Earth Alliance Lightning Class Shuttle/Fighter

Name: Lightning
Craft: Earth Alliance Lightning Multipurpose Vessel
Type: Shuttle / Fighter
Scale: starfighter
Length: 43 meters
Skill: space transports
Crew: 1
Crew Skill: Communications: 3D; Sensors: 3D; Space Transports: 3D; Starship Gunnery: 4D+1
Passengers: 12
Cargo Capacity: 907 kg
Consumables: 2 days
Maneuverability: 3D
Space: 5
Atmosphere: 295; 850 km/h
Hull: 4D+2
Sensors

• Passive: 4 / 0D
• Scan: 8 / 0D+1
• Search: 16 / 0D+1
• Focus: 1 / 0D+1

Weapons

• 3 Twin-Linked Light Particle Guns

Fire Arc: 2 forward, 1 aft
Crew: 1
Scale: starfighter
Skill: starship gunnery
Fire Control: 0D+2
Space Range: 1-3/12/25
Atmosphere Range: 10-300/1,200/2,500 m
Rate of fire: 1
Damage: 5D

Miscellaneous:

• Artificial Gravity: No
• Crew: 1 Pilot
• Stealth: 9 (Base Difficulty to Detect Ship)
• Atmospheric Capable
• Fusion Engine

Description: Designed to be useful making trips back and forth from the Dilgar blockade around Omelos, the Lightning is a cross between a supply shuttle and a border running heavy fighter. It packs enough firepower to cut down most enemy fighters, but would require some serious escort support to make it of any use on a battlefield – which is why it is used primarily for reconnaissance and message delivery between fleets. Sensitive information or diplomats that must be ferried from one active fleet or another will often call upon the nearest Lightning to do so.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of Lightning's have been sold into the commercial markets since their original debut. Many shipping companies make use of the streamlined hull and adequate firepower to dissuade small-time raiders from involving themselves with them. The military coding used to tell a commercial Lightning from an official Earth Force one is held very much top secret – basically allowing for each commercial version to be just another decoy on the space lanes to protect the more important ‘packages’.

Source:

• Babylon 5: Ships of the Galaxy (pages 26-27)
• thedemonapostle