Communications Vessel

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

X-class Communications Vessels serve communication functions throughout Charted Space.

• The grouping includes X-boats, X-boat Tenders, Courier Vessels, Relay Boats, Packet Boats, and many other kinds of communications vessels.
• 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 (Auxiliary Class Ship)
  • Battle Class Ship (Bulk / Subcapital Class Ship)
  • Capital Ship (Capital Class Ship)
  • Fleet Class Ship (Capital Class Ship)
  • Size-Role Classification
  • Subcapital Ship (Small & Large Battle Class Ships)
  • 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)

Communications Vessels is a ship hierarchy category that covers a variety of vessels that have a primary mission of conducting communications and connecting mainworlds and/or fleets. Not every polity has a well developed X-boat system, but every polity uses starships to conduct communications missions, varying electronic messages, couriers, diplomats, envoys, and a variety of sophont messengers as well as message mediums.

Image Repository

This image repository contains a selection of communications vessel images:

Type XB Express Boat:

1. An image of a Xavier class Express Boat.
   

Type XC Commercial Courier:

1. The familiar wedge-shaped Messenger class Commercial Courier.
   
2. The Tathoe class Scout/Courier, one of the most common courier ships within the Vargr Extents.
   

Type XT Express Boat Tender:

1. A typical Purcell class Express Boat Tender, one of the prototypical Express Boat Tenders.
   

Type XUA Armed Packet Ship:

1. A top down image of the most common Imperial Armed Packet in a common livery.
   

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)

Communications Vessels are rarely armed or armored. They are combat multipliers meant to affect battles by getting the right information and intelligence to the right forces at the right time. Every combatant fleet protects its auxiliaries and its communications lines, commo vessels included. When engaged, the commo vessel has only two choices, run as fast as possible, or hopefully hide out in jumpspace if the jump drives are charged and ready.

Supraclass Roles

Communication Vessels typically serve the following roles:
Largecraft & Bigcraft:

1. Armored Packet (XUA)
2. Commercial Courier (XCL)
3. Communications Vessel (X) (Namesake)
4. Courier Vessel (XC)
5. Diplomatic Courier (XUD)
6. Dispatcher (XC)
7. Far Courier (XCL))
8. Express Courier (XCF)
9. Fast Courier (XCF)
10. Fleet Courier (XCF)
11. Fleet Dispatch Courier (XUD)
12. Frontier Courier (XCL)
13. Long Range Fleet Courier (XCF)
14. Mail Ship (XU)
15. Messenger Ship (XU)
16. Packet Boat (XU)
17. Relay Boat (XC)
18. Relay Ship (XC)
19. X-Boat (XB)
20. X-Boat Tender (XT or VXT)

Size-Class Roles for Communications Vessels

1. Communications Craft (UQX) (1 to 99 tons)
2. Light Communications Vessel (XL) (100 to 999 tons)
3. Medium Communications Vessel (XM) (1,000 to 1,499 tons)
4. Heavy Communications Vessel (XH) (1,500 to 2,499 tons)
5. Super Heavy Communications Vessel (XS) (2,500 or more tons)

Civilian Subcraft

Civilian subcraft (...both smallcraft and bigcraft) are carried by some of these vessels:

1. Barge (WB)
2. Utility Craft (U)

Supraclass Archetypal Roles

These vessels typically serve the following archetypal roles:

Selected Communications Vessel Archetypes
Archetype	Type Code/s	Exemplar	Remarks
Communications Vessel	X (Namesake)	Type X class Express Boat	Charted Space possesses no FTL communications devices or ansibles. Thus, communications is generally limited to a pony express type of communications network, as in a network of couriers, packets, and the like. The Third Imperium maximized the efficiency of its courier system by developing X-boats, ships dedicated solely to communications functions, but there are other solutions used by other polities: relay systems, fleet couriers, postal unions, military express messengers, X-mail, etc. X = eXchange
X-Boat	XB	Xavier class Express Boat	The Express Boat (…also called an xboat) is a small, fast ship filled with a pilot compartment, message data banks, and jump drives. The fit is so tight that there is no room even for maneuver drives. Each is capable of Jump-4 (…four parsecs per week); it jumps, relays its messages to the station on arrival, and then waits to be picked up by a tender, to be refuelled and sent on its way with a new load of messages. The local station, meanwhile, accepts messages, encodes them, and transmits them to a tender at the edges of the stellar system. Messages brought by the arriving xboat and intended for further down the line are consolidated with the new data and all are sent on to another xboat already fuelled and standing ready to leave. The entire network operates like the pony express — messages are always moving at top speed. Transfer time for messages from one xboat to another can be as short as ten minutes, and is rarely more than an hour. X = eXchange B = Boat
Courier Vessel	XC	Yetsabl class Courier	Courier Vessels are communications ships, ships intended to carry communications in a universe where communications are limited to the speed of travel. This includes vessels that would be XB class but do not fit one or more of the criteria (such as having a Jump rating less than 4, a total crew count other than 1, or any form of maneuver drive) and thus do not fit into Imperial x-boat service. X = eXchange C = Courier
Heavy Communications Vessel	XH	Echtovr Dazhia class Council Cruiser	None X = eXchange H = Heavy
Light Communications Vessel	XL	Dhaztuen class Far Merchant	None X = eXchange L = Light
Medium Communications Vessel	XM	Iris class Armored Packet	None X = eXchange M = Medium
Super Heavy Communications Vessel	XS	Kahk'rik'kreng class Yacht	None X = eXchange S = Superheavy
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
Packet Boat	XU	Xerxes class Armed Packet Ship	Packet Ships conduct similar missions to liners and courier vessels. They are generally understood to perform unscheduled missions where postal routes do not exist. Most are equipped with mail vaults and secure staterooms. Vessels such as Armed Packet (UF-CA33) perform unscheduled passenger service for those in a hurry. The crew can be trusted, but these little ships can still find themselves jumping into harm's way. Generally, packet trade is any regularly scheduled cargo, passenger, and X-mail trade conducted by space or starship. The ships are sometimes called "packet boats"—in the same manner as IISS communications craft are called "x-boats"—since their original function was to carry x-mail. However, in modern times they only supplement the official system. While "packet" can mean any small parcel, its usage here most likely comes from its meaning during the pre-spaceflight Terran Age of Sail, where it meant a parcel of important correspondence—usually governmental—or valuable items for urgent delivery. X = eXchange U = commUnication
Communications Craft	UQX	Yaeai class Recon Pinnace	Communications and intelligence smallcraft serve at roles below the more common 100 ton scout vessels, often star system monitoring or fleet picket duties not requiring FTL jump capabilities. U = Utility, Multipurpose, etc. Q = Quartermaster, Combat Support, Logistics, etc. X = eXchange
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)

