Gemini XIII

After a several-year absence from the sport of asteroid racing (a sport he invented), founding WDF member Benjamin "Gryphon" Hutchins announced in late 2410 that he'd return as an entrant in the 2411 Avalon Fall Classic. The details of the spacecraft he was entering were kept strictly secret. Most observers of the sport assumed he would enter with a revised, improved version of Sting Ray, the modified Heinkel Cloakshape fighter he entered in the 2406 revival of the Classic; others speculated that he'd return to the cockpit of his Golden Age racer, Swordfish II.

A month before the '11 Classic, however, at the traditional entrants' roll-out, he revealed his ride, and it wasn't what anyone had expected. His new entry was a completely new, custom-built spacecraft, designed and constructed by himself and inventor Anthony Stark specifically for asteroid racing.

(Stark stated at the roll-out that his involvement was personal and not connected to his position as president and CEO of Stark Industries, though the vehicle does employ several "off-the-shelf" Stark Industries components.)

The vehicle, dubbed Gemini XIII by its pilot, set two records before it ever flew in the public eye. It was, and remains, the smallest spacecraft ever specifically constructed for asteroid racing, and the one with the highest thrust-to-mass ratio. It is unusual in other respects as well. Few Unlimited-class asteroid racers, for instance, have a crew of more than one, and almost none mount no missile weapons of any kind.

The thing that raised the most eyebrows about Gemini XIII, however, was its startling appearance. Ruthlessly compact and almost completely utilitarian, it appears, to the uninitiated eye, to have no styling at all apart from its bafflingly anachronistic "United States" markings. Only those few with an intimate knowledge of pre-Contact Earth cosmonautics recognize that this is, in itself, the vehicle's styling. Outwardly, Gemini XIII is a near-perfect visual replica of a 1960s McDonnell Aircraft "Gemini" orbital spacecraft (specifically the one employed on 1965's Gemini VII endurance mission), an obscure relic from Earth's earliest forays into near space.

Precisely why this should be so Gryphon has not seen fit to divulge. The mission occurred eight years before his birth and, as far as outside researchers have been able to determine, he has no personal or familial connection to it at all. He's also kept silent so far as to why Gemini XIII has two seats, whether he intends to have anyone copiloting with him during the actual Classic (which is allowed under Unlimited-class rules, but almost never done), and who, if anyone, he has in mind for the job. Independent examination of the spacecraft at the exhibition roll-out appears to show that the obvious candidate, MegaZone, is much too tall to fit in the cockpit.

Designation: Project GRV-1 Gemini XIII
Designer/Manufacturer: Benjamin D. Hutchins, Anthony Stark

Power system: ExoSalusia FR.9g power converter/fusion reactor
Propulsion system: Experimental "short-throw" fusion cyclofan (rated at 15,000 KTU)
Speed rating: 255 MGLT
Flight control system: Custom-built
Maneuver rating: 135 DPF
Navigation: Custom-built
FTL: None
Shields: Stark Industries RepulsorTech® full-coverage deflector shield system
Shield rating: 30 SBD
Armor: Custom alloy hull
Armor rating: Unknown

Description: Unlimited-class asteroid racer
Crew: 1 pilot, 1 copilot/sensor operator

Mass, fully loaded: 8,500 lb.
Mass, empty: 7,500 lb.
Reaction mass capacity: 1,000 lb.

DIMENSIONS
Length: 18'7"
Maximum diameter: 10'

ARMAMENTS
Fixed armaments: 4x Stark Industries Quasar-class repulsor/ion cannon
Expendable armaments: None

SPECIAL CAPABILITIES

Gemini XIII has a unique two-stage crew escape system in the event of an emergency. First, in the event of a failure of the spacecraft's ultra-high-powered experimental drive system, everything aft of a heavy-duty bulkhead a short distance behind the cockpit can be jettisoned almost instantly. The "escape module" thus released has only limited backup drive capability, though it retains the vehicle's fusion reactor and armaments and is therefore not entirely helpless. Should an even more significant catastrophe occur, both crew members can escape the spacecraft entirely using ejection seats (though this is obviously of limited usefulness unless the pilots are wearing vacuum-capable suits).

Interestingly, the shape of the spacecraft's heavily armored escape module has some rudimentary aerodynamic capabilities. This is believed to be a holdover from the original "Gemini" capsule's primitive aerobraking capability, which was used to help the ancient spacecraft re-enter Earth's atmosphere in what was otherwise an unpowered, uncontrolled deadfall. This is not expected to provide the modern replica with any useful advantage.

ANALYSIS

Based on the performance information released by its creators and the capabilities it displayed during the roll-out's brief exhibition phase, Gemini XIII appears to be a technological triumph, with an unrivaled thrust-to-mass ratio, spectacular acceleration qualities, and maneuverability that is little short of astonishing. Its armament should have no difficulty dealing with any but the largest obstacles the Avalon Classic racecourse can put in its way.

However, some aerospace authorities have expressed considerable skepticism that a human pilot, however experienced, will be able to operate such a high-speed, high-maneuver craft effectively at anything like its full potential. At least one of the Avalon Classic course marshals has described Gemini XIII as a "suicide machine".

Oddly, Gemini XIII possesses relatively weak deflector shields for an asteroid racer. This is expected to be compensated for somewhat by its extremely high maneuverability and not-inconsiderable forward firepower.

With the race upcoming, it remains to be seen if the spacecraft lives up to the startling impression it has already made on the field of high-performance custom small craft.

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