"Fast holds, darker deals."
The Corsair‑class is the ubiquitous light freighter favored by smugglers, pirates, salvagers, and freelance crews across the galaxy. It balances speed, cargo flexibility, and survivability—built so it can slip through blockades, outrun patrols, or shrug off a boarding party long enough to escape. Yards on Torsa Prime and Feraxis churn out variants tuned to their owner’s profession, and every Corsair carries the scars and custom rigs of a thousand illicit runs.
Role: Light freighter / multipurpose hauler
Typical Crew: 3–10 (pilot, engineer, 1–2 hands / specialists)
Cargo Capacity: Medium — modular bay (standard: 600–1,200 m³ depending on fit)
Armor: Light–moderate — reinforced frames for nimble evasions
Shields: Medium — optimized to buy moments, not brawls
Speed: Fast sublight; good acceleration and handling for its class
Hyperdrive: Compact long‑range drive (common) — prized by smugglers for independent jumps
Hangar/Utility: Small external hardpoints; internal modular racks for drones, salvage gear, or hidden compartments
Weaponry (optional): 2 small hardpoints (turrets or swivel blasters), chaff/flare dispensers, and a single under‑fuselage missile or drone launcher
The Corsair‑class is low, squat and slightly avian — a tapered belly that blooms into a broad, modular cargo bay. Pilots prize it for a low radar cross‑section and plenty of places to hide illegal gear. Hulls are commonly matte black, sandtone, or patched durasteel; captains paint personal sigils, kill‑marks or smuggling guild badges across the dorsal plating. The bridge is compact but highly ergonomic; aft bay access is via a hydraulically assisted ramp that doubles as a loading platform.
Interior is pragmatic: cargo racking, maintenance conduits, a small galley, and bunk cabins that can be reconfigured into workshop space or slave pens depending on the owner’s morals.
Independent freighter: legal runs, charter work, or small trade lanes.
Smuggler: concealment mods, false manifests, and autonomous decoys let crews run contraband past scans.
Pirate: fast raids on merchant convoys, scoop stolen freight, and disappear into nearby systems.
Salvager: hunt derelicts and salvage wrecks, using onboard equipment to cut, clamp, and haul.
Across the Fringe, a Corsair seen drifting alone is as likely to be carrying medical supplies as it is stolen Cordnium — and crews usually won’t tell you which.
Special: External drone bays and automated retrieval systems. Up to a dozen small salvage/boarding drones can be launched to strip disabled transports mid‑fight.
Modifications: Reinforced grappling spools on ramp, accelerated winches, quick‑release cargo pallets for jettisoning evidence.
Tactics: Run in small pirate packs — disable a transport with EMP or missiles, launch drones to strip cargo, flee before escorts arrive.
Special: Robotic manipulator arms (foldable) mounted on swiveling turrets; plasma cutters and hull‑grinders for slicing wreckage.
Modifications: Internal winch bays, automated sorting conveyors, on‑board smelters for immediate processing.
Tactics: Loiter near graveyards, send out clamping arms to pull prize sections into the bay, or tow hulks to hidden yards.
Special: Multiple hidden, shielded cargo holds (Faraday‑shrouded, cryo‑lined, and magnetic sealing) that mask contents from scans and can survive shock‑search probes.
Modifications: False bulkheads, duplicate manifest systems, EMP‑hardened control stacks, and stealth dampers for reduced sensor signature.
Tactics: Play legal on approach, then divert to drop points; if boarded, trigger decoy holds and buy time with data‑scramblers.
Special: Standard civilian fit for independent traders. Emphasis on speed, fuel efficiency and reliability. Small passenger lounge and secure locker for valuables.
Modifications: Reinforced nav‑computers and cargo handling automation.
Tactics: Legal runs, express freight, shuttle work between shadowports where paying and paperwork both matter.
ECM Suite: Common add‑on for smugglers (jammers, transponder forgery, beacon cloaks).
Boarding Defenses: Net projectors, gas dispensers, and internal bulkhead locks for crews that plan to be boarded.
Auxiliary Drones: Salvage, boarding, or sensor drones depending on the variant.
Hidden Fuel Cells: Extended range tanks and redundant power cores—useful for long jumps and emergency burns.
Modular Racks: Mission bays can be swapped in a few hours at most yards—one of the Corsair’s selling points.
The Corsair is a ship of choices—practical, cheaply produced, endlessly customizable. On Torsa Prime and Feraxis, smugglers treat their Corsairs like heirs: names, talismans, and patchwork paneling tell a ship’s history. Bounties are placed on famous hulls; pilots swear by certain engine coils; boarding crews carve marks into ramp steel after a lucky haul. A Corsair’s reputation can open doors—or get you shot on sight.
Smugglers prize the Corsair‑X for its undetectable holds; pirates prefer the drone‑heavy Corsair‑P for quick grabs; salvagers dream in Corsair‑S blueprints. Whatever the fit, the Corsair runs where larger vessels fear to thread—into canyons, graveyards, and the thin lanes between faction patrols.