Virgil Samms
From FenWiki
| SCCS Virgil Samms | |
| Spacecraft Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Base Hull | Custom: 1/5th spacesuit, 4/5th main drive, in Carbon Fiber hull |
| Drive Type | Reactionless thrusters |
| Drive Rating | Max velocity 0.2c |
| Owner | Noah Scott |
| Flag of Record | Earth-Luna L5 Station Stellvia |
| Faction | Stellvian |
| Registry Number | L5-A-901 |
| Launched | 1 July, 2011 |
| Purpose | Special High-Speed dispatch courier |
| Primary Crew | usually Kohran Li, occasionally Sora Hasegawa or Yoriko Nikaido before mid-2013 (pilot) |
| Operational Status | Active |
The "Virgil Samms" is little more than a spacesuit strapped to a 'waved gravity drive, with all that entails. Stripping off every luxury (such as, say, movement, life support... the petty things) allows the Virgil Samms to be the fastest crewed vehicle in Fenspace.
Known Vehicle Quirks
- Gotta Get There NOW Once the ship's destination has been determined, it is extremely difficult to change the ship's course even if it would be a bad idea to continue on the shortest path between the launch and touchdown points.
Trivia
- The Virgil Samms is the first ship of its class. Ships in this class are traditionally named after Lensmen, from E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series.
- The ship's design is heavily stripped-down, to the point where the only equipment onboard is a short-range radio so the pilot can contact traffic control; the pilot must carry dispatches or other cargo on his or her person. This makes the Virgil Samms class speedsters the fastest ships in Fenspace, but ships of this class are not for the claustrophobic (there is literally no room to move around inside one). This limits their use to autonomous AIs, biomodded humans who can comfortably remain still for hours on end and can live on very little oxygen, or very short trips. Some of the Virgil Samms' sister ships (such as the SC Roderick Kinnison, L5-A-902) have a top speed of 0.18c, but also have life support, a space-efficient AI to interact with, and a few other small-but-handy add-ons to help keep the pilot sane and functional during the trip.
- The ship's owner of record has never flown the ship.
Stories
The Virgil Samms is featured in the following stories:
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