Communications Vessel
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:
- Advanced Ship Classifications
- Ship Mission Code / Supraclass
- Ship Type Code / Superclass
- Ship Class Code / Class
- Model (TL)
- Bloc (Lot)
- 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. [1]
Image Repository
- A typical Purcell class Express Boat Tender, one of the prototypical Express Boat Tenders.
- A top down image of the most common Imperial Armed Packet in a common livery.
- An image of a Xavier class Express Boat.
- The familiar wedge-shaped Messenger class Commercial Courier.
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. [2]
Supraclass Roles
Communication Vessels typically serve the following roles:
Largecraft & Bigcraft:
- Commercial Courier (XCL)
- Communications Vessel (X) (Namesake)
- Diplomatic Courier (XUD)
- Far Courier (XCL))
- Express Courier (XCF)
- Fast Courier (XCF)
- Fleet Courier (XCF)
- Fleet Dispatch Courier (XUD)
- Frontier Courier (XCL)
- Long Range Fleet Courier (XCF)
- Messenger Ship (XU)
- Packet Boat (XU)
- Relay Boat (XC)
- X-Boat (XB)
- X-Boat Tender (XT)
Civilian Subcraft
Civilian subcraft (...both smallcraft and bigcraft) are carried by some of these vessels:
- Barge (WB)
- 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-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. [3]
|
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.
|
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. [4]
|
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. [5]
|
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.. [8]
Selected Variant Types & Classes
Paramilitary Vessel - Express Boats:
Paramilitary Vessel - Courier Vessels:
Paramilitary Vessel - Express Boat Tenders:
Communication Vessel - Packet Ship:
Civilian ship - Communication Vessel - Packet Ship:
Ship Summary List
Some of the most commonly used vessels in this role include:
0 Representative Communication Vessel (X) Classes | |
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0 Representative Express Boat (XB) Classes | |
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0 Representative Courier Ship (XC) Classes | |
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0 Representative Express Boat Tender (XT) Classes | |
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0 Representative Packet Ship (XU) Classes | |
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References & Contributors (Sources)
This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it. |
- This article is an amalgamation of many different materials published since 1977.
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science
- ↑ Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak
- ↑ Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak
- ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 8.
- ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
- ↑ Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak
- ↑ Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 738.
- ↑ Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak
- ↑ Information provided to the library by Maksim-Smelchak