Deck 9 also has some accommodations, though these are not quite as stately as the crew’s own cabins. This open area lacks personal space, and is typically used to house scientists or technicians hired on (or who booked passage) for specific exploration missions.

The ship is not a military one. Its framework and superstructure lack the strength to take much damage, and the number and power of defenses are limited. However, even a civilian ship runs into trouble now and then, so the Explorer Class Heavy Scout vessel is equipped with only to defenses: a laser battery (controlled from Deck 1) and a Masking Screen dispenser (controlled from Deck 8). A Reflective Hull rounds out the defensive power of the craft.

Because of the subsidies paid by several megacorporations, the Explorer Class Heavy Scout ship is

quite affordable. With a basic set of science and technical labs, ion drives, and not much in the way of

luxury, the entire package will cost you less than a million Credits. 

When you purchase an Expedition Class Heavy Scout, you can take the option of purchasing it

“under contract.” 

Gambling on the intrepid success of private exploration teams, the special interests (private investors, mega-corps, etc.) worked together to set up this special economic aid package. 

The core ship (not the Expedition) will cost the characters only sixty percent of the price the ship

would normally cost using the Knight Hawks rules. 

But of course, this isn’t a grant, it’s a binding agreement; there’s something in it for them as well.

For ten years after purchase, forty percent of the value of all findings are given to the investors,

divided up among them according to the percentages they all contributed. The end result: more adventurous private explorers, less expense for the investors. Everyone wins. If the characters bound by the contract don’t make any discoveries or stake any claim over any resource before

the ten year period is over, they become responsible for paying back the forty percent that was paid, with one hundred percent interest.

Some characters may not like being bound like indentured servants to unknown parties. They might

not enjoy being the pawns of the kings of space. Heck – they may even find one or more of those

megacorporations clashing with them over some of their findings! After all, Streel would love to have 100% of the mining rights on that moon you just discovered! Therefore, there is an option to get out of your contract. All it takes is money… lots and lots of money. 

But if you fear this, don’t enter such a contract. Space is a big place full of Credits – find a way to get some, and just buy this wonderful ship full-price! 

The Alpha Dawn Expanded game has rules for covering all

manner of ground and air vehicles. If your characters

need to get from star system to star system, there really

seems to be only two solutions: book passage on a

starliner, or buy Knight Hawks and build a ship.

The vehicle presented here is a missing-link alternative to

those two options. It’s a small shuttle capable of entering

orbit, flying around like an aircar, and short interstellar

trips. It’s a runabout – and it’s available to wealthy

travelers and adventurers who don’t like public

transportation or who need to live life off-the-grid.

Speed. Substantially less expensive than a starship, it

travels at a rate of 1 LY per two days (using the Alpha

Dawn methodology of star travel). Thus a trip from Araks

to Athor would take 16 days from port to port.

Range. The vessel is not capable of sustaining life support

or operating its engines past 20 days of continuous

operation. Therefore, it is not possible to take a voyage

beyond 10LY distance. For this reason, you will not find

Personal Runabouts in systems like Lynchpin whose

nearest neighbor is 14 Light Years away.

Power. The Personal Runabout uses a Type 2 Power

Generator. Operating and maintaining any type 2

generator requires a cost of 200Cr per day of use. The

generator creates 1,000 SEU (we’ll call that 1kSEU) per

hour (that’s 20kSEU per day). The Runabout consumes

40kSEU to travel 1 LY, which amounts to two days worth of constant generator output. Therefore, it costs 400Cr per LY traveled for generator fuel and maintenance consumables. The maximum cargo capacity for fuel and consumables is 400kSEU (10LY distance, a total cost of 4,000Cr to “fill ‘er up” from empty... 10Cr per 1kSEU). Additionally, the engine compartment has 2 type 4 parabatteries (a total capacity of 8kSEU). These allow for travel within an atmosphere, at a speed and range equal to that of an aircar. Because of the added mass, it uses these two parabatteries at the same rate an aircar would normally use its one. A runabout normally has a range of 1,000 km on its 8kSEU supply, meaning it drains 1kSEU from the parabatteries every 125km. The power generator can recharge the parabatteries in 8 hours but this drains 8kSEU from the remaining power.

Damage Capacity: If shot at, it uses the same rules as

would an aircar while in an atmosphere. If it is hit in

space, it will be destroyed with 1 hull point worth of

damage. Its small size allows it to dock on other ships (in

Knight Hawks rules, any ship of hull size 5 or greater) and

refuel there, or on space stations.

Crew & Cargo: In Alpha Dawn rules, the Personal

Runabout is treated like an aircar while in atmosphere,

and like a slow-speed starliner while in space. It has a

maximum crew capacity of 6 passengers, and enough

cargo space for 2,000kg (up to 4 cubic meters) of

additional equipment (not counting fuel and generator

consumables, detailed above).

Summary: A Personal Runabout costs 550,000Cr and

includes a type 2 generator and two type 4 parabatteries,

without fuel. In atmosphere, consider it just an oversized

aircar. In space, it travels 1LY per 2 days. Fuel for the

generator is 10Cr per 1kSEU. It requires 40kSEU to travel

1LY. Max capacity 400kSEU.