Ship: YB-1000 Station Hauler
Class Overview
| Class | Mining Ship |
|---|---|
| Role | Mining & Salvage |
| Manufacturer | Al-Rabata Shipyards |
The Station Hauler is designed to support man-operated mining teams. It lacks any ship-based mining equipment and is focused on transporting miners, their equipment and the haul they bring back from an asteroid. These ships are sometimes sent out to month-long mining sprees into a resource rich area to carefully pick every claim clean.
Ship Class Image
Class Specifications
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| HP | 35 |
| AC | 14 |
| Armor | 5 |
| Speed | 2 |
| Crew Skill | +0 |
| Power | 15/5 free |
| Mass | 25/5 free |
| Crew | 40 / 80 |
| Hull Class | Frigate |
| NPC CP | 4 |
| Weapons | (see under Armaments (Game Mechanics)) |
| Fittings | |
| Hardpoints | 5 |
| Cost | 35m base price, 1.75m/year maintenance, ~200k/month crew salaries |
| Hull Dimensions | Length: 120m Width: 25m Height: 28m Mass: 12,000 metric tons |
Others (Technical Fluff)
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Power | 1 x LFS Type-48 Fusion Fuel Cell |
| Propulsion | 3 x CADR Di-Ion “Maration”-I Engines, LYI A5-Class Short-Warp Core |
| Sensors | LFS RS/120 Radar System; ZCS ER90 Long-Range Transciever |
| Armaments | - |
| Cargo Capacity | 128 TEU |
Armaments here is what is physically mounted on the ship, for what weapons the ship can utilize in combat, see under Armaments (Game Mechanics)
Class Armaments (Game Mechanics)
| Weapon | Attack Bonus | Damage | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - |
Defenses (Only on Military Ships)
| Defense Type | Description |
|---|---|
| - | - |
Operational History
The YB-1000 was designed by Al-Rabata in 2305 to solve a logistical bottleneck in the Fondal System. Prior to the YB-1000, mining teams were transported in unarmored shuttles while heavy haulers followed separately, a method that was both unreliable, tedious and dangerous for the on-site teams.
Al-Rabata Shipyards designed the YB-1000 as a hybrid solution: a Frigate-class hull with the armor plating of a military transport, but the internal layout of a high-density bunkhouse. It was specifically engineered to complement Al-Rabata’s “Indispensable” teams, which are very dispensable, allowing 40-80 miners to live on-site in the asteroid belt for weeks without needing to return to a station.
While initially exclusive to Al-Rabata fleets, the design was licensed to the wider market ten years ago. It has since become a common sight in frontier sectors, often nicknamed the “Canary Cage” by the miners crammed inside.
Typical Missions
| Mission Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Vector Deployment | The ship travels to a dense asteroid cluster, deploys multiple EVA mining teams, and acts as a mobile hab-block and refinery intake for 3-4 weeks. |
| ”Clean Sweep” Run | Following a heavy industrial mining vessel (like the AMS-12 Industrial Freighter), the YB-1000 arrives to deploy teams for Microparticulate Collection, scrubbing the area for trace rare isotopes. |
| Claim Jumping | (Illicit Use) Due to its high armor and troop capacity, pirate factions often retrofit stolen YB-1000s as boarding vessels to overwhelm stations or other haulers. |
Story Hooks
- The Ghost Drift: A YB-1000, the Sands of Fondal, has drifted back into comms range with no life signs. Al-Rabata sensors indicate the cargo hold is full of refined Uranium, but the airlocks are welded shut from the outside.
- Strike Breaker: The players are hired by Al-Rabata to escort a YB-1000 through a blockade established by a local miners’ union. The ship is filled with “contractor” scabs, and the union is threatening to fire upon it.
- The Hot Haul: A frantic captain of a YB-1000 hails the players. They picked up a strange metallic artifact from a hollowed-out asteroid, and now the crew is hallucinating. They need an escort to the nearest church or hospital immediately.
Additional Details
- Industrial Aesthetic: The interior of a YB-1000 is purely utilitarian. Floors are grated steel for easy cleaning of ore dust, and the air filtration system hums loudly to scrub particulate matter from the miner’s suits.
- The “Mud Room”: A unique feature of the YB-1000 is the massive decentralized airlock deck known as the “Mud Room.” It features 20 individual changing stations, decontamination showers, and charging racks for laser cutters and drills.
- Modular Hardpoints: While sold without weapons, the 5 hardpoints are “plug-and-play” ready for Al-Rabata’s proprietary mining lasers. However, enterprising captains often swap these for defensive turrets, making the YB-1000 surprisingly toothy for a civilian ship if upgraded.