The Remora is a shuttle-sized support craft, acting in a cargo hauler and tug boat capacity. It can provide support for mining vessels, ports, and ship construction yards.

The Remora is a simple craft designed to move larger craft and objects at STL and FTL speeds. To accomplish this, it can 'latch' onto a craft or object using a Gravitic Clamp.

A large gravitic clamp allows the Remora to attach itself to most any object. Once attached, it uses its powerful drive system to navigate objects far larger than itself to a desired location. In the event that its cargo needs to travel a long distance, it can initiate a hyperspace fold to take its Cargo to a larger vessel or starbase.

When not in use, the 'wings' that hold its maneuverability thrusters can be retracted against the side of the craft.

The Remora can be operated entirely without a pilot by slaving it to a nearby ship equipped with a suitable AI, such as EVE. When slaved in this fashion, each Remora's hyperspace fold 'bubble' is added to the other, notably increasing the size of what they can transport.

The Remora is designed to latch onto space-born objects and relocate them. It is specifically designed for:

• Cargo Hauling
• Tug Boat operations
• Short-range hyperfolds with cargo

The Remora is a narrow vessel with a flat top and a curved bottom. The topside is dominated by the gravitic clamping system and a highly resilient padding made primarily of Madite-S. Four maneuverability 'wings' stretch out from the midsection of the craft and end in small thrusters. In front of this wing section is the cockpit and two large sensor packages, located to either side, used to improve the Remora's ability to safely dock with other objects.

On the bottom most of the craft is a small point defense turret.

During Noval's development of the NH-Y-1 Mola-class Exploration Vessel, the design team at Noval Sourcing, Services, and Logistics identified an opportunity to improve the Mola's effective operation time. The idea was simple - a small craft that could ferry cargo and small vessels to a desired location without requiring the Mola to leave its area of operation.

Once the mission parameters were established, Noval sought out a partner with deep expertise in the mining and cargo hauling operation. The Mining Guild was selected and the two began to ideate on various form factors and technology packages before settling on the final design of the Remora.

The Remora is heavily specialized to act as an “attachable drive system” for other craft and/or objects. It is capable of moving objects far larger than itself at both STL and FTL speeds, but very little else.

• Class: NH-Y2
• Type: Mining/Cargo Support Vessel
• Designers: Noval Sourcing, Services, and Logistics, in partnership with the Mining Guild and Noval Defense, Space, and Security
• Manufacturer: Noval Heavy Industries
• Fielded by: Mining Guild, Noval Heavy Industries, Independent
• Price: 35,000 DS (8,750 KS)

Crew: 1 operator is recommended, 0 are required.

Maximum Capacity: There are accommodations for 1 person.

• Length: 14 meters
• Width: 3.4 meters with wings collapsed
• Height: 3.2 meters with wings collapsed

• Hyperspace Fold Drive: .35 ly/m
• Sublight Engines: .31c
• Range: 1 week with crew, 1 month without
• Lifespan: 10+ years with normal maintenance
• Refit Cycle: 2 years

• Tier: 7 (Light Mecha/Fighter)

The Remora's cockpit has a similar control arrangement to a fighter craft. It features a 360 degree HUD with full view of the surrounding space. The pilot's seat and controls can rotate along the ship's center line, allowing the pilot to remain aligned with an object that they are clamping onto.

Further improving the pilot's ability to successfully navigate and dock is a smart distance tracking system, displaying the distance to objects near and far. Navigation systems can be adjusted for precision such that 'full power' to the drive systems might only move the craft a few centimeters in relation to a nearby target object.

One unusual aspect of the Remora is that most pilots prefer to pilot it “upside down”. This preference stems from the position of the gravitic clamp. By inverting the craft and utilizing the 360 degree HUD, pilots are able to get an unobstructed view of the objects they are clamping onto by looking at the 'floor' of the cockpit. Once attached, pilots will typically rotate their seat into whatever position makes the most sense for towing their cargo.

For longer trips, the cockpit's seat can slide back and fold into a bed configuration. The ship's screens can be used for recreational purposes. The seat can fold down entirely into the floor to allow the pilot some degree of movement within the craft and access to a small galley/restroom setup in the rear of the cockpit.

As is standard in all Noval products, the craft's interior is comfortable and well-designed for long periods of travel.

The majority of the Remora's structure and exterior armor is made of Madite-S, a highly-resilient, self-healing plastic.

The Remora's electronics package are primarily focused around its sensor and navigation systems. A material analyzer is wired into the craft's HUD, assisting pilots in identifying areas on an object that are structurally sound enough for attachment.

It is possible for the Remora to be operated as a child unit to one or more parent AIs. It can be controlled in full or act upon pre-assigned orders so long as no pilot is available to operate the craft. Docking and Cargo drop-off can be handled entirely by AI if the pilot so wishes it.

This operation is a secure connection and requires prior authentication by a pilot, technician, or parent AI.

The Remora comes with a number of systems to protect the life of its pilot, including fire suppression and anti-depressurization measures. In the event of a critical failure of the craft itself, the cockpit area can be ejected entirely.

Additionally, an ARCO-I system is included as an additional safety measure should the cockpit itself fail.

The majority of the Remora's length is taken up by its drive systems.

STL Propulsion is provided by an over-sized gravitic drive. Once attached to an object, the Remora has sufficient power to move most objects. Exceptionally large or unwieldy objects may require more than one Remora. The Remora's STL speeds are consistent whether laden or unladen.

FTL Propulsion is provided by a hyperspace fold drive. While it does not have the speed or range of a larger craft, it is nonetheless able to create a sufficiently large fold signature to transport most Cargo. As with STL propulsion, it may be necessary to use multiple Remora if the Cargo is too large.

Maneuverability thrusters positioned on the craft's 'wings' and rear provide additional thrust and steering control.

As cargo may be non-metallic, a non-magnetic solution for attaching to and relocating large objects was required.

The Gravitic Clamp shapes and redirects a portion of the Remora's over-sized gravitic drive to greatly increase the gravity between the Remora and an object in close proximity. The amount of power required for this 'clamping' varies from object to object and is managed automatically so as to not damage the Remora or its cargo.

While powerful, the Gravitic Clamp is limited to only affecting a small area in front of the clamp itself. Beyond half a meter the attraction of the gravity falls off steeply.

The Remora is protected by a combination of electromagnetic and gravitic shields. These shields are primarily designed for environmental hazards, but offer a reasonable degree of protection in the event of an attack.

An escort in hostile territory is recommended.

• Shooting Star Machine Gun: One Point Defense Turret, Tier 6

The Remora-class Utility Craft is available for purchase for 35,000 DS (8,750 KS).

Whisper created this article on 2020/03/16 12:35.

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