After the formation of the UPF a communications/delivery network became necessary for all the citizens of the UPF. To that end the UPF Courier Service was founded. Small reliable starships were commissioned for the sole purpose of delivering data, messages, communiques, and parcels from planet to planet and system to system. Three types of vessels were designed to carry this out: the Express Courier, the Scout Courier, and the Tender. The Express Courier utlizes its cargo hold as a massive computer storage bank, for the sole purpose of carrying computerized data and messages. The Scout Courier is intended for the delivery of parcels and packages. The Tender serves to service both the Express and Scout Couriers as they arrive and depart, collecting all data and packages for transport to the surface and loading outgoing deliviries as well as maintenance, refueling, and repairs and restaffing with fresh crews.

Assaulting any Courier Service vessel is punishable by life imprisonment by the UPF, and to this end all vessels carry a black box system to identify any and all events the vessels are put through.

Surplus Couriers can be found easily, although the Express Courier is not well suited for anything more than its intended role but can be acquired for basic 1-2 person interstellar transport. The empty data bank bay becomes a large store room, not suited for cargo thanks to the simple personnel hatch accessways. Scout Couriers on the other hand make for very useful vessels to ply the space lanes and can be easily adapted for many roles.

(adaptation of the Scout Service from the Traveller RPG)

HS:2     HP:10     Powerplant: 3 Class A Ion drives
ADF:5   MR:3      DCR:30      Crew:1-2
Armament: none
Defenses: none
Communication/Detection: Subspace Radio, Radar, streamlined, black box

Cargo Capacity: 0 (computer data)
Fuel Tankage: 7000u liquid Hydrogen
Crew Accomodations: 2 single cabins
Passenger Accomodations: 0
Ship's Vehicles: none

HS:8     HP:40     Powerplant: 4 Class B Ion Drives
ADF:2   MR:4     DCR:100      Crew: 12
Armament: LB (x2), tracked RB (x2); two 1000m range tractor/pressor beam stations
Defenses: RH, AS, MS(x2), ICM(x8)
Communication/Detection: Subspace Radio, Radar, Energy Sensor, black box

Cargo Capacity: 4    
Fuel Tankage: 40,000u liquid Hydrogen (+100K fuel bay)
Crew Accomodations: Captain's suite, 2 double cabins, 7 single cabins
Passenger Accomodations: 1 four bunk cabin for crew exchanges
Ship's Vehicles: varies, separate bay

Deck 1: Bridge > provisions for Commander, pilot and co-pilot, astrogator, and radio operator

Deck 2: Crew Quarters > Cabins for 12 crew members plus a temporary barracks for up to 4 replacement crew members for inbound vessels. Main computer and ready room plus elevator to bridge. Tracked RB access

Deck 3: Cargo Deck > complete with cargo arm and access doors to main ship bay below

Deck 4: Ship Bay > with mooring points for two Scouts, four Express, or one Scout/two Express Couriers. Ready rooms and storage facilities for parts

Deck 5: Fuel Bay > two fuel arms, along with LB and T/P beam controls

Deck 6: Engineering > engineer stations, tools, drive access, and access to fuel injection system, generator/power relay station, water purification, and life support systems. Workpod Bay holds two workpods.

Surplus Scout Couriers

Type S Surplus Scout Couriers can be had for as little as 100,000Cr for a basic hull layout with little to no functioning equipment remaining. Roll d100 for each of the following systems: once for each type A Ion engine, Life Support, Astrogation equipment, Computer (level:3/max FP:80 mainframe with no programs), Subspace Radio and Radar, Gravitics, and the Laser Battery. For each roll 25% or less the system is still there, roll again for each system and any items 10% or less are still functional, 11% to 40% the item is repairable, and 41-100 the item is beyond repair. Follow normal starship construction routines for replacing and restoring the rest of the vessel. Functioning Type S Couriers can be purchased at 250,000Cr to 275,000Cr and will be (20 + 2d10) years old. Scout Couriers that are purchased by civilians are often modified and altered right away. Here are two of the most popular conversions being performed.

The Type: C (Cargo) variant involves a simple matter of relocation and replacement. The aft two crew cabins and galley are removed and the remaining area is expanded outward toward the exterior bulkheads with upper cargo doors added to the hull. The remaining two double crew cabins recieve partitions and new doors to become four separate single cabins, or they can be left as two double cabins at the owner's option. The galley is repositioned in the aft portion of the lower hold, and the water purification plant and life support equipment get moved to a pocket under the engine room accessible by maintenance hatches. Fuel is decreased by half (down to 10,000u liquid hydrogen), and cargo increases to 2. The entire conversion can be performed for ,000Cr and will take 45 days at a Class:1 SCC, or ,000Cr/60 days at a Class:2 SCC

The Type: O (Outboard wing configuration) variant involves adding bulkheads that extend from the primary dorsal and ventral spinal bulkheads outward past the hull, then the bulkheads inside the "wings" are removed and restructured to open up these areas for multitudes of uses. The entire basic Type: S configuration is retained but can now be rearranged as needed to fill the new open spaces. In other words, extra crew cabins can be added, or additional fuel capacity is permitted, cargo space, etc. The two Ion Drives can be relocated to the outboard wings and the OEM engine room can be converted over to a cargo hold (for cargo capacity: +1), a lab, additional vehicle bay, passenger/crew cabins, or any other use deemed necessary. The OEM drives can be retained and two additional outboard Ion Drives can be added for ADF:3, or better yet another alternative is swapping the outboard Ion Drives for Atomic Drives for ADF:4 and converting the engine room to other useful space. The outboard engine configuration can be used along with the Type: C conversion for amaximum cargo capacity: 3 as well (making the courier a Type: O/C ).

Other possible configurations include adding pair of cargo nacelles to the outboard mounts, these nacelles render the streamlining useless but can be detached and reattached at any time. Cargo nacelles are available in 0.25 and 0.5 capacity sizes for 10,000Cr and 15,000Cr respectively. Outboard detachable fuel tanks (2000u liquid hydrogen) are available as well at 5,000Cr each, and additional Maneuver Drive units can be had for 75,000Cr for the pair to increase MR:+1 (this can boost MR to 5 or compensate for lost MR from extra weapon systems etc).

The UPF recently commissioned a variant of the Type:O design dubbed the "Assault Courier" that utilizes outboard Atomic Drives on an alternate wing design and adding PL and two PLT weapon systems, for ADF:4 and Cargo:2 in order to perform some of the more mundane fleet tasks without committing combat vessels.

The basic outboard wing configuration costs 50,000Cr and takes 20 days at a Class:1 SCC or 75,000Cr/30 days at a Class:2 SCC. Other fees apply as far as reconfiguring interior space and additional equipment.