Pathfinder

*"That will be our home for the next few weeks. It has living quarters for us to sleep in, a common room, state-of-the-art sublight thrusters, blink engine, a storage deck and a flight deck to fit a handful of people in the front."*
—Saul Collins on the Pathfinder

## Manufacturing Information

### Designer

Collins International
Saul Collins

### Model

Pathfinder-I Prototype Exploration Transport

## Technical Information

### Maximum Speed

950km/h (Atmospheric)
Rift Travel (Blink Drive)

## Usage

### Status

Inactive
Under Repairs

### Affiliation

Collins International
Saul Collins

### Role

Crew Transport
Exploration Vessel

The **Pathfinder** is a custom-built starship of tremendous power and versatility, owned by Saul Collins and the Collins Foundation. It saw use throughout the Alphaverse Odyssey, that lasted from May 4th through May 27th.

## History

### Construction

During the months leading up to the Alphaverse Odyssey, Saul and the Collins Foundation worked hard to build the Pathfinder from the ground up, using alien schematics that Saul had acquired in outer space during his time with Vision Corp. When Tiara Calinao joined the project, she helped speed up the progress through her ferrokinesis and with some testing.

During construction, both Tia and Saul subjected themselves to intensive simulation trainings to prepare for the upcoming month-long travels.

### Usage

Throughout the Alphaverse Odyssey, which lasted from May 4th through May 27th, the Pathfinder was the only means of transportation and temporary home for the Arcadian Rebels that decided to accompany Saul on his journey to space.

On two occasions, the Pathfinder was replaced as the Rebels' main method of transportation, as was when the Rebels were assigned the Starcruiser in the Krystan Facilities from the past. Another time was in the midst of the Battle of Xíros, when the Rebels stole a ship from Corvell's forces.

When the Rebels were forcefully ejected back towards the present, the Pathfinder stuck with Saul on the past.

### Time for an Overhaul

After the Odyssey ended, Saul found that the Pathfinder was no longer apt for deep space exploration, having sustained major damage that severely hindered its usage. Using pieces from the original vessel and completely new parts, Saul designed the ship to serve as a major upgrade from the old Pathfinder. This new ship was named "The Starfinder".

### Old Reliable

Though the ship was no longer in active use, the salvaged ship was stored in a hangar bay in Xíros, where it remains to the present day.

## Features

### Common Room

The common room, also the main section of the Pathfinder, is the first location one will locate after boarding the Pathfinder. The common room itself is divided into two smaller sections, the common area and the kitchen. The common area was designed to serve as a lounge, with a pair of couches and a table; the kitchen, on the other hand has a refrigerator, a microwave, a food rehydration station, a small oven and a sink on top of a counter, as well as a couple of stools.

### Flight Deck

The flight deck, or bridge, is where the pilot and co-pilot manage the ship. It has two seats on the front for both the pilot and co-pilot, as well as another pair of seats on the back for passengers. The control board, as well as the steering wheels are situated by the side and on the front of the pilot and co-pilot seats. The flight deck is the only room, aside from the living quarters, to have windows. The windows on the flight deck allow for vision on the front, sides and top.

### Living Quarters

The living quarters, also known as the barracks, are where the crew of the Pathfinder sleep. A couple rows of bunk beds were stashed by each side of the room. As remarked by a few of the Rebels in their stay on board, the living quarters are remarkably dull and gray.

### Intercom Room

A small meeting room, also called the briefing room, it is a small room made for the crew on board to discuss their operations. This room was noticeably unused, as the Rebels often preferred to talk inside the flight deck or the common room.

### Storage Deck

A large cargo bay in the lower deck of the Pathfinder. Though crew can access it from the inside by going downstairs from the common room, cargo is most often stored by accessing the storage deck from the outside, through a door on the starboard side of the hull.

### Engine Room

The engine room, also known as the reactor room, is where the main source of energy is located. Though most of the ship management can be done from the flight deck, when a component of the ship is critically damaged, it is often required to be given maintenance from the engine room.

## Capabilities

*"The Pathfinder has very minor defense systems. If you don't want the ship to blow up, I suggest you help outside."*
—Saul Collins on the Pathfinder's minimal defensive capabilities
Being a custom-built spacecraft designed by Saul with knowledge acquired from alien technology, the Pathfinder was equipped with many systems that had not yet been invented by mankind to allow for deep-space travel as well as to compete with other ships that could be found in outer space. Despite all of the work that came into it, due to limited resources, the Pathfinder was not the most capable battle ship.

* **Blink Drive:** One of the most prominent features of the Pathfinder is the blink drive, a cutting-edge alien travelling system that allows a ship to travel through the Alphaverse with the aid of rifts in space that act like artificial wormholes. The blink drive, while powerful, can be very fragile, and if damaged, may cause unwanted jumps to happen to random locations, as shown when the Pathfinder was transported to Krysta without the Rebels setting course for it.
* **Twin Energy Cannons:** Installed into the Pathfinder on Yarneek Port Town, these became the main defensive and offensive mechanisms for the starship, saving the Rebels from a couple of incidents throughout the Odyssey, most notably, the Iok Incident. They also worked as the Pathfinder's sole weapons system during the Battle of Xíros.
* **Shielding Systems:** An upgrade installed when the Rebels arrived on Krysta from the past, the shielding systems came into use for the first time in the Battle of Xíros and defended the Rebels from heavy fire.
* **Cutting Edge Sublight Thrusters:** Another upgrade installed on Yarneek Port Town, these sublight thrusters served as the main source of lift and thrust for the Pathfinder and were what enabled it to use the Blink Drive throughout the Odyssey.

## Trivia

* The Pathfinder's exterior is quite elegant, ironically, more so than the supposedly cozier Starfinder.
* The Pathfinder's exterior is based around Star Citizen's 600i Exploration Spacecraft.
* It is of similar size to the Space Shuttle Orbiter, a real life space shuttle.