Courier
Courier Class of Small Pod Freighter
A modified AI-run small transport used to move high-value personnel or cargo as quickly as possible. They are basically a smaller version of the Stagecoach small supply ships, and, like the Stagecoaches, they are 100% automated with a single Naval Auxiliary "Captain" who has no job to do unless something goes wrong. The ships are effectively a short thin core with engines and mounting points to hold three standard personnel "pods". The ships are surprisingly nimble and thanks to their design are faster than all but the swiftest corvettes once in jumpspace.
In the original design, the Captain's quarters are basically an integrated personnel pod inside the core; there is no room for any cargo that takes more than ~20 cubic meters. If the critical 'passenger' is small enough (often simply a data chip) the pods can be left off, giving the bare ship much better performance. In practice, the Couriers ran 'bare' for the speed and expanded range just as often as they ran with pods.
Proposed: As the Confederacy expanded, the original design turned out to be too short-ranged to keep up with the Diaspora. Eventually a newer design was built, able to make longer jumps. The spinal extension to mount pods was completely dropped, making the overall ship much shorter. In compensation, the Captain's quarters were expanded giving the ship far more livable space and self-repair capability. These improved Couriers were all given 1xx hull numbers and named after horse breeds: Arabian, Quarterhorse, Percheron, etc. While the "Pony" subclass were still only rated for one crewman, an enterprising Captain could often find a way around this limit...
Armament
The Couriers typically have a single CIWS sited to fire directly aft, as "away" is the only tactical maneuver the AI will consider when under fire. It should be noted that this is the only shipboard system that the Captain must be certified in. If the Captain decides to use this system he will have to direct its use personally, as weaponry cannot be directed by the AI.
Hull Listing
Designated as APC for "Auxiliary - Personnel/Courier" within the Fleet Auxiliary, the first set were named for the various taxi services available in Earth's cities. After this, follow-on ships were given names that meant "someone who delivers a message" in any of Earth's languages, with one name being blocked: There is no Courier-class ship named "Courier".
- APC001 - Checkered
- APC002 - Yellow
- APC003 - Black and White
- APC004 - Black Top
- APC005 - Red Top
- APC006 - Blue and White
- APC037 - Telegrapher
- APC112 - Haflinger
- Pony Express ("Pony", to Beerat in Independent Command)
- Postman ("Postie", to Beerat in Independent Command)
- Runner
- Deliverer
See Also
Story Usage
A textual analysis of the story repository, current as of 2018 and performed on 2019-09-06 identified the following top ten usage counts for Courier:
- Independent Command by Zen Master 15 instances.
- Platitudes and Aptitudes by Nuke Danger, 3rd Aye 9 instances.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by lordshipmayhem 8 instances.
- Ending This Mess by Zen Master 6 instances.
- Sacking by Just Jack 6 instances.
- A Peril at Ishtar by Allan Joyal 4 instances.
- Grind Forces by Just Jack 4 instances.
- Living a CAP Based Present by Allan Joyal 4 instances.
- The Cosca 1: Family Values by Quantum Mechanic 4 instances.
- Chosen Frozen by lordshipmayhem 3 instances.
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