experienced gunnery crews. The starship bridge has one engineering station for the chief gunner. (LBB2.81, p16)

Peculiarities: By FAR, the most consistently peculiar thing about the Five Sisters Clipper (Iderati evolution) is its Environmental Control Type V-c capacity for its 10 person crew. However, the improvement this feature makes to the onboard quality of life aboard these ships is such that recruiting seasoned crew is rarely (if ever) an issue. FRESH food meals prepared and served daily by the ship's skilled cook (steward), instead of heavily preserved rations that everyone gets tired of consuming, often makes for quite a difference in crew morale, loyalty and retention over the long term. This self(-ish) sufficiency factor also means that crews are not at the mercy of local market prices (and quality) when visiting worlds where life support consumables are an expensive commodity due to scarcity of resources and/or (in)adequate technology (a potential liability in some remote backwater systems). While closed loop life support recycling efficiency of gases, liquids and solids is quite high, it is not and cannot ever be 100%. The replacement of losses in chemical reserves necessary for sustaining the regenerative biome life support systems are routinely obtained from the waste byproducts of wilderness fuel skimming getting filtered out by the onboard fuel purification plant, which is more integrated into the ship's life support reserve systems than is typical. Additionally, the life support systems of the ship's two Five Sisters Pinnaces have also been designed to integrate relatively seamlessly with their parent Five Sisters Clipper for waste purging and consumables reserve replenishment while docked inside their respective internal hangar bays, helping to keep the regenerative biome life cycle better balanced over the duration between annual overhauls.

Ships constructed at the Karin or Iderati shipyards will almost always model their regenerative life support biome on native species habitat from either world, although there are some notable rare exceptions. Ships constructed at Jewell will typically model species habitat from neighboring Emerald, although other options are available (at added expense) upon request. The habitat species of the regenerative life support biome can be changed during annual overhaul maintenance if desired, although this option is rarely exercised unless crews have allergic reactions to specific biomes beyond the skills of the medical doctor aboard to resolve adequately. Changing the regenerative life support biome to model a species habitat of a world other than that of where the construction and/or maintenance work is being done may incur additional time and cost surcharges, so owners will want to plan for and budget their operations accordingly if exercising this option.

Another peculiarity of the class is that Secret Cargo Hold compartments (single or multplie) with a combined total 8.4m³ capacity are included as a standard feature in the ship's design (and can be placed in a surprising variety of alternate locations inside the hull). The compartments are well suited for use in the small package trade (a euphemism for smuggling) in addition to use as hidden weapon caches that a hostile (or otherwise unwelcome) boarding party may be unaware of, enabling crews to resist boarding actions more easily.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Naming: While there are no officially recognized naming conventions for Five Sisters Clippers and their Five Sisters Pinnaces, there is a bit of a tradition among crews to name their craft after celebrity sisters, whether they be historical, currently trending, obscure, real, fictional or even mythological. Typically, the starship is the "big sister" and the pinnaces are the "little sisters" of a trio, although this is by no means true in every instance.

Variants: Owing to the sheer number of possible load outs with customized LSP Modular Cargo Boxes available, it is impossible to make an exhaustive list of all variants in service. The following is but a small sampling of the myriad options.

Merchant Decoy (Type AQ): Essentially the same as the Type AG (Merchant-A, Gunned) except that the beam lasers have been upgraded to TL=13 standard and reorganized from 2 batteries into 4, which can be especially devastating to adversaries if the Double Fire program has been loaded into the main computer (LBB2.81, p39, p41). Typically this relatively modest optional upgrade is only worth it to operators who have access to TL=13 type A or B starports within range of (or better yet, on) their preferred routes which can handle annual overhaul maintenance of such weapon system upgrades economically with minimal delays.

Yacht (Type YG): A few Five Sisters Clippers in private ownership have been converted into yachts. The most common means to achieve the conversion is to outfit the two LSP Modular Cargo Boxes for passenger accommodations, although this will typically require hiring an additional steward to meet the service needs of high passengers. Usually such passenger conversions devote 12 tons of module displacement towards the equivalent of 3 starship staterooms (double or even triple stateroom suite optional) with the remaining 8 tons of the module usually devoted to another regenerative biome life support laboratory capable of sustaining up to 4 persons at Environmental Control Type V-c standards (overseen by the starship's medical doctor) in a LSP Modular Cargo Box. The 4 ton internal cargo bay of a Five Sisters Pinnace will be converted into a starship stateroom, allowing a Steward to be added for high passenger service. With both Five Sisters Pinnaces configured for passenger accommodations, a double stateroom (for the yacht owner) plus 5-6 high passenger guests and one (or two) valet/stewards who can be comfortably hosted and transported independently of the starship aboard the twin pinnaces. Particularly wealthy individuals will sometimes use their yacht conversion as a low(er) tech yet high speed VIP courier transport over especially long distances (2+ subsectors) since the life support systems aboard can be configured to not need replenishment after every jump (in which case wilderness refueling and fuel purification alone is usually sufficient). This allows such yachts to operate "off the main lanes" relatively independently, jumping up to 4 parsecs every 8-9 days for up to 50 weeks before needing to make port for annual overhaul maintenance and deep replenishment of consumables and spares.

Search & Rescue (Type JT): All of the factors which make the Five Sisters Clippers excellent jump and maneuver tugs capable of towing in excess of 2x their own hull displacement externally also makes the class an almost ideal rapid response search & rescue platform, which can also bring in dead hulks for salvage if there are no survivors. All that is truly needed for such conversions is some customization of the twin LSP Modular Cargo Boxes aboard the twin Five Sisters Pinnaces to better support the mission with additional rescue crew and utility services, making these variants relatively economical in terms of refurbishment. Coordinating maneuvers with the twin pinnaces enables searches of large volumes of space to be conducted in relative safety, while also offering rapid acceleration responses to distress calls. It is quite common for search & rescue pinnaces to be armed with a triple turret (sandcaster, pulse laser, missile) and their 4 ton internal cargo bay converted to install a model/1 or 2 computer (1 or 2 tons), fire control systems (1 ton) and a 1 ton capacity reserve fuel tank (either collapsible or demountable) to assist with recovery and salvage operations.

Commerce Raider (Type AR): While by no means an official variant, it is regrettably true that some ships fall into the hands of pirates. The most common ways for this to happen are through temptation and/or mutiny, but even financial fraud and other types of betrayal of trust can see ships wind up on the wrong side of the law (sometimes permanently). Unfortunately, all of the capabilities that make the Iderati evolution a relatively hard target for pirates to threaten in direct ship to ship combat perversely make these Five Sisters Clippers a highly desirable corsair that is capable of transporting captured prize ships between star systems due to its large external load capacity. The inclusion of twin Five Sisters Pinnaces (each hosting their own LSP Modular Cargo Box which can be outfitted in a variety of ways) gives the sly pirate operator a plethora of ways and means to employ guile and subterfuge to their own advantage against their chosen prey. Pirates who have connections and who can pay off all the right people are able to take boarded prizes to unscrupulous shipyards where those prized will be gutted for salvage and scrap, effectively liquidating the small craft and starships they've captured into funding for their operations that can be exceptionally difficult for authorities to trace.

 

[Spinward Flow]

This starship design is being retconned out of existence and "de-canonized" (for whatever that's worth) by the author (me), in favor of a superior design that I will be posting ... Soon™.