The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.
-J.R.R Tolkien
About this creation
Function: Transportation, research, limited military functions.
Gravitic displacement: 21.3 Megazorks
Reactor: StarTron VC-3 Freem Energy Suspension Turbine
Fuel: Plasmatic Unuhexium
Battery: It just keeps going and going and going...
Computer System: Bobby the friendly floating techno-oracle.
Targeting Software: Ben's eyes; actual software replaced with latest graphics card.
Sensor Systems: Nav o' tron, Scan o' tron, Bizzare o' tron, Bizzare o' Nav, Tron o' tron...
Engine Systems: 1 CC-14 Plasma Drive, 2 CC-12 Thruster Blasters, 4 EEPS arrays (Extra Electromagnetic Propulsion System)
Crew: 1 pilot, 1 navigator, and 1 science officer, though an additional specialist is usually assigned per mission.
Operating Parameters: X and Y acceleration, 132º per second, Roll rate, 181º per second, Z acceleration, 511kps^2, Hyperthrusters allow for travel in the 5th dimension.
The Byzantine class shuttle fell into use by many of the outer rim governments, and even eventually reached the PCS and Star Rangers. Designer Chanhan Tobapinch, a former Eastern Block scientist, first conceived the shuttles design. Though the project received little resources, a team was quickly assembled and through a long development period, a finished product was quietly test flown over Zolo 4, where an eastern block vessel picked up the flights. The ship used a scavenged PCS navigation transceiver, which led the EB to believe that Chanhan had decided to help the PCS. Sadly, this led to the eventual assassination of Mr. Tobapinch, though a brave Star Ranger mechanic, Bertram Lincoln, caught the responsible party. Heedless, the ships existence and performance now well known, orders began to queue up. Soon 170 were sold, 30 to the Iron Reich (these eventually found their way into the Galactic Inquisition, which used them in the third gear crusade), 50 to the Jade Empire (mysteriously disappeared, only to be spotted by long range sensors in E.B. territory), and 90 to various other outer-rim organizations (10 of these were annexed in a SWAT team raid by the P.C.S, and 5 were stolen by 3vil forces, who replaced the wings with skulls). All of these have stories to their own, but the most famous user was StarTron themselves, and the crew of the Hagia Sophia, who are responsible for 25 first contacts, 2 with sentient species, the defense of friendly forces on 3 separate occasions ending in the destruction of 2 Skull pods and a Zog-15 interceptor, and the rebuilding of a new ship from scratch when they eventually crashed on Getath 5. All users have found the ship to be highly nimble for its size, adaptable, and very rugged, a quality needed in a ship of this type. The C.S. Space Cruiser phased it out during the Classic Space era.
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On three thick wings flew it, of speed and strength
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The rear of the ship, containing the standard greebles and such. I really have to stop using those joint pieces as engines. They do work well here though. The engine section is the folley of many a fine ship.
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From the top. I think the key here is to have the greebles submerged within the frame, so that they are unobtrusive and flow more with the model. At least, that is what I hope.
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I took the idea for the side panels from the Grand Admiral's Beulah freighter, as well as from the Donught Express.
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The underside is rather uninteresting, only broken by some greebles. I used rather antiquidated techniques for it; I feel I have overused SNOT in the past.
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One of my favorite shots. Apparently it was photographed on the planet science-fair board.
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He goes back to work quickly when the navigation officer prods him with his short-wave antenne.
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A shot of the cockpit and Navigation station. Yes, there is more to both stations than meets the eye, but I dont have a macro lens for the camera.
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The crew all gathered. From left to right: Bobby the friendly floating techno-oracle, Fayahnor Ehlendie, Tim Johnson, Joseph Protelliate, and Scott Grumman.
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A (bad) picture of the Hagia Sophia landing in a clearing. Stupid photoshop... I should think that we should back away lest we get caught in the Faz updraft...
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