Tender

Line Combatants (Primary - Capital)				Escort Combatants (Secondary - Subcapital)				Military Auxiliary (Tertiary)
B- Battleship	C- Cruiser	O- Ortillery	V- Carrier	D- Destroyer	E- Escort	F- Fighter	H- Defense/Security	I- Combat Transport	Q- Combat Support	S- Scout	U- Utility	X- Commo	Z- Special

Mercantile Commercial Ships (Trade & Profit)				Non-Mercantile Commercial Ships (Industry & Profit)					Non-Commercial Ships (Nonprofit)			System Craft (Intrastellar)
A- Tramp	M- Freighter	R- Liner	T- Transport	G- Industrial	J- Prospector	K- Expedition	P- Corsair	U- Utility	L- Science	N- Medical	Y- Private	WB- Barge	WA- Satellite	WO- Space Station

VT-class Tenders are designed to carry significant numbers of bigcraft, typically battle riders into combat.

• Tenders and Carriers form the mission category: Subcraft Carriers.
• The most common types are Carriers and Tenders. Carriers carry smallcraft fighters and tenders carry bigcraft battle riders.
• Commercial or civilian tenders tend to be called Ship Transporters among other terms.
• The Supraclass designation is also known as Ship Mission, Ship Mission Code, Mission, or Ship Hull Designation.
• It is a starship supraclass.

Library Data Referral Tree

Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Starship:

• Starship User Types
  • Civilian Ship
  • Military Ship
  • Non-Commercial Vessel
  • Paramilitary Ship

• Advanced Ship Classifications
  • Ship Mission Code / Supraclass
  • Ship Type Code / Superclass
  • Ship Class Code / Class
  • Model (TL)
  • Bloc (Lot)

• Basic Ship Classifications
  • Adventure Class Ship
  • Battle Class Ship
  • Capital Ship
  • Fleet Class Ship
  • Size-Role Classification
  • Subcapital Ship
  • QSP
  • USP
  • World Class Ship

• Ships by Function
  • Bigcraft
  • Boat
  • Capital Ship
  • Largecraft
  • Non-starship
  • Smallcraft
  • Spaceplane
  • Spaceship
  • Starship
  • Subcapital Ship
  • Subcraft
  • System Craft
  • Warship

Speed of Travel

• Astronomical Unit (AU)
• FTL
• Light Speed (c)
• Light-week (lw)
• Light-year (ly)
• NAFAL (STL)
• Parsec (pc)

Description (Specifications)

Battle Tender: A battle tender is a ship designed to carry battle riders into battle.

Subcraft Carriers are important and might one day disrupt the dominance of big gun battleships as they once did in the navies of maritime Terra, reversing the trend again. They transport a variety of smallcraft and bigcraft to the battlefield, where they perform combat support missions attacking skirmisher secondaries, disrupting missile flights, and decreasing the effectiveness of big gun battle wagons. As technology progresses, better miniaturized antishipping weaponry may lead to the fall of those same big gun battle wagons.

• Various battle rider and jump tender strategies have already begun to innovate and experiment with a carrier strong future.
• The "V" classification code is a holdover from pre-spaceflight (and pre-Anglic) Terran naval history. When wet-navy ships were first used as floating bases for aircraft, said ships were classified as "aViation" (from English, with the same meaning as in Anglic) or "Voler" (from French for "to fly") by some of their larger navies at the time.
• Arguably it could now be used for "Vessel" (as in "carries other Vessels") or "Void" (since the system of a carrier and its smallcraft, when deployed, extends through the space between them). However, most naval officers in charge of classification who have expressed an opinion on this have preferred to cite historical precedent as justification.

Image Repository

This image repository contains a selection of tender images:

Type VTB Battle Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTC Command Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTD Defense Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTE Escort Tender / Very Light Tender:

1. The Aslan Owatarl class Tender, easily convertible between an escort tender and a very light cargo liner or freighter.
   

