The most successful example of converting a heavy shuttle design into a light Freetrader, the Pelican is one of the most versatile craft in its class. Originally designed by Conudyne corporation as a super-heavy lift shuttle, an enterprising design engineer retooled the virtual prototype and added in crew quarters, more life support, and jump engines so that it could be marketed as a light transport. Later on during the re-design process, a savvy executive in starship R&D looking over the profit margins realized that selling a Freetrader vessel for three-quarters of a million credits would net substantially greater profit than a quarter-million credit unarmed transport.
Back to the virtual shipyard the design went, and another lead engineer with experience crewing on various Freetrader vessels tweaked the design to allow for substantial armour upgrades, and the placement of a significant number of weapon arrays. This engineer also had a flair for the roguish, and designed the weapon arrays to be retractable into shielded bays with seamless hatches, making all but the primary turrets invisible to the eye or scans when not deployed. Likewise, the T-rad dispersal ailerons- the most vulnerable point of any vessel- were designed to be fully retracted into the rear of the vessel when not in use. Only the tips- which also double as ECM/ECCM and scan-jammer emitters- poke out, and they are well protected.
The Pelican is designed to land and load or offload cargo in a hurry. Four cargo bay doors- one under the bridge in the bow, one aft between the ailerons, and one each port and starboard- can open wide, allowing large cargos to be moved quickly. Mercenary corporations love the Pelican for this feature because it can carry four support walkers and a platoon of power armoured troops and deploy the entire unit in under thirty seconds. Adding to the rapidity of cargo movement is the AG field conveyor system built into the ramp-section of each door. Cargos are placed in the field, and the automated cargomaster AI program moves them along and puts them in place, efficiently and quickly.
All of this makes the Pelican a beloved ship for Freetraders, mercenaries, and most especially smugglers. Able to operate with a skeleton crew, largely automated, and having cutting edge amenities and support systems- not to mention luxurious crew quarters compared to most Freetrader vessels in its class- it is well worth the price tag.



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