Arafura Rescue Boat

Arafura Rescue Boat
Size (metres, W×H×L)	92 x 60 x 123
Cargo capacity	125 TC
Cargo bay extension	15
Maximum speed	0.30 LM
Manoeuvrability	Roll: 1.5 Pitch: 0.8
Energy banks	8
Energy recharge rate	Medium (3.5)
Gun mounts	Fore
Missile slots	2 EVA or 6 missiles
Shield boosters available	Yes
Military shields available	Yes
Hyperspace capable	Yes
OXP or standard	Rescue Stations OXP
Available to player	Yes
Base price	375000 Cr

The core of the RRS Group's fleet is the Arafura Rescue Boat. Early RRS operations used customised Moray Medical Boats, but the capacity of these ships was generally far too small to be useful for larger missions. The Arafura provides a significant increase in cargo capacity - almost twenty times that of a Moray, while its four massive engines mean that it is as fast as the ship it replaced. The main disadvantage is a lack of manouevrability - while not as bad as an Anaconda, the Arafura steers less well than most other large craft.

Like the Moray Medical Boat, the medical supplies - easily convertible to Narcotics - aboard the Arafura make it a tempting target for pirates and smugglers. Unlike the Moray, the Arafura is large enough to take a few hits in combat while its escorts deal with the opposition.

Internally, the ship contains a full field medical bay, industrial tools for rescue operations, several weeks of nutritious rations for its crew and up to 25 passengers, and up to two EVA probes mounted on modified missile pylons for ship-to-ship rescue work. RRS Arafuras are generally only armed with a forward mining laser, for when precision cutting is required, and rely on a wing of fighters for defence against pirates.

Occasionally second-hand Arafuras are available in shipyards, with the EVA probes removed and replaced with missile racks, and the space taken up by rescue tools usually reclaimed as additional cargo space.