The Ermine is a starship belonging to Timberwolf Reclamation & Demolition, a debris reclamation outfit based in Titan Garden. It is a Martian design built around an extra large cargo bay and two robotic arms, allowing it to manipulate and stow very large pieces of space debris with ease. The starship's living quarters are stacked above its low, front-set bridge and gunnery deck; its cabin quarters feature individual windows, connecting to a central lounge, with kitchen and washroom facilities at the top of the stack. An atmosphere control block sits between the quarters stack and the cargo bay, serving as a pressurization gateway, prep room and work space. The Ermine is designed to work with one or all of its four cargo bay doors open, exposing the bay to the vacuum of space, so the control block working in tandem with the long gravity well under the ship's hull allow Timberwolf employees to work safely in transferring space debris to the controlled environment of the ship. Spacewalkers need to suit up to enter this section of the ship during operating hours in order to breathe but they will be able to walk about under their own power without floating or requiring the use of magnetic boots so long as they are within the body of the ship.
Two robotic arms on either side of the ship set the Ermine apart from other utility craft of its size. They attach at the aft of the ship, held down by flat magstrip cables which when released allow the arms to extend a safe distance from the ship- each segment of the arm has telescoping properties which allow it to extend or retract as needed. Its main grabbing claw is built with one sturdy thumb prong and one hinged locking claw, making it easy to position the thumb beneath and clamp down on debris in a range of thickness. These arms are operated from a domed control seat which gives the operator good peripheral vision in the arm's operating range. Beneath the control dome is a non-retractable liquid-cooled laser cutter able to pivot 160 degrees along two axes, which combines with the ship's arms to easily grab, cut and stow shipwrecks, space debris or other material hazards in the Ermine's ample cargo bay. Its sturdy wings act as work platforms to help workers manage the loading and unloading of material from the primary bay; the wings contain a gravity mesh which give their top surface a light gravitational pull, acting as an intermediary between the weightlessness of space and the normal gravity conditions of the cargo bay. Crew can jump and float above these gravity meshes similar to traversing Terra's moon, although excessive jumping is not recommended, as should a worker leave the mesh's range they will require the arm operator to pluck them back down from space and the crew will make fun of them for it later.
The Ermine is powered by a bank of five primary thrusters at the rear of its cargo bay and two supplemental thrusters, one under each wing. Banks of pivoting floodlights are set along the port and starboard hulls as well as the top of the front stack to allow ample light in deep space working conditions. A compliment of six forcefield emitters are set around the Ermine, with two on either side of the cargo hold to provide it and its robotic arms extra protection while in transit. Two pairs of autocannons flank the ship's gunnery deck, allowing it to chunk through and break up tattered or unsafe sections of ship debris. The Ermine foregoes extensive weapons systems and creature comforts in order to maximize the cargo space for its size and is built primarily around containing and protecting its haul, although with the right gunnery expert the Ermine's suite of laser cutters and autocannons can be more than a match for any would-be space pirates on the hunt for an easy score.
A fine example of Martian engineering, the Ermine ruggedly transports goods and material into, out of and across the void of space. When obsolete satellites need to be decommissioned or scattered debris following a shipwreck along trade routes needs to be collected and removed for the safety of other starfarers, the Ermine is just the right ship for the job.