The Nightrunner has been taking shadowrunners on fishing trips for over three decades despite its com- plete lack of fishing seats or a fish cooler, and the diffi- culty of fishing from an enclosed cabin. While that joke has been passed down and remains unchanged, the Nightrunner has managed to upgrade quite a few things since those days. The enclosed cabin was replaced with a slide-open cabin cover, and the Nightrunner gained a new ad campaign back in ’73, which led to the addition of scuba storage spaces built into the interior design. The ad made the Nightrunner out to be the ultimate in unobtrusive diving technology to help explain why it had heat-masking paint, an ultra-quiet drive system, and a sonar package rivaling some military craft. We in the shadows know what everyone uses this thing for and can continue the laugh at the dive boat with no access ladder or dive rails.
Even though the craft has been around for a gener- ation, it’s still a solid performer. They’ve done a decent job of keeping it up to date, though retrofits to old- er models have hit the classic boat snag. Everything is small and designed to fit and function with a purpose. Anything retrofitted has to fit into the same space or displace something else. The Nightrunner is a five-me- ter-long stealthy speedster, favoring the former over the latter. It’s got nothing on the cigarettes, but it will run cir- cles around a cruiser—all the while appearing nowhere on their sensors. Its size has been its biggest limitation. It has a small fore cabin where there is a berth area, a tiny head, and the closets and racks for dive equipment. These spots double nicely for other types of equipment as well.
NIGHTRUNNER (WATERCRAFT)
HANDL SPEED ACCEL BODY ARM PILOT SENS SEATS AVAIL COST
5 6 3 12 6 3 4 6 10 56,000¥
Std.
Equipment Amenities (squatter), life support 1, rigger interface, satellite link, signature masking 4
ZODIAC SCORPIO
The rigid inflatable boat, or RIB, is rarely referred to as such thanks to Zodiac and a contract with the U.S. mil- itary dating back to the last century. Zodiac was the brand, but the name stuck to every other RIB, and right now their Scorpio line is my personal favorite. There are other brands out there, but they all chase after Zodiac for the next innovation in RIB technology.
The Scorpio line is so named for the three mount points—two forward and one rear—usually referred to as claws and stinger by those who use this boat frequent- ly. These aren’t traditional mounts, as the Scorpio is de- signed to be hauled deflated to take up as little space as possible. Instead the mounts are little more than ex- tendable rods that are connected to the craft’s onboard sensors and help to compensate for the movement of the boat. Use of the mounts requires a mount clip to be
added to any weapon, but the same clip can be quickly fitted for any weapon as it is basically a rubber strap with a mounting pin to connect to the rod. Simple and easily adapted—more reason to love the Scorpio.
The Scorpio is small—only four meters long, and the last half-meter houses its pair of motor mounts. It only has one seat, the pilot’s, mounted on the right side be- hind the small control station. Zodiac was one of the first to offer VR controls and adaptation for riggers, and now they offer AR controls on every new model. The man- ual controls are usually still there, but those folks who have way more trust in electronics than I can have them removed. The Scorpio offers a bench seat option for be- hind the pilot, but everyone else will be taking a knee or sitting on the deck.
Weapons and control options are great, but what separates Zodiac from other RIB makers is speed and maneuverability. Motor options for the Scorpio run from mundane to ridiculous, with the latter often causing more problems than it could ever solve, though there is a nota- ble exception. You can lose a motor and still have a back- up with serious power. Zodiac crafted their boats with that in mind—you’re not supposed to run both of them, as that could create too much lift and flip your boat.
Maneuverability on the Scorpio is managed by an available 360 degrees of rotation for the props rather than a rudder or the standard 180 degrees of rotation. The Scorpio can turn 360 degrees in place, make ra- zor-sharp turns at speed, and even pull some moves that folks usually only see on the trid. These flashy moves usually require the rigger adaptation and a skilled rigger. They’re also best performed either in an empty boat or with a fully aware crew, because they frequently toss a rider in the water.
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Zodiac still has the military contract for the UCAS and CAS, but their main money comes from megacorps with offshore or coastal assets. Maersk owns thousands of Zodiac craft that they use to protect their shipping lanes and ships near the coast.>
KaneZODIAC SCORPIO (WATERCRAFT)
HANDL SPEED ACCEL BODY ARM PILOT SENS SEATS AVAIL COST
4 4 2 10 6 1 1 2/6 8 26,000¥
Std. Equipment
2 x weapon mount (standard, external, flexible, manual) front, weapon mount (heavy, external, flexible, manual) rear