A brief writeup of the main support craft owned and operated by the Floating Island crew. The station also has a handful of 'waved vans and cars for staff use (and rental), but these are fairly ordinary by Fenspace standards. These, though, are the big ships.
Auxiliary Vessels for the Floating Island
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Created by Acyl (Aaron Choo Yilun)
Ship Name: ISS Delphinus
Registry Number: ISS-SOA-1
Base Hull: Derelict Luxury Motor Yacht, approx 40m long (but see Ship Quirk: Tardis)
Drive Type: Speed - "Moonstone" Engine (max cruise 0.075C, max burn 0.09C)
Owner of Record: Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Cargo and Passenger Ship
Crew: (Varies between runs. Ship AI as pilot. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Tardis: It's not obvious, but there seems to be more space inside the Delphinus' than there should be. Attempts at concrete measurements usually fail, so nobody's really certain. Eric insists TV and movie ship scales are never accurate anyway, so what's the harm?
- Star Destroyer: Despite being only 40m long (kinda, see above), and a glorified transport...the Delphinus thinks she's a capital warship. She has a little conning tower and everything.
- R2DWho?: The ship's AI, "Ecco", communicates entirely in whistles, squeaks, and other dolphin sounds. Somehow, all crewmembers understand this perfectly. Outsiders and passengers are left mystified, though.
- Flying Fish: The port and starboard sides of the Delphinus both have a large cartoon dolphin painted on them. Well, actually it isn't paint. The 'wavium hull coating reshaped itself, apparently on its own accord.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- DHL: The ISS Delphinus is the Island's primary cargo vessel. She makes regular runs between Earth and the Island, ferrying supplies and passengers. Food and merchandise for the stores, tourists, etc.
- Any Landing You Can Walk Away From: Island staffer Katie Lee is allowed to serve as Captain for Delphinus missions, but she is no longer allowed to override Ecco and pilot. Any further damages, diplomatic incidents, and bail money will be docked from her paycheck.
- Moonstone Cannon, FIRE!: The ISS Delphinus is lightly armed for self-defense: a small naval gun sealed for space, plus modified ammo. Weapon is very lightly 'waved, mostly for structural integrity. Katie is not allowed to operate this either.
...
Ship Name: ISS Octopus
Registry Number: ISS-BTS-2
Base Hull: Unique, scratch-built
Drive Type: Acceleration - James 'Wavium Watt (max vel 0.07C, see Ship Quirk: Zoom Zoom)
Owner of Record: Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Tugboat, Rescue, Construction etc.
Crew: (Varies between runs. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Zoom Zoom: The Octopus is a tugboat, and she has one quirk that makes her uniquely suited to this role. Octopus can achieve maximum velocity within several minutes, on roughly the same acceleration curve...regardless of whatever it is towing. No matter how massive. If there's an upper limit to this ability, it hasn't been found yet. She can accelerate in all directions, so it doesn't matter which end is gripping the object being towed.
- Stand Alone Complex: The Octopus has no native AI. At least, well, the Island crew are fairly sure there's no AI. She sometimes behaves like she's got a mind of her own.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Doctor Octopus: Constructed by Island crew sometime after the station was launched. They needed a heavy utility vehicle for external repairs, construction, etc, and later tug duties. The main body of the vessel is a riveted and welded sphere, made of 'waved scrap metal. She has four large articulated arms round the equator, and four smaller ones near the north pole.
...
Ship Name: Brave Legend Shakespeare
Registry Number: ISS-BLS-3
Base Hull: Three large cargo containers, attached in a "Y-Wing" configuration. Heavy modifications.
Drive Type: Speed - Full Sonnet Drive (max vel 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Will Kao, Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Police, Security, Patrol, Poetry
Crew: (Varies between runs. Ship AI as pilot. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Uniform: Controls won't work unless the currently-serving captain is wearing a shirt or jacket with big collar and puffy sleeves.
- GPS: Engines won't start unless a globe, one of those big spinny ones, is in the cockpit.
- William Who?: Ship's AI is modeled not after William Shakespeare, but William Topaz McGonagall - a 19th century poet renowned as the worst poet in English literature. But McGonagall was a Shakespeare fanboy, so... ("In his beautiful tragedy of Othello, one passage is very fine,/Just for instance where Cassio looses his lieutenancy/... By drinking too much wine;)
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Global Threat: The brainchild of Dr. Will Kao, the Island's Ops Chief/Medic. He insists the ship has no connection to his own first name. The Shakespeare is the Island's main protection against troublemakers - a flying bouncer. The Shakespeare is always referred to, Soviet-style, as he.
