Cavalier (DropShip class)

This article is about the DropShip. For the battle armor, see Cavalier.

Cavalier (Courier Version)
Production information
Manufacturer	Beta Interstellar Corporation
Production Year	2662
Use	Transport
Type	Aerodyne
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	600 tons
Structural Integrity	8
Length	58.5 meters
Width	13.0 meters
Height	55.0 meters
Drive System	FH1500 Interplanetary Drive (2)
Safe Thrust	5
Max Thrust	8
Fuel (tons)	83
Fuel (days)	70
Armament	4x large laser 2x LRM-15 4x medium laser
Crew	6
Passengers	4
Escape Pods/Life Boats	at least one escape pod
Small Craft/ AeroSpace Fighters	1 small craft

The Cavalier-class DropShip was introduced in the late 2600s as a small, fast, well-protected courier.

Description

Designed to transport VIPs and important documents, the Cavalier had four staterooms, a large rec room, and galley in a passenger compartment separate from the crew section. For safety, the staterooms are located near an escape pod.

A 15-ton high-security cargo compartment has its own self-destruct system to destroy contents in an emergency and can be jettisoned for retrieval by another ship.

While the courier has a quiet career, the transport version was used in the First Succession War to resupply units trapped behind enemy lines, earning them the nickname "The Thundering Angel" or "The Angel." The war took its toll, with fewer than 60 Cavaliers surviving, fewer than half of them transports. Most couriers are used by the diplomatic corps of the Successor States; transports are mostly in the hands of merchants, with at least two possessed by bandit kingdoms.

Weapons and Equipment

Moderately armed and armored, the Cavalier relies on speed and maneuverability for protection from other DropShips. The nose and aft each carry a large laser and two medium lasers; the wings mount a large laser and an LRM-15, with two tons of ammunition between them.

A small craft bay located between the two engines can house a single craft of up to 100 tons. Originally carrying a small shuttle in the bay, many Cavaliers now carry a single aerospace fighter.

Variants

• Transport 

  A light combat transport version, this replaces the passenger compartment and small craft bay with two cargo holds. The aft bay is the same volume as the small craft bay on the courier but removes the special equipment for handling small craft, allowing the bay to hand 150 tons of cargo; access is through the same entry as the original small craft bay, with a door than can be lowered to form a ramp. The forward bay can handle 80 tons and is accessed by lowering the main floor of the compartment from the underside of the craft, functioning as a cargo elevator when planetside. When the forward bay is open, crew must use a foldable catwalk to access the rear hold from the main body. A PPC and two medium lasers are added to each wing, with ammunition being doubled to four tones. Other than the cargo bays and weaponry, the Transport variant is identical to the Courier. 16 light vehicles can be carried.

Named Vessels

• Vendetta - Eric Anderson owned and operated a transport variant named Vendetta. A mercenary captain turned bounty hunter, he and his three-man crew operated somewhere within the Free Worlds League. The Vendetta had been modified by removing two crew staterooms, upgrading the nose-mounted large laser to a PPC and the LRMs to 20-packs, also adding a medium laser to each wing.

Canonicity

Stardate magazine is no longer considered a canonical source, making the Cavalier apocryphal.

Notes

• Of the 150 to 200 originally built, fewer than two dozen remain in service.

Bibliography

• Stardate Volume 3, Number 3