T.N.F. Privateer Vessel 'Prospero' Mk.I

The capture of other spacecraft, and the raiding of stations or planetary bases, is harshly punished by the Fleet. That is, unless they are paying you to do it on their behalf! Originally an old TCT-556 model freighter, well used but thoroughly tended to by its previous owner, the Prospero has recently been refitted to conduct combat missions as a privateer. Weapons hard-points were added to its outer hull, and fitted with various turrets. Two weapons stations were also installed in the cargo hold on the main deck, so that two crewmembers can control the turrets as gunners.

The TCT-556 freighter-model was made to do trips in all kinds of environments, from month-long black space travel, to resource collecting and cargo deliveries between planets and stations. It is therefore relatively roomy, and has a hybrid propulsion system so that it can comfortably conduct an atmospheric launch into space from a planet’s surface. During its refitting, several of the Prospero’s old atmospheric thrusters were replaced by military-grade hydrogen rockets with better lifting capacity. The tanks used to store commercial gas in the wings were replaced by large hydrogen tanks. The old power grid needed to run the removed thrusters was untouched however, and the Prospero therefore has a very robust supply of power, even if the main reactor should fail.

Formerly the ship’s main cargo bay, the Prospero’s hangar is rather small. It can house several models of small drones and manned craft, however. The hangar lacks a connector, but the outer hull of the ship has several connector points for refuelling or resource delivery. The main deck cargo hold still has several small utility cargo containers, and can carry the necessary resources needed for long-range travel. It also has a refinery, an assembler and an arc furnace for this purpose.


Atmospheric entry:
-When entering a planet’s gravity pull from space, level the Prospero with the planet’s gravity, turn on atmospheric thrusters, shut down its inertia dampeners, and let it free fall to the surface.
-When below 3000 m, engage the inertia dampeners and the ship will eventually 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 Prospero will enter a transition phase in the planet’s upper atmosphere, where it will temporarily lose speed. Keep the thrusters at full burn, and engage the hydrogen thrusters in short burst to keep the ship at maximum speed. The ship will quickly begin to accelerate again without the need for hydrogen thrusters, depending on the planet’s size and gravity.
-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: 6x Pilots and Gunners
-Length: 82,5 m
-Width: 62,5 m
-Height: 22,5 m
-Mass (empty): 1,9 kilotons
-Mass (standard equipped): 2,1 kilotons
-Block count: 2095 blocks

Armaments:
-1x 200mm Missile Turret
-4x 25mm Gatling Turrets
-8x 5,56mm Light Turrets

Features:
-Capable of atmospheric entry and launch, without using hydrogen.
- One Jump Drive with a maximum range of 1 166 km.
-Three pilot seats with displays showing the ship’s status using MMaster’s LCD-script, Whip’s Artificial Horizon Script and Floor Plan Script by Alysius.
-An internal projector to aid in repairing the ship.
-A very robust power grid, capable of supplying enough power even if the main reactor shuts down.
-Two weapons stations for use by two crew members during combat.
-Solar panels, oxygen farms and various production equipment for prolonged independent operations.
-Multi-purpose hangar with room for smallcraft models.
-Two active decoys with welders, repairing automaticly.
-Contains fuel, ammunition and components – tested in survival.

Known issues:
-None at the moment.

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 Floor Plan Script by Alysius.