Designation: Deep Range Explorer
Tech: Star League
Introduced: 3069
Mass: 140,000 metric tons
Length: 190 meters
Sail Diameter: 300 meters
Fuel: 13,000 tons
Tons/Burn day: 19.52 tons
Safe Thrust: 2
Maximum Thrust: 3
Sail Integrity:
KF Drive Integrity:
Heat Sinks: 929 (1,858)
Structural Integrity: 25
Armor
Fore: 14
Fore-sides: 14
Aft-sides: 14
Aft: 14
Cargo
Bay 1: Fighters(6) 1
Bay 2: Small Craft(11) 3
Bay 3: Cargo(10,408) 1
Dropship Capacity: 2
Grav Decks: 3- 150 meter
Escape Pods: 6
Lifeboats: 7
Crew: 17 Officer, 85 Enlisted
Armament
Front:
1 NL55
1 Medium NPPC
FrontSides L/R:
2 NL55
BroadSides L/R:
2 Medium NPPC
AftSides L/R:
2 NL55
Aft:
1 NL55
1 Medium NPPC
Armament Totals:
6 Medium Naval PPC
12 NL55
Cost:
BattleValue: 35,168.9
Notes: Equipped with Lithium Fusion Battery, HPG, and 70 tons Ferro-Carbide armor.
The Cortez has been designed to explore the far reaches of space. At 140,000 tons it is amoung the smallest ships ever designed and is also amoung the slowest and least armored. However as these were not important concerns to the purpose of exploration they were abandoned in favor of a powerful array of long range weaponry to discourage any assault. The Cortez carries enough spare parts, fuel, and food to opperate away from supply lines for 2 years at maximum usage. However standard practices reduce common usage to levels where it could operate for twice that. The Cortez is equipped with 6 fighters, usually long distance stealth scouts such as the SF-27 Blackbird, and 11 small craft for planetary landing and exploration.
Standard protocols call for at least 3 Cortez class ships to travel together. One will jump into a new star system, having already preset return coordinates to the previous star system. If the system appears empty it sends an HPG signal to its sister ships. Once the pair enters the system they maintain a station keeping position at minimal power and release their fighters to begin a basic recon of the enter system. Upon their return the sails are unfurled to begin charging while shuttle buses begin to explore any sites of interest. Should anything call for more time the Cortez's move in closer to ferry people to the location. Once a system has been thoroughly explored they move on. Every three months one of the vessels starts a trek back toward the Inner Sphere, the timing almost perfectly corresponding to the arrival of a replacement ship.
