Datum

The Datum is the Confederacy's minimum viable survey platform, defined after three committee reviews and a memo from the materials science division on circuit availability. No sensor array — pilots source their own. No defensive systems, no default modules — the hull provides fuel range and two utility slots, and the rest is the pilot's problem. What the Datum does carry is enough fuel for 83 jumps at cruise speed, which means a single Datum can survey an entire sector without docking. The materials science division wanted redundant shielding. The propulsion committee wanted better engines. Fuel range was the only point of unanimous agreement, so fuel range is what shipped.