Terry Mixon
Emperor Mongoose
Because I literally can't help myself (is there a twelve-step program for ship design?), I decided the 300,000-ton Emperor Hiroshi wasn't ambitious enough for the Solomani Party. So, I decided to double its size and rename her Hiroshi the Uncrowned! Enjoy and happy treasure hunting!
A Mongoose 2e design. Hiroshi the Uncrowned is a singular ship rather than a class of vessels because only someone insanely arrogant would have ever made even one. The ship was built at the yards on Luna in the Sol system and was completed just as the system was captured in the Rim War. She was one of the first ships made there to TL15 specifications.
She was meant to be the largest, most luxurious ship serving the Solomani Party leadership and would definitely have excelled in that role admirably had she not been lost fleeing the Imperial Navy from the system where she was built. She jumped far too early with a full load of rich and powerful passengers, as well as innumerable cultural artifacts, and was never seen again.
Made to exacting standards with superior workmanship and materials, every system and amenity cost an additional 375%, making her ridiculously expensive to build (TCr1.148 total) and maintain (MCr94.744 per maintenance period). The superior materials and construction make the ship stronger than she would otherwise be (x1.5 hull points, 660,000), faster (x1.5, thrust 3), and powerful (x1.5 power generation, 183,257). All shipboard rolls earn a DM+2.
Her amenities cannot possibly be understated. She was made to fit the Solomani Party's idea of what a luxurious and protected vessel serving their elite required. The luxury passenger common areas were expanded by 50% even over the already spacious allotment, giving them plenty of elbow room consisting of elegant sitting rooms, salons for gathering for drinks, trendy or stately bars, and innumerable other niches that only the wealthy seem to understand or need. Even above the opulent furnishings and exquisite, she came of a vast configurable common area that could be a ballroom, sports venue, or whatever else was needed. She came with a roomy casino suitable for 300 players who could afford the high-stakes games held there.
She also came with an extensive commercial area with 200 luxury boutiques taking up variable tonnage from the 4,000 dtons allocated (average 20 dtons) meant to provide for the passengers' every whim and desire. These boutiques were leased for MCr10 a month with the expectation that they would generate three times that in sales. While such a vessel could theoretically be profitable with income from the 200 boutique shops aboard added into the mix, it would be extremely challenging to fill all the staterooms as a normal liner.
Additionally, some staff members were typically amenable to off the books services to discerning passengers, though with remote oversight via neural jack to ensure the safety of the staff and a way to summon security if needed, as well as a biometer to make certain that no health emergency was missed. All the crew had those implants for tracking, safety, and communication. Skills to assist in any shipboard or support capacity were available wirelessly or via wafer. She also came with twice as many medical personnel and medbays than she needed so as to provide advanced medical procedures in comfort and privacy for the passengers.
Though many functions could have been filled by robots, no mechanicals were allowed aboard, even for cleaning and maintenance roles. Only Sophont crew were acceptable to the elite. She came with 10 crew shuttles and 12 luxury passenger shuttles to ferry the passengers and crew as needed, as well as two oversized modular cargo cutters to handle freight and speculative cargo.
She was built with a reinforced hull, was heavily armed with many pulse lasers, sandcasters, fusion barbettes, advanced sensors, and even though not needed, she had a command bridge for the prestige of her passengers. Never advertised, she also came with a dozen large missile bays, a dozen large meson bays, and a black globe generator for the ultimate in protection of her precious passengers.
She also had 16 Skeet Heavy-Class 200-Ton Heavy Fighters as in-system escorts. She carried 3 advanced missile reloads for herself and the Skeeters. Additionally, she had 2 Prospectus-Class 500-ton J6 passenger and cargo acquisition vessels designed to run ahead of the ship prepare everything for her arrival. The ship had staterooms for their crews during jump for complete integration. Her fuel tanks were made of metal hydride and meant to protect her ability to jump at need. Even so, because she wasn't prepared for the early arrival of the Imperial Navy, she jumped early to avoid capture and was lost with three thousand luxury passengers and just more than eight thousand crew aboard.
Her legend as a treasure ship has spawned many search expeditions and fantastic rumors about her, but no sign of the magnificent vessel has ever been found. None of her passengers or crew turned up later to tell any tales, so the public at large was left free to speculate about what happened to her over the last century. Ghost sightings of her have been reported from across the Imperium and Confederation.
If she were ever to be found, it is certain that the Confederation would clamors for her return, though the Imperium claims the vessel as a war prize and would take possession if she were found in Imperial space. Even the ownership of the reputed Terran art and cultural artifacts is hotly contested. Still, even the salvage percentage from either claimant for the ship alone would make the discoverers wealthy beyond their wildest dreams of avarice.