Type VTF Fleet Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTH Heavy Tender:

1. A silhouette of a Lurenti class Battle Carrier.
   
2. A World class Battle Tender laden down with five Nolikian class Battle Riders.
   

Type VTJ Jump Shuttle:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTL Light Tender:

1. A Bullfrog class Fighter Tender in deep space deploying small spheroid subcraft.
   

Type VTM Medium Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTS Superheavy Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Type VTU Ultraheavy Tender:

1. No image yet available.

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)

Subcraft Carriers are not intended to enagage in direct ship-to-ship combat with the forward line of warships. rather they deploy their subcraft as combat multipliers meant to help the heavy spinal mount warships deploy in the most advantageous positions and they are meant to disrupt the maneuver of the enemy's fleet combat elements.

Supraclass Roles

Subcraft Carriers typically serve as Tenders:

Tenders typically serve the following roles:
Largecraft & Bigcraft:

VT-class Tender Supraclass Archetypes
Archetype	Type Code
Attack Boat Tender	VTB
Battle Tender	VTB
Battlerider Carrier	VTB
Command Tender	VTC
Commercial Tender	TV
Communication Tender	XT
Coreship	TV
Cruiser Tender	VT
Defense Tender	VTD
Destroyer Tender	VT
Escort Tender	VTE
Fast Tender	VTF
Fighter Tender	VT
Fleet Tender	VTF
Frontier Tender	VTF
Heavy Tender	VTH
Interdiction Tender	VTD
Jump Carrier	TV
Jump Shuttle	TV
Light Tender	VTL
Medium Tender	VTM
Mercantile Tender	TV
Military Tender	VT
Repair Tender	VT
Ship Tender	VT
Ship Transporter	TV
Strike Tender	VTB
Superheavy Tender	VTS
System Defense Boat Tender	VTD
Tender (Militarized)	VT (Namesake)
Ultraheavy Tender	VTU
Very Light Tender	VTE
Xboat Tender	XT

Size-Class Roles for Tender Vessels

Tenders:

1. Utility Craft (U) (1 to 99 tons)
2. Escort Tender (VTE) (100 to 2,499 tons)
3. Light Tender (VTL) (2,500 to 99,999 tons)
4. Medium Tender (VTM) (100,000 to 249,999 tons)
5. Heavy Tender (VTH) (250,000 to 499,999 tons)
6. Superheavy Tender (VTS) (500,000 to 999,999 tons)
7. Ultraheavy Tender (VTU) (1,000,000 or more tons)

Military Subcraft

Military subcraft (...both smallcraft and bigcraft) are carried by nearly all of these vessels:

1. Battle Rider (BR)
2. Combat Barge (WBG)
3. Combat Transport Smallcraft (UI)
4. Fighters (F)
5. Militarized Utility Craft (UQ)

Supraclass Archetypal Roles

These vessels typically serve the following archetypal roles:

