Sturgeon Mk.I

Sturgeon Mark I
Size (metres, W×H×L)	137 x 35 x 167
Cargo capacity	40 TC
Cargo bay extension	Unknown
Maximum speed	0.36 LM
Manoeuvrability	Roll: 2.1 Pitch: 1.0
Energy banks	7
Energy recharge rate	Unknown
Gun mounts	None
Missile slots	Unknown
Shield boosters available	Yes
Military shields available	No
Hyperspace capable	Yes
OXP or standard	OXP
Available to player	No
Base price	Unknown

A Vessel for the People's People

Sweeping majestically along the spacelanes of Communist systems, the Sturgeon Mark I is known as the Commissar's Limousine (or by cynical outsiders as 'The Party Liners'). It function is carrying the political and People's Commissars into and out of Communist systems, to attend meetings with other systems' heads of state or, it is rumoured, simply to visit pleasure-worlds for rest and relaxation from the high-pressure world of administrating the People's government or overseeing the great Red War Machine.

Origins

The origins of the Sturgeon Mark I come from the necessity of government and military officials needing swift, secure transportation for the purposes of ensuring optimum productivity at the many extra-planetary facilities that are the hallmark of Communist systems. Originally, the Communist governments purchased H-4 Trident Executive Shuttles, escorted by E-3 Gemini Escorts from Executive SpaceWays and repainted to match the Communist ideology, but threats of a popular uprising at the reliance of the People's government on a Capitalist outsider to supply ships which were extravagant in the extreme prompted a re-think and the plans for the Sturgeon were laid down.

The Present

Now, the sight of the Sturgeon with it's escort of Military Ray Mark I's evokes a range of emotions dependant on the viewer. For the outsider trader, they are yet another symbol of the total control that the government exerts in it's domains, from the propagandist slogans on the AD-X Witchspace Beacons to the slogan-spouting Thought Police. However for the Overseer-Commander of a Zero-G Factory, Asteroid Mine or SLAPU it is impending dread, since the arrival of a Commissar invariably means they are going to be closely scrutinised by that exacting and inflexible officer and should the facility be found inefficient, they may well find themselves turned out of their relatively comfortable office/living quarters and living with the rest of their workers. An Overseer who ends up working in an Asteroid Mine rarely lasts long before suffering a 'fatal accident'....

Download

This ship is part of the Commies.oxp Expansion pack for Oolite. To get this expansion, click here