Zen Armaments ZA-T1-1a “Tripster” Intrasystem Shuttle As there is a fairly large market for low-end civilian spacecraft on Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia and a comparatively small industry for it, the Tripster was designed for the slightly-less-wealthy businessmen or well-funded interest groups to be able to afford safe, recreational space travel. Unsurprisingly, it is mostly not used safely, or for recreation, but it remains a popular option among vacuuphiles and stargazers alike.

Zen Armaments, finally succumbing to the taunts of the Reds about the success of Geshrinari Shipyards, has ironically decided to enter the Starship market with an unarmed (by default, at least) light civilian craft, designed to be as inexpensive as possible while still using relatively high-quality parts. As with all Zen Armaments products, prices vary greatly, but a respectable organization with the proper ties can expect to pay about 500,000KS for one of these craft, plus about 10,500 KS per month for fuel and gases.

Organizations Using This Vessel: Zen Armaments Nepleslian Astronomy Network(TV station) Go To Space™ travel agency

Type: Intrasystem shuttle (mainly) Class: Zen Armaments Class 1 Shuttle, first production model Designer: Zen Armaments (Various sub-organizations throughout the Black Syndicate) Manufacturer: Zen Armaments (Again, various sub-organizations) Production: On demand, usually takes 6-8 weeks for construction (2-3 months when hype is high)

Crew: 1 pilot required; 48-hour training program included Maximum Capacity: 8-12, depending on living style of occupants Appearance: A simple smoothed rectangular box with tapered nose and dorsal/caudal fins. May also have a warp drive attached to the underbelly for FTL travel.

Length: Approx. 15m (12m inside) Width: Approx. 6m (4m inside; 10m wingtip-to-wingtip) Height: Approx. 3m ( 2.2m inside, 6m if including landing gear and tail) Decks: 1 Mass: Approximately 25,000kg

Speed (STL): Theoretical maximum: 0.98c; acceleration: 0.00043c/second Speed (FTL): None, unless equipped with a third-party FTL device Speed (Aerial): Mach 7 (maximum recommended at greater than .6 atmospheres) Speed (Water): Though not designed for underwater travel, can reach speeds of 30 knots.

Range (Distance): No limit Range (Support): Approx. 6 months + 1 month emergency supplies ⇒ 0.5LY Lifespan: Indefinite, with proper maintenance; little more than a year, without Refit Cycle: Requires regular retooling of systems, recharging of supplies (O4, Hydrogen, Deuterium) and occasional replacement of DRIP drive.

Cockpit: Fairly small, but roomy considering the total size of the shuttle. Can accommodate 4 people at once, but only 1 pilot is required.

Cabin: 4 by 6 meters, this is where most of the passengers eat, sleep, hang out, etc. Appliances such as microwave oven, data consoles, storage, and sleeping nets are set into the walls. Remarkably comfortable for such a small area, it is designed to function in zero, artificial, or natural gravity systems equally well, though for sleeping, zero G is recommended.

Engineering/washroom: This is where the techies of the ship can access the guts of the shuttle, in case a cable comes loose or whatever. It’s also where you go if you want to take a dump and would rather not stink up your pants.

Hull: Comprised mainly of an alloy similar to steel but containing titanium, half to three-quarters of a meter thick, it is resistant to most forms of space debris and many attacks. Windows made of extremely strong industry-standard transparent polymers adorn the front of the ship, as well as portholes in the cabin.

Airlock System: A multi-purpose dual-front hatch in the engineering room allows docking with most other starships via standard tubing mechanisms, and ejection of unwanted cargo without risk to the passengers.

Escape Pods: Beds can be sealed and used as protection from the life-threatening conditions of outer space, but can only sustain a person for a week and provide very little room for movement.

Environmental/Air/Emergency food Systems: The Tripster uses the TOWELS system to keep the living conditions of the inhabitants in order.

Sensor and Computer Systems: Most Tripsters use a standard starship PRISM computer system, patched through to a radar/photo array on the nose of the ship.

Propulsion: DRIP Drives are the most common, though third-party drives which use tritium are also available and in occasional use.

Shields: Low-end EMBLEM deflectors are used to reduce wear and tear on the hull, but in this case are usually not strong enough to reflect anything but basic charged beams and antimatter.