Mother of Pearl
- Intent: To create a ship dedicated to midwifery
- Image Source: Cover by Angus McKie for Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford. Pan 1976.
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Heartbeat House
- Model: Nonnatus Class Corvette
- Affiliation: Heartbeat House, The Outer Rim
- Production: Unique
- Material: Durasteel, transparisteel, various electronics
- Classification: Midwife Corvette
- Length: ~170m
- Width: ~90m
- Height: ~110m
- Armament: Very low
- Defenses: Moderate
- Hangar: None
- Maneuverability Rating: Moderate
- Speed Rating: High
- Hyperdrive Class: 2
- Midwife Droid
- Medical Droid
- Standard Medical Supplies
- Birthing Chamber
- Mini NICU
- Small Nursing Staff
- Experienced medical team.
- Travels quickly.
- Sparse non-combat armaments for defensive purposes only.
- Cramped and a little uncomfortable to travel in with supplies in a bit of perpetual disarray.
- Shielding can only work one layer at a time.
The Nonnatus is, first and foremost and pretty much only a ship dedicated to midwifery. It is lightly armed for non-combat purposes and has three types of shielding: energy, particle and ion. While these help keep the ship protected, the Nonnatus is designed for the majority of its power to go towards its many medical and life support systems. As such only one type of shielding may be active at a time, unless power is manually diverted away from certain electrical systems and to the shields.
Given the relative size of the ship and the amount of medical appliances and supplies jammed aboard, the crew doesn’t really have much space to themselves and have constantly changing makeshift rest areas. Typically the crew consisting of an assortment of midwife droids, medical droids and organic nurses are the only ones on board, thus they don’t have to attend to patients unless transporting them to a safer area or more high-tech facility for complex issues.
The main goal of the Nonnatus is to travel to worlds where proper medical care is scarce and set up pop-up clinics for expectant mothers and their children. The services provided include but are not limited to prenatal care, assisting during birth, postnatal care, minor surgery, general checkups and immunizations. As a medical ship, the crew of the Nonnatus will not turn away anyone in need of care regardless of their age, race, gender, etc. The Nonnatus typically travels to low-nonexistent tech worlds which potentially puts the crew at risk for hostile engagement.
Also it's shaped like a regurgitated swan.
