Vercite ShipsThe stars have always been a second home to the people of Verces, who explored the depths of space in their dirigible aetherships before many worlds even mastered the wheel. While the Augmented are still among the most common Vercite explorers, the pleasures of space travel are now enjoyed by those of any caste, as long as they have the credits to pay for it.
Verces is home to several of the most prominent and versatile ship manufacturers in the Pact Worlds, most notably Ringworks Industries, yet its original aethership designs never completely faded away. Instead, dramatic evolutions of these ancient vessels became the modern aetherships, high-end luxury craft known for their style and comfort, whose amenities often come at the cost of armaments and defenses. These vessels are designed for recreation and flagrant displays of status, whether that’s jetting around in a Terminator-brand Star Drake racer or boarding one of the elite Opulos cruise ships that take guests on voyages to view amazing astronomical phenomena and once-in-a-lifetime cosmic events.
Bookings on these latter vessels, many fitted with ostentatious antique brass and upholstery older than the Pact Worlds government itself, are frequently made years in advance, while other vessels depart seemingly at the whims of their captains. Owing to the relatively small number of publicly bookable Drift Cruisers, such berths are highly sought after. Only the ultra-wealthy can afford to own their own Drift Cruisers, often using them as mobile mansions or corporate headquarters, and the Opulos Corporation steadfastly refuses to reveal who may have purchased such vessels.
Even more than for luxury, Vercite aetherships are known for their speed. Designed more as toys for the prosperous than true exploratory vessels, smaller aetherships are often limited to travel within the Pact Worlds system but offer extreme real-space acceleration. From Redshift Revolution’s two-seater X Series to Terminator’s sleek Drake models, the shipyards at Skydock boast a wide variety of these vessels outfitted for various events and challenges.
Source Pact Worlds pg. 160
Tiny racer
Speed 14; Maneuverability perfect (turn 0); Drift —
AC 16; TL 13
HP 20; DT —; CT 4
Shields basic 10 (forward 3, port 2, starboard 2, aft 3)
Attack (Forward) light laser cannon (2d4)
Power Core Micron Light (50 PCU); Drift Engine none; Systems basic computer, basic short-range sensors, mk 3 armor;; Expansion Bays none; Modifiers +2 Computers; Complement 1CrewPilot gunnery +5, Piloting +10 (1 rank)DescriptionVercite pilots favor Terminator Star Drakes as their vessels of choice for the Absalom Run, a race from Verces to Absalom Station and back that occurs once every 3 years. The winner of the race becomes an instant celebrity throughout the system.
Source Pact Worlds pg. 161
Huge bulk freighter
Speed 6; Maneuverability poor (turn 3); Drift 2
AC 26; TL 26
HP 200; DT 5; CT 40
Shields heavy 240 (forward 60, port 60, starboard 60, aft 60)
Attack (Forward) plasma cannon (5d12)
Attack (Aft) light EMP cannon (special)
Attack (Turret) flak thrower (3d4), flak thrower (3d4)
Power Core Nova Ultra (300 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Booster; Systems advanced long-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 3 trinode computer, mk 7 armor, mk 8 defenses; Expansion Bays escape pods (2, 12 pods), guest quarters (3 good, 1 luxurious), recreation suites (gym, HAC), shuttle bay; Modifiers +3 any three checks per round, +4 Computers; Complement 26CrewCaptain Computers +24 (11 ranks), Diplomacy +25 (11 ranks), Engineering +20 (11 ranks), gunnery +17, Piloting +20 (11 ranks)
Engineers (2 officers, 3 crew each) Engineering +25 (11 ranks)
Gunner (1 officer, 2 crew) gunnery +22
Pilot (1 officer, 5 crew) Piloting +25 (11 ranks)
Science Officers (2 officers, 3 crew each) Computers +29 (11 ranks)DescriptionThe recent disappearance of the Drift Cruiser Utopia while taking guests to see a comet plunge into a brown dwarf star in the Vast has done little to dissuade those clamoring for tickets aboard these opulent vessels.
Source Pact Worlds pg. 161
Medium explorer
Speed 12; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 18; TL 17
HP 55; DT —; CT 11
Shields basic 40 (forward 10, port 10, starboard 10, aft 10)
Attack (Forward) coilgun (4d4)
Attack (Port) light laser cannon (2d4)
Attack (Starboard) light laser cannon (2d4)
Attack (Turret) flak thrower (3d4)
Power Core Pulse Green (150 PCU); Drift Engine none; Systems basic computer, basic short-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 5 armor, mk 5 defenses; Expansion Bays escape pods, guest quarters (good), recreation suites (HAC, trivid den); Modifiers +2 Computers; Complement 4CrewCaptain Computers +15 (3 ranks), Diplomacy +13 (3 ranks), Piloting +8 (3 ranks)
Engineer Engineering +13 (3 ranks)
Gunner gunnery +10
Pilot Piloting +13 (3 ranks)DescriptionThe most striking feature of a Redshift Pleasure Sail—its enormous solar sail—is more of a throwback to its original, antiquated design than an actually functional system. These luxury vessels are popular with the Pact Worlds' rich and powerful.
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