Bishamon

The Bishamon is an older craft, a Hito-class patrol boat, modified to have a Noble Sail, which, while not originally included in the design, was a relatively simple retrofit due to the modular nature of its engine bays.

The ship's retrofit is somewhat haphazard; the mechanic must operate on the ship externally to deploy/retract the Noble Sail, making it a poor choice for any sort of pursuit action. Instead, it's almost always deployed to troubled planets on the Frontier, where any potential lawbreakers can't really run.

Distinguished Name

Among the religion common to the Core citizens, Bishamon is the name of the chief of the gods, the god of nobility and war.

It's a curious thing that a ship relegated to patrolling backwater colonies would have such an auspicious name; rumors among the Toko Authority say variously that the Chief hates religion, or that he means to embarass the Bishamon's captain, or that the ship played a vital role in the Toko-Koto wars recently, and the name cannot be used again until the ship falls in battle.

Vital Stats

• Weight: 1000 tonnes
• Length = 70m
• Height = 22m
• Width = 48m
• Cargo capacity = 10 tonnes, reduced from 25 due to storage of the Noble Sail
• Required crew: Navigator, Pilot, Mechanic
• Optimal crew: 6-10
• Bunks: 10
• Medical Facilities: small infirmary
• Conventional Drive Speed: fast
• Noble Sail Efficiency: 30%
• Weapons: 4 kinetic guided warheads mounted

The Crew

The crew of the Bishamon is in a relative state of flux; greener recruits are usually assigned to duty on the ship, and then pulled off to hotter beats once they've gotten a little wet behind the ears. As of the last time the Bishamon put in to Toko, the crew was:

• Takeshi Genoso, captain - an old hand in the Lawmen, he's the kind of career beat cop that actually has the experience and intelligence to make a difference. He's got a good sense of when the law should bend, and when it should hold rigid.

• Marcus Bittlestien, first officer - a gung-ho, aggressive man, Marcus is the kind of person that's useful to have around, but necessary to keep in check. Genoso is still trying to get a handle on exactly how to do that.

• Saigo Matsumoto, security - Calm like Zen, with a will of iron and a body of stone. Matsumoto is ex-Toko Military, where his aversion to intervening with force made him a liability. In the Lawmen, it's helpful to know which fights to choose, though.

• Maro McCobb, medic - a certified doctor, fresh out of medical school, assigned to the Bishamon to earn his stripes. He's certainly not long for the beat; after a few missions, he's guaranteed to get pulled back to the Core where his prestigious education can help the rich and famous.

• Steven Lindsay, mechanic - while usually the mechanic stays on the ship or otherwise away from the action, Officer Lindsay has something of a way with the common folk that often proves useful, so Captain Genoso pulled some strings and had him issued a badge and weapons. He's not the type to use them, or even carry them, and he's not in the Lawmen for his understanding of police procedure. Still, he's proved invaluable on more than one occasion.

• Travis Punktlich, pilot - he dots his i's, crosses his t's, and always makes sure things are in order before takeoff. Flight school impressed upon him the neccesity of procedure and the terrific value of the ships they fly. Captain Genoso has tried his damndest to loosen the kid up, cause it's obvious he has talent.