VT-class Tender Supraclass Archtypes
Archetype	Type Code	Exemplar	Remarks
Subcraft Carrier	V	Lurenti class Battle Carrier	V-class vessels represent a school of thought using larger vessels to deploy smaller ones, or subcraft. The Subcraft Carrier supraclass includes both carriers and tenders. Carriers carry smallcraft fighters and tenders carry bigcraft battle riders. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. Voler is a Terran French word meaning "to fly."
Tender	VT (Namesake)	World class Battle Tender	Tenders carry bigcraft, which is to say subcraft that are 100 tons or larger in displacement. These subcraft are significantly larger, more powerful, and longer-legged than the smallcraft fighters carried by traditional carriers. This gives significantly more strategic options than a fighter-equipped carrier, but not always better striking power within a fighter's range envelope. The Battle Rider is the prototypical bigcraft carried by Battle Tenders and entire schools of naval strategy have arisen concerning their usage and deployment. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc.
Battle Tender	VTB	World class Battle Tender	Battle Tender: Interstellar ship transport intended to carry battle riders into combat. Generally a dispersed structure (...of up to one million tons), it transports a Battle Squadron (BatRon) of two to ten battle riders ready for immediate launch upon entry into a system. While the riders press the attack, the tender stays in reserve for protection. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. B = Battle, Combat, Strike, Far, Fast, Frontier, etc.
Command Tender	VTC	S-1a class Space Command Battle Tender	Command Tenders perform flagship roles, coordinating large numbers of courier vessels, scout vessels, and line combatants, as the center of a battle fleet. This role is ordinarily taken by a fleet's premier battleships. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. C = Command
Defense Tender	VTD	Arachnae class System Defense Boat Tender	Defense Tenders are a specialized form of battle tenders that forward deploy SDBs instead of battle riders. The use of defense tenders can strategically deny fleets access to gas giants or other fuel sources and thus deny enemy battle battle fleets strategic mobility and flexibility. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. D = Defense
Escort Tender	VTE	Fagad Avalar class Tender	An Escort Tender or Very Light Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 100 to 2,499 tons. While not very useful for larger fleet formations, they are great in an escort role, putting out a sensor picket, protecting against other fighters, or for strikes against lightly defended targets. They can also be built relatively quickly, staffed quickly, and quickly deploy into action. Many fleets operate escort tenders because of their usefulness within their identified roles. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. E = Escort, Very Light Tender, etc.
Fleet Tender	VTF	Bulwark class Fleet Tender	Fleet Tenders are built to operate as part of a fleet, not independently. Their subcraft provide tactical and strategic support to a line a battlefleet a CruRon or a BatRon. Their fighters provide sensor pickets, an expanded sensor net, either in a tactical or strategic sense, provide missile shields intercepting enemy munitions, or provide strike assets damaging enemy capital ships. They are dependent on other capital ships and auxiliary elements such as tankers or combat support ships. A Fleet Tender is a generic name used for all tenders who carry combat oriented non-starships (vessels of 100+ tons). For any given ship tonnage, a ship which is not burdened with jump drives and jump fuel can be better armed and armored than a ship which must carry those jump drives. The concept of fleet tenders takes advantage of this fact. A fleet tender is a large jump drive equipped ship which carries several big craft, each of which is well-armed, well-armored, and usually fitted with high acceleration maneuver drives. They are usually produced with dispersed structure hulls in order to allow simultaneous launch of all craft carried as the ship arrives in a system. Since the tender cannot skim gas giants for refueling, the ships it carries must contain sufficient fuel tankage to refuel the tender in a reasonable time; often they must be streamlined to allow them to gather fuel from oceans if there is no gas giant in the system they move to. Riders tend to be streamlined, and can perform refueling operations quite nicely. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. F = Fleet, Combat Support, Strategic, etc.
Heavy Tender	VTH	Rita class Fleet Tender	A Heavy Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 250,000 to 499,999 tons. Heavies are very large craft, as big as many cruisers and battleships and capable of carrying a large, powerful load of subcraft, enough battle riders to seriously threaten most battle fleets. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. H = Heavy
Militarized Ship Transporter	VTJ	WP-768 class Jump Shuttle	Militarized Ship Transporters operate like tenders specialized to carry any kind of vessel, from bigcraft to largecraft and anything in-between. Some work as jump shuttles and attach to other non-jump-capable vessels while others latch onto other vessels and create a truly enormous jump bubble. They are not always the most economic option, but when needed, there is no other substitute. They are also known as Jump Shuttles or Combat Support Tenders among other terms. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. J = Jump Shuttle
Light Tender	VTL	Bullfrog class Fighter Tender	A Light Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 2,500 to 99,999 tons. Light vessels can be impressive craft, just under 100k in tonnage, which is more than large enough to threaten merchant vessels, smaller system defense fleets, and many lesser targets including smaller world-states. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. L = Light
Medium Tender	VTM	Bulwark class Fleet Tender	A Medium Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 100,000 to 249,999 tons. Medium vessels are large vessels, cruiser-sized, and are general considered capital ships, serious combatants. They require serious resources, logistical support, and large crews, but they project power across interstellar distances when used correctly in ways that no escort or destroyer can match. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. M = Medium
Superheavy Tender	VTS	Stisahsheql class Battle Carrier	A Superheavy Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh between 500,000 to 999,999 tons. Superheavies are incredibly large vessels, bigger than the resources of the typical pocket empire or world-state can construct. They take years to build, requiring huge costs, massive expenditures of resources, and massive crews. They are rarely available in other than very small runs, but they have massive combat power. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. S = Superheavy
Ultraheavy Tender	VTU	Nianemiev class Battle Carrier	An Ultraheavy Tender is a size-displacement category which includes vessels that weigh 1,000,000 or more tons. Ultraheavies are not for the thrifty... Only the largest of supra-polities can afford them, and they are almost always specialized for very specific roles, typically as flag ships for the largest fleets. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc. U = Ultraheavy
Commercial Tender & Ship Transporter	TV	Mariner class Frame Carrier	Ship Transporters or commercial tenders are similar to carriers and tenders, but instead of military subcraft, they carry civilian subcraft. The concept is similar to the battle rider concept, except in a civilian application. The class also includes various kinds of jump ships or jump trains, specialized to carry variable cargos, or as jump shuttles. T = Transport V = Vehicle Carrier, Subcraft Carrier, Jump ConVeyance, Jump Shuttles, Ship Transporter, etc.
X-Boat Tender	XT	Purcell class Express Boat Tender	The express boat system would not work without the express boat tender. These tenders, stationed in each system that express boats stop at, serve two purposes. First, they tend express boats, recovering them when they arrive, refueling them and repairing minor problems, and then sending them on their way. Second, they serve as a relay station between the planetary surface based message center and the express boat itself. Messages are forwarded to the tender for transmittal to the xboat just before it leaves for the next star system. X = eXchange T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc.
NOTES: There is semantic overlap between many of the classes and codes. Some codes organize by mission or capability, others by size and tonnage, and yet others by other characteristics.

