T.N.F. Privateer Vessel 'Nightfall' Mk.II

Acts of piracy, like resource raiding and ship capturing, is harshly punished by the Fleet …unless they’re paying you to do it for them! The Nightfall is an old MRTCF-011 freighter, modified and armed for lawful privateering on behalf of the Fleet. Among the modifications are assemblers, a refinery, a Janus Dual-Purpose Utility Drone, a rocket pod, and military-grade automated turrets. Some may say that she is poorly armoured, only moderately armed, and could benefit from a fresh coat of paint. Still, for those wanting to hop from one remote location to the next, hoping to snap up some illegal traders or miners, the Nightfall is more than enough!

Crewed by a pilot and a co-pilot, the Nightfall is able to transition between atmospheric and space flight, and can easily reach orbit from the surface of a planet. Considered only slightly better than pirates by Fleet officers, privateering captains are treated poorly and often subjected to meaningless inspections. They therefore prefer to operate independently, and the Nightfall, like most privateer vessels in the Fleet, is equipped for this. During her upgrade, the freighter’s large cargo containers were removed from her cargo bay to make room for a drone, advanced life support systems, and production equipment. The cargo bay is still spacious though, and an enterprising captain might find room for one or two shady crates when operating away from any Fleet ships. If the pay outweighs the risk of getting caught, of course…


Atmospheric entry:
-When entering a planet’s gravity pull from space, level the Nightfall with the planet’s gravity, turn on atmospheric thrusters, shut down its inertia dampeners, and let it free fall to the surface.
-When below 1000 m, engage the inertia dampeners and the ship will quickly slow down, and stop completely at around 150-300 m, depending on the planet’s size and gravity. Use hydrogen thrusters as boosters if necessary.

Atmospheric launch:
- Turn on ion thrusters and atmospheric thrusters (hydrogen thrusters usually not needed), level the ship with the planet’s gravity, and engage full upward thrust.
- The Nightfall will enter a transition phase in the planet’s upper atmosphere, where it will temporarily lose speed. Keep the thrusters at full burn, and the ship will begin to accelerate again after it reaches around 80-90 m/s, depending on the planet’s size and gravity. Use hydrogen thrusters as boosters if necessary.
-At this point the ion thrusters deliver enough thrust, and the ship can continue to manoeuvre in orbit, or continue into space.

General characteristics:
-Crew: 2x Pilots
-Length: 77,5 m
-Width: 52,5
-Height: 22,5 m

Armaments:
-2x 200mm Missile Turrets
-4x 200mm Rocket Launchers
-5x 25mm Gatling Turrets
-11x 5,56mm Light Turrets

Features:
-Capable of atmospheric entry and launch.
-One Jump Drive with a maximum range of 1490 km.
-Cargo Bay with a Janus Dual-Purpose Utility Drone.
-Cockpit with displays showing the ship’s status using MMaster’s LCD-script, Whip’s Artificial Horizon Script and Phils_Ship_Diagnostics scripts.
-Escape pods, might survive an impact at 100 m/s (warning: warrant expired several years ago).
-Sorter system, separating different components, ore, etc. in their respective containers.
-An internal projector to aid in repairing the ship.
-Solar panels and oxygen farms for prolonged independent operations.
-Contains fuel, ammunition and components – tested in survival.


Known issues:
-During atmospheric flight, the nose will dip slightly forward. When wanting to hover without moving, press the gyroscope override button (5 on toolbar 1).
-The airlock system is made for vacuum flight, and will act wierd when in an atmosphere. Just open both doors and turn them off to temporary fix this. Remember to turn them on again before entering space!
-Due to a game bug, the area close to the small grid blocks may lose its oxygen pressurse. This comes and goes, it seems.


Acknowledgements:
-MMaster's Configurable Automatic LCDs and Oxygen Lockdown scripts.
- The screens showing the planet's horizon and the ship's heading is using Whip's Artificial Horizon Script, made by Whiplash141.
-Diagnostics screens using the Phils_Ship_Diagnostics script by PH1L1P.
-Aragath for inspiration on how to make a worn-out look!