Restricted Ship IT-6 Drone Shepherd

[Star Wars Legacies]

IT-6 DRONE SHEPHERD

AFFILIATION
Open market.

MANUFACTURER
Transport Automation Unlimited.

CLASS
Command ship.

ROLE
Drone control ship.

COMPOSITION
Alusteel and transparisteel.

DIMENSIONS
Length - 72 meters.CREW
2-12.

PASSENGER CAPACITY
6.

CARGO CAPACITY
60 standard tons.

HANGAR CAPACITY

• 1x shuttle/light freighter.

CONSUMABLES
1 standard year.

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
The IT-6 drone shepherd has a top speed of 20 MGLT and has average maneuvering characteristics.

ARMAMENT

• 2x dual medium laser turret, 1x dorsal, 1x ventral.

EQUIPMENT

• 1x class 4 hyperdrive.
• 1x navicomputer.
• 1x long-range communication suite.
• 1x medium deflector screen generator.
• 1x drone coordination data-brain.
• 2x docking ring with integrated docking tube.
• 3x 6-being escape pod.

DESCRIPTION​

The IT-6 drone shepherd is a specialized vessel manufactured by the Transport Automation Unlimited corporation. TAU, a company which specializes primarily in automated starships for various logistical roles, created the IT-6 is a crewed control vessel for fleets of slave rigged drone barges. As TAU manufactured several lines of its own drone barges, this seemed a logical extension of the business, and indeed, the IT-6 has sold quite well.

As starships go, the IT-6 is not exciting. About 72 meters long, it has a cargo capacity of 60 tons and a top speed of about 20 MGLT. Its fuselage is boxy, with the main bridge located in an outrigger pod on the port side and a crew observation lounge located to starboard. The vessel has a minimum crew requirement of 2, with an optimum of 12, plus 6 passengers. Of the 12 crew, 5 are technically not ship's crew, but remote crew for the up to 100 drone craft the IT-6 is able to coordinate.

The drone coordination system aboard the IT-6 works thusly. The ship's crew does not remotely pilot each drone individually, but instead oversee the sophisticated automated system which is in charge of keeping the drones on course. Each of the 5 drone overseers is responsible for a block of 20 drones. Overall, it is boring work; the system coordinates speed and distance between individual drones, with minimal input from the crew, this mostly relating to unforeseen course corrections and the execution of formation changes. In theory, the computer can do the work by itself, but many shipping firms prefer to have organics in the loop.

Of note, the method of coordination used by most drone shepherds does not lend itself to combat operations. Droid starfighters and automated warships are incompatible.

The remaining 7 crew include the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, a shipping company liaison officer and 3 technicians. These technicians are in charge of performing in-flight diagnostics and inspections of drone barges in the fleet, and are tasked with going out to repair any barge which suffers a mechanical breakdown or other mishap. For this purpose, the IT-6 is equipped to carry a small shuttle or light freighter, which can be used to perform close inspections and even board drones.

As far as amenities, drone shepherds such as the IT-6 typically undertake long voyages, and are designed accordingly. The ships are designed in such a way as to provide maximum possible privacy for individual crew, and are equipped with more amenities than the standard light or medium freighter. This being said, there is only so much a given crew can take of seeing the same faces and surroundings day in and day out. Though drone shepherds can remain in space for up to a year without resupply, crews on such long voyages are typically rotated out by relief ships every 4 months or so.

Though drone shepherds are typically used to guide fleets of barges transporting waste and raw material, there are other uses for them. Many obsolete vessels fitted with temporary slave rigging take their last cruise under the guidance of an IT-6, destined for scrap planets and ship-breaking yards. Conversely, they can also be used to guide new ships from the drive yards to dealerships.

Beings who serve on drone shepherds such as the IT-6 mostly wish they could be doing anything else. Overseeing drones is tedious work, involving long hours. The small crews of drone shepherds are known to form tight-knit communities, however.

LEGALITY​

Legal. Drone shepherds such as the IT-6 are considered innocuous enough under most jurisdictions, and are not restricted in most systems.

INTENT​

To create a standard drone control ship.

RESTRICTIONS​

IT-6 drone shepherds are common enough, but are not cheap to buy or maintain due to their advanced central control systems. They are typically faction assets, although they could also serve as the focal point of a player run business venture.