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Description
The Zaitso Shuttle Model 90 'Dragon' took its maiden flight in October 2107 and was first delivered in September 2109, achieving service with civilian and government organisations and agencies alike. Dragon shuttles are by far the most widespread among the fleet of interstellar passenger craft in human civilian service and their reliability and high performance has made them much sought after by alien companies as well.

The smallest of any interstellar-capable human craft, the Dragon carries a crew of two in addition to ten seated or bedded passengers (preferred for short-haul flights) or twenty in cryostasis units (chosen for longer cross-galaxy trips). It may also carry up to five tons of cargo. The shuttles are split into five sections: cockpit; passenger compartment; crew cabin; cargo bay; engineering. The crew cabin is located immediately after of the cockpit airlock and occupies the ceiling of the passenger compartment. Access is granted via ladder from a mezzanine level in the stairs between the passenger compartment and cockpit. The passenger compartment (accessed via port and starboard forward hatches) stretches back to the cargo bay, which sits at the rear of the main shuttle body. Fuselage doors and a drop floor allow access to the cargo bay.

Aft of this is the bulky engineering compartment, which houses both the V-Non aneutronic reactor and Dimensional Drive core and the three four-cluster ion engines. While the VINCENT (Virtual Intelligence, Civilian Extrasolar Network Transit) artificial assistant monitors and controls this compartment, a crewmember can manually access it via terminal to make adjustments or observations. While V-Non reactors are non-explosive, excessively damaged units can suffer a potentially disastrous overload, resulting in a release of charged particles and static harmful to individuals and electronics. In case of such emergencies, the Dragon may jettison the engineering compartment and switch over to backup He3 cells in the wings. While it loses the ability to travel through the Underworld, the shuttle may still operate for a time to locate assistance.

A notable feature of this craft lies in its weapon system, which is fitted to all vessels whether civilian or military. The six forward-firing 15mm repeating railguns were installed in response to a growing number of smuggling and pirate gangs operating in some star systems, often lying in wait near Dimensional Gates to strike at unsuspecting ships as they reentered the Home Dimension. The six cannon offer the crew of a Dragon the ability to defend themselves in an attack, while a significant number of reaction control thrusters dotted around the craft provide extensive flight control in exoatmospheric operation.

Like all modern aircraft the Dragon uses haptic flight controls and interfaces, but physical backups exist in case of failure.

Shown here is Interstellar Operating Number-3192026, callsign TZ-2026, an Escean government ZS-90--crewed by Ravens Ayden Sato and Saela Kāgora--involved in the 'Naxos Event' of January 2112.

Description
The Zaitso Shuttle Model 90 'Dragon' took its maiden flight in October 2107 and was first delivered in September 2109, achieving service with civilian and government organisations and agencies alike. Dragon shuttles are by far the most widespread among the fleet of interstellar passenger craft in human civilian service and their reliability and high performance has made them much sought after by alien companies as well.

The smallest of any interstellar-capable human craft, the Dragon carries a crew of two in addition to ten seated or bedded passengers (preferred for short-haul flights) or twenty in cryostasis units (chosen for longer cross-galaxy trips). It may also carry up to five tons of cargo. The shuttles are split into five sections: cockpit; passenger compartment; crew cabin; cargo bay; engineering. The crew cabin is located immediately after of the cockpit airlock and occupies the ceiling of the passenger compartment. Access is granted via ladder from a mezzanine level in the stairs between the passenger compartment and cockpit. The passenger compartment (accessed via port and starboard forward hatches) stretches back to the cargo bay, which sits at the rear of the main shuttle body. Fuselage doors and a drop floor allow access to the cargo bay.

Aft of this is the bulky engineering compartment, which houses both the V-Non aneutronic reactor and Dimensional Drive core and the three four-cluster ion engines. While the VINCENT (Virtual Intelligence, Civilian Extrasolar Network Transit) artificial assistant monitors and controls this compartment, a crewmember can manually access it via terminal to make adjustments or observations. While V-Non reactors are non-explosive, excessively damaged units can suffer a potentially disastrous overload, resulting in a release of charged particles and static harmful to individuals and electronics. In case of such emergencies, the Dragon may jettison the engineering compartment and switch over to backup He3 cells in the wings. While it loses the ability to travel through the Underworld, the shuttle may still operate for a time to locate assistance.

A notable feature of this craft lies in its weapon system, which is fitted to all vessels whether civilian or military. The six forward-firing 15mm repeating railguns were installed in response to a growing number of smuggling and pirate gangs operating in some star systems, often lying in wait near Dimensional Gates to strike at unsuspecting ships as they reentered the Home Dimension. The six cannon offer the crew of a Dragon the ability to defend themselves in an attack, while a significant number of reaction control thrusters dotted around the craft provide extensive flight control in exoatmospheric operation.

Like all modern aircraft the Dragon uses haptic flight controls and interfaces, but physical backups exist in case of failure.

Shown here is Interstellar Operating Number-3192026, callsign TZ-2026, an Escean government ZS-90--crewed by Ravens Ayden Sato and Saela Kāgora--involved in the 'Naxos Event' of January 2112.