OSR Commentary On The Hercules-class Heavy Freighter By Michael Johnson From Independence Games For the Clement Sector rpg

 "Along with James Lancaster’s ubiquitous Atlas-class freighter design, the Hercules-class heavy freighter is considered to be a second generation gravitic drive design with the first generation being simple conversions of existing reaction drive vessels without internal gravity fields and inertial compensators. Designed from onset to be a pure gravitic drive design, the Hercules completed its first round of trials at the same time the Atlas-class was entering commercial service with Lancaster Shipping."

The Hercules is a huge freighter, as big as a navy cruiser and bigger by far than every other interstellar capable commercial vessel. With over half the ship dedicated to cargo carrying capacity, the class is a “must own” for mercantile companies regardless of their fleet size. Now having been in service for over a century it is still an attractive option as a used purchase for more successful ship owners looking to increase profits on a lucrative cargo run. 

Within these pages, you will find the standard Hercules as well as these popular variants:

Tanker - Used by mining corporations, shipping corporations, and other private fleets as a refueling vessel.

Transport - Used by some governments as a troop transport, the Hercules can transport a light battalion into battle."

The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter By Michael Johnson is one of those iconic ships that seems to fade into the background when we begin talking about the Clement Sector. And that's too bad because these starships are the pack mules of the black! Seriously the   Hercules-class Heavy Freighter moves whole battalions into battle. And these starships represent the very best in cargo moving that the Frontier of the Clement sector has to offer. 
The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter tankers are the fuel points that many corporations rely on to get the job done in the blackness between the points of civilization. These tankers can mean the life line to the remote colonies between stars in a sector. The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter represents the real time arm of investiment that a corporation has in a planet, sector, or fleet. And this means that the mining corporations know their value. The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter forms a fixed point of fuel and hope to those who need their services, fuel, & utility to colonies across the Clement sector. 
And don't think that every two bit pirate outfit isn't gunning for  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter or its variants. 

The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter's crew represents a significiant part of a possible ransom for a party of space pirates. And this doesn't take into account the The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter's cargo which could fetch on the open market! And skilled crews operating in the black are prime targets for space pirates.The  black market thrives on the Hercules-class Heavy Freighter & thier cargoes. The real weigh  of the black market is rife with politic                                                                                   corruption on both sides of the Clement sector. And this makes The  Hercules-class Heavy Freighter a hot star or diamond in the rough depending on which side of the law the owners find themselves on.Power comes from being able to move cargo when & where you as a corporate entity want too. Making you as the owner the  ultimate entity   to place cargo in the hands of the colonies or other  corporations.  Only the biggest corporate outfits can operate a Hercules-class Heavy Freighter. Something made obvious by Michael Johnson's writing and reading between the lines of the starship guide. 

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