The Nexus Project: Tech Report: ACS Jupiter's Bolt

ACS Jupiter's Hammer Bolt

Model: CM-383-LR Vagrant

Manufacturer: Cerox-Masterson Spacefaring

Construction: 2298

Configuration: Blended wing body

Length: 417'

Height: 74'

Width (Fuselage): 247'

Decks: 4

Wingspan: 466'

Wing Sweep: 40°

Takeoff: Horizontal

Landing: Horizontal

Gravity: Internal field (inertial phase converter)

Range Classification: Standard interstellar

Engines: Aerojet Maelstrom Class 5 (4)

Directional Thrusters: RRA FlareShift Suite (16)

Hyperspace Thrusters: Delta Atomics DS274 (2)

Breach Drive: Kearney-Fushida BT2550

Backup Power: GravSol Voltaic X9

Shield Generator: Blackwood Anomaly

Armaments:

22 Dynamic Fire M71 Vulcan cannons (point defense, paired)

8 Swiftlight Complex laser turrets (point defense)

4 GA Interceptor BVRAAM launch systems

4 GA Wolfpack BVRAAM launch systems*

1 custom electromagnetic pulsar disruptor cannon*

*Not standard to ship class

Model History:

The 'spaceplane boom' that followed development of the hyperdrive made interstellar exploration efficient and relatively affordable, making it far easier for private operators to enter the field. With lowered barriers to entry came all the attendant problems: poor maintenance, unscrupulous cost-cutting, and sheer number of vessels in operation resulted in many being stranded or lost. The same qualities that made spaceplanes so attractive versus stellar cruisers gave them much less room for redundancy, compounding the issue.

In response to several well-publicized incidents, the Alliance for Galactic Exploration requested bids for a spaceplane rescue vessel in 2126. Cerox Aerodynamics, known for the revolutionary Drifter and Nomad scout ships, submitted the most unique design. The C313-R Vagrant was itself a spaceplane, one of the largest ever conceptualized, sharing several design elements with the Nomad. The Vagrant was designed to take a stranded vessel into its massive cargo bay and carry it all the way to the ground if necessary, offering a flexibility no spacedocked vessel could match.

Though the Vagrant garnered much interest, the AGE eventually selected the more conventional Intercession-class cruiser. Shortly after the selection was made public, Cerox was contacted privately by Masterson Reconnaissance. Masterson was interested in fielding its own in-house rescue craft rather than depending on the AGE, and considered the Vagrant most suitable for its needs. With funding and some design input from their new partners, Cerox debuted the first C323-R Vagrant in 2129.

Not only did the Vagrant perform its intended task admirably, it would prove to excel at unintended ones. When the Drule invasion of the Atlantis sector in 2143 threw their usual supply lines into disarray, Masterson pressed its Vagrants into use as cargo transports. Their performance got the United Alliance military's attention. Able to move anything from tons of rations and dry goods to whole recon ships and fighters without relying on suddenly vulnerable space stations, the model sold as quickly as Cerox could produce it, as well as inspiring several other large cargo spaceplanes. By the end of the crisis, several field refits had been integrated into the main production line, resulting in the C323-C model. One of these refits was replacing most of the upper recreation deck with a capital-class shielding system, an upgrade that has since come to be seen as one of the Vagrant's defining features.

The formation of the Galaxy Alliance in 2151 promised to revolutionize everything humanity knew about space travel and exploration. Though Masterson's scouting vessels were still being contracted by the GA (and would ultimately serve throughout Operation Entente) it was immediately evident that obsolescence was looming, when the war ended if not before. Cerox on the other hand looked set to thrive. Earth's new allies possessed minimal surface-to-space cargo capacity; the Vagrant would be one of the best options for resupplying the Grand Convoys.

Agreeing that Masterson deserved significant credit for their success, Cerox organized a friendly takeover in 2152. Following the merger, most of Masterson's operational capital went to building a new Vagrant production line, which was immediately contracted exclusively by the GA. By the end of Operation Entente, Cerox-Masterson had a stranglehold on the heavy SSTO cargo market. The Vagrant remained the company's flagship class for two centuries, eventually comprising three different lines: the R-series rescue craft, C-series cargo craft, and the later LR-series, which added hyperspace thrusters to exponentially extend the ship's effective range.

In 2352, as a bicentennial celebration, Cerox-Masterson intended to release a truly revolutionary new Vagrant model. Every element of the venerable design was up for improvement. Midway through the design process it became clear that what they were building could no longer be called a Vagrant by any stretch of the imagination; ultimately, what the company unveiled was the CM-Y200 Vanguard. Several existing orders of the Vagrant were completed, and then with great ceremony the production lines were shut down.

The Vagrant's CM-383-LR model was both one of the largest SSTO vessels Earth had ever produced, and one of the smallest ships to carry hyperspace thrusters. This unique combination gave it an exclusive niche in the cargo market, especially among independent traders. Though the Vanguard has now mostly replaced it, it is a testament to the Vagrant's robustness and quality that a thriving secondary market still exists for the ship over sixty years after the last one was constructed.