Hi All, apologies for wading into this argument unsolicited.
The Seeker in CT Supplement 7 Traders & Gunboats p27 and I quote
"The three ton cargo compartment is retained,...
Two ore bays (ten tons each) are formed from fuel tankage, hull space and instrumentation, reducing fuel tankage to thirty tons. Dismountable fuel tanks can be used in the ore bays to increase the fuel tankage back to forty tons, but at the reduction of ore bay tonnage to ten tons total. With the normal tankage, the ship can achieve jump-1; with the dismountable tanks full, the ship can achieve jump-2."
But, referring to Book 2 Starships gives the formula: Jump fuel (0.1MJn), where M is the tonnage of the ship and Jn is the jump number, allows one jump of the stated level.
0.1MJn where M is 100 and Jn is 1 gives 10 tons fuel required for a jump one.
0.1MJn where M is 100 and Jn is 2 gives 20 tons fuel required for a jump two.
Also recall that power plant fuel of 10 Pn allows power plant operation for 4 weeks including maneuver. The Seeker has 10 x 2 (Pn = 2) gives 20 tons of power plant fuel.
Thus 40 tons of fuel allows jump 2 and 4 weeks of maneuver. So 30 tons of fuel (including internal dismountable tanks) allows a jump-1 and four weeks of maneuver according to CT rules.
These CT formulae seem to allow the dismountable fuel tanker Seeker sufficient range to allow two jump-1 and 4 weeks of power plant support or, one jump-2 and 4 weeks of power plant support. And still have 13 tons of cargo space for prospecting or supplies. Thus the crew of up to four individuals would be very busy, setting up and dismantling the extra fuel tankage (during jump), prospecing for metals, rare gems and earths, and water or hydrogen for refueling between jumps.
I think this would make an interesting astronautic adventure arc of frontier adventuring and exploring I think this was the purpose to which the seeker was designed, or rather appropriated from the Type S.
An interesting aside is that the Seeker has dismountable tanks, whereas the free trader (also detailed in Traders&Gunboats) has demountable tanks, which are not dismountable.
But to take the argument further, and appropriately to the TNE era, Jump fuel has become, [1%+1xJn] x 5/max jump number makes the Seeker, a different creature, to coin a phrase. 3%x5/2 = 7.5 tons or 105 meters cubed per parsec.
But, maneuver fuel has increased especially if HEPlaR is used. I prefer the use of thruster drives, or both HEPlaR and thrusters, as I suspect starships of sufficient technology will take advantage of as many types of maneuvering drives as is feasable and economic.
To cut a long argument short, I think that it may be worthwhile to explore a few different seeker designs and ratings using TNE rules.
I personally will have a look at at 5000 ton bulk hauler using FF&S MarkI. This is similar in principle to the cargo hauler presented in Fighting Ships.
Regards
Craige Cook