OOC: Fighter class ships

It would appear that fighters and shuttles cannot actually be used for interstellar flight. While, yes, they technically come equipped with a spike drive (unless the System Drive option is taken), in this particular universe, it is literally impossible to use them. When entering spike-space/hyperspace/jump space/whatever it is called, humans must be in cryosleep or Bad Things(tm) will happen. But you cannot mount Cold Sleep Pods into a fighter or shuttle! You are literally prevented from doing that at all.

Likewise, you can't mount fuel scopes on a fighter or shuttle, which means no wilderness refueling. This means that a fighter or shuttle can only travel to a destination that directly sells or provides ship fuel. It cannot be used in any exploration role, except as part of a cruiser or capital ship. (It cannot be based on a frigate sized ship.)

So ... can we just assume that every single fighter and shuttle is automatically configured with a system drive since they literally cannot use a spike drive?

I am asking this question because, in light of the recent development, I was trying to see if we could try to get a spike-capable shuttle we can use to get back to civilization after reaching the destination and having the Celestial Voyager destroyed. The point of using a shuttle is because, first, it doesn't require a one million credit investment to get and, second, it can actually be carried in the Celestial Voyager. If we can equip a shuttle with a Drive-2, atmospheric configuration, fuel scoops, and cold sleep pods; and we take along Delta, we should be able to make the trip back with up to six people. And we'd have a couple tons of space for supplies. But that just isn't possible because of no fuel scoops and no cold sleep pods. We wouldn't survive the first jump, and even if we did, we have no way to get fuel. Ergo, not an option.

I am just not sure that Hank is ready to be trapped on a mudball planet with no conveniences, a very, very hard life to look forward to, and no way off for an absolute minimum of a year of waiting. Having a spike-capable shuttle would give Hank (and any other PCs or NPCs that are not interested in a frontier life) a way out. But it doesn't appear that that way out is available, unfortunately. Hank is excited for the trip and the chance for Elder discoveries. He is not excited with the prospects of a self-exile. (Let's just be honest here. Hank is a suburban boy through-and-through. "Survive", "Exert", "Punch", "Stab", and "Work" are not in his skill list, and aren't going to show up at any point. Others may be excited by getting back to the land and making a hard-scrabble existence. Hank is not.)

As a follow-on, do note that if Hank was offered the chance to go on a "camping expedition" for a year to study an Elder site with its relics and potential for wondrous discoveries, he would be all-in. However, that is not what he sees. He is, pointedly, not an Explorer and not an Academic. Rather, he (would be) an Administrator tasked with helping run the colony. Getting stuck in, and having to help manage, a colony is not something anywhere on the list of things Hank would find interesting. (Though he will freely admit being an Administrator still beats having to till the fields, which is going to be the primary function of the majority of the colonists.)

I updated the Cryo-pods, as they were meant to be used in shuttles and fighters as well.

On the other hand, it's not feasible to get from Astralon to ITC space in a shuttle. But you should be able to get 1 million credits or more, considering both players and Valeria's investments, by the time you reach Altaria.

Focus on earning and saving money and be patient. =)

I am willing to buy in on ownership of a new vessel. I don't know how much I'll have but I find it interesting.
On that note I wonder if we can negotiate severance pay, maybe a percentage of the Celestial Voyager backup funds.
I may be interested in doing SOME jobs at the Celestial Voyager's final destination, if there is an interesting location or Eldar stuff. But no more than two or three. I could see a few situations that that may make sense. Especially if the payment for the jobs was part of buying the new ship and/or fittings for it.

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Edit: on that note it may be interesting to have some missions on planet with time skips over the year, but I cant see the pay being worth missing the trading opportunities.

So, the goal is one mee-yun credits.

On the other hand, if he were to focus on Admin, gain a little Lead, and get his Precog to fully bloom, maybe being a magistrate wouldn't be so bad ...

And he was focusing on earning that money over time. It's just that now he has an extremely hard time limit to work within. Nothing like adding in the pressure!

Every one of our characters knows this limitation and knew it before beginning the mission, though. So maybe it was an escape route he's secretly been planning from the very start, but now has been brought to the fore by the surprise development of the colonial mission? That'd be an interesting character twist!