Ximni Scout

The Ximni Scout is a small patrol ship, designed to satisfy the Ximni desire for exploration and adventure. Like its TSN counterpart, it is extremely fast, built for covering great distances at Impulse speeds. In combat, it is quite nimble and agile and its ultra-efficient jump drives can pull it out of danger at a moment's notice.

The Ximni Scout is built for long-range jump travel as well, and it has the highest jump efficiency rating of any ship, Ximni or otherwise. While it is no faster than any other jump driven ship, its low energy cost means it can splurge on Jump power levels for rapid recharge. Even at moderately high jump power, the Scout can make several jumps without needing to return to base for more energy.

The Scout's lack of firepower does not in any way discourage its Ximni crews, as they love to brag about how they faced danger and overcame unbeatable odds with the Captain's cunning Jump strategy, and the weapons officer's nerves of steel. The Scout carries a single rapid-fire forward beam, shields that are ten points stronger then the TSN Scout, and one lone torpedo launcher. 

The Ximni Scout has greater range than the TSN Scout, and fires faster, doing more damage. The TSN Scout has one more torpedo tube and carries one additional Mine. As with the TSN Scout, the Ximni Scout carries no Nuclear Torpedoes, although it can help out friendly ships in the sector for a reward of 2 Nukes. The Ximni Scout is faster at Impulse, and more maneuverable, but the TSN Scout is able to maneuver at Warp speeds. In other words, the two ships are pretty much evenly matched. 

The Scout carries the usual science equipment and communication system. In fleet combat operations, the Ximni Scout may be asked to fulfill a reconnaissance and long-range scan role, just like the TSN Scout. Since the Ximni Scout must Jump into subsectors in order to perform recon and spend more time searching the area at impulse speeds, this can be a more involved and difficult task to perform without alerting the enemy. The Scout should also consider the ability to command allied warships in the area instead of trying to go into battle alone.

In Artemis 2.7, the Scout's role as a scientific research vessel was expanded with the addition of probes, tags, and beacons. Unfortunately, none of these probe options have been implemented in Artemis Cosmos. They are expected to be part of a future update to Artemis Cosmos, and once they are, the Scout will most likely carry a greater supply than other ships. This would be in keeping with the Scout's role and make it much more valuable in multi-ship missions. 

The Scout's engineer is responsible for maintaining the ship's flow of power, making the best use of the Scout's high efficiency. Unlike with a TSN ship, the engineer will probably want to maintain power to the Jump Drive, to allow rapid use of Combat Jump in an emergency. 

Quick Stats

The Ximni Scout was introduced in Artemis 2.4. The model used for the Scout was the model currently used for the Ximni Missile Cruiser. The current model was created specifically for Artemis Cosmos and eliminates the vertical jump ring that is the defining characteristic of most Ximni ships. It has only a horizontal ring, and the cylindrical jump engine that is prominent in the Ximni Battleship and Carrier. 

Apparently, the jump ring is not necessary, although the jump engine is itself a ring, so jump energy can be stored and built up inside the engine, as speculated on the Jump Drive page.