For a while now, Commander Altsain has been mulling over an idea, a way to expand Cosmic Flipper Spaceways and really put it on the galactic map.

She likes her newly commissioned Cosmos, a purpose-built Exploraconda (an Anaconda configured for very long range exploration), and on its shakedown cruise, where she carried a passenger to the galactic core, she started wondering: what about a ship that could carry lots of passengers to the various tourist sites around the core, at the same time?

That would earn a lot of money at once (especially when you add exploration scans), plus she would get to see all sorts of wonderful sites. It would be a true Grand Tour.

Enter the Carl Sagan.

This is a Passaconda, an Anaconda capable of very long-ranged jumps while carrying a full load of sightseeing charters. It is based heavily on the Cosmos, with very low-rated thrusters (5A), power plant (4A) and shields (3D), and otherwise optimised for jumping.

Inside, it has four first class cabins and two business class, with enough room for a massive (7C) fuel scoop and a well-tooled up advanced discovery scanner/detailed surface scanner combo. All told, this comes in at less than MCr160, a great price for one of the Big Three that is completely kitted out for its intended use.

Engineering is essential on a ship that needs to make big jumps, and so the Carl Sagan (seemed an appropriate name) did the tour to their worlds, with the frame shift drive getting tuned and having a mass manager installed (pushing the ship to 50 light year jumps, fully laden), with everything else getting stripped down and lightened. Special attention was made to the scanners, which were tuned for range, making this the best scanning ship in the commander’s entire fleet – large gas giants can be picked out at way over 2,500 light seconds.

That done, it was time for a shakedown cruise.

Starting at Shinrarta Dehzra, Commander Altsain decided to take on multiple charters for sightseeing tours – using the Carl Sagan’s massive jump range to quickly reach a dozen tourist destinations quickly and easily. When the ship returned to its hangar, the commander was millions of credits richer – and a dreadful thought occurred to her.

The Carl Sagan does sightseeing tours better than the Dolphin-class Cosmic Flipper, once the pride of the Cosmic Flipper Spaceways fleet. The Passaconda gets passengers to tourist sites quicker, and that would be forgivable, but it can also complete half a dozen charters in the time it takes the Cosmic Flipper to do just one or two…

Sure, the Dolphin is way cheaper and so has the edge in profitability. However, Commander Altsain is now preparing herself for the Grand Tour, the trip that will take six sightseeing charters past Colonia to the galactic core. At an average of perhaps MCr30 each, they will instantly pay for the Carl Sagan and that is before exploration data is taken into account (which could easily equal what the passengers are paying).

So, is this the death of the Dolphin?

Difficult to say, as it is such a delightful little ship.

However, for now, the commander has other things on her mind – she will be preparing for the Grand Tour soon enough, just after community goals are dealt with and her duties to Miss Winters are up to date.

The Dolphin Question will have to wait.