Well-Known Member
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: A new freighter for TGM
Image Source: Star Citizen
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: N/A
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: TransGalMeg Industries
Model: Niben-class Light Freighter
Affiliation: Open Market
Production: Mass-Produced (Anyone)
Material: Glasteel, Durasteel
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Light Freighter
Length: 19m to 31.4m
Width: 7.8m to 15.3m
Height: 5 meters
Armament: Low
Defenses: Average
Squadron: None (1)
Maneuverability Rating: Low
Speed Rating: Low (fully-laden) to Average (no cargo)
Hyperdrive Class: Moderate: 1.7
STANDARD FEATURES
- Living quarters: Sleep area, refresher, kitchenette
- Subspace transceiver
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
N/A
Strengths:
+ Simple and Dependable: A basic build that is not prone to breaking down and is simple to repair when it does.
Weaknesses:
- Clumsy: Designed to move heavy cargo, this ship is not designed for hairpin turns.
- Lightly Armed: Only a single forward dual laser-cannon turret found on the ship.
- Exposed Spine: The spar connecting bow to stern is a tempting target for precision fire.
Description:
Combat vessels seem to be the most commonly-produced vessels in the galaxy. However, the creation of those vessels only tended to be profitable if they were done right, and that took time. If they weren't done right, well, the wrong people died. Cargo transports, on the other hand, tended to endanger relatively few lives. Stick an engine on a box and add a couple control systems and the basics are there. It was difficult to mess up.
TGM took the basic design and tossed out most of the box. Instead, a central spar connected the bow and stern sections. The spar itself had a cross-bar, a focal point for the containers and the broadcast point for the tractor and tensor fields designed to hold the containers in place. In so doing the ship no longer needs the mass of the shell over that section, and power that would otherwise have been dedicated to that area can be re-purposed for the fields used. The bow section contained the cockpit and - due to the realities of freight transport - a small berth. The sleeping area, kitchenette, and refresher were all ship-sized; calling them cozy would be generous. Underneath the cockpit a twin laser cannon turret was installed. With ninety-degree vertical and horizontal swivel, the firing range was fair, but the small amount of power it was little deterrent. The aft section was taken up entirely by the engine, one designed to handle the heavy cargo the vessel was expected to carry.
However, not everyone on the design team thought this a good idea. The changes made the central spar a visible weak point: precision shooting could 'break the back', which would separate the engine from the cockpit and cut off primary power. This would leave only emergency power for the pilot: enough to pump air and minimal heat for a few hours only. Additionally, the vessel was extremely unlikely to unload in a standard-gravity environment. That said, the thing could land on a standard deck when unloaded. Fully aware of the costs involved with landing pads, the engineers made the spar itself somewhat collapsible: when there was no cargo the cross-beams would fold in towards the center, then the bow and aft would close in on each other. In this manner the vessel's length would shift from over thirty meters to under twenty.
Observant individuals might note the spar's cross-beam has vertical cross-beams of it's own. At the cost of additional weight and power, enterprising captains can hook up projector panels and make money by projecting advertisements. On occasion, if attention is not paid to the cargo being carried and the advertisement being shown, it is possible for competing companies to be represented on a single flight.
