Mass Effect Starship: Ark Ship

**Name**: Ark
**Craft**: Various Manufacture Ark Colony Ship
**Type**: Colonization Vessel
**Scale**: Capital
**Length**: varies; typically from 350 - 700 meters
**Skill**: Capital Ship Pilot
**Crew**: 70 - 150 (depending on configuration)
**Passengers**: 3,500 - 75,000 (depending on configuration)
**Cargo Capacity**: varies from 20,000 - 42,000 metric tons
**Consumables**: varies
**FTL Drive**: x56,750
**Nav Computer**: yes
**Maneuverability**: 1D
**Space**: 3
**Hull**: 4D+1 - 7D+1 (depending on configuration)
**Shields**: 2D - 3D+2 (depending on configuration)
**Sensors**

* Passive: 50 / 1D+1
* Scan: 100 / 2D+1
* Search: 150 / 3D+2
* Focus: 5 / 5D

**Weapons**

* **Type VIII Mass Accelerators** (Amount varies from 4-8, depending on configuration)

Fire Arc: forward
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: Capital Ship Gunnery
Fire Control: 1D
Space Range: 2-15/38/75
Atmosphere Range: 4-30/76/150km
Damage: 5D+1
* **Mark VIII Javelin Disruptor Torpedo Pods** (Amount varies from 3-6, depending on configuration)

Fire Arc: forward
Crew: 1
Scale: capital
Skill: Capital Ship Gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-2/5/10
Atmosphere Range: 2-4/10/20km
Damage: 6D+2
* **GARDIAN Point Defense Laser Clusters** (Amount varies from 10-20, depending on configuration)

Fire Arc: All
Crew: 1
Scale: starfighter
Skill: Automated: Starship Gunnery: 4D
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-5/13/25
Atmosphere Range: 10-500/1,300/2,500m
Damage: 2D
* **Type II Autocannons** (Amount varies from 10-20, depending on configuration)

Fire Arc: All
Crew: 1
Scale: starfighter
Skill: Automated: Starship Gunnery: 4D
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-3/8/15
Atmosphere Range: 10-300/800/1,500m
Damage: 2D+2
**Description**: Ark Ships are cruiser to carrier weight. The concept of an Ark Ship was established when races begun spreading throughout the galaxy. Big vessels were needed to transport large quantities of manpower and livestock to distant places. Ark ships were not meant for scouting the unknown space but to convey as much as possible with one ride to an established colony. Although these vessels have no special armor they are much sturdier than then a typical frigate, armed mostly with GARDIAN and 4 Mass Accelerator Turrets. They have also huge heat emitters for prolonged FTL travel. Most of the interior are cargo holds and crew compartments, designed so that it is easy to reconfigure them for various purposes. Ark Ships have also huge hangars so they can carry many smaller craft like shuttles and rovers. Those huge vessels are not designed for landing and taking of planets, but it is possible to land them. In that case they are always repurposed as building blocks for new colony as they won’t be able to take off. The most famous Ark Ship is the ―Purgatory‖ owned by the notorious Blue Suns mercenary company, the Purgatory was once an "ark ship" used to hold agricultural animals. Now it is used to hold prisoners, whether taken in battle or sold by unscrupulous politicians under the name of subcontracting and outsourcing. Rumors abound that the Blue Suns turn skilled or fit prisoners over to batarian slavers, but few have ever seen the transaction and lived to tell about it. Its population is listed at 4,350, but independent journalists estimate it is nearly three times that in periods of overcrowding.

**Source**:

* Mass Effect Wiki: Ark
* Mass Effect: The Unofficial Role Playing Game 2.35 (pages 94-95)
* thedemonapostle