Union Eve’s Kiss

         The Union is regarded as the yardstick against which all other DropShips are judged. Well-armed and armored, this spheroid craft can deliver a company of BattleMechs, together with their MechWarriors, technical support crews, and aerospace support into the hottest landing zone.
         The compact, 3,500-ton Union contains a number of design features not found on any other craft. The Union’s ’Mech facility is divided into three areas. The drop chutes, located below the two ’Mech bays, can deploy a lance of ’Mechs while the craft is in space or atmosphere. Immediately above these chutes is the lower of the two ’Mech bays, which contains cubicles for a lance of ’Mechs, and provides access to the Union’s two fighter bays.
         The second ’Mech bay can hold two full lances of ’Mechs. Eight BattleMech cubicles line the walls of the bay and open onto a large circular walkway, 50 meters in diameter. A trio of large cranes mounted in the ceiling of the upper bay enable crews to make extensive repairs in the field, and these cranes can also be used in the lower nay via a massive hatch in the deck.
         The original Unions, launched in 2708, were equipped with crew facilities that would be considered luxurious today. These facilities included a number of double occupancy quarters, and roomy mess and recreation rooms. However, a series of hydraulic and electrical malfunctions on vessels produced after the commencement of the Succession Wars led designers to replace these facilities with communal bunkrooms and multipurpose lounge/recreation areas. The modifications also affected the air-circulation system, resulting in a noticeable atmospheric taint that often proves irritating to first-time passengers.
         In July, 3055, Federated-Boeing Interstellar launched a new, refitted version of the Union. The new version features significantly upgraded weapons, as well as improved facilities for passengers and crew. The crew deck has been completely remodeled, with a return to double-occupancy cabins for the majority of the crew and passengers and a small number of luxurious single-occupancy berths for senior officers. Federated-Boeing also replaced the under-powered air-filtration unit on the new craft, using one more appropriate to the Union’s size and complement, a minor operation that had already been carried out on many older, individual Unions. However, the recent terrorist incident at Galax has curtailed production of the new version, and only four are currently operational.
         Many variants of the Union are in service today. Many are cargo haulers, with the ’Mech cubicles removed to provide more than 1,500 tons of cargo space. A few others have been modified to act as combined-arms transports, replacing the two aerospace fighter bays with barracks for a company of infantry. However, this modification requires a drastic upgrade of the life-support system and is relatively scarce.