The S4 is a modular starship that can be assembled from a variety of different payload and propulsion modules.

The S4 follows up from the S2 Series Starship developed in 2314. The completion of the S2 series design would allow for rapid iteration on internal components by allowing for Containerized Component Modules to be swapped out at will. These components would still have to work within the S2’s inherent limits for engine capacity, fuel storage, and heat management which was not something that could be changed without completely reworking the S2. The solution was the S4 series of ship, where the starship’s main functions could be split off into different modules and connected together as needed. Much of the S2 design was reused and adjusted to better fit the modular star-ship model of the S4. The rear section of the ship was kept almost entirely intact, though the engines were replaced with reaction mass tanks and engines. This newly designed tug-module could then be connected to a number of payload modules in the front. Similarly the entire engine module could be quickly swapped out with a new one if it needed to be replaced or upgraded.




The design would be deployed in 2315, shortly after the S2. The ease of production, and multi-purpose nature of the ship would see it widely deployed throughout the Hawking star system in a variety of roles. The Dual-nature use of the technology would also see the S4 being rapidly refit for war shortly after the New Years Rebellion of 2320.

The S4 is a set of star-ship modules that can be stacked together, and is intended to be operated remotely as a drone.
The modules are intended to be built to similar specifications, being able to withstand 7g for sustained periods, being able to operate independently in space, and being able to share power, coolant, and data through the connected areas of the stack at a high rate. Different types of ships can quickly be constructed from the different drone modules, so the S4 doesn't have a standard set of capabilities between different S4 series ships.

The S4 Engine Tug is a modular component that can be used as part of S4 series star-ships that uses mostly off the shelf technology.

Rear View

The Standard Engine Tug has a pair of large reaction mass tanks inside of a hexagonal supporting truss. At the edges of the truss are radiators that extend outward from the main body. Space for additional cargo container modules are spread over the hull of the tug for both command and control functionality and RCS usage. The Top/Front end of the module has a connection point for additional modules while the rear section has space for a total of 48 cargo-container-engines.

The Standard Engine Tug was adapted from the S2 Starship’s original design, taking with it the conventional radiator layout and support structure. The S2’s singe large engine system was replaced with large reaction-mass tanks and space for containerized engine modules. Additional space for containerized modules were then added to act as an RCS system for the tug.

These modules were deployed in large numbers starting in 2315, both for moving large amounts of cargo modules and for repositioning asteroids in the Hawking system.

Length: 195 Meters
Width: 90 Meters

48 rear facing modules
24 side facing modules
30 RCS system modules

The S4 series of Cargo Modules are designed to hold containerized components with the appropriate storage and hookups to connect up the module itself. The interior of the module also houses a large reaction mass storage tank.

The Standard Cargo Module has a hexagonal support structure with pods for cargo containers around the outside. The module supports 3 cargo pods per side, and has six sides with a total of 18 pods. Each pod can hold 56 container modules

The Standard Cargo Module for the S4 was developed from the forward section of the S2 starship. This process largely involved shortening and simplifying the module. Compared to the S2, the S4 cargo module lacks thrusters as well as any forward facing module space. These modules were produced from 2315 onward, with the dual-use role of both providing transportation for goods as well as acting in a military capacity by housing containerized weapon systems.

Length: 195 Meters
Width: 90 Meters

Space for 1,008 side-facing containers

The S4 Small Cargo Container is similar in design to the Standard Container, but only contains a single ring of cargo pods for a total of 336 cargo containers.

The Small Cargo Container module was designed to fill in on certain S4 stacks where there was surplus Delta-V and a need to house a small number of additional cargo containers.

The S4 Refueling Module includes housing for 64 containerized components and four refueling pods that can be deployed to connect the pump systems of the module to other modules allowing for in-flight refueling from the ship’s fuel/reaction mass tanks.

The module was developed in 2317 to support long range operations of S4 units. Originally the S4 only needed to transfer storage tanks between well stocked ports, but due to the expeditionary operations in 2317, a refueling module was needed so that S4 tankers could support other craft.

Length: 17.5 Meters
Width: 40 Meters

The S4 Tanker module is a series of liquid/gas storage tanks packed together in a module that can attach to S4 series starships.

The S4 Tanker Module was developed in 2315 during the initial development process of the S4. The development simply re-used the existing S4 body, and existing reaction-mass storage tanks to create a basic storage-system for liquid products.

Length: 175 Meters
Width: 90 Meters

The S4 Defense Module was developed in 2318 to further enhance the abilities of the S4 ship to conduct operations far outside of the Hawking Starsystem.

The Module would have three sized of the Hexagonal support structure house space for containerized components, 36 per side for a total of 108 containers. The remaining three sides would have a tier’d series of decks housing weapon systems, communication gear, and electronic warfare systems.

The lack of persistent large scale combat would make it difficult to determine what the optimal mix of defensive weapon systems would be for a starship. For this particular module, energy would be invested in designing a wide range of defensive systems to try and counter a number of different threat types. While much of this could be done using cargo modules holding containerized weapon systems, the more specialized defense module had a distinctive impression and highly visible weaponry which would be enough to deter small scale attacks.

The Module itself would be deployed in 2318, shortly after the S4 series ships started supporting operations for fleets leaving the Hawking system on long range expeditions.

A 10mm rapid-fire Coilgun with integrated Radar and Thermal-sensing optics is an extremely common weapon system among starships in the Union. They are commonly used for point defense work and light anti-starship duty at short range. They are fantastic for putting a large number of projectiles on target with a reasonable enough velocity to be a threat at short ranges. Due to the lag time between firing and arrival on target they tend to be unsuitable for shooting at targets that are maneuvering or not traveling towards the ship.

6 of these 10mm Coilgun turrets are located around the Module.

A basic laser system designed to Zap and Destroy targets at long range. The small size of the optic makes it unsuitable for extremely long range attacks, but the high accuracy of the attacks make the Emitter very suitable for destroying soft targets like the tracking optics on missiles or other lightly armored items.

3 turrets, with 2 laser optics each are located around the module.

Mounted on the ‘highest’ tier raised up away from the hull, the Small Particle Beam shares a turret with a number of other weapon and communication systems. The particle beam is primarily used to irradiate targets, and is highly effective at destroying lightly armored electronics though is quite vulnerable to being disrupted by electromagnetic fields.

Mounted alongside the Small Particle Beam Generator, the S4 Defense Module also mounts a Non-Nuclear EMP system for use against unshielded electronics and for manipulating electromagnetic fields near the craft.

The Defense Module houses a series of short-range communication systems, radar, thermal optics, and radio receivers in the ‘top’ most turret. 3 turrets devoted entirely to long range superluminal communications are also installed on the mid-level tier of the module.

The S4 Laser Module is made for extreme long range laser strikes against targets.

The laser module developed for the S4 was originally designed to be comparable to the laser-cluster on the S1. The 15 meter diameter laser optic in the front is similarly sized, but because it uses a single large optic instead of a series of small optics it can achieve better focus distance than the S1. Similarly the larger radiators allow for continuous operation. Three of the hexagonal sides of the module include built in radiators, while three contain containerized components inside of armored wedges. The laser-generator containers are located here, and fed into the focusing chamber in the center of the module.

Space for:
12 forward facing containers
96 Side-facing containers