Swan Song

Summary
A small frigate-class cargo hauler that has recently started to run standard courier jobs. On loan from Sunbeam Multistellar to a man by the name of Victor Kovacs, currently has a registered crew of four, but it has life support for up to six crewmen.

Weapon systems

 * Multi-focal Laser: Twinned assay and penetration lasers modulate the frequency of this beam for remarkable armor penetration. These weapons are popular choices for fighters intended for frigate or cruiser engagement. [1 Free Mass, 5 Power]
 * Sand Thrower: Projecting a spray of tiny, dense particulate matter, sandthrowers are highly effective against lightly-armored fighters. This flak weapon is lethal to humans -obviously. [1 Free Mass, 3 Power]

Original Systems

 * Atmospheric Configuration: This fitting must be put in place when the ship is built, and cannot be installed on cruiser-class or larger ships. A ship designed for atmospheric flight can land on most solid or aqueous surfaces, provided the material is capable of bearing its weight. [2 Free Mass, 0 Power]
 * Basic long range communication systems
 * Mark. I Spikedrive
 * Cargo Space: Free mass can be traded for pressurized cargo space. One point of free mass grants 20 tons in a frigate. Purchased five times. [5 Free Mass, 0 Power]
 * Fuel Scoops: Fuel scoops allow for the harvesting and extraction of hydrogen from gas giants or the penumbra of solar bodies. The extraction process requires four days of processing and refinement, but completely refuels the ship. Such fittings are common on explorer craft that cannot expect to find refueling stations on their travels. [2 Free Mass, 2 Power]

New and Upgraded Systems

 * Comm server: A powerful base unit for providing communications without involving or requiring comsats. The server provides service between compads within 30 kilometers of the unit. Server usage can be locked to specific compads, and all transmissions are heavily encrypted. [0 Free Mass, 0 Power]
 * Computer Core: installed 26 Jan 3200 by Odette Ranier, the Swan Song's computer core is a loaded array of server-grade hardware intended to run artificial intelligence. Though not typically found on ships of any kind for being questionable in terms of legality and for (presumably) weight/power draw, it was purchased as a replacement in order to safely house Pi. The hardware itself can be potentially mistaken as pretech at first glance, despite the postech manufacturing processes and protocols it's based off. [0 Free Mass, 0 Power]
 * Upgraded reactor: During their visit of Sigrid, the crew had the cable runs replaced and the reactor rebuilt. For 200,000 credits, the Swan Song now operates a frigate-grade reactor capable of delivering 50% more compared to its free merchant counterpart. [+5 Power, 15 total]
 * Mark. III Spikedrive: using the Upgraded reactor, the Crew upgraded the spike drive in . They can now jump three hexes in the same time as the previous drive could jump one. [4 Free Mass, 4 Power]
 * Advanced Nav Computer: Mr. Sicarian got the Advanced Nav Computer from Sunbeam adding 100,000 credits to the loan on the swansong in "Illuminati, Robot Body" and now the navigation roll gets a +2 as long as the navigation charts are up to date. [0 Mass, 2 Power]

Exterior
The first thing you notice about it is its size. At 50m length, the Swan Song can be spotted with clear definition from low orbit on the surface of a habitable world, during the day with a cargo hold which is large enough to hold a grav tank.

The ship itself is draped with interconnecting matte white metallic plates over the top, serving as a heat shield, with an array of beefy tungsten heatsinks protruding from the shroud, running the length of its underside. The bridge can be distinguished with a keen eye to be at the front of the ship by a slight protrusion of glass beneath the white hide. Additionally, the gaps between the heat shield would suggest that the cargo bay sits beneath the engines, with a docking port hidden underneath set towards the bridge, ready to part the front of the heat shield so as to access the hold. The ship has two additional docking ports on the both sides of the "neck" leading to the bridge.

At the back, there are 2 equally sized engines sticking out from underneath the exterior plating. They don't look incredibly massive compared to the rest of the vessel, considering the notable gap between the engines, yet still they're powerful enough to accelerate the machines' flabby ass into orbit from moderate gravity worlds.

Still, between the gaps in the engines, you can make out what looks to be a chamber for a spike drive with tubes running to both engines, wrapped in heat pipes, with a couple of fat tubes running to the main fuel pumps. Aside from that, your view from behind obscured by multiple systems, ranging from redundant life support, to fuel tanks, to a rats nest of wires, and the ships' core structure, with girders and other structural components.

Interior
The bridge is located at the front "neck" of the ship with communication and sensors and gunnery controls in the joining rooms. Behind the bridge there is a hallway for maintenance and behind the common area, mess hall and crew quarters six in total. The back entrance to the common room leads to a hallway with the frontal docking ports diagonal to the ship length.

The cargo bay makes up the whole back half of the ship with fuel tanks, fuel tanks and fuel refining equipment on the lower deck and the engines and the spike drive sitting on top of the cargo bay on the upper deck.

While in space, in order to leave the interior of a ship, one might use a vac suit that can serve as a temporary enclosed environment.

Fan-Created Images

Active

 * Jebediah Salt
 * Lee Jun - Armsdealer on Majid

Deceased

 * Randy (murdered)
 * Mr. Falcon- Mercenary

Origins

 * December 3199 Swan Song was acquired by Wilbur Higgins III with Viktor Kovacs marked as the Captain from Sunbeam Multistellar for 775,000 credits, making use of a convenient loan from Sunbeam Multistellar Banking Subsidiary. The three men and a lady crew decided to split the payments and maintenance fees four-ways, which should be payed by the first or the last job of the month.

Engagements

 * 22 Jan 3200 Swan Song was ambushed by the pirate vessel Black Aurora in hex 0304. While the Swan Song suffered heavy damage and therefore allowed a pirate boarding party onto the Swan Song, Mr. Sicarian efficiently "dispatched" the boarding party and boarded the pirate vessel in turn.

Ship Statistics

 * Total damage taken: 16.
 * Total purchase price: 775,000 credits.
 * Total payments remaining: 709,120 credits.
 * Partial payments missed: 0.
 * Monthly Repairs missed: 0.
 * Monthly partial payment: 8220 credits to Sunbeam Multistellar.
 * Monthly maintenance cost: 3230 credits.

Trivia

 * Swan Song design is a collaboration project of the Rollplay community. Main design is based of Firefly.
 * Although he is dead, the Swan Song is still officially owned by Viktor Kovacs.
 * Wilbur Higgins III tried to rectify this, but was unable to operate the automated help system of Sunbeam Multistellar