Firefly Sport
(Part Of The Rag Tag Fleet Project)
Modelled And Configured By Jon Marcure
Flight Models And Programming By Shawn Beard (A.K.A. Zcochrane)
Readme By Samuel Spencer (A.K.A As-Sa’iqa)
1.1 History
The Firefly sport was the first attempt in 2544 by Blue Sun Industries to rejuvinate it’s not antiquated firefly range by bringing it to an upper class civilian audience. The two previous attempts to update the firefly class by retaining it’s mid range cargo vessel status in 2500 with the 06 and 2513 with the 07 had failed miserably, and as such was the corporate risk it was only produced in small numbers, making them highly expensive. FolIowing its release, its luxurious environment and comparitively fast speed made it ideal for use in a similar capacity to a corporate jet over short to medium interplanetary distances although in recent years it has also became a popular inter-ship shuttle in ship convoys. The sport has also been employed and modified by private security firms as patrol ships for the outer planets, as its speed and general reliability were desirable factors for such a task. Whilst it’s sister ship the bomber released the same year was more suited for such tasks, the difference in price between the sport and bomber and the lack of need for delivery of nuclear payloads in what is essentially a futuristic police cruiser were deciding factors.
Sports are not commonly used by reavers for the main reason that most reaver ships are simply not fast or manouverable enough to keep up with a sport when it is going as maximum velocity. However, when they are captured by reavers they are highly saught posessions, and reavers with the most kills are generally paid them in tribute. As such, the reaver fleet that attacked whitefall in 2590 contained several sports as it’s flagships. When the alliance decided for the first time to take decisive offensive action against the reavers in the same year (which they had shyed away from before due to the actions of the crew of serenity almost a hundred years before), the final reaver ship to be disabled above the skies of miranda was a sport. The ship is now on display at the modern art gallery on beaumonde; it is one of few of that model still know to exist.
However, concerns arose over the safety of the Sport in 2547 when a sport model being flow by high ranking alliance operative Sky Hoburn disintegrated during re-entry to Ariel. The first official investigation by the Alliance concluded that the reason for the crash was poor maintainance to the heat shielding on the underbelly of the craft. However, when a lowly mechanic who had worked on the ship only 36 hours before the crash was found dead two weeks after the event, it became apparent that foul play may have been involved. The alliance has this far refused to comment on the death of the mechanic and the crash remains the subject of many conspiracy theories.
Modified versions of the sport are highly popular in interplanetary races. Such a craft has won the Regina-Ezra race four times, in 2545, 2546, 2547 and 2549. Whilst all of the ships were sponsered by entrepreneur Nicolai Niska, the races between 2545 and 2548 were flown by worlds famous pilot Nathan Stultissimus, the race in 2549 was flown by Niska’s neice.
The sport’s 11 year cycle came to an end in 2555, when during the concerns about the side effects on space of the photon reaction drive, the sport was superceded by the firefly prielle, named to celebrate the 75th anniversay of the death of the 01 firefly’s inventor julian prielle. However, the prielle followed roughly the same design and even encorporated the firefly ‘bulb’ despite no longer needing to house the firefly drive.
1.2 Technical Specifications
Minimum Pilots-1 (Max 2)
Maximum Passengers In Relative Comfort-5(Long Term With Sleeping Arrangements) +3 (Short Term, No Bunk)
Propulsion- 2 Blue Sun 9B7-643-C96 Trace Compression Blocks
1 Photon Reaction ‘Firefly’ Drive Mark 3
36 RCS Thrusters
Armaments- None
Defences- None
Auxilliary Craft- None
Docking Ports- 1
Alliance Tax Class- 7
Medical Facilities- 1 emergency Med Kit, No Onboard OR
Sleeping facilities- 5 Bunks, 10 recliner chairs.
Fuel Sorces- Conventional Alliance Engine Block Fuel Mark 9 (Max 1000 Gallons In Reserve)
Solar Power Panels x2 For Cockpit Electrics And Life Support
2.0 Scenarios
By default the Sport only comes with one scenario with a sole firefly sport docked to the ISS. However, it is likely further scenarios containing the sport with become available through the rag tag fleet site.
2.1 Keyboard Commands
Ctrl O Set Main Thrust to half
Ctrl B Airbrake
Ctrl F12 Operate FireFly Drive
Ctrl F11 Operate Super FireFly Drive
Ctrl K Retract engines up
K Retract engines down
G Landing Gear
O Set Main Thrust Full
F8 Cockpit On/Off
J Launch from Battlestar
1&2 Rotate Left Engine
3&4 Rotate Right Engine
5&6 Rotate Both Engines
7 Rotate Main Engines to Main Thrust direction
8 Rotate Main Engines to Hover Thrust direction
9 Rotate Main Engines to Retro Thrust direction
Shift G Cycle view points.
If Shift G doesn't work try:
F: //(F)orward (cockpit) View
B: //Looking (B)ack (at lounge entrance)
S: //(S)eated at Monopoly table
There were different DLLs released.
2.2 Use With Battlestar Launch Feature
The sport’s small size and ability to fold it’s engines in make it ideal for use in the launch tubes of the battlestar galactica as a replacement or counterpart for the viper. For optimum effect, be sure to retract the engines before landing on the battlestar deck.
2.3 Ship Interior
The ship contains an interior akin to a modern day yacht or luxury camper van. Despite the ship’s comparitively small size, the interior is unexpectably large, with two decks, numerous bunks and ample recreational space. There are numerous view points in the ship that can be cycled through.
