Freelance Traveller

Chort-class Shuttle

by Neil Lucock

This article originally appeared in Cepheus Journal #007 and was reprinted with permission in the November/December 2021 issue.

The Chort-class shuttle is a popular option in the luxury cruise market. In systems near nebulae and with interesting Gas Giants or other attractions, the typical cruise of 5 days allows 20 passengers to enjoy fine food and entertainment while admiring the view from the panoramic windows on the upper deck.

The shuttle has two decks, with the lower deck for the crew and the upper deck for passengers.

On the lower deck, the front the bridge, with the main airlocks on a corridor running across the width of the ship. Behind this corridor is a lift to the upper deck set in a crew lounge. Crew staterooms run along each side of the main corridor to a second crew area, with a large floor hatch that makes a ramp for loading.

A pressure door leads to the cargo area and then to the power plant. Access to the manoeuvre drives is from the power plant room.

On the upper deck, passengers normally enter via the port airlock. Forward of the airlock corridor is the dining room/lounge with panoramic windows. At the nose of the ship is the galley.

Aft of the airlock corridor is a large open lounge that can be configured for various activities. Passenger staterooms are arranged on either side of the main corridor.

The Chort has 3G performance and fuel for 4 weeks.

The normal service is 5 trips of 5 days. A typical trip starts at the spaceport with a history of the system (many of the passengers will have come from other systems) and a few sightseeing orbits of the planet. The ship then heads for a gas giant, planet or other sight. The details depend on the system. Although 3 engineers are listed, in practice the ship carries one engineer. The other two positions are entertainers, whether musicians or artists. The passengers enjoy a variety of activities on the ship.

One of the stewards is a medic. 10 tons are assigned to luxuries. This allows fewer stewards or a higher standard of care.

Repayments, maintenance, crew costs and luxury life support costs 493,458 Cr a month. A typical use would be 5 trips of 5 days (with 5 days for servicing and crew training). With 20 passengers, that’s 100 people a month, so each passenger has to pay 4,935 Cr to cover costs. So, your minimum, discounted fare might be 5,000 Cr per passenger. In practice, charge at least 6,000 Cr as you will have to run an office, pay for baggage handling and docking fees.