History & Background (Dossier)

In the 57th century, travel between the stars has long been an accepted fact of life. Starships with powerful jump drives form the basis of interstellar commerce, and the warships that protect that commerce.

But jump drives are bulky and take up volume that could be fitted with defensive systems or offensive weaponry. A specialized vessel, optimized for large fleet actions, gained popularity during the Second Imperium and came toc ompletely dominate the fleets of the Third Imperium. These vessels had no jump drives, had nothing in fact not directly related to producing the most effective line-of-battle combatant possible.

They were carried from star to star by huge jump tenders, vessels with little or no combat ability of their own which would release their deadly cargo before the battle started and withdraw to a safe distance. These warships became the very symbol of large fleet actions. Because the warships were carried from star to star, they were called Battle Riders.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Military Ship - Warship - Battle Tender:

1. Type VTB class Battle Tender
   1. Aatsdivr class Battle Tender
   2. Auliaau class Battle Carrier
   3. Cleon class Battle Tender
   4. Daprolix class Battle Tender
   5. Maggart class Battle Tender
   6. Merant class Fleet Tender
   7. Mie class Fleet Tender
   8. Monica class Battle Tender
   9. Oni class Fleet Tender
   10. Senator class Battle Tender
   11. Triumph class Battle Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Command Tender:

1. Type VTC class Command Tender
   1. S-1a class Space Command Battle Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Defense Tender:

1. Type VTD class Defense Tender
   1. Arachnae class System Defense Boat Tender
   2. Swarm Master class Fleet Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Escort Tender - Very Light Tender:

1. Type VTE class Escort Tender
   1. Aggressive Predator class Attack Boat Tender
   2. Confederate class Scout Station
   3. Fagad Avalar class Tender
   4. Owatarl class Tender
   5. PartiDeck class Battle Tender
   6. Smeeppi class Carrier

Military Ship - Warship - Fleet Tender:

1. Type VTF class Fleet Tender
   1. As'ah class Fleet Tender
   2. Aster class Fleet Tender
   3. Euphrates Rio class Fleet Tender
   4. Jesel class Fleet Tender
   5. Last Armada class Fleet Tender
   6. League class Fleet Tender
   7. Norland class Fleet Tender
   8. Plavis class Fleet Tender
   9. Saeda class Fleet Tender
   10. Starbelt class Fleet Tender
   11. Stormbringer class Fleet Tender
   12. Uthgvoe class Fleet Tender
   13. Yedidah class Fleet Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Heavy Tender:

1. Type VTH class Heavy Tender
   1. Goke class Fleet Tender
   2. Jossto class Battle Rider Carrier
   3. Lurenti class Battle Carrier
   4. Olympica class Battle Tender
   5. Rita class Fleet Tender
   6. World class Battle Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Militarized Jump Shuttle:

1. Type VTJ class Militarized Jump Shuttle
   1. Volare class Jump Shuttle
   2. WP-768 class Jump Shuttle

Military Ship - Warship - Light Tender:

1. Type VTL class Light Tender
   1. Arethusa class Destroyer Tender
   2. Hecla class Destroyer Tender
   3. Revenger class Fleet Tender
   4. Sshkih class Carrier
   5. Sword of Vengeance class Battle Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Medium Tender:

1. Type VTM class Medium Tender
   1. Beaumonde class Fleet Tender
   2. Bulwark class Fleet Tender
   3. Holy Mother class Fleet Tender
   4. Iinen class Fleet Tender
   5. Kiev class Fleet Tender
   6. Oromet Delight class Fleet Tender
   7. Syndrome class Fleet Tender
   8. Valiant Guardian class Fleet Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Superheavy Tender:

1. Type VTS class Superheavy Tender
   1. Imperial Standard class Fleet Tender
   2. Liapryrzh class Battle Carrier
   3. Sorority class Fleet Tender
   4. Stisahsheql class Battle Carrier
   5. Triumphant Honor class Fleet Tender

Military Ship - Warship - Ultraheavy Tender:

1. Type VTU class Ultraheavy Tender
   1. Gorodish class Fleet Tender
   2. Jacent Capital class Fleet Tender
   3. Nianemiev class Battle Carrier
   4. Shinar class Fleet Tender
   5. Uurogin class Fleet Tender
   6. Varella class Fleet Tender

Civilian Ship - Merchant Ship - Transport:
Type T class Transport:

1. Type TV class Ship Transporter
   1. Brown class Jump Ship
   2. Brutus class Ship Transporter
   3. Corporate class Range Carrier
   4. Endeavor class Ship Transporter
   5. High Liner class Bulk Freighter
   6. Mariner class Frame Carrier
   7. Marius class Ship Transporter
   8. Orowani Deep Space class Commercial Tender
   9. Sagacity class Bulk Freighter
   10. Type JS class Jump Ship

Paramilitary Vessel - Express Boat Tenders:

• Type XT class Express Boat Tender
  • Lirshala class Express Boat Tender
  • Purcell class Express Boat Tender

Ship Summary List

Some of the most commonly used vessels in this role or these roles include:

10 Representative Tenders (VT) Classes

Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Karna class Fleet Tender VTH 11 20,000 2 2 Regency of Muirimi No. Further developed by a fan. VTH-0MU34 Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Mie class Fleet Tender VTB 13 10,000 4 4 Taakas Yh'Drak No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Sshkih class Carrier VTL 11 8,000 2 1 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VTL-08U12

8 Representative Battle Tender (VTB) Classes

Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Mie class Fleet Tender VTB 13 10,000 4 4 Taakas Yh'Drak No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD

0 Representative Command Tender (VTC) Classes
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0 Representative Defense / Interdiction Tender (VTD) Classes
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0 Representative Escort Tender (VTE) Classes
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0 Representative Fleet Tender (VTF) Classes
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1 Representative Heavy Tender (VTH) Classes
Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Karna class Fleet Tender VTH 11 20,000 2 2 Regency of Muirimi No. Further developed by a fan. VTH-0MU34

0 Representative Militarized Jump Shuttle (VTJ) Classes
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1 Representative Light Tender (VTL) Classes
Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Sshkih class Carrier VTL 11 8,000 2 1 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VTL-08U12

0 Representative Medium Tender (VTM) Classes
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0 Representative Superheavy Tender (VTS) Classes
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0 Representative Ultraheavy Tender (VTU) Classes
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0 Representative Commercial Tender / Ship Transporter (TV) Classes
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0 Representative Communication Tender (XT) Classes
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References & Contributors (Sources)

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• This article is an amalgamation of many different materials published since 1977.
• TBD
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science