Charted Space possesses no FTL communications devices or ansibles. Thus, communications is generally limited to a pony express type of communications network, as in a network of couriers, packets, and the like. The Third Imperium maximized the efficiency of its courier system by developing X-boats, ships dedicated solely to communications functions, but there are other solutions used by other polities: relay systems, fleet couriers, postal unions, military express messengers, X-mail, etc..

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Paramilitary Vessel - Express Boats:

• Type X class Express Boat
  • Type XM class Interplanetary Express Boat
  • Type XSS class Express Solar Sailor
  • Xavier class Express Boat

Paramilitary Vessel - Courier Vessels:

• Type XC class Courier Vessel
  • Chantoql class Courier
  • Express Rock class Mail Drone
  • Giciifichu class Dispatcher
  • Hummingbird class Courier
  • Kankur class Frontier Courier
  • Kr'ghrr class Courier
  • Ktiyhui class Courier
  • Messenger class Commercial Courier
  • Orowani Deep Space class Courier
  • Ranger class Courier
  • Swift Missive class Courier
  • Thorez class Courier
  • Type VX class Courier
  • Type ZC class Courier
  • Vehrsabl class Courier
  • Venture class Frontier Courier
  • Victrix class Courier
  • Yetsabl class Courier
  • Zofagic class Utility Vessel

Paramilitary Vessel - Fleet Couriers:

• Type XCF class Fleet Courier
  • Adlerstein class Fleet Courier
  • Barnett class Fleet Courier
  • Columbus class Fleet Courier
  • Gepard class Express Courier
  • Khadumir class Fast Courier
  • Last Line class Fleet Courier
  • Marathon class Fleet Courier
  • Phidippides class Fast Courier
  • Sundowner class Fleet Courier
  • Swift class Fleet Courier

Paramilitary Vessel - Express Boat Tenders:

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

Communication Vessel - Packet Ship: Civilian ship - Communication Vessel - Packet Ship:

1. Type XU class Packet Ship
   1. Mercury class Long Range Fleet Courier
   2. Rapid class Fleet Courier

Ship Summary List

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

1 Representative Communications Vessel (X) 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 Type XUA class Armed Packet Ship XUA 12 300 3 3 Third Imperium Yes. Published, canon starship design. XU-CS33

0 Representative Express Boat (XB) Classes
No results

0 Representative Courier Vessel (XC) Classes
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0 Representative Fleet Courier (XCF) Classes
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0 Representative Heavy Communications Vessel (XH) Classes
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0 Representative Light Communications Vessel (XL) Classes
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0 Representative Medium Communications Vessel (XM) Classes
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0 Representative Superheavy Communications Vessel (XS) Classes
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0 Representative Express Boat Tender (XT) Classes
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1 Representative Packet Ship (XU) 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 Type XUA class Armed Packet Ship XUA 12 300 3 3 Third Imperium Yes. Published, canon starship design. XU-CS33

5 Representative Multipurpose Communications Craft (UM) 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 Cigiysna class Ship's Boat UM 12 30 0 2 Hive Federation Yes R-3S10 Constance class Launch UM 9 50 0 2 Distant Fringe R-5A20 Goblin class Gig UM 9 10 0 2 Distant Fringe M-1A20 Intruder class Shuttle UM 14 30 0 6 Zhodani Consulate No Mineral class Cutter UM 9 50 0 4 Third Imperium Yes

0 Representative Dedicated Communications Craft (UQ) Classes
No results

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