Good hunting, Travellers.
A Mongoose 2e design. Hiroshi the Uncrowned is a singular ship rather than a class of vessels because only someone insanely arrogant would have ever made even one. The ship was built at the yards on Luna in the Sol system and was completed just as the system was captured in the Rim War. She was one of the first ships made there to TL15 specifications.
She was meant to be the largest, most luxurious ship serving the Solomani Party leadership and would definitely have excelled in that role admirably had she not been lost fleeing the Imperial Navy from the system where she was built. She jumped far too early with a full load of rich and powerful passengers, as well as innumerable cultural artifacts, and was never seen again.
Made to exacting standards with superior workmanship and materials, every system and amenity cost an additional 375%, making her ridiculously expensive to build (TCr1.148 total) and maintain (MCr94.744 per maintenance period). The superior materials and construction make the ship stronger than she would otherwise be (x1.5 hull points, 660,000), faster (x1.5, thrust 3), and powerful (x1.5 power generation, 183,257). All shipboard rolls earn a DM+2.
Her amenities cannot possibly be understated. She was made to fit the Solomani Party's idea of what a luxurious and protected vessel serving their elite required. The luxury passenger common areas were expanded by 50% even over the already spacious allotment, giving them plenty of elbow room consisting of elegant sitting rooms, salons for gathering for drinks, trendy or stately bars, and innumerable other niches that only the wealthy seem to understand or need. Even above the opulent furnishings and exquisite, she came of a vast configurable common area that could be a ballroom, sports venue, or whatever else was needed. She came with a roomy casino suitable for 300 players who could afford the high-stakes games held there.
She also came with an extensive commercial area with 200 luxury boutiques taking up variable tonnage from the 4,000 dtons allocated (average 20 dtons) meant to provide for the passengers' every whim and desire. These boutiques were leased for MCr10 a month with the expectation that they would generate three times that in sales. While such a vessel could theoretically be profitable with income from the 200 boutique shops aboard added into the mix, it would be extremely challenging to fill all the staterooms as a normal liner.
Additionally, some staff members were typically amenable to off the books services to discerning passengers, though with remote oversight via neural jack to ensure the safety of the staff and a way to summon security if needed, as well as a biometer to make certain that no health emergency was missed. All the crew had those implants for tracking, safety, and communication. Skills to assist in any shipboard or support capacity were available wirelessly or via wafer. She also came with twice as many medical personnel and medbays than she needed so as to provide advanced medical procedures in comfort and privacy for the passengers.
Though many functions could have been filled by robots, no mechanicals were allowed aboard, even for cleaning and maintenance roles. Only Sophont crew were acceptable to the elite. She came with 10 crew shuttles and 12 luxury passenger shuttles to ferry the passengers and crew as needed, as well as two oversized modular cargo cutters to handle freight and speculative cargo.
She was built with a reinforced hull, was heavily armed with many pulse lasers, sandcasters, fusion barbettes, advanced sensors, and even though not needed, she had a command bridge for the prestige of her passengers. Never advertised, she also came with a dozen large missile bays, a dozen large meson bays, and a black globe generator for the ultimate in protection of her precious passengers.
She also had 16 Skeet Heavy-Class 200-Ton Heavy Fighters as in-system escorts. She carried 3 advanced missile reloads for herself and the Skeeters. Additionally, she had 2 Prospectus-Class 500-ton J6 passenger and cargo acquisition vessels designed to run ahead of the ship prepare everything for her arrival. The ship had staterooms for their crews during jump for complete integration. Her fuel tanks were made of metal hydride and meant to protect her ability to jump at need. Even so, because she wasn't prepared for the early arrival of the Imperial Navy, she jumped early to avoid capture and was lost with three thousand luxury passengers and just more than eight thousand crew aboard.
Her legend as a treasure ship has spawned many search expeditions and fantastic rumors about her, but no sign of the magnificent vessel has ever been found. None of her passengers or crew turned up later to tell any tales, so the public at large was left free to speculate about what happened to her over the last century. Ghost sightings of her have been reported from across the Imperium and Confederation.
If she were ever to be found, it is certain that the Confederation would clamors for her return, though the Imperium claims the vessel as a war prize and would take possession if she were found in Imperial space. Even the ownership of the reputed Terran art and cultural artifacts is hotly contested. Still, even the salvage percentage from either claimant for the ship alone would make the discoverers wealthy beyond their wildest dreams of avarice.
Good hunting, Travellers.
