One of the first applications of jump-3 technology was, not surprisingly, to intelligence gathering. The Terrans were aware of some of the high mobility fleets that the Imperium could muster. An enemy fleet with the fuel tank capacity for doing two consecutive jump-2s could keep pace with the fastest Terran scout ship. They were also aware that the Imperial core fleet was so equipped and may one day come knocking. If the Terrans were to be forewarned of such a threat, they needed very fast ships.
The existing Crocket class picket ships were also being lost in large numbers largely due to their need to refuel from gas-giants in enemy systems. Phiddipides scouts with their double jump capacity were lost almost 50% less often. Reducing the number of refuelling stops they had to make would directly increase the survivability of scout ships and increase the amount of intelligence being returned.
The X-class ship was born out of the concept for a long-range scout fitted with enough fuel for two consecutive jump-3s. This would reduce the refuelling stops by a third or more and increase the choice of where the ships could refuel further increasing survivability. Furthermore a jump-3 equipped ship could take shortcuts where jump-2 ships could never go, leapfrogging ahead to give Terrans much more up-to-date intelligence than their enemy.
During the feasibility study phase there were several proposed designs, not all of them jump-3. A more conservative design capable of doing three jump-2s was the main contender and being based on existing proven technology, almost won the day. Other notable concept designs included an 8-parsec range ship that was dismissed as too risky.
The X-class ship was top secret and details of its operating characteristics were kept even from many of those who knew of its existence. There was great concern in sending a jump-3 ship deep into Imperial space in case a ship should be captured and the Terran jump-3 breakthrough be discovered.
To counter this threat the crews were small and handpicked from the best of the best. The ships always carried nuclear warhead tipped missiles. Standing orders called for the onboard detonation of one should capture be imminent and one was to be always kept armed if an enemy was in weapons range.
All the official documents referred to the ship as a jump-2 design and it seems likely that other disinformation tricks were used including a sacrificial ship with jump-2 drives. Whatever the reality the Terran’s big secret of having jump-3 technology was not discovered until they wanted it to be known.
The ship was given an X designation and never given an official class name due to the secrecy surrounding its construction and operation. Ships were always referred to by number though crews often gave them informal names. Once they became public knowledge the X-designation stuck.
These ships were one of the most important factors to the Terran victory over the Imperium though of course never officially recognised until afterwards. It was one of these ships carried early news of the approaching core-fleet that gave the Terrans time to prepare their trap.
Much later as the Terrans started to conquer huge swathes of Imperial worlds these ships were used as express couriers, carrying messages to try and hold the Terran Imperium together politically.
Like many Terran designs it was a compromise from the ideal design specifications to get everything in. With 69% of the craft taken up with jump fuel, the jump drive, the jump reactor slice and the fuel processor there wasn’t an awful lot of space for anything else. Armor and armament was the main thing that was sacrificed. Being more lightly armoured than the Crockett was seen by some as dangerous, but supporters argued that “not-being-there” was the better armor and the X-class was the master of not-being-there.
Minimal armor also meant a smaller manouver drive and reactor and hence less maintenance crew. A blessing with the space restrictions as they could only find room to fit 3 staterooms in. With space at such a premium the supplies for month long missions were stored in every available space all over the ship.
When the service asked for the latest jump technology, better range than the Phiddippides and lower cost then the Crockett, they were actually very surprised when they got all three. There was also much comment about the similarities to the Imperium's Iiken class scout and the apparent convergence of Terran and Vilani designs.
The X-class nominally had a crew of five but usually managed on the skeleton crew of pilot, navigator and engineer with overlapping skill-sets (including the gunner skill) as much because experienced flight crews were at a premium as well as space. This also pushed the scouts into using robotic assistance particularly for routine maintenance. When running on a skeleton crew each had their own cabin. This was found to be very important for morale and performance when on missions for months at a time. A small core crew led to less formal chain-of-command and improved operational efficiency, a feature that the scouts became infamous for.
Hull: 100-ton Needle/Wedge Airframe Hull, dDR 10 armor, Stealth
Systems: 6 Maneuver Drive, 4 Jump Drive, 60 Fuel Tank, 1 Fuel Processors (15 hours to fill tank), Standard Bridge, Model-5 Sensors (Scan 22), 9 Fusion Power, 3 Staterooms, 0.5 Cargo, 1 Light Turret (beam laser, missile rack, sand-caster)
Statistics: Emass 220, Lmass 290, Cost M$ 70, SM 8, ASig 1, Hull dHP 30, Life Support 6, sAccel 4.1 G (5.3G empty), Jump-3 (6 parsec range), Top Air Speed 3100 mph
Crew 3 to 5: Typically Pilot, Navigator, Engineer with overlapping skill sets including gunner