‘The Expanse’: The Ship That Saved the Solar System – A Rocinante Breakdown
Sometimes all it takes is one stolen legitimately salvaged ship to change history. We break down the Rocinante.
Throughout the Expanse, no ship is as infamous, or as pivotal, as the Rocinante. Formerly a Martian Congressional Republic Navy Corvette-class frigate, designed for multiple combat roles, the Rocinante owes much of its reputation to her captain, James Holden.
Holden and his crew of heroes and/or villains, depending on which side you’re on, accomplished legendary feats of piloting in the Rocinante. But whether you view Roci and her crew as heroes or a nuisance in the way of your plans, there’s no denying that the Rocinante saved the Solar System.
The Rocinante – Design
Per her origins as a military ship, this light frigate was equipped with a surprising amount of firepower. As Holden often noted, the Rocinante could be full of surprises.
Before Holden and his crew got ahold of her, the Rocinante was armed as most light freighters were: with six different Nariman Dynamics 40mm point defense cannons and 2 torpedo launchers, each capable of mounting 10 torpedos at a time.
In a move characteristic of her captain and crew, the Rocinante was later outfitted with a keel-mounted rail gun. This significantly upgraded her firepower, as the railgun could fire 1-kilogram MCRN-issue tungsten rounds at around 9,9800 m/sec.
At 46 meters in length, Roci was not the most luxurious ship, but comfortable enough for her crew. Features like carbon silicate lace plating ensured her defenses were solid. On top of her defenses, Roci also carried three reconnaissance drones.
The Eros Incident
Originally the Rocinante was commissioned as the MCRN Tachi, one of the escorts assigned to the Donnager Battleship. And there she might have continued to serve, if not for the daring escape of Holden and a crew of survivors escaping the destruction of the battleship during the Eros incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, the survivors were given safe harbor by Fred Johnson of the Outer Planets Alliance, who could offer them a hiding place and refitted transponder codes, enabling the Martian military vessel to move around the Solar System without drawing attention until it was too late.
Solar System in Peril
The Rocinante and her crew were involved in some of the most critical events of the Free Navy Conflict. But perhaps its most important role was in the battle at the Sol gate.
During this fight, the Rocinante successfully transited through the Ring gate, discovering its dark secrets with time enough to stop the Ring’s defensive systems from destroying fleets of ships and possibly the Solar System.
Without the actions of the Rocinante and her crew, humanity would have suffered a dire fate indeed.
