Asp (Oolite)

Asp Mark II
Size (W×H×L)	65 m×24 m×84 m
Cargo capacity	N/A
Cargo bay extension	N/A
Maximum speed	0.40 LM
Manoeuvrability	Pitch: 1.0 Roll: 2.0 Yaw: 1.0 Thrust: 50
Energy banks	5.5
Energy recharge rate	Good (4.00)
Gun mounts	Fore: 1x Rear: 1x
Missile slots	1
Shield boosters available	Yes
Military shields available	Yes
Hyperspace capable	Yes
OXP or standard	Standard
Available to player	Yes
Base price	375,000 Cr

An Asp Mark II makes few concessions to creature comforts. There is far less room inside than in a Cobra 3, still less is it gorgeously decked out with rich man's luxuries like a Fer-de-Lance. For anyone human-sized there is barely room to ease out of the pilot's seat to stretch cramped muscles during a long jump through Witch-space, the head is rudimentary enough to convince a spaceman of the virtues of an old-fashioned low-yield diet, and it almost comes as a surprise to find the cabin maintained at a constant comfortable temperature. But nobody shells out credits on an Asp because it is comfortable; they buy it because it is one of the best ships in all the Eight for coming back from a trip alive and uninjured. And, as much to the point for those whose proclivities run that way, a mighty effective tool for seeing to it that some other poor sap doesn't.

(Ships That Pass In The Night by Malacandra)

Overview

The Asp Mark II began life as purely a military machine, the first production model entering service with the Galactic Navy in 2878. The enigmatic craft was unveiled after a lengthy period of secrecy, and immediately went into battle in the first (and most deadly) round of the Thargoid wars. In other parts of the universe, the ship was used as a patrol vessel. Once the ship was effectively superseded by the Behemoth with a bellyful of Vipers, the ship was produced under license by Zorgon Petterson Group and sold to civilian pilots. The main target market was trader escorts.

Notable features

The ship has no cargo capacity, and none can be fitted; its only use is as a fighter or courier vessel. It is fast, and with the availability of the full enhancements of military shields and shield boosters allied with a military laser, makes a fearsome fighting ship. This has made it popular with bounty hunters and pirates alike. If you find an Asp alone - watch out - if it's a pirate vessel, it's certain that his buddies are biding their time and waiting to sift through your wreckage after their Asp makes short work of you. That slightly disproportional hexagon seen glinting in the sun can either be your best friend or your deadliest enemy, depending on whose hands it is in.

Zorgon Petterson Group, in a mostly successful attempt to make the ship more appealing to customers, made a minor facelift to the ship in recent years, creating the smaller Asp Mark II Special. Its performance is substantially similar to the regular version of the ship - most of the changes being cosmetic: enlarged heatsinks around the main engine thrusters and a slight cut-out in the front of the ship, exposing more of the laser barrel, has given the ship a more aggressive look. ZPG simultaneously used their expertise in first-class cabin furnishings, leading 'What Spaceship?' to describe the ship as a 'poor man's Fer de Lance'. Considering a new Asp Mark II Special costs 425,000 Cr prior to any equipment fit, it is unsure who 'What Spaceship?' is classifying as a poor man.

More recently the Asp-X, a larger, tougher evolution of the Mark II has become available. Fast, powerful and well armed, these ships have gained favor with hunters and assassins, with a few also falling into pirate hands.

Variants

For a ship as popular as the Asp Mark II it is just natural that over the years several additional variants were introduced to the public. Please note that all of them belong to OXP's, they are not part of the core-game.

• Asp Explorer (A scout ship with some cargo space. Originally produced by Zorgon Petterson Group this craft is today offered under license from SoloTek Industries.)
• Asp Mark II Special (2 generations had been build. The first was later used to design the Asp-X, the second is a smaller but still deadly Asp Mark II.)
• Navy Asp Mark II (An Asp specially designed for the Galactic Navy. While the first generation wasn't able to live up to the expectations, the second (based on the Asp Mark II Special) is still serving in several navies.)
• Asp-X (A powerful heavy interceptor, based on the design of the first generation of the Asp Mark II Special. Originally developed for Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy but also licensed for civilian use.)
• Fer-de-Pai (A combination of a Fer-de-Lance and a Asp Mark II, abandoning the luxurious trimmings in exchange for military equipment. Less than 2000 of this prototype have ever been produced.)

(Click on the thumbnail to view full-size image)

Asp Explorer

Asp Mark II Special (G1)

Asp Mark II Special (G2)

Navy Asp Mark II (G1)

Navy Asp Mark II (G2)

Asp-X

Fer-de-Pai

Custom models and textures

Additional to the variants, several re-textures and styles are available:

• 

  Classic Asp

• 

  Deepspace Asp

• 

  Neolite Asp

• 

  Griff Asp Mark II

• 

  Sung's Asp

• 

  Staer9's Asp

• 

  one of Gsagostinho's Asps

• 

  Iron Ass Aegidian Prototype Asp

• 

  Iron Ass orthodox Asp

Download

The regular Asp Mark II as described on this page is part of the standard game. For the OXP ships please follow the links in the section "variants", most of them are available in multiple packages.

See also

• Asp (classic): Classic Elite
• Asp Explorer: Frontier (FE2 / FFE)
• Asp Mark II (Rough Guide)
• Fiction: Ships That Pass In The Night by Malacandra
• Gsagostinho's Texture Pack: Asp Mk II, a number of great retextures for the core-ship, available on the Expansions Manager