- He's Dead, Jim: There's a certain amount of irony in the station's medic building a gunship, no matter how defensively configured. Of course, Dr. Kao's doctorate isn't in medicine...and he hasn't sworn any kind of oath...
- The Fuzz: As a police vessel, of sorts, the Shakespeare is nominally a combat ship. His equipment is mostly defensive, however, and he's meant to disable or seize ships, not destroy them. That said, he is most definitely armed.
- Q Branch: Precisely what weapons the Shakespeare has isn't clear. In 2009, he fought off a would-be raider attack with railguns, presumably powered by a 'wavium energy source. Island staff later referred to these guns as the "154 Sonnets" (and, unusually for Island folks, insisted the designs were not for sale). Following recent rumours from the Phobos Con, the Shakespeare is undergoing a full refit. Dr. Kao has reportedly installed some sort of ultimate weapon, codenamed the "Forbidden Art Of Plays"...
...
Ship Name: Outrigger II: The Sequel
Registry Number: ISS-OR2-4A
Base Hull: Nobody's entirely sure, and at this point, it's probably moot (see Ship Quirks: Kitbash)
Drive Type: Speed/Acceleration/WTF (max vel 0.1C, but see Ship Quirks: Kitbash)
Owner of Record: Eric Zhu, Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Multipurpose
Crew: (Varies between runs. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Kitbash: The Outrigger II's hull and interior is in a constant state of flux, as are its capabilities. The Island's army of utility robots, the Fisherbots, seem obsessed with making changes to the ship. The Outrigger usually has a deep streamlined bow and a narrow aft section, with two engine pods extending to the sides. Usually.
- Kage Bunshin: Outrigger II has no AI of her own...but Simon-Peter, the Island's AI, can apparently clone himself to it at will. Or split himself. Or establish some sort of link regardless of distance. It's...not quite clear, but it works.
- Respec Token: Naturally, the Outrigger II's capabilities vary greatly, but she usually has a single large articulated arm (like one of the ISS Octopus'), light armaments, and some cargo capacity. She's a jack-of-all trades ship, does whatever needs doing.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Number Two: Presumably there was an Outrigger I: The Original. If so, however, nobody seems to talk about it. The Island crew are very tight-lipped about this subject.
- Captain's Yacht: The Outrigger II is technically Eric's private ship, though it's typically used for normal station business - Eric doesn't travel much.
...
-- Acyl
Auxiliary Vessels for the Floating Island
ese
Created by Acyl (Aaron Choo Yilun)
Ship Name: ISS Delphinus
Registry Number: ISS-SOA-1
Base Hull: Derelict Luxury Motor Yacht, approx 40m long (but see Ship Quirk: Tardis)
Drive Type: Speed - "Moonstone" Engine (max cruise 0.075C, max burn 0.09C)
Owner of Record: Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Cargo and Passenger Ship
Crew: (Varies between runs. Ship AI as pilot. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Tardis: It's not obvious, but there seems to be more space inside the Delphinus' than there should be. Attempts at concrete measurements usually fail, so nobody's really certain. Eric insists TV and movie ship scales are never accurate anyway, so what's the harm?
- Star Destroyer: Despite being only 40m long (kinda, see above), and a glorified transport...the Delphinus thinks she's a capital warship. She has a little conning tower and everything.
- R2DWho?: The ship's AI, "Ecco", communicates entirely in whistles, squeaks, and other dolphin sounds. Somehow, all crewmembers understand this perfectly. Outsiders and passengers are left mystified, though.
- Flying Fish: The port and starboard sides of the Delphinus both have a large cartoon dolphin painted on them. Well, actually it isn't paint. The 'wavium hull coating reshaped itself, apparently on its own accord.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- DHL: The ISS Delphinus is the Island's primary cargo vessel. She makes regular runs between Earth and the Island, ferrying supplies and passengers. Food and merchandise for the stores, tourists, etc.
- Any Landing You Can Walk Away From: Island staffer Katie Lee is allowed to serve as Captain for Delphinus missions, but she is no longer allowed to override Ecco and pilot. Any further damages, diplomatic incidents, and bail money will be docked from her paycheck.
- Moonstone Cannon, FIRE!: The ISS Delphinus is lightly armed for self-defense: a small naval gun sealed for space, plus modified ammo. Weapon is very lightly 'waved, mostly for structural integrity. Katie is not allowed to operate this either.
...
Ship Name: ISS Octopus
Registry Number: ISS-BTS-2
Base Hull: Unique, scratch-built
Drive Type: Acceleration - James 'Wavium Watt (max vel 0.07C, see Ship Quirk: Zoom Zoom)
Owner of Record: Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Tugboat, Rescue, Construction etc.
