System: Ulysses

Worlds boasting significant oceans, such as Ulysses in the Federated Suns, provide their inhabitants with a convenient method of transporting bulk cargos via surface vessels. While economical, this mode of transport is slow. Air transport is far faster but is also proportionally more expensive. The Terran Hegemony experimented with Wing-in-Ground-Effect craft in the twenty-fourth century, but their small Thorizer was not a successful combat vehicle. However, the WiGE’s unique qualities make it both a fast and economical option as a civilian transport.

Better known for their military aircraft designs, the Michaelson Aircraft division of Michaelson Heavy Industries has manufactured the Cormorant since 2690. One of the most common WiGEs in the Federated Suns, the Cormorant is a typical medium cargo carrier.

Traveling Ulysses’ extensive oceans can be a hazardous undertaking. Large predators such as the Ulyssean Tiger Raptor give a whole new definition to the concept of “bird strike” when creatures are big enough (and aggressive enough) to seriously damage both flying aircraft and surface shipping. When confronted with eight hundred kilos of hungry reptile, the Cormorant falls back on its machine guns.

Michaelson introduced their upgraded Fulmar in 3056. Outwardly almost identical to the Cormorant, it serves as a maritime patrol vehicle and paramilitary transport. Constructed with advanced composites, the Fulmar is both faster and tougher than its civilian parent. With its extended range and higher speed, the WiGE can transport a full company of marines and their gear. Unfortunately, the Fulmar has also become a favorite with smugglers and pirates who frequent the shallow costal seas of Ulysses.

During the height of the FedCom Civil War, shipping losses reached epidemic proportions as the enterprising pirates used their WiGEs to prey on undefended vessels. This state of affairs continued until the Ulysses Navy instigated a convoy system and deployed their own Fulmars to protect the ships and locate the corsair’s base of operations. The threat was eliminated at last when a squadron of Fulmars landed a battalion of marines on top of the pirate’s headquarters on the island of Penelope.

There are no functional factories located on this planet.