Cargo

This article describes the nature of cargo and supplies in the SARPiverse, as well as some common logistical practices, as well as the movement of item between planets and star systems. The lists provided are not all-inclusive.

Cargo takes innumerable forms in the SARPiverse. Anything that might need to be stored and moved could count as cargo. Cargo might be imported if it is cheaper to do so, or it may be exported if there is a local surplus.

Below is a list of a few types of items which might be transported between cities, planets, or systems. This is list is not all-inclusive, and is only meant to give some ideas of things which could be moved as cargo.

• Food Items such as raw agricultural products, alcohol, frozen pre-cooked meals.
• Military Assets such as ammunition, repair parts, personal armor, uniforms.
• Raw Materials such as metal ingots, chemicals, stored gasses.
• Fuels or Power Cells such as hydrogen fuel cells, plasma fuel cells, crude oil.
• Salvage such as broken ships, recovered military components, broken weaponry.
• Medical materials including equipment, medicines, live organs.
• Biohazards such as chemicals, radioactive materials and toxic substances.
• Living beings can sometimes be considered more cargo rather than passengers, in the cases of un-hatched eggs.
• Livestock animals or pets may be transported as cargo.

This section will include information on how widely available FTL affects cargo in the setting (e.g. why it's not always prohibitively expensive to ship things to other planets in SARP).

Bulk cargo consists of large quantities of typically non-perishable commodities like fuels (oil, coal), grains (dry rice, dry corn), sand, water, and so on. Bulk carrier ships typically have large storage tanks that are huge containers for their cargo. In the Star Army setting there are bulk carrier ships for elemental materials (e.g. gold, hydrogen gas, etc) and anti-matter (used for fuel).

Containerized cargo is the preferred method of carrying cargo in most of the SARPiverse because, while it's not the most space-efficient or mass-efficient method, it's easy and cargo containers neatly fit into standard cargo bays.

The Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) starships/craft typically have a ramp that vehicles can drive onto the ship/craft. RORO cargo consists of vehicles and/or cargo on vehicles, for example, instead of transferring a truckload of cargo to the ship, the truck keeps the cargo in the truck and transports the entire truck. This is often used for ferry-type services or moving military units that want to bring their inventory of armored vehicles with them. This is also used for moving expensive mining vehicles and farm equipment.

Many advanced societies and factions make use of fixed or independently-mobile robotics to assist with cargo operations. These groups may not necessarily have a dedicated article describing these robots.

Some species and factions have unique practices with regard to the shipping and storage of cargo. Relevant articles can be found below.

• Star Army Logistics is headquartered at the Central Fleet Depot in the military-industrial city of Central Uesureya, Yamatai (Planet).
• International Starship and Cargo Standards
• Yamataian Law, particularly Criminal Law 6.5, criminalizes theft of property.
• Places of trade and shipping of the Kingdom of Neshaten.

A number of organizations in the SARPiverse are Cargo-centric. Such groups can be added here in the appropriate subsection.

Companies whose primary purpose is the movement of goods and cargo may be added to this list.

• Trinary Star Shipping - This company operates throughout the Kikyo Sector and is headquartered in the Anisa System in the Yamatai Core Sector.
• The Galactic Shipping Agency - An intragalactic transport company of the Yamatai Star Empire.
• The Origin Entertainment and Commerce branch of Origin Industries, an independent company headquartered on Dawn Station in the Ake system.
• Ryu Shipping Lines - A component of the Ryu Keiretsu, responsible for transporting goods for the keiretsu and any other customers that contract with them.

Military or Government logistics organizations.

• Star Army Logistics, managed by the Director Of Star Army Logistics, is the centralized sustainment organization within the Star Army of Yamatai that manages and executes the large-scale acquisition, storage, transportation, and distribution of materiel for the Star Army's operations.
• The Eaqânos Poku (Clan Cooperative) of the Poku Saeruo Degonjo is a government entity that controls the trade and sale of Clan goods to other nations and species.

These articles cover black markets, smuggling and other intersections of crime and cargo.

• Smuggling
• The Nepleslian Black Market
• Known Smuggling Groups
• The Iromakuanhe Underworld

• The Graxlat Species has a reputation for acting as scavengers, thieves, and merchants.
• Many Freespacers are merchants.
• The Nationals faction of the Chelti are merchants, traders, and artisans.
• The Delsaurian species has a mercantile culture.
• The Kuvexian species is known to engage in frequent wars for the purpose of acquiring new things.

Occupations which primarily manage the storage or movement of goods and cargo may be added to this list. They should be listed with the faction that makes use of them, if applicable. The list is not all-inclusive.

• The Star Army Cargo and Supply occupation is responsible for managing a ship or unit's inventory, supplies, and onboard cargo, including storage, loading and unloading, inventory checks, and transportation (typically via shuttle or truck).
• The Star Army Unit Supply Specialist is responsible for maintaining unit-level supplies and inventory for starships, centuries, and other types of Star Army units.
• Cargo Transporter
• The Support Crew of the Yugumo Merchant Spacy includes crewmembers who handle logistics.
• The Scientific Studies Service - Cargo Handler is responsible for inventorying shipments when received and storing them properly. They are also responsible for transferring cargo from storage areas to staging areas, and onto Tansaku-class Science Vessels.
• The NMX Cargo and Supply specialist maintains his/her unit's inventory and stocks and orders what is needed and makes sure it gets to where it needs to go, and also advises his/her commander on supply levels and needs.
• The Gatherer occupation in the Poku Saeruo Degonjo collects and moves resources and cargo of various types.
• The Money Holder occupation in the Poku Saeruo Degonjo manages the inventorying of Clan cargo, and it is heavily involved in its sale and trade within and without the Clan.
• Pirates have a strong interest in acquiring cargo.

Trade hubs and commercial centers both great and small may be added to this list. The location and factional alignment (if applicable) of the center of trade should be given.

• The Cities on Planet Yamatai include several major trade centers.
• The Yitian Industrial Zone of Shenhong City on Fujiko IV, a planet in the Fujiko System which is aligned with the Nepleslian Reds.
• Locations on the Known Smuggling Hubs list.
• Sood Zadra, a neutral civilian spaceport built by Kuvexians on planet UX-3 III in the UX-3 star system.
• The Commercial District of Obsidian City on the planet Sirris VI in the territory of the New Dusk Conclave.
• The city of Kyopelinvuori in the Azorea System.
• The planet Yicuqibu I, which serves as a mining site and a massive junkyard.

Above: Art of an advanced storage facility, generated by Charaa using Copilot.

The means and methods by which Cargo is stored and moved is varied in the SARPiverse. Read on about some of these topics below

Mobile cargo container technology articles can be found here. Ideal storage containers are intermodal, though some cargo is transported in breakbulk fashion.

• Standard Starship Cargo Containers are the standard-size containers found throughout the SARPiverse.
• The Detachable Outer Container is a shipping container used by the Star Army of Yamatai that is externally attached to a ship.
• The Poku Saeruo Degonjo has a number of configurations for starship storage containers.

The following articles describe cargo-related facilities that may be found on planets, vehicles, starships or stations.

• The Geshrinari Shipyards Cargo Storage Component is a modular component found on the configurable Spaceports manufactured and sold by Geshrinari Shipyards. The activities of Cargo Storage are managed by the Cargo Processing module.
• The Wuny-me Rousa'ka (Cargo Hold) is a common cargo storage module found on many Hidden Sun Clan ships and smaller starbases. The Navumi Wuny-me (Cargo Storage) is the version found on planetary facilities and larger starbases.
• The Standard Star Army Cargo Area is the location on a typical Star Army starship used to store supplies and non-perishable foodstuffs, and is also generally reserved for storage of mission-essential equipment and supplies.
• The Storage Yards of the Starports built by the NMX during the Second Mishhuvurthyar War.
• The Mishhuvurthyar Cargo Ferry and the NMX Cargo Bay are types of storage areas found on some Mishhuvurthyar ships.
• Hallways, Corridors, and Storage used by the Kingdom of Neshaten.
• The Yugumo Standard Cargo Bay is found on many ships of the Yugumo Corporation.

These are transport starships commonly found in and around the Yamatai Star Empire. Some classes of ship in this list may be found beyond its borders.

• The list of transport ships in the Shipping Company Fleet of Trinary Star Shipping has a variety of cargo ships made by various companies. This company operates throughout the Kikyo Sector and is headquartered in the Anisa System in the Yamatai Core Sector.
• The Traveler-class transport is an old model of transport ship manufactured by NovaCorp for many decades, and may be found anywhere in the Kikyo sector.
• The El-L1-1a Lanethron-class Cargo Ship of the Elysian Celestial Empire that was 'mothballed' in YE 34.

Some common transport starships of factions aside from Yamatai may be found in this list.

• The HS-SS2-1a Ytaqo'a (Gatherer) - Class Ship is the main cargo craft of the Poku Saeruo Degonjo, but would not be used by any other species or faction.
• The Cargo Runner / Transport is one of the cargo ship classes of the Kuvexian Military. After the fall of the Interstellar Kingdom Of Kuvexia in YE 43, this ship has found its way into the hands of various Kuvexian military remnants, pirates and smugglers.
• The Nomad-Class Solarfoil Corvette is used by many modern Freespacer cadres as a merchant and transport ship.
• The NS-LFS-1CIV Red Hill Class REVISED is a small Nepleslian cargo/freight supply ship designed for colonial re-supply and for small merchant traders with budget considerations.
• The Magpie-class Industrial Cargo Freighter of the Mining Guild.
• The Seiza-Class Cargo Hauler developed by Motoyoshi Fleet Yards.
• Freighters used by the Kingdom of Neshaten.

The primary purpose of these ground-based vehicles is to move cargo. They should be listed with the faction that makes use of them, if applicable.

• The NMX Cargo Truck (Type 31) of the NMX.
• The Type 32 Rail Train and the Type 32 Grav Train used by the Yamatai Star Empire.
• The Ground Carrier all-terrain vehicle of the Hidden Sun Clan.
• The Type 30 Cargo Truck is a strong but ugly truck used for carrying large and/or heavy cargo on light off-road terrain, and is used by the Star Army of Yamatai.

Above: Art of a Ground-based Cargo Transport Vehicle, Generated by Charaa using Copilot.

These transport vehicles are designed primarily for airborne in-atmosphere planetary transport.

• The Mocca Cargo Plane of Origin Industries, found anywhere Origin Industries products are sold.

Teleportation technologies have unique applications to the transportation of cargo.

• The Ke-P8-R4600 Teleportation Pad.

• Guide To Being a Merchant in Star Army
• International Currency Exchange

Hollander created this article on 2024/04/07 16:55 in response to a request for such a page by Wes.¹⁾