Crew: (Varies between runs. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Zoom Zoom: The Octopus is a tugboat, and she has one quirk that makes her uniquely suited to this role. Octopus can achieve maximum velocity within several minutes, on roughly the same acceleration curve...regardless of whatever it is towing. No matter how massive. If there's an upper limit to this ability, it hasn't been found yet. She can accelerate in all directions, so it doesn't matter which end is gripping the object being towed.
- Stand Alone Complex: The Octopus has no native AI. At least, well, the Island crew are fairly sure there's no AI. She sometimes behaves like she's got a mind of her own.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Doctor Octopus: Constructed by Island crew sometime after the station was launched. They needed a heavy utility vehicle for external repairs, construction, etc, and later tug duties. The main body of the vessel is a riveted and welded sphere, made of 'waved scrap metal. She has four large articulated arms round the equator, and four smaller ones near the north pole.
...
Ship Name: Brave Legend Shakespeare
Registry Number: ISS-BLS-3
Base Hull: Three large cargo containers, attached in a "Y-Wing" configuration. Heavy modifications.
Drive Type: Speed - Full Sonnet Drive (max vel 0.1C)
Owner of Record: Will Kao, Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Police, Security, Patrol, Poetry
Crew: (Varies between runs. Ship AI as pilot. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Uniform: Controls won't work unless the currently-serving captain is wearing a shirt or jacket with big collar and puffy sleeves.
- GPS: Engines won't start unless a globe, one of those big spinny ones, is in the cockpit.
- William Who?: Ship's AI is modeled not after William Shakespeare, but William Topaz McGonagall - a 19th century poet renowned as the worst poet in English literature. But McGonagall was a Shakespeare fanboy, so... ("In his beautiful tragedy of Othello, one passage is very fine,/Just for instance where Cassio looses his lieutenancy/... By drinking too much wine;)
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Global Threat: The brainchild of Dr. Will Kao, the Island's Ops Chief/Medic. He insists the ship has no connection to his own first name. The Shakespeare is the Island's main protection against troublemakers - a flying bouncer. The Shakespeare is always referred to, Soviet-style, as he.
- He's Dead, Jim: There's a certain amount of irony in the station's medic building a gunship, no matter how defensively configured. Of course, Dr. Kao's doctorate isn't in medicine...and he hasn't sworn any kind of oath...
- The Fuzz: As a police vessel, of sorts, the Shakespeare is nominally a combat ship. His equipment is mostly defensive, however, and he's meant to disable or seize ships, not destroy them. That said, he is most definitely armed.
- Q Branch: Precisely what weapons the Shakespeare has isn't clear. In 2009, he fought off a would-be raider attack with railguns, presumably powered by a 'wavium energy source. Island staff later referred to these guns as the "154 Sonnets" (and, unusually for Island folks, insisted the designs were not for sale). Following recent rumours from the Phobos Con, the Shakespeare is undergoing a full refit. Dr. Kao has reportedly installed some sort of ultimate weapon, codenamed the "Forbidden Art Of Plays"...
...
Ship Name: Outrigger II: The Sequel
Registry Number: ISS-OR2-4A
Base Hull: Nobody's entirely sure, and at this point, it's probably moot (see Ship Quirks: Kitbash)
Drive Type: Speed/Acceleration/WTF (max vel 0.1C, but see Ship Quirks: Kitbash)
Owner of Record: Eric Zhu, Floating Island Pte Ltd
Flag of Record: The Island
Purpose: Multipurpose
Crew: (Varies between runs. One or more station staff as crew. Fisherbots as deckhands.)
Known Ship Quirks:
- Kitbash: The Outrigger II's hull and interior is in a constant state of flux, as are its capabilities. The Island's army of utility robots, the Fisherbots, seem obsessed with making changes to the ship. The Outrigger usually has a deep streamlined bow and a narrow aft section, with two engine pods extending to the sides. Usually.
- Kage Bunshin: Outrigger II has no AI of her own...but Simon-Peter, the Island's AI, can apparently clone himself to it at will. Or split himself. Or establish some sort of link regardless of distance. It's...not quite clear, but it works.
- Respec Token: Naturally, the Outrigger II's capabilities vary greatly, but she usually has a single large articulated arm (like one of the ISS Octopus'), light armaments, and some cargo capacity. She's a jack-of-all trades ship, does whatever needs doing.
Status: ACTIVE
Trivia:
- Number Two: Presumably there was an Outrigger I: The Original. If so, however, nobody seems to talk about it. The Island crew are very tight-lipped about this subject.
- Captain's Yacht: The Outrigger II is technically Eric's private ship, though it's typically used for normal station business - Eric doesn't travel much.
...
